"Very well." Elebor says, resting his hands on one of Regis's and Barahir's shoulders.
"WHOOSH" Whoa! Where… where am I? Regis thinks to himself, mouth agape with shock.
"Was I… teleported..? How fascinating." Barahir says, standing strong on the other side of the forest from where Regis is.
Regis starts walking around the forest quietly and carefully. He clutches his still injured and bleeding shoulder tightly with his left hand.
Goodness, this is way deeper in Elahim than I thought… Where am I? Regis ponders, looking around at the lush green trees with tall trunks and skinny branches.
Was that really the right choice, I wonder..? Sending Barahir to the east side and Regis to the south of Elahim… both are extremely dangerous for these children…Well, no matter. The one who comes out alive is going to come out stronger than ever. Elebor thinks to himself, brows furrowed, arms crossed over his chest.
Wait… my spear… where is it..? Regis panics in his thoughts, frantically looking around, but to no avail.
"Shit… shit… shit! I let go of it when my right shoulder was pierced! SHIT!" Regis shouts in utter frustration.
Meanwhile, Elebor looks down at the training ground, and his eyes widen in disbelief.
Hoh… these two… what insane talent… these intricate marks… they have such amounts of brute force despite being barely trained… Elebor thinks to himself, lips stretched horizontally in a pleased smile. He looks at the dozens of shallow blade marks on the ground.
Hm? Oh boy… child Regis… you're going to die. Elebor predicts, staring at Regis's spear still laying on the training grounds.
[ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF ELAHIM]
"Rustle" "What's that!?" Barahir slashes at some bushes with his sword, only to look back and find his sword lodged in a deer's ribs at the other end.
"Tch. Startled me for no reason." Barahir mutters under his breath.
I bet that human scum Regis is going to die right now. I even injured his shoulder. Ah~ what a good day to be alive. Barahir thinks, suddenly bumping into a hard thing.
Barahir opens his eyes and looks up at what he hit.
"Growl" A creature with two midnight horns of a buffalo, the head of a goat, the torso of an enlarged gorilla, and the legs of an ox appears to be standing right in front of Barahir.
Holy hell… is this a… minotaur? Barahir thinks to himself, his body shaking in fear, but his eyes ever so determined.
"GROWL!!" The minotaur growls ferociously, its spit hitting Barahir's face.
Shit… I've got no choice but to fight th- Barahir's thoughts get cut off abruptly by the minotaur slashing its arms around, ripping some of Barahir's skin apart.
"FUCK! THAT HURTS!" Barahir exclaims, slashing back with his sword with all his might, but alas, his sword gets lodged into the minotaur's thick skin of its forearm.
"Shit… DON'T COME ANY CLOSER! STAY AWAY!" Barahir's voice comes out in short breaths, heart beating out of his chest, body shivering because of fear.
"GROWL!" The minotaur clutches Barahir's head, and eats his lower half off of him. Slowly chewing it.
The sick crunch of his bones being chewed and the immense pain he feels in his missing lower third is unbearable for Barahir, so much so that it makes him pass out on the spot.
"Crunch Crunch Swallow" The Minotaur swallows his lower half, and eats the rest of Barahir's body.
[ON THE SOUTHERN SIDE OF ELAHIM]
Regis walks around, looking at the sky.
It's almost dusk… just a few more hours… Regis thinks to himself, his expression hardened in determination.
"Clack" A dry stick breaks behind Regis.
What was that!? Regis thinks to himself, looking back immediately on reflex.
"Roar…" A sabertooth tiger appears from behind Regis. It circles him as if it's ready to pounce on him at any moment.
What… a tiger..? Shit… I can't outrun it… what do I do..? Regis panics, looking around with only his eyes, not turning his head at all. His pupils are dilated in fear, his heart racing.
No… let's calm down here… think… think… Regis calms himself down, before trying to climb up a tree.
The tiger immediately catches onto what Regis is planning to do, and pounces on him. The tiger manages to rip off Regis's left arm.
"AAAAAAAAGH! MY ARM! MY ARM'S GONE!" Regis screams, his face contorting in agony. He clutches the place where his left arm once was with his already injured right arm, trying to stop the bleeding.
It hurts… it hurts so bad… I wanna die… I'm gonna die… Regis thinks to himself, surrendering to the fear while clutching on where his left arm used to be. Tears run down his cheeks at the pain. He closes his eyes, waiting for it to be over.
Regis suddenly remembers his mother's words. "It's okay… cough! Regis… make sure to live a cough! …good life, my boy…"
No… I can't die… at least for my mother's sake… Regis thinks, as he slowly boils with rage directed at the tiger.
Regis wakes up a few hours later, in the training hall. A bandage wrapped around where his left arm once was, and on his injured right shoulder. Both injuries seem to have healed. Regis sits up and looks around, to find Elebor gazing at him from right beside him.
I… what happened? Why am I back here..? Regis thinks to himself, and notices the corpse of the tiger on the floor.
Wh-What..? It's dead? How? Regis screams internally.
"Good job, child. You have managed to come out alive." Elebor applauds.
"What… What about Barahir?" Regis asks, curious.
Elebor simply shakes his head side to side.
"He's… dead..?" Regis asks, horrified.
"That's right, child. He encountered a minotaur." Elebor replies with a nod. His arms crossed over his chest.
"But… I do want to ask, child. How did you manage to kill this tiger with an injured arm, a missing arm, and bare-handed at that?" Elebor asks, genuinely impressed.
"Huh? I… I killed it!?" Regis exclaims in shock.
"You don't know how you killed it? It was dead and you were passed out beside it by the time it was dusk and I came to find you." Elebor states, his chin resting on his hand, brows furrowed in concentrated thought.
"I-I don't remember…" Regis says in a low and timid tone.
"It's fine. Just know that starting tomorrow you'll be receiving my tutelage." Elebor states.
"Yes." Regis answers, and lays back down.
Elebor goes outside for some fresh air, and sits by a tree. Tears run down his face.
God… I've started to cry… I've really gotten old, huh? Barahir, that kid… my grand-nephew… he died… just like his parents… Elebor thinks to himself.