The first rays of the sun gradually illuminate the forest, but the silence is deadly. The relentless chase through the forest continues.
I keep glancing back. I don't see the wolves, nor do I hear their howls, but I feel they're still on my trail.
-(Damn it! Don't they get tired?)
-(Can't they leave me alone?)
-(Why are they so insistent on hunting me?)
With the forest now brighter, I can avoid obstacles more easily. I glance back once more, and this time, I see it clearly, a quadrupedal body with dark fur. A giant wolf. Smaller than those green tigers, but still bigger than me.
The moment it sees me, the wolf howls, and several other howls respond.
When I look back again, I notice two more wolves in the distance.
-!!!
I run with even more desperation, but no matter how fast I go, the wolves start closing in. I look for anything that might give me an advantage, any place that could help me, even if it tears me apart.
In the distance, I notice a part of the forest that is unnaturally dark. Even though it's morning, no light reaches there. Clearly, there's some deadly danger inside.
I glance back at the wolves.
-(Either I have a chance to survive there, or I die in the jaws of wolves!)
I sprint toward that dark spot. The wolves, realizing where their prey is heading, accelerate with even more ferocity.
They're closing in fast. I force my body to run even harder.
Sweat drips down my body.
-(Just a little further!)
My first foot steps into the black forest, but one wolf bites my neck, and another bites my foot.
I roll with the two wolves into the darkness.
The pain in my neck and foot is so intense that I can't see a way out. I tried, I struggled, but it was useless, the wolves got me.
I consider giving up. I close my eyes, accepting the end.
-...
-...
-...
-...
But death doesn't come. Strange. The wolves don't move. I open my eyes to check. The two wolves aren't devouring me. The pain remains, but nothing else happens.
I try to look at the wolves, but I can't move my body. I only see part of their black fur.
-(Huh? Why can't I move?)
-(What's happening?)
I feel my body stiff and rigid. The pain in my neck and foot gradually fades, but I know it's not because of my regeneration. Besides not being able to move a single muscle, the two wolves clamped to me seem unable to move as well.
I hear a howl. I see the forest entrance and notice the third wolf standing there. It circles restlessly at the edge but doesn't dare step forward.
My attention shifts to that spot. I notice black orchids clinging to the tree trunks, releasing dark pollen into the air.
I already deduce that this pollen is what's paralyzing everyone here.
Relief washes over me, the wolves won't be able to get close. But in return, I can't move either.
I watch one of the orchids release another cloud of pollen.
-(It's a paralyzer? It must be.)
-(The only thing I can move are my eyes.)
Another howl sounds, grabbing both my attention and the attention of the wolf at the entrance. The wolf looks back toward the sound. The howl repeats, and the wolf runs toward it, leaving me and the other two wolves behind.
I watch the wolf retreat.
-(What just happened?)
The ground shakes, and a strong wind rustles the trees.
-(What was that?!)
A tremendous, intimidating roar makes my eardrums ache.
-(What the hell?!)
I hear the roar again.
-(Sounds like a monster's roar!)
-(No… it sounds far worse than that!)
I try to see what it is, but my body is still paralyzed. My eyes can only catch the entrance of the dark forest. Another tremor shakes the forest, a flash of light appears, and then I hear a massive explosion.
Even from this distance, I can feel the wind from the blast hitting me.
Immediately after, I hear an incredibly loud, intimidating howl. Other howls respond instantly. A series of flashes and explosions shakes the ground constantly.
I keep my eyes wide open. Even without seeing the battle itself, I can imagine the disaster unfolding.
-(A fight is happening! The wolves are facing something incredibly powerful!)
Unexpectedly, I see a beam of light approaching.
-!!!
The explosion hits the entrance of the dark forest, obliterating everything around and throwing me and the two wolves still clamped to me even deeper into the darkness.
We disappear inside the black forest.
….
…
..
.
Far from where Nagaro is, craters scar the ground, and many dead wolves lie scattered across the earth.
The wolves are engaged in a fierce battle against a troll nearly seven meters tall.
The troll roars furiously, swinging its stone club. The ground cracks and shakes. Many wolves react instantly to the attack, managing to dodge.
Several wolves leap, trying to bite its legs and arms, but the troll's skin is too tough, they cannot deal significant damage. Moreover, the troll is agile, able to shake off the wolves clinging to its body and preventing others from approaching.
One wolf attempts to climb up its leg, but the troll quickly delivers a kick. The wolf dies instantly.
The troll opens its mouth, and a bright, intense glow begins to form. At the same time, the wolves gather in the same area and open their mouths, preparing to launch their attacks.
The strikes collide and explode, but it is the wolves who suffer the most from the shockwave. Many are severely injured, others are killed.
The troll, barely harmed, prepares to advance, but a heavy sound echoes, a howl, impossibly strong, like no other wolf could produce. As the troll realizes it, a concentrated beam of light shoots toward it.
The beam strikes without causing an explosion and disappears into the sky. When the light finally fades and the wolves can see the troll again, all of them freeze in place.
The enormous troll they had struggled to fight is still standing… but without a head.
Its massive body crashes violently to the ground.
A loud howl grabs the attention of the wolves, and they turn to see it. This wolf is the one responsible for the attack.
The pack leader, the Alpha Wolf, a giant wolf with black fur as dark as night and piercing yellow eyes that radiate pure authority.
