Now that the storm was no more and the strong wind was gone, Weller was faster and in moments he reached the Glade. Sound of fighting dew closer and closer.

“Ugh!”

However, as soon as he stepped into the Glade, a body slammed into him so hard it pushed them both back into the forest. Only the hard trunk of a tree stopped them, before falling down.

Weller looked at the man beside him as he tried to stand up. The man looked to be in his late twenties, had an athletic build, and short blond hair. The man wore leather armor and had a sword sheath on his waist.

The man stood up, grouting in pain and holding his side. Breathing haggardly, he picked a sword from the ground and looked towards Weller.

“Weller, good you came,” said the man.

He winced in pain at every move. Blood was running down from the corner of his mouth and an evident imprint on his chest could be seen. 

“Parcey, what’s going on?” asked Weller. He took out a greenish pill and passed it over to his friend.

Parcey visibly recovered, yet the pain was still there but less potent. Enough though, to disregard it completely and fight with everything he got.

“That stupid mutt attacked someone and got blasted away then Ravi went crazy. We have to hurry.”

Black and gold energy surrounded Parcey as he rushed back into the glade. But unlike the boar, where black energy was like drops in a sea of gold, Parcey’s energy was reversed, more black and less gold.

Weller shook his head. “That wolf. I knew it would bring us trouble someday.”

Weller followed, black energy around him and once he stepped into the glade, the scene that came into view, shocked him.

A wide patch of burned grass spread on the ground. In the middle of it, was a man in his early twenties. He was clad in strange white clothes, had long black hair that fell lower than his shoulders. His face features were young, not delicate, but rough, trained.

The white robe was ruined around the man’s chest where a severe wound was, but not as extreme as the one on his left shoulder. The clothing was torn apart, exposing the fresh and deep marks of a powerful bite. Blood dyeing his clothes. 

The man’s arm was dangling lifelessly from side to side as he constantly dodged the constant fury of frantic attacks. His opponent was a man in his late twenties, engulfed in black and gold energy. He attacked like a madman with his long staff, disregarding completely his own defense. Blow after blow aimed for the man’s left side or chest, yet no strike hit.

Weller recognized him as Ravi. He had black short black hair and was dressed in the same leather armor.

Outside of the black patch lay a blue wolf in a pool of blood, breathing heavily. Its jaw was hanging on the ground, broken. On its chest was a deep open tear the size of a fist, blood was pouring out ceaselessly. The beast had its eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable end.

Weller absorbed the scene in front of him in less than a second.

Although it looked like Ravi was dominating the fight, Weller noticed that the man didn’t move an inch as if his feet were glued to the black ground and still avoided every incoming attack.

“Die motherfucker!” yelled Ravi. His every strike tried to be the last. “You're gonna pay for hurting Belly. I’m gonna tear you apart.”

However, Weller realized something odd. The stranger had no energy surrounding him. Not even the faintest hue, yet fought with ease against a staff encircled in it. But he didn’t have time to think much about it as he noticed the fight was about to turn for the worse.

“Fuck!”

Parcey with his sword unsheathed and engulfed in black and gold rushed towards the stranger as soon as he had entered the glade. He swung his sword down to cut the man in two.

Despite being in a fight, the man had noticed Parcey from the moment he had entered the glade, Weller too.

The sword came down. The stranger’s brows tensed, it was time to end this charade. He raised his hand and grabbed the long staff and stopped it. Ravi jerked it but it didn’t even flinch. The staff was blocked, stacked in the middle of the air.

Pow! The man kneed Ravi in the stomach; the power behind the strike dispersed his energy and left him without breath laying on the ground. He couldn’t even scream in pain as the air in his lungs was gone. His grip on the long staff loosened too.

The stranger plucked the staff from his hands and turned towards Parcey.

Crack! A long staff struck Parcey's arm. The strike was so fast he could barely see it let alone react.

The blond screamed in pain, as he dropped the sword. Then… Bam! Crack! The stranger slammed him into the ground with a kick. A new imprint appeared on the side of the leather armor.

The man let go of the staff and stepped on the sword, sent it flying in the air, and grabbed it. He could have finished them with the staff but it would have been messier. A lot messier.

He swung the sword down to end Parcey. Ravi saw it, his eyes bulged out in hatred. He tried to stand up, but the energy around him dispersed before it even gathered as he still struggled to breathe.

Bang!

However, Weller couldn't let that happen. With his short swords out, he dashed in front of the stranger, blocking the strike. But his arms still caved in a little under the stranger’s strength.

Weller’s energy at the impact was pure black and a lot denser. Weller had noticed that the man's strikes were so fast his friends hadn't had time to react to them, so he went all out from the start.

“You’re fast," said the man. His voice was smooth and calm, his eyes void too. The emotions he had felt just moments ago vanished, or at the very least put to the side. "But lack strength," he continued.

The man then pushed harder. Weller's arms trembled as the pressure intensified. He couldn't believe the ease with which he was pushed back. One arm against two.

"Senior, please calm your anger. There must be a misunderstanding." Weller knew this wasn't an ordinary person, and despite being older in terms of appearances, he was a junior in terms of strength.

"There is no misunderstanding." The stranger pushed harder.

Weller could no longer hold. He released the hold, took a step back, then launched towards the man's neck. The man slowly leaned back just enough for the slash to miss.

In a continuous motion, Weller stabbed with his other hand towards the man’s chest. He was blocked with ease with the blade of the sword. 

Yet Weller didn't stop there. He turned and spiraled at incredible speeds looking for an angle to attack the man. Every single one of his moves had the chance to be the last. Only if they hit

In two seconds Weller launched over a dozen stabs and slashes, and one after another the stranger avoided. What’s more, there was no urgency in his moves. His actions were done with so much leisure as if he had been in this situation thousands of times.

Weller stopped. He was panting continuously.

Bam!

The man kicked him in the chest and sent him flying. Weller’s flight was similar to a ragged doll being dragged through the dirt. The strike’s speed was so fast Weller only saw it when it was too late. 

The man looked at the sky. Emotions once again filled his eyes.

"You banished me from my world, ripped apart my dreams. My efforts… wasted, mocked. 900 years of hard work squandered. And now… You pushed me down to the point I struggle against some low-life vermin."

Although he still had his cultivation, it was but a drop from the vast ocean he once possessed. A fact he had only realized when he had been surprised by the wolf and in the subsequent fight in which, although he had easily come ahead, he didn’t dare to take it lightly. 

"Are you watching this? Are you enjoying yourself? Is this what you wanted? To make a spectacle out of me? To laugh at me?"

He then looked down at two men on the ground; Parcey, who was coming to his senses, and Ravi, still struggling to breathe.

“I understand now. You weren’t merciful in sparing me my cultivation. No, you chose to banish me in a world with no chi, no cultivation. Cursed to know what I lost but never able to reclaim my right. You are crueler than I thought.”

The man swept the sword and aimed for Parcey’s neck. The latter just closed his eyes. He resigned to his fate. Ravi tried to stand up but stabled back.

Slash!

“Ugh!” A mouthful of blood flew in the air but wasn’t from Parcey. Weller rushed back to block the strike. The sword cut through his black energy and into his shoulder, passing through the leather armor like butter.