After the battle, the elf's first priority was to use the stream to wash up and clean his wounds. Since he now knew how to free himself from the deadly grip of the trap, he quickly set about doing so. He enjoyed washing up, as it used to be a rare treat for him. In the slums, it was nearly impossible to wash properly, and many had to save up money just to visit the bathhouse in the better part of the city.
Every time he found himself there, the boy was always amazed by how different life could be, but he also admired the views in that part of the city. It was nice to live in a place where you had the market, many workshops, and even various buildings for mercenaries nearby. Although there were so many mercenaries that such buildings often turned into taverns instead.
Washing off the grime from his body, he immediately felt better. He rinsed his eyes, first pouring mana into them to avoid falling into another trap, and soon sat by the stream, drying himself while bandaging his wounds with leaves, securing them with vines. His mysterious helper hadn't responded the last time when he asked who they were, but he still had his suspicions.
'Seems like I'm a madman. Normally, people who hear voices in their head are called that, right?'
The boy always found it strange that such people were usually despised. Those who talked to themselves always had friends, even if only in their own heads. But he wasn't going to argue, since he didn't know what exactly they said to others. Luckily for him, the voice had helped. Though, for some reason, it was completely silent now, refusing to speak.
'Hey, at least tell me your name?'
Silence.
'Maybe it only appears when I'm in mortal danger? But why didn't I hear anything during the fight with the shadow?'
The boy pondered. What had changed after the battle with the shadow? The answer came quickly as he looked at his wooden arm. Could it be that his new friend was his wooden arm, which could speak to him? But why didn't it start talking right away?
He poked it a few times with his finger, but there was no reaction. He tried to talk to himself a few more times, but after realizing there was no response, he sighed and gave up trying to start a conversation. Right now, he had a more pressing task—finding something to eat.
Luckily, he had food left from the battle—the wolf. His vision was better now, so he looked at the wolf and saw its body parts scattered across the grass. The sight was gruesome and disgusting, but he wasn't going to die from hunger. Besides, it was meat, which was as valuable as gold. Almost comparable to the cheese he had eaten before the journey.
Getting up, he set about making a fire. The streets and the cold winters he miraculously survived each time, teetering between life and death, had taught him this. Perhaps that's why he could think so clearly when fighting the wolf. He had already stared death in the face more than once. But for some reason, he couldn't remember much of it, maybe because survival had become routine for him.
Eventually, after 20 minutes, the elf was sitting by a small fire, roasting the remains of the abomination on a stick. The smell of meat filled the area, and Ragryno remained vigilant. It was unclear whether other creatures would attack, attracted by the scent. So as soon as the meat was ready, he began to devour it greedily. But it wasn't very tasty, at least it didn't meet his expectations.
Of course, he didn't have any salt or anything like that, but the meat was just… bad.
It was a total disappointment for the boy. He had tried meat a few times in his life, and it had seemed like a holy grail to him, but now, this. Yet the disappointment quickly faded when something finally happened. His savior spoke again, offering just a few words.
[Hand. Mana.]
Hand and mana? Direct mana into the hand?
Without much thought, the boy focused and did just that. His wooden arm began to glow with a turquoise light, and his savior spoke again, this time more clearly and coherently.
[I can't talk much. Ask questions. Little time.]
Naturally, the first question anyone in his situation would ask was "Who are you?"—and Ragryno was no exception.
[Part of the forest. Merged. Your mana.]
The boy's eyebrows furrowed. His hand was part of the forest, and they merged? Fine, he got that, but what did "your mana" mean? Ragryno stared in confusion at his wooden arm, not forgetting to keep the mana flowing so the glow wouldn't fade.
'My mana? What's with it?'
His hand remained silent for a while, causing Ragryno to frown even more and increase the mana flow to his hand.
[Your mana. Pure. Long story. Little time.]
Ah, so he couldn't explain right now. Maybe he needed to do something for the voice to talk properly? But what exactly? That's the question he asked his hand, to which he received a rather discouraging response.
[You're weak. Not now. Second rank.]
So only at the second rank would he be able to channel enough mana into his hand to have a normal conversation and get answers, huh…
The boy shrugged and stopped channeling mana into his hand, as no more answers were forthcoming—perhaps time had run out. However, he could still piece together something on his own: his hand was part of the forest, and they had merged because of his mana. He had already noticed that his magic was unusual, something even that woman with the staff from the church had mentioned.
What was her name again?
The boy didn't remember asking that question, so he didn't dwell on it. Right now, he was full and had drunk enough water, but what should he do next? How would he get out of this forest? The fear of the raging 4th rank still lingered, but he didn't necessarily have to leave from this exact spot, did he? Maybe he could just exit from another part of the forest. Then he could try to find a village, and from there return.
