The rocks of the ravine cracked under Corre’s rapid ascend. The wind running through his hair made him feel alive, forgetting about the entire curse ordeal.

  Just a little further. He thought as he made his final jump. He soared through the air, beyond the ravine, above the forest.

  Cymble, who was still trying to get used to floating in general, made haste behind him, following him up the towering cliff he had climbed. “Where are you going you idiot?!”

  His eyes snapped to the Celestial, who he had been running away from moments earlier.

  “Tell me Cymble, how do I use your power.”

  “Wait, you are not going to tell me-”

  “Yes I am, now tell me or you’re going to die too.”

  Cymble was caught off guard by this response, but manages to recompose herself. “Wait just think about it for more than three seconds you idiot. This isn’t just your own life you are throwing away!”

  “What do you think I’m doing? I don’t expect to die today.”

  Corre lands on the ground and starts to run towards the Celestial. He gets noticed by the beast as it looks toward the ground for a small moment and clenches its fist. The brute cocks back its arm, tracking Corre with his eyes while waiting for the right time to strike. “Foolish to run at me, Corre!” It shouted as the fist flew forward. Corre jumped, the giant hand merely grazing his left foot. A shockwave burst out where the fist landed, sending Corre up the arm.

  “Do you have a death wish or something?!”

  “Are you kidding? This is awesome!”

  Corre came crashing down onto the beast’s face, his nose bridge cracking beneath his heel.

  “There, you wanted me, well here I am! Now we can have a real fight!”

  “What are you doing? Didn’t you hear me? I said you’ll die.”

  “Taunting!” Corre grinned. Any day now.

  The beast pulled his hand back again, aiming at Corre. Corre twisted his heel, digging further into the beast’s face, before using that foot to jump out of the way. Just fast enough.

  Corre felt the wind coming off the punch, pushing him farther upward. “Wooh! Hell yeah!” He yelled as he stretched out his arms. “This is what I’m-”

  Before he could finish his sentence, Corre was slapped away by a big flat hand.

  He tumbled through the air, eyes wide. Cymble face palmed. “Why did he have to be so stupid? How was that of every human he could be, he had to be the strong, dumb type?”

  Corre slid to a stop. “Ow, ow, ow… Okay, that… hurt.” He slowly got up. “Well, luckily I’m not a push-over. Still… not fun.” He patted his back. His eyes widened. “Wait, where’s my bag?” He frantically looked around. “No, no, no, no! Come on, it has to be somewhere!”

  Cymble floated down. “Looking for something?” She asked in the sweetest voice she could muster while still sounding condescending.

  “Shut up! Where the hell-?”

  “I saw it fly over there.” Cymble pointed to a completely different part of the woods.

  “Man… Ah well.” Corre made a step, which he soon found to be a big mistake.

  His entire body locked up, shivering in pain. Cymble doubled over laughing. “You idiot! You really think you can walk it off?” She laughed even harder.

  “I-I’m… fine…” Corre started to walk again. Ugh, beyonders suck.

  Cymble reached into his chest, opening the flow of energy. Corre felt himself suddenly being shorter. “W-What the hell?! What’d you do that for?!”

  “Beyonders can use beyonder energy to heal. Happens automatically.”

  “I meant, how the hell did you change me into this-” Corre gestured at his now very feminine body, “-again!”

  “Like I said, I have power over your form.”

  “Ugh, whatever. Since when do you care, anyway?”

  “Since I don’t want to get banished!”

  “Aw, you care about me. How sweet.”

  “No, I don’t! I care about myself! If you weren’t attached to that body, I wouldn’t even spare you a glance if you were dying!”

  “And whose fault was it again that I’m stuck like this?”

  “Shut up!”

  “So, touchy,” Corre said as he cracked his neck. “Wow, this healing thing really works.”

  “Only because your soul is overcharged.”

  “My soul? What about it-You know what, save it. I got a celestial to kill.”

  “Sure, be an idiot.”

  Corre walked toward the place Cymble pointed out. It was a small clearing in the forest. “Man, why do I keep having to chase after the dumbest things?” he muttered as he looked around, finally finding his bag hanging in a tree.

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  “Found it?”

  “Yup, little thanks to you.”

  “Hey, I only saw it fly off. I couldn’t care less about that bag, but you won’t move unless you have it.”

  “Aw, it’s cute when you try to hide it.”

  “Hide what?”

  “Your feelings for me.”

  “I do not have feelings for you!”

  “Sure, sure.”

  His focus returned to the celestial, who was searching the woods for him, having lost him again. “Man, he’s not the brightest,” Corre muttered to himself.

  “Could say the same thing about you.”

  “Oh, shut up, demon.”

  “Not a chance.”

  “Of course not.”

  Corre looked at his hands. Wait, that demon used a weird electricity, right? I should be able to use that now, I think? Whatever, I’ll just-Man, why is this bag so heavy? Crap, she’s weak. Guess I better figure out how to use those weird powers.

  “Tell me how to use your powers, or I’ll kill us both fighting that thing.”

  “No, just walk away.”

  Corre moved toward the celestial. “I don’t back down from a challenge. Hey ugly!” The beast turned around. “I’ll turn you into forest fuel!” He yelled before rushing in. The pain was definitely still there, but a mix of adrenaline and beyonder magic made it much less.

