The sound of a horn blaring through the woods was a battle cry. The entire Clan knew now. He mentally returned to his mission and focused on getting out of the territory. But now he had the additional hazard of the territory’s clan, who came bolting down the path opposite him right on his thought's cue. 

All three warriors skidded to a stop within the route, facing each other, two against one. The members quickly unsheathed their blades as Zulu got into a fighter's position. These members were draped in different colors than the ones before, most likely a higher rank. 

One blade came from above, which Zulu blocked. Keeping aware, he saw the other warrior thrusting his sword in Zulu's direction. Zulu quickly rolled into a safe position as one blade came down and another moved through the spots he was just in. 

He took a wide swipe with his weapon, which made the others back up, but one used his momentum to move forward with another attack immediately. Zulu moved to the side and put his blade in position to block the sword strike coming his way. 

The two continued to block and strike each other until Zulu used all his might to parry a strike that was close to being lethal. He then noticed the other warrior coming his way; Zulu slid to the side as the warrior's parried blade moved past him.

The two warriors almost collided with each other, and Zulu used this time to escape. He continued running but off the path. There was a chance he could have taken them out, but there was a higher likelihood that more of their members would have shown up to reinforce their numbers. 

As he ran, he noticed that the woods grew darker, with more trees shading the grass he ran across. Zulu felt like he was in another part of the forest. This relaxation flowed across his arm like heavy wind massaging his skin. 

He re-observed his environment and slowed down when he noticed the nature around him. The trees had a slight illumination but still kept their monochromatic green colors. Zulu felt intrigued by them as he approached one of the plants. 

As he got closer, the feeling from before grew more assertive but not unbearable. It reminded Zulu of the endorphins he’d receive when training, but in a much bolder and almost exciting way. As he got closer, he was able to examine specific strange details, such as the hint of purple on the roots of the plants.

Suddenly, another movement caught his attention. His first thought pointed to one of the samurai who may have happened to follow him. The strange feeling beforehand was crushed by anxiety as Zulu wildly looked for anything that resembled the swordsmen, but he didn’t see anything of the sort. 

He continued scanning, making sure he stayed aware and reminding himself how valuable that had been this entire journey. It came in handy again as Zulu noticed what had caught his eye. It wasn’t a human, not even an animal.  

He wasn’t even sure what it was or what it was shaped like if it had a shape. It was a gaseous being that floated quickly between the trees, yet as it came into view, it seemed to have a solid texture with what appeared to be scales of glowing purple. However, the shape didn't keep its form, leaving its tangibility in question. Zulu wondered whether he would even feel anything solid if he were to touch it with his fingertips or if he would just be reaching into a living mist

The purple being suddenly hit the ground, absorbing into it. It quickly slithered through the terrain, moving like a hurried snake. It circled around for a bit as it gained momentum and shot a giant force that launched dirt in the air, heading in a straight projectile to Zulu’s feet. 

Zulu hopped to the side as the being shot past him and made a U-turn a few yards afterward. Zulu continued dodging the aggressive light creature’s onslaught, confused by what it was and why it was attacking him. The latter didn’t matter, as he got the message that he wasn’t wanted there. Zulu exited the area as quickly as possible. He looked back to see that the purple being was gone. As attractive as those plants were, he didn’t feel the need to re-examine them. 

Zulu continued to walk and noticed that the shaded area began to fall behind, but before fully acknowledging it, he hopped back into another shady spot. He had eyes on a member of a Clan, but one that was more dangerous than the last few. Zulu immediately recognized him from the cape blowing in the wind. 

He was once again within the presence of a General of the Clan. Fortunately for Zulu, the warrior had his back turned his back to him, unknowingly losing his vantage point and enabling the boy to escape. 

Once again, he found himself back in the shaded area, but not in the same place he was before. A small pond was positioned to his left, with a similar lumination to the leaves earlier. Zulu wasn’t sure whether he should be intrigued or confused, settling on the former as the familiar vibe returned to him.

He checked his surroundings first, confirming that he was still alone. He approached the glowing water, feeling the endorphins grow bolder as he approached. As it grew on him, he got a bit nervous, resulting in a stop.

Zulu’s mind took over as he reminded himself of what was happening in reality. Something in this side of the forest was giving him an unfamiliar energy and he was letting it happen. 

The presence then loomed on him, suddenly and completely on his backside, he turned around to see the mystic figure again. Zulu was as frozen as his stare was, the other being seemingly in the same state of mind. 

His thoughts justified every reason to launch an attack, especially with the fact that it attacked him earlier and it was most likely going to do it again. However, he couldn’t ignore the endorphins that were now in full effect against him. It was clearly forming from the mystic being before him. 

What was this place, what was this being and what was this feeling?

Suddenly, the being sharply turned his head to the side, as if something else was catching its attention. Zulu cut his eyes to the side every now and again, but made sure to kept the majority of his sights on the being. 

Suddenly, it zipped away in a laser like fashion away into the woods. Zulu’s emotions ranged from surprise to confusion as the being disappeared deeper into the woods. A million thoughts spread throughout his head, but only one took priority. He could now cut through the woods, get out of the territory and return home. 

Hesitancy and optimism overcame him as he began to take off, but both feelings were muted by a distorted roar that occurred in his head. It froze him solid. Did he actually hear a scream in his mind? 

