Chapter 2: Kill or be Killed

Growing up in an orphanage I've always been inside the accompanied stigma of being alone to a degree, not physically but mentally, spiritually so to speak. Actually, it's more how I grew up than where I grew up. Anyway, due to this factor I had time to think, think to myself about a lot of things, almost everything, like conversing. I eventually thought about this status of being they put me in. "lonely" or rather "alone", see the two are very different, the former suggests sadness, whilst the latter implies indifference, at least to me.

From my thinking I found that considering all knowledge that is known is built upon language, a human construct, does this entail there is no absolute truth that is not fabricated in the slightest? As language is just sound given meaning by humans who are not omniscient to escape the unknown. Inturn there is no true right or wrong, just what is morally correct based on experience, then if nothing can be truly perceived as right or wrong then negativity as a concept perhaps blurred the lines of meta-physics, and is solely based on the feelings of an individual that is living being threatened. However inversely positivity also does not truly and consistently exist in the same form in the minds of all, as that same feeling felt from being threatened may be comfort to another.

This concept, relationship and my thoughts on the matter have been raised since I could remember the voice of my internal thoughts became just as strong as my own. You could call me facetious as the negativity of being alone doesn't affect me greatly, I mean it's a little disheartening but I know I can still meet others.

I thought that was the case.

But this view and ending world, dead.

An endless desert at his feet and beyond was now not just in front of Ocean but everywhere. Sand that looked like ocean waves mimicked the might of mountains, what seemed to be the horizon merged with the rest of the far off sand. The murky, dark, golden, thick clouds blocked the sky like a door to heaven.

Clouds… in a desert?

It would be a case of putting the clues together, but the biggest helper rather than the dreamlike previous events in the ruins, and the insane weather constantly lashing his eyes and dirtying his clothing, it was a new feeling.

Power.

Ocean was no stranger to power. He was if anything not weak. Living the way he does he's seen warriors and creatures alike harness power to fight, but nothing he has seen has been out of reach to him, all seemed do-able. But this feeling of power felt like it filled him so much it was leaking out his soul. Overloading his brain with new information and senses that kicked him into hypersensitivity to his surroundings.

I am no fool, I know the orb… no that creature has something to do with this feeling of power, I would go back but it seems there is no "back" as all is sand.

His thoughts were interrupted by a small vibration in that ground that soon morphed into a small quake.

A jolt bounced through his brain, no... his mind.

He turned his head up so fast Ocean heard his neck make a cracking noise. Like stomping on a branch.

The clouds lit up, as a highlighted yellow colour shone through like a message from God.

Something is coming.

This message was screamed by his sub-conscious until it forced his body to move.

His eyes registered seven spears of light miscellaneous in position but violent in nature. They looked about the size of a small cloud, unnaturally big. As the suspicion of some sort of attack was quickly confirmed as the closest beam honed in on its target below almost amiably.

Ocean's body exploded into motion as he kicked off the sinking sand, barely getting enough footing to jump, as his foot had to sink about five inches to push off. Sand was propelled outward as he jumped.

"What!"... No, with this feeling of power this is to be expected, but still it can't help but feel like a dream, some sort of hallucination when in the matter of an instant I launch myself about five stories skyward with ease.

It feels like the shackles of reality that governs all have been lifted as I'm zooming up, free from life itself. The air resistance soon strikes against my face and body, whipping my head back slightly as I strain the muscles in my neck and above to withstand the onslaught.

The blast collided with the ground ripping through it like it wasn't there, light piercing through the ground as it expanded then eventually combusted creating a unrelenting wave of destruction the size of the large sand dunes it landed on. A bellowing shockwave soon followed that lifted the ground, almost like it flipped the ground and sky from Oceans perspective.

The dunes were gone… no, rather there was a stupidly big hollow crater in their place about five times their height in depth. Ocean had no time to think as the others identical in power rapidly approached, screaming through the air.

The process of dodge and impact repeated until no projectiles remained visible. The surrounding land in the vicinity had been utterly demolished, not that there was anything of value there.

Midair. He frantically scanned the area for the perpetrator. Twisting his contorted body from its odd positioning it had taken to deviate from the direction of the last blast had taken.

Nothing… where the hell. Looking to the clouds from his falling position he saw nothing. The same pinging feeling he felt from those spears had dissipated along with its source.

That is until it reappeared below him. The ground parted and opened up to flesh… no a mouth?

Are those teeth? or...

NO!! Think, rather JUMP!!

The sound it released was alien, loud and sounded as it scratched it out of the bottom of it's throat. It was both high and low simultaneously, akin to an auditory hallucination, which almost threw Ocean off momentarily.

