Chapter 10: Ep 3 — Nabishi Forest I

It was pitch black. Nothing was visible, and I felt nothing around me. I tried to scream, but no sound came out, as if my eyes and lips were completely sealed.

I took a stride, then walked quickly, and finally ran fast. My mind told me I was moving, but it felt like I was stuck in place. I didn't stumble or bump into anything, and not even a slight sense of fatigue came over me.

This space seemed endless.

Without any sensations—just me, the darkness, and my thoughts—fear crept in.

Where am I?

Where are the others?

Why am I alone?

...Alone?

'Argh!' A sharp pang pulled me out of my reverie. My hand had been pierced by something unknown. A mixture of pain and coldness emanated from the wound, gradually spreading to the bones throughout my body.

As if an Arctic monster were slowly devouring me, each bite left a chilly trace that froze my limbs and slowly crumbled them into its jaws.

'AHHHH!' I started screaming in agony, but I still couldn't hear anything. I felt like I was dying from this amount of pain and madness.

'How much longer will I suffer?...'

* Tip tap

As if a bucket of warm water had been thrown at me, I could now move. Without wasting any time, I quickly followed the sound reverberating throughout the space. It appeared as though water was gently dripping and guiding me. This indicated that there was some hope that I could escape this hellish place.

A little light suddenly appeared in the pitch blackness. As I attempted to peer through the tiny gap where the light was coming from...

"Uwahh!!!!"

An unexpected explosion of sound left my ears ringing. Loud sobs were coming from a little girl. Her back was turned to me, so I couldn't see her face properly. But it was evident that her petite body was covered in multiple cuts and wounds, and even her supposed clothing resembled a tattered rug saturated with dirt and blood. Despite this, the ribbon in her hair was pristine and appeared to be familiar.

"B-brother Nazari, sniff, Sis Zarani... please save me! huhuhu."

I felt like I'd been struck by lightning. This little girl was one of the villager's children and was regarded as our youngest sibling. This five-year-old girl was adored by everyone, especially my twin, for her warmth, smile, and cheerful energy. Zarani undoubtedly gave her the ribbon on her head.

"Ah!!!"

The abrupt wail of the child caused my line of thought to stop. At that instant, two angry red spots began to emerge from the shadows.

"Grrrr...."

As it got closer to the mouth of the cave, I could now plainly see its gigantic torso, coated in thick black hair. Its razor-sharp claws and fangs were covered with blood and drool. The terrified young girl was in the center of the large, black wolf's eyes as it growled menacingly and stalked toward its next prey.

"NO!!!!"

I awakened, panting and perspiring heavily. "W-what was that dream?" I clutched my chest, my heart racing erratically. "Hah,... Hah, it felt so real."

*Tap... tap...

I was startled by a knock coming from the window. It knocked twice and then repeatedly, seemingly in a hurry. When I looked to see what it was, a tiny, liquid-like form was flying through the air. It had a girl-like appearance and was the size of my hand.

This must have been one of the so-called elemental spirits. But spirits rarely appear in front of humans or are summoned by them. The last occasion was over five hundred years ago, and that Summoner was one of the strongest people ever recorded. Currently, there are only five summoners on the entire continent: three elves, one beastman, and one dwarf; there are no humans.

'But why is it here?'

[Human]

"Whoa! It can write!" I exclaimed excitedly as I saw liquid-formed characters rise over the spirit's head. Before I could continue gushing about how incredible this "once in a lifetime" experience of meeting an elemental spirit was, another set of words appeared.

[Human, so rude, hmmp!] She cutely folded her tiny arms while pouting.

I pondered for a moment before realizing what she meant. "Oh, sorry, sorry," I said, unsure if I should open the window or not. Is it okay if I just let her in?

As if she could read my mind, she wrote again. [I'm here for no harm, human.] She then started searching her tiny body. It surprised me when her hand went through her tummy and she began to casually throw out some shiny rocks, like the well-known blue-colored robotic cat.

