Natsuki was completely freaked out.
What made it worse was that he tried to take of the ring but it wouldn't budge.
It was like it was clamped onto his finger.
"Why won't this stupid thing come off!"
He exclaimed frustrated.
He tried hitting it against trees, bashing it with rocks and putting saliva to try and slip it off.
Nothing worked.
His breaking point came when he hit it on another tree but instead of anything happening to the ring, the tree suffered in its place.
There was a giant round mark where it had been hit.
Natsuki's face was now just completely covered in fear.
His body shook and his vision began to blur as he realised that his efforts were futile.
"So I'm stuck with this thing huh, it's probably cursed just like my life."
Then he felt it.
His gut twisted and turned inside him, basically doing summersaults.
Being useless his whole life Natsuki wasn't really a fighter, but he was good at one thing and that was sensing danger.
He'd relied on this ability his whole life, always giving him a head start to get away from whatever danger was coming.
Now it was telling him something.
And that something was move away from where your standing and fast.
Barely having enough time to move he rolled out of the way.
The force of the creature coming out of the ground sent him continuously rolling and hitting into a tree.
Everything went white for a second and then his vision cleared.
Infront of him stood a giant mole, it had black beady eyes filled with a red iris, sharp daggered teeth and razor sharp claws.
It's fur coated with soil as if it was part of him.
"Oh no, that's not good!"
—
Meanwhile...
In a distant place a man sat a table in a cafe waiting for something.
He looked calm in a way only experienced business men did.
His eyes stayed on the room, he knew what was happening how it was happening and what made it happen.
He had long white hair, his iris had the colours of the spectrum, interchanging every second as if they didn't know what colour to be.
Then he removed a mirror from thin air.
Looking inside he saw where the mountain used to preside, nothing left but the giant hole.
Now more interested he used the mirror and rewinded the time and watched what happend.
His eyes looking intently on the bird that flew out chased by fire.
"He got himself killed did he," he said calmly, "but what became of the bird."
He watched as the bird was burnt down to ash.
Dropping the ring into the slime.
He continued watching intently to see where the ring was now.
Eventually he saw her.
Aeola.
Killing the slime and taking the ring away.
"So a little girl has it, shouldn't be a problem."
But slowly his voice retreated up his throat as he saw her give the ring to Natsuki.
"There's no way, is that really him. Has he finally returned."
For the feintest second a grin appeared but suddenly disappeared as quickly.
"And it looks like he's near the forest, it's time I put my servants to good use."
And then the sound of cracking glass was heard in the room, then cracked lines began to appear all over his body.
When he finally shattered nothing remained and he disappeared.
—
Back with Natsuki...
He was running quickly.
Behind him the ground was raising and cracking as the mole was on his trail.
Then eventually he saw a forest.
'Maybe I can lose it in their because of the roots.'
His thoughts were hopeful.
Dashing inside he ran through the edge of trees pushing branches and vines out of his way.
The mole however stopped immediately it saw the entrance.
Letting out a terrified squeak, it turned around digging frantically in the other direction.
But it was to no avail as suddenly a vine shot out grabbing it.
Then multiple grabbed it and pulled it inside.
It squeaks of terror echoing through the place.
Then the loud sound of flesh tearing and blood splattering was heard.
Natsuki however looking back realised he was no longer being chased.
Then he stopped to catch his breathe.
Next to him was a stream black as the night sky but still able to show his reflection.
He looked at confused.
But not due to the weird colour of the water but due to his reflection.
He was no longer skinny.
His body was purely muscle, his face formerly sunken was now chiselled, his legs and arms deformed previously were now straight and defined.
His chest, shoulders, neck and abdomen were finely constructed and layered with muscle.
And his hair was healthier and much darker, almost so dark it was barely visible in the black stream.
But most visible was that his eye colour was no longer brown but purple.
A deep and dark violent purple that twinkled.
He could barely recognise himself it was as if looking at a stranger.
His amazement at how it followed his movements perfectly knocked out any fear or suprise he was supposed to be feeling.
"Is that really me."
Now paying more attention he realised his voice was deeper much deeper and had presence.
Then his gut tugged at him again.
