Nagaro.
-Finally!
I've crossed countless biomes and different climates, passing through lightning and poison storms, endless blizzards, acid rain, fire rain, gales that knock down everything in their path, and even storms of falling stones.
I look around and see enormous trees that block almost all the light.
-Wow! Damn!
-A "normal" forest!
-Look at that! The trees don't release poison!
At last, I find a forest with non-lethal vegetation. I don't recognize the place, but it's very similar to where I first woke up. It doesn't seem safe at all, but anything is better than the last places I went through.
I walk without showing a single expression. Physically, I'm fine, but my tan skin is dirty. My gaze, which once carried joy, has now become cold, almost lifeless. My hair, once nice, is unrecognizable, looking like a dry, shapeless mess. Thanks to the last places I passed through, my hair is completely ruined.
Over time, my hair grows long, reaching down to my back.
-(What hair color do I want today?)
-(Red, then.)
I focus for a moment. Soon, my hair stirs, changing from black to red and then becoming straight again. It's not that great, nor beautiful, but it's different. A smile forms on my lips, but it quickly disappears.
I discovered that my hair can change color and shape without any explanation. When I realized this, I was impressed, and over time, I learned to control these changes.
It's not very easy to manipulate it, even after practicing, but I intend to keep trying to control it. Who knows, maybe in the future, this ability could become something that saves me.
I observe the forest and the path I'm following.
-(How long have I been walking, I wonder? It must have been several months already.)
There are also many peculiar things about this forest. It has a high restoration factor, and I think this is related to the gigantic Source I feel, and have even seen flowing beneath the ground when I close my eyes. The trees seem to share their strength with one another, and the soil absorbs part of the Source and nutrients, later using them for some kind of restoration. Maybe that's why the forest hasn't been destroyed by the abnormal climates and the likely monsters that exist here.
-(That's just what I think. I'm no expert on biomes or the nature of this world of adventures, but from what I've seen and from my perception, it seems to be that way.)
Recently, I've also noticed that forests hold vast resources. I don't know exactly what's considered valuable in this world, but in many places, I find tons of gold and diamonds scattered across the ground. I could've taken a piece or two, but strangely, I'm not interested in owning them. And even if I did take them, they wouldn't last long. They'd melt and disappear in the acid rains I face.
-(The strangest thing is that I haven't found a single other living soul here.)
-(The last creatures I saw were the wolves, back when I was trapped in the Black Forest.)
….
…
..
.
I keep walking without needing to sleep or rest, until I come across a lake. I feel a bit excited, because here I have a chance to better observe my own appearance.
I approach the lake and see my face reflected. Indifferent. I try to smile, but it doesn't quite work. In the end, I only manage to form a crooked smile. Still, I look fine. Nothing out of the ordinary.
A strand of hair falls into the lake and, immediately, the water starts bubbling and explodes, almost hitting my face. Instinctively, I bend my knees at a ninety-degree angle, as if I were doing a limbo dance. I'm startled by what just happened. I stand back up and quickly step away from the lake.
I hide behind a bush.
-(What was that?)
-(This lake… is it really a lake?)
I observe more carefully.
-(It looks like… acid?)
-(And explosive?)
I pick up a small stone from the ground and throw it into the lake. As soon as the stone touches the surface, the lake explodes again, forcing me to retreat even farther. When the explosion ends, I notice everything around it burning and releasing smoke.
I don't even seem surprised.
-(It's not ordinary acid. It's explosive acid.)
-(Unbelievable. Is everything in this place made of something dangerous?)
-(Come to think of it… I still haven't found water or food anywhere. Does this place only produce dangerous things?)
-...
-(If even a mere lake is dangerous, imagine the animals here.)
-(So far, I've only seen green tigers and wolves, all of them gigantic.)
But something else also catches my attention. The way I escaped the first explosion. I admit that, in my previous life, I wasn't healthy or flexible enough to bend my knees like that and still keep my balance.
I observe my own body.
