"The end of a thing would always be better than the beginning. It's only a matter of time." A man said to himself, as he knelt on one knee with shears in his hands. He stood inside his beautiful greenhouse.
There were different kind of flowers, from the rare one to the very common one, and he had watched after them for ages.
To him, there was no one beautiful than the other, and each of them had a uniqueness that he loved to see. He wore a long, golden cloak, with designs of flowers and leaves with different patterns.
A green gem was suspended on his neck by a tiny silver chain, and anytime the gem sparkled, the air in the green house seemed to move with it.
Despite giving attention to each plant, there was one that gave him trouble. It was a lone bush by the corner.
After carefully studying the characteristics of the leaves of the bush and comparing it with others, he knew this so called bush was meant to produce a flower but it had been five years, and nothing had sprouted for.
"Tell me, my little one. What flower would come from you?" He asked, bending down to snip off the excess branches.
Excitement moved through his veins as every branch hit the ground. He truly wanted to see what bloom would spring forth from his effort, and he didn't want to miss any part of it.
The melody of his hum seemed to make the flowers in the garden sway, matching the flow of his voice. His eyes caught a little gleam at a corner.
A small golden sprout had erupted from a side that he had trimmed five days ago.
"Ha-ha. Finally!" A wide smile appeared on the man's lips. He didn't seem to mind the sprout was emitting a golden glow unlike any other plants, instead, he was filled with ecstasy.
"I can't wait to see what you'd become, little one. I really can't wait." He chuckled as he snipped the last branch.
Time seemed to slow down as the branch dropped slowly to the ground.
In this same moment, hundreds of miles away, a large boom echoed, and a man flew through the wooden building of a cottage, blood spilling from his mouth.
"Reith!" Paul's eyes widened when he witnessed the scene. Reith looked like he had passed out. His body crashed through a tree before it came to a stop.
Paul bit down on his lips, if only he had his strength back, this intruder wouldn't live to see the light of the moon.
He placed his hand on the window edge ignoring the sting that ran through his body, he could at least try to distract the enemy.
In that instant, a tingling sensation moved through his body, and he raised his head to see Reith's eyes on him, as if telling him to stay put.
Paul willed himself to ignore it but that gaze pierced into his very soul, halting every part of his body, and he clenched his jaw.
Even if he wanted to move, he would only put them both in more trouble. The feeling of weakness ate through his very being and it set fire in his heart. He had to regain his strength.
"You survived that? Strange because I can sense no inkling of magic in you." The man in red, took slow step towards, and in the blink of an eye, he was in front of Reith, his hand clenched tightly around the man's neck.
Reith grabbed the man's hand, trying to pry it from suffocating his throat but the grip only tightened. His vision had been blurred as blood flowed down his head.
"Who are you? I sense no core but your strength… Where's the champion?" The red man drew Reith close, ignoring the bluish coloration on his victim's face.
Normal people would have died seconds before crashing through the building but this man was able to survive a hit from him.
"I must have held back more than I intended to." The man chuckled lightly, as he raised his blade to Reith's left eyes, close enough to prick the under skin.
Paul swallowed what felt like lead, and he shook his head. If he didn't make a move, Reith would die because of him.
"Something – I can't just stand here watching this. What good is this computer game now?" Paul grabbed his hair, ignoring the pain that raged in his body.
In his wilding emotions, a translucent green screen appeared before him.
[Sinister presence detected. Host's death is unavoidable. One time Hidden skill has been released "Favored By God" Rewards would be bestowed if Host escapes this situation.]
Paul's eyes widened at the screen. Could it be?
"The FBG skill allows host to use prime strength, according to host's recall of his previous strength."
Suddenly an image appeared in Paul's head, the moment before Vivienne was taken away from him.
"Null. Your body is unable to bear the burden of such power. Recalled strength will be halved and skill lasts for ten seconds."
In the next heartbeat, Paul felt the rush of heat in every nerves and cells of his body, and the pain that haunted him vanished. This was his chance, and he turned around and flew down the window.
His eyes zeroed in on Reith's figure as the bleeding man was tossed again by the killer.
"I don't have much strength right now. The best choice is to escape." Paul sucked a deep breath, and channeled all his energy to his limbs, and as faster than lightning, he exploded with pure energy, creating a golden streak behind him.
He zoomed past the red-clothed man, hopping on the trees, and leaving cracks behinds. Reith was right in front of him.
He increased his strength, and reached for the man who had cared for him in his weakest time.
A voice echoed in his head, "Ten seconds till your body system shut down."
Paul bit down on his lips, he had to move faster. He didn't realize this would cause him to black out completely.
"I will get us out, Reith." Paul whispered, and turned back, trying to find their attacker.
Behind him, the red man watched closely, before flicking his dagger and bringing the dripping dagger to his exposed tongue.
A wide smile was on his face, and he refused to chase them. Paul sucked in a breath and his lungs burned. The numbed pain was slowly returning.
"Five seconds till you become unconscious." Came the voice in a more distorted tone.
"Okay." He smiled, ignoring the sense of worry that seemed to eat into his soul.
He was the champion of God, and he couldn't let a villain or a timer scare him into giving up.
Paul's vision heightened and his remainder of his power slowly gathered, and he slowed down, bidding his strength and time left.
At his prime, he could travel faster than a lightning bolt so he could make this count.
In one swift movement, a red streak moved across of the earth, and right in front of the streak was a cave.
[Time is up, your system is collapsing.]
Paul groaned, "One more second," but his legs became heavy, and he missed a step.
Turning violently, he crashed into the deepest part of the cave, and Reith's body was tossed to another end.
"Reith." Paul whispered, ignoring how pain stabbed through him like a million knives.
His vision dimmed and the automated voice rang out again.
"Brilliant. You escaped a sinister situation. Here are—,"
Paul passed out before the sentence was completed. However, there was a smile of relief on his face, despite being in his weakest state, he was still able to save a life.