Blair’s assistant had been forcefully put to sleep, it was a bit too annoying, but once that was done. Elasia couldn’t help but stare at the trial just a bit, and well, expectedly or unexpectedly it was that wretched place. She thought about that planet every now and then, it was quite the place. It was also the place in which she discovered the true joy of illusions, but also a place that drove her to insanity.
Her golden eyes gazed over the floating screen in front of her, before she finally shook her head.
A trial of will.
She hoped Blair could get through it, well that was a certainty, but she had seen the fight against the corrupted monster, whatever it was she had seen it before somewhere, it wasn't there before she could remember that at least. It was a bit worrisome, but also enlightening in some ways. Being honest, she had missed the fight against the weak Herald pup, and she was also surprised Blair had killed her. In spite of whatever claims she had, it was still a high level and attribute difference.
But she had grown. And she had also acquired some type of mana manipulation skill, one that allowed the affinity to change. Granted, she was extremely skeptical about the affinity she witnessed; acausality. An extremely rare affinity that was well, for lack of a better word it led to wars more often than not. An affinity that ignored cause and effect, it had the small power to modify fate to a certain extent.
Hm. She frowned before smiling. Well, if she has the affinity then, I suppose I hit the jackpot? A laugh left her, thinking about the type of slaughter she’d have to go through just for others to understand that Blair — her champion — was indeed her champion. Though, she highly doubted she actually had the affinity, even if it was through a skill.
The use was too specific. She probably had a skill that used the affinity to allow the arrows to be instantaneous, which was reminiscent of a certain Monarch, one that was long dead and whose name had disappeared.
Elasia closed her eyes feeling happy, that was before someone entered her perception range. The wolf pup had remained by her side, she was unsure if she was suddenly liked but well— if it was Blair’s pet it deserved a modicum of respect. With that in mind she snapped her gaze towards the outside where she found the Woodland elf standing. It was a stupidly dumb race name to her, but it was what it was.
“Do you need something?”
The elf shifted under her gaze before she finally made up her mind. “Who are you to Blair, really?” After a breath she continued. “You are too strong to not be an outsider…”
Elasia shook her head. “I am her benefactor, she is my Champion. A very expensive one may I add.” She thought for a moment. “Well, I also recall doing some information digging and your kind extinguished Blair’s race did it not?”
“It… it was a joint effort…” The elf sighed. “I had no part in it…”
Elasia narrowed her eyes and her voice turned chilly. “Hm, that better be the case. I was almost considering having your entire race killed.”
The Woodland elf froze before trying to speak and being unable to. Without a care to her state, Elasia continued to speak.
“It’s just an E grade race, there are plenty among the four planets. If it gets butchered I’m sure Blair won’t even bat an eye. Granted, I cannot tell why her revenge plans aren’t there anymore, but you know… She tried to kill me upon seeing me.”
Elasia felt rage.
“Just because your shitty race did that to her. Because of you, I was affected.”
“I had… no part… in it…” The Woodland elf gasped under the pressure. “I was just… a princess.”
Elasia snorted and closed her eyes. “Whatever. What do you want? You may be a guest, but I don’t care about you.”
The elf let out a breath. “I was hoping to ask you to kill someone. But now I’m not so sure if I can give you anything in exchange.”
Elasia’s ears twitched, curiosity spiked in her mind. “Who would you want dead?”
“Level 403, an old elf that calls himself The Primordial Elf of Wood. I want him dead…” The elf’s face darkened and she gnashed her teeth and rubbed her scarred arms. “I’ll do anything for him to die…”
The hatred was there. And it was familiar. She couldn’t help but smile as something came up within her mind, moreover she was doing Blair a favor. Perhaps Blair didn’t hate the Woodland elves all that much, but Elasia was sure they hated Blair.
“Betray your race.”
“What?” The elf blinked.
Elasia extended her hand as a new contract was formed.
