Where do I even begin? I stared at her, weighing my options. Should I even care about her story, or simply end it now? She's vulnerable—bruised, tied up, and in no condition to defend herself. Yet, something inside me holds back. Information. That's what I need.
Marina shifts uncomfortably on the bed, clearly trying to gauge my thoughts. She knows her life hangs by a thread.
"This world… it's called Riedel," she begins hesitantly. "There are five continents—West, East, North, South, and Central. We're currently in the Southern Continent. Little trade occurs between the continents; we only became aware of each other in the past 100 years, following the mass migration from the Central Continent."
She speaks quickly, perhaps sensing my impatience. I make no move to respond, keeping my gaze cold and unyielding.
"There are three empires and five kingdoms on this continent. I come from the Tian Kingdom, the second strongest, but it's subordinate to the Sigil Empire. The Axiell Kingdom ranked first, and recently defeated us in war. Because of this, many noble houses, including mine, fell. That's how I ended up captured."
Her voice trails off for a moment, and I see the weight of her words settle over her like a thick, invisible cloak. I say nothing. Empathy is a luxury I can't afford. She's still a potential threat, no matter how pitiful she looks now. Humans are cunning—often more dangerous than beasts.
"I assume the same thing happened to you?" she asks cautiously.
I remain silent. The truth is, I don't know where I came from. My past life as Alypos was nothing but a series of experiments, and I've only recently begun to regain fragments of my memories. This woman might hold the key to my understanding, or she could just be another distraction.
Her unease grows with my silence, but she continues. "The Southern Continent is mostly forested, crawling with monsters. The abundance of dungeons makes it a high-strength population area, but also incredibly dangerous. As for elements, there are four basic ones: water, fire, earth, and wind. There are also uncommon and rare elements, depending on bloodline purity."
I catch a flicker of curiosity in her eyes when she adds, "I specialize in water manipulation. What about you? what manuplation do you have?"
I can feel her probing. She's fishing for information, but I decide to indulge her—just a little.
"I do, I have water manuplation" I respond, but my voice is flat, giving away nothing. "Do you?"
"Yes." She pauses, then narrows her eyes at me. "How do you know? Only nobles with strong water lineages possess such abilities. That requires top-tier bloodline purity."
I shrug, sidestepping her question. The truth is, my affinity is far beyond hers. Water is only one piece of my puzzle. Marina's gaze sharpens. "There are three stages to mastering water manipulation," she offers as if testing me. "Surely you know that much. The Akashic Records are widely known… it's basic information."
She's baiting me. I remain silent, ignoring the implication that I'm ignorant. I don't have the Akashic Records, but I don't need them. The Karmic Records I have them. I can tell she's frustrated with my lack of response.
Then, something shifts in her demeanor. Desperation? She's starting to realize the gravity of her situation. I see her weigh her next words carefully.
"Can you take these ropes off me?" she asks, voice trembling just a bit.
"No." My response is immediate, leaving no room for debate. "I don't trust you."
Marina bites her lip, eyes darting as if searching for an alternative. There's a moment of silence before she offers something that makes me freeze.
"What if I offered you my body?"
I blink, utterly unimpressed. The deadpan look I give her seems to throw her off more than her own words. I almost want to laugh, but I don't. "Not interested."
I see the flicker of confusion in her eyes—perhaps even disappointment. Did she think I was like the others? That I could be manipulated that easily? She's trying to survive, of course, but she needs to be smarter than that.
Marina quickly recovers, switching tactics. "What about an alliance, then?" she suggests, her voice turning sharper. "I can teach you what you don't know. You're clearly not as informed as you should be, but I can help. I know the ins and outs of water manipulation, the history of the kingdoms, and the dangers of this forest. I'll teach you if you offer me shelter and food until I recover enough to leave this place."
Now that's more like it. A temporary alliance makes sense. She can't kill me—she needs me to survive in this forest. And even if she wanted to betray me later, I'd be prepared. But more importantly, I need her knowledge. I've been flying blind for too long, and while the Karmic Records have been helpful, they haven't filled in all the gaps.
"Fine," I say finally. "But if you betray me, I'll kill you."
She gives a stiff nod, accepting the cold reality. She knows she has no other choice.
I untie her but keep my spear within easy reach. Marina rubs her wrists, glancing at me cautiously. The tension between us is palpable, though not unexpected. She might feel relief, but she's far from safe.
We sit in silence for a while, the atmosphere thick with unspoken mistrust. Finally, I break the silence. "Tell me more about water manipulation."
She sighs, probably relieved I'm asking something she can answer. "Water manipulation has three stages, as I mentioned. The first stage is learning to control the element itself—moving it, shaping it, using it as an extension of your will. I assume you're already familiar with that."
I nod. "Yes, I've used it in battle before."
"The second stage," she continues, "involves understanding the properties of water beyond its basic form. You can freeze it, turn it into steam, or control its density. This is where bloodline purity comes into play. Only those with strong water lineage can access this level of control. You're manipulating the state of matter itself."
"And the third stage?"
She hesitates, eyes flickering with uncertainty. "The third stage is… something of a mystery. It's said that true mastery allows one to become water, to fuse with the elements in such a way that they transcend physical form. But no one in the southern continent has achieved that level in generations."
I lean back, considering her words. So, there's more to water than just control. I can manipulate it, yes, but I haven't tried pushing its limits. Freezing, steaming, density… there's potential there.
As I mull over this new information, Marina shifts in her seat, her eyes hardening. "You mentioned earlier that you trust me. Why?"
Her question caught me off guard, but I suppose it was inevitable. She's seen the way I act, the coldness in my demeanor. She wants to understand it.
"Humans are dangerous," I reply evenly. "They scheme, manipulate, and betray. Beasts are predictable, but humans… you can never tell what they'll do next."
Marina's gaze softens slightly. "You've been hurt before."
I glance away. It's not something I want to talk about, not with her. But the memory of my past life, of the endless experiments, the betrayals, and the lies, flashes through my mind. Yes, I've been hurt. More than she could ever imagine.
"You could say that," I mutter, ending the conversation there.
We sit in silence again, the air between us thick with unspoken thoughts. Marina, for all her initial bravado, seems to understand that pushing me further would be unwise. Instead, she shifts back to practical matters.
"If we're going to survive this forest, we need to work together," she says firmly. "There are worse things out there than just monsters. The dungeons, the rogue mercenaries… even the forest itself is a threat."
I nod, knowing she's right. This alliance is fragile, but necessary—for now.
"Fine," I say, meeting her gaze. "We'll work together. But remember, I'm watching you."
Her lips twitch, a shadow of a smile forming. "And I'll be watching you too."
With that, our uneasy partnership begins, both of us knowing that in this deadly forest, trust is the rarest commodity of all.