Chapter 25

Cyrus 2.2

    The Forest of Ashkavir are strange. They are tall and big to a ridiculous degree. For humans to wrap around the trunk of an average tree while locking arms they need dozens to almost a hundred people to archived. These trees are the ones spread throughout the land. Some places are sparse like the white snowy field below the Broken Mountains but Named Forest were different. 

    These Forest who are named, are like worlds of their own. You could find even estranged species living deep within. As for the trees? They were massive bodies of wood that twist and curve in their own ways and could take hundreds of people to wrap around their trunks. The branches of such trees were big enough to actually hold the body weight of people like Devour or Stonequake who were giants above the two meter height and thicker than barrels of water, with mass of pure muscles and in the case of Stonequake mix of fat.

    Right now Cyrus stood in one of this branches that didn't sway under his weight. He look far down at a group of people who were traversing the cold grass and underbrush with moderated speed. Their Auras illuminated the dark forest and blur farther thanks to the mist.

    "Senior, what were those things. Their speed was inhumanly fast and neither of them activated their Force. Moreover, they weren't using Battle Skills as well. It was as if they were using their Physique to travel, however isn't that impossible? Only the Barbarians of the South could perform such feats and it's impossible for a Barbarian to travel to the north without been capture and turn into a slave by the Nobles of the Seven Kingdoms." Cyrus heard their conversation from high up and thought what he wanted to do to them.

    Should he kill them? Tor-...hmm, play with them? Consume them? That would be the better choice. He was still weak from the injuries of last night and even though he had a feast in the Hours of the Noon that wasn't quality enough to bring his bodily activities up to the peak.

    But before he attack it would be better to stalk them. It's been years since he done such a thing. When he was little and was getting accustomed to the Catacombs below Castlely Ash this was the way of his Hunts. He wasn't nearly as physically strong as he was now. In those time he was depended on his Dark Powers. He could move through shadows and be as fast as the unknown death. 

    Before he realize that his Physique was extremely important than the usage of his Abilities. He depended on the sneaky ways of a hunter. So in his firsts years in Catacombs he was only focus on hunting sneaky and silently such were his childhood days. *Creak* *Creak* *Creak* 

    Leap after leap he stalk them from above without them knowing. He was the shadow and the twins light that slip through the foliage above couldn't illuminate him. Every time a wisp of pure light fell on him it was completely devour and erase from existence. Cyrus speed was inhumanly fast and only the sounds of the creaking branches could be heard from when he landed on them.

    Blair, Nightshade, Devour and the others were hunting in another place. There were a group of two dozens or so Martial Cultivators who have come to this region. Cyrus didn't know a lot about them, only that they and the Practitioner who Cultivate in the Seven Kingdoms have a dislike towards each other. One thing he also know was that even though they use the same system of power they had different Cultivation Methods.

    One use the Force that is born in the body to train what is know as the Inner aspect of the Physical Body. In a sense, the Martial Cultivators do the same but they don't dwell on that aspect of Cultivation. They use the Force to connect to another place, another Plane of Existence and create or bond with creatures from that other space.

    To now, Cyrus truly didn't understand how's that even possible. There was no magic involved but with the usage of their bloodlines they could connect with the inheritance of their ancestors. 

    The people down below had this illusionary Tiger behind them sniffing and prowling around. They were trying to find their Clan Mate but they couldn't. They also had no energy signature from Devour and Nightshade who didn't operated with the rules of The Force.

    Beside calling their Martial Spirit, as they name them, they also had the synchrony of amplifying their already base abilities with their Spirit. Belia gave him this information when it was confirmed that he didn't need to live in the Catacombs anymore.

    Cyrus was interested in them but he knew that their appearance was rare occurrence as such he threw their information to the back of his mind, until today of course. Now he not only would consume them but he would also study their Abilities that turn them into the rivals of the warriors of the Seven Kingdoms.

    "So, senior what do you know about the strange occurrence of the Broken Mountains?" In the group of three a young man that could be two or three years older than Cyrus spoke to the tall man that was lean with muscular arms. His Battle Robes, the special attire that Martial Cultivators wear was sleeveless and he had his forearms cover in a tattoos of sort that depicted a claw. The illusionary Tiger behind him was orange and had black stripes around his back. The Spirit’s limps were in a mist like state as it flouted behind him.

    "About the Broken Mountains, well, we don't know. We were sent there to investigate the strange signatures that have been coming out of there. The strange atmospheric events that have happened for the past year. This mission is of strange importance to the Clan Masters, and that wasn't the only interest thing for them. What else do they want from there, will remain a mystery. As for what was the occurrence of the atmospheric event, that I don't know." The man short hair was moving from the strong winds of the north and the dark forest could impaled any eyesight if one didn't have the appropriate method against it but he was using a sort of sense that didn’t came entirely from his self for the dark, trying to illuminate the mist that permeate the Dark Forest.

     Through his perception Cyrus could see two strings of light coming out right behind his head and connecting to the Martial Spirit behind him. He didn’t need to be a genius to understand that the man was using the Beast’s senses to see in the darken forest. It seems he wasn’t the only one as the other two were the same as well. The difference was the tone of the color. The leading man was the brightest, shinning practically while the young man was dim and barley illuminating while the last man didn’t lose out to the leading man by much.

