Chapter 2

  It was my tenth year on Arden, and my uneventful childhood had played out in lax comfort.

  The voices I heard prior to my rebirth still nagged at me. I could have sworn one of them said something about finding me, but no such development occurred. I had been living a normal commoner's life so far.

  To celebrate today's event, Rose and I had a cake baked by Maria, and Roland took me out for my first hunt. There wasn’t much to it, really. I had become decently proficient with a bow already, and I persuaded a fellow hunter to lend us his hunting dog.

  Calling it a dog probably evokes the wrong image. This beast was about two metres tall on its back legs and could break a wild boar’s legs just by barreling into their side.

  Roland lamented that I was missing the point of hunting by commanding the dog to do most of the work while I just shot our target’s legs to stop them from escaping. He couldn’t complain, though, since we doubled our expected yield, and working in tandem with a proper hunting dog like this was a skill in its own right.

  “That beast doesn’t perform this well with its own master. What is it with you and animals?”

  Roland muttered while slinging our latest catch over his shoulder. For reference, it was a Gobblecluck we just caught. It was basically a spherical chicken with bulging eyes. Despite its bizarre appearance, it tastes great.

  After the hunt, we had to go down to the local chapel for my coming-of-age ceremony. In short, this is where a qualified priest would measure my mana level and check to see what Gift I had.

  Gifts, in simple terms, were like superpowers people are born with. Unlike the Mana Organ, everybody has a Gift, which is sewn into our souls upon creation. At least, this is what the people here believe. Based on my firsthand experience with souls, this logic has some obvious holes. My primary question would be, why then did no such powers exist in my homeworld?

  Furthermore, considering my soul was not from here, would I even have a Gift to begin with? Probably not.

  While thinking about this, we reached the front of the local chapel. I saw Rose and Maria already waiting with a few other kids our age and their parents.

  Redwater village does not have a resident priest qualified for this ceremony, so all children who have turned 10 gather when a priest visits, which is on average every other month. It was just good luck that this happened to coincide with my birthday.

  “Heeey! My sweet baby brother!”

  Jasper emerged from the crowd, holding the hand of our seven-year-old youngest sister, Clara.

  He ran over, still wearing his black academy uniform with brown trimming.

  “Surprised? I got approval for time off and arrived this morning. I just missed you two. How’d you do?”

  “He tripled your score.”

  Roland smirked with his arms folded. Jasper frowned at first, but then took note of the large dog still following by my side.

  “Oh, come on. That’s cheating. Plus, I had to do my hunt in Winter anyway. There was practically nothing out there!”

  He was pouting, but there was pride in his eyes for sure.

  This was the first time in six months I had seen Jasper after he was admitted into the closest branch campus of the Imperial Military Academy, IMA for short. He looked visibly fitter than before, and unlike when he lived here, he kept his appearance neat and presentable.

  “Mum and I made a bet. I bet three silver your Gift will have something to do with animals, like you can command them with your mind or something. She thinks it will be something academic instead. How boring, right?”

  I could see both sides, but I didn’t agree with either. I have always been good with animals even in a world without magic. I wouldn’t have worked for 15 years as a vet if I didn’t love them to begin with. The academic inclination is just because of my real age, which would be nearly 60 years old by now if we don’t include the indeterminate amount of time I was dead.

  “We’ll see.”

  I just gave him a vague response and joined Rose.

  “Nervous?”

  I jabbed her side playfully.

  “Of course I am! This could define the rest of our lives, you know? What if you get an amazing Gift and I’m left with… I don’t know, double-speed toenail growth or something.”

  “Pfft. Don’t put that thought in my head.”

  I laughed, but such useless Gifts weren’t all that uncommon. For example, Jasper’s Gift was Mood Glow, which lets him emit a faint glow that is visible only to his target. The colour changes based on his emotions.

  “Don’t worry. Gifts don’t define your worth. You’ll still be my adorable baby sister even with your gnarly toenails.”

