They Began fastened their steps. The more they enter the northern maze. The more their fear formed in their mind. Their breathing were slowly troubled.
The whole maze itself was always forbidden except when The Rite of Passage was commenced. The strange black aura that is native to the maze was also the test. But the northern part …
The elder or the keeper of the maze never spoke about it. It was as if that part of the maze was truly forgotten.
Anything about forbidden things albeit magical or physical, was strictly forbidden, and would be repeated and explained why it was forbidden every time in his everyday life with his elder. Zyrral already knew everything about the forbidden things including the Rite of Passage maze. But the inside of it?
One sentence that flashed in his mind. 'Forbidden things attracted forbidden occurrence.'
Something that should had not been existed will be attracted to that thing.
Some of the people that passed the Rite of Passage never truly bother about it. And just getting over it by using one of the three entrances towards the center.
'Strange.' That was the word that lingers on Zyrral's mind.
Zyrral glance in his right. The reddish fur companion's teeth were visibly trembling. Not only that, his running also affected. The tremble on the reddish fur companion's paws made him look limping.
The golden silvered tiger could not help but be concerned about his own companion.
"What's your name?" Zyrral thought that a conversation would ease both of them.
"V-villian. Your Highness!" He smiled slightly. There was a tremble in his voice. After the quick conversation, Zyrral could see that his companion's fear was slightly reduced.
Zyrral took turns and looked to his left. "How about you?"
"Trevor … Sir!" The yellowish companion did not show any smile. But Zyrral could see that this companion also got both paws trembling in fear.
Unfortunately, Zyrral could not see clearly the path that leads to the center from the northern maze due to interference of the black fog. But he could seem to estimate the path that he should take from instinct alone.
This part of the maze looked straight forward when compared to the east, south, and west part. Zyrral was 80% sure that what lies ahead is the other end of the gate that leads to the center of the maze.
Suddenly, his step forcefully stopped. An eerie shrine stood in front of him.
Zyrral never knew the shrine existed. No documentation of it ever existed during Zyrral's lifetime as a tiger.
The more he looked at the place, the more his vision went blurry. The gold silvered tiger felt that this place should not exist in the first place.
He felt some kind of strange connection towards it, as if this place seeks Zyrral more than seek this place.
"Zyrral … Reiss … Zy … Rei"
The gold silvered tiger was taken aback. 'How .. did that voice know my real name?'
The thought of him having a delusion had occurred to him. But his instinct told him that something called him. The thing tried to make a connection to his whole body.
"Hello?" Zyrral screamed.
The strange aura felt like a black hole at this point. Makes you want to run away but at the same time the urge … the urge to go into that shrine is getting inevitable. Zyrral's feet walked on his own.
[Let go of your physical belonging.] The voice echoes in Zyrral's mind. Completely hypnotize him.
He began to walk aimlessly forward. His long ear deafened little by little. His consciousness went into tranquility.
What was left was his mind. Trying to rewind everything that he had been through from birth as Reiss, death as Reiss, second birth as Zyrral, and the moment of death … as Zyrral.
The flashback of the slideshow is over. 'It is now … curtain closed.'
"No!" His mind snapped. "I must get away!"
His will did not want to experience a second death. But his body won't listen. Zyrral can see clearly the spiraling darkness of the abyss.
"Help!"
His calls barely left his mouth. All sound sucked by the vortex of abyss.
"I can't!"
[Spirit Channeling]
Zyrral screamed on top of his lungs!
This [Spirit Channeling] was different from his previous ones. His body tensed to the point of imploding. His skin felt like they had been skinned gradually.
He watched his body gradually move in front of him. Walking forward aimlessly. The spirit of himself tried to call the main body. But it was for naught. The body keeps moving forward to the endless darkness of the shrine.
Then a gigantic hand made of darkness suddenly emerged and grabbed Zyrral main body. He could only see his body floating as the dark hand tightened its grip into his body.
"No!" Zyrral mustered his whole voice. But there was no sound.
He saw his body being enveloped by darkness. Gradually losing its form and vanishing.
Zyrral felt that his [Spirit Channeling] is getting stronger.
[You successfully giving yourself of your physical belonging]
[For that I bestow you. Abyssal Power. The power to take over anything!]
[Possession.]
Immediately the strange black aura gathered around Zyrral's finger paw. And vanished when made contact with his spirit body.
The strange aura around the maze suddenly vanished. Not only that, there was a huge hole under the center of the shrine. It oozed the same strange black aura. But not spreading like his previous encounter.
"Where is my body?" His spirit mouth did not produce any sound.
Zyrral glanced back to his two companions. Trevor could be seen running away in some distances.
Meanwhile Villian, laying there with his feets and paws, trembled.
He was still breathing.
No wounds or blood. He was just scared himself until his body froze in place.
Trevor and other people still could carry him from this place and save him.
But for Zyrral … He himself is beyond saving.
'I need to live again … one last time' says Zyrral inwardly.
He ran towards his scared companion and jumped into his body. Villian's body trembles convusely. It was as he was resisting Zyrral's control over him.
