Pegasus

Nero didn't move. A cold breeze rustled through the old branches of the tree, and darkness weighed heavily on his shoulders.

He felt the magic in his fingertips, desperately trying to break free, but Nero wouldn't allow it. His magic was far too noticeable.

Once again, Nero wished for his old powers. With them, he could have perceived everything around him in the darkness and wouldn't feel so helpless.

Suddenly, Nero heard another crack, right below him. He looked down and desperately tried to discern what was there.

He breathed quietly and slowly, trying to make as less sound as possible.

Then, it cracked again directly behind him, and Nero spun around, but in the darkness of the night, he couldn't see anything. A cold shiver ran down his spine. He felt like a thousand eyes were watching him from the dark.

Nero strained his ears, and suddenly, he heard a soft breath. Nero turned around again, and he saw two pairs of glittering eyes directly staring at him.

Nero immediately raised his hand. He squinted his eyes as tightly as possible, and an incredibly bright light emanated from his fingertips. A cold shiver ran down his spine. He felt like a thousand eyes were watching him from the dark.

After it extinguished, Nero quickly opened his eyes and, with the help of a faint glow from his hand, recognized an ape-like creature sitting on the branch in front of him, grunting and covering its eyes with its two gigantic paws.

As mentioned before, it resembled the apes from his homeworld. It was just slightly larger and much more muscular. Instead of fingers, long claws adorned its hand, and it had seven of them instead of five or four.

Its fur was green like the leaves of the trees.

Another crack sounded beside Nero, and he raised his hand, opening his palm. A small golden sphere of light emerged, illuminating everything around him.

Nero was not surprised when he realized that dozens of these peculiar apes had gathered around him. Some of them also covered their eyes, but many seemed unaffected and observed Nero attentively and curiously.

Nero observed the creatures as well and waited to see what they would do. The ape in front of him had finally recovered and gestured something toward Nero. It emitted a low grunt that sounded somewhat annoyed, but then it left Nero alone.

Nero breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that these creatures seemed harmless and only curious.

Nero sat back on the branch, but before extinguishing the light, he scattered leaves and small twigs on the branch so that he would immediately notice if something approached.

Nero took one last look around and noticed that the apes had calmed down and had also settled comfortably on the branches.

It seemed that Nero had marched right into their home. But as surprising as it was, it also had its advantages.

These beings would undoubtedly give an immediate warning if a known predator were to appear, so nothing could sneak attack him. Or at least the chance for it is lowered.

Nero could hardly sleep. His mind was on high alert the entire time. When the next day started and the sun rose, Nero was hardly rested. But he had to keep going; he couldn't waste any time.

He had to make his way to civilization at last, seeking one of those magic streams. He had to start his cultivation journey to ascend to greater strength. His desire for power was immeasurable, he could even taste it lingering in his dreams.

Once he had believed that he had stood at the peak, but more and more he saw, how there would always be someone who surpassed him in strength.

Once he had been a conqueror of worlds, commanding armies under the palm of his hands, yet even then someone stronger appeared.

Yet, Nero refused to yield. His determination burned fiercely within, igniting an unwavering resolve. He aspired to transcend all others, to rise above the rest. No longer would he allow anyone to suppress his potential. Not now, not in a thousand years. He once had vowed to carve his own path, a path he wanted to walk on and only he can control.

No matter how often he would fail, no matter how many times his dreams would get crushed, his resolve would never falter. For only true strength could satisfy his hunger for power, and right now, he was starving.

As Nero stood up on the branch and packed his belongings, he saw the green ape-like creatures sleeping around him. They were difficult to spot among the green leaves of the trees, and if Nero hadn't known they were there, he would have likely overlooked them.

Nero sighed and skillfully climbed down from the tree. When he finally reached the ground, he looked around. He recognized markings he had made on the trees, indicating the direction he came from, and headed in the opposite direction, further into the dense green forest.

After only half an hour of wandering, Nero encountered another new species he didn't recognize. He was passing through a deep green thicket and came upon a rather large clearing.

This place was clearly not natural. Not only because it was too large to be natural, but also due to the disturbed earth and uprooted plants.

Nero immediately halted and looked around attentively. He slowly and cautiously walked along the edge of the clearing, trying to avoid stepping into it.

After he was halfway around the strange clearing Nero heard the sound of a big animal stomping through the forest.

As he quickly hid behind a bush to avoid any conflict, a majestic creature emerged from a thicket on the other side of the clearing.

