《The Tale of an Entity》 Prologue - I exist, therefore I am Author''s Note: First of, this is my novel that I plan to only calibrate how bad can my novel writing perform, thus, may have a chance to be dropped or somewhat not, depending on how satisfied I am with the result I''d get. Even so! I''ll try to make this story as enjoyable as possible, just for the sake of the readers :). Opinions, much harsh criticism or even a simple comment would be highly appreciated! I will reply to every single of these posts so long as they don''t become too many, and as soon as possible as well xD. Current tags (As of posting this prologue) are meant only for the current chapter (the prologue). As the story grows, I will include more tags should the viewer or I deem necessary. Do expect a tag of ''Reader Interactive'' in the future as well! With that said, happy reading ;).
Prologue ¨C I exist, therefore I am Hey¡­ what does one do when they lose their memory? Seek them again in order to reaffirm themselves of their identity? Obtain the knowledge of whether if they really did possess a life before the current them, or is it simply nothing but an illusion? Hey¡­ tell me. You see¡­ I have forgotten something. No, I did not forget a person, nor did I forget a place. What had escaped the cage of my own mind, was the memory of myself. Yes, I have forgotten everything about myself, up to the memory before now, and the identity that I had carried before. When I opened my eyes, all I know about myself was¡­ nothing. I saw stone walls, rough and bumpy floor, the squeaking of bats in the distance, and the occasional grunt of something I do not know. I know those, even if I do not know the last one. And yet, all of these general things I could have chosen to forget, it was myself that had been picked. Why? What has happened? It hurts¡­ it¡¯s excruciating to not know why have I forgotten myself. The lost of my identity¡­ why did it happen? Even so¡­ it matters no more now. I live in the present, and the past is none but the past. Even if that past is no longer existent. I should first try to learn about myself. Indeed, that is what I should do first, rather than panicking on my own for forgetting things that I can recollect. Hopefully, that is. So¡­ as I have known, I¡¯m momentarily in a cave. It does not appear to be that I am standing on the ground, as I cannot feel its humidity and roughness. I am¡­ hovering in the air, I suppose. Am I fairy then? Or a winged being that is flying in the air, clueless of what it really is? There¡¯s only one way to find out. I glance downward upon myself, and much to my surprise, all I saw was the ground. There was nothing but the air between my gaze and the floor of the cave. This is¡­ unthinkable. I do not possess of a body? I see no limbs, no body, no nothing. Truly, what on heaven¡¯s sake am I? A dead end, so it is. I do not retain the memory of my past being, nor do I possess any method to regain them back. I cannot even reaffirm my own species. Just like that, I am back to square one. Such a luck. As I wander within the space of my own mind, I was forced back into the reality as the grunts from an unknown source crept closer. Along with it, the distinctive sound of footsteps clamoring within the cave could also be picked up. With what I was provided, I imagine it possess a vocal organ, and also legs. A humanoid being, I presume. Should I be afraid of the oncoming unknown? To fear it for my own safety? I do not know. The feeling of fear has been tamed by the feeling of insecurity, the lion shackled in place by the chains a thousand times stronger. What should I do? Again, I do not know. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. And so, without the feeling of fear crawling within my mind, I face against the owner of the grunting as it reveals itself. It was a green being, small but sturdy, and within its hand was a blade with a handle. That is¡­ a dagger, I suppose. The eyes of the green being shone a dying color of gold, shimmered by the darkness of the cave. Its hideous facial features were an unfit pair with the color of its own eyes. It¡¯s a monster. It has a name¡­ but what is it? Small, hideous, and green. A¡­ goblin? Ah, yes! It¡¯s a goblin. Good to know my general knowledge is somehow still intact. But¡­ I also recall it as a quite the barbarous and hostile being. Should I not worry of my own safety as of this moment? I could be in mortal danger right now, and yet, I¡¯m not doing anything about it. The goblin walked step by step just in front of me, its head spinning a partial right and then left, surveying the area that lay out before it. A moment after, right under me, it stops. Please, do not look up. But, my luck was really bad, I guess. As soon as I wished it doesn¡¯t look up, it had to look upward right then. This is it. This is my end. However, instead of attacking me by swinging its tiny dagger, the goblin looked forward once more and began moving away. Huh¡­? Did it not¡­ notice me? What has happened? How could it not see me? Ah¡­ my mind is so full of questions, each seeking for their own answers, and yet, stuck in the eternal loop of oblivion. I want to satisfy them with their urges, but I do not know how. In any matter, I should perceive myself as lucky