  Rose snickered with me, ignoring the looks of disapproval from the other parents.

  I looked at the other children present, but I was specifically looking for one kid.

  “Hello, Rex. Hello, Rose. This should be fun, right?”

  Speak of the devil.

  I turned to see the same naive smile I had grown accustomed to over the years. It belonged to a boy slightly older than I, and even at this age, anyone could tell he would grow into a handsome man. He had spiky black hair and bright blue eyes that shone with a certain unique intensity.

  “Hey, Lloyd.”

  Lloyd turned 10 a few months back, and everybody has been eagerly awaiting his assessment, more so than any of the other kids.

  Gifts are only identified during the ceremony, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t exist before then. The problem is that many Gifts have requirements that must be met before they can be used, or activation conditions too obscure to uncover in everyday life.

  Lloyd, however, was renowned for his skills. He easily became proficient in pretty much anything he tried his hand at, particularly his swordsmanship, which was far beyond what a child should be able to achieve. Because of this, the whole village of Redwater was eager to see what Gift had made him like this.

  Basically, he was your typical Mary Sue. He was nice to the point of it being annoying, and he always went on about being a Hero one day. While it’s true he hadn’t done anything wrong, I just could not bring myself to like the guy; he’s just too perfect. I had been keeping my relationship with him distant as a result.

  “You came alone, Lloyd? Ack!”

  Rose glared at me as I elbowed her mid-sentence, but then understanding replaced anger.

  “Ah! S-sorry Lloyd”

  “Haha… It’s alright.”

  He gave a pained smile, and an awkward silence followed.

  Lloyd was an orphan. He lost his family in a bandit attack before being adopted by a wandering swordsman and moving here. His adoptive father left for a “journey of enlightenment” or something last month. He had been living with the village elder and his granddaughter since then.

  The more I thought about the guy, the more I felt like his story had been written a thousand times before.

  “Door’s opening.”

  I pushed away my cynical thoughts and changed the subject, nodding to the chapel doors where a balding middle-aged man in priestly robes stood. That was Father Bernhard. He had taught me a great deal on his previous visits.

  “Welcome all. It is good to be back in Redwater, where I see so many familiar faces. Come inside; we have everything set up and ready to go. If the children partaking in the ceremony could sit at the front, please. Thank you.”

  The kindly priest ushered us in. He greeted us each by name as we passed him by, until he came to me.

  “Ah, Rex. Please stick around after we finish. I have something I think you will like.”

  I smiled and bowed my head respectfully. I was unsure what he had, but I could guess why I had been singled out.

  “Before we begin, let us give thanks to the Gods and our esteemed Emperor.”

  The seminarian, a teenage girl, stepped forward to begin the customary preamble for every church-run gathering. Her attire was interesting—it resembled a cross between the national military cadet uniform and Bernhard’s robe.

  “To the Goddess Aelthara, may your starlight guide us always in the darkness of the world. To the Goddess Faelora, may your motherly embrace comfort us when we are lost in life. To the enigmatic God Voryn, may your wisdom forever inspire us to seek greater enlightenment. And to our lord Emperor Albrecht Drachenskrone, first of his name. May you rule forever more and bring your subjects to ever greater prosperity and glory.”

  The seminarian finished and stepped back, allowing the priest to begin.

  “Now, for those of you who are unaware of the process, I will first be checking your mana flow and capacity. I will be drawing just a small amount of blood, but I promise you won’t feel a thing.”

  He pulled a long needle from his sleeve and approached the first child in the front row. The poor kid looked absolutely mortified. I could feel Rose’s trembling hands gripping my shirt tightly, and I noted the nervous glances many children were throwing to their parents.

  The priest gently took the first child’s hand. It looked like he was whispering something I couldn’t quite hear, but based on the kid’s expression, he was being put at ease. The needle was in and out of their palm in one quick, fluid motion. The child flinched, clearly caught by surprise.

