After waking up Tlou took a few pills to get his health up again then went down to the library. It was still very useful even with the dreams of Heydar making the memories come back more and more. Tlou no longer thought that Heydar had alzheimers or dementia, he would have forgotten many things by now. He assumed the fragmented memory was a result of Heydars body just being a complete hazard, which he still wasn't sure if it was self inflicted or not. He engaged with many topics in the library to prompt Heydars hippocampus. Wildlife, geography, history, magic and what he considered should be his current priority arcane herbology; he not only had a floor filled with strange plants upstairs but also a need for pills that prevent him from dying
He was reading more on inscription and body augmenting. The library was silent. Tlous whizzy breaths filled the lack of sound. From what is detailed here and what I can recall from Heydars memories, inscription, though powerful, draws on mental energy. Mental energy is what allows people to control the core and glyphs inside. Mental energy can be exhausted but also replenishes itself. This, alongside the energy of the core being reduced, is the reason as to why casting many spells and tempering the core led to fatigue. I should probably try finding methods to expand or increase mental energy. I'm not sure which term is more accurate.
After a bit more reading he left to the larder and cooked the blue hares which were hanging there. There was no wood for fire but that was not a problem. A fire ball spell or an inscribed fire spell, I'm spoiled for choice. What a self-sufficient existence this is, he mused. The self-sufficiency of magic had a limit. It's been a week already since his regression, Tlous food supply had run out and his medicine could only last a day longer. He had explored most of the castle and tried prying the talking portraits for information but they were still mad at him. His appetite far surpassed the average person, so the food ran out faster than he anticipated. He ate the remaining hares meat in the hall. The hares in question were actually called grinks, something worth a snicker. They were extremely fast but their strong point was their amazing hearing, had their hearing been just a bit more better, Tlou believed they would have opted for echolocation over sight for sense along their evolutionary ladder. He didn't sit on the table, he sat on the stairs, an old habit from his past life when he would have lunch breaks on a random stone, crate and his personal favourite, stairs. He found stairs more comfortable than chairs most of the time. The feeling of his knees at height with his chest was very comfortable. Heydar ate with his eyes stuck to the main door. I have to leave eventually, I need food and also ingredients for the pills, he sighed, I'd like to leave only after surpassing the red core but I don't have much of a choice. Heydars memories of the place outside was a blank slate, an irregularity that was growing frustrating, some memories were very easy to recall while others eluded him, but this didn't feel like having trouble remembering it felt like nothing was there.
After finishing the food he made his way up to the hall of portraits with the bones. He had with him the bones of the grink and his stick. Slowly he ascended. Upon arriving he went to the large portrait of the maiden. The portrait was the same; a maiden with a red dress and black hair sitting on a large flower that looked like a water lilly and surrounded by flowers. The only difference was that her eyes were on him, following his entrance till he stood in front of it. The movement of her eyes were smooth, it didn't look like shifting brush strokes; unlike the smaller paintings and portraits whose surfaces would blur when there was any movement.