enough to become unnoticed by the goblin, thus prolonging the time I¡¯ll be alive. ¡­Hmm? As I took a closer look upon the leaving goblin, I couldn¡¯t help but to notice a strange-looking orb, black and spiraling on top of its head. Since the cave itself had been dark, it was no wonder that I had not notice it earlier. Nonetheless, why was an orb hanging on top of the goblin, and what exactly was that orb? Intrigued, I felt myself reaching for the orb, as if I had hands that could grab its very plane of existence. I could see it, the shadowy white illusion of my hands manifesting as unknown molecules began gathering together, and how it started creeping closer towards the floating mysterious orb. It was then, that deep inside the sea of my subconscious, a few words began floating into creation. That word is¡­ it is¡­ Become the answer to me, unknown. As soon as I thought of it, the orb that spiraled upon the head of the goblin ceased its resistance, and exuded a bright glow of brilliance. Behind the back of the orb, white fluttery wings spread out, scattering out bright illusionary feathers that slowly float down on the ground, and disintegrating soon after. It was almost as if¡­ the orb was welcoming me. What will happen if I am to become successful in holding it? Will it become cracked and shatter into unseen dusts? Absorbed by me and turn into yet another one of a million things that I will never know? I know not, but as long as there is something I could do to cure this wretched oblivion of mine, then I¡¯ll take it. With that said¡­ here I go. Chapter 1 - I escape, therefore I am free Author''s Note : Beginning with this chapter, Reader''s Interactivity will be included (yay!). Reader''s Interactivity 101 :- Allow me to make this clear. My version of Reader''s Interactivity is quite different, well, maybe not so different from the general "I give u poll u vote and that is reader interactivity" stuff. At times, when the Main Character decides to perform something, perhaps a simple one, or a complex one that would change the story, instead of deciding it myself, I will hand over that power, to you readers :). Choice may increase or decrease depending on the situation, and they will ALWAYS come within tables to ensure that it pleases the readers'' eye. The thoughts of the Main Character also change within each choice, so read up before you make any decisions, for that decisions will decide the flow of the story! Even so, happy reading! :) Psst... please do comment. My reader''s words are the oil to my fire!
Chapter 1 ¨C I escape, therefore I am free My hands crafted from the fabrics of illusion proceeded toward the light orb. A finger at a time, I laid every single one I had upon the orb, slowly grasping its everything into the palm of my own hands. Together, they resonated, producing a combination of beauty from the light showering upon the surrounding of the cave, sending the darkness to cower into the nothingness. So beautiful¡­ and¡­ sad. Despite the outer shell of this orb displaying its magnificent beauty, deep within its own core are the sins of its controller. I can see it¡­ violating countless innocent women of the¡­ humans, killing thousands of men and children, robbing the weak and torturing them¡­ these crimes are so heavy that only death could be the hammer of repentance for this goblin. I pity you¡­ little orb¡­ to be possessed by such vile creature¡­ I truly pity you. However, as I feel remorse for the fate of the little orb, I felt a sudden pain deep within the boundary of my mind. This soul has suffered. This soul has cried. It seeks help from someone, someone who could put an end to its existence. As dark as its core could be, its plea is as bright as the sun. It deserves its help, to put an end to its misery. As the strange voice became louder, an unknown sensation swelled up within me. The sensation twists and spun, and within my imagination, it was as if it had a mouth, jagged with teeth far sharper than any blade in the world, and that very sensation was climbing out of me. I¡­ I feel hunger. I feel the need¡­ to devour. This soul¡­ seems¡­ fulfilling. Eat. Devour. Assimilate. Absorb. And without an ounce of a warning, a void opens by itself within me. An anguish howl vibrated from it, as if the void wasn¡¯t a part of me to begin with. Just¡­ what am I? The void¡­ it was pitch black, spiraling endlessly as fast as I could see. Like the imagination I had, it resembled this void, jagged teeth with its skittering black aura, and the endless space encaged deep within. Unable to resist the force equivalent to a black hole, the orb, the soul, gave up on its futile effort to resist, and its very network web that kept the soul together, began disintegrating into million pieces of mana. What was once intricate and complex combination of life to create a soul, was no more but mana once more. As the disintegrated soul pieces races its way into the void of my being, I still wonder at this time. Should I be sad, due to the fact I just had obliterated a life, or should I be glad, for I have saved it from its misery? But¡­ by doing this, I have saved a thousand souls more, thus, I should be glad I was able to do it. Perhaps, I¡­ should do it more often. Soon enough, the last piece of