CHAPTER 32: CHAPTER 32: ENLIGHTENMENT

He heard a deafening sound then the world turned while. An intense heat like he was submerged in lava followed. His mind went blank.

When he woke up he was lying on charred ground and the trees around him were burning in blue flames. His head buzzed and from afar he could see a large creature approaching him.

When his mind cleared he clearly saw what it was. A female lion whose body was blazing in blue flames like a bonfire. It was smaller and leaner than the male as one would expect.

The male appeared next to it, the flames on it mane spread to the rest of it body lighting up the surroundings like a torch. The temperature rose, the already burning trees burnt even faster.

He despaired, dealing with the male alone was hard and it seems it wasn’t even going all out and now another one had joined it. However he wasn’t about to give up.

He stood up and tried to run, his stamina was drained so he couldn’t use his flash trait at full capacity even if he wanted to. The air exploded behind him.

He felt the surrounding temperature rise even before the attack reached him then a flaming paw with sharp sword like claws rammed into him. He threw up a mouthful of blood while flying through the air.

Before he could even hit the ground, a ball of orange fire exploded on his face. He felt his mind blank out and his despair grew. He was played around like a ball by these two lovers.

He couldn’t even resist, the speed of the female lion was too much and the power behind the attacks of the male shook his organs, even his ribs had cracked and he kept throwing up blood.

He had just taken a ray of condensed flames to the chest, his scales burnt so hot they turned red. If this continued their attacks will break through them and he was certain to die.

He watched the paw of the female fall, aiming directly at his weakened chest, if allowed to hit it would certainly break through his scales.

’ I don’t want to die I don’t want to die I don’t want to DIIIEEEE.’ he screamed in his mind, his desperation for survival grew and something within him stirred.

Images appeared in his head, of an eternal mountain that reached the heavens, an unbreakable shield, of a pitch black dragon scale as wide as an entire world.

Each image accompanied by a scene, each one defending against world ending calamities yet none fell, none faltered, none broke.

He recognised this, it had happened before, the first time he fought awakened creatures, the first time he truly felt the fear of death. The clawed paw landed on his chest and he was sent flying faster than his mind could keep up, he threw up blood.

But he was fine, atleast not as wounded as he had expected. In the last moment his scales grew many times stronger than before, or maybe not, it was a strange feeling.

After soaring for hundreds of metres he stood up and looked at the two lions. " Haa" he sighed ’ I had grown too confident in my own power, I thought myself unkillable, atleast not by those of your rank, I suppose I should thank the two of you for reminding me how weak I truly am and how close death is.

Because of you I have discovered a new path to power, power that will greatly increase my survival chances, truly, thank you’

Even though they couldn’t hear him he still thanked them in his mind. ’ Now then, how do I do this?’ he felt a splitting headache but he ignored it.

A headache was nothing compared to his life, he closed his eyes and concentrated. He tried to imagine himself being fast, while he saw images in his mind they lacked something.

They were hollow without substance.’ What am I missing?’ then he remembered the system notification the first time he did this, it talked about learning to use will.

But until this day he still doesn’t know how to actually use will. He knew haki depended on ones will but haki was an ability he didn’t need to control will to use.

To begin with he doesn’t know what will truly was, was it convictions, desires. Was it something objective like a physical law or was it different for each individual?

He didn’t know but if it was based on belief then was it belief on God or some higher power, was it belief in ones self or belief in ones views of the world, a philosophy of sort?

He doesn’t know that either but one thing for certain, he didn’t believe in anything. He didn’t believe in himself, never had even in his past life.

He didn’t believe in God either, the notion of a being with that much power over him always troubled him. Not to mention the other contradicting attributes of Gods.

He didn’t have a strong opinion about anything, that was his one redeeming trait. He was very open minded and willing to change his views as long you present a logical argument, unlike her.

His mind drifted to her, he remembered her smile, her laugh, the feeling of her skin again his, her soft lips pressed firmly against his, she was uncompromising and unchanging.

She had a will unbreakable by anything, he remembered the joyful days he had with her, then he remembered the sun again his skin, the grass between his toes and water running down his silky hair.

Then the images changed from his past self to his current self, he remembered the delicious taste of all that he had eaten in his current life.

The refreshing feeling of swimming through water, the exhilarating feeling of growing stronger and larger. The sun on his scales, the wind on his back.

He remembered the time he spent with White and the other rabbits, the farming, building and sparrings he had with her. He remembered the injustice of the world.

The bullying he experienced growing up, the unfairness in his workplace, he remembered the feeling of death, the creatures he fought in his current life and all the pain he suffered.

Each memory was vivid in his mind as if he was reliving them. The world felt clearer, the wind on his scales felt cooler, he could feel the life on the earth beneath his feet.

He could hear the screams of the burning trees around him, their cries for help, their desperate plea for a chance at life, their fear of death. ’ I think understand now.’