-(… Now that I notice… my body…)
I start turning my neck backward. Slowly, when I realize it, my head aligns with my back, like an owl's.
I get startled and quickly bring my head back into place.
-Wow!
-…Could it be that I…
Without any more fear, I repeat the movement. I turn my head again, put one foot behind my head, bend the palms of my hands backward, and finally twist the other foot behind me, ending up looking like a curupira. If anyone were watching what I'm doing, they'd probably throw stones to scare away the "monster."
I return to normal.
-What absurd flexibility.
-Do I even still have bones?
I ponder for a moment.
-(I'd better not do this when I meet other people.)
After that strange moment, I move away from the acidic lake, feeling the heavy air dissipate as I advance. My steps leave faint marks on the uneven ground, and the silence of the landscape is broken only by the sound of the wind.
It doesn't take long before a sudden movement catches my attention. From inside a bush, a small mouse jumps out. Its eyes shine with curiosity, its huge ears rise like antennas, and its red fur gleams in the light. Its tail, sparking like a living ember, cuts through the air as it runs toward me, carrying a strange mix of cuteness and mystery.
I immediately go on guard.
-(This is the first animal I've encountered after passing through so many places.)
The little mouse keeps running until it stops right in front of my feet. Its tiny size and almost unreal cuteness leave me speechless. Standing on its hind legs, it lifts its body and stares at me with small but intensely bright eyes. In an unexpected leap, it clings to my mantle at leg height, as if seeking company, as if asking to be my friend.
I'm hypnotized by the scene. I feel my expression soften, unable to reject that innocent gesture. I tilt my face down, curious, to observe it more closely. For a moment, it's just me and the little mouse, staring at each other, as if the world around us had disappeared, leaving only this unlikely encounter.
In my mind.
-(So cute…)
-(This little animal must be…)
The mouse's tail begins to spark intensely in front of me, like fire meeting gunpowder. I see the spark travel through its body until its fur starts to glow. The red intensifies in the blink of an eye, and before I can react, the mouse explodes.
The explosion is so catastrophic that I feel the world around me being swept away, everything vanishing in the path of destruction.
A huge crater opens in the ground. I'm launched into the sky.
-(… The most miserable disaster I've ever seen!)
I fly with my face burned and deformed, without legs, pulverized by the explosion. My arms are severely injured. Overall, my entire body is in terrible condition. Luckily, my mantle absorbs part of the impact, protecting me a little.
Even with my high resistance, the impact is far too powerful. I keep being thrown upward, reaching an absurd height. My body begins to regenerate, restoring itself completely. I sigh, still being hurled toward the sky.
With dead eyes, I stare at the sky lit by the morning sun.
-(Damn rat!)
-(The first animal I meet after so long is an explosive monster.)
-...
-...
-...
-(How long have I been flying?!)
I force a smile.
-Team Rocket is blasting off agai.
My words are lost in the height. I become nothing more than a black dot in the sky, until I disappear completely.
….
…
..
.
A flaming black point plummets from the sky at extremely high speed, looking like a meteor about to strike the planet.
As it approaches the ground, within a few seconds it becomes clear that the "meteor" is, in fact, a boy wearing a black cloak. I collide violently with the earth, destroying the forest around me. Thick, black smoke rises from the crater and, after some time, disperses. My body, scattered in pieces all around, is not a pleasant sight.
I regenerate, returning to how I was before. I stand up from the ground, still staggering and dizzy.
-Where are the sky and the earth?
-What day is it today?
-Has the flying saucer arrived yet?
I quickly remember where the ground is, realize that I have no idea what day it is, and, above all, the flying saucer has not arrived. I feel sad. I won't be able to watch that episode anymore. Now I'm in another world. I admit I'll miss those things, but I also feel excited, because getting to know this world might be even better. I still believe this world isn't just jungle and forest.
The dizziness finally fades, and I manage to walk again. As soon as I take my first step, I trip over something and fall face-first into the mud.
I lift my face.
