SSS-Ranked Evolution: Worlds Unbound-Chapter 62: Make You Regret It (dont buy)
It lunged, its jaws wide open, teeth gleaming with dark energy. Ren barely had time to react. He dropped to his back, his feet shooting up to kick the beast over his head, sending it flying. Before he could recover, another wolf was on him, its claws digging into his shoulders. Its maw snapped dangerously close to his face.
With a shout, Ren drove his dagger into the wolf’s side, forcing it off him. The beast yelped, staggering back before retreating into the shadows.
Lightning lit up the battlefield as Luna fought off her assailant, but she was losing ground. A massive corrupted wolf, its size rivalling her own, had pinned her down, its dark jaws snapping just inches from her throat. Sparks flew as she struggled, her growls turning desperate.
Ren saw her plight and gritted his teeth. "Get off her you untrained mut!" he growled, summoning his energy.
A blast of golden energy erupted from his palms, slamming into the wolves surrounding Luna. The force sent them flying in all directions, giving her the space to roll free and regain her footing. She limped back to his side, panting heavily but still standing.
"They just keep coming," Ren muttered, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. Luna let out a low growl, her body trembling with suppressed power. Ren knelt beside her, placing a hand on her back. "You’ve got this, girl. Let’s show them what we’re made of."
His energy flowed into her, and immediately, her body began to change. Her silver fur glowed brighter, her form growing larger and more imposing. One tail split into three, each one crackling with electricity. Her claws lengthened, and her eyes burned with a fierce, otherworldly light.
Ren stepped back, awestruck, "Luna..." he hadn’t expected that and puzzled, looked at his own hand. Could he...evolve beasts? He had never heard of a beast tamer that was able to do that. Maybe he was the first of his kind. Or maybe, he should stop touching things.
The newly transformed Luna let out an earth-shaking roar, her three tails swiping the air and discharging bolts of lightning that lit up the dark forest. The corrupted wolves hesitated, their snarls faltering as they faced the empowered beast.
Together, Ren and Luna charged.
Ren darted forward, his dagger flashing as he deflected an incoming wolf. He flipped over another, landing gracefully before spinning to deliver a kick to its ribs. Behind him, Luna unleashed a barrage of lightning bolts, each strike precise and devastating. Wolves scattered, their dark energy faltering under her relentless assault.
The tide turned quickly. The pack, once so relentless, began to falter as Luna’s power overwhelmed them. Finally, the last of the wolves collapsed to the ground, their snarls fading into whimpers. The dark energy that corrupted them began to dissipate, lifting like a black mist into the sky.
Ren’s chest heaved as he looked around the clearing. The wolves, now free, blinked as if waking from a nightmare. They glanced at him briefly before scattering into the depths of the forest, their figures fading into the trees.
It was over.
Ren slumped to the ground, his body heavy with exhaustion. He glanced down at his arm, noticing the fresh bite wound seeping blood.
"Of course," he muttered with a tired chuckle, but he was happier that it wasn’t his beautiful face that he treasured so much. Luna padded over to him, lowering her massive form to nudge his cheek with her nose. He smiled weakly, resting a hand on her glowing fur. "We did it, girl."
She let out a soft howl, and they made their way back to Eblan. When Kiyomi saw a wounded Ren, she rushed over to him with a hand around his body, "poor child! You...!" shock filled her bones as she turned to Luna who now looked different and wasn’t too happy that Ren was getting all the attention, "she has changed! By the goddess..." distracted for a hot second before she brought Ren in to treat his wounds.
Soon his arm was wrapped in a bandage, and he was left to rest, Luna never leaving his side, pretty sure she was hungry again. By the time he woke up, Kiyomi was in his room, cleaning the wound again. The sting of the disinfectants was what woke him actually.
"You came back alive, you truly are a great warrior." she commended him with the softest smile, wrapping his arm in a fresh set of bandages. Ren managed a smile, also enjoying the feel of Luna’s new look. The atmosphere stiffened when Kiyomi asked, "what, or who do you seek in Karnak?"
"I do not seek Karnak but a land beyond it." Ren pushed himself to sit up straight, his not wounded hand finding Luna’s head and giving her a nice head rub.
"The lands are polluted with evil creatures. It is not wise to go alone. Or even go at all." her tone held reverence as she squeezed the bloodied napkin into the wash bowl, the water now coloured with Ren’s blood.
"I made a promise to a loved one, I cannot return without reaching the land. You said you will help me get there..."
"Yes I will. The main road to Karnak has been destroyed, an earthquake was the cause for that. However, there is another route I can show you. It will take you straight to the back gate of the town where you can go in. I wish you could stay, but I cannot force you. We are forever in your debt, great warrior." She gifted him a small smile and the name registered in his heart and brain.
Great warrior.
He was instantly reminded of Reina and Rami, they were the first ones to call him Great Warrior, and slowly he began to believe he was one and not a small child muzzled with an insane amount of luck.
Out of her Kimono, she exhumed a jaded emblem and placed it in his hand, "it is not much, but it will keep you safe." and folded his fingers over it, "I pray to the moon goddess that we meet again, alive and well."
"Thank you Kiyomi, I will never forget you." and the side quest is complete.
Next stop; Karnak.
Chapter 14: The Old Town.
The hours dragged on as Ren and Luna threaded through the secret passage Kiyomi had shown him. The earthquake that she spoke off, Ren was familiar with, it happened when he was 16, and it was said that many people had died. And though the duke of the nation gave a Public speech, expressing his heartfelt sadness, he refused to do anything about the roads. He never gave a reason, but many people believed it was because Karnak never gave anything to the empire.
Gave anything in such a sense that they never had any youth awakened. It was a town of normal people. Those were the rumours that spread around, but delicate whispers said otherwise, they said that the town was notorious for hiding its awakened youths. Out of fear that the empire would turn them into mindless zombies.
Karnak was forgotten. The people cried for help and mercy, but the empire only gave them deaf eyes and blind eyes. Leading to the eventual ruin and habitation of monsters.
On the oath Ren was on, he had faced a few corrupted snakes, nothing more than that. It was a simple cleanse and tame. A few poisonous plants here and there but nothing out of the ordinary. They had been walking for a while and Luna let out a whine, the first thing she had said since the beginning of the path.
"Okay, we can rest here." It was pitch dark, the only source of light was the torch he carried and with that, they built a tent in a clearing and Luna went to hunt for food. As he set things up, his eyes caught a glimpse of the stars and for a moment, Ren genuinely smiled. A pleasant memory washing over him.
A memory of him and his older sister, when they were much younger, they had run away from their mother to stargaze under the night sky. Then, Hanabi had just awakened, and many people had gossiped that she would be taken from the empire, reaching his ears. Little Ren didn’t want to lose his sister and he had asked her if she would leave him. She promised him that she would never leave him. She could never leave her family. Unfortunately, that week, the empire came to take Hanabi away from her family despite Miyo begging. Ren was miserable, and he didn’t see his sister for two years.
When Ren was 16, she came back to celebrate his birthday and had gifted him his most precious item, a dagger. He used it for everything, hunting, fighting...
Ren brought out the dagger from his tunic and tears were almost forced out of his eyes, "I want to see you again sister." his concentration was broken when he heard Luna again, whining. She had brought game for them and as they sat down to eat, Ren could tell she was sad. She was not eating as much as she usually did.
