The next day soon arrived as the morning birds chirped to our presence. I awoke to the rising sun as I looked down from the tree, seeing that Daniella was still asleep, I decided to give a good morning wake up.
I jumped down the tree and stretched my limbs, I then got beside the tree and started scratching it with my claws, ah~ it was such a nice feeling for my claws.
My scratching awoke Daniella as she muttered something while rubbing her eyes. "Good morning, Sera." Yes, she got me a nickname, Seraphine is a bit too long.
I stopped scratching as I faced her and nodded my head while meowing. I scratched the tree one more time and another one to signify I was going to mark the territory again.
"Go ahead. I will try to catch some fish for us in the meantime." She spoke. I meowed and headed out to mark my territory. Firstly, I set up some big rocks with different scratching as landmarks for the presumed radius of the territory.
Next, I then started marking the trees with deep scratches to signify power behind them, while also leaving some bits of mana to make it have a deeper feeling.
I observed that the animals seemed to have a habit of getting scared by strong mana radiation. Now, if I put some of my mana into the claw marks, won't it also scare them?
I went back to the stream and saw Daniella trying to catch some fish. I meowed to introduce my presence to her. She got out of her immersion as she greeted me. "Hello Sera, back from marking?" She asked.
I meowed in response as I made a net through mana threads as Daniella had already guided the fish into the rock-wall-trap. I threw the net and captured the fish.
I then roasted the fish, while Daniella was creating some sort of chair? I got the fishes ready as I handed some to Daniella, and we ate breakfast quietly, it seemed that Daniella was thinking of something.
We finished eating as Daniella stared at me seriously. "I think, it's about time I tell you about my situation." She spoke. "I am here in this forest because I was looking for something."
She searched her pocket and showed me a shinning blue stone. It radiated extremely pure mana, much like mine. "This is an origin stone. It contains extremely pure mana and can increase one's mana capacity and heal every injury."
That rock looks so enticing, my instincts are screaming at me to eat that rock. I-I want to eat it… No! Hold in your urge and resist temptation- I thought to myself and shook my head.
"But there is one main thing that the origin stone can do that I really want, awakening one's inner Titan: "Soul Gaurdians". Soul Guardians are physical manifestation of our life force/mana."
"The kingdom that I came from is in war with another kingdom right now. And if, just if, if I even awaken just a saint level Soul Guardian, I would be able to end the war."
"War had hit our kingdom hard, and the people in our kingdom suffered enough. I want to end the war, but if I don't have enough power, I'll just end up as a clown."
"So," Daniella stood up and placed the gem beside her chest. "Please, Sera, I want you to protect me while I awaken my Soul Guardian. Coud you?" Daniella asked.
I thought about it. Her situation seemed dire, and she's my friend, and I help my friends. Plus, if she somehow doesn't succeed, her kingdom will have a chance of falling? I don't want to sacrifice a million people just for selfishness.
And yes, she might have been lying about it, but I have met a lot of lying people, and I mean a lot, if your past life occupation requires investigation, you know how to tell the truth from lies.
I nodded my head and meowed in agreement. "Thank you, Sera. Now, I must admonish you. Mana beasts are strongly sensitive to mana, some might come over, so be careful with protecting me, please. I will now begin the awakening."
Daniella spoke as I turned around and started to prepare myself in case any mana beast will come as Daniella spoke. It might be a good time to test out my new skill that I had obtained, [mana materialization].
Mana started to erupt from the origin stone as Daniella absorbed the mana into her body, frowning while doing so. Extremely pure mana like mine is very incompatible with untrained bodies with mana.
So, I can imagine the difficulty she is going through right now. And as Daniella spoke, a mana beast did come. It was a boar, it had large tusks and a fat body. But I shalt not underestimate it.
The boar let out puffs of breath as it stared at Daniella, it was attracted to the pure mana radiating from the stone.
