A thousand cups of wine

Qing walks as he watches the two divine figures argue. They had been up there for a decent amount of time. They were speaking unknown gibberish.

"Hop on my back. Unless you want to race." The Guardian wanted to race Qing. It had been so long since it raced someone. The Guardian began warming its legs.

Qing slowly walked past the guardian. He just recovered from fighting the Guardian, and now it's asking him for a race.

Qing stopped at the edge of the platform and looked over the destruction he had caused. All these trees had been uprooted for a simple trial. QIng walked around to view the destruction he had caused.

The guardian watched Qing walk around the wooden platform. The fight they had devastated the area around them. The ground below the platform was all mud mixed with slime essences. The guardian drooped its head down as it walked toward Qing.

"Do not feel remorse for your actions,"

The guardian breathes out a sigh. Children did not understand the rules of this world. If you are strong, you survive, and if you are weak, you die.

"The forest can always grow again, but you only live once."

"Treasure that one time, and you will live your life to the fullest."

The guardian tossed Qing on its back and headed towards the edge of the wasteland. There was no need for the cold to contemplate his actions.

The fur on the guardian was cold. Qing shivered from the cold. Qing's trenchcoat was filled with holes from their fight earlier. The winter air began to penetrate his bones. Now, the trenchcoat barely warmed Qing from the winter breeze.

Qing let out a sneeze. The guardian core went from a dark, lifeless green to a bright, vibrant yellow center with green sides.

The two divine beings were not in their original spots anymore. Instead, the Divine beings ascend higher and higher into the sky.

The Guardian walked out of the forest at a slow and steady pace. The tree tops were empty with no leaves. The occasional squirrel would pop out, digging up the acorn on the ground.

Qing's eyelids felt heavy, and the guardian's humming soothed him. The sun had begun to set with a vibrant orange color. The area around began to dark with a purple shade of blue. The mushroom and moss illuminated. The plants gave off a vibrant yellow with green sides. The guardian back felt warm and comfortable. Qing daydreamed of the possibility of his bed at home feeling this warm. His vision slowly faded as he daydreamed about the bed he wanted.

The guardian left out a hoove-like sneeze.

"It's a bit chilly. Am I right?" The Guardian asked a sleeping Qing. It was pointless to disturb a child's rest. The guardian stopped and sat down. He sensed a woman and a child were nearby calling out for Qing.

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The Qing's mother and Anya continued to walk through the forest. Both continued to cast sensor magic to find Qing. Anya wants to find Qing and punch him. He promised to come back safe before sundown, and it's sundown now, and he was still in the forest.

"Qing, where are you!"

A faint green glow appeared behind the trees in the forest. Both of them approached the glow.

"Qing?"

The glow grew brighter in response to the call. The two approached a glowing stag sitting by a tree. Both of them saw bright cores and the antlers of the stag. On the back of the stag lay a sleeping Qing. Both of them quietly approached Qing.

"YOU LIED TO ME!" Anya launched herself at Qing.

Qing woke up to the force of a thousand stars.

Qing saw a white-haired figure-haired figure. The figure patted his in an attempt to pat the injury that he'd received.

"Mom?"

Qing's head was still in the clouds. He was about to challenge the demon lord. He and his army of slimes were storming in only to have been shot but a white light.

"Am I in heaven?"

Qing was positive he didn't die. His ears still rang. The blast from the demon lord must have brought him back in time.

Anya puffed. She wakes Qing up, and the first person he calls is his mother.

A barrage of fists was suddenly launched at Qing. Qing's head was no longer in the clouds. He attempts to defend himself from the fist.

"Stop it," Qing unconsciously grabs one of her hands

Anya continued to launcher her barrage at Qing. Qing might have caught one of her hands, but she had two hands for a reason.

"Say my name!"

"Anya stop,"

"Say my name!"

Qing's mother wrapped herself around them. Qing was okay, and that was all that mattered.

When she gets back, she's going to the Lumberjack's wife to complain.

"I going to train you harder now,"

Qing's mother couldn't protect Qing forever. She worried for Qing. He would have more trials to come, and she had to prepare him.

The three of them proceeded back to the village. Qing's mother helps him tightly as Anya leads them way back.

A hooded figure appears on top of a tree, looking over the three as they head back toward the village. Then, it dropped down from the tree and appeared in front of the guardian.

"Hello, Old friend,"

The guardian recognized a familiar scent from the figure. It had been sixty years since this man had entered the forest.

"My granddaughter just came here."

The hooded figure revealed itself, pulling back its hood and began walking out into the moonlight. It was an old man with pristine white hair. His body was built with wide shoulders. He tossed two swords at the guardian. One sword glowed pink, and the other glowed a purple color. Both swords gave off two conflicting auras.

"The weapon you've requested has been completed."

"What took you so long to make it? I don't need them anymore. Give it to someone else more worthy than I"

The shadow figure opened his coat, and the swords were sucked right back like a vacuum.

"How about a race, old friend?"

"My bones have become old. Instead, how about a drink, Old friend."

The man pulled out from under his coat two cups and pots of rice wine. It had been so long since they last met, and he was going to make the most of it.

"Eighty percent,"

The guardian's eyes gleamed with joy. He morphs into his human form to drink with his old friend.

The two sat down on a tree root. The root morphed into a table and revealed the guardian's stash of fruit wines.

The two good friends cheered and reminisced about the time they missed together. Drinking heartily to the tales and legends they've made for themselves.

During the morning, the figure left.