Alaric ran with everything that made him Alaric but his guardian. Did this make him a coward? No. Did it mean he was afraid? Yes.

  A coward? Never.

  Aether flowed through his system like the oil to a machine, burning through his aether channels as they supplied his body with inhuman physical enhancements.

  Even for a Wood Rank, Alaric was moving too fast. His mastery over Aether Manipulation made this particular thing possible. He pushed his body to limits that should have been impossible for someone of the Wood Rank.

  Of course, almost everyone was aware of this technique. But it took so much concentration and strain that no one ever explored its use in battle. It was even rumoured to tire out the user twice as fast as they normally would have.

  Fortunately for Alaric, his guardian had all the explanations. The technique required so much concentration that anyone new to it found themselves worn out from expending energy simply circulating Aether.

  Alaric had trained endlessly to be able to perform Aether Manipulation throughout his whole body as a simple reflex. It was second nature to him to the point that he only needed to change the speed at which the aether was flowing through his body.

  Currently, though, his aether was flowing the fastest it had ever flowed in his life. He shot through the woods, leaping over roots and weaving past trees without ever slowing down.

  A deranged laughter filled the forest, filling him with dread: “Yes, human…. Run. I like my prey overconfident and raw. There is no escape for you. I will kill you with one more strike and lick the flesh off your bones while I relish in my victory.”

  Alaric continued dashing through the woods, keeping track of the pursuing beast as he weaved through the woods at a bullet-like pace. He wasn’t about to allow himself to die in a place like this. Not when he had to hunt down the Demon King and avenge Jared.

  ‘Wouldn’t it be ironic to be killed by this tiger in a town I’m unfamiliar with… and without my family to mourn my passing yet we held a funeral for Jared, who was killed by something far more powerful?’ he wondered as he pushed himself even faster.

  In a few moments, the clearing was in front of him. The beast was also right behind him. Alaric did not attempt to dodge the creature like before. Instead, he shot forward even faster, feeling his legs approach the pinnacle of their limit. The forest howled with the sound of a shockwave as the boy broke through the treeline and jumped over the clearing and into the trees on the other side.

  A second later, a beast of white and grey stripes burst through the treeline, giving chase to the boy with a look of devilish glee and boundless malice. Halfway through the clearing, a blinding light filled the world and obscured everything. There was a loud roar as well as several grunts as magic hummed.

  When the light cleared, Alaric turned his attention back to the clearing and gasped.

  The Three-Cut Bone tiger stood in the middle of a large spinning disk of holographic runes, each crafted meticulously to bring this creature to a standstill. A crack ran along the hologram of runes as the beast struggled against the enchantment.

  Movement in the woods alerted the creature of a second presence. There was no time for the beast to speak before a blade dug into the back of its neck and came out through its throat. It was a brutal way of killing but one that targeted a weak spot between the spikes and crystals running along its back, making sure it would die almost instantly.

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  The beast didn’t continue struggling after that. Scarlett jumped down and inched away from the beast, leaving her blade in its neck just in case. Her pupils were dilated and her hands were shaking…

  “Ah! Fear… Now that’s what I expect from every human,” the creature’s voice rumbled.

  A set of footsteps emerged from the forest to reveal a rugged boy with a minor cut along his left forearm. If looks could kill, then Alaric would have died from the glare he was getting from the beast.

  “Unlike this human… I see you can even cast healing magic.” The beast coughed.

  Alaric nodded before speaking up louder at the towering beast, “We had a deal.”

  “Yes, boy. We did… And it’s binding. Even in death, I will be compelled to answer your question,” the creature spoke, “Now what is it you want to know so badly that you would bring the Three-Cut Bone Tiger down to his knees?”

  “I want to know what a Tamer is,” Alaric responded.

  The creature blinked twice before throwing its head back in laughter. The laughter echoed through the forest and made Alaric’s ears go red with embarrassment. Had he said something remotely funny in any way? This didn’t make sense at all.

  “Of all the questions you could ask me, you chose the most obvious of them all,” the creature laughed, “You could have chosen to ask me how to fend off one of my kind. You could have asked for the only plant in the world that can protect you from soul attacks. You could have asked me for the secret to the Dance of the Sword—a secret that I’ve noticed you don’t know despite how skilled you are in that ancient battle art.

  You could have chosen to ask why there were no animals in the precious holy zone of the humans living in that village. You could have chosen to ask me for everything I know on the human city you’re going back to for I have lived in this forest for far longer than I’m proud to admit… and yet, you ask me what that old fool Gulfangr was so obsessed about?” the beast was now bawling his eyes out.

  Alaric’s mind trembled. Just how much did this beast know? Suddenly, he was aware of just how poorly he’d assessed its knowledge. The boy was stunned by the beast’s words but only for a moment before he laughed, “You’re an interesting creature. Some part of me even thinks we could have been friends. While everything you’ve mentioned is a curious topic, I was not aware of it and now that you’ve hinted, I’ll keep those questions for when I get the chance to have them revealed.

  I follow my path as it’s laid out for me, not the other way around,” Alaric’s voice thundered. "Now speak.”

  “Are you making any progress today?” Scarlett asked the boy, understanding nothing of the conversation the two ‘weirdos’ were having.

  The boy rubbed his temples, “Trying to.”

  The Bone Tiger was quiet now, listening to the boy with a gleam of interest in its blue starry eyes. The wounds in its neck were still dripping with blood… and yet, the creature didn’t seem to feel the pain.

  Scarlett inched closer to the beast, “Why are even talking to this thing? It’s dangerous.”

  Alaric narrowed his eyes at her. He could tell she was twitching with murderous reflexes, “Don’t kill him. We struck a deal. If I defeated him, he’d answer any question I asked. He won’t attack now that he’s admitted defeat.”

  “Yeah, right. Like I’m going to trust the word of a Bone Tiger. Three cuts remember… You’ve already taken a few from what I can tell,” the girl argued before blurring from Alaric’s vision.

  Alaric covered his face and sighed with irritation. ‘Not again…’

  Scarlett pulled a knife from her storage ring and shot for the creature. The boy peeked with one eye through his palm and watched as the girl left a cut on the Bone Tiger’s legs, going for the joints. She did the same for its hind legs before jumping back to assess the work she’d done.

  “No blood…” she exclaimed.

  Alaric froze… The Three-Cut Bone Tiger hadn’t flinched either. It merely stared at the girl as she fought to cut it to ribbons all while not reacting to the cuts.

  “Cutting up corpses is rude, you know,” the Tiger commented.

  “Corpses?” Alaric tilted his head.

  “Didn’t I tell you earlier? Not even death will keep me from honouring the deal we made. As soon as I answer your question, my life will come to an end,” the creature’s voice echoed.

  A shiver ran down Alaric’s spine.

  Was this also part of the power of the Old Tongue?