  “Ow! You only counted to two! I thought— oh, it doesn’t hurt at all.”

  The boy’s whining stopped soon enough and was replaced by amazement as he looked at his still bleeding hand.

  “Is it not as I said? You won’t feel a thing thanks to my magic. Now let’s take a look here, shall we?”

  The smiling priest pinched the needle between his thumb and forefinger, a faint glow surrounding his hand as he did so.

  What followed was a couple of strange motions as he flourished the needle in the air towards the altar.

  I thought he looked comical, like he was conducting for an invisible band. However, my amusement was quickly replaced with awe as the blood being flicked into the air stopped in its tracks, then began flowing gracefully, following the priest’s movements carefully.

  “Hmm… Drying at the standard rate… Movements are delayed by 0.3 seconds… Good form, only minimal drippage.”

  The priest analysed the blood out loud, but his words were lost on the crowd. I had an idea of what he was talking about, but as it was my first time seeing this, I didn't know whether this was good, bad, or the standard reaction for a mana reading.

  Finally, it ended, and the bloodstream collapsed onto the white sheet that had been laid out on the floor.

  “Damian, you can be proud. You have a mana capacity of 3.2, your flow is a little lacking at 0.8, but that can be worked on. Here, have a chocolate.”

  The priest handed the boy a small chocolate piece, which disappeared in their mouth immediately.

  “Is that good?”

  Rose whispered to me while the priest carried on to the next person.

  “It means he will be able to use a lot of magic at once, but can’t control it well.”

  I summarised it as simply as I could. I could give her an in-depth rundown later based on the theory I’d been learning.

  The rest of the readings were what I expected. Most kids’ blood never adhered to the magic to begin with, meaning they lacked a Mana Organ entirely. Lloyd was showered with applause and looks of wonder as his blood not only danced around with unmatched elegance but also emitted a mystical blue light independent of Bernhard’s own magic.

  Rose had a mediocre capacity of 1.1 but an above-average flow rating of 2.5. This meant she was suited to more complex magic, such as creating artificial creatures or imbuing objects with magical properties.

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  And I, as expected, had nothing. Mana capacity 0.0, mana flow 0.0, the standard score for those without a Mana Organ.

  “D-don’t be sad, Rex.”

  “I’m not.”

  Rose tried to be supportive, but it really wasn’t necessary. I lived a happy life without magic once; I could do so again…

  …it did kind of suck though, shooting fireballs would be cool.

  “Moving on to the main event, you’ll all be glad to know Gift reading is a much simpler process.”

  The priest removed the white sheet, which had by that point been splattered with all our blood, and moved a small table to take its place. The seminarian girl from earlier came back to set up two chairs on either side while the priest took a bowl from the altar and gently placed it in the centre of the table. I noticed the bloodied sheet was being passed over to the parents for some reason, probably as a memento for the occasion.

  “One at a time, you will each take a seat opposite me and place your injured hands into the bowl. I shall then interpret your blood’s interaction with the mixture and tell you all I can about your Gifts.”

  Not wanting my inevitable failure to be the ending note of this event, I offered to go first.

  If Gifts really had anything to do with the soul, mine should definitely be blank. I knew everybody was going to try to feed me words of sympathy, but I’d really rather not deal with that. At least if I go first, they’ll all get distracted soon after when the other kids get their reading.

  I step up onto the stage and sit opposite the priest. He looks surprisingly excited.

  “Don’t mind me. We in the church have just been waiting for your reading for years. I’m so excited that the day has finally come. I think you must have a prodigious Gift of analysis personally.”

  “...Don’t get your hopes up.”

  “Haha. No need for modesty, come on now and place your hand in the bowl.”

  I did as I was told. I really wish he hadn’t said all that, though. It only made the experience even more awkward.

  Silence followed.

  The priest’s expressions went from excitement to confusion, then to disappointment. I had no idea how this part of the reading was meant to look, but the cold silver liquid in which my hand was submerged wasn’t doing anything that I could see.

