"Hey, isn't it about time we left this fucked up place? We've been here for ten fucking days now," a sharp, irritated voice rang out through the not-so-silent forest.
"You lack patience. How do you expect to progress in your ascension with that attitude?" came the cool, collected reply.
"Heh, says the one who's been stuck at peak Tier 2 for ages," the first voice shot back with a smirk, her words laced with mocking amusement.
The bickering belonged to two sisters—Kayla, the younger, more hot-headed one, and Ashley, the composed and stoic older sister. Both were Tier 2 Ascendants: Ashley at peak-tier, Kayla just a step behind at high-tier.
"Still doesn't change the fact that I'm stronger than you," Ashley said flatly.
Kayla rolled her eyes, her lip curling. "Then let's fucking fight right now. I'll show you who's really stronger."
Ashley ignored her sister's challenge, a sigh escaping her lips as she scanned the forest ahead. The tension between them was routine. They loved each other, but their personalities clashed like thunder and steel.
"That aside, I don't think the Blue Lotus Flower we're searching for even grows in this part of the forest," Kayla muttered, kicking a pebble as she drew aimless lines in the dirt with her boot.
"I know," Ashley replied, arms crossed. "Which is why I've been saying we need to reassess. Maybe we're just looking in the wrong place."
Kayla groaned. "Then let's just drop the mission and get the hell out of here."
Ashley didn't respond immediately. Her mind wandered back to the mission details, turning them over once more. It was a commission issued by the Ascendants Hall—the central governing body that managed almost everything aether-related. They controlled resources, issued missions, and regulated ascendant affairs.
It was said to be the government of ascendants.
Kayla had discovered the mission while browsing the Hall's listings. A rare Blue Lotus Flower, a Grade 2 spirit plant, had reportedly been spotted in the outer region of the Dark Forest. The reward? A Grade 3 energy stone for just one flower.
Too tempting to resist.
Just imagine if they found 10 flowers...
Kayla had dragged Ashley into it immediately.
But that had been over a week ago. Since then, they'd searched endlessly with no trace of the elusive plant.
"I should've known something was off when I saw the reward," Kayla muttered. "One Blue Lotus for a whole Grade 3 stone? That's insane."
"Well, it's either absurdly rare… or we've been searching in the wrong area altogether," Ashley said, her eyes narrowing slightly as she scanned the trees.
"Fine," Kayla huffed. "One more day. If we don't find this goddamn flower, we're out of here."
Ashley smirked, a faint glimmer of amusement flickering in her usually calm eyes. "That's funny coming from the girl who squealed like a kid when she first saw the mission."
Kayla flushed. "What did you expect? I got tempted by the reward, alright? Besides, it sounded easy on paper."
They continued forward, weaving through the dense foliage of the forest. The deeper they moved, the stronger the aether became, almost humming in the air around them.
Kayla paused, brows furrowing. "You feel that?"
"Yeah," Ashley replied. "The aether concentration here is thick. We're close to the site of those rumoured energy surges."
"I heard the Ascendants Hall and other major factions sent scouts to investigate this area. Could be a newly discovered aether mine… or a treasure being born," Kayla said, eyes scanning the forest floor for any sign of glowing petals or radiant leaves.
"It may be good for us though, most spirit plants grow in areas with high aether concentration. We may find it here." Kayla added optimistically.
"Maybe," Ashley murmured, though her focus remained divided.
They moved cautiously now, eyes open, senses sharp.
---
Adriel was running for his life.
His lungs screamed for air, his heart thundering in his chest like it wanted to burst out. Every instinct he had screamed at him to move, faster, faster—because death was right behind him.
He could feel it.
The presence of the Ironback Rhino bore down on him like a physical weight, its killing intent washing over him in crushing waves. He didn't need to look back to know it was gaining up on him.
The forest around him blurred as he pushed his speed to the limit, trees flashing past like streaks of color. His legs ached, his muscles burned, and his aether reserves were almost depleted.
Shit.
