Allan was still careful about the potential ambush, as he was fleeting on his own. After some time of running, he noticed the shocking sight of green streams of gusts and fog moving above the distant horizon. They formed hands that pulled rocks from surrounding cliffs or straight up, pulling small parts of mountains high above the ground. Slowly, they were forming a web of stones, rapidly falling down towards the approximate location of fleeing Skoll.

Allan did not know what could he do apart from simply staring at this shocking sight of an otherworldly energy user from the path which lead into the mountain that went above the lines of the tallest trees.

He now witnessed a powerful display of what a person blessed with energy could do.

“Wow, that is absolutely ridiculous. He is playing with nature at his whim.”

Overbearing is a word Allan would describe this.

“I wish to be powerful like that. Someday I will protect those who helped me save my life. But mister Thomas ended up dead. I will be forever in his debt.”

Allan was in a pitch of changing his view of his life. In just a single day, his life changed forever. He wondered about the possible survivors. Their fear and anger towards the unknown foe in their eyes that slaughtered without a hitch people what they loved.

He knew that he must find a chance to get far away. There was no time to worry about others, otherwise, only sadness and depressive feelings would wash his heart. The more time he spends wondering about the possible routes and ways to solve his problems, the more time he would spend deciding.

“Flee. Let’s just run as fast to the tall mountains.” Allan risked it all. A way to save himself.

He ran and ran. Not stopping himself. He had a sliver of fear, deep within his mind, by the display of that unknown powerhouse. He did not know if Skoll would find a way from his enemy.

“That old man was totally livid for Skoll.” Allan thought.

He came to a realization that, perhaps, he would rather capture Skoll, then deal with him. There was also a thing that bothered him.
“Why did he say it like he wanted me to capture me as well?” Allan wondered.
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Some time passed. Skoll was still in a wild sprint. He thought about Clayton’s wish. Although it was not exactly a wish. It limited his free will. It was an ancient request that he personally agreed with. And he would not allow it to be forgotten, even if he wished it was.

Skoll sprinted in a zig-zag pattern and dodged every incoming boulder. The Mountain range was slowly transformed into a line of destruction. Lord Gao was getting impatient with his fruitless attacks. Skoll's figure was slowly becoming clear from the sky, and vegetation in the surrounding region was completely demolished as well.

Skoll glared backward into the sky. He could see an eagle far above him, surrounded by flowing green streams of hands.

“Now I can see you just fine.” Lord Gao leisurely said and continued his onslaught of attacks.

Down below, Skoll crouched down. Fur shimmered and retracted as he became significantly smaller looking. He did not exactly become smaller, It focused from the small amount of energy slipping away from his furred body.

The outer shell of his, gloved in a silver sheen of color. His hind legs burst in volume as his fur spiked around them.

In a flash, Skoll disappeared from his position.

Swish!

Dust and wind scattered around in a single line from the ground. Green energy made its way out. Like a burst of a volcano, Skoll appeared behind leisurely sitting lord Gao. His shocked expression revealed a crevice that ran across the space to his location. A clawed speck of light hit and pushed to his abdomen. He shrieked in agony. Not knowing what happened, he pushed his hands on it as a wound instantly appeared on his body.

“Bloody hell. What was that?” He glanced behind him to see Skoll floating there in the middle of the sky. His whole body was stripped of silver light. He looked many times menacing, but with an otherworldly presence of a beast that could be easily be assumed to be from the Heavenly list.

Skoll struck out unexpectedly just as he was about to be discovered. Moments like these were something that decided the outcome in the fights of immortals. Skoll blow was very effective. But he did not manage to kill this old man and was slightly unhappy. This was a critical hit.

Skoll leaped forth, his sharp claws streaked the sky apart. Dissipating floating green hands even more and they dropped the rocks down.

“Temporal flight, huh?” Lord Gao said. “You have some pretty dangerous ways to deal with your foes. I want you even more now.” He grinned. Thick fog spread from him like a mountain. Enveloping him in veils of green light. A grin of confidence did not leave his face at all.

“It seems to me we both did not use our full powers.” Said Skoll solemnly. Lord Gao spread his arms forth. The surrounding fog formed into 4 dark green twisted javelins. They pointed right at Skoll, who did not expect to see such a force.

“Bring it on...!” He roared as his image blurred once again.

Cling!

A collision could be heard from a distance of dozens of kilometers. The shocking sight of collision in the sky was easily seen from a far away. Colorful strikes of green-colored energy went head to head against the giant-looking wolf, who was bathed in silver light. Lord Gao defended this time with 4 javelins that rotated around him. He pointed out, and a strike of green penetrated the air as 2 javelins behind him pierced forward.

“Damn it. Miss. I will get you next time.” He muttered in confidence.

Skoll emerged from the air as he flew out of his attack. He was aware of his weakness. This attack had overwhelming defense and offense in a sense of overbearing forwardness, where he attacked in a straight line. One could either dodge or defend when using it, but it had domineering power which was hard to defend against when actually being hit.

