Something is wrong.

Chapter 26

Dane fell asleep, and this was his first time dreaming inside the tower; everything seemed to fall into disarray. Dane saw himself in his old house, where he saw his mother, Miyako Azai. Preparing breakfast while his father, Edward Lazarus, was reading the newspaper and drinking his coffee beside his wife. Dane was in a dream state, and this was the very first time he had ever seen his parents together in a peaceful setting. The feeling of nostalgia overwhelmed him as he watched the scene unfold before him.

He walked toward the counter where his mother was making waffles; Dane knew he was having a pleasant dream because he looked like the 23-year-old version of himself when he was still Damon. He grabbed the stool and sat near the countertop and just looked at them silently while tears flowed down his cheeks.

" I am sorry for not seeing both of you, I miss your warm hugs mother and a long for your firm embrace father, I am so sorry for not being their when you ended me the most,"

" I wanted to prove that I can accomplish my dream, and see you both be proud of what I have accomplished,"

" I lost the most important people in my life , and I cant get over these feeling in m heart, "

"I am trying to gain some control over these sadness's by seeking control and reason for everything."

"So many things are happening, but I keep giving logical answers and emotional reactions.. it feels unreal and fake."

"Like I am forcing my mind to compensate for everything,"

"I really don't know who I'm now, I am Damon Azai Lazarus, or I am Dane Rinne Lazarus. My mind is all jumbled with memories that feel un recall and have no connection to my heart,"

"I say and do many things, but I am just saying this, but I mind, and my heart is contradicting each other,"

"I want to be free from my previous monotonous life I used to have and just enjoy life with no attachments toward another person and live a life filled with authenticity and self-discovery."

"I want to embrace the uncertainty and find peace within myself, regardless of who I may have been in the past."

"Please, I need your guiding voice to help me navigate through this internal conflict and find clarity in my true desires."

"I want to break free from the chains of my past and embrace a future filled with genuine happiness and fulfillment."

"Dane was like watching an old black-and-white movie, where the main characters continued to act and move within the storyline they intended to portray. Miyako smiled and suddenly looked at Dane; she even placed down the cup of hot coffee in front of him. Dane was shocked and could not believe what just happened.

"When you were a child, you hated whenever I told you to clean your room; you would always reason out, but after a few seconds, you would eventually do it with a smile on your face. It's amazing to see how much you've grown and matured over the years," Miyako said, reminiscing about Dane's childhood antics. "I'm proud of the person you've become," she added with a warm smile.

"You see situations and always find logical responses to these challenges. It's truly admirable."

"You never give up. When you are tasked with a problem, you will never stop until you get the answer."

"Remember when you asked me if you could learn swordsmanship, even at a very young age? You never once complained or showed signs of giving up.

"and even when you were tired from learning the ways of the sword, you still begged your father to teach you how to shoot a gun."

"Remember at the age of ten, you went out with your cousin and used our teachings to enhance it even further."

"Your determination has always been one of your greatest strengths," Miyako concluded, feeling a sense of pride in Dane's unwavering perseverance. "

"Don't overthink, son. Remember when I was still on active military duty?"

"I plan everything out, step by step. Finish one task and move on to the next."

"If your plan doesn't work out, pause for a moment, re-evaluate your plan, and adjust based on the information in hand."

"Keep your mind calm, son, like the sword that cuts water. Your mind must be clear and without hesitation."

"Remember that emotions can hinder or make you stronger."

"Know when to use these emotions. Wars are meant to be fought with strategy and logic, not with anger or fear. Stay focused on the mission and trust in your training to guide you through any situation." "Always prioritize the safety and well-being of your team and remember that true strength comes from unity and cooperation."

"Remember you are our son; our traits run deep within you. Honor our family name and legacy by upholding the values we have instilled in you. Your actions reflect not only on yourself but on all those who came before you."

"If you are facing a monster, be the being that monster fears."

"Don't become a lake that becomes stagnant and stale. Embrace change and growth, always striving to better yourself and those around you. Remember, true success comes from continuous learning and adaptation."

"We are always watching you, son. We have always been proud of you.!"