the remaining soul disappeared into the darkness within the void. The void then perishes into nothingness, as if it wasn¡¯t there In the first place. The goblin, possessor of the soul I had just absorbed had been standing motionless ever since I took grasp of its soul. After absorbing it, the goblin went limp and fell on the ground like a ragdoll, its dying golden eyes now a grey color, just like that of a dead fish. After devouring¡­ absorbing the soul, I could sense that my strength was rising. I didn¡¯t know what and how exactly it would affect me, but perhaps, it was a good thing. Nevertheless, that doesn¡¯t change the fact that I have to kill a life to become stronger. However¡­ if it¡¯s these goblins¡­ ¡­Huh¡­? I¡­ I feel¡­ tired¡­. I¡­ feel¡­ sleepy¡­ ¡­ .. . Uh¡­ hmm? I open my eyes¡­ and before me, was a place far different from where I had been. Instead of being dark and gloomy cave, it was an altar surrounded by five different statues. Each held a different type of weapon, and their eyes were blank stone. What is this place, and where am I? Could this perhaps be¡­ a dream? ¡°Exinus!¡± a voice echoes from the entrance. At the entrance that led up to the altar with the stony path, came forward a boy that exuded a bright blue aura, and his body was¡­ transparent. Following after him was five peoples, three men and two women, each faces identical to the statue before these six. Only the boy did not have a statue of his own. ¡°Exinus, stop! Listen to us!¡± a man, adorned by glimmering platinum armor halted his chase towards the boy and held his palm forward. The rest of the four behind him also ceased their movements. ¡°There is no stopping me, Lucio. My time has come, and my duty is done,¡± said the boy as he stood on the altar, facing down toward the five on the ground. His sword radiated a blue faint light, and then it disintegrates into nothingness. ¡°Wait a minute, Exi. I know, that because of us five, the world have been saved and became peaceful once more. But, without you, we are powerless. Even the five of us cannot beat you in term of¡­ anything, at all!¡± said another man shrouded in white robe. His long ears protruded in his hood. An elf, it seems. ¡°Oh Deldrich, it seems that being an elf doesn¡¯t make your intelligence any difference. You see¡­¡± ¨CExinus waves his hand on accord from the left to the right on the five statues, ¡°my task is to unite all five of you, each different race to make each of you overcome that difference, so that all five you will be able to save the world in its crisis moments. And to this day, that is what all of you have achieved. As such, my task here, is done.¡± ¡°But! What if the world falls into a chaotic state once more and each of us are incapable of defending it? Won¡¯t the world as we know it collapse, without your presence?¡± shouted a woman, her choice of outfit a little revealing with only a strip of leather covering her chest, and the skirt barely hiding her hips. The boy threw them a weak smile.¡±Then¡­ once more, I shall appear within the world. I may not be here, but I will emerge, somewhere.¡± A circle appears on the altar, emanating an oppressive barrier that prevents the five from entering the altar. Slowly, the body of the boy began to perish, starting from his foot, and climbing up towards his head. The five could do nothing but to watch as Exinus disappears from their view. Their face clearly shows rejection, but how could they intervene now? Exinus¡¯s body could no longer be seen physically, but his voice echoes within the altar. ¡°Children of the substance world, I entrust the safety of the world, of the kingdoms, of all the livings within this dimension in your hands. Protect them; help them, like the way I have done the same for each of you. Shall fate deem necessary, we will meet again. Be it¡­ as an ally¡­ or enemy¡­¡± ¡­ .. . What¡­ what just happened? That¡­ transparent boy, the five before him¡­ and that¡­ altar. What is the meaning of this dream? Perhaps it a sign, for something that will happen in the future, or something that has happened in the past. Either way, it¡¯s a vital piece of puzzle, and remembering it I should do, till the remaining pieces are assembled together. After wandering within the dream I myself did not know, I have returned to the previous place, the dark cave with the goblin of whose soul I had absorbed. However, I noticed a difference in the surrounding. Instead of being full pitch black, a dim light shines upon the cave around me. I could see exactly, the brittleness of the floor, the wet and black ceiling of the caves, and so on. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Wait a minute¡­ am I exuding light? Curious for answers, I hovered beside the dead goblin, and as I expected, the darkness that infested its face instantly scurried away as I came close. So, it¡¯s true. I became a floating orb of light, I guess. Somehow, it doesn¡¯t feel so good, because this probably means I¡¯m visible to everyone, in the dark especially. Before anything¡­ I should escape this cave. In haste, I zoomed away at the speed of a bat. The complex arrangement of the caves tunnel are very confusing, as taking a path will lead to another, that leads to yet two other paths, of which one would return me to the original point. And going to the second path would probably get me another three tunnels, which breaks down into six more tunnels individually, and each would lead to more tunnels. My head hurts. Before that¡­ I have realized how there are almost little to no presence of goblins here at all. Considering that I came across one of them, it should have been natural that this cave should be crawling with them, and yet, there are not even a sign of any other monsters at all. Complex tunnel systems¡­ absence of monsters¡­ Ah! Could this place be a dungeon? That would make sense. As I recall, a dungeon is also a place where humans and other¡­ more civilized humanoid beings will venture into, and kill all of the monsters residing within. And¡­ monsters should also reappear after a set time of being. I do not know how the system of these monster creation works in dungeon, maybe some sort of necromancy and so on, but for now, that should not be my priority to discover. Since I am now visible to the eyes of the living, I should ensure that I exit this dungeon before being spotted by anyone. Perhaps monsters are fine, since I can somehow¡­ ¡®kill¡¯ them, but humans? No, they are not a being that I should lay my hands on. At least, not all of them. With that in my mind, I sped up and began travelling through every possible selection of tunnels within the dungeon. Memorizing every single of them were simple, as a look was all I require to store the information deep within myself. Alongside other memories that are simply¡­ blanked out. Along the way, I had stumbled upon some monsters that were coming out once more in the dungeon, but as I was travelling at the speed faster than a bat, I was able to escape their detection easily. Killing would have been a method applicable in this situation, but I did not want to rely too much on it. Plus, I haven¡¯t learned of how much vulnerable am I just yet, in this exposed state. And so¡­ some time passed by. This is¡­ odd. I have explored the entire dungeon, up until the very locations of every treasure room adorned with deadly traps and so on. Even so¡­ the exit is nowhere to be found. Is there some sort of method that I must use to escape this forsaken place? Or am I doomed to be trapped in here forever? No, I shouldn¡¯t give up. As I took one last round of the day ¨Cif it still could be counted as a day that is, I came close to a point where mana irregularity was most concentrated at. Everything within this world are composed of mana, even up to the force that made up the very existence of souls. In other word, souls are simply a combination of much more complex mana, so complex it possess a personality of its own. Mana irregularity, as mentioned, are a phenomena where the mana composition within a point has been tampered with, causing instability to its arrangement. Of course, in the view of a normal person, something that has been affected with mana irregularity only slightly, would have no change in term of appearance. However, if it has been severely affected, it could cause even the worse of effects, such as¡­ turning humans into monsters. Nonetheless, since mana irregularity was a common thing within this dungeon, I became so accustomed with them that I no longer care for its presence. And so, as I flew away from the point of mana irregularity, the wall where it had resided, suddenly perished away. And there I could see it, adventurers of various races, ages and genders, came walking in, each expectant of their gain for the day. I see! The people of the living have quite the mind, making use of mana to cloak the presence of the exit from the knowledge of the monsters residing within. I can¡¯t believe I haven¡¯t think of that. Well¡­ time to say good bye to this dungeon. Without wasting time any longer, I flew towards the adventurers without any feeling of fear. They can¡¯t possibly capture me in this speed, after all. As I zoomed past by the adventurers, one of them spoke, ¡°Huh? Did I just see something fly out?¡± I traveled away for a distance, their voices becoming hazy. ¡°Probably¡­ you¡­¡± No matter. They should forget about the unexpected meeting soon enough. As I hover upon the open sky of the outside world, I took a moment to appreciate the beauty of the nature before me. It has been¡­ quite long since I first awakened inside that place, after all. The green forest dancing by the instruction of the calm breeze, shining their aura of peace and tranquility. The sun, raining its ray of light upon the busy ground of the living, and also cloaking my presence away from them. Ah¡­ I like this world. But¡­ me awakening here, as a mysterious being, does it perhaps¡­ signify something? I should learn why am I here, what am I and perhaps¡­ soon enough¡­ to discover my true self. Even so¡­ how should I start, I wonder? [ Choice 1 ]
Absorb souls to strengthen myself first
I... I am weak. To be frank, I do not know how long will I survive in this harsh world of the living. Even when I first met the goblin, I was just lucky that I had minor mana that made me an astral existence. But since I have become physical, and can probably be injured, absorbing souls from monsters should be a good idea. After all, the best defense is a good offense. Time to begin hunting.