“Find a reason for Blair to slaughter most of your kind. Once she does.” Elasia smiled. “That stupid elf will die. I can promise you that. That is my price.”
“I’m Elei.” She said with a sigh. Elasia was about to ask why she should care, but her hand was soon grabbed. “I’m willing to betray my race…”
A new contract was formed.
* * * * *
What was a trial of will anyway?
Soon enough, I reached the tree once more. Its branches moved as if beckoning me to press forward, until eventually I stood before its trunk and without hesitation I touched it and pushed my mana deep into the tree. Once more, I reached its warmth, what I identified to be the tree’s own mana.
“You’ve done well. Against odds. You’ve defended my fruit.” It spoke. “Yes, I can see it. Your lineage. Befit of being a ruler. But you’re still too diluted. And… Weak.”
I scoffed. If you’re just going to keep calling me weak, at least tell me what the first seed is.
“Too early. Too early…” The tree dismissed. “You’re not ready to hear of it.”
[Hint Updated: Convince the Grand Sangir Tree to talk of the First Seed.]
I rolled my eyes, that much was obvious. The tree continued to speak:
“However, you still surpassed my expectations. You’re not as diluted as I thought. Yes, it might not be a mistake. But you must grow as a ruler before returning.”
The wood shifted and a small red fruit was produced.
“This is your reward. One of my fruits. Use it, consume it. You may be weak, but you might be able to rule…” There was a brief silence before it spoke again. “A fruit of the dark. Use it at the end of the forest. Where the end stands.”
Where is the end of the forest? I asked with a frown.
“The end. You are at the start of the forest where everything began, you must find the end and glimpse past it.” The branch extended its fruit and the tree repelled my mana.
A sigh left me and I grabbed onto it.
[The Fruit of Sangir (Epic Item) — A fruit of the now extinct Sangir Tree. Consuming it under special circumstances will lead to unceasing Revelations.]
I took a breath and decided to listen to what it was saying for now. I stowed away the small fruit that was akin to a small rock inside my ring and looked elsewhere.
If I’m at the start, then any direction will lead me to the end. Of course, I was relatively certain that there was a direction that was much shorter than the other, but Glim wasn’t around to ask. Without any other thought, I ventured back into the forest, picking the most silent direction.
Some plants moved out of the way and others remained, but none were hostile. They seemed a bit friendlier even, but I was having a hard time telling why I felt like that was the case. That said, I also had a creeping bad feeling about things. Things were different now, maybe it was because I was walking through the forest at a much slower pace than before. Making sure to keep a decent distance from most plants, but I was unsure if that was the extent of it.
My perception was as high as ever, and my danger sense was acute like never before. But even then, I was unsure about why I felt like something had changed. The air felt colder, the sounds in the forest were sharper and different, the cries of anguish and death had a different pitch—
I felt unsure. A frown was formed as I began to note more and more things that were slightly different. From the softness of the dirt to the moonlight. I prepared my bow as I stepped forward through a gap between two spiky trees. The plants had changed as I moved further in the forest, they had grown slightly brighter and their colors became more natural, the spikes became much less aggressive and jagged. Nonetheless, I could tell they were dark plants.
As I stepped forward, I almost felt as if the forest path was guiding me. There was only one obvious place to thread through and the grass there was still the same black as the one from the middle of the forest, other patches were slightly brighter, slightly different. As I continued walking down the path of the forest, I saw a different clearing, and in the middle there was a monster. It was akin to a four-legged wolf, but its fur was almost fallen and made out of muscle and bone, dead plants surrounded it, nothing but their brown and black corpses filled its resting spot.
[Blight Corrupted Wolfe. Lvl. 103]
I prepared my bow. If it bleeds— If I made it bleed, it would get eaten by the forest itself. Sounds of death filled my ears. And if I hit it just right enough, I would get a bunch of levels.
This is a trial… I took a deep breath as I felt my heart rate quicken. It was a level 103 monster, probably C rank too. If I kill it…. I took a deep breath and pulled back the string.
