"This is called the Moonlit Lavere, and we need to collect it at the night of a full moon, as that would be the only time you can see its light." Zeri explained. "The plant is brimming with energy, so most likely any nearby creatures who ate any part of it would become more powerful. For comparison, here's your current strength level."
The screen shifted again, revealing a massive array of tables filled with various statistics, but with a glance from Zeri's yellow eyes, the tables compressed into a few short sentences.
[Alister Rhithron]
[Daemonia Channeler - Rank E]
[Strength : 200 (350)]
[Agility : 150 (220)]
[Spirit Affinity : 50]
Alister was about to open his mouth, but the demon stopped him.
"The second number would be your strength if our feelings and thoughts are synchronized. If you decide to summon me into battle, the difference between the first and second numbers would indicate my battle power during the duration. Last but not least, the first numbers are your own current strength."
"What would the Spirit Affinity do, then?"
"It represents our compatibility. Most channelers would start with 10 or 20 when they first called for their demonic partner, but I've been with you since forever, so we start a bit higher. The more affinity you get, the more your stats and mine will increase. That aside..."
Zeri glanced at the screen, and it showed the strange plant again.
"... The Moonlight Lavere can be found near rivers that still have most of its natural resources. So, you cannot find it anywhere near the city, since if there is any, it probably died already because some careless scum plucked it before it bloomed, or it just didn't grow into anything at all." Zeri shrugged. "Do you know of a good place?"
Easy for you to say, as if we have a forest or something hidden behind our backyard... Alister thought sarcastically.
"I hear you, you know." Zeri narrowed his eyes. "Just find a place, and as long as it's within the confines of this world, I can open a gate there for you."
Alister huffed, not liking how smug Zeri was being, but the fact that he was definitely a powerful demon stuck in a world of humans made it made sense. If Alister had to compare it, it would be like living in a world where you are the only human, while others are no more than ants that you could step on and kill at any time.
He stood up from the bed, took the laptop from his study desk, and opened his browser to find the place he needed.
Not long after, a few results came up, and one of it was something he recognized.
Alister could vaguely remember that in his childhood, he was taken to see a beautiful river overgrown with plants during a quick trek to the forest with his distant uncle.
"This is it!" He pointed at one of the results with confidence, and for a moment, Alister forgot that someone could hear their conversation at any moment. "I've been here before, and it's pretty safe, but I'm not sure how it is at night."
"I'll trust your choice, then." Zeri nodded. "When is the full moon?"
He glanced at the computer screen again and typed up his question. "Most likely tomorrow,"
--
His outburst yesterday had left his father unable to look at him in the eyes, but Alister still made an attempt to be polite and at least tell him that he was going to a friend's house to catch up on the notes he missed. Luckily, his father accepted that excuse without too much fuss, and after telling his mother, Alister departed alongside Zeri on a taxi. They decided to go to a mostly unused lot, where there were only scattered building materials, but not many people.
Alister scouted the place, ensuring there was no one near them, and ducked behind a one-meter stack of bricks covered with a tarp. He took a peek again for safety and called for Zeri in his mind.
"Zeri, let's go."
"Understood." Zeri appeared as a red-gold smoke and answered. The space right in front of Alister began to distort, fading and shifting before it was finally torn like a piece of wet paper. The torn space led to a pitch-black hole that looked like it was a missing image, like a photo that was edited to color a certain part black but they forgot to edit in the shadows.
Saying it looked rather unsettling to witness what looked like a glitch in the world would be a massive understatement.
"You coming?" Zeri's question broke Alister out of his reverie. "Cannot get in without you, actually, but don't space out. This takes a lot of energy."
Alister swallowed his fears and jumped into the hole. If he had to describe what the inside felt like, it felt like nothing and everything at the same time. On one moment, he stepped into a place with no sensations, smells, or anything else, and the next, he landed in front of a forest, with the grass crunching beneath his feet. As he looked behind, the city was not visible, except for tiny dots of light blinking from afar, close to the horizon of the starry night sky.
A quick glance revealed that a full moon hung in the sky, its silvery light casting a beautiful sheen on the leaves.
"Here we are." Zeri notified him. "Are you familiar with this place?"
"You can say that." Alister shrugged. "I've been here once, and that was just following my uncle inside for a short walk. Zeri, you can touch objects now, right?"
"You summoned me in mostly corporeal form now, so yeah." Zeri answered. "It'll be safer this way as I can battle with you, but right now, we still don't know if the Moonlight Lavere is here."
"Reassuring." Alister sighed. "Now we potentially have to spend some time looking for nothing.
"Not really. Remember, places with enchanted plants and materials tend to have a stronger form of wildlife, and consuming their meat may help the same way the plant does, so if we can't find anything, might as well hunt their meat. The effect would be diminished, but it would still be there- Alister, wait."
"What is it, Zeri?" Alister asked.
"I feel a massive amount of energy here. There may be another channeler here with us."