  “Uhh… huh… Thank you, Rex. Please take your seat.”

  He didn’t announce the results as I expected and instead moved on to the next child. I knew this wasn’t the norm when the parents behind us all began murmuring in confusion.

  Rose went up next, but it went completely differently for her. First of all, the liquid leapt straight out of the bowl and floated into the air as it morphed into various shapes and colours. In addition, the priest wasted no time announcing her Gift.

  “Oooh, fascinating, little Rose. This is Silver Eye, which lets you accurately appraise the value of any item. To use it, you must be holding something of equal or greater value on your person, however. Without that, the Gift won’t take effect. Keep this in mind.”

  Rose came back to my side with a bright smile on her face, but it faded in confusion when she looked at me.

  “Why wasn’t your Gift annou-”

  “Next, please.”

  Bernhard cut her off, and the ceremony continued. Nobody else had anything worth mentioning, although the Excessive Sweating Gift will live in my memory forever. No Gift at all might not be as bad as I thought.

  Of course, Lloyd once again stood out as an exception. He had the Gift Limit Breaker, which was so far above what anyone expected that it just made my eyes roll into the back of my head.

  In short, it does exactly what it sounds like. He has no limits to his growth, meaning he can improve at anything forever without hitting a wall. Theoretically, this means he could do a trillion push-ups and become so strong that he could bench-press a mountain. He could also work on his magic and end up having greater magic power and control than a dedicated master wizard.

  The most ridiculous part is that this Gift had nothing to do with his being so good at everything; he was just a natural-born prodigy and abnormally blessed from birth.

  The upside is that the uproar this caused made everyone forget about me. I slipped out unnoticed and made my way back home.

  ***

  

  Rose felt great after hearing her assessment, but seeing her twin brother sneak out silently while the grown-ups made a fuss around her left her feeling conflicted.

  Rex had always been more mature than the people around them, and she relied on him a lot because of that. Wasn't it her duty as his sister to make sure he was okay, as a way to pay him back?

  “Rose, could you come here for a moment?”

  The priest called her over, strategically herding the crowd toward Lloyd and separating her to a spot where no one was paying attention.

  “When you get home, give this to your brother. I hope it will make him feel better.”

  He handed Rose a rectangular object wrapped in cloth that was tied at the end to help her carry it. She could already guess it was another complicated book she wouldn’t understand.

  The priest could only come to their village once every couple of months, but whenever he did, Rex would spend a lot of time talking to him about things that went way over Rose’s head. During their last discussion, she had left to play with her friends, so she missed out on what happened. All she knew was that Rex said they had written some kind of paper together, and that it would be reviewed by someone important.

  “Thank you, Father Bernhard. I will.”

  She hesitated after accepting the gift.

  “Um, Father? If it’s alright to ask…”

  “Why did I not announce your brother’s results?”

  He smiled at her kindly as he lowered his voice so only she could hear.

  “I’m afraid Rex does not possess any sign of a Gift, latent or otherwise. He’s a clever child, so I'm sure he understood this even without me telling him in front of his peers.”

  Her eyes widened.

  “That can happen?”

  “Very rarely, yes. We are not sure why it happens, but some ignorant people may come to… unfair conclusions. It’s better if fewer people know about it.”

  A feeling of dread washed over her upon hearing the priest’s words.

  “In a way, this only makes him more impressive.”

  The priest continued with a satisfied smile.

  “After all, it means his intelligence is his own, not the result of a Gift.”

  He might have just been trying to comfort her, but that didn't mean he was wrong. Rose thanked him again and rushed to the rest of her family, asking that they all go home right away.

  ***

  As I trudged up to our house on the hill, I came across a familiar face.

  “Woof!”

  “Titan? Didn’t I send you back home?”