Slowly the vision in his dream faded; Dane finally felt a sense of peace and forgiveness wash over him. As he opened his eyes and recalled where he was, he understood that this dream was triggered when he finally entered the tower.

He sat up and wiped the tears from his face; the pain in his heart was not fading. He still misses his parent, but this time he no longer blames himself and instead feels grateful for the love and guidance they had always shown him. With a renewed sense of purpose, Dane knew he had to honor their memory by living his life to the fullest and making them proud.

In a little leather-bound notebook, he jotted down the plans he needed to concentrate on. He was certain that his goal of living freely would come true, and after he understood what he missed. As he wrote this down, five things were needed to obtain these things.

Dane wanted to travel at the same time and solve problems along the way; at the same time, he wanted to feel alive by going on hunts and camping under the sky. Dane knew and understood why he was fixated on making a world filled with risk and adventure, because he himself craved the thrill of the unknown and the satisfaction of overcoming challenges. He realized that in order to truly feel alive, he needed to embrace uncertainty and push himself out of his comfort zone.

"I should register as a hunter here under a different code name; I'll use Orion."

"They don't know I am already inside the tower; complications will surely arise if they find out I can easily travel here."

"ok, after obtaining a mana vain , ill go back and establish my player career first and come back here the normal way and continue my mission without drawing attention to myself."

While inside his elevated tent hammock, Dane heard the artifact sensor that the elderly father placed along the path he took, but even before the family of four heard the alarm, it suddenly stopped. Dane peeked out of his hammock and saw humanoid-looking wolf men lurking a few meters below him. At that moment he recalls what his father told him: emotions are not needed in making decisions when it comes to war; assess the situation; there are so many possible outcomes, but the objective was clear, and that is to secure the civilians safety first. Then eliminate the treat swiftly.

He is elevated from the ground more than twenty feet; his camouflage tent hammock is securely tied on the inner part of the weeping fig tree. The roots of this tree were as big as the humanoid creature that Dane knows, a kobold. These are creatures that dwell underground and have many different species. From wolf or lizard appearance.

These particular were kobold lizards. these creature stood around 4 feet tall , and three of them were much taller and bulkier is size. Dane knows that these kobold lizards are known for their stealth and cunning. These creatures hunt during the night, but they never travel far from their nest. Many variables might push these creatures to go beyond the forest. The place is known for the abundance of toxic plants, but these creatures are immune as they have developed a resistance over time. Despite their small size, kobold lizards are fierce predators and should not be underestimated. Their ability to blend in with their surroundings makes them difficult to spot, adding to their reputation as elusive creatures of the night.

Dane watched the lurking ten creatures, and they looked even malnourished, and from the manner they stared at the caravan were the sleeping family of four resides. it confirms they are really hungry. Ten kobolds vs. four people is a dangerous situation to overcome, especially considering the lizards' predatory nature and hunger is already consuming their rational thinking.

These kobolds are known to be very sociable and hardly ever seen alone, which could mean there are more lurking nearby ready to strike. He only has two spells, and this might be strong, but using these spells might endanger the people as they are already being surrounded by the enemy.

He needs to eliminate the threat without putting the family in further danger, so he must carefully strategize his next move to ensure their safety. The open clearing hardly has any cascading shadows and blind spots to take cover. The area was too exposed and vulnerable, making it difficult to plan a surprise attack or find a safe escape route. The lack of cover in the open clearing left him feeling exposed and at a disadvantage against the lurking kobolds.

The creature was crawling and was using its camouflage skin to move closer to the caravan wagon; the father was seen sleeping under the wagon's back entrance with his short sword beside him. The kobold looked like they were planning to kidnap the family because they could easily have killed the entire family . when he was still sleeping, so what made them wait longer.

the kobold need the four person alive, this was just speculation from Dane mind but reason might be more complicated than what it seems to be. but it's not the priority now, as the kobolds are closing in. Dane decided to move also as he dropped the climbing rope from his hammock and rappelled down with his mother's katana in hand and dashed toward the enemy and used the sudden shift of the shadow at the clouds above their heads to move, allowing him to strike swiftly and silently. The kobold noticed this, as the smell of blood filled the air. As he stood above the dead kobold lizard.