-(Wait a second… this mud has… poison.)
I quickly stand up and wipe the poisonous mud off my face. I place my hand against a tree and stop to analyze. I organize my thoughts and the new discoveries I've made.
-First.
-Don't trust cute and small creatures.
-Second.
-If dark or black clouds start approaching, run away.
-Third.
-If a strong wind starts forming, run away.
-Fourth.
-If, while walking, you find many bones scattered across the ground, run away. The place is probably poisonous.
-Now, about my regeneration.
-From what I understand, it's passive and depends on my Source to keep going.
-As long as I'm injured, I'll keep healing, as long as my Source lasts.
-If my body's Source runs out, the regeneration probably won't work or will be very slow.
-Another point is that I can accelerate the healing if I focus on the area I want to regenerate.
I take a deep breath and remove my hand from the tree, but I notice something attached to the trunk, a very beautiful white flower.
-It looks like that flower I tried to take care of in my old world.
-What was its name?
-Ah, right… calla lily…
The flower shoots a transparent jet toward me. I try to move away before it hits me, but the liquid is faster and splashes straight onto my face.
I close my eyes instantly.
-Hurrr…
-(I almost forgot.)
-(Fifth.)
-(Don't trust the plants in this place.)
I should have known better. You can't trust plants, or rather, you can't trust anything that comes from this forest. Still, I wonder what this substance on my face is. I feel a burning sensation and see smoke rising.
I sigh, because I know exactly what it is.
-(It's acid.)
I stay calm and wait for the regeneration to take effect. Strangely, not even the acid on my face bothers me as much as before. I'm actually calm about it. Did I lose my sensitivity to pain, or did I just gain tolerance?
With my face healed, I open my eyes.
-(I think I gained both.)
I look around. I see only colossal trees and dense forest stretching from right to left, without recognizing anything in this place. I'm more lost than ever. Standing still doesn't help, and lamenting helps even less. I start walking and decide to head toward one of the mountains I can see. At that moment, it seems like the most sensible choice.
I take my first confident step, but the ground gives way. There's no time to react. The earth simply disappears beneath my feet, and I plunge into the hole.
….
…
..
.
In the desert biome.
The crushing sun spares nothing beneath it.
A few dry bones and skulls of monsters scattered across the sand are proof of that.
With my hood up, I walk while limping, holding my left arm so I don't fall, as thick smoke rises from my body and clothes.
-Who would've thought I'd run into acid rain mixed with poison.
Today was a hard day. The last storm was brutal. I never imagined two storms that destructive could merge into one. And to make things worse, after surviving that terrible weather, a pack of four-legged creatures, similar to coyotes, almost as tall as my waist, with black fur–tried to have me for dinner. I barely managed to defeat them.
The smoke stops rising from my body, and most of my injuries are healed.
I start walking normally again.
-(But thanks to all that, I keep wandering aimlessly.)
-(I don't even know which direction to go now.)
-(I was using a mountain as a reference for north, but now I don't even know which mountain I was following.)
I raise my hand in front of my eyes, shading them to see the horizon better. In the distance, a forest reveals itself imposing and mysterious and without hesitation, I decide to head that way. My bare feet burn on the sand, each step accompanied by the sound of wind heavy with dust as I move forward. My mind returns to the paths I've taken before. I've already walked through lands of every kind and faced monsters ranging from strange to bizarre.
I look at the hole in my chest, which still hasn't fully regenerated.
-(Is this damn thing not going away?)
-(My regeneration, even when I focus, doesn't heal this wound quickly.)
I keep walking through the sand, but my eyes keep drifting to that wound on my chest. Even with my regeneration, it heals slowly. This injury appeared even before I fought those coyotes. All because of that horned rabbit.
I let my guard down without realizing it. I know. I was stupid. I should've learned by now, the forest already warned me the cuter it is, the more dangerous. Even so, I trusted that creature would be different. That little thing was so cute and bouncy, it looked like a plush toy.
