John has harvested more than thirty crystals from the apes. He realized the beast crystals acted like their cores since it held most of their power. He knew after absorbing the last piece of crystal that his strength was already out of this world as every step he took, inch-deep footprints would be left on the ground despite not gaining any weight. He knew that gaining strength fast might cause accidents in the future, so he decided to control his strength. He slow punched the first live tree he could find to compare his strength since he killed his first ape.
*Thud* His skin barely touched the bark when the tree seemed to distort where his fist almost landed and then suddenly the whole tree crashed to the ground. Already immune from all the shocking things he encountered in this land, John decided to do it again only weaker to another tree. The same thing happened. He tried picking up a fist-sized rock, it crumbled in a second. He picked another rock again only to have it pulverized again. After countless attempts, John could punch a tree without hurting it and pick up a rock larger than him without leaving any dents or cracks. As he looked where the remaining dead forest come into life, he began to be proud of himself.
"Did I just save this world?" John thought while caressing a plump silver bunny who happened to just jump at him trying to get on top of him. After petting the obese agile silver rabbit, it decided to settle on top of John's head seemingly proud of itself.
John found it funny and laughed to himself which echoed through the forest. Little by little different silvery creatures having forms of deer, birds, albino pigs and polar bears congregated around him. Not anymore surprised, John realized he could feel each of these creatures' temperaments and thoughts. Though the creatures' intents weren't translatable into words John understood it as them being thankful for killing the black beast invaders that had been desecrating their land. A few more minutes and he was petting different silvery creatures which resembled animals of our own world and assumed all creatures in this silver world had consciousness. It was also then that he realized that he has been emitting both a frosty smoke and a glowing aura of red from his skin. The animals didn't seem to mind his reddish hue since the silver smoke seemed to acknowledge John as their own.
A few moments later, five silver humanoids arrived which caused the animals to scamper back in different directions of the forest.
The leading silver man spoke "Friend, was it you who has done all of this?"
Strangely the humanoid was speaking directly to John's mind and in straight English!
"Yes, it was me." John spoke through his mouth. John also thought of how he unknowingly helped in the regeneration of the silver forest.
"Even though you're a traveler it seemed you have totally defeated the invaders." Spoke another silver man. "We observed you from a distance after you killed the travelers and we realized you were not a monster."
"Me a monster?" John thought laughingly. "I should be telling that to you."
"Forgive us for our ignorance" spoke the leading silver man. "But we couldn't be too careful. Most travelers are invaders by heart. Even the one who looks like you conquered our world eons ago."
"You mean humans were here before?" John quickly asked.
"Humans. Is that what you call yourselves?" the third silver man spoke. "He was also alone though he was larger than you and had more of that black fur in its face." It continued.
John was amused that some human entered this place before him, doubting now that this place was just a dream. He didn't hesitate to ask if this world was real which was a stupid question. The silver men seemed to laugh in his mind. They inquired if it was the first time John did this, walk into another world. John easily said yes, and the silver men became more relaxed than before.
"Unlike the rest of the travelers even of the one that looked like you, you seem to be a gentle species" remarked the leader of the silver men. "You retracted your bloodlust after killing the black beasts, learned to control your strength and were kind to the real residents of this world." Obviously, the residents the silver man was referring too was the silver animals of the forest.
"But I killed one of your kind" reminded John. "I even took his core."
"True, we were angry when you killed Rowan but it was unavoidable." The silver leader sighed. "Afterall he attacked you first."
"If only he didn't create the crack in the void those creatures wouldn't be here." Replied the seemingly second-in-command. "He was going to die by our hands anyway for doing such a reckless act."
"So, one of your kind opened the door to the worlds beyond?" John inquired through. "Why would he do that knowing such danger lies await."
"He felt that this world is trapped in a strange place" spoke the fourth silver man who barely talked. "he said that our world was smaller than before. It's sad he used to be known for being one of the most intelligent among us." It continued speaking.
"Your world got smaller? That doesn't make sense" John remarked. "Your world seems to be as big as mine."
"Really, so your world is just like ours?" asked the fourth. "No wonder you have respect for the lives of our creatures." Pointing to the bunny who had fallen asleep on the top of John's head.
"This bunny?" John jokingly answered. "I thought it left. We have similar creatures from my world. They are harmless."
"Such brave thoughts." The fifth silver man finally spoke. "Your kind must be strong since young. Not even our adults could normally handle a Zwarblig singlehandedly."
"What's so scary about this sleeping beast." John joked. "Doesn't this one nibble grass?"
A chorus of laugh echoed in John's mind. The fifth silver man sent him a mental picture of how this Zwarblig ate it's prey. It seemed this rabbit-like creatures were more like snakes of our world, they simply swallowed their food whole. What was more strange, unlike snakes that grab their prey by striking with their heads, Zwarbligs acted like vacuum cleaners that suck their prey even meters away from them. They even preyed upon these silver men if they were hungry. John gulped
"Zwarbligs are very territorial" lectured the leader of the silver men. "With that on your head, no creature of this world would most likely threaten you. Afterall, it seems to like you as it's throne."