"Help!" Sound of distorted struggle produced by the reddish fur sabertooth as Zyrral's spirit body pushed the true owner out.
Villian's body seizure was getting intense. His beastly pupil went white.
Zyrral, the more he sees Villian's poor soul, the more he sees that his soul is appetizing. Hunger comes fast in his mind.
He began to chew Spirit Villian's snout.
"Your highness … why?" His soul screams in agony.
By time, Villian's scream was muffled and slowly vanished. Because the spirit's head has been devoured by Zyrral until its neck. But the spirit's body still struggled and put up a fight.
Unfortunately due to the infusion of [Spirit Channeling] in Zyrral, his soul is way stronger than that of an ordinary soul such as Villian.
After a great agonizing battle against his dear companion, Zyrral managed to eat Villian's poor soul out of the host's body.
'So delicious!' Zyrral's comment inwardly as he eats Villian's last remnant of soul.
Eating him whole, leaving no soul essence behind. He then can safely enter all Villian's limb as if it was his.
Zyrral started to flick his newly gained paw. His beautiful golden silvered identity had been changed to reddish brown. There was no smile on his face.
Gaining [Greater Vitality]. The uniqueness of Villian sabertooth tiger.
He felt something different. Somewhat stronger than before because of Villian's former body got more muscle and seemed older than Zyrral. Also eating this spirit somehow makes his overall magic strength stronger than ever.
Zyrral could beat a soldier on the Red Star to a duel and win.
The now reddish brown sabertooth closed his eyes. Mourned the valiant hero that sacrificed himself for his Zyrral. The rightful heir to the Auroria tribe.
'I will make sure that every tiger remembers you.'
The now reddish brown sabertooth tiger opened his eyes. A disgusting smile was carved on his face.
'After I finished taking the lives of the elders, red star, and everyone who opposed me in the tribe of course.'
A surge of adrenaline pumped through Zyrral's head as his fantasy of killing them ran amok. Imagining how he can brutalize the big-head-knows-it-all elders. Or how he massacred the battle-hungered Red Stars.
He quickly thought of his new identity. 'I will be Villian from now on.'
It was to reduce suspicion if he will meet another sabertooth tiger that knew the former Villian.
A sudden sound broke Zyrral deep thought. Bunch of paws hitting the dirt and leaves not far from here. He immediately knew that it was the search team that Trevor called after he had fled.
Another thought went into his head. If he intentionally found alone in this place, would that raise suspicion? And also, he did not know anything at all about the former Villian. He knew his own people by face, but failed to know his attitude.
The elders would definitely use strange magic for investigative reasons. The former Villian also one of the key witness to the disappearance of his soon-to-be king. Saying that the elders are using strange magic might be an understatement. They could even charge you for killing a soon-to-be king.
They could torture Villian with any means just to get information. Whether using physical torture or magical. The Elders could absorb mana with a high level magic. Leaving you to a gruesome hunger and thirst.
Mana is the source of all magic that comes from the heart of living beings. The capacity of one's mana can be increased, but it takes a long time for a person to actually increase its capacity by training. Most of it actually from the moment you are born.
Villian is more leaned to the second option. Where he ran away as a new individual while forming the plan to exact his revenge.
He activated his [Spirit Channeling].
The [Spirit Channeling] now is even faster when he intends to fly. Just like the flying ability superhero on his earth with red cape and blue suit with 'S' on his torso.
Most of the northern part of the maze is cleared of the strange black aura. It feels like your everyday historical tourist destination, but with someone chasing you.
A gate has been strangely opened on the northern side of the gate. North gate has not been opened for how long this tribe exists. Not only that, most of the tribe did not know that there is a gate in the north of the maze.
Several red stars and elders are closing in from the east, west and south. But the north gate is empty.
And so, the now reddish brown fur Zyrral gets back to Villian's body and runs as fast as he can without looking back.
There was no obstacle between him and the north gate, he is free at last.
He just walks further north without any destination in particular.
Villian had to abandon everything. In his mind there were only two people that he cared about the most. His wife Kilana, the feeling to love her is still growing. Thoughts of coming back to her keep occurring in his mind.
But, there is no way that she is going to believe him about the possession stuff. And for Zyrral, he cannot bear to be with her as another man.
Another one is the counselor, they are technically a branch of the elder, but Zyrral feels that they were his family for the longest year. He did not believe all of his counselors were all bad. Well, maybe some of them are straight up annoying.
He just needs an explanation about all of this from them.
Not long further north, Villian sees some markings made of wood.
'Keep out!'
'Forbidden Zones Ahead!'
'Turn Back!'
Then, two sabertooth tigers show themselves from the tall patch of grass.
"What are you doing here? Do you know this is the forbidden zone?" The one with a small but muscular stature unblend himself from the grass.
There is no way to safely get past them. No amount of excuses can negotiate with them. Because of the sabertooth race, there is connection, or distant sabertooth species outside Auroria. There is no safe world outside of their turf.
Villian yawns so hard and excuses to sleep before them.
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