[Human, she needs you.] A ribbon came out of her body. I was startled; it was an exact replica of what I had seen in my dream: a pink ribbon with an amethyst diamond affixed to it. I instantly opened the window without hesitation and let her in.

"May I have a look?"

The ribbon was delicately placed in my hand. I couldn't be mistaken. As I felt the mysterious coldness surround me at that very moment, I knew this was what Zarani gifted to the child.

It's possible to classify this gem as an artifact. It serves two functions: it draws in universal mana from the surroundings and defends the holder twice against S-Rank attacks. This was initially handed to Zarani by a young man who frequently came to Ashura Village dressed in all black and wearing a blindfold. He was a close friend of our dad.

This stone's purpose was to balance Zarani's unstable mana with the added bonus of defense, but she unhesitatingly gave it to the child as a birthday present.

"Where did you get this? Where is that child? Is she okay?"

For Zarani, that little girl was our dear youngest, whom she wished to protect more than herself. I felt the dream, and the emergence of this spirit was not a mere coincidence. I couldn't shake the notion that the child was in danger.

[Human, you need to calm down first and listen to me.] The spirit splashed a ball of water on my face, which felt like a baby slap. My gaze was then drawn to my little sister, who was in deep slumber.

"Zan,... you're such a stubborn sister. Why did you always put others before yourself? You always made me worry. You cared for and liked everyone, making each villager admire you too... If they were here, would you wake up sooner?"

I sighed, shaking my head. 'Why am I thinking like this?' I quickly ended my thoughts, took a deep breath, and prepared myself.

"I'm all ears."

[Human, that's an unnecessary tool you have there.]

[My being is enough to protect you.]

"Ms. Spirit, I can't just entrust you with my life."

I'm not even her contractor, and I haven't summoned her, so my safety isn't her concern. This spirit, though, continues staring at the weapons I brought with me. If she were a fire spirit, those things might be on fire right now.

When a group of patrolling Frost Knights approached us, I drew the hood of my cloak down to cover my face and began to stroll casually. On this silent night, I could clearly hear my tense heartbeat and their footsteps. Subconsciously, I held my breath. The path was wide, but I couldn't just change directions, or I'd appear suspicious. Phew! Thankfully, I passed them without them recognizing me—or, more accurately, without them even noticing me.

"Perhaps I'm just too small to be noticed," I muttered to myself.

I'm currently in Frost Town on my way to the Guimbhal Teleportation Station, which is around a hundred meters away from where I am. Thanks to Arwin's blessings, I was able to depart the estate quickly without anybody noticing by using teleportation runes.

I opened the map of the Northern Territory, made on thick, brownish paper. It was divided into three districts: the Goldenfrost on the east, the Darkfrost on the west, and the Silverfrost on the north. These three districts represented the three sons of Friezz and were ruled by the Grand Duke. I planned to go to Anyonho-o's Village, located on the west side of the Darkfrost District. Ms. Spirit's sanctuary could be found nearby, where she hid the child, Nobelle, and kept her safe.

Although I was still worried, Anyonho-o's Village lay just southeast of Nabishi Forest, an area famed for its abundance of monsters and beasts.

"[Human, why are you hiding from other humans too?]"

The spirit emerged from my sling bag's pocket and floated in front of my face.

"Sigh, it was you who told me you didn't want others of my kind to visit your place."

[Yes, humans are wicked and untrustworthy!]

"Sigh, Ms. Spirit, I remind you that I'm human too."

[But you are different!!!]

The spirit's emotions were portrayed through words and facial expressions, both silent and full of intensity. Yet, I could hear her yelling loudly in my head.

[...and that child is only looking for you...]

When she said that, she seemed a little unhappy, so I reflexively patted her head gently, which caught her off guard. I expected her to refuse, but she gladly offered her head to be rubbed again, and she even grinned contentedly. Ms. Spirit was purring like a kitten. Cute.

Then I continued, "That's why, if those knights or others saw my face, Arwin wouldn't let me go there alone."

We were already lucky enough that Arwin and Leonard had been summoned by King Stuller and had gone to the Royal Palace two days ago.

