Awaken: Dying Light

Counter Strike

"But how did he escape?" that was the question lingering in Elio and Ruele's minds at that moment.

"He used it," Elio replied without much thought about it since it was the only logical explanation for him at that moment. "Whatever skill he got from that scroll, he used it to land safely from the second floor and sprinted through the woods" he finished.

Rule brow furrowed. "But how? This doesn't make any sense, nobody taught him anything yet," she said and continued with a stupefied look on her face. "He's just a 5-year-old boy, Elio. This is driving me crazy I swear, we need to find him right now."

Their speed reached an unthinkable level but at the same time, not even at twenty percent of what they could do, that's because a sudden sonic boom would create panic in the entire estate and most of their people would be alarmed.

Both of them didn't want anyone to find out about Jayden's escape. Besides their closest family and own trusted servants, no one even knew about Jayden's existence, or that was what they thought.

As he inspected the residual mana flow left by Jayden, Elio had an unexpected surprise. "His mana trail is reaching the forest, he's likely searching for grandfather" he spoke to Ruele.

"Come, honey, let's hurry," he added and then raised his speed to reach the forest entrance faster. Elio knew, that even though there weren't awakened beings in the forest, wild beasts were roaming around, scattered all over.

Seconds later, they reached the entrance of the forest but before Elio managed to step in, a voice suddenly distracted him, halting them in their tracks.

Right at the entrance, there was a tall man, weathered and rugged like a seasoned traveler. With a straw covering his dark hair and a white unbuttoned shirt exposing his well-sculpted muscles, he had the look of an experienced wanderer.

"Hey! You guys, care to stop for a drink?" He leaned back in a worn-out chair behind a makeshift stall with a playful glint in his eyes after calling them.

Elio switched his gaze to look around and finally, they made eye contact, "What are you doing here, Father?" his voice laced with a mixture of surprise and annoyance.

Ruele who was right behind him didn't see with good eyes the appearance of her father-in-law. The number of times she met him could be counted on the fingers of a hand, and their encounters weren't very pleasant.

Meanwhile, deep within the forest...

"Awooooo!" the wolf's battle cry echoed in the forest surroundings as it prepared to deal the final blow to Jayden.

'Once chance. I have only one chance' Jayden tried to muster some courage to escape with his life from that situation. 'This is it. This is what I want. This is what I wanted for months and years. I can't go down without even trying.'

And with a desperate attempt, his heart finally slowed down a little and Jayden calmed his surge of emotions within him. With that said, the adrenaline in his body kicked in again but that time in another way, not to help Jayden to run again, but to fight back.

With a defiant snarl, he squared his shoulders and faced the monstrous wolf, a predator sizing up its prey. "Come at me you small pup," he taunted, his voice shaking slightly. "Show me what you got,"

The wolf, primal instincts ignited, wasted no time. It launched itself towards Jayden, a blur of fangs and fur. Five meters, three meters, two meters.

Jayden eyes were fixed on his enemy, more exactly on his legs, his mind also forging like crazy for the exact moment when he would put his plan into action.

Jayden kept his gaze fixed on the wolf's powerful legs, his mind racing for the perfect moment to strike. As the beast launched its final leap, its back legs propelling it forward, Jayden roared, "Gravity Pull!"

At that moment when the wolf lunged at Jayden, the predator felt a sudden force-like pressing in its back, and due to that, its perception and instincts were slightly perturbed.

A surge of energy erupted from Jayden, an invisible force tugging at the wolf. The predator's instincts flared, its jump thrown off course. Initially wanting to jump and ravage Jayden's head directly, the wolf reached somewhere around his right shoulder, where Jayden was injured previously.

Seeing the enemy almost in slow motion, lunging at him, A surge of pain ripped through Jayden, but he ignored it, a feral grin splitting his face.

"Gotcha!" he yelled, twisting his body to the left as the wolf scrambled to regain its footing.

The wolf landed exactly on his right side with its back exposed, and with a quick maneuver, the animal turned his head to prepare for a second jump.

Seizing the opportunity, Jayden channeled, as much as he could, every ounce of his remaining mana. His left fist crackled with condensed gravity, a gray aura swirling around it.

"Go to hell!" Jayden grasped the opportunity as he lunged with his left fist. "Meteor Strike."

His left fist approaching the wolf's head caught a gray hue as the gravity force enveloped his whole body in a fraction of a second. Even though Jayden didn't feel his hands heavy or lighter in any way, he felt the damage he could deal strengthened by the gravity around his fist.

The impact landed true. A sickening "Splurt!" echoed through the silent woods as the wolf's head exploded in a spray of blood and bone. The rest of its body crumpled limply to the ground, a silent testament to Jayden's power.

Exhaustion washed over Jayden in a wave. His vision blurred, the world tilting on its axis. He stumbled back, his legs threatening to give way beneath him. The taste of blood filled his mouth, a metallic tang that mingled with the sharp sting of sweat and fear.

Just as his eyelids fluttered shut, a figure emerged from behind a towering oak approaching him with steady steps.