[ Choice 2 ]
Locate the nearest village and request assistance from the villagers
I... I am alone. As a solitary, mysterious being in this world, I lack the ally needed to be on my side. Considering that my journey will become harsh, a few allies up on my sleeves shouldn''t be a bad idea. Not to mention, I''ll be able to tap into local rumors and information and hopefully, learn more about myself. Along the way... maybe, just maybe... I can eliminate ill-natured villagers, the fox that hides among the sheep. Lend me your help, humans.
[ Choice 3 ]
Return to the adventurers and seek their assistance
I... I am doubtful. In this world where humans turn upon each other, placing my trusts on them doesn''t seem like it will end well. Of course, I may be able to see the true nature of humans through their soul, but what if their lies roots within them, so deep that it shrouds the true color of their souls? As such, adventurers like the recent ones I have met, are the one I should trust for now. Why? Because they fight for their life, trusts their life on each other, and protect each other from death. Maybe even protect me. That is what I call a bond.
Be sure to vote after you have done reading! The poll will last for 2 days, but if the major decision has been made, I will begin on working on the next chapter as soon as possible! Edit : The majority has decided to pick choice 1 and seem unlikely to be beaten. As such, I have decided to close the poll early as opposed to my statement. Thank you for reading, and voting if you did! :) Chapter 2 - The Bear Bathed In Inferno Author''s Note : It seems I''m not doing so well (due to almost no followers at all)... however, I will still try to keep on going! Hopefully, I will be able to change this in the near future! Dear readers, please do point why am I performing so bad. It would be highly appreciated :). Reader''s Interactivity 101 :- At some point, such as in this chapter, there will come a selection of choice that will determine how good or evil will the Main Character acts as. This, clearly, will affect the way he thinks, how he acts, and the way he perceives everything around him. Choose wisely, as for every choice you make, will alter the reality of this story! And once again, happy reading!
Chapter 2 ¨C The Bear Bathed In Inferno I soar through the bright sky of the open land, viewing upon the living below, each up to their own tasks. A day after escaping that dungeon, the sky had been a place of comfort for me. Well, at least during the day since flying in the middle of the dead night is never a good idea when I¡¯m exuding light. The night before had been one hell of a chaos. I stumbled upon a children who saw me, hiding in between bushes. Considering that I emit a dim light, it shouldn¡¯t be a strange thing if the children had thought that I was a firefly, a species thought to appear only once in ten centuries. Even so, I ended up escaping as the children had adult escorts, of which tried to capture me thinking I¡¯m a very rare species of bug, if they thought I¡¯m a bug that is. With my speed, it had been an easy escape, but the sheer number of villagers that came about soon after was no joke. The place I was spotted at was immediately filled with villagers, peeking on every nook and cranny to find me. And the night had more kind of troublesome stuff in store for me. After almost two hours of tiring escape, the villagers gave up on chasing and catching me. At first, I thought I was finally done for the night. Well, that was until the very same adventurers that spotted me exiting the dungeon, emerged from nowhere after hearing the very same reports of the ¡®firefly¡¯ appearing. Even so, their spirits to catch me ¨Cprobably driven by their wish to sell me for a numerous sum of money, were far different from the normal villagers. Using all the skills they had, the three adventurers, of which two were magic users and one was a swordsman, gave me a ton of trouble. The first magic user continually casted whirlwind, throwing me off balance whenever I tried to fly away, and the second magic user kept on trying to shackle me to the ground with what looked like a purple barrier. Probably a barrier to encage souls or spirits. Nevertheless, the deadly combo was finished with the presence of the swordsman, whom instead of swinging her blades, tried to catch me with her own hands. It may sound lame, but being someone who swung blades for ages, her speed and dexterity with her hands were no joke. Regardless, I managed to survive the night without being captured. My fate might have turned out different if I failed to defend myself that night¡­ Now that I think about it, I own absolutely no skill whatsoever. The only thing I have is the soul absorption, of which are very slow to perform, and are not exactly an ideal defense against¡­ innocent beings. This is¡­ quite worrisome. If I want to