Caspian leaned heavily against a nearby tree, his vision blurring.
His fingers trembled as he wiped blood from his face.
"I remember… I'm in the world of that novel," Caspian muttered. "I remember how I got Bloodmoon… how I captured those mini goblins… but everything else? It's like there's a fog in my mind. I don't know anything else."
{Yes, child,} Bloodmoon's voice echoed in his mind. {From my perspective, you sacrificed your memories to survive. You traded knowledge for your life.}
A faint notification flashed before Caspian's eyes:
_________
To regain your memories: 96,000 points required.
----
To regain your emotions:
~FEAR - 28,800 Points
~HAPPINESS - 18,000 Points
~TASTE - 9,600 Points
~PAIN - 18,000 Points
~SYMPATHY- 18,000 Points.
----
Unused Points: 500×9 =4500.
______
"Damn it," Caspian groaned,"You're right. But what now?, what should I do and I'm so damn thirsty."
Pushing through his pain, Caspian crawled toward the lupivore corpse once again and pressed his hand against it.
"EVOKE," he muttered.
The familiar ripple of energy coursed through his arm as the lupivore stirred back to life.
Its glowing eyes locked onto Caspian, awaiting commands.
"Hey, you bastard," Caspian grunted, summoning whatever strength he could muster.
"Use that nose of yours and find me some people… or water. And hurry."
The lupivore sniffed the air, its nostrils flaring as it analyzed the surrounding scents.
After a moment, it turned to Caspian and gave a subtle nod.
"Good," Caspian muttered, before dragging himself to the other two fallen lupivores.
One by one, he evoked them as well.
Now surrounded by three beasts, Caspian collapsed onto the back of one of the lupivores.
"Alright, big guy," he muttered as he lay down, "Get me there. Fast."
The lupivore started moving.
Caspian's head rested against its fur as he fought the urge to close his eyes, a mix of relief and lingering dread flooding through him.
"What a mess," he whispered to himself. "I don't even know if I'll make it, but I'll be damned if I die like this."
As Caspian rode on the back of a lupivore through the dense forest.
"Hey, Bloodmoon," Caspian muttered. "You said my domain is weak because of my affinity control. Why is that?"
{Child, your domain's size is directly tied to how far you can control your affinities,} Bloodmoon explained. {The better your control, the larger your domain becomes. It's a simple equation of skill and focus.}
Caspian frowned, running a hand through his hair. "And what about the connection? Why is mine so weak?"
{Your connection is depends to the number of affinities you possess,} Bloodmoon said. {The more affinities you master, the stronger the core connection becomes. But this is a double-edged sword. Without balance, having too many affinities can dilute your control.}
"Figures," Caspian scoffed. "A jack-of-all-trades and master of none, huh?"
{A crude way to put it, but not entirely inaccurate,} Bloodmoon admitted.
Caspian smirked slightly, despite himself.
"But how do you even know all this, Bloodmoon?"
Bloodmoon remained silent for some moments.
{I don't know,} the sword confessed. {It's as if the knowledge is engraved in my being. I just… know it.}
Caspian rubbed his temples, sitting up. "We'll need to check your memories when we've got some time. Maybe there's something useful buried in there."
{As you wish, child,} Bloodmoon said.
"Hey, why are you being so....
The conversation continued as the group moved through the forest.
The trees thinned, and the sound of rushing water reached Caspian's ears.
After some time, the lupivores came to a stop at the edge of a riverbank, river was huge.
Caspian climbed down from one of the creatures with great effort, his legs nearly buckling beneath him.
The cool, clear water of the river was a welcome sight.
He stumbled to the water's edge, scooping it up with trembling hands to drink deeply.
The cold, fresh water.
He splashed it over his face.
He washed the blood and grime from his body, feeling the sting of his wounds but ignoring the pain.
With a sigh, he collapsed onto the soft grass by the river, his head resting on his arm.
The sound of flowing water lulled him into a brief sense of calm, but that serenity was shattered moments later.
"Finally, a break…"
Awoooooooo!
A long, haunting howl echoed through the forest, chilling Caspian to the bone.
His eyes shot open.
"Damn it," he muttered.
_____
[POV: Eirlys Arcwright]
"I don't know, but something feels... amiss," she muttered, gazing out the large window of her room.
She leaned back against her chair, exhausted from the day's raid.
The S-rank portal had been a brutal challenge, but they had emerged victorious.
Only a few casualties—a success by any measure.
Her thoughts wandered to her family.
Her mother and brothers had gone to the church earlier in the day, but it was already night, and they hadn't returned.
"Strange," she said under her breath.
Eirlys reached for her phone, her fingers trembling slightly as she scrolled through her contacts.
She dialed her mother's number.
Beep!
The call didn't go through. She tried again.
Beep!
No response. Her chest tightened. Something was definitely wrong.
Throwing on her jacket, she grabbed her car keys and ran down the stairs. The metallic clinking of the keys echoed in the quiet house.
VROOOM!
She jumped into her car and sped down the road.
Suddenly, her phone rang.
"Ring! Ring!"
She answered hurriedly. "Hello?"
A shaky voice greeted her.
Her heart dropped.
"What happened, Eirak? Why are you crying? Tell me!" Eirlys shouted.
Beep!
But the line went dead.
"What's happening?" she whispered, gripping the phone tightly.
She glanced at the location Eirak had sent, her hands trembling.
CLUTCH!...VROOOM!
Without wasting another second, she floored the accelerator, her car roaring down the dark, empty road.
SQQQQQQ...
Eirlys slammed on the brakes as she reached the designated location.
Her headlights illuminated a scene that sent a jolt of dread through her chest.
Her mother was unconscious, slumped in the arms of her two younger brothers, Eirak and Jaxar.
"What happened?" she shouted, rushing toward them.
"She's alive," Eirak stammered, his face pale and streaked with tears.
Eirlys knelt, gently taking her mother into her arms.
She placed her hand over her neck, feeling a weak but steady pulse.
Relief mixed with urgency.
Without a word, she hoisted her mother and carried her to the car.
She laid her down in the back seat and turned to her brothers, scanning them for injuries.
Then it hit her.
"Where's Caspian?" she asked, her voice trembling as her mind connected the missing piece.
Neither brother replied immediately, their silence heavier than words. Eirlys's world began to crumble.
"Where. Is. Caspian?" she demanded, her tone colder now.
Eirak's lip quivered as tears rolled down his cheeks.
"S-sister... we were attacked by m-monsters... sob... and mother… she was… sob... injured." He paused, struggling to form his next words. "Then suddenly, we… fell unconscious… and when we woke up... we... we were here."
Eirak's stammering words struck her like a blow.
The weight of the situation pressed down on her, threatening to suffocate her.
She took a deep breath to steady herself, then snapped into action.
She pulled out her phone and dialed a number with shaking hands.
The call connected almost instantly.
"This is Eirlys Arcwright," she said curtly. "Get a team here now."
She ended the call and turned to her brothers.
"Stay with Mother in the car. Do not leave her side. I'll handle this."
"But—" Jaxar started, but Eirlys cut him off with a glare.
"Do as I say."
Without waiting for a reply, she bolted toward the highway. The chilling night air bit at her skin, but she didn't slow.
Her thoughts raced as fast as her legs.
"What the fuck is going on? And where the hell were the escort team?" she muttered, anger and fear intertwining.
She glanced around as she ran, scanning the dark horizon for any signs of movement.
Her mind churned with questions, but one thought overshadowed all others.
Caspian. Where are you?
But what she didn't know or realize was that she was already late.....
______
[A/N:
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