As the morning arrived, Markus was slightly hungry but at least he had his fill of water using the wind straw until
'Why is water not coming up— oh that bitch—' Markus said as he looked down to see the crocodile had bit his construct, deforming it with a smug look on its face
"Yeah be smug you oversized lizard— one of these days I might just come back to kill you!" Markus cursed it
After drinking some water, he went to the barrier edge. It was a hollow barrier, meaning things could enter and leave but not without the knowledge of the owner of the barrier.
Markus breathed in and counted.
Three.
Two.
One.
Dash!
Markus ran at full speed and augmentation by the wind, running with all his might whilst using wind explosions from his hands to increase momentum. He ran like nothing else mattered— because it did not.
He knew that nothing would dare to exist within the domain, other than the lesser spirit— so he just bolted forward whilst suppressing his own essence to avoid being detected.
He sprinted at this speed for ten minutes— then twenty and then through the treeline he could faintly see the opening! He was home free!
"Slow down, human." A voice rang in his soul as a calamity's essence wrapped around him— just thirty metres away from the barrier to the opening!
Markus gulped as he was turned around.
His eyes widened and began to tear up as his pupils narrowed and shook.
A silver and red striped tiger approached. It was over 15 metres tall on all fours, thirty metres long and seven metres wide.
It's aura however— he felt as if his soul was crushed by the sheer power of this being. He felt like a single drop of rain facing an ocean.
In that moment, Markus' will was broken. He utterly surrendered, the exact opposite of his state when he tried to force his way into becoming an expert.
"You dare trespass my domain?" The tiger asked, flames drooling from its mouth
"I needed to… I need to pass the barrier and enter that field over there— s-so you see— I d-didn't have a choice!" Markus said in terror
"Normally I would have instantly killed you, but I sensed a fragment of Creation within you. Are you an avatar?" The tiger asked
"Avatar..? Yes— I hold the power—" Markus said
"Who sent you here?" the spirit asked
"My teacher? I think–" Markus replied, unsure if a single wrong answer would kill him
"You are awfully fragile to venture this deep into my land, to trespass my domain. You are a careless avatar. I would not wish to be bound to such a human." the spirit said carelessly
Markus would have been slightly offended if there was room in his heart to be offended. All that he felt was terror.
"Nothing to say human? Is my presence truly so petrifying? You know nothing of power. If my presence is truly too terrifying, I wonder how you will react when you feel the true power of a true elemental spirit- the ones you call greater. Or better yet, the primordial to which you are connected to. I think you might die." the spirit said as it did something akin to a chuckle
"I-if you l-let me l-l-live – I'll come back and tell you?" Markus said, trying to squirm his way out
"It is unfortunate. Creation will not be incarnated through you." The tiger said
Markus' eyes lit up and a despicable headache tore into him as he saw visions.
Visions of the tiger closing the gap faster than Markus could process and thrusting its claws into his chest and shredding his body beyond the miraculous healing powers of the celestial essence.
In other visions the tiger swallowed him whole.
In others, it breathed fire on him and cremated him on the spot.
In another the essence around him drew in and crushed him to death.
Then his celestial essence ran out— no longer able to offer him anything more.
As the tiger's weight shifted, an abnormality in the wind took place. Winds ravaged the forest, surprising the lesser spirit. Then in his moment of celestial essence depletion and absolute submission… At his lowest point— Markus saw a tapestry of white paths. And what could also be seen, albeit not by him, was that his black hair had turned brilliant white.
The paths he saw led in every direction from him and although he couldn't see it, he could sense a path that took him right into the barrier around the cabin.
~Step Into The Paths~
The wind whispered into his soul.
Instinctively Markus lifted both his heels and due to the distraction, the tiger's essence grip on Markus loosened for just a moment and just enough to let him take one step backwards.
The tiger sensed the moment and focused instantly on Markus but it was too late. He was gone.
The world around Markus distorted as he seemed to glide through space at an almost incomprehensible speed. Then he crash landed on the ground, beyond the tiger's barrier and into the solid barrier of the cabin.
As he landed, his hair turned back to black. He saw more and more paths around him, hurting his eyes the more he looked right into them.
Markus got up, confused at what he was looking at— then he looked toward the cabin and a white path led halfway there— raising his heels again, he stepped forward in a trance-like state and his vision of the world distorted again before he found himself halfway between the barrier and the cabin. He had travelled about 25 metres in 3/4 of a second.
He wanted to do it again but his essence was empty!
"Holy crap— this is insane— what is this!?" Markus said as he fell on his butt and laid on his back.
As he breathed in, he felt an euphoric feeling. His soul began to expand and his essence rejoiced as it evolved and refined itself as it trickled into him.
His connection to whirlwind was not only restored but altogether strengthened beyond measure. Based on his submission, he could feel himself in the great tapestry of wind.
'Whirlwind is a sentient existence— that's why it's volatile. It makes so much sense now…' he thought as he glided across this connection to whirlwind
The wind entered his soul with a much greater value. The change was clear. It was a qualitative change he had been chasing for over eight months. And at last, he had broken through the third stage and had become a rank 4: Expert of The Wind.