Ocean, utilising the momentum built from both the residing shockwave of the blast and air resistance, spun just out the way to narrowly avoid the clenched teeth of the beast, as it slammed it's circular mouth shut.

Ocean, barely avoiding the bite, lands on the pointed razor teeth-like parts. In a flash Ocean's conscious makes the direct command to kick off the teeth, the force that erupted from his toes shattered the tooth as he propelled himself away at a sideward angle.

Landing with his feet dragging and digging into the sand leaving a trail he looks up to meet something had never before. About two ball throws away held a cylindrical creature that looked not too far off from a worm if one stretched the imagination, its skin or shell looked like it was composed of a dense rocky material, so thick it might end at the internals or not.

The rocky skin was smooth but had large irregularities in the way it rose and dipped in the size differences of the rocks and resulting creases. The unidentified creature had gills that were akin to wings, vein-like patterns that glowed a highlighted green slightly bulged from its exterior from the bottom to top of its thirty-ish meter long body, and a gaping hole of a mouth that was coated in sharp sickles that could tear the body from the soul whilst it swallows you whole.

"Who let their pet off its leash… no I need to focus… If it wants to kill me, then I will kill it first."

Ocean, reaching back into his memory to replicate that feeling of power from before readies himself.

Like when adrenaline rushes through your body… Focus … Focus. Harness that feeling of before, its right here in my hands…

Not waiting, or perhaps not having the concept in its mind, or the need to wait. The deadly thing flicked its large tail toward the figure at a ridiculous speed and split the sand into separate segments.

The tail blow first connected, stopped then was sent flying back, like it was deflected. The figure of Ocean when the sand cleared, was left standing in a small indent in the sand with his fist raised in a punching stance.

For an instant both were stunned…

This power… it feels so familiar yet foreign. Like it's been everywhere yet I haven't noticed it, like when you find something in a place you thought you searched already. Whilst he bounced and traversed the desert at incredible speeds to avoid the following lash of blows he thought this.

The creature swept the mountain of sand with ease only for when it was clear to no longer be in the periphery of Ocean, instead an underground tunnel was present.

*RUMBLE

The sound was picked up in his ear and reverberated inside his head until he spun to the source almost by instinct.

The green veins of the creature quickly transitioned to a light blue colour as it arched its top back and strained.

"...what's it doing?"

Blue cold heat.

A violent breeze that carried a tinge of charcoal smashed directly into his nose burning the inner hairs, the smell shooting into his brain. The dazzling pale blue light blocked most of his view and grew bigger as it grew closer.

A massive ray of blue flames was ejected out of the mouth of the creature. He quickly raised his arms and clenched his fists in a 'x' stance, which blocked his face and parts of his neck.

Consumed by the flames a freezing temperature and pain rushed through his body invading his lungs, cold air burning his chest and piercing his throat. Breathing for an instant felt like a blade to the chest. His consciousness was fighting to hold on. His skin felt numb with frost as the flames seemingly travelled from hair to hair across his body, like little miniature bugs biting at the skin relentlessly pain jolted through the boy.

"... ARrgghkk!"

It is ridiculously cold… it feels as hot as flames… is my mind freezing… my thoughts are getting slower...

His clothes were coated in a white tint as a second passed he made the executive decision to stop focusing on the pain for trying to prevent it. Suddenly, an idea sprung into mind.

He gathered all the power and energy he could muster and encircled himself with the sensation of this power. His physical body was emitting a glow of a similar colour that covered him, slightly shielding him

The pain carved into his soul by the time the attack was over, and his feet were frozen into the snowy sand. As he looked around he saw the remnants of blue flames in a crater 15 meters wide made of sand frozen solid.

"Haa… haa… what… was tha- gahhh!"

Pain still resided in his body as the skin of his arms glowed in a bloody red colour, his legs and arms had wounds that would have leaked blood if it wasn't frozen solid.

"EERRIIGGHHH!!!"

The beast rushed towards him finding the immobility has an opportunity to strike, for what reason is unknown.

"You crafty… I can't move, so I need to attack without moving"

An attack without moving, so long range. Pictures of the recent blast flashed in his mind… If I can use that… remake this feeling of pain and reflect it like a mirror.

In a movement it swallowed the sand below his feet and encompassed him in its grotesque innards. Right as the hole of its circular mouth closed a blue ray of flaming plasma shot and screamed out its back into the cloudy sky, grazing the sand on its way making a frozen trail.

He jumped out of the dead carcass and toppled over on his back staring at the sky.

"Haah… I need to get to a place with water and food… Hah… but who is all the way out here… where even am I… and that power"

Reflecting back he had never seen or heard of a beast like that. Deciding to think later he stood up with a battered body and decided to walk forward, with no real goal but to survive.