  I approached our neighbour’s dog, but he reacted strangely. Normally, he would run to me happily, but his tail was at attention, and he turned to point his snout to the base of the hill, where his master resided.

  Looking over, I saw candlelight breaking out from the open doorway. Come to think of it, I didn’t see Hans at the chap...

  It wasn’t compulsory for the whole village to come to the ceremony, but Hans was the kind of guy who would always be looking for strong kids to take over for him when he grew too old to hunt. It was uncharacteristic of him to miss this opportunity.

  What really caught my eye was Titan’s fur. I noticed his side was sticky and darkened as he turned from me. His fur was too long to see the scar, but I could tell he had been injured. And there was some kind of tar-like liquid dripping from his mouth.

  “Titan, heel!”

  He looked at me and then back at the house. Ultimately, he obeyed and followed closely behind me as I ran over to the back of my house.

  There, Roland’s woodcutting axe was planted in an old tree stump. With my childish physique, it took both arms and some leverage to yank it free.

  I considered going inside to grab a bow and some arrows, but if there something dangerous inside the neighbour’s house, a bow would be useless in such a cramped space. The extra weight could even cause problems if I needed to run.

  As I rushed down to the bottom of the hill, I came to a premature stop.

  What was I doing? Anything strong enough to wound Titan was beyond my ability to handle, and I was not some selfless hero who would sacrifice himself for others.

  Titan continued forward and stopped at the doorway, growling in the direction of an unseen threat. His tail drooped down between his legs, and his ears had pulled back and flattened, but he didn't back down.

  “...Damnit.”

  I cursed under my breath and continued forward, but I didn't go to the front door. Instead, I slowed my steps and crouched beneath a side window.

  From there, I could hear Titan’s growls more clearly, coupled with a grotesque rasping noise.

  I peered over and saw the interior of the small house.

  Hans’s lifeless body was sprawled out on the floor; it looked like something long, thin, and sharp had pierced through his eye and left a hole clean through his head.

  On the floor by his hand was a hunting knife, the blade covered in a thick black substance similar to what I found in Titan’s mouth.

  I caught my breath, careful not to let my shock draw attention from the other figure in the room.

  Standing over Hans’ body was a tall bipedal figure, but it was obviously not human. It stood at least seven feet tall, and that was while it was hunched over. Its skin was rough and dark grey. It looked like there was not enough flesh to properly cover the entire body, so it had been stretched out to compensate. And yet, the creature was freakishly thin. Its fingers and toes were unnaturally elongated as well. The sight of them drew images of my eyes being plucked out so they may better scoop out what lay behind them.

  It took a step towards Titan, its foot landing on Hans’ chest. The mere shifting of its weight onto that foot was enough to collapse through my dead neighbour’s ribcage, and the following crunch and squelching noises sent shivers down my spine.

  The monster drew its arm back, poised to strike at Titan any moment.

  I pulled myself up over the window, landing on a table. I found myself staring face-to-face with the creature who had noticed my entry.

  It was only now that I saw its face up close that I realised this thing had no eyes. Yet I could undeniably feel its gaze on me. Its circular, protruding mouth harboured rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth.

  “Hyup!”

  I couldn’t delay any longer, so I put all my strength into both arms and swung horizontally. The head of the axe bit into my target perfectly, digging into its thin and vulnerable neck.

  Or at least, I thought it was vulnerable. The reality was, despite its thin frame, the flesh was absurdly tough. Only a trickle of black blood came from the impact point. Its head jolted along with the force of my strike, but that was it.

  There were no signs of pain, and no new noises escaped the creature's still rasping mouth to indicate that it felt my attack. It simply continued to stare at me.

  Thump!

  Titan threw his full weight into the creature. The impact of which sent the monster straight through the back wall of the house and toppled it to the ground.

  I was able to pull the axe free as Titan’s attack sent them flying, but would there be a point in pushing the attack?

  The monster was already rising, and even this movement was unnatural. The limbs had twisted and bent at different angles, but they were cracking and popping back into place automatically. The eyeless face was fixed on me.