He still needed new recommendations to get accepted into the academy, after all, since he had successfully… blown up the old ones.
'But losing the knife was even more painful!'
Deciding not to dwell too much on it, he continued on his way. He chose to follow the stream downstream. He moved at a fairly fast pace, as after eating and drinking, he had managed to regain some energy. The benefits of running alongside the stream were obvious—constant access to water.
Birds chirped frequently in the forest. Occasionally, he even noticed them watching him from the treetops. Each was different and quite unusual. Together with the sound of the flowing stream, their chirping created a rather pleasant atmosphere.
Added to this were the pleasant scents, as now that Ragryno had washed, the entire aroma of the forest revealed itself to him. And he had to admit, it was very fresh and invigorating.
At first, the terrain didn't change much. The area was still full of trees with darkened bark, but soon, as he climbed over yet another enormous tree root, something unusual appeared ahead.
Before him, on the bank of a stream, lay the remains of people—four human skeletons. It was clear that the battle had taken place a long time ago, as the bodies had decomposed. Still, the sight made him shiver nervously. He approached one of them and saw fairly decent clothing on it, too large for someone like him, but he didn't refuse to rummage for something useful.
The dead man had a pouch containing a waterskin and a couple of pieces of dried meat, which greatly appealed to the guy, so he immediately began scavenging. Of course, doing so was dreadful, but to be honest, Ragryno didn't care much about such moral principles.
At the very least, it wouldn't help the dead man, and it was precisely what he needed at the moment. But there was also a no less valuable find in the form of a bow and an empty quiver.
The guy picked up a completely ordinary wooden bow and examined it. It was unremarkable, simply a piece of wood with a string tied to it. He slung the bow over his shoulder and looked at the quiver. Taking it in his hands, he felt something unusual about it. It was special, but in what way?
The answer came quickly when he used mana scanning. The quiver contained mana, which meant it was enchanted. This was not uncommon; in fact, the world was full of magic masters since people typically took up crafting professions. This was a fact known to almost everyone, though the explanation was elusive to him—or maybe he just didn't know it.
But how exactly did this quiver work? What enchantments did it have, and what was so special about it?
He decided not to experiment with it right away and simply set it aside. Glancing again at the skeleton, he saw that it had a crushed chest, which only meant that the person had died in battle. But it was strange that there were no signs of a fight here. No blood or any other clues.
But who were these people? What were they doing here? Since they were already skeletons, he doubted that any of them had been part of his convoy. The scene made him swallow nervously and hurry.
Deciding not to delay, he moved on to the second corpse, and this time the cause of death was entirely unclear. There were no wounds on the bones, and its jaw was only slightly open.
So he figured in his head that the person might have simply died from bleeding. Examining the clothing confirmed this. The person wore leather armor with numerous small cuts.
'Looks like it could be done with a small knife.'
The skeleton was of small stature, which meant the clothes might fit him. He unceremoniously began to undress it, first taking its pouch and placing it next to the quiver. The skeleton had no weapon, though it wasn't entirely the case. Removing its gloves, he noticed spikes on the knuckles, which were slightly rusted. Trying them on, he realized they were unfortunately not his size and discarded them in disappointment.
A few minutes later, he stood in the tattered leather armor. It was a bit grim to wear a dead person's clothing, but he quickly suppressed that feeling, justifying himself by his need to survive. Finally, the time came to get the unfortunate's weapon. And it turned out to be something terribly grim.
It was a simple short sword, unremarkable and poorly made.
But this short blade made Ragryno frown instantly and feel a shiver run down his spine. It was exactly the same blade he had been given before departure. A pang of pain shot through his chest, and he looked again at the skeleton. He found nothing new. There were no traces of mana even. But how was this possible? Could it be that the master was the same?
He didn't dare take the blade and simply moved to the next corpse. This time, the skeleton looked significantly battered—but the notable feature was different. There was an axe embedded in its skull. A completely ordinary small axe, typically used for splitting wood in villages. He pulled it out and tossed it aside. The skeleton's clothing was torn, as was its pouch.
Its hands and feet were crushed. It had clearly died in agony, and Ragryno involuntarily brought his right hand to his mouth, nervously gnawing it, as he now realized that even the pouches on these skeletons were identical to his.
'What the hell is going on here?'
He felt his body shiver slightly. How was this possible? Could they have been from his convoy to the capital? But that was impossible! He had entered this forest only yesterday; even if he had been unconscious for a whole day, it didn't explain anything.