Jumping back he heard a snap from where he was previously standing.
Water splashed all around him killing the velvet-black grass.
Finally noticing things weren't the colour they were supposed to be like how the trees had grey oak and black leaves or how water was black and grass wasn't far from black he looked at his surroundings in horror.
Fear prickling goosebumps all over him.
His fear and anxiety increasing as he saw the monstrosity that tried to eat him alive.
On shore sat a giant tentacle with a snakes head.
The sight almost made him feint.
Then his stomach growled.
'Nows not the time!'
He thought to himself feeling almost helpless.
Then it rumbled again and his nostrils filled with a delicious smell.
'Is that food?'
Then the tentacle shot out attempting another bite but he already felt the sensation and was half a second from being reptilian-fish food.
But at that moment the smell was so close as if it was right next to him.
Then he saw it.
It was a severed tentacle.
Blood was still oozing out of it and it steamed as it burnt a nearby tree.
'Why does that smell so good.'
The thought came and his hunger grew stronger.
Then suddenly his ring glowed the same colour as his eyes.
A surge of power washed over him and the thoughts in his mind were just– Eat! Eat! Eat! In a continuous frenzy.
Loosing control the next time it lunged he let himself be covered.
Then brutally he snapped the monsters tooth out of its mouth.
Using it to stab it upwards through its mouth and into it's head.
It's own poisoning seething into it's mind and making it hallucinate and begin biting itself frantically until it died.
Then with longing eyes he pounced and began tearing out meat.
Peice by peice he devoured it.
Leaving nothing but it's bones.
Then the rings glow faded and he snapped back to reality.
Looking at the bones laying Infront of him he was deeply confused.
'What just happened? And why do I feel stronger.'
In that moment his nose locked onto another scent, more ancient, more extravagant.
Then a voice invaded his mind.
"Come find me – follow the sound of my voice."
It said and Natsuki turned looking in that direction.
"Who said that! What's happening to me! I must be going insane! First I'm me but I don't look and feel like me! I'm in the middle of nowhere and I have no idea how I got here! I have this thing stuck to my finger! I had a dream about a monster eating me! And now I'm hearing damned voices!"
He vented out to himself.
Continuously shouting to no one about his problems and how it sucked balls to be him.
—
But deep in the forest a giant eagle appeared flying through the sky.
Beneath him the ground shook violently as something moved through it.
The bird had beautiful golden coloured feathers, beautiful blue eyes, a hundred foot wing span, large silver beak and talons the size of a small dangers blade.
It was a majestic sight.
It finally descended destroying some trees at large or some branches in its way until it landed in a large covered and secluded part of the forest.
As it landed the creature in the ground exploded out but did not destroy more ground than was needed for it to be revealed not did it reveal it's entire body.
The creature was a centipede.
A hideous sight.
It had red eyes embedded into it's dark, rough and hard skin, several hairy legs along it's underside, a small almost unnoticeable mouth and antennas as long as trees.
They both lowered there heads to each other.
"Durak!" The bird exclaimed, "long time no see brother."
His voice was a high one with the flicker of an accent.
"You too Rivere."
Durak's voice was a low grovel with a scratchy essence to it.
"He summoned you too did he, Lord Draymond did."
"Yes he did, what do you think this is about?"
"No–," he was interrupted by a sudden change in the atmosphere.
Suddenly the air changed direction and was thicker, the temperature dropped and the loud sound of someone throwing glass together was heard.
They both sunk to the ground, shaking and grovelling as the man from the cafe appeared.
He was in a black designer suit, topped of with a leather round hat.
"LORD DRAYMOND!! TO WHAT DO WE OWE THIS HONOUR!!"
They exclaimed loudly.
"At ease servants, it's a simple task."
The silence was defeaning both not willing to lift their heads and look at the man Infront of them.
"Good you haven't lost your mannerisms, as you know there's a human in your territory."
"YES LORD!!"
"I need you to bring him to me alive, he has something I need."
"WHATEVER YOU WISH!!"
"Good, I'll be waiting then," he turned around and begun walking away and began to crack again as he said, "And one more thing, don't underestimate him."
With that he was gone, leaving both of the creatures shaken.