Bad Omen

Aeternis guided Soren deeper into the forest, his voice laced with smug amusement that only made Soren more uneasy. With every step, the trees grew denser, their twisted roots snaking across the damp earth, making the path more treacherous. The sunlight, once generous, now struggled to pierce through the thickening canopy, casting shifting patterns of light and shadow across the forest floor.

Soren finally broke the silence, his tone flat but laced with caution."What exactly am I walking into?"

Aeternis answered without hesitation, his voice smooth, unreadable."You shall see for yourself."

That wasn't exactly reassuring.

At worst, Soren would die instantly—never even realizing what killed him. At best, he might actually manage to kill something and make it out in one piece. The humid air clung to his skin as the suns climbed higher into the sky, the temperature rising along with an unsettling tension.

The deeper he went, the more the forest pulsed with unfamiliar sounds—distant calls, rustling leaves, and the occasional guttural noise that sent a shiver crawling down his spine. Yet, none of the sources came close enough to reveal themselves. Not yet.

Aeternis had become noticeably more talkative in the past few days. Or rather, more informative. In the beginning, the dagger had carried itself like some tragic figure from a medieval epic—brooding and poetic. Now, it had shifted into something far worse. Less of a noble spirit, more of a tyrannical instructor, one who delighted in mocking Soren's incompetence while begrudgingly handing him knowledge.

Still, Soren had begun to recognize a pattern. Their dynamic wasn't just one-sided torment. It was a trade.

Before they left, Aeternis had demonstrated the Mastery of Gravity—a sub-element—using Soren's own body.

That fact had lingered in Soren's mind ever since.

If Aeternis had used his body… and there was no external force helping him…

Then that meant Soren could do it too.

He kept walking, his voice steady."You said I can wield everything. But I can't even light a campfire. I've controlled water. I've manipulated earth. What's stopping me from using fire?"

Aeternis let out a dramatic sigh."Ignorant as ever, I see."

Soren rolled his eyes. He had walked right into that one.

"Tell me, you unevolved barbarian," Aeternis continued, his tone dripping with superiority, "when you were born, did the gods step down from the heavens to guide you? Did they hold your feeble little hands and teach you how to walk?"

Soren frowned."That's not what I'm asking."

"Oh, but it is." Aeternis huffed. "You are an ignorant buffoon who could perhaps—" he paused, stretching out the words, "never hope to grasp even the simplest of truths without having them carved into your skull."

Soren exhaled sharply."Aeternis..."

"What?"

"Just answer the question."

Aeternis scoffed."Well, are you knowledgeable or ignorant?"

Soren bit the inside of his cheek.

He wasn't going to admit Aeternis was right, but…

He didn't understand the world of the awakened. Not fully.

And Aeternis knew it.

The sword hummed in amusement, as if sensing his thoughts."As I said, you lack knowledge. Awareness. Refinement. You have infinity in your grasp—yet, being the mongrel you are, you have no idea which part of infinity to refine into the finite."

Soren exhaled slowly, processing the words.

There was something real in what Aeternis was saying. Buried under all the arrogance and theatrics, there was truth.

And that… was what irritated him the most.

The most insufferable persona I have ever seen.

Finally arriving at the place Aeternis had led him to, Aeternis muttered, "Slow down…"

Soren's eyes scanned his surroundings, searching for any hidden danger—any sign of a lurking monster.

Nothing stood out.

Then—something did.

A flicker of essence. Faint. Almost imperceptible. But it didn't match the environment around it. Something was there.

Soren's gaze locked onto the shadows beneath the colossal trees, where an unnatural aura loomed. It wasn't just a stray wisp of energy—it was moving.

It walked forward.

"So… it was that…"

Wait. Did Aeternis not know what we were after?

A bead of sweat formed on Soren's forehead as the creature emerged from the darkness.

A muscular, feline build.

Four-legged.

Sleek, gleaming fur that shimmered like polished obsidian, reflecting the distant sunlight as it stepped out of the shadows.

Its eyes…

Kaleidoscopic swirls twisted within their depths, shifting endlessly, like fractured mirrors reflecting a thousand futures.

Soren's grip tightened around the dagger. The beast was silent. Every step it took, every shift of its weight, was soundless—like a phantom prowling the earth.

It wasn't attacking.

It was watching.

Sizing him up.

Soren's voice was low. "What is that? What's its specialty?"

Aeternis sounded bored. "Wonderful. We'll find out soon enough. Of course, I could quickly take care of it."

Soren exhaled sharply. He wasn't about to let Aeternis take control.

The monster lunged.

Its movements were undignified—raw and animalistic.

Its maw opened wide, razor-sharp canines bared, aiming straight for Soren's shoulder.

He recognized the pattern.

Just like the Ironfang, he could stab it through the open mouth and end it instantly.

His dagger shot forward.

The beast—moved.

Not backward. Not sideways.

It was already gone.

Soren felt a searing pain in his ribs—claws dug in, tearing through flesh, sending him hurtling aside.

He hit the ground hard, a sharp breath forced from his lungs. Baffled. In pain. But not broken.

He gritted his teeth and pushed forward.

