7 Worlds: The 4th World Vol. 1

“HAHAHA! So you're the one I’ve been sensing around here. I guess I can have a little fun with you, you weak piece of trash,” a rough male voice projected aggressively from the plume of dust.

I grunted, overwhelmed by the power of this mysterious man. As the smokey dust shroud began to clear I tightened my grip on my sword, my knuckles turning white. But, before I could even react, I felt a sudden impact in my back and realized I had been sent flying towards a nearby wall. Stabbing my sword into the ground I held tightly to slow down my momentum.

“You’re not even worth calling trash! You’re so weak I don’t know what to call you!” The man shouted angrily. “Lightning Fist!!!!” The man growled out.

Before I could respond to his new attack I felt a flurry of electrified hits directly to my stomach sending me sprawling backwards.

“Why....Why are you doing this...?” I squeezed out in pain.

“Because it’s fun, or at least it would be IF YOU WEREN’T SO DAMN WEAK!!!” He shouted again.

The man grinned and laughed like a gluttonous pig while kicking me repeatedly in the ribs. I grunted and screamed in pain, still unable to understand. The pain started to overwhelm my senses and my consciousness began to fade out.

“Please…stop…” I managed to say.

“SHUT UP AND DIE!!!!” He yelled, laughing maniacally once more before continuing his onslaught, repeatedly kicking me into the decaying building.

After a pause the man just stared, unmoving, down at my body. The victor of this battle was almost entirely clear. I was struggling to even lift a finger but still I forced myself to rise. This was the first time I managed to get a good look at him. He was a lanky man, with tan skin and shaggy crimson hair, it was an odd look that was definitely out of place. I really wanted answers to why this was happening, it was so random, but I doubt I would have gotten an answer.

“Dragon of the sky.... lend me your strength...Dragon’s Roar!!” Finishing the incantation, a bolt of lightning rippled down from the sky directly over top of my foe.

The man held up his hand as the bolt hit a translucent disk coming out from his palm, defusing entirely. My heart sank, I had put quite a bit of energy into that attack - am I really going to lose to this random man? Am I going to die?

“A barrier?” I asked Cadeyrn, pushing my thoughts aside.

“That seems to be the case,” Cadeyrn answered simply.

I was impressed to see a barrier so precisely created at the exact moment of impact. This man was far more dangerous than I had anticipated.

“As if a weak attack like that could ever touch me! HERE'S A REAL ATTACK! O’ Freezing pillars of ice, pierce my foe!” The man called out as a blue runic circle appeared in front of me conjuring large spears of ice.

“Barrier!!!” I shouted and a green transparent sphere formed around me.

It wasn’t enough, my barrier started to crack almost immediately. Looking at the spears of ice coming towards me, intense despair started to set in but Inazuma's voice boomed.

“Diamond Barrier Activated!” The spears of ice shattered on the strengthened sphere around me before the barrier dispersed.

“I’ll give you one last chance to tell me why you're doing this!” I shouted confidently, regaining my mettle.

“Shut up you piece of trash! Don’t talk big just because you stopped one attack!” The man shouted, irritated.

This was my second good look at him. He towered over me, at least seven feet tall wearing what I'd have to consider an aristocratic robe of some sort. Regardless he terrified me, this devil of a man.

“Fine, if you wont give me a real answer…I’ll beat it out of you! Let’s go, Inazuma, Cadeyrn!!” I yelled.

Placing my hands together I started channeling energy. The air currents became visible and started circling around as I began chanting. Within moments the slight breeze of wind started to transform into a cyclone. The man stood back, grinning with anticipation.

“Your arrogance will be your downfall! O Lord of White, holder of wind, with your blades strike my foe with a hurricane!!!” I shouted.

“Good! You’re taking this seriously!” The man laughed heartily as he attempted to avoid the attack but the powerful vortex pulled him in.

He yelled in pain and surprise as he was cut by the wind and thrown about the rubble

“I'M NOT DONE YET! O Lord of fire bestow upon me your wings and your flame!” I shouted and the air around me started to burn, the ground smoldering and turning to ash.

“Where is all this power coming from?!” The man shouted as the oppressive heat was enhanced by the surging wind.

Flaming wings grew from my back illuminating the area as I charged at the mysterious attacker with all the force I could muster. The grip on my sword was firm, the tip pointed directly at his chest. With a fierce growl, I slammed my sword into the man's hastily prepared barrier, causing it to shake and crackle with energy. As I pushed against the barrier with all my might, sparks flew from the point of impact, lighting up the darkened alleyway behind him.

