Journey To Journey

Claudia triggered her technique Butterfly Blast, as large butterfly wings formed on her back. She was able to bring forth pink mana lines on her face and produce a large amount of mana, ready at any moment to burst away quickly.

Claudia: “Astro!”

Astro looked at Claudia and smirked. “Sorry Claudia. I changed my mind. Children of Thanatos, Spirits of Shadows, Disperse!”

The shadow didn’t encompass Astro. Instead, Claudia fell backwards into the black shadow behind her and fell through until she was no longer in sight of them. “No! You…Jerk. Idiot…And here I thought I was starting to fall for you. Now you’re just going to die–”

She cried and was transported elsewhere away from the current danger while Astro stood his ground to protect the young boy.

Shin: “Well that’s not allowed to happen again. Now I’m mad…Darkness Level 1: Quicksand.”

The ground below Astro instantly turned into a black liquid type goo. He fell halfway through the goo and couldn’t get up.

Astro: “Tch! Give me the boy. You don’t get to take another one away from me.”

Shin: “I don’t know what you mean by that, but you’re getting me really mad now. Enough of this…Welpen, I apologize for my friend’s rudeness. It’s time for him to go.”

Shin held his hand out and the ground began to rumble around Astro. The sand began to split apart as he slowly fell.

Astro: “Shin! You bastard!”

Astro reached into his shirt as a last resort and pulled out a clear chaplet with highlights of blue around the edges. The inside contained pink swirling static that bounced around. He bit the chaplet to break it open and unleash its full power. The pink static released as Astro fell down the hole and it reached Welpen’s body, dragging him into the hole with Astro.

As they fell, Shin stood over the hole looking down at them as it began to close.

Shin: “Goodluck Astro. I won’t overlook this by the way. I look forward to our battles in the future…If you survive.”

Shin smiled from ear to ear and slightly laughed as Astro and Welpen fell down deeper away from the surface.

Astro: “Agh! Welpen! Grab my hand! Hang on to me!”

Welpen: “Wh-What’s happening?! Where are we falling?!”

Astro: “Death Bringer: Grim Reaper, Goddess of Night: Nyx’s Black Whip. Converge. Clairvoyance. Death Manipulation. Enhanced Condition. Necromancy. Telekinesis. Stamina. Immortality.”

Astro threw Welpen into the air and bolted for the bottom knowing that he would die and reanimate himself.

Welpen: “Wait! Where are you going?! Astro sir!”

Astro used the ability of his enhanced condition to break the fall as much as possible so that his body wouldn’t be completely destroyed. However, as he got closer, he fell into a dark abyss of water. It was deep, but he quickly swam to the top on an unknown surface. He thought that it was nowhere near what he had just trekked through in the vast land of sand and bones. He was on alert, but nothing seemed off to him.

Astro thought, ‘This must be underneath the land. That means if I can somehow get back up, then I can get Welpen out of here. I can leave whenever I want, but I can’t bring multiple people with my ability. Crap! Why am I not strong enough?’

Welpen: “Ahhhhhhhhh! Astro sir. Help me!”

Welpen fell to the water, but Astro snagged his shirt before landing in and pulled him by his side. They both stood confused about the events that unfolded. They figured that they were in some cave. The ground was like gravel. Small rocks that molded their feet every time they took a step. Strange looking fish floated in the area. Dead birds flew around like it was their everyday lives.

Welpen: “Astro sir. I don’t like the look of this. Why would your friend send us down here? What is this place?”

Astro: “He’s not my friend. And, just call me Astro.”

Welpen: “Okay. Astro!”

Astro: “Listen to me. I don’t know if I can protect you, but I’m going to try. Do you have any chaplets? What sword do you have? What abilities can you use?”

Welpen: “My sword here is called Dragonquel. The almighty sword of all swords! Sir Lihard made it for me with golden sulner. He said it’s number 11 out of 542. Sorry, Astro. I’m not sure how crafting works really, but he said it’s a good sword forged from some rare swords. I still don’t really know how to use this sword. I only know one ability, but it slices really well.”

Astro: “You don’t seem like you have that much mana. Conserve it as much as possible. Only use your abilities when you have to. If I can’t protect you, then use everything you have.”

Welpen: “You don’t have to protect me sir…I mean Astro. I can protect myself. Lihard trusted me with this sword. Plus, I have someone to find. Who knows? Maybe she is here. I doubt it, but…If this place exists in this world, then I have to check. I have to check every crevice and crack of this world. Or else…I’ll regret every second of it. By the way, Astro, you look really scary right now. Half of your face is all boney.”

