The moon hung above the ridges like a silent judge, casting silver light upon the chaos below. Wind screamed through the shattered pines as seven figures cloaked in flowing black robes darted through the forest, their footsteps soundless, their killing intent loud as thunder.
Clark SanJose's breath came sharp and heavy, blood streaking down his brow as he sprinted across the ridgeline. His coat was torn at the shoulder, one hand clutching a crimson wound seared across his ribs.
"They won't listen," he muttered, voice strained with disbelief. "They won't even listen…"
"CLARK SANJOSE!" The bellow shattered the silence behind him. Elder Ragnor's voice echoed like a warhammer slamming into a bell. "By decree of the High Council, you are to be executed for treason against the SanJose Clan!"
Clark spun mid-air, landing on a boulder and sliding down its slick surface. "Treason?!" he shouted over his shoulder. "You accuse your own blood without proof? Where is the justice in that?!"
"There is no justice for those who betray the sacred bloodline!" barked Elder Yu. Her silhouette materialized above him in a burst of lightning—a streak of silver flashing from her palm.
Clark's eyes flared. He pivoted his stance, dropping low just as the bolt seared past his ear. His legs tensed—and then vanished.
Sonido.
A violent gust exploded outward as Clark reappeared thirty meters away in a blur of speed, the wind chasing behind like a dragon's breath.
"What was—?!" one elder stumbled back. "That was no ordinary movement technique!"
"He vanished—without warning!"
Clark didn't answer. He darted up the steep side of a ravine, boots carving paths into stone, his senses flaring wildly. Something's wrong. They're not trying to kill me. Not yet. They want to see. They're testing me.
He reached a ledge and crouched behind a fallen tree, eyes narrowing.
Then—he felt it.Through the wall of trees behind him—a presence.
"…Two elders, approaching from the left flank," Clark murmured.
He closed his eyes. Extrasensory Perception lit his consciousness like a constellation, outlining each pursuer's heartbeat, breathing rhythm, even the subtle tension in their fingers.
"They're spreading out…" He grimaced. "Trying to corner me on the western face."
They're underestimating me.
He opened his eyes—his pupils shifting into crimson spirals with a burning black slit through the center.
Red Demon Eyes.
Time slowed, color desaturated, and the world seemed to breathe in reverse. Every motion, every flicker, every movement of wind against fabric—visible, predictable.
Elder Kanzo lunged through the treetops with a spear of gleaming aura. Clark didn't flinch.
He raised two fingers to his temple and vanished again.
Sonido.
He reappeared directly beneath Kanzo, spinning midair and driving his heel upward into the elder's ribs with enough force to crack steel.
Kanzo choked and flew sideways into the rock wall.
Elder Yu's voice pierced the air. "This power… This precision—! We taught him none of this!"
"It's not SanJose technique," Ragnor said coldly. "He must've learned from outside. His betrayal runs deeper than we feared."
"Still throwing accusations without answers?" Clark landed lightly on a branch and glared down at them. His crimson eyes glowed like burning brands. "You fear what you don't understand—and because you fear it, you try to destroy it."
"Do not speak of fear to those who raised you!" Elder Ragnor raised his palm and unleashed a cascade of golden flame. "If you will not surrender your stolen power, then you will burn with it!"
Clark clicked his tongue. "I don't have time for this."
He disappeared again—this time weaving mid-air between energy blasts as if the world moved in slow motion. His path zigzagged like a phantom, and then he reappeared near the peak of the mountain.
Stone cracked beneath his feet as he ascended the last ridge, high above the clouds, wind screaming like a dragon beneath his feet. His chest heaved—but his eyes remained locked on the summit.
"…Just a little higher," he whispered. "If I can reach the peak, I might lose them in the storm channel."
Behind him, the elders gave chase—but slower now. Warier. Fear had crept into their expressions.
Elder Yu hesitated. "He's evolved. His aura—it's no longer the same. It's almost like…"
"…he's transcending," muttered Ragnor. "And yet… that's impossible. Not at his age. Not without guidance."
"I didn't betray the clan," Clark said softly, glancing over his shoulder one last time as thunder rumbled above. "I was betrayed by it."
Then he turned his eyes to the storm clouds above the summit—and vanished into the sky.
Chapter Ends.