  “Who? What? Human! I don’t care who you are at this point. Wait, you have my egg! You’re working with Corre. Die!” His hand moved at rapid speed toward Corre.

  Corre planned to jump over it, but felt himself being held back by his bag. His ankle was caught by the hand. “Now I got you, human! Give me back my egg and I’ll kill you quickly.”

  Cymble looked on. Why do I have to get my body stolen by a complete idiot? Why couldn’t it be someone who at least didn’t have a deathwish? She thought as she looked at Corre struggling to keep composure. Cymble giggled. Okay, that does look funny.

  Corre was now being held by both hands. A crack was audible. Corre screamed in pain. “Hand over the egg, human! I won’t stop until you give it. I’ll break every bone in your body if I have to!” Cymble couldn’t believe what she was seeing. That human is such a stubborn brash idiot! He could’ve just run away, but noooo. He had to be the ‘cool guy’ running into battle without a care in the world and without a plan!

  “Fine, have it your way.” Cymble muttered as she flew closer to Corre, who was still crying out in agony.

  “You want to know?”

  “What do you think, demon?!”

  “I dunno, I’d like to see you beg.”

  “Screw you!”

  “Alright, if you don’t want to know, be like that.”

  “I hate you. Fine, please give me that power.”

  “Better. Listen close, you know that thing you did to enter your soul?”

  “Kinda.” Another crack sent a jolt through his body. “Could you pause, you ugly ogre! i’m talking to someone!”

  “Well, focus on your energy, and kinda… push it out.”

  “Wow, how helpful.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. It’s not something I think about, alright!”

  “Such a bother.” Corre muttered as he closed his eyes. The pain he felt going through his body reminded him of something, but that wasn’t important, as he needed to find that energy Cymble was talking about. She said something about veins and energy earlier. Maybe… maybe I just… There! Like a jolt, but good? Whatever, now just, push?

  A spark flew off his body. Then, another, and another. Hell yeah, kinda easy, actually.

  The beast wasn’t expecting such a jolt in his hands and instinctually let go.

  Corre was sent into freefall, turning to see if he could catapult himself back up. His hand shot toward a branch, but fell short. He came crashing down into a boulder, making a large cracking sound as his back hit the rock at full speed.

  "Ow… Ow… Ow…" What-How did I? I was sure I could make it. “Ow… ow, ow! You bastard. Stupid short arms.” He tried to get up, but failed.

  “So, going to follow me up on my advice?” Cymble loomed over him. “I always wondered how I looked when lying helplessly on my back. Turns out I look pretty damn pathetic.” Her smile came at the annoyance of Corre.

  “Sh-shut up. I can handle a little pain. It is him I’m worried about.” They both looked up, the beast shifting his eyes back to Corre.

  “I have an idea. Are you going to listen or what?”

  Corre groaned. “Fine, lay it on me, not like I have a lot of options.”

  Cymble smirked. “Well, that electricity is more powerful if you don’t make it flow out of every possible point on your body.”

  Corre shot up, that was what he was waiting for, but immediately regretted it. “Stupid rock…”

  “Just use that beyond energy you just used. But focus it to your hands, instead of just out.”

  “Why do you always bring it like it’s easy?!”

  “Because it is easy, dumbass!”

  “No it isn’t!”

  “So, you didn’t use it just then? And may I remind you of the whole entering your soul part?”

  “That doesn’t count.”

  “Whatever, just focus on that energy again, and instead of just pushing it out, push it toward your hands a bit.”

  “Right, let me just do that. As if that’ll work.” Corre mumbled as he closed his eyes again.

  The beast had long since retaliated and found him under the foliage again, cocking back his hand.

  Time seemed to slow down for Corre as he found the same sensation as last time. Okay, push, but not push everywhere. What clear instructions, geez. Corre’s hands started to glow red.

  Cymble’s eyes widened. Didn’t think that idiot could pull it off. I was just going to suggest a ‘tactical retreat’ after he got his brains knocked around in his skull again. But damn. “Now just put your hands together.”

  Corre’s hands snapped together, the hue brightening around his joined hands. He focussed his energy outward, a dash of lightning shooting out of his palms between his hands, hurting them.

  “Pull them apart you idiot, you are damaging yourself, not your enemy.”

  As Corre did what he was told, he saw the bolts of lightning between his hands, making it hard to pull them further apart. The bolts were not a bright blue, but a dark red, the hue getting darker the further you look inward, just like the bolts he saw Cymble use against him, but a whole lot bigger.

  A shadow enveloped them, the attack drawing near. Corre yelled out, “Eat this, you beast!” As he turned his palms away from him, a brilliant flash of light lit up the area. The beast was struck as the red lightning left the confines of Corre’s hands. The arcs going up his leg and spreading throughout his entire body. Corre stopped the arcs from leaving his hands, all aimed toward the foe he had been facing.

  His entire body was in pain, not just from his previous injuries, but now also from the amount of energy he was forcing though himself, but he couldn’t stop, he didn’t know how to.

  The electricity stopped. Corre was panting. The beast toppled.

  “You lose.” Corre whispered so quietly only he could hear it.