He looked it in the eye, an audible gulp exposed his unease. "I am going outside, the food is finished and I also need more ingredients for the pills," he said, watching it with expectation.Even though he has been here for a week these portraits were the scariest thing he had encountered thus far. Thus far. The maiden didn't say anything, nor did the other portraits. He put the stick down and presented the grink bones. "I never asked before but would you like these? I noticed you staring at them yesterday when I took a grink to my room," an eyebrow arched upward, another difference in the portrait. "Why are you offering that?" a portrait of an old woman knitting asked. "I just told you.." a collective hmph was heard and the maiden now had a slight scowl, clearly dissatisfied with Tlous response. Maybe one day she'll get off the flower completely, he thought to himself . " I heard you clearly the first time you rotten thing, what I want to know is why, I have no reward for you" the knitting womans features were now a blur of brush strokes, her changing expressions too numerous to be captured. The sight was eery, another gulp was heard. " You seemed like you wanted and I don't see why not to give you," Tlou replied, now standing in front of the knitting woman. "So you think I'm a dog?" a slight tinge of red appeared on Tlous features. She made it sound very demeaning, which it was but they were not even human, Tlou didn't think they would view it the way a person would. He tried to swallow the shame with his eyes slightly lowered and waited for the portrait to say something. There was a moment of silence, Tlou was unsure on what to do. " Give them," the knitting woman said, breaking the silence. Tlou had a perplexed expression, he didn't know how to give the bones. " Just throw them," "Oh!," that seemed like an obvious thing to do but it's not as if methods to feed talking paintings were common knowledge; he vainly searched for any mentions of talking portraits in the library. Tlou threw the bones at the knitting lady. They landed with a sticky sound. They stayed plastered before they slowly started sinking. The old womans features were now back to normal, the surface of the portrait no longer having visible brush strokes. No other portrait said anything, the largest one still had it's eyes on him. When the bones were no longer visible, he slightly cleared his throat. " What is it? did you want a thank you? Or do you have more?" "A thank you would be welcomed but I actually wanted to ask for something," Tlou responded. The portraits were so cold and coarse that it made it hard to communicate or even have a conversation with them. " I can't quite recall the outside, I would like to know as much as you do about it," " So you wanted information," a scoff was heard " I have been hung here for as far as I can remember, I don't know what the outside looks like, " a wave of disappointment washed over Tlou. "But you can ask the others, maybe they do" the knitting woman said. Tlou directed his gaze to the large portrait of the maiden. It shook a bit then stopped, not saying anything. Was that her response? Am I meant to know what that means? "She said she'll tell you all that she knows if you give her more bones," the knitting woman translated. What luck, that was all I had , Tlou lamented. He would know have to go out with no knowledge of what's out there. His knowledge of beasts and animals was not too shabby but the knowledge was in relation to the rest of Al Arda except where he was. The region of fog at the end of the Dragon River was uncharted. Then again Heydar was old and the books Tlou read were way older than Heydar, maybe the region of fog was conquered and there were people outside. The thought was both scary and reassuring. Humans were not necessarily better than beasts, just familiar. " Alright then, I'll be sure to bring more bones next time," he wanted to say "If I survive" but he feared that vocalizing those words might chip at his will to power. His exiting of the castle was less choice but more need.
The portraits didn't respond to his goodbye, their eyes followed him as he picked up his stick and walked down the hallway till he started descending. Tlous whizzing and the occasional fits of coughing that were followed by black and bloody phlegm. When he reached the last stair he took a moment to collect himself before approaching the door. He placed his hand on the door and gently stroked it, the coldness seeping into his hand and spreading to the rest of his body. He was prepared, he was wearing 2 layers of robes that were not as dirty as the one he found Heydars body in. He took a deep breath and readied himself. There are dangerous things out there but I am also dangerous, I'll be okay. I've been given a second chance for a reason. It can't end here, it won't...right? He tried to motivate himself but his beating heart disrupted his thoughts. He stood there for a few more moments. Reminding himself that he is a magical man, a transmigator. Someone not to be trifled with! The fight with the wolves in Heydars dreams had given him more confidence in himself. His body was weaker than the young Heydars but he had way more augmentations and a faster casting time. Watch world! Let this old man show you he is more than an expat, I am not leaving!
His arms turned larger and longer. The skin taking on a green tint and fur rapidly growing. He pushed the doors open. They dragged on the floor with a loud sound. Leaving trails as they swung on the hinge. A bone chilling cold invaded his body. The fog slowly roiled into the palace. In front of the castle was what appeared to be a small field of blue grass with tombstones scattered around and a fence made of long spears surrounding it. Heydar stepped out and closed the doors. He stood for a bit before looking around. He observed the tombstones but they were plain with no names of engravings. The sky was a gloomy gray but it was not particularly dark outside, just foggy and gloomy. He approached the fence and when he touched it the spears retracted into the grass and a blue glass was released from the holes. Tlou did not hold his breath. The gas spread quickly, it smelt of honeydew. He left the parameter of the place. Further from the palace was a forest. The trees were large with blue dark blue bark and light blue leaves. He took another deep breath, the gas entering deeper into his system. It was probably poison but he wasn't afraid of it. And like that the old man began to trek. The unknown of the forest was scary and he didn't know if he would come back. He hoped he was being dramatic, time will tell very soon.