The situation grew even more confusing as he approached the next corpse. This time, he saw something that horrified him more than anything else. The corpse had almost no wounds, except for one, which was quite prominent. A small knife was embedded in the chest armor, completely unremarkable.
With disbelief, he pulled out the knife and realized immediately, as memories came flooding back like a tsunami.
'How? This… This is impossible?! How did my knife end up here?!'
He decided not to examine the last person. He simply placed his knife in the pouch and moved on, taking the quiver with him, continuing down. This time, nothing unusual happened along the way, and soon the Elf reached the cliff. Approaching its edge, he could finally see the entire forest in its entirety, but the view did not please him at all.
'How do I get out of here?!'
Before him lay nothing but an endless forest. In some places, there were elevations, like the one he was currently standing on. Around him, there was nothing but dark trees, some of which were darker than others. The sight terrified him.
The forest seemed endless. Apart from the incredibly tall trees—there was nothing on the horizon. The sun was already nearing the horizon, and soon the forest would be enveloped in darkness.
'What should I do?! How do I leave this cursed forest?!'
Neither his magical hand nor his mind could answer this question, making him sit on the ground and clutch his hair nervously. For a while, he breathed heavily, realizing his situation, but then one thought struck him. What if he turned back and managed to get out of the forest?
Yes, he might encounter that 4th rank creature, but was there any other option? He would have to spend years leaving this forest if he didn't die in the process. He looked at the stream falling from the mountain and decided to see what was below. Approaching the cliff's edge, he lay down and looked down, discovering a small lake where the stream turned into a waterfall.
He could descend there, as the mountain he was on went down to the right, but the terrain was quite unfamiliar to him.
'How deep is this place? I've already descended down the slope once. It all looks like a huge pit.'
Looking around, he couldn't confirm his guess. The forest was too vast— to determine if the terrain continued downward, he would have to go further into the forest than he had before.
As he pondered this, the sun began to set, casting a slightly crimson hue over the surroundings. He sighed heavily and got to his feet. He needed somewhere to shelter for the night and to rest. He remembered that at night, there was impenetrable darkness, so finding shelter became an urgent necessity.
In the end, he decided to go down, descending the new slope. The tree roots helped him once again. He grabbed onto each of them, and holding on with his hands, he slowly made his way down. The warmth of the sun disappeared midway through the descent, replaced by a light breeze that was slightly chilly and refreshing.
The sounds in the forest began to fade. Birds no longer sang, and the sounds of the stream gradually diminished as Ragryno moved further away from it. Only the wind remained his companion on the descent, occasionally trying to play tricks on him, sometimes being overly persistent. A few times, he was on the brink of falling, but in those moments, he simply stayed still, clinging to the roots with a death grip.
Sometimes, his wounds began to throb unpleasantly, but the pain quickly subsided. Fortunately, he had thought to wash his wounds with water and wasn't afraid of infection.
He even discovered that some of them had healed, which greatly surprised him. Previously, it had taken a considerable amount of time for any wounds to heal, and he had to sit in his shelter for days. Perhaps with gaining magic, his body had become much stronger, and regeneration had increased by itself?
There was no other explanation for it, so nodding to himself, he continued his descent.
After 20 minutes, his feet finally touched flat ground, which was a relief. The surroundings hadn't changed much; everything was still somewhat green, except for the eerie trees. He used his mana to infuse it into his wooden hand and used it as a lantern to see where he was going.
The turquoise light immediately filled the area, giving Ragryno visibility for a few meters. Of course, he could have infused mana into his eyes as well, checking if it offered any advantages, but he decided it was better to conserve it in case someone decided to attack him. He moved at a slower pace than usual.
His body ached slightly from the heavy descent and constant walking. Overall, he was tired from the fight and had rested only a short while. He urgently needed sleep, as he felt he wouldn't last long this way.
He remembered which direction was best to go, so he moved slowly towards the lake until he finally reached it. It was quite large in diameter. The water shimmered in the moonlight, but Ragryno decided to focus on something entirely different. Using his scanning ability, he discovered that the lake contained almost no mana. This suggested that any trap here was likely not functioning, and if there was any action, it certainly could not restrain a guy with mana in his eyes.
Therefore, with a little fear, he looked at the water and found that his body had indeed become a bit heavier, making any movements quite difficult. But not impossible. It could even be considered a sort of physical training, as the lake imposed some weight on his body. But right now, he wasn't looking to train and just channeled mana into his eyes, freeing himself from the peculiar shackles.
After drinking some water and filling his canteen, Ragryno began setting up camp. After all, where else could he find a better place than here?