But when I realized it, it started emitting dark energy and made a fast, violent leap, stabbing me in the chest. The blow was so strong that we were both thrown far away, my back slamming into trees and knocking them down along the way. I managed to counterattack and finish off that miserable creature. But the wound it left behind remains.
I look resentfully at my own chest.
-(But the worst part isn't just the wound.)
I touch my mantle, observing the torn hole in the fabric.
-(That rabbit really did a number on this.)
-...
-(Good thing that, somehow, my regeneration can handle the injury.)
-Hmm…
-(So if that rabbit had pierced my heart, would I have died?)
-(Very likely.)
-(Next time, I'll be much more careful.)
I stare into the emptiness, then look up. For an instant, it feels like I'm looking this way, but all I see is the horizon.
-...
-(Something feels strange.)
-(Maybe it's nothing. Probably just my imagination.)
I keep walking.
-(Well… aside from these setbacks, I survived another day.)
I stop and stand still.
I look around, sensing that something is wrong.
-...
-...
-...
Immediately, I make a huge leap. The very next instant, a colossal mouth, many times larger than me, bursts out from beneath the sand, almost swallowing me in a single bite.
The creature is pale yellow, with no eyes, legs, or arms, just a mouth. It looks like a giant worm. It moves from side to side, trying to locate me, but soon realizes I'm above it, about to fall straight into its mouth.
The giant worm raises its head and leaps. I lift my hand and invoke massive flames, launching them directly at it.
The flames explode inside the creature, making its body tremble violently. I clench my fists and use the fire's momentum to propel myself away, landing on the sand. But the worm doesn't die. It keeps writhing, making the ground shake around us.
I see its body emerge from the sand, revealing its enormous length. I keep attacking, firing several jets of fire. The creature thrashes, roars furiously, and charges toward me.
I realize the flames aren't as effective as I expected.
I change my approach. I plant my feet firmly in the sand. As I move my hands, the sparks fade, giving way to water. I unleash a powerful current, strong enough to push the worm far away.
The creature resists, showing no apparent damage. It raises its head again, but a fire explosion slams it back into the ground. I don't waste time. I keep attacking, not giving it any chance to counter. The worm lets out a threatening scream, but I'm not intimidated.
My hands are slightly burned, but my regeneration heals them.
-(I need more power.)
I take a small leap forward and launch a fire sphere that explodes upon hitting the creature. At first glance, there's no obvious damage, but the worm clearly shows signs of retreat. Even so, it doesn't give up and advances toward me.
I concentrate the flames in my hands and charge forward.
-(Let's see if this makes it run.)
I gather as much fire as I can, press my feet harder into the sand, and unleash the flames with both hands. The fire tears through the sand and explodes against the giant worm. The blast makes the ground tremble and produces thick black smoke that envelops the monster.
I hear a roar, but it's clearly a roar of pain. When the smoke shifts, I can see the severe wound I inflicted. I managed to seriously injure the monster.
Finally, the worm retreats, fleeing back beneath the sand. When I feel its presence vanish completely, I let out a sigh of relief.
I sit down on the sand, a bit more relaxed.
-Thank goodness… it ran away.
I look at my hands and arms and notice they're slightly burned, but my regeneration is already restoring my skin little by little.
-(I suffered fewer injuries this time compared to before.)
Once I feel better and healed, I stand up and continue on my way. Now that the danger has passed, I realize that this new strength I've acquired has grown significantly. From what Eladreo told me and from the traits I'm showing, I must have most likely awakened my Skills.
I awakened the powers of fire and water. I discovered this recently while passing through some volcanoes along the way. It was so sudden that, while fighting an ifrit, I noticed sparks coming from one hand and water gushing from the other.
At first, my Skills hurt me severely, but thanks to regeneration and constant battles, I don't suffer as much anymore at least, not like I did in the beginning.
I draw closer and closer to the forest. At last, I manage to cross the desert.
-(Funny… why do I keep explaining everything to myself?)
-(I guess it's so I don't go insane.)
….
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