My heartrate got faster and faster as I prepared a shot. I felt as if I was going to commit a grave mistake. The air and ground felt different— everything was different. I stopped myself as I looked at the sleeping wolfe. If I angered it, and it teleported like the lycan, I would be the one to die…
I shook my head. I only had something to do right now which was to take the fruit to the end of the forest and eat it there. It was cryptic, but supported by The System’s description I had no choice but to try it in a serious manner. I relaxed my posture and continued on my path, and the moment I did so I felt movement from the clearing— it was from elsewhere.
I turned once more, only to see a different wolfe pounce with front legs that seemed to be made out of nothing but pointy bones. And then, much to my expectations, blood freely flowed.
Ah, it’s going to die. I shook my head and almost turned away, but the familiar movement of the forest never came. Instead, the other wolfe hissed and pounced back, they attacked each other as blood unceasingly flowed. They were swift and had explosive speed, rivaling Sun’s. Their strength would send shockwaves, but like wild animals they just wrestled each other as blood sprawled and filled the forest. Eventually, one of the wolfe’s was launched towards me and landed on the black grass strip I was following.
It stood up as blood drained from its body and looked towards me. I cursed my luck for a moment before I noticed movement. The black grass shifted, and the moment the wolfe pounced towards me, vines sprouted and held it in the air before pressing it into the ground. Thorns stabbed into the monster as it squealed with the misery I was used to.
Without missing a beat I prepared all three arrows and shot them at its head. Laced with mana and enhanced with the strength of the bow they pierced onto its skull and plants bloomed as they ate their body. Soon it died and the notifications came.
[You have assisted to kill: (C) Blight Corrupted Wolfe. Lvl 105.]
[Level up: You have achieved level 64. Prophecy Bonus: +1 WIS +1 VIG]
[Level up: You have achieved…
[Level up: You have achieved level 67. Prophecy Bonus: +1 WIS +1 VIG]
I sighed as I noticed the corpse being swallowed by the dark grass. My plants remained but they were quickly attacked by smaller vines too, however— a plant landed on the different colored grass and nothing happened. It wasn’t attacked, and soon I felt it connect with something and much to my shock most of my mana within it disappeared. The plant felt familiar as if I was its parent, but while it was still under my control, however the life being supplied to it— the vitality came from the forest itself.
I frowned and decided to think about it as I treaded forward in my march to finding the end. That said, I suddenly felt as if staying on the dark strip of grass was part of the trial itself, so I bowed to not leave mine.
◇ ◇ ◇
A different kind of dark plant? The first forest I woke up in was much more aggressive, much more… hostile? At the same time I much enjoyed being within it in comparison to the much obvious risk free dark plant forest.
Diluted blood line? Befit of being a ruler? Right, the tree had mentioned something about letting me take control being a death sentence.
Maybe they were both the same forest, but there was a clear distinction between both places. In one of them, the plants were active, much more alive. And all the plants around me now were somewhat dull and unresponsive, almost like instinctual animals—
I paused in my steps.
The two places.
They were the difference between tiers. Between the second and third tier, between D grade and C grade.
Sentience.
I blinked and smiled to myself, but just as I was about to take a step forward once more, I found that I was looking into an endless void. I turned behind me and saw forest, at my feet there was still the familiar dark red grass, but now— it ended. I stood at the end.
I was at the end of the forest.
There was some confusion, but I shook my head and took out the fruit.
[The Fruit of Sangir (Epic Item) — A fruit of the now extinct Sangir Tree. Consuming it under special circumstances will lead to unceasing Revelations.]
Without a second thought I bit it. For a moment I felt as if nothing changed, but then there was a ripple of dust through the void and a head peered. And I couldn’t help but pause as I saw a dark elf stare at me, golden eyes, black hair, rich dark skin—
It was me.
Azrie
You can read the entirety of book 2 (up to chapter 143) on patreon!