"This is bad… it's catching up," he muttered between ragged breaths.
If—no, when—he ran out of aether, he'd be finished. The body enhancement he relied on for speed would fade, and he'd just be another corpse trampled underfoot.
His eyes scanned the forest desperately. A river, a ravine, a wall of trees—anything that could slow the bastard down.
But nothing came. Just more damn foliage.
"Fuck that stone," he growled. "It's that stone's fucking fault. I didn't even know something so small could be that brittle—and loud."
The beast's bloodlust poured over him like boiling oil.
Branches slapped against his face. Thorns sliced through his clothes and tore into his skin. He gritted his teeth against the pain. There was no time for fear. No space for hesitation. His mind was blank save for one primal command:
Run.
He had thought the forest would slow the beast.
That thought died the second he glanced back.
The rhino charged like a fucking tank on steroids, obliterating everything in its path—trees, rocks, the godsdamn earth itself. Its roar cracked through the air like thunder, sending birds scattering from the treetops. The sound of trees snapping and crashing in its wake only fueled Adriel's desperation and fear.
He ducked under a low-hanging branch and dove to the side just as the rhino obliterated the spot he'd been standing in. Bark exploded from the trunk, wood splinters flying like shrapnel. The ground quaked as a massive tree toppled, crashing down behind him with a deafening crack.
Adriel rolled and forced himself upright. He didn't know how the hell his body was still responding. Every part of him burned. His arms were trembling. His legs felt like they belonged to someone else.
I'm not a warrior.
I'm not strong.
But I want to live.
"System, any suggestions?!" he shouted in his mind, praying for even the smallest sliver of hope.
Nothing.
No witty comment. No clever trick. No helpful prompt.
Just silence.
The bastard was probably still absorbing energy like it wasn't his problem.
"You... ahhh... you better be worth it! This is all your fucking fault!" Adriel cursed, leaping over a fallen log and skidding hard through a patch of mud. His boots slipped, and for one terrifying second, he stumbled—but fear forced his limbs into motion again.
Then he saw it: a steep incline, one of the forest's natural ridges. Jagged, uneven, but climbable.
Please let this work...
If he could just reach the top, maybe there was a crevice or ledge to squeeze through. Something the rhino couldn't reach.
Maybe.
Another roar exploded behind him. The rhino was charging again, steam blasting from its nostrils. Its massive horn glinted—stained with dried blood and dark moss from gods-knew-how-many kills.
Adriel hit the slope and began to climb, hands and feet digging into the dirt. Pebbles and earth slid out beneath him as he scrambled upward. The rhino smashed into the base of the hill—
—and jumped.
It wasn't graceful. It wasn't pretty.
But it fucking worked.
The beast's hulking form launched upward, a horrifying blend of brute force and raw muscle.
'How the fuck is that even possible...You are defying physics...'
Adriel thought in disbelief.
It was just too big to pull that jump off.
He threw himself into a narrow gap between two boulders, the rock scraping his skin as he forced his way through. The rhino's horn slammed into the stones, carving deep, angry gouges and sending shards flying.
Adriel burst out into a clearing on the other side and collapsed to his knees, chest heaving, every breath jagged and uneven. His arms were shaking. His legs barely obeyed him. The edges of his vision blurred.
But he was alive.
For now.
Then came the low rumble.
Adriel's head snapped up.
From the ridge, the rhino growled—a guttural, rage-filled sound that promised one thing:
It wasn't done.
"No. No, no, no," he muttered as the beast began forcing its way through the gap, stone cracking beneath its mass. Rage burned in its eyes. Its bloodlust hadn't cooled. If anything, it was worse.
"Seriously?!" he choked out, stumbling back to his feet.
He didn't have aether left.
But he had to keep moving.
He turned and bolted deeper into the forest, pushing past ancient trees and moss-covered stones, weaving through the thick undergrowth like a madman. Behind him, the sounds of cracking rock and snarling fury followed.
Every step hurt.
Every breath was a struggle.
But Adriel didn't dare to stop.