***
The man with his all-seeing eye shot his bow in the air, his simple wooden bow with red leather strapped around the wood, creating the grip, which was extremely thick, perfect for the man's beastly sized hands. The string had a meter-long (~3.28 ft) arrow pulled back; its tip was made of green jade, forked into four, each fork was sharper than a razor.
The arrow shot through the air at supersonic speed, producing a loud crack as it was released. The arrow rained down on an enemy who was riding his steed, joining the battle that filled the area that was once lush, but now was trampled on by thousands of people.
An ally of this man who was stationed beside him, shooting his own arrows, turned to him.
"Hachi, be careful of flanks, the left side of our vanguard has been pierced by the enemy and may flank us."
"Understood."
Hachi moved his aim from the enemy front lines, who rode horses and used spears, to the left side of his allies' side, shooting the flood of enemies that filled in the gap that was created from his own allies' perishing.
Bodies filled the area, soaking into the dirt as the continuous rain of arrows descended upon both armies. Hachi's own vanguard was being pushed back, yet they didn't relent. His arrows, flying faster than anyone, more precisely than any other, ended lives with every release.
Hachi shifted to the left, receiving more arrows that a courier had brought and piled on the floor. Another man was pierced by his bow, falling down onto the ground and coughing up blood before his life ended. Then another and another.
As Hachi shifted his focus onto protecting the left side of the army instead of the entirety, his kills began to stockpile quickly.
Hachi held his breath as he fired every shot, completely entranced with winning the battle. Above him, the overcast was slowly becoming grey as rain clouds filled the sky.
Standing on the hill far away, Hachi could see the mayhem that was happening before him, was able to give orders more clearly, and was able to make decisions in real time more effectively.
In the distance, the armies collided, the clashing of metal filled the air, while the sound of men roaring cheered on both parties for victory. Feet stomped as men charged to protect their homes from the enemies, shields cracked as war axes collided against them, bodies fell into the puddles that were forming relatively quickly, and blood fountains appeared everywhere as corpses were created.
A war horn was blown to increase morale and decrease motivation for the opponents, yet in the same instance, a ball of fire rained down upon Hachi's front line. They now had a catapult launching pots filled with flammable liquids that ignited upon collision. The war was becoming more hectic as soldiers were made to watch where they stood, fire crawling up their bodies.
Hachi's army didn't have such artillery, nor would they for hours, but they did have ballistae that could be used to destroy them. His callused fingers were beginning to bleed as he dropped his bow to command the soldiers.
"Go retrieve the injured and bring them to the medics, ready the ballistas and ready to fire."
"Yes, sir!" A man responded, then rushed off.
Hachi put on a simple leather glove to cover up his wounded fingers to not show weakness, then continued his pace of firing as hundreds of his own soldiers fell back to retrieve treatment. Some had arrows shot through their shoulders, many had arms cut off and lost their weapons, while others were just exhausted from swinging their blades, thrusting their spears, or firing their bow.
The courier once again returned, panting as he dropped a new bundle of arrows. Hachi's own breathing was also becoming heavy, his arm shaking as he continued to fire. Sweat ran down his face as he pushed through.
"Here you are, sir." The courier forced out before sprinting away with heavy legs.
Hachi bent down to grab an arrow, and he felt his legs give out. He fell to his knees with labored breathing, producing a small thud as mud splashed onto him. His partner, who stood beside him, stopped shooting and rushed to Hachi.
"Are you okay, sir?"
"Y-yes." He forced out, trying to stand up.
"Here, let me help." The man pulled Hachi to his feet, helping him stand, and a second wind filled Hachi with renewed energy.
"Thank you."
His muscles were filled with renewed energy, his heart began to pound in his chest, and pain vanished from his body, and he now felt incredible. The man beside him backed away, stunned at what he was witnessing as Hachi picked up his pristine bow and began to fire with increasing ferocity. His arrows began to hit harder, more precisely, becoming much more deadly. The enemy numbers dwindled rapidly before him as his own army was now becoming more powerful; everyone was filled with renewed vitality at the sight of so many enemies being killed.
The courier who resupplied this now war veteran couldn't keep up with his pace, so now, instead of one or two couriers supplying just him, a whole group of five was now dedicated just to him.
Hachi's eyes were becoming better over time; he could see kilometers away with precision, down to a single hair. This is what made him so deadly.
Eventually, the war ended with Hachi's might; he alone killed hundreds, if not thousands, and his bow was hailed as that of a war god, and he earned the title of deity of war, archery, and the divine protector.
Astrape was then taken out of her own hallucination, looking around the library, and found herself able to look into the smallest crevice from where she stood, all with incredible detail. She began to scan her surroundings, each book, close or far, she was able to make out and read the title of, and see the color, even when some were shrouded in darkness.