The shine of the katana without the bloodstain he was holding reflected the moonlight, giving Dane an eerie and intimidating appearance. With a deep breath, he moved away from the dead kobold as he used the chaos to attack the remaining kobold lizard; the skirmish woke up the father; he saw the previous young man he was fighting against; seeing him again shocked him, knowing he wasn't able to locate where he went that morning; now he is saving their lives.

Dane saw the elderly father climb up the wagon to wake up his family as one kobold lizard holding a rusty axe came toward the wagon opening. The wife screamed as she held his two children tightly in her arms, while the father prepared to fight the monster when something grabbed the monster's tail and dragged it out, and what followed were screams of pain and agony and then silence. The daughter took a peek at a small gap in their wagon's interior wall and saw the same young man dragging the dead kobold away; the seven were dead while the three were lying on the ground without limbs as the three bled out.

The young man pulls the deceased in the direction of what appears to be a sizable rock formation. And place the dead bodies. He continued this until all the seven were stacked on top of each other. The three severely wounded kobolds tried to crawl away, but they bled out quickly. The young man then proceeded to cast a fire spell; the young woman was amazed as he never uttered a single word.

The fire that came out of his hands was small but focused; the flame started as red, and slowly it turned blue, the hottest fire any arch mage could attain. It incinerated the seven kobolds and instantly turned them to ash. The family was still wary of going out, but the young woman knew the man wasn't bad.

She forced her way down to fully see what the young man just did to the kobolds, seeing the three dying creatures slowly dying. The young woman was filled with so many questions concerning what just happened. But she could not utter a single word. The young man, after turning the seven kobolds to ash, grabbed their mana cores, which were small crystals as big as a thumb, and turned around and walked toward the young woman.

The father quickly ran with his short sword in hand, thinking the man was about to hurt his daughter, but he was wrong. The young man gave the seven mana crystals and took the remaining dying kobolds; he grabbed the two lizards by the tail and the other one, who was much larger, by the neck as it was still gasping for air and walked away without saying anything.

light a fire at the base of the rock formation, creating a makeshift funeral pyre for the fallen kobolds. The flames illuminated his face, revealing a look of determination and sorrow as he paid his respects to the deceased creatures. As they were almost five feet away from their caravan wagon, as Dane walked away, he took the three kobolds up the hill that was about 50 meters away and collected the mana crystal inside their dead bodies and used the three dead bodies as their scent gave away their position. Dane planned to eradicate the enemy all at once.

While this was going on, the youngest son lit a torch, the father took a shovel, and they began pushing dirt and covering the blood in waste because the blood stain was concentrated on one area where the Kobolds died, and the mother and father knew what their daughter was doing and used the boiling water to clean the Kobold blood on the ground. The scent of the blood could lead the other Kobold toward their location, so the young woman's mother cast fire spells and helped by burning the blood that was nearby.

As a veteran soldier, the father had not witnessed such skill since his unit was attacked by marauders when he was younger. He easily destroyed almost every member of his battalion. It appeared to be a typical skirmish, yet the only marks he could see were the kobolds' footsteps. However, there were no footprints of the young man.

The father wanted to thank you, young man, but he also knew that kobolds always hunt in two groups; with this, they decided to stay inside the caravan and just stay quiet and endure the cold as they put out the campfire and huddled together until daylight.

As the four climbed back into the caravan, ensuring they made sure all the blood was covered and clean, the mother took the thickest blanket and snuggled together while the father sat in front of them, guarding the opening with a sword in hand. The night was at its darkest, and two hours had passed when a loud, thundering sound woke them up. Hearing that, it was a sign that there was a storm brewing. But nothing happened; they were all sure lightning bolted near them. Another power flash illuminated the sky.

But they noticed the lightning didn't originate from the sky, but it came from the ground; soon the smell of burnt flesh could be smelled. The family could only stay inside their caravan and wait, hoping that they would be safe from whatever was causing the strange phenomenon. The father tightened his grip on the sword, ready to protect his family if needed.