Chapter 5- The Portal's Corruption

The air grows colder with each step I take, the mountain's chill biting into my already weakened frame. Despite my dizziness, I push forward, determined to follow through.

Hayato's calm presence beside me helps keep me grounded, though my thoughts keep drifting to the mission. I can't afford to lose focus, not now.

We move deeper into the forest, the sounds of our group far behind us, until we come to a stop.

"Hayato..." I say, barely above a whisper, pointing at the ground. My voice falters slightly as I stare at the massive footprints.

Hayato kneels to examine them. His sharp eyes scan the prints before he mutters, "These look like bear tracks. The size...is doubled though."

I take a step closer, peering at the ground. The prints are huge-larger than any animal I've ever seen.

"This doesn't make sense," I murmur, my breath hanging in the air. The tracks lead further into the trees. "They're too big for a bear."

Hayato stands, his expression darkening as he surveys the area. "We need to be careful."

We follow the tracks, our pace quickening with each step, but there's an odd tension in the air.

The forest feels too still, the wind holding its breath as if waiting for something to happen.

And then, we find it.

My stomach twists as I stare at a fallen bear, or what's left of it. It's barely recognizable, its body torn and ravaged. The stench of decay is overpowering, but I force myself to stay calm, to keep my mind focused. There's no time to panic.

"This... this wasn't just some wild animal," I mutter, trying to piece together what happened. The bear's corpse is shredded, but the tracks leading here-those were too big for something like this.

As I'm about to speak again, I feel it. The ground trembles, faint at first, like a whisper in the earth, but then the air around us seems to grow heavier. A strange pressure presses down on my chest, and for a moment, I think I've imagined it. But no. Hayato stiffens beside me, his eyes narrowing.

"Something's wrong," he says, his voice low and urgent.

I nod, before we can take a step, the air crackles with dark energy, and I freeze. My heart skips a beat as I feel it-a presence, something sinister, something that doesn't belong here.

The ground shifts beneath the dead bear. It's body twitches violently, a deep, guttural sound escaping its throat. It's skin stretches unnaturally. It's limbs jerk and crack, blood spilling from the torn flesh. It's head snaps at an impossible angle, and then, it's eyes—eyes that were once lifeless—snap open, glowing with an unnatural red light.

This creature's no longer a bear.

The beast towers before us. It's body, twice the size of a normal bear, is pulsating with dark energy, and it's fur—no, it's more like shadow, swirling and writhing with a life of its own. The thing growls, the sound vibrating through the ground beneath me.

A pulse of pure darkness radiates from the creature, and I stagger, feeling the weight of it pressing against me. My thoughts blur for a moment, the cold and the exhaustion threatening to overwhelm me, but I push through. I can't let myself fall apart now.

I'm not sure if it's the overwhelming energy or my own weakness, but it feels like the world is closing in on me, the air thick with danger.

The creature before us roars again. The bear that was once a normal animal is now a twisted version of itself, its skin black like ink and eyes glowing a fiery red.

I can feel it now—the Seishinsu. It's definitely the same as an Oscuro.

"That's... that's like an Oscuro Bear," I say, the words coming out of my mouth without thought. "It was a normal bear just a second ago, but now—"

Hayato's eyes are locked on the creature, his expression calm but serious. "We'll talk later," he says. He takes off his backpack and pulls out his sword, unsheathing it with a quiet hiss. "Focus on the fight first."

The Oscuro growls, low and menacing. It's ready to attack.

Hayato gets into position, his sword raised. "Show me what you've got."

The bear lunges forward, its form shifting like smoke in the air. Its eyes burn with that same crimson glow, and I can feel the tension building. Hayato is already in motion before the creature can even fully reach us.

His sword flashes through the air, cutting the space between them. In one swift motion, he strikes with lightning speed—his blade moving faster than the eye can follow, aimed at the bear's side. But the creature is no slouch. It twists, its shadowy body flowing around Hayato's strike, and retaliates with a snap of its claws.