Blair now has a discord server, join here
Blair’s assistant had been forcefully put to sleep, it was a bit too annoying, but once that was done. Elasia couldn’t help but stare at the trial just a bit, and well, expectedly or unexpectedly it was that wretched place. She thought about that planet every now and then, it was quite the place. It was also the place in which she discovered the true joy of illusions, but also a place that drove her to insanity.
Her golden eyes gazed over the floating screen in front of her, before she finally shook her head.
A trial of will.
She hoped Blair could get through it, well that was a certainty, but she had seen the fight against the corrupted monster, whatever it was she had seen it before somewhere, it wasn't there before she could remember that at least. It was a bit worrisome, but also enlightening in some ways. Being honest, she had missed the fight against the weak Herald pup, and she was also surprised Blair had killed her. In spite of whatever claims she had, it was still a high level and attribute difference.
But she had grown. And she had also acquired some type of mana manipulation skill, one that allowed the affinity to change. Granted, she was extremely skeptical about the affinity she witnessed; acausality. An extremely rare affinity that was well, for lack of a better word it led to wars more often than not. An affinity that ignored cause and effect, it had the small power to modify fate to a certain extent.
Hm. She frowned before smiling. Well, if she has the affinity then, I suppose I hit the jackpot? A laugh left her, thinking about the type of slaughter she’d have to go through just for others to understand that Blair — her champion — was indeed her champion. Though, she highly doubted she actually had the affinity, even if it was through a skill.
The use was too specific. She probably had a skill that used the affinity to allow the arrows to be instantaneous, which was reminiscent of a certain Monarch, one that was long dead and whose name had disappeared.
Elasia closed her eyes feeling happy, that was before someone entered her perception range. The wolf pup had remained by her side, she was unsure if she was suddenly liked but well— if it was Blair’s pet it deserved a modicum of respect. With that in mind she snapped her gaze towards the outside where she found the Woodland elf standing. It was a stupidly dumb race name to her, but it was what it was.
“Do you need something?”
The elf shifted under her gaze before she finally made up her mind. “Who are you to Blair, really?” After a breath she continued. “You are too strong to not be an outsider…”
Elasia shook her head. “I am her benefactor, she is my Champion. A very expensive one may I add.” She thought for a moment. “Well, I also recall doing some information digging and your kind extinguished Blair’s race did it not?”
“It… it was a joint effort…” The elf sighed. “I had no part in it…”
Elasia narrowed her eyes and her voice turned chilly. “Hm, that better be the case. I was almost considering having your entire race killed.”
The Woodland elf froze before trying to speak and being unable to. Without a care to her state, Elasia continued to speak.
“It’s just an E grade race, there are plenty among the four planets. If it gets butchered I’m sure Blair won’t even bat an eye. Granted, I cannot tell why her revenge plans aren’t there anymore, but you know… She tried to kill me upon seeing me.”
Elasia felt rage.
“Just because your shitty race did that to her. Because of you, I was affected.”
“I had… no part… in it…” The Woodland elf gasped under the pressure. “I was just… a princess.”
Elasia snorted and closed her eyes. “Whatever. What do you want? You may be a guest, but I don’t care about you.”
The elf let out a breath. “I was hoping to ask you to kill someone. But now I’m not so sure if I can give you anything in exchange.”
Elasia’s ears twitched, curiosity spiked in her mind. “Who would you want dead?”
“Level 403, an old elf that calls himself The Primordial Elf of Wood. I want him dead…” The elf’s face darkened and she gnashed her teeth and rubbed her scarred arms. “I’ll do anything for him to die…”
The hatred was there. And it was familiar. She couldn’t help but smile as something came up within her mind, moreover she was doing Blair a favor. Perhaps Blair didn’t hate the Woodland elves all that much, but Elasia was sure they hated Blair.
“Betray your race.”
“What?” The elf blinked.
Elasia extended her hand as a new contract was formed.