Astro: “Don’t worry about that. Just stay alert. I’m on your side. Remember that...That opening over there is the only way out of here it looks like. Walk slowly. Be ready to dash away at any moment. If we ever get separated, then run and don’t look back. I’ll find you. Just keep running until you can’t breathe anymore. That’s what this is gonna take to find this person important to you.”

Welpen: “Yes!”

Astro: “Alright, give me 10 seconds. I want to transport to someone and let them know where we are.”

However, when Astro tried to shadow transport to someone above the surface, his ability was completely blocked off. He wasn’t able to leave this place that he was in with this young boy.

Astro: “Damn this place. Of course I can’t use abilities. That would’ve been too easy. How strong is this Shin person really?”

The light began to shine brighter as they approached. They both didn’t know what to think. They couldn’t see much, but nothing looked out of the ordinary. They appeared in a forest with trees stretching for miles. Nothing different from regular trees from above the surface. No animals or movement from anything. Astro was confused. He thought back about what Shin had said. “Goodluck Astro. I won’t overlook this by the way. I look forward to our battles in the future…If you survive.”

‘That couldn’t have been an empty threat. This place…I don’t know yet. God I hate not knowing things.’

Welpen: “Astro. Let’s go right ahead.”

They walked on dirt and grass for miles, staying silent, just listening for anything. More trees filled their paths. The sky above them remained sunny and clear. They both were confused, but Welpen didn’t really care. He was innocent and had one goal only. He didn’t seem to care about anything else at the moment. Astro was similar though. Their goals coaligned somewhat, but Astro’s experience trumped him. Regardless, the situation they were in made it difficult for them to think. Unknown territory made them look like fools to those who were watching.

Welpen: “Astro. I think we’re coming to an opening! Let’s check it out. I’ll run up ahead!”

Astro grabbed him by the shirt and said, “What did I say about staying close.”

Welpen: “That’s right. Sorry.”

He laughed nervously, but stayed by Astro’s side. He was able to maintain his form for a long time. He assumed the ingredients from the garden was also the main impact of this. He felt like he had a lot more mana stored away. They came to an opening with a single pathway. It was a barren land of bright green grass. They couldn’t see the end on the other side. Astro assumed it stretched for miles just like the forest. Nothing was in the distance though.

Astro: “It’s our only option, huh. I don’t like it. We are wide in the open on a singular path. Who knows what’s here. Did you see anything strange when we came here, Welpen?”

Welpen: “No, but we have to go this way. Isara might be along this path. I’ll stay close to you, but let’s hurry. I got a lot of places to check. Oh, I did have a question. How did you pull me down here in the first place?”

Astro: “I used an Ectro chaplet. It’s gone now though. Shin was going to overpower me if I didn’t use it to pull you down.”

Welpen: “A ch-chaplet? You have chaplets? What kind? I wanna see?”

Astro: “Maybe another time kid. Let’s get going.”

They stepped onto the path slowly, expecting something to happen, but nothing did. They walked and walked with nothing around them. The path stayed straight. Astro questioned what was going on. A forest of trees and a field of grass with a single path. They had been walking for hours with nothing. Finally, in the distance, something began to open up.

Welpen: “Astro. Look!”

The path split into two different paths with a sign in the middle with arrows pointing to each side. However, the paths didn’t lead to anything in particular. They just kept going and going into the distance.

Welpen: “Which one do we choose? What’s the difference? Which one would Isara have gone down? Wait, Astro. I don’t understand. No matter what path we choose, we can still see the other side.”

Astro: “That’s what I’m wondering too kid. I’m not too sure. What happens if we cross over to the other path? There shouldn’t be a problem right? I don’t sense any mana coming from any of the paths. I don’t think there is anything to worry about, but is there a right choice?”

Welpen: “Hmm. How about we play rock paper scissors for it. If I win, I get to pick. If you win, you get to pick.”

Astro: “Rock, paper, scissors? A child’s game to find the people we are both looking for? Whatever. Beats standing here and thinking about what the correct path is. Hell, maybe there isn’t a correct way to go. Hold out your hand. Are you ready?”

Welpen: “Yes!”

Both: “Rock paper scissors!”

Welpen threw out paper and Astro threw out rock.

Astro: “Looks like you win kid. What’s your pick?”

Welpen: “Hmm. Agh. I don’t know. But I gotta make a choice. Right. We’re going right.”

Astro: “Right it is then.”