"Anyway, Miss Spirit, how did you know where I was?"

The spirit answered as it sat comfortably on my shoulder. "[I asked the great being about the whereabouts of two humans named Nazari and Zarani.]"

'A great being... does she mean an elemental king?'

"I see..."

[Human, hurry!] she urged. [The dawn is approaching.]

She kicked my shoulder numerous times, as if I were a horse, encouraging me to walk faster. 'I had no idea spirits could be so demanding.'

"Young Master... Nazari?"

My hair stood on end as I heard the familiar voice behind me. My inner self contemplated whether I should just run and ignore him, but after seeing how swiftly Elijah moved, I concluded that I shouldn't.

"It's good to see you here again, Sir Elijah," I said, quickly hiding the spirit beneath my cloak before greeting him. Ms. Spirit's body felt strangely squeezy and cold, like slime.

"What are you doing here, young master?" Elijah wore light clothing, and traces of sweat were visible on his face and body. Did he just finish his morning run and daily routine and happen to see me? Such luck.

"I'm here for a walk."

Elijah's gaze wandered about before settling on the swords at my belt. "Alone?"

I subconsciously gulped, fearful of being caught by him again. "I just wanted to change scenery and didn't want to bother anyone."

Elijah just stood there silently, staring.

"... I-I woke up with a bad dream, and I remember Ar—the grand duke bringing me here once to lift my spirit, and I'm just wondering if that will still be effective... and I really don't want to disturb anyone this early in the morning."

He was still staring at the weapons and then at the bag that I had. Oh yes, it's clearly packed, and my outfit was obviously not for just a walk. Who's the idiot trying to convince him?

It's me.

After hearing my reasoning, Elijah sighed and placed the sheathed sword from his hand into its belt. I couldn't read his expression well, as it always seemed unchangeable; did I convince him or not?

"Then, young master, if that was the case, please permit me to accompany you."

"Huh? Wait... why?" I couldn't go to the spirit's sanctuary if you're going to join as well.

"Young master, you appear to be 'not just for a walk.' For the moment, I'll accompany you instead of the Grand Duke and Master Leonard."

"T-that's unnecessary!!!" I eagerly declined.

"Young master, Frost Town might have been peaceful and safe, but like last time, unexpected events could happen. I was concerned about your safety..."

I couldn't concentrate on what Elijah said because my attention was now taken by the spirit, which struggled in my hand and wanted to escape. I couldn't let Sir Elijah see her, but this person seemed to have no intention of leaving me.

"Ouch!" I reflexively swung my hand, attempting to detach the creature that had bitten me, but that specific creature was aggressively nibbling at my finger angrily. Several chat bubbles appeared above her head.

"[Rude] [Rude] [Rude] [Rude] [Rude] [Rude] [Rude] [Rude] [Rude] [Rude] [Rude] [Rude] [...]" She bit like a puppy. I couldn't see any blood on the portion she was nibbling, but the pain was still there.

"Young master, are you okay?" Elijah instantly took my hand in his and searched for any wounds.

"Huh." His hand had just slid through the spirit's body.

As if the spirit had had enough, she let go of my hand and floated in the air with folded arms. [Stupid! Ordinary humans cannot touch, hear, or see us. Hmmmp!]

Miss Spirit acted and said that, but her gaze was fixed on the finger she bit, filled with concern. She was overflowing with cuteness again. Yet, all of a sudden, her cute expression changed to fierce.

The spirit yanked me away from Elijah and quickly shielded me with thick water. At the same time, scorching balls of fire were hurled into the air in the direction of the individual next to me. Sir Elijah swiftly guarded himself with an ice wall that was barely damaged by the fire.

Intense, hot, and cold atmospheres collided around us.

I dared to glance at the perpetrator of the attack. Short hair above his shoulder, tinted in gleaming blue and somewhat braided on one side. Azure eyes blazed with rage, and the skin flawlessly reflected the light. A young man who truly embodied the notion of beauty. He was the person who was in heat a few weeks ago.

'Why was he here? What was he doing?'

"Filthy human! How dare you touch him?"