The sound happened again along with another feeling. The vibe wasn’t as relaxed as the one he experienced from the being; it was a little bit more anxious…or scared. Thoughts of ignoring it occurred for the sake of his own safety. And yet, he couldn’t help but feel that something…or someone was currently unsafe. He quickly darted in the direction that the being zapped to.

The feeling grew stronger as Zulu rushed through the woods, anxiety accompanying him, but only from himself.  But along with that, he started to hear a commotion, mostly filled with grunts and curses from the warrior clan. He skidded to a stop when he saw where the sounds were coming from. 

The purple being was controlling the elements of the woods to attack Samurai that were currently in its territory. The being was putting up quite a fight, but the samurai started to find advantages in the attacks, drawing in closer to the being. Zulu looked further behind them, more of the clan members were coming. 

The occurrence of fear struck through him again, but this time from the woods itself. Zulu looked at the being, who seemed to be glancing at him during gaps between the attacks. Zulu not only felt what it was trying to tell him, he fully understood.

The young warrior sprung into action, drawing out his claimed sword to block a warrior’s attack at the being. The defense caught the warrior by surprise, which Zulu took advantage of by pushing the warrior off and standing guard before the being.

The Clan members all approached, even the ones that just entered the area, making Zulu start to regret his decision and bringing the anxious feeling back. He looked behind him to see the being starting to stand behind him. He hoped they were ready to fight as well.

A hand touched his shoulder; before Zulu could register why, the endorphins returned, but even bolder than before. No longer did it feel like it was across his skin, but underneath. He could feel it coursing through his bloodstream, but in no way disturbing. It was almost as if it was a part of him now. 

He looked upon the warriors that were ahead of him, they were frozen. Zulu wondered what they could have been seeing until he took a look at his hands and the blade. 

They were both coated in a purple wave that coursed smoothly along his body and the sword. He looked back at the warriors, who were even more stunned at his glowing purple eyes. He looked around for the being, wanting to see their reaction, but noticed they were nowhere to be found. That’s when Zulu suspected that the being was not with him, but within him.

He had no time to ponder on that though, as the general, in all his bravery or arrogance, called for the attack. Zulu gripped his sword and felt his mind focus harder than it ever had before. Before he could even think, Zulu rushed forward in a purple blur and quickly swiped the side of the General.

Zulu was surprised as he quickly looked back to see the General drop to his knees. He had never moved so fast and so naturally before. What was this…power that he had just achieved? He felt incredibly spiritually, stronger physically and mentally sharp.

The sharpness enabled him to notice the several other samurai quickly approaching him. He reacted on the same instinct he felt earlier and swiped one of them, only to slide to the next, spin and swipe past those into a roundhouse kick that struck three. He was quickly aware of the several others running towards him. 

Almost as if he was in a dance, Zulu slid, swiped, struck through the rest of the members, the purple wave streaming behind him and looking as if there was a blur quickly jumping from one warrior to the other while simultaneously taking them out. Within a moment’s time, Zulu found himself one of the two people who were still standing. He and the general.

They stared each other down, Zulu no longer feeling the nervous energy from before. The power of this energy and the proof of his abilities combined with the forest’s had proven its competence. It seemed that the General knew that as well; his stance seemed to have some slight tension to it. 

The General lunged forward with a battlecry, but Zulu felt that he should react. There were several ways for him to defend this attack, but there should also be a way for him to take advantage of this lunge, which he did as he stepped to the side to avoid the strike. The General turned his blade to an attempted attack towards Zulu’s abs, which he blocked.

The General put more pressure on the block, clearly hoping to break it, but Zulu kept a calm sturdiness that refused to move from its opposing weapon. Zulu looked into the eyes of warriors, which were filled with desperation and anger. 

Suddenly, General pulled a small katana from his holster in a last minute attempt to kill the young warrior. However, Zulu’s other hand caught the samurai’s. The samurai’s face changed to amazement and fear when he saw the teenager blocking his sword with one hand and the other with a firm grip on his wrist. 

The General looked into the face of Zulu, only to see a knee. Zulu nailed him with a strike that sent the samurai to the ground, unconscious. The only warrior remaining felt relieved by the outcome of the events, but both inspired and relaxed by the unique abilities he was just blessed with. 

However, a change quickly happened as his body began to normalize. He looked at his hand to see that the aura had disappeared with no evidence. He looked around again to find himself face to face with the mysterious being. Zulu wasn’t sure what to expect.

But the being suddenly bowed to him, to which Zulu reactively did back. The being then pointed their hands towards a path deeper in the woods. The path began to illuminate with bright purple lights that looked like fireflies floating idly. Zulu looked at the path and then the being, who nodded graciously at him. Zulu walked the path, turning around only once to the being walking towards the fallen soldiers, covering some of them with the nature around him.

Zulu continued to walk the path, seeing an exit to the woods at the end of the tunnel. He could only pray that this was a way to cut through the woods. But as he walked, he started to notice something familiar at the end of the path. No, not the end of the path, but further out from it. 

He squinted his eyes to see an embankment at the end of the path. But over the gap and a little into the horizon, he saw the tree that marked his family home. Zulu was filled with excitement. He was almost home and it wouldn’t be long from now. 

Before departing the woods, Zulu stopped and looked around. The lights began to surround him as a wind gently urged him forward, both giving a slight reminiscent feeling of the power he had earlier. Zulu smiled and said, before he departed,

“I’ll be back to visit or whenever you need me.”