“Find a reason for Blair to slaughter most of your kind. Once she does.” Elasia smiled. “That stupid elf will die. I can promise you that. That is my price.”
“I’m Elei.” She said with a sigh. Elasia was about to ask why she should care, but her hand was soon grabbed. “I’m willing to betray my race…”
A new contract was formed.
* * * * *
What was a trial of will anyway?
Soon enough, I reached the tree once more. Its branches moved as if beckoning me to press forward, until eventually I stood before its trunk and without hesitation I touched it and pushed my mana deep into the tree. Once more, I reached its warmth, what I identified to be the tree’s own mana.
“You’ve done well. Against odds. You’ve defended my fruit.” It spoke. “Yes, I can see it. Your lineage. Befit of being a ruler. But you’re still too diluted. And… Weak.”
I scoffed. If you’re just going to keep calling me weak, at least tell me what the first seed is.
“Too early. Too early…” The tree dismissed. “You’re not ready to hear of it.”
[Hint Updated: Convince the Grand Sangir Tree to talk of the First Seed.]
I rolled my eyes, that much was obvious. The tree continued to speak:
“However, you still surpassed my expectations. You’re not as diluted as I thought. Yes, it might not be a mistake. But you must grow as a ruler before returning.”
The wood shifted and a small red fruit was produced.
“This is your reward. One of my fruits. Use it, consume it. You may be weak, but you might be able to rule…” There was a brief silence before it spoke again. “A fruit of the dark. Use it at the end of the forest. Where the end stands.”
Where is the end of the forest? I asked with a frown.
“The end. You are at the start of the forest where everything began, you must find the end and glimpse past it.” The branch extended its fruit and the tree repelled my mana.
A sigh left me and I grabbed onto it.
[The Fruit of Sangir (Epic Item) — A fruit of the now extinct Sangir Tree. Consuming it under special circumstances will lead to unceasing Revelations.]
I took a breath and decided to listen to what it was saying for now. I stowed away the small fruit that was akin to a small rock inside my ring and looked elsewhere.
If I’m at the start, then any direction will lead me to the end. Of course, I was relatively certain that there was a direction that was much shorter than the other, but Glim wasn’t around to ask. Without any other thought, I ventured back into the forest, picking the most silent direction.
Some plants moved out of the way and others remained, but none were hostile. They seemed a bit friendlier even, but I was having a hard time telling why I felt like that was the case. That said, I also had a creeping bad feeling about things. Things were different now, maybe it was because I was walking through the forest at a much slower pace than before. Making sure to keep a decent distance from most plants, but I was unsure if that was the extent of it.
My perception was as high as ever, and my danger sense was acute like never before. But even then, I was unsure about why I felt like something had changed. The air felt colder, the sounds in the forest were sharper and different, the cries of anguish and death had a different pitch—
I felt unsure. A frown was formed as I began to note more and more things that were slightly different. From the softness of the dirt to the moonlight. I prepared my bow as I stepped forward through a gap between two spiky trees. The plants had changed as I moved further in the forest, they had grown slightly brighter and their colors became more natural, the spikes became much less aggressive and jagged. Nonetheless, I could tell they were dark plants.
As I stepped forward, I almost felt as if the forest path was guiding me. There was only one obvious place to thread through and the grass there was still the same black as the one from the middle of the forest, other patches were slightly brighter, slightly different. As I continued walking down the path of the forest, I saw a different clearing, and in the middle there was a monster. It was akin to a four-legged wolf, but its fur was almost fallen and made out of muscle and bone, dead plants surrounded it, nothing but their brown and black corpses filled its resting spot.
[Blight Corrupted Wolfe. Lvl. 103]
I prepared my bow. If it bleeds— If I made it bleed, it would get eaten by the forest itself. Sounds of death filled my ears. And if I hit it just right enough, I would get a bunch of levels.
This is a trial… I took a deep breath as I felt my heart rate quicken. It was a level 103 monster, probably C rank too. If I kill it…. I took a deep breath and pulled back the string.