    The other man, the one that was behind and who had his hair tied look at the young man and scolded, "stop asking stupid, unnecessary questions and work to find your senior brother! We don't know how or why he was kidnapped and who those hooded people are. Why don't you stimulate your Martial Spirit so that it can get a resonance in this damned forest." The young man cringed at the long braided man and from the center of his body a ripple spread and the illusionary Tiger behind him glow and turn more real. It's feet finally taking shape and landing on the ground. His young tiger was still one an a half meter tall, looking like a normal tiger but with shimmering fur that tell it's unnatural presence.

    " Senior, you know, it's hard to maintain a connection, I only have a few minutes with the ability activated. After I, I be weak. I wouldn't, be able to fight against a, beast." From high above Cyrus could see perspiration falling from the young man forehead.

    So summoning such creatures take stamina, huh. This was an interest discovery. That explain why they have them in that illusionary state. 

    "Quit complaining and work! We don't have all night and Master is still in another area making it's way to the Broken Mountains. He left the mission of rescuing junior brother to us. Martial Uncle is now following the trail of the tall man but he didn't have junior brother with him so that means that he is with the other one." Devour is been follow? Cyrus was slightly surprise about that.

    After forcing Faust to consume and learning that Martial Cultivators were in pursuit inside the Black Forest he proposed a game with the other eight-....well seven as Faust was still in denial. But Nightshades, Stonequake, Frozenfire and Devour were pump up for a Hunt.

    He advice Blair, Nancy and Raymond to follow one of the four in their choosing and start the hunting games. It wasn't surprising that the girls went with Nightshade and that Raymond follow the amicable Frozenfire so only Stonequake and Devour were alone in their Hunts. 

    If he could guess Devour motives it would mean that he was bringing a strong enemy away. Devour has an extremely strong Battle Sense and what Cassandra taught him as Battle Consciousness. This could be the first time he truly would go all out with his new Physique. That was something that Cyrus wants everyone to experience. The new Physique is like a completely different system, they needed to work around its rules and regulations. It wasn't a simple as using their inhumanly physical might. There were a lot of treasures and hidden potential inside of those bodies, to the point that even Cyrus was anticipating their full awakening.

    Following them through the foliage above. Branches sway and ominous sounds travel around the three men. They didn't know that the Hunter of the Night was above them, watching his prey with blood colored eyes. Hunger running high in the night with no creature in sight.

    "Hey, have you guys realize that no Fairy has appear since a while ago?" The man with braided hair say behind the youngest of the group. The tiger of the junior was sniffing the air and moving around the underbrush and close to some tree trunks. The oldest look around and up at the tree branches. No light illuminated their way and the mystical Fairy weren't flying around. The Forest was Dark as it's name implied and mist surround them. They could only see dozens of feet in front before anything beyond becomes blurry and shadowy. 

    They felt apprehension when the braided man spoke those words but they continue onwards without stopping. "Don't jinx us. They may have a curfew or they just don't travel this area for that matter." The braided man look around and took a breath of cold air and said, "am not jinxing us, look there isn't even Beasts tracks anymore. The last ones were an hour ago. How could this area be so deserted? I may believe that the Fairies may have a curfew of sort or they don't even hang around this area and move to another. Heck, I may even think that they are having a meeting somewhere else but Beasts? They have this whole Forest as their play ground. You know how many Beasts are in this Forest? Millions or even more. The number is unmeasurable. With every Beasts the Ashcolds kill a hundred may be born the next day. You know better than everyone the capabilities of the Beast's reproduction. Is technically impossible to not run into low-level mob that would be traveling together. Not only that but not seeing any track? Come on, something is fishy here and I don't like it." That man was sharp, Cyrus could give him that.

    "We are not here to listen to your superstitions. Let's work in trying to find junior brother before sun rise." That man body tremble and his Spirit came to life. The body of his Martial Spirit was four times bigger than the young man's, the braided man scoff and also summon his Martial Spirit with a shake of his body. It was slightly smaller than the short haired man but not by much. The only difference was the volume of mass between the Spirits.

    Cyrus stare and his eyes glint behind his cloths. Better now than never, there was no point in continuing stalking.

    With a slight jump he flouted down from the high tree branches, landing a couple of feet from the short haired man. His appearance took them by surprise and they were confused about how he appeared. "You! How!" Cyrus was familiar with that feeling. When the unknown swallow your mind there's a point when your brain move it's gears in trying to putt it all in order and try to understand but when that unknown is surrounded by darkness there was no point in trying.

    "Hi, I came here to claim your lives." Cyrus flashes his smile at the trio who were looking at him in a dumbfounded way. He was younger than all of them, he had no life signatures as if he was death and there was that swirling of shadowy Aura that coated his body. Cyrus was unperturbed by the Aura of the Martial Spirits. It was certainly different from normal Beasts even though they look the same. There was no fear and terror in their eyes. There was no lust or greed in their faces, this coming from the instinct that all Beasts have, and that is to consume a higher species than themselves.

