Leave The Monster Alone

"I can feel Yun. Should we go look for him?" they should since Yun had Alan with him. But Mark was also worried for Luna and Kuro whom he had not seen yet. The decision was tricky but the need to ensure Alan's safety won out in the end.

"Let's go and see the kids first. Then we should plan what to do next" hopefully, Luna would get himself out of trouble on his own and meet them on the way.

As they ran through the base, many things got registered through Mark's mind which he ignored in favour of making his way through the place.

There was a lack of life there, human or otherwise. A lack of moment as well, with stillness taking over the never-changing landscape. The more Mark saw it, the more familiar the place looked to him. it felt as if the place had stopped ageing in time and now was an ancient relic they had to preserve. 

Then there was the forest that lined the whole space which should be impossible to achieve but somehow it did exist in this space and time. The more Mark saw it, the more it worried him and the more he wanted to see it not change ever.

"Be careful of the forest. It is not a pleasant place to be and even you might not come back from there" the guardian saw his looks and the warning came as calm as anything else. Not that it helped Mark sate his curiosity. 

If anything, he looked even more curious than before to go inside but had to refrain from following his instincts. they screamed at him to stay away, and to stay safe. From his angle, the forest seemed to be moving with the shadows and there seemed to be living people there as well.

"I am not suicidal, just curious. Is it a sin?" Noah's voice came out sharper than he had thought it would. The place was having a spooky effect on him which he did not like and his instincts were pulling at his mind and soul to have him react to everything with a negative feeling.

"You are allowed to have your grievances but do not forget why you are here. Besides, this place has a similar effect on every one of us, making our instincts go out wild. Just be careful of how you let it affect you" the other sounded calmer than he should have if his words were anything to go by.

Not that Mark cared much about the other or his feelings. He had to consider his circumstance and that was to find his team first. He could tackle the mystery of this palace later when he was a little more put together. 

The air pulsed with familiar power which indicated that Yun was nearby and was using massive amounts of power. There was another jolt of power matching the intensity of the first one but this one was not recognisable by Mark.

It did, however, could be recognised by the guardian at his side who looked startled, his eyes wide in shock and wonder. Mark had to guess that whatever had happened had not been something the other had thought would ever happen and now he looked surprised.

"They are fighting. Oh no, this is bad, really bad. Yun and Nathan had started to fight which meant that this place is no longer safe for anyone. We need to get your team out of here fast" the guardian looked freaked out and his worlds took a second to register inside Mark's brain.

But one they did, he suddenly found himself panicking as well. If those two fought seriously then nothing with less power than them would survive that clash. Kuro and Alan might still survive for a little longer than normal people but they would not hold on long.

As for Luna, who knew what would happen to him? He was the protagonist and hence had a lot of immunity but still, there should be a limit to it and now Mark had also pissed off the 'master' of this place which put another target on his back as well as his team's.

Things were not going as well as they should have. 

"Let's go" Mark followed behind the other, his heart beating inside his chest faster than any other time it had. He was feeling fear, not for the first time, but it was still as paralysing as it had been every other time.

....

"Anyone else wants to say something?" the monsters shook in their place and fled the scene to capture the other power holder. Nathan watched the place burn but he did not extend any hand to help them out. He just watched it all happen right in front of his eyes.

"S-Sir, should we not help them out?" A brave one asked and Nathan just grinned his disturbing grin. The monster took a step back in fear but it was too late for him to be able to get out of this situation unharmed.

"You are right. We should help those still inside. Why don't you go and help them, Mr hero? Oh, you need a hand to do so? Don't worry, I got you covered" there was a slight push that forced the monster inside the burning buildings and in a matter of seconds he was no more.

"Anyone else wants to help? I promise I will be gentle when I push you in" that disturbing grin was back on the other's face and it made the others step back from him in fear. The other did not seem to notice this, or if he did, he chose not to comment on this fact at all.

"It looks like those people would not come out on their own. Fine then, they can burn to their death" with a flicker of his hand and the flames increased in intensity. It would force the person inside to come out as well and there was only one way left outside.

Luna knew it as well and he also knew there was no way to keep on deflecting the other's attempt to drag him outside.

That was the reason he did not hesitate to shoot the monster on the other side of the field. 

Not that it helped when a boulder made up of the floor material rode up to stop his attack. When it went down the other was looking directly at him with a knowing look in his eyes. It was no longer time to hide away and plan.

"Oh, decided to come out and play, did you? I am surprised that it took you this long" Luna did not give the other an answer to his taunts, he just circled the other to look for an opening that was not coming anytime soon.

Since an opening was not coming, Luna had to make one of his own and so he decided to attack the other's side in hopes of catching him off guard. It did not help and Luna had to fend off an attack on his person with a knife. The knife was small but sharper than any he had seen. 

It was only thanks to his trained reflexes that allowed him to dodge the attack. Kuro was not ideal at his side either, her nails tearing into the other monsters that tried to attack him in between his dodges. 

It did nothing to phase the other who looked happy to be in this situation.

"It is so much fun right? You are fun. It is not every day I get to fight someone who can dodge my attacks. Maybe I will not kill you but put you with your brother in the arena. Who do you think would win amongst you both?" the other continues to sprout those irritating words.

The next knife caught Luna at his side, his blood flowing down the wound and Kuro stopped her assault to shield him. Was this going to be his end? Was he going to finally die when he had not yet died against all odds?

"Well, time to say goodnight" Luna waited for the knife to descend but it did not happen.

At least not yet and he opened his eyes to see someone small block the attack for him. There were also hands supporting his injured side and he felt equally thankful and annoyed at the support.

"They are under my protection. Do you want to make an enemy out of me" Yun's voice held a pitch that was inhuman, almost the same frequency as a whistle when made by a flute. His face also looked a little different, his eyes pupil-less and terrifying.

But the worst was the aura of dominance oozing out of him. It was a terrifying feeling to feel but more than that, it was the way the air felt, static and terrifying wet that made his insides roar to get out of there. There was going to be a clash between the titans soon and his instincts screamed to get out of there.