The initiative was his.

He closed the distance in a flash, dagger poised—aiming for one of the monster's eyes.

A blur. It dodged.

Soren twisted into a follow-up kick—

Another effortless evasion.

His dagger lashed out, slashing at the beast's jugular—

A miss. Again.

Soren's heart pounded. It shouldn't be this fast.

His thoughts raced.

Is it intelligent? No… it's not reacting—it's moving before I even attack.

The monster shouldn't be able to dodge so cleanly.

Before I'm even close, it's already out of reach.

Every setup, every feint—completely useless.

Once more. He had to be sure.

Soren charged.

He thrust—but the monster was already under him.

He slashed down in a vertical arc—but the blade met only dirt.

Pain.

Soren staggered back as claws raked across his face, carving into his cheek. Warm blood dripped from two deep gashes.

I can't let it hit me.

If it lands a strike on a vital, I'm dead.

He exhaled sharply, steadying himself.

The monster circled him, those swirling eyes unblinking.

Soren's mind raced.

Is it the eyes? Can it see into the future?

No. That's too powerful.

Is it predicting the future?

How?

His gaze flicked to the creature's eyes. Essence.

The two spots of essence he had noticed earlier—both from its eyes.

It's not magic. It's reading something.

Flow of essence?

It's not reacting to my attacks. It's reacting to my intent.

The monster's muscles tensed.

It lunged—the exact moment Soren realized the truth.

Soren took careful, measured steps backward, his mind racing for a solution.

If it reads my essence, I need to control it… but how?

His movements were growing sloppy, every backward step becoming more unstable as his brain struggled to dodge and think at the same time.

Is it the same way I manipulate…?

Before he could piece it together, the monster suddenly disengaged.

It stepped back, its gaze shifting—away from Soren.

It wasn't looking at him anymore.

Soren hesitated.

This! This is my chance!

Soren lunged forward—

But the monster froze.

Its body shuddered violently.

For just a moment, it stood motionless, its swirling eyes locked onto something deep in the forest.

Then, in an instant—it ran.

Not in the direction it had been looking. The opposite way.

Soren froze, watching the creature vanish into the trees.

What…?

Something was wrong.

The entire forest had gone silent.

The air, once thick and humid, stilled unnaturally. The wind was gone. The golden sunlight that had barely slipped through the canopy now faded at an unnatural pace, as if something was swallowing it whole.

The hairs on Soren's arms stood on end. A shiver crawled down his spine. His body—his instincts—knew something was wrong before his mind could even comprehend it.

Then, he saw it.

A slow-moving mist creeping from the depths of the forest, rolling in like an endless tide, engulfing everything in its path.

It was coming for him.

Soren's feet refused to move.

Then, Aeternis took control—at least of his mouth.

"RUN, YOU IDIOT!"

Soren's body snapped back into motion.

Without a second thought, he turned and bolted, sprinting in the same direction the monster had fled.

But it wasn't enough.

The mist did not chase him. It simply expanded, rolling forward like an inevitable tide, swallowing the forest in absolute silence.

Soren's steps were as fast as humanly possible, his body moving on pure instinct, barely managing not to stumble. His heartbeat pounded against his ribs, each breath sharp and ragged.

Aeternis' voice cut through the panic."Let me take control."

Soren ignored him, his mind screaming at him to just run.

If the fog caught him—he was dead.

He risked a glance behind him.

The mist had already reached the canopy, stretching far above the colossal trees, a thick, unnatural abyss that consumed light itself.

It was right behind him.

Every step he took, the mist took three.

Aeternis growled. "Idiot, you're dead if you don't let me take control!"

Soren's mind was spiraling.

Aeternis' voice cut in again, sharper this time. "Listen to my instructions, and you have a chance."

Soren gritted his teeth.

He had no choice.

The mist was inevitable.

He relinquished control.

Aeternis immediately barked out a command."Do not—I say this heavily—do NOT open your eyes."

Soren obeyed.

His body dropped—slamming into a crouch.

Everything around him shifted.

He was somewhere tight, a constricted space—but he kept his eyes shut.

The air grew cold.

Aeternis' voice was low. Serious.

"Do not open your eyes. Do not speak. Do not move. Absolutely nothing."

Soren pressed his hands into the ground, his heartbeat slowing, his breath shallow.

Then—the forest changed.

A cold, unnatural wind swept through the trees, slicing against his skin like frozen blades.

And somewhere beyond the mist—something stirred.

Soren lay still in the freezing wind, not daring to open his eyes after Aeternis' command.

The world around him felt wrong.

Like all the sunlight had been repelled, cast away by something unnatural. The forest itself refused to move—as if every tree, every blade of grass, was holding its breath.

The cold wind stopped.

For just a moment.

Then—a new breeze rolled in.

Warm. Gentle. Caressing.

It brushed against his skin, tender and inviting—but there was something else.

Something melancholic.

Like an echo of something lost.

Then—a voice.

Low. Whispering. Familiar.

Right by his ear.

"Honeyyy… you don't need to hide."

"Mom's here."

"Open your eyes, sweetie."

Soren's breath caught.

Mom?