I flared my own mana and overlapped the mana from the origin stone. The boar now set its eyes on me and started to charge. I ran to the right to change the boar's running course. It was successful.
I materialized some sharp shards of rock and fired them at the boar only doing minimal damage to it and angered it. "Good, I need the beast to be blind in rage."
I ran at full speed towards the creak and jumped the boar followed blindly as I materialized a rock to spike from the ground, The boar saw the protruding rock spike, but it was too late. It had already jumped.
The boar's stomach hit the rock spike and killed it. A rain of blood splattered on me as I went back to where Daniella was. I took a quick clean in the stream and looked at Daniella, the Soul Guardian awakening was about to finish.
Mana pulsed into the surroundings, only to be sucked back into area around Daniella as she absorbs the mana. She completely absorbs the mana inside her as her mana started to get released into the surrounding.
The speckles of mana gathered and gradually materialized into an iron behemoth, whose body was covered with snow and joints littered with runes glowing blue.
It was mesmerizing! It was cool, what else can I say? Also, isn't that basically and steel construct of mana, it's looks like a frigging robot! How is that possible?
Standing 10 meters tall, the giant looked down at me and spoke, "I did it, Sera. At least, a king rank Soul Guardian." Daniella spoke with a kind of distorted voice. The colossus dematerialized and revealed Daniella's frame.
She looked different, there was a different air to her. She seemed much stronger? She was also more beautiful now, and her wounds from before had also healed.
Daniella approached me and picked me up. "Thank you, Sera, you really did protect me, you even killed a mana-beast almost six times your size. You're amazing." Daniella softly caressed me as I purred at her touch.
Daniella put me back on the ground and spoke. "Now that I finished my goal here in the forest, it should be about time we should leave- Ah! I forgot to ask, Sera, are you willing to leave with me?"
I nodded my head and meowed in agreement while rubbing my scent on her legs. It was lonely in this forest in the first day, and if Daniella were to leave me alone, I might really turn into an animal.
And I won't risk that chance! I'm going to rub my scent on her and tell everyone she's mine! "Cute!" Daniella exclaimed as she sat back down and petted me. "I guess you're coming with me then."
Daniella picked me up as she brought a few other things, as we got out of my territory, I got out of Daniella's hands and scouted the area around us in case of any danger.
I felt a strange attraction as if I felt it was something familiar, it was enticing. The sweet temptation that lingers in the air around that tree in front of me. I remember it clearly, that feeling.
I dug on the roots of the tree as I heard the soft voice of Daniella calling out to me, but I ignore it. This feeling seems more… important, something, a voice is telling me that something shiny lies within.
I flicked the ground off as I finally saw it clearly, it was an origin stone. The one that I saw Daniella use to awaken something like an iron colossus or something, a soul guardian?
I remember Daniella say something about it increasing mana capacity, improve healing factor, and awaken your soul guardian. I think that is based on humans… "So, what happens if I consume it?"
My guts are telling me to eat it, my body is telling me to eat it, hell! Even an inner voice inside me is telling me to eat it. Everything is telling me that is I eat it, something amazing will happen to me. Of course, I could ask heaven's voice… but.
*Chomp*
I ate the stone and swallowed it as I felt my body heat rise to dangerous levels, "Sera!" I heard Daniella's shout to me, but I couldn't answer back due to the numbing pain.
Due to just the immense heat my body was producing, it burned the surrounding flora. That meant that I was hot, burning hot. The reason as to why my body hasn't even exploded containing such heat is a mystery.
It hurts, the burning pain hurts, that is for sure! The searing pain from my boiling mana forced upon my cat body exploded forth into a flame the enveloped my whole body.
Daniella manifested her Soul Guardian and held my small frame on the palms of the iron behemoth. The flame grew in intensity that it blinded my own vision. My mana count skyrocketed and exploded outwards, revealing my… new form.
The blinding light faded as I looked up at the head of the Soul Guardian, muttering the first word I spoke in this world. "Daniella?"