The once vibrant world around me had succumbed to silence and desolation. I remained on my knees, cradling the delicate spider in my palm. I lost track of time, my focus entirely on soothing the creature with gentle strokes. The time seemed irrelevant as I stayed silently in my place
Suddenly, I felt a presence as someone descended the chasm softly. I recognized him instantly, yet chose to ignore his existence, continuing to caress the spider. She seemed to relish the attention, her tiny legs twitching with contentment. The elf settled opposite me, summoning a pair of glasses same as the one Mirai wore while opening a book that he summoned
As he began to read, spirits materialized around me, curious to the spider. Their presence unsettled her , prompting her to scurry away and seek refuge in my clothes. The spirits, sensing her distress, retreated to their own, seeking solace from their companion. He offered them what they seeked with a gentle pat before raising his gaze from his book to meet mine.
In a calm tone, he spoke, "As one grows stronger, so too does their soul. When they die, what remains is merely a spirit, like the one you hold. Survival is an inherent desire to all living beings, so most lingering spirits become restless and end up succumbing to madness eventually wraiths. Yet, the spirit in your hand seems devoid of such desires." He paused, then continued, "What I am conveying is that the one who left this spirit behind did so in peace. This spirit's sole desire is to watch over you and remain in your company."
I looked at the elf, who seemed to be attempting to console me nonchalantly. There was nothing but truth in his words, so I asked calmly, "Canst thou teach me how to make contracts with spirits?"
Edward nodded, smiling a bit. "Of course. For your situation, a pact would be ideal. But first, how about giving her a name?"
I pondered for a moment, then held the spider up, speaking softly, "Your name shall be Poppy." The spider responded with erratic movements, clearly pleased with her new name.
Edward muttered under his breath, "That's quite a silly name coming from him."
I chose to ignore his comment, already familiar with the process of forming a pact. I channeled my mana, intertwining it with the spider's essence. I began reciting the oath, "By my soul, I swear, whilst I draw breath and as long as thou desirest, thou shalt ever be my companion." The spider's movements became even more lively, expressing her joy as she linked her mana with mine. In that moment, she became my first contracted spirit, and a surge of knowledge about her abilities flowed into my mind.
I stood motionless, absorbing all the information. Edward remained silent, waiting till clarity appeared in my eyes before he spoke calmly. "Alex and Mirai have been deeply concerned about you, especially after the spiders vanished from the area. I'm heading back now to reassure them that you're safe."
I met his gaze and responded . "Don't worry about me. I need to return as well; my training must continue, especially with Mirai here."
I rose from my spot, wearing my mask once more as Poppy faded away, shedding her physical form behind. As I looked up, I knew how I should ascend. [Enhancing your body with mana and embedding your magic affinity will significantly alter its properties. But as a user of life magic, how would this manifest?]
The answer was simple. I focused my mana on my back, channeling my magic affinity into it. The mana began to ripple and reshape, forming into eight spider legs. Edward's eyes widened momentarily before his expression returned to its usual, impassive state.
These additional limbs became an extension of my body, effortlessly controlled as if they were my own from the start. With their aid, I climbed the chasm walls with remarkable speed, while Edward climbed more conventionally by simply jumping on the walls.
Upon reaching the top, I stopped trying to concentrate a bit, and suddenly the place around me became more bright. Glancing up through my mask, I saw the moon casting a gentle, soothing glow across the landscape.
the light is so gentle yet, so cruel. It was so disgustingly beautiful that I wanted to gouge my eyes out of its sockets that I wouldn't look at that fake facade. How could the moon shine so brightly, though it has no light of its own? why do people like the moon, though it's fake? why can't people see through its deception? why can't people care about what they can't see?why is the moon so pathetically disgusting?
I despise the moon