    The braided man was the first to snap out and took a step back. He was clearer than everyone that this boy in front of him represent his deepest fear and worst nightmares. There was an inherent fear that wasn't supposed to be there and he knew that he only had one chance to escape alive.

    Cyrus watch them and knew every single one of their responses before they even make them. The short haired man roar and leap together with his Martial Spirit towards Cyrus. Seeing the over six and half meter tall Martial Spirit who has the force of thousands of pounds in weight behind his attack. Cyrus didn't dwell hard on it before gripping the air in front of him in a death grip.

    The man continue on but he didn't realize that his Martial Spirit was been choked upon. With two steps he reach Cyrus and threw a punch into his handsome face. Using his other hand Cyrus follow up and capture his wrist, following the move that he learn from Nancy. He pivoted his feet and spin him in mid-air upside down. Still holding his wrist while his head was facing the ground, he was now overhead of Cyrus. He broke his wrist with a pull, slamming his body to the cold hard ground and crushing his bones. 

    *BOOM!* 

    The impact was like a small detonation. The body of the man was ruin, he was alive but barely breathing. His Marital Spirit roar and under Cyrus gripping hand it broke like his master. Cyrus was perplex when he saw that as he was sure he didn't put more pressure after his initial capture. He wanted to know if he could capture one and try to do things to see how it would react but looking from the ruin body below him and the now wrinkle up body of the Martial Spirit Cyrus immediately came with a conclusion.

    The Martial Spirit take the damage that their master suffer. Interesting stuff! Cyrus thought. He turn and look at the young man that was now trembling, with a shift of his body he appeared in front of the junior and with a thrust of his hand. The claw pierce him while the darkness that coated his hand corroded his bones and with a quick grap he took out his heart. In front of his eyes, Cyrus jaw dislocated and his mouth open horrendously large with a tongue that was impossibly long. He wrapped around the still beating heart drench in blood and with a pull it was swallow down his throat.

    All this while his diabolical glowing eyes stare down at the now kneeling boy. Cyrus didn't paid him anymore attention and he look at the braided man that was distancing himself by the second.

    "Don't kill me please!" Cyrus heard him say when his diabolical glow illuminate his way. "Why shouldn't I?" He ask him. This man was sharp, witty and it seems as if he had no loyalty. "I, I, I, don't know." That's his answer? Cyrus was disappointed. He thought that he could get something useful out of him. "What a useless person you are. Is that how you want me to spare you?" Cyrus started walking towards him and he kneeled down and was in tears. Cyrus was all to familiar with that face.

    Terror

    Absolute fear

    There are some Humans that for some reason fear him much more than other. Cyrus didn't know why is that the case. But he never dwell on it. What he knows is that they fear him because maybe they know about his existence. Not about him, Cyrus, but about something else that he represent. To this day he couldn't pin point what it is that this specific group of people fear of him but he wouldn't break his head in trying to understand why is that the case.

    "I can, I can help you get the others! I know there’s more, more of my Clan mates that would come out of the Mountains! If, if you let me live I, can, help you." This is one of the things he hated about the people who fear him. They stutter too fucking much!

    Cyrus tilted his head after he stop in front of him and said. "Now that you mentioned, why are you guys going out now?" Finding a glimmer of hope in the darkness that man started speaking fast. " Well, well, you see Young Master. The Martial Clans are reappearing because Magic would return once again! The folded spaces would unwrinkled themselves and the lands beyond the Human Realms would become open for the world to see! The Thousands Years of Mission that the Martial Clans has abided to is over and we now can enter the Human Realms and reclaim our lost lands." The brows behind Cyrus cloths were raise as high as they could.

    That caught him totally by surprise. Thousands Years of Mission? What the hell is that about? And reclaim their own lands? 

    Cyrus ask more, "beside your people talking about lands and the likes, tell me more about this Thousands Years of Mission." The man was still kneeling and he was cover in his own perspiration even though here up in the north was anything besides hot. It was the most cold land of the whole continent beside the Icy Plains of course.

    "Well, no one knows truly what that mission is all about but it was to guard the Mountains. Staying in our spaces and survive until the time when magic once more coated the world." Cyrus tap his chin and later say, "if the world was without magic before how come there are healers and priests in the Church? How come there exist Mages in this world?" The man cringed at his words. Pain flashes on his face and he went down on all four. He was heavily breathing now, not daring to look up at him, but he still spoke. "Those are the exemptions, the Gods have meddle in this world laws and have alter it already. I don't know what else to say, I only know this!" He was desperate now. Cyrus cut off his Aura and turn from a menacing nightmare to a harmless boy in front of that man eyes. 

    "Ha-ha what's you name?" He asked him. He look up with a pale face and trembling lips, "Yeoman, Yeoman Berkeley." Cyrus nodded and said, "stay here, when we finish with your other members I would send someone for you." With that Cyrus blur from the man's eyes and disappeared from sight.

    This is interesting. Magic is entering the world and Martial Clans are appearing all around. The already interesting world became even more interesting! He can't wait to step out of Valleyfall now and turn this world upside down.