The air crackles as the bear unleashes its attack: Oxyno. A dark beam shoots from its maw, and it rips through the ground with a hiss, creating a deep scar in the earth where it strikes. The beam aims straight for Hayato.

But he's already gone, the flash of his movement almost too fast for me to track. He's behind the bear in an instant, his blade raised again. His speed is ridiculous. One moment he's there, the next he's right next to the Oscuro, slashing with his sword.

He's grown far stronger since the last time I saw him fight, his training having forged him into a force far beyond what I had ever imagined.

The bear staggers back, eyes flaring in anger. Another Oxyno forms in its mouth, but this time, Hayato is already moving again—ducking under the beam, dodging with perfect precision. His lightning-infused speed allows him to blur around the bear, each movement a calculated strike.

The bear tries to counter, but Hayato is on top of it. His sword strikes again, cutting through the creature's body with ease. The Oscuro lets out a guttural growl, the pain evident as it struggles to react.

Hayato's eyes narrow. He doesn't need to say a word; his movements say everything. The bear's attacks are wild, but Hayato is too fast, too skilled. Every time the creature tries to unleash another Oxyno, Hayato is there, dodging, countering, and striking with deadly precision.

The Oscuro staggers, its body flickering as it tries to maintain its form. Hayato's gaze hardens. There's a brief pause—just a split second where everything seems to slow down—and then he's in motion again.

His sword blurs again, lightning pulses through the air, crackling as his blade moves faster than I can comprehend. He doesn't stop. Every swing is a flash of blinding light, a blur of slashes that rain down upon the Oscuro from every angle.

"Raiden Seishin... Raigeki!"

Magic of the Lightning Spirit...Thunder Vortex.

The sheer intensity of the thunderous storm of strikes is making the bear swarm, each slash cutting deep, each strike tearing at its form. The sound is like a symphony of destruction—the sharp whistle of his blade, the crackle of lightning, the screams of the bear as it tries to evade, but it's futile.

It's body is shredded to pieces, the dark energy struggling to hold itself together but unable to withstand Hayato's relentless onslaught. In an instant, the barrage overwhelms it. The final strike cleaves through its shadowy essence, and with a deafening crack, the Oscuro crumbles into dust.

Hayato lowers his sword, the tip dragging along the ground as he breathes out slowly. The battlefield is silent except for the hum of his blade.

"Done," he says quietly, sheathing his sword with ease, like it's all in a day's work.

"How did that happen?" I ask, breaking the silence. "How does a bear... turn into an Oscuro? Was it some sort of... virus?" I shake my head, the idea not really making sense.

Hayato looks down at the remains of the Oscuro, his brow furrowing as he considers the question. "I don't know. It's not something I've ever seen before. Earth creatures don't just... change like that." His eyes narrow, and he glances around, almost as if searching for something hidden in the woods. "But I've been thinking. This... might be connected to that portal we're looking for."

I blink, the weight of his words hitting me. "The portal?"

He nods slowly. "It's possible. Oscuros don't just appear like that without some sort of influence. Something might be opening up—changing the balance between the worlds. I don't think we're just dealing with a random animal here."

I chew on his words, trying to connect the dots. The idea of a portal leading to the Oscuros—and this... transformation—is unnerving. But it also makes sense. If there's a rift between the worlds, things could start to spill through. And that bear, somehow, was the first casualty.

"But how?" I ask. "How does a bear even get caught up in this? Was it infected? Or—"

"I don't know," he cuts in, looking serious. "But we need to stay sharp. If these creatures are crossing over, the whole area could be affected. We can't just focus on the portal anymore. We have to deal with whatever else is coming."

I nod, the weight of the situation sinking in. There's more to this than just finding a portal. It's like something's spreading, and we're in the middle of it. The Oscuros aren't just showing up; they're changing everything.

"Alright," I say, my voice steady despite the uncertainty swirling in my chest. "Let's keep moving, then. We'll figure this out. But if anything else like that comes up... we deal with it, fast."

He gives me a brief nod of approval. "That's the plan."

We exchange a look before continuing down the mountain, the strange footprints still etched into the dirt before us, leading us deeper into the mystery.