It was about the size of a horse and had some similarities to one. It had short white fur and ran on four muscular long legs, with a stately, muscular body. On its head, a long silver mane could be seen. The creature's eyes were purple-red, but what made the creature so bizarre were the two large wings sprouting from its shoulders. One wing was as white as its fur, but the other was covered in red spots. Nero immediately remembered the description of a winged horse from his world. A Pegasus.

He immediately sensed that this creature possessed magic as well.

Although its aura was not as oppressive as that of the bizarre creature from a few days ago, it was definitely present.

Nero stepped back slightly, but the Pegasus didn't seem to be after him. Another creature emerged from the thicket behind the Pegasus, charging forward.

This creature was slightly smaller than the Pegasus but looked much more dangerous. It had deep black fur. The creature had a long snout covered in the same smooth black fur. It resembled a wolf but was significantly larger.

It growled as it pounced on the Pegasus, forcing it to the ground. The Pegasus emitted a desperate sound and flapped its one wing.

Nero now realized that the Pegasus was injured on the other wing and the red spots were blood.

Nero stepped back and tried to move away as quickly as possible, but another one of these giant wolves appeared. It emerged right in front of him from the bushes and snarled menacingly.

It growled and slowly approached Nero. Nero cursed and stepped back quickly.

He drew his sword from its sheath. The wolf in front of him watched him with dark black eyes. Nero had now retreated far enough to reach the clearing where the Pegasus was still fighting the other wolf.

He observed every movement of the wolf in front of him.

Nero bared his teeth as he looked the wolf daringly in the eyes. The muscles of the wolf tensed as it sensed his challenge, and it lunged, but Nero was already waiting for it.

He pushed the air with his free palm, and a bright light emanated from it, striking the wolf like a wave. The wolf was thrown backward.

Nero immediately pounced on it and thrust his sword into its chest. The wolf emitted an ear-piercing squeal. Nero stepped back as the wolf writhed on the ground, howling. Quickly, Nero flicked his hand, and a golden blade sliced through the creature's throat. Nero leaped to the side as the second wolf lunged past him.

He had fought against wolves as a young child and knew about their unity.

The Pegasus lay motionless on the ground, stained with blood. Nero shot another golden scythe at the second wolf, but the wolf managed to avoid a vital hit, and it only cut into its side.

Nero continued to step back as the wolf began charging at him. Nero raised his sword again. As the wolf prepared to leap, Nero blinded it with his magic and stepped forward to thrust his sword into it, but the wolf was quick.

It skillfully leaped to the side and emitted a loud howl. Nero's hand was already cracked and covered in blood, and he knew he had little magic left.

Nero and the wolf stood face to face, staring into each other's eyes for a short while, when a loud rumbling was heard from the side. From the corner of his eye, Nero could see something rushing toward him, and he immediately jumped back.

The wolf also stepped back, but it was too slow. The Pegasus had already reached it and opened its mouth wide. A wave of flames emerged and directly hit the wolf, causing it to burst into flames.

The wolf emitted an ear-piercing howl and stepped back.

Suddenly, another creature jumped out of the thicket, and Nero's pupils shrank.

It was also one of the wolves, but this one was noticeably larger than the others and even larger than the Pegasus. It also emitted a very strong aura.

It ran toward the burning wolf, and Nero felt the magic of the wolf starting to warp. The flames on the wolf's fur grew significantly weaker as a coldness enveloped it.

Frost formed on the ground and the trees. Nero shivered.

A small blizzard had formed and extinguished the flames on the wolf's skin for good. However, the wolf was severely injured, and almost all of its fur was burnt, with black spots covering its skin.

It lay motionless on the ground. The large wolf raised its head and stared at the Pegasus and then at Nero. Nero fearlessly maintained eye contact with the wolf. He stared directly at it, without fear or hesitation.

If necessary, he would kill this creature as well. The difference in size was no greater than back in his childhood as he hunted with his sister.

The wolf emitted a low warning growl, then grabbed the injured wolf by the scruff of its neck with its mouth and dragged it into the dense forest.

Although the wolves had disappeared, Nero remained cautious.

He now looked at the Pegasus standing beside him. It also stared at him. For a long minute, nobody moved, but then the Pegasus lowered its head as if thanking Nero.

After that, it quickly disappeared into the forest. Nero breathed a sigh of relief and lowered his sword. Suddenly, the ground rumbled beneath him, and the earth started to tremble. Nero realized that he was still not out of danger and quickly ran away from the large clearing. Behind him, where the dead wolf lay, the ground suddenly opened up, and the carcass fell into a deep hole. It seemed that their fight had awakened a rather ravenous creature from its slumber.