***
Tasim's consciousness wandered through an open field. He looked around, seeing nothing, no one, no trees or plants, just purely an open field filled with grass so green it was as if it was painted. He then felt a pull on his transparent form, and he felt himself flung through time. Time was rewound, or was being turned forward with incredible speed; he couldn't make out which it was until shrubs began to rapidly form, then pine trees began to sprout from nothingness, growing before his very eyes. Once the pine became sturdy and produced shade, oak, maple, and other species began to fill the area. Afterward, small flowers began to bloom: lilacs, roses, tulips, lavender, irises, and many other species.
Before his very eyes, a lush forest appeared, filled with greenery and many different colors. Time continued flowing, flashes of humans walking around with incredible speed, producing a blurry trail as they moved. Buildings were formed, small huts, townhalls, then destroyed. Then came along new humans, producing more sturdy structures, full-size homes made of wood and thatch, then they were blown away by a tornado that didn't disturb Tasim in the slightest.
Finally, a new group came along, producing durable and tough homes made of stone, brick, mortar, and numerous materials that the average person would not recognize. He felt his soul being pulled upward, and he was now floating above a city that developed before his very eyes. A town hall, then a castle, then castle walls surrounding the entire city with towers living in the eight corners. A river was dug out for water to flow through, then a drawbridge was constructed that connected the entrance to the city to the outside world.
Time suddenly slowed to a normal pace, and he found himself back on the ground, standing on his non-existent legs. He was outside the city, standing at the center of the gradient, which consisted of the normal land and the other end being the lush forest. The drawbridge was lowered, and a small, slim woman exited the city. She was wearing a simple red dress which clung to her extravagant figure, a golden belt which was sitting snug around her, resting on her chest and around her neck was a necklace with a small ruby pendant surrounded by gold in the shape of hundreds of petals. Sticking out of her dress, covering her arms were white undergown sleeves, and her natural red, wavy hair went down to her waist.
The woman walked slowly down the dirt path, entering the forest, as Tasim felt himself compelled to follow her, watching over her as if he were a guardian angel right now. The forest trees began to sway as a gust of wind was produced, circling the enchanting lady. Leaves broke off from the branches as they landed around the woman, creating a mesmerizing atmosphere. The leaves bounced up, dancing through the air before finally settling.
The woman continued walking through the forest as Tasim felt himself being pulled towards her. She stuck her hand out, hitting the bark of a tree as she walked, then the air around them suddenly changed; it ceased to exist. Leaves stopped breaking off from the branches, and then the tree that the woman had touched grew a new branch, growing into a sword, then solidifying, becoming solid, dense, and extremely sturdy.
The wooden sword that had formed snapped off from the tree, then the normal breeze and action of rustling leaves came back to the forest. The woman continued walking, in the distance, branches bent over, creating an archway, and in the center of the archway hung a singular branch that grew a dress made of leaves.
The woman took in her surroundings, and once she made the decision that no one was around, she stripped, and the branch, which had the dress of leaves, lowered it onto her as she walked.
Similar actions continued to happen, and eventually she was in new garments, her shoes were replaced with soft wood with leaves as padding, and as she walked, her dress grew in length, the part closest to her chest was a bright emerald green, while the part that dragged along the forest floor was a brownish orange. She flailed the blade around, and the sword began to grow in length while in her hand. Vines crept up her arm to ensure she didn't lose grip, and the blade growth halted once it reached two meters long (~6.5 ft).
The woman continued walking, making calculated turns that led to the middle of nowhere, and in this 'nowhere' was a standalone pond, the water was glowing with an eerie dark blue, while it reflected the light of the sun. Surrounding the pond were mushrooms of all assortments, from crimson red to sky blue, from as small as an ant to as large as a tree.
And in the center of the pond stood a small island, and in the center was a small bonsai cherry tree. Its petals were as pink as a soft sunset, and it stood alone; there were no amphibious creatures that used the island as a place to settle, only the tree.
The woman that Tasim was following knelt down onto her knees and stuck her hands out towards the small cherry blossom tree, and Tasim could sense a flood of mana flowing from the core of her body, through her arms, and out of her hands, directed towards the plant. And as time passed, the cherry tree grew, changing its shape, roots grew through the ground and out of the island, into the pond it surrounded. New branches grew, and the leaves turned from a bright pink to an angelic white; small bulbs of an orange sap eventually budded from the tree before she stopped.
The woman grabbed the wooden blade that she had formed and vanished before Tasim's eyes. What filled the space where the woman once stood was a storm of orange, pink, white, red, brown, and green leaves.
Then Tasim felt a blade to his ghostly neck, and it cut in, severing his head, and as it fell, he glanced up at the bewitching woman. Immediately after, Tasim found himself back in the library along with everyone else.