He gathered enough branches to start a fire. Finding flint, the guy quickly accomplished the task and was now collecting leaves to build something like an improvised bed. Thanks to the knife, the task went much better and faster, and after an hour, he was lying on a large amount of leaves, drinking water from the canteen.
The fire warmed him, and he felt better than before.
The night had completely enveloped the forest, making the surrounding darkness even more intense. The moon seemed unable to penetrate the tree canopy, and only the fire illuminated the area around him. This created a rather eerie atmosphere, but the sounds of the waterfall, the fire, and the gentle breeze were somewhat calming.
It was also the perfect time to examine his quiver. Removing the bow and quiver, which he had also hung on himself while cleaning up the eerie place, he began scanning it with his mana. As before, there was some mana in it, but the guy couldn't interact with it.
Then he decided to channel his own mana into the quiver. But what happened was not at all what he expected. Instead of, as logically assumed, producing some arrow, the quiver... vanished.
It literally dissolved into tiny sparks that flew into the guy's right hand. Looking at it, he saw the familiar mark that was previously on his left hand. The mark in the shape of an eye, which appeared on his 15th birthday. Ragryno stared at it with wide eyes, as it was now glowing a bright turquoise color.
A few seconds passed before the light completely disappeared, leaving the guy in a stunned state.
'What was that?'
Did his hand absorb the quiver? Or what exactly happened?
Suddenly, he felt something. This sensation didn't come from any specific place on his body, but rather it was a response from his mana. Closing his eyes, the guy tried to sense what this response meant, but no matter how hard he tried to understand it, it constantly eluded him or became completely chaotic.
With disappointment, the guy sighed and looked again at the eye mark on his hand. How did it get there if it was previously on his left hand? When did it even appear, since he hadn't noticed it before?
Such a mark was present on anyone who had reached the age of fifteen. It was clear that it indicated the ability to make a pact with mana, but what else did this mark do?
Help with the answer came from an unexpected source, as his hand spoke to him again, possibly having been charged with mana when he lit his way to the lake.
[Temple. Second rank.]
But unfortunately, the guy didn't understand what his hand was talking about, and what a temple had to do with it.
The hand fell silent again. The guy guessed that he would get answers when he reached the second rank, but how exactly to do that? Did he need any special training or something like that? And in what direction should he develop?
Questions, questions, and more questions. But no answers. He was accumulating these questions too often, creating an endless stream of them. Maybe if he weren't living on the streets, he would know the answer, but life hadn't been kind to him.
In the end, the guy decided to leave it for the future and just made himself more comfortable on the leaves beneath him. Closing his eyes, he recalled the scene where he found the corpses of people who appeared to be from his convoy. Something was definitely wrong in this forest. But he had some guesses about what might have caused this.
The first – the creature that attacked them was so hungry that it ate them down to just bones. This option scared him, but was fairly plausible.
The second – Magic. Perhaps the creature had some magic that caused the bodies to decay at an incredible speed after death. Also a pretty frightening option.
Finally, the third – The anomaly of the forest. Maybe the tree roots quickly absorbed the human body, using it as fertilizer. But for some reason, they didn't absorb the bones.
Of course, he could ask his hand if this was true, but he realized that he would likely not get an answer. So he put it in the already lengthy box of questions. Resting his head on the improvised leaf pillow, he finally closed his eyes and almost instantly his consciousness faded, sending him into the realm of dreams.
But the young elf was not destined to sleep. In the middle of the night, Ragryno woke up from a nightmare where he encountered the creature of the 4th rank. It was in the forest and hunting him. He kept evading it, hiding in the shadows of the trees, but it was relentless. Eventually, the creature found him and pierced his body with a massive tusk that grew from his hand.
But not only did this nightmare wake him in a cold sweat. He had forgotten a simple rule he should have set for himself after the fight with the shadow. Never. Never relax and always be on guard. Sleep was necessary, but he hadn't done anything to secure himself, which was why he now heard something moving near him.
He heard rustling a few meters away. The fire had gone out, so even opening his eyes, the guy couldn't see anything. There was, of course, the option of using mana to light up his surroundings, but something told him not to do it. So he decided to scan the area with his mana sense and his heart sank.
'Dozens… No… Hundreds...'
Terror enveloped him. Around him, on the trees, a few meters away, no... Literally everywhere around the lying guy, there were about a hundred auras that were painfully familiar to him.
The shadows had come out to hunt and had found their prey, which was the unfortunate elf. The guy tried not to breathe at all. The auras of these shadows were mostly at the first rank, but some were at the second. But one thing the guy realized – if he moves now, he will die.
Animal terror gripped Ragryno at the realization of the exact situation he was in.
'Shit'