The Alpha Wolf observes the fallen troll and howls to the pack. Immediately obeying, the wolves rush toward the troll and begin devouring its body.
….
…
..
.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eladreo.
-So, here's the deal, Nagaro. I don't know exactly what exists in this other world you'll be living in, but I can guarantee it will have everything an adventure world usually has, monsters, races, that kind of stuff…
-It's not certain. Most worlds we oversee have these types of features you need to know. The world you'll go to probably has these same things.
-Nagaro, do you know what the Source, Abilities, Ancient Arts, and Ancient Abilities are?
Nagaro, full of doubts.
-I'll admit… I don't.
Eladreo.
-That's fine. I'll give you a better idea, starting with the Source.
-All living beings in the world you'll inhabit have energy within their bodies, and this energy can be used to create Abilities, Ancient Arts, and Ancient Abilities.
-Understand?
Nagaro.
-…
-Okay, I'll follow along…
Eladreo.
-Well, in the new world, it'll be easier to understand in practice. But I'll keep explaining and try to remember what I said later.
-Ancient Arts and Abilities work like this, in short.
-An Art is a manifestation of power that some beings can use. Those who master Ancient Arts can use them consuming very little energy from the Source, and they are very versatile. However, to activate these Arts, you usually need to use keywords. With deep study and lots of training, it's possible to execute them without saying a single word.
-Ancient Arts may or may not be linked to the elements of nature.
-Abilities work differently, they don't need words to be activated. A person just needs to want to use them, and that's it. The big disadvantage is that they consume much more Source than Ancient Arts. Depending on the body, using them can cause internal injuries, external injuries, or worse. That's why those who use Abilities usually need special equipment and intense training.
-Monsters, having large amounts of natural Source, strong bodies, and all kinds of resistances, are the ones who use Abilities the most.
-To be considered an Ability, it must be connected to some element of nature.
-There are also so-called Ancient Abilities, which are a fusion of Art and Ability. They are much more powerful but… dangerous. Most of them consume an absurd amount of Source, and if used carelessly, can kill the user.
-Understand?
Nagaro nods.
-I think so… I understand, sir.
-And my wish… does it count as an Ability, Ancient Art, or Ancient Ability?
Eladreo looks at Nagaro.
-None of them.
Nagaro.
-None?
Eladreo.
-No. What you asked for doesn't fit into any of my three categories. Your regeneration is something your body naturally has, the difference is that now it's no longer normal regeneration, but superhuman regeneration.
Nagaro.
-Hmm… I see.
-Is there any other valuable information?
Eladreo leans back in his chair, almost falling.
He looks at the ceiling and sighs.
-Well… I have a lot of valuable information, but, you know, I can only tell you this.
-I wish I could tell you more, but I'm not sure if what I know will be useful in the world you're going to.
-If I knew exactly which world you'd end up in, I could research more and give it to you.
Eladreo turns his gaze to Nagaro, but he's not there anymore. He looks back and sees Nagaro approaching his notebook.
Nagaro, not paying much attention, leans in too close and fogs up Eladreo's brand-new, high-tech screen.
His hand almost touches the notebook, but Eladreo swats it away.
-Hey, hey, hey!
-Sorry, sorry.
-I was just… looking closely.
Eladreo sighs, seeing the sparkle in Nagaro's eyes.
Shaking his head slightly.
-Alright, you can touch it with your fingers, my notebook.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
….
…
..
.
-(Huh?! What happened?! I can't move!... Wait!...)
I wake up and realize I can't even open my eyes.
-(What the…?!)
I almost panic, but then the memories of everything that had happened so far come back, and I calm down. Since I woke up, that beam of light didn't kill me instantly, it means I'm still alive. I try to move, but I can't. I try to open my eyes, but that doesn't work either. It feels like I'm completely immobilized.
After a while, I try to move again, but without success.
-(Despite everything, I can still feel my body…)
-(What must have happened in that fight?)
-(Judging by the tremors in the ground and the explosions in the sky, it must have been an intense battle.)
-(Good thing that explosion didn't hit me directly, because if it had…)
-(I don't even want to think about it.)
I remain lying on the ground, unable to speak or see.
-(What do I do now?)
….
…
..
.
-(How long have I been here?)
-(I don't know… but at least I've discovered that I'm not going to die of hunger or thirst.)
-(And now that I'm just standing here, I notice that my cloak is really durable. I survived all of that and my clothes didn't even tear.)
-(The wolves were really fast… they almost caught me.)
-(Speaking of being fast…)
-(I had been running for hours; the sky had already brightened, and still, my speed never dropped over time.)
-(I don't remember being this fast and resilient.)
-(Could Eladreo have given me some abilities?)
-(I feel like Eladreo told me something about this, but unfortunately, I don't remember now.)
With some time to spare, I try to recall the conversations I had with Eladreo. Even though it hasn't been long, the memories of him are already starting to fade.
-(Those were good times… I wonder how he's doing now?)
-(He must still be taking care of planet Earth.)
-(How long does it take to be promoted from Apprentice Regent to full Regent?)
-(Are there other classifications of Regents?)
I still can't move.
….
…
..
.
I sigh mentally.
-(Aaaaaaaah!)
-(I think I've probably been here for a few days already.)
I try to listen to the sounds around me, but all I hear is silence.
-…
-…
-…
-(I'm bored. Are the two wolves still clinging to me even alive?)
….
…
..
.