"Throne. Like a chair?" John quizzingly asked.
"Yes, Zwarblig rulers are attracted to shiny things usually choosing the most shiny rock shrine as it's throne to exert its dominance." Replied the fifth silver man. "They also do that to other bigger creatures like the snow bear and the ocean tortoise who are strong also by themselves."
"Basically I'm a glorified babysitter." John remarked. "Could I just leave it here?"
"We know nothing of a babysitter" the leader replied. "What we know of are that Zwarbligs are good beast companions. They build soul contracts to stronger creatures that interest them."
"This bunny, aside from swallowing it's food whole it could actually fight?" a surprised John asked.
"Yes, it fights like you, very fast." Answered the third silver man. "Also it's fangs are very poisonous so don't bother trying to remove it from your head or it'll kill you by biting your head off or poison you to death." John couldn't help but gulp. If this beast was so strong why couldn't it defeat the wolves and apes?
"You must be wondering why it wasn't fighting the travelers" the leader sensed his question. "That's because we are weak from the black beast's fire-chaos element. Even though we could be stronger their element is poisonous to us. Only Rowan is immune to those effects but it seems you got his powers instead."
"Aren't humans then a devourer type of creatures?" asked the fifth. "It's good to know your kind values your mind over instinct. Devourer types are mostly arrogant brutes." John flinched, he couldn't help but think that true enough even though people don't have powers our kind could easily be driven by greed.
"Anyway, we came here before you to establish a soul pact." The leader interrupted. "A soul pact is a contract of mutual non-aggression between you and us as representatives of our worlds. It means an agreement to ensure one doesn't harm the other."
"That's not a problem with me." a confident John said. He was already stronger than these five men combined as he also wielded the fire-chaos power. "Also I won't be revealing this place to others and if I bring anyone I have to look for you first." John hinted to the leader through his mind. The words that John mind-spoke was imprinted into the pact.
"That is most kind of you." The fifth silver man finally felt relief. "I hope we would have a fruitful relationship."
"Thank you too." John conversed through his mind. "Do you guys know where is the door so I could return to my world?" He has already finally got mental fatigue from all the shocks and surprises he had this time.
Whether this was a dream or not, John was still not sure about it so he decided to ask about this.
After mutually ssigning the contract with their minds which just took seconds, the fourth asked, "You don't remember how you got here?"
"The black creatures came from the world cracks at Rowan's land but you didn't come through there" remarked the fifth. "We have been guarding that gate since a hundred of beasts escaped into this world. That place has been fully barricaded."
"Even if you forgot how you got here. It will now be simple going back to your world as you got Rowan's key." The leader revealed. "We don't mess with the other worlds so it was only Rowan who fiddled with that. The other world keys are currently sealed and guarded by each of the great families of these world."
"With enough power, by simply focusing on a specific place on your realm you should be back there in no time." Spoke the second silver man. "Though we still wonder how you got here in the first place unless you walked through an ancient door."
"I remember no door and I was sleeping before this all happened." John reluctantly answered. "So I guess I could try going back with Rowan's key."
"Yes, you could do it now if you must." The fifth silver man curtsied while the rest seemed to give a weird posture which seemed like a salute. "But before you leave, please accept this humble gift from us. I hope you won't mind."
"What is this?" John asked while accepting a silver pill as big as his thumb. "What do I do with this?"
"That is our elite armor" the proud leader interrupted. "It can hide your power and even one's presence to a certain degree. It also acts as an amplifier of our ability 'metal mana' which enable us to absorb most physical attacks and regenerate faster."
"We give you that so hopefully your kind won't discover the kind of power our world has." Reminded the second. "Lots of travelers enter our world in the hopes to fuse our ability with their own, only a few managed to succeed."
"You already have 'metal mana' so we couldn't do anything else" spoke the third. "We would have been forced to kill you if you didn't sign the pact even if it would cost our lives."
John began staring in shock at each of their faces. He thought they were naturally friendly, they were actually just being diplomatic. He smiled and, in his mind, sighed thankful he made friends instead of new enemies. The silver men sensed his thoughts and assured him that they would be helpful to John if he kept being the same harmless traveler. They finally gave the instructions on how to wear the armor.
Due to the mind fatigue John accumulated in one whole night of fighting and meeting strange creatures he thought of his comfy bed while bidding the five silver men his goodbye. Then he simply vanished.
When he opened his eyes, he realized he was back in his room lying down on his bed facing the ceiling. No longer feeling a headache he tried to dismiss that strange experience as a dream until he realized he was still holding a silver pill at his right hand. He couldn't deny that world wasn't a dream anymore when he tilted his head upward. There on top of his pillow, sprawled a strange rabbit who is snoring lightly with its bulging belly facing upwards.