  As I considered my options, it seemed the decision had been made for me. I heard the familiar voices of my family coming from the foot of the hill.

  The monster ignored Titan’s barks coming from the hole in the wall. It seemed to care only about me as it shuffled awkwardly in my direction. An elongated tongue dropped out of its mouth. The tip was barbed and tapered into a single curved point. It was long enough to reach the ground and whipped around with terrifying dexterity, audibly cracking like a whip.

  I felt my knuckles turning white as I gripped the axe's handle before moving.

  I sprinted towards the treeline that led to the forest behind our house, where we hunt. Sure enough, the creature chased after me, falling onto all fours and galloping with astonishing speed.

  I could not outrun that, but I knew these woods well. I focused on weaving around trees to break line of sight. So long as it lost track of me, I could gain ground even if I was much slower.

  My plan was working well, but strangely enough, even when I heard it going in the completely wrong direction, it seemed to stop and then make a beeline straight for me again. It must have a keen sense of smell or hearing to keep finding me again like this.

  The hairs on the back of my neck were on end, and my breathing had run ragged. I doubted that I could keep this up for long. But to die again, so soon after being reborn, was not something I could accept.

  I pushed myself further and further. The terrain had grown unfamiliar a long time ago, but I pushed on regardless.

  I had done my best to stick to where the trees were at their thickest, but my luck, it seemed, had finally run out.

  There was a clearing, wide open and flat, with no signs of life around. What little daylight I had been relying on until now was gone, and so there I stood, exposed and in darkness.

  Expecting the creature to catch up again soon, I risked a look over my shoulder.

  Thwip. Thud.

  It was already behind me, its tongue lashed out and sliced deep into the back of my calf, sending me skidding across the ground. I felt the dry ground grazing my exposed skin, but such pain was nothing compared to the endless emptiness that would follow my death.

  I pushed myself back up, but I knew better than to expose my back again.

  I threw the axe with all my might.

  Of course, I had no practice in this field, and my attack failed miserably. But it had the intended effect.

  The creature retracted its tongue and swatted away the axe with one hand. But as it lowered its arm, it caught sight of me, already mid-leap, as I latched onto its head.

  I only had one real weapon, but my small wood carving knife could still function in emergencies like this.

  Knowing how durable the outer skin was, I aimed for the small wound I made earlier, jamming the knife in and twisting as I felt the feedback of something soft inside.

  A sickening sound emerged from the creature, like a cross between a raspy screech and a gurgle. Black blood pooled in the throat and dribbled out onto me, but it was still far from dead.

  With me so close now, it grabbed me firmly by my arms and fell forward, pinning me to the ground.

  Struggle as I might, there was no longer anything I could do. The one saving grace was that I led it so far into the forest that it probably wouldn’t find its way back to Redwater.

  “Lost soul. Found you. I am free.”

  The monster's voice caused me to shake involuntarily. If the dead could speak, this is what it would sound like.

  “I am free.”

  It repeated, and a hint of relief could be detected there.

  The monster’s body broke apart on its own, a hole formed in its chest first, and then other parts fell freely onto me. Rancid flesh smacked my face as I was still powerless to move.

  The last thing to fall apart was the hands, and they refused to yield their strength even when the head and body were nothing but melted goop covering my body. I was stuck in place, spluttering and coughing to prevent my airways from being clogged.

  And when my vision was totally obscured and the grip on my arms relaxed, I rose from a pile of death. Nobody would know what this muck once was if they hadn’t seen it for themselves.

  My mind was blank. Part of me wanted to scream, but my voice failed to reach my throat. All I could do was stand over the mess on the forest ground in silent fear.

  I’m not sure how long I stayed like this before accepting I was still alive and the creature wouldn’t reform itself. But even as my senses returned and I began walking away, I still hadn’t noticed…

  …This was no longer the forest I knew.