My heartrate got faster and faster as I prepared a shot. I felt as if I was going to commit a grave mistake. The air and ground felt different— everything was different. I stopped myself as I looked at the sleeping wolfe. If I angered it, and it teleported like the lycan, I would be the one to die…
I shook my head. I only had something to do right now which was to take the fruit to the end of the forest and eat it there. It was cryptic, but supported by The System’s description I had no choice but to try it in a serious manner. I relaxed my posture and continued on my path, and the moment I did so I felt movement from the clearing— it was from elsewhere.
I turned once more, only to see a different wolfe pounce with front legs that seemed to be made out of nothing but pointy bones. And then, much to my expectations, blood freely flowed.
Ah, it’s going to die. I shook my head and almost turned away, but the familiar movement of the forest never came. Instead, the other wolfe hissed and pounced back, they attacked each other as blood unceasingly flowed. They were swift and had explosive speed, rivaling Sun’s. Their strength would send shockwaves, but like wild animals they just wrestled each other as blood sprawled and filled the forest. Eventually, one of the wolfe’s was launched towards me and landed on the black grass strip I was following.
It stood up as blood drained from its body and looked towards me. I cursed my luck for a moment before I noticed movement. The black grass shifted, and the moment the wolfe pounced towards me, vines sprouted and held it in the air before pressing it into the ground. Thorns stabbed into the monster as it squealed with the misery I was used to.
Without missing a beat I prepared all three arrows and shot them at its head. Laced with mana and enhanced with the strength of the bow they pierced onto its skull and plants bloomed as they ate their body. Soon it died and the notifications came.
[You have assisted to kill: (C) Blight Corrupted Wolfe. Lvl 105.]
[Level up: You have achieved level 64. Prophecy Bonus: +1 WIS +1 VIG]
[Level up: You have achieved…
[Level up: You have achieved level 67. Prophecy Bonus: +1 WIS +1 VIG]
I sighed as I noticed the corpse being swallowed by the dark grass. My plants remained but they were quickly attacked by smaller vines too, however— a plant landed on the different colored grass and nothing happened. It wasn’t attacked, and soon I felt it connect with something and much to my shock most of my mana within it disappeared. The plant felt familiar as if I was its parent, but while it was still under my control, however the life being supplied to it— the vitality came from the forest itself.
I frowned and decided to think about it as I treaded forward in my march to finding the end. That said, I suddenly felt as if staying on the dark strip of grass was part of the trial itself, so I bowed to not leave mine.
◇ ◇ ◇
A different kind of dark plant? The first forest I woke up in was much more aggressive, much more… hostile? At the same time I much enjoyed being within it in comparison to the much obvious risk free dark plant forest.
Diluted blood line? Befit of being a ruler? Right, the tree had mentioned something about letting me take control being a death sentence.
Maybe they were both the same forest, but there was a clear distinction between both places. In one of them, the plants were active, much more alive. And all the plants around me now were somewhat dull and unresponsive, almost like instinctual animals—
I paused in my steps.
The two places.
They were the difference between tiers. Between the second and third tier, between D grade and C grade.
Sentience.
I blinked and smiled to myself, but just as I was about to take a step forward once more, I found that I was looking into an endless void. I turned behind me and saw forest, at my feet there was still the familiar dark red grass, but now— it ended. I stood at the end.
I was at the end of the forest.
There was some confusion, but I shook my head and took out the fruit.
[The Fruit of Sangir (Epic Item) — A fruit of the now extinct Sangir Tree. Consuming it under special circumstances will lead to unceasing Revelations.]
Without a second thought I bit it. For a moment I felt as if nothing changed, but then there was a ripple of dust through the void and a head peered. And I couldn’t help but pause as I saw a dark elf stare at me, golden eyes, black hair, rich dark skin—
It was me.
Azrie
You can read the entirety of book 2 (up to chapter 143) on patreon!
Blair now has a discord server, join here
