Taming: Path To Be The Strongest

The next morning came too quickly.

Yenna got up early, her body still aching, and headed into the forest to find some fruit for breakfast. When she returned, her arms full of strange, colorful berries, she found Vell already awake, though he looked like he hadn't slept at all. He sat by the dead fire, his eyes tired, and waved at her weakly.

"Rough night?" she asked, setting the fruit down in front of him.

He picked one up and took a bite. "Yeah. My body is still a mess from everything that's been going on. It feels like my veins are trying to tie themselves in knots."

She sat down next to him, picking up a berry and playing with it, her thoughts drifting. She glanced at him, hesitating for a moment before finally asking, "Just what happened? Not just last night, but back in the city. What happened when I passed out?"

He kept eating, not answering right away. He looked at her, saw the genuine concern on her face, and sighed.

"It's all in the past now. Don't worry about it. For now, just eat and get ready. You didn't forget about your training, right?"

"I'm still worried, but if you say it's okay, then I'll believe you," she said, though she didn't sound convinced. "And what will you be doing while I train?"

He looked across the river, his senses, now sharper than ever, picking up on a dark, pulsing energy. "I have something I want to check out. I won't be long."

He whistled, and Wren, who had been sleeping in a patch of sunlight, jumped onto his lap, rubbing herself against him. "I'm going to leave Yenna in your care, okay? Train her well. Don't go easy on her." Wren purred, acknowledging his command.

"When I come back, we're going to work on refining your core," he told Yenna. "Until then, just learn about feeling the mana all around you and controlling it." He got up, licking his lips as he stretched his body.

"Be careful out there," she said. "This forest is full of surprises."

"Yeah, I'm a careful guy."

He crouched down, then leaped across the river in a single, powerful bound, a move that shocked both Yenna and Wren. He waved back one last time before running deeper into the forest, disappearing from sight.

Back in Zenith City, two players sat in the crepe shop, pretending to have a normal conversation while they were actually plotting something dangerous.

"Fucking bastards," Jay hissed, his voice low. "So they have been drugging us this entire time? I'm going to kill them all."

"Shh, keep your voice down. Are you trying to get us caught?" Kana whispered back, noticing a few people staring at them. She offered them a polite smile, but underneath it, deep hatred was eating away at her. "Look, right now we need to leave this place and go after Vell. You know which direction he went, right?"

"Yeah, though they're probably long gone by now. I heard he was crazy fast, vanishing out of sight in just a few—" A chill ran down his neck. He knew it was Kana's doing, but he made sure not to make eye contact.

"Hold on," she said, her voice dangerously quiet. "They? What do you mean, they?" The crepe in her hand was squashed into a gooey mess, her eyes looking like those of a predator ready to strike.

"C-cough. Is it cold in here or just me? Maybe I should order a coffee."

A sharp smack on the table jolted him from his attempt to dodge the question. Her power was leaking out, and if it continued, she could end up destroying the entire shop.

"Please calm down," he said, his voice a panicked whisper. "He was seen carrying an unconscious girl. Her name is Yenna, apprentice rank. She got registered a few years ago and has been struggling to make a living until she joined a group that later betrayed her. Knowing him, he probably helped her because of this. He's too soft."

Kana's anger subsided slightly, though she still looked pissed off. "How do we know she's not going to betray him like her teammates did?"

"We don't know. But if that happens, then I'm afraid we can't do anything. No need to worry, though. Vell has always been resourceful. He'll be fine." He took a bite of his own crepe and a sip of his drink, trying to act normal.

"Safe, huh..." Memories of how he looked when she last saw him played in her mind, and she couldn't help but worry. "Okay, change of plans. We're going to meet that team of hers and ask them some questions."

"Huh? That's a terrible idea. What do you think will happen if we go around asking questions? We'll come off as suspicious. Let's just go with the original plan and leave the city. Please don't—"

"I've decided," she cut him off. "Either you come with me, or you leave. It won't change anything either way." She stood up and walked out of the shop, a determined look in her eyes.

'She has become so cold-hearted. Does she miss him that much? Dammit, I can't just let her go alone. She's going to get herself caught. Fuck my life.'

He ran after her. They spent the next few hours searching the city, until finally, they found Jolly and her two "friends" leaving a love motel, looking all satisfied. Kana was disgusted at the sight, but it also pissed her off for some reason.

"H-hey, calm down. You're going to end up doing something stupid... Kana?" His eyes widened in horror as he saw that she wasn't listening, her mana already gathering for an attack. "Whoa, whoa, Kana, hold o—"

She leaped, doing a flip in the air and landing with one hand on Jolly's head. Jolly looked up, her expression a mix of confusion and anger.

"Which fucker—... Kana?"

"Hey there," Kana said, her voice dangerously calm. "We need to have a little chat."

Jolly signaled for her boys to do something, but they didn't move. They were frozen, their faces pale with fear, and then they slowly started to fall to the ground, knocked out cold.

"Alone."

Kana's eyes were filled with bloodlust so intense that Jolly was about to piss herself.