章 88: Dark red pattern
Borne's heart raced as he stared intently at the small bear in front of him.
He cautiously began to step backward, each movement as light and deliberate as possible, hoping to avoid alerting any other creatures in the area.
The little bear, seemingly more curious than afraid, mirrored his every step.
Every time Borne took a step back, the bear would follow with a cautious, yet playful gait, as if engaging in a strange game of pursuit.
This odd scene lasted for a few minutes, but Borne grew increasingly anxious.
He knew this situation couldn't last long.
At any moment, the mother bear could appear, and if that happened, the consequences would be disastrous.
Borne continued backing away while scanning his surroundings, searching for any nearby cover.
Then, from a distance, he heard a low growl—the unmistakable sound of the mother bear.
Realizing the imminent danger, Borne immediately turned and sprinted with all his might.
His feet pounded through the muddy terrain, branches and underbrush scraping against his clothes and face, but he couldn't afford to slow down.
Borne focused entirely on the path ahead, desperate to find a way out.
Behind him, the unmistakable sounds of trees breaking and heavy footsteps echoed—signs that the mother bear was charging after him.
Without daring to look back, he pushed his legs to move even faster.
He regulated his breathing and, using the terrain to his advantage, headed toward a dense forest.
The thick trees and undergrowth could provide temporary cover.
As he crested a small hill, Borne spotted a large boulder ahead, its steep face serving as a natural barrier.
An opportunity!
Borne's mind raced, and he quickly surged toward the boulder.
The ground became harder beneath his feet, and just as he prepared to leap toward safety, his steps abruptly halted, and his heart skipped a beat.
A surge of thunder magic erupted from behind him.
Suddenly, a tingling sensation crept up his scalp, and in an instant, the boulder ahead shattered into countless fragments, blown apart by a bolt of lightning.
The mother bear emerged from the forest, its body enveloped in crackling electricity.
Every step it took shook the ground, and the air filled with the acrid scent of burning.
Borne stood stunned, watching in disbelief as the only potential escape route crumbled before his eyes.
His path to safety was completely cut off.
A dry lump formed in Borne's throat, and he swallowed hard, trying to quell the mounting terror.
Slowly, he turned around to face the oncoming threat.
The bear, now covered in arcs of electricity, approached with relentless determination, its every step sending out ripples of energy that crackled and sparked.
"You there? help me!"
Borne whispered desperately, calling out to the mysterious child in his mind. His voice was laced with fear and panic.
But this time, there was only silence.
No response, no guidance from the mysterious child.
The mother bear's thunderous steps grew closer, the air around it shimmering with the chaotic energy of its thunder magic.
Borne's every breath felt heavier, the oppressive power of the lightning making the air feel thick and suffocating.
He tightened his grip on his dagger, eyes darting around, but there was no escape. The choice now was fight or be destroyed.
The bear's eyes locked onto him, and its body continued to hum with increasing electrical energy, the light so intense it almost stung Borne's eyes.
As the bear lunged toward him, surrounded by crackling arcs of lightning, something inside Borne shifted.
His steps froze in place, but not out of fear.
In the span of a breath, Borne's body underwent a profound transformation.
Dark red patterns, like intricate runes, began to spread from his forehead, rapidly extending across his body.
They glowed faintly, pulsing with an ominous energy that almost seemed to synchronize with the heartbeat of the earth itself.
His eyes, which had moments ago been filled with fear, sharpened like those of a predator.
The bear, still cloaked in thunder magic, roared as it charged forward.
But this was no longer the same Borne who had been running moments ago.
His presence had shifted entirely, brimming with a force of raw, untapped power.
Borne's right hand ignited with dark red flames, the fire surging along the blade of his dagger with a low, rumbling hiss.
As the bear's lightning-infused claws swiped at him, Borne's left hand burst into the same dark flames.
With fearless precision, he grabbed the bear by the head.
The flames on his hand scorched the bear's fur with ease, causing its thick hide to blister and burn.
Without hesitation, Borne plunged the flame-coated dagger deep into the bear's skull.
The blade, augmented by the strange fire, slid through the bear's skull as though it were soft butter, its intense heat searing bone and brain alike.
The bear let out a deafening howl of pain, its massive body convulsing wildly as it thrashed in a desperate bid for survival.
But the dark red flames rapidly consumed it, overpowering even the immense thunder magic it once wielded.
The bear's skin blackened and cracked, its muscle and bone slowly disintegrating in the relentless firestorm.
Borne stood tall, the flames on his body flickering in eerie harmony with the glowing patterns that now adorned his skin.
The bear's struggles soon ceased, its enormous form reduced to a smoldering heap of ashes and molten flesh.
With one final, heavy crash, the bear's charred body collapsed to the ground.
A faint blue core—the beast's magic core—rolled free from the remains, glowing softly in the aftermath.
Borne's body trembled slightly, his voice filled with disbelief as he stared at the lifeless bear.
"Did I really do that?"
He gazed down at the creature's remains, his mind a whirlwind of confusion and terror.
This power—whatever it was—felt foreign to him, as if someone else had taken control of his body during the battle.
As Borne tried to make sense of what had just happened, a cold, unfamiliar female voice echoed in his mind.
"Absorb the magic core."
Borne froze, his instincts immediately alert.
"Who are you?"
The voice responded with icy indifference.
"Don't waste time."
Following her command, the dark red pattern on his body began to recede, flowing like liquid back toward his forehead before vanishing entirely.
He touched his forehead, feeling the absence of the mysterious power that had so abruptly manifested.
Taking a deep breath, Borne reluctantly obeyed the voice and sat down, extending his hand to grasp the blue magic core left behind by the bear.
The core felt cold and solid in his hand, emitting a faint, ethereal glow.
Borne closed his eyes, concentrating as he allowed the energy within the core to seep into his body.
The power flowed through him like a river of lightning, merging with his own energy, creating a strange resonance.
His body trembled as the lightning energy surged through his veins, wild and untamed, making every fiber of his being feel electrified.
The cold female voice spoke again, cutting through the pain.
"Continue. Absorb it completely."
Borne's body began to tremble violently, as the raw energy of thunder magic surged uncontrollably through him.
Every muscle and every nerve felt as though they were being torn apart from the inside, overloaded by the sheer power.
His brow furrowed, breaths becoming ragged, each inhalation tinged with the crackle of thunder magic.
It felt as though his entire body was transforming into pure lightning.
But the beats core's power was far too overwhelming for his body to contain.
The energy within the core was wild and savage, pushing Borne far beyond his limits.
An agonizing pain shot through him, deep and visceral, as if his insides were being torn apart by raging bolts of thunder.
"Ahh—"
Borne let out a strangled groan of pain.
Then, with a violent heave, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, the crimson liquid sizzling as it hit the ground, vaporizing instantly upon contact with residual sparks of lightning.
And with that, darkness claimed him, and Borne lost consciousness.
The air around him still crackled with traces of thunder magic, faint arcs of electricity dancing across his skin, even as he lay motionless.
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