His weakness was after their clash. The enemy could sense his direction backward and strike him into his back if they had a properly fast reaction and equally fast strikes. Skoll grunted.

“Where is your servant?” He asked. He felt uneasy and forget to be calm himself after he initiated their first clash. He realized something was wrong after noticing someone was missing. In all this time, Lord Gao was attacking and defending from the back of a bird, which could also not be killed. Skoll tried to cause this human to fall from the sky as it seemed he had no way to fly himself. Lord Gao kept defending his bird by not stepping back at all.

Perhaps if he attacked the bird from the beginning, the clash would end in a drastically different way.

“Then where is that kid?” Lord Gao said in return. His javelins pierced forward from great distances. Making dodging more and more difficult. Skoll chose to get down. Earth was a home ground of his species and his temporal fight was highly draining of his stamina.

But it was unfortunate. His enemy was not that kind to offer some kindness or advantage. Lord Gao continued to strike from afar and did not give it a chance.

Skoll was slowly pushed to his limits with patience. He was itching to get this old man to step down. Strikes flew. The glow surrounding the mountains slowly changed to a dark night. Skoll was able to strike him a few times. But at the price of his own injuries. “Damn it. He is way more powerful for this insignificant planet.” He wondered and realized long ago that this old man has intentionally come here just for him. As for what went behind the scenes of Clayton. Skoll cared a little, but the worldly ways of humans were too much for him to fully understand.

“Clayton… who did you offend for your son’s safety to be so screwed?” Skoll cursed inwardly, but he had an idea for this to occur. Not that he offended someone, someone is intensionally hunting him down or trying to get hold of him.

“I am speechless by my inability to shake him off. Allan is probably faced with his servant. But he should have run away somewhere safe. I hope nothing wrong will come from this.”

Some time ago.

Allan was strolling through the narrow pathways. They lead away from forests and vegetation. Barren land with stones, cliffs, and chilly wind were the main things that could be seen and felt. There is not much that he could do. Moving forward, while hoping for the best.

“Survival. It is getting late. Should I find a place to stay or risk it at the dangers of the night?” Allan was considering if it would be possible for him to rest. He fled away for some time. He could see faint flashes on the horizon. His higher attitude enhanced his vision, but he could not discern anything else that he was a long distance away.

“They are quite a few dozens of kilometers away.” Allan looked away. Reaching further into the mountains. He reached the end point of his path. Below him was another set of hills and forest trees in the distance. He did not know exactly where he was. He was only sure that he was, in a way, closer to the capital. Still thousands of kilometers away.

He glanced around. Beneath him was a steep cliff. With some difficulty, he could manage to get down, but he would have to discard his bag. “This cliff is too dangerous. Let's go back to look at other routes.”
He was totally losing his direction. Clayton would scold him heavily right now if he was with him. He remembers the way out of his disaster teachings.

“First, secure a position, then made some point of interest. Move closer to the roads or pathways. Screw this. Let’s find shelter. I‘ve seen some caves in hard-to-reach places. They should cover me for this night.”

Allan was close to his mental and physical limits. Not knowing if he would manage to move below the earlier cliff. It was his awful choice but safest against risks. His own body could betray him very easily.

Cave within a considerably hard-to-reach cliff, bushes were scattered around the entrance, which made it hard to see from distances.

Allan pushed himself up and reached for its safety. Inside was a narrow den to an underground room. There were some stalagmites below him. Further he went, wider it appeared. “This is perfect for tonight.” Allan collapsed to the ground. Accepting his fate for at least a night of sleep. “It is worth it.”

Comforting himself with a blanket within this darkness. He gets some water and some sandwiches with ham. With the help of food, he got some energy for himself. His vision slowly fell. In this dark environment. it was very hard to not fell asleep. He did not choose to start a fire, of course.

Enclosed caves were a recipe to get suffocated.
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Thud. Thud. Thud. Allan was woken up, confused by his surroundings and the eerie sounds of steps in this near pitch-black cave. He quickly got to his feet, grabbing a sword in his hands. Still half asleep, he quickly realized his situation. “Steps? How? Who?” Allan wondered. No living person would spend their time in such mountains, more so in dark caves.

Although, Allan did not realize he was also such a person. Someone who is escaping the war.

“By now, there could be some skirmishes to surround cities and villages.” Allan asked himself. If the North went their way to reach deeper inside, they alone would find it hard. But, with some help, such as the Nation of Dawn, they should get it done and proceed deeper. Such were politics and warlike conflicts in the past. The present is no different and the future would perhaps be even worse.

With all wars. There are winners, losers, victims, fugitives, slaves of war, and many more. There would be hardly a peace after a long or quick-paced war. Nations and kingdoms of thousands of years were usually on top of the food chain. Unbeknown to minor citizens, they had deals and wars for political or monetary reasons.

The rise and death of minor citizens were of no concern to such people. Forging a war for their benefits was a fact that Allan learned himself throughout Thomas’s small lessons or displays what he got from a library.

The hell what he learned about has, unfortunately, went far and beyond. Right into his own home.

Steps were still slowly reaching his location.

Allan froze with nervousness.