The stars glittered, the night’s deep dusk washing away all the bright scenery from earlier.
It was nighttime, and I was sitting just inches away from a campfire.
I hummed to myself, carefully inspecting my hand. I could just barely make it out, a sort of force emanating from my hand.
It modulated, it waved, and, with a simple thought, I made it disappear.
To think this is the ’magic’ that I held as unattainable. Now that I can manipulate mana, it doesn’t seem all that noteworthy.
Today was a rather successful day. Despite landing myself in the middle of the Wretched Wilds, I was able to secure myself power and even gain a skill on the way.
I held out my hand straight--vying for the fire. I watched as the fire crisped the air, bringing with it a crinkling sound. I envisioned that flame being pushed, and just like that, an invisible wave reverberated through it through cause a ripple of flame to propagate.
My new ability, push. It’s nothing to write home about, but it’s a neat little trick.
And all a result of my first ever fight with mana.
’So, mind explaining in more detail how I picked up the skill?’ I asked internally. I knew the subject of my question could hear me.
[A result of your skill, Merciless. This knowledge should’ve been implanted into your mind from the moment you acquired it.]
The... ’voice’ was right. I had a basic understanding of how it worked.
The flame from earlier, while I’m unsure of the name, I understood that it acted as a means to squeeze together a foreign soul with my own.
A sub-skill, from the looks of it.
’That’s not what I’m asking. What exactly is that flame I used? I know that it’s not a typical flame, so don’t bother lying to me.’ While I understood what it did, the exact mechanics of my ability were not so easily comprehended. All I knew is that I wasn’t being told everything.
The voice paused for a minute. Faintly, I heard it catch its breath. Interesting.
[Plunder, a sub-skill of Merciless, grants you the ability to express your soul as an attack. Through that, you burn your opponent’s soul and recover its remnants to make your own.]
So Plunder is the name of my ability?
’I see, so in other words, I’m attacking their soul with my soul. Then, I have just two questions for you.’ I stopped, hoping it would ask me what they were, but it didn’t. ’Is there anything about Merciless that I don’t know? And, to the best of your knowledge, what the hell even is a soul?’
I didn’t ask these questions for no reason. Though I’m not sure when, I know for a doubt that there will come a time when learning all the functionalities of my core skill will be a necessity.
Although, there was one thing I knew.
Though I didn’t know that it was my soul, I understood that if I used Plunder on an enemy far stronger than myself, that I may be the one consumed instead of it.
That means that to successfully use it, I have to weaken my opponent first. Not an easy task, but a far safer option than gambling on the fact that I would win such a contest.
Although, these talks about the ’soul’ make me curious as to how magic is capable of interacting with it. Even further, why would absorbing a soul give me access to another’s skills?
I sat in the hearth of the flame, waiting for a response, but none came.
’I get it, there’s some questions you can’t answer. That’s fine. Let me just ask you this then:
can I trust you?’
The voice paused, emitting a quiet hum, but I could hear it. It was deep in thought.
Then it spoke.
[Yes.]
I laughed, not because I believed it, but because I had no other choice. Besides, the voice saved my life. At least for now, I can say that we’re on the same side.
Well, that’s that. I suppose I’ll hit the hay. After all, I spent my entire day walking around.
Wait!
’One more thing. What are we going to do about your name? Calling you "voice" is starting to get on my nerves.’
[You may call me Zenith.]
’Good, Zenith. Good night.’
Using that as my cue, I rolled around to my side. I pulled a wide, thick blanket of white fur over myself. The skin of the beast I killed earlier.
I closed my eyes.
*******************************************************
Waking up, I was taken off guard by how bright the sky was. It didn’t quite burn into my eyes like it used to--no, I’ve found my body feeling much stronger--but it was far too abrupt to be comfortable.
Quite a difference from waking up from my bed. I need to get out more.
As I got on my feet, I gripped onto my fur blanket with both hands. Staring into the vast forestation surrounding me, I tested the weight of skin, and realized something.
If I wanted a sleep as comfortable as what I’d just gotten, I’d need to bring this with me. But I have nowhere to put it.
Should I risk getting slowed down by this thing, or trade my safety off with comfort?
As the two ideas competed in my mind, a third, brighter one entered the fro.
Amplifying both arms with mana, I tore at the sides of the skin. I carefully measured it against my torso, taking care not to tear off any excess.
Then, thinking back to all the corpses I’d seen in my father’s house, I wrapped it snugly around my shoulders, punching a hole through the upper part of it to allow my head entry.
At last, I’d created a coat of fur to cover myself with. It immediately got to work, warming my body in the rather cool, humid climate.
"Ah~ Much better." Straightening it out, I made my way forward.
I made sure to look in every direction with each step. The forest was large, and there was a vast number of beasts waiting for me to drop my guard.
If I’m to find a way out of this place, that’s the only thing I can do. Simply walk forward.
[Warning. Large mana signature nearby.]
My mind reeled. Lightning shocked my system, seizing my attention to the towering figure again.
A giant bear stood on all fours, slamming its paws into the ground before grumbling with terrible ferocity.
"Well, looks like I’m not gonna have it easy here."