“BREAK THROUGH IT CADEYRN!!” I yelled, determined to be victorious.

“Yes, My master!” Cadeyrn spoke.

My body started accelerating tenfold as the flaming wings on my back surged. I could see the barrier cracking and starting to break under the immense force. In a matter of seconds, it was broken and I was cutting into my foe. Still, I was not done, and royally pissed off to boot. I was not taking any chances and began another incantation but, before I could even begin, the attack I had visualized sprang to life. Chains of magma erupted from the ground, coiling tightly around the man's body and searing through his robe, scorching his flesh. However, to my surprise, he didn't even let out a whimper of pain.

“NOW, TELL ME WHY YOU DID THIS!!!” I roared viciously.

“AHAHAHA! This is great, I underestimated you, but unfortunately you are still no match for me…” The mysterious man cut off, suddenly vanishing into a dark mist with his voice projecting at me.

“I’ll be taking my leave. Your power certainly caught me off guard, kid. Especially being strong enough to defeat my shadow but that was only a small sample of my power. Keep getting stronger. We will meet again. Ahahaha!!!” The man’s laughter echoed through the building as it slowly dissipated.

“DAMN IT! WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT! GAH!” I yelled in frustration. “Not to mention his B-list villain monologue,” I continued, my voice shaking from adrenaline.

“Don't worry my master,” Inazuma soothed.

“That's right, I’m sure you'll find out soon enough,” Cadeyrn added.

“I guess. We better get out of here before somebody sees us,” I stated, hearing sirens and yelling approaching the building.

Inazuma and Cadeyrn returned to their normal forms as I struggled to stand up straight. Using my quanum, I tried to heal my wounds, but at best it was a temporary fix. As the adrenaline wore off, the pain and exhaustion hit me like a ton of bricks. It wasn’t difficult for me to realize just how serious the situation was and how lucky I was to be alive. It angered me to think that my attacker had spared me, purposely toying with me.

I managed to sneak back to my house, adeptly avoiding detection, and collapsed onto my bed defeated and humiliated. Peaking at the time as my eyes closed, I saw that it was 12:18PM.

“Only…Noon? And I still haven’t had breakfast…” I muttered as I fell asleep.

-----

I awoke in an odd place, a well lit room crafted from stone.

“Didn’t I just fall asleep? Cadeyrn?” I called but received no answer. I looked cautiously around to see a man and a woman staring at me concerned.

“Are you well Khasar?” The woman asked.

She was tan-skinned with short white hair and gleaming purple eyes. She was holding several scrolls tightly under her arm, and her clothing — if I remember correctly — was similar to that of the early Ottoman empire. For some reason I seemed to absorb what we learned in history while everyone else tended to select it as a good place to nap—I don’t blame them.

I glanced around, quickly absorbing my surroundings. This seemed to be another dream—or vision? They were getting more and more real…

Carved into the walls of the room were strange glyphs with tapestries hung above them. It seemed as though we were conversing and I had lapsed.

“Sorry, continue,” I said, hoping my assumption was correct.

“You were the ones reporting to me. Are you sure you’re alright?” The woman asked again.

“We don't have the time for your jokes Khasar. They’re already here, they have been for weeks, possibly a full month, Yasvei,” The man stated whilst rubbing his forehead in frustration.

The man had short blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, light tanned skin and was wearing a robe in a similar style to the woman. He seemed calculated but cold, the type to always weigh the value of those around him.

“For all we know they could number in the hundreds,” I found myself stating.

Yasvei’s face quickly turned pale. “My news is no better. Jiyei was right, there is a pattern to the kingdom’s layout.”

Yasvei unrolled one of her scrolls and placed it on a table next to a rather large stone seat. It was a map of something, I wasn’t sure if it felt familiar or not.

“That’s impossible,” Jiyei said, slamming his fist down on the table.

“But given the depths of the ruins, it could mean nothing else,” I found myself saying again.

Yasvei pointed to an inscription she had penned on the scroll.

“Alsa zyes nas vestremact ostre neyvesh. These are the very words that plunged Talis, our great kingdom, deep beneath the ground hundreds of years ago and these scrolls prove it,” Yasvei spoke, her words like a knife to the gut.

The ground began shaking intermittently and terror set in, flushing over our faces.

“Those are explosions!” I yelled running out of the room into a plume of smoke.

And then, with a violent quake, everything faded to black.