"Hurry up! Don't let him escape!" The commander's voice echoed throughout the forest, a deafening boom that sent shivers down the spines of the netherworld legion. The trees seemed to tremble, their leaves rustling with an otherworldly fear, as if they too were being pursued by the legion's relentless pursuit. Tap! Tap! Tap! The sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the trees, the legion's boots pounding the earth with a rhythm that seemed to shake the very foundations of the forest.
The old man, Ruzhu, ran for his life, his breath huffing and puffing like a bellows as he sprinted through the underbrush. His white hair flew behind him like a banner, and his eyes gleamed with determination as he navigated the treacherous terrain. As he moved, the world around him began to distort, reality itself bending and warping as he passed. Leaves withered and turned to dust, trees seemed to twist and writhe like living serpents, and the air grew thick with an illusory darkness that clenched the forest in its grasp.
The forest was a labyrinth of twisted branches and gazing shadows, the moonlight filtering through the canopy above casting eerie silhouettes on the forest floor. Ruzhu's feet pounded the earth, sending small creatures scrying for cover as he hurtled through the underbrush. His heart was a drumbeat, pounding in his chest as he sensed the legion closing in.
But Ruzhu's momentum was short-lived. He sensed a strange aura, a presence that made his heart skip a beat. He raised his hands, and the air around him seemed to ripple, like the surface of a pond disturbed by a stone. He invoked his skill, One World.
The forest was bathed in an otherworldly light as Ruzhu's power took hold. Everything within a five-kilometer radius was engulfed in a fading illusory darkness, and Ruzhu's senses expanded, unfolding like a map before him. He scouted the surrounding area, his eyes piercing the veil of reality.
Three-quarters of the netherworld legion, the ones closest to him, were easily spotted, their fear and confusion palpable. But Ruzhu was not interested in them. He was searching for something, a peculiar aura that was barely sensible, but growing stronger by the second.
And then, he saw them. A boy and a girl, lying unconscious on the ground, surrounded by plants and flowers that seemed to be glowing with an ethereal light. Rainbow lightning danced across their bodies, shimmering and crackling with energy. The air around them seemed to vibrate, as if the very fabric of reality was being drawn to them.
Ruzhu's white hair blew wildly, as if electrified by the energy emanating from the pair. He tried to touch them, but an invisible force field repelled him, sending him stumbling back. His eyes widened in shock, and his mind reeled with questions. Who were these children, and what was the source of their incredible power?
Without hesitation, Ruzhu made a decision. He would not let these children fall into the wrong hands. He summoned his most exhausting skill, One Universe, and a portal with a radius of seven meters appeared beneath the pair, swallowing them whole. They vanished instantly, like phantoms in the night.
From there, they appeared on a whitish stone-like pillar beneath the waterfall, the rushing water cascading down around them like a veil of crystal. The pillar trembled, and the air was filled with the roar of the waterfall as they were teleported to another stone-like pillar, this one situated in a valley located in a curve. Ruzhu once more used the skill One Universe, and they were teleported outside the curve, landing in the old man's house, where they were greeted by the sight of Ruzhu's wife, Lyra.
The arm of the netherworld legion, which was engulfed in the One World, was left perplexed, to the extent that they stopped proceeding. "What just happened, is this a forbidden place?" one of the brethren of the netherworld legion asked, his voice trembling with fear.
Panic spread like wildfire, the thought of the forest being cursed starting to get to their minds. Soon, the rest of the netherworld legion arm arrived, with the commander at the front and his brethren in the back. "Why did you stop? Didn't I make myself clear? Do you wish to die?" the commander shouted, his face twisted with rage.
But no response was received, instead, there was only terror in their eyes. Out of fury, the commander grabbed one of them, his grip like a vice. "Why aren't you saying anything? Do I look like I have time to mess around?" he snarled.
The legionnaire shook profusely, trying to escape the commander's grasp. "Th-this forest is cursed, as we were chasing that robed old man, suddenly everything turned dark for an instant, after trying hard to advance, we only found blood on the ground, the old man was nowhere to be seen," he stammered.
The commander tossed him away, his eyes blazing with anger. "Show me where you saw the blood," he commanded.
The legionnaire struggled to get up from the powerful throw, his eyes darting around like a trapped animal. He hurriedly rolled on the ground, stopping at where the blood was spotted. "So this is the blood, seems quite fresh. I hope it's not for a wild beast," the commander said, his tone serious.
The legionnaire quickly responded, "Not at all, I've tested it myself." He got closer to the blood, reached out to it with a single finger, and slowly placed the finger on his tongue, testing it.
The legionnaire shook uncontrollably as the commander tested the blood, his eyes wide with fear. "Perhaps this forest is cursed," the commander paused momentarily before continuing, "it's really not a wild beast's blood."
Hearing this gave the legionnaire relief, as he was not going to be annihilated by the commander, and his shaking reduced significantly.
"Ruzhu, you're back, is everything alright?" said a soft, gentle voice, one that might be shocking to hear, as it belonged to an old woman.
Ruzhu took a deep breath before responding, "I'm alright, found these two lying unconscious in the forest when I was being chased by the netherworld legion." He slowly made his way to his wife, Lyra. "A beautiful, powerful aura was coming from one of them, it's really familiar with yours. However, it's just much denser and purer..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he was cut short by his wife, "Let's give them treatment first, they have serious wounds. They're in bad condition."
Before she could advance even further to them, he immediately stopped her. "Don't touch them, there's something strange with their bodies." He lowered his voice, "Look closely, there is faint rainbow lightning shimmering within their bodies."
She was taken aback, her eyes widening in surprise. "How are we supposed to help them then?"
He answered, "Maybe let's try to infuse mana, perhaps it could help their recovery rate."
She nodded in agreement, without any further ado, they proceeded instantly and started infusing mana into their bodies. They continued infusing mana into their bodies until the whole day passed.
"Now let's just wait for them to wake up," said Ruzhu.
She responded, "Yes, I hope they'll be completely okay."