seek for information and details regarding myself, how can I do it before ending up turning into a supposedly captured specimen of a bug? Now¡­ think. How can I obtain skills and strength? Training to use weapons? No, I don¡¯t have hands and that is very much ineffective for me. Use magic? Maybe, but mana is what I¡¯m compromised of, so overusing magic could kill me. Not to mention, I don¡¯t remember any spells of any sort, so that¡¯s a no. Hmm¡­ wait a minute. Did I not sense a sudden rise in term of energy when I absorbed the soul of that goblin in the dungeon? Could it be¡­ that instead of devouring the mana that made up the very existence of the soul, I simply assimilated it with myself instead? Quite¡­ fascinating. If so¡­ it may be possible that I could become stronger by absorbing the souls of monsters. This is¡­ the best way for me, and also for them. Why? Because, they won¡¯t have to experience eye-gauging pain, and would rest in peace before they even know it. Even if they ¨Cthe monsters, doesn¡¯t deserve it. As such¡­ let¡¯s begin. I ceased my movement in mid-air, and dived down upon the forest beneath me. It took me no more than a few seconds to reach the forest floor, since I wasn¡¯t so high in the sky in the first place anyway. Plus, the absence of friction upon my body had assisted me in gaining higher speed within seconds. The day before today, I had experimented a little bit with this invisible-to-myself body. Since my body was constructed out of mana ¨Cor so I assume, I face an absolute zero friction during moving since the air itself were made out of mana. It¡¯s like diving into myself¡­ in the air. I had also learned that even if I was previously invisible to everyone, I am not a spirit or a ghost. A spirit or a ghost is capable of walking, hovering, flying through any substance things like stones, walls, even humans. However, I am incapable of doing that. The reason is because mana simply cannot clash with another of its own, especially those with different characteristic. A being of mana like spirits and ghosts are an exception, because they have different arrangements of mana, as I recall that is. Think of fireball and thunderbolt generated with magic. They don¡¯t mix together when they clash, do they? Anyhow, before I seek a monster to prey on, I should ensure that the target that I¡¯m about to choose are nowhere near any other monsters. This is because although I¡¯m yet to test this, I may perhaps are capable of being injured, and I don¡¯t know how hard of a hit can I exactly take. The last thing I will want is to get surrounded by monsters and get beaten to death. Beneath the tent of the forest, lived many kinds of wildlife. Birds flew around in peace, squirrels trying to crack acorns and nuts open, and other animals that scattered away after noticing me. Is it possible to find any monsters in the forest? Maybe at night, but what if it was nicely bright during the morning? Might be a little hard, I dare say, but I¡¯m not giving up. Impatient, I whizzed through the forest. You know, it¡¯s always a plus with this kind of flight speed, easy to escape from anything, and also from detection. Travelling time are also reduced greatly. Even so, it takes quite some time to get used to, since I will always bump into things, like trees, the back of a bear, or even the bottom of a cliff. Soon after, the roar of an unknown being came into my detection. It shook the entire forests into fear, birds began blasting into the air in groups, ground mice rolling from bushes to bushes away from the source of the roar, and even some giant ¨Cbut peaceful, lizards that hid within tree barks due to its incapability to sprint at a considerable speed. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. I found my target, finally. With excitement, I thrusted up high into the sky. I needed to survey what type of monster was it, and if it was in combat with anything or anyone else. With precautions and every alarm within me ready to ring in case I take a hit, I hover above the very spot of where I assume the roar had come from. And there it was, a bear shrouded in fiery inferno, its crimson red flame eating away at the nature in its surrounding. Its eye was doused in flame, as intense as the one covering its entire body. It¡¯s a magical beast huh¡­ a species that was created as a result of normal animals possessing too much of mana irregularity. Poor soul. The bear, as if lost direction of what it should do, began wreaking havoc upon its surrounding. Wildly, it slashed the tree barks before it, shredding the pitiful tree into burnt ashes as the fire on its claws started branching away on the tree, leaving behind a disastrous land of dead and burnt layers of wood. Even these natures have souls, and I could see it¡­ at the very moment when they had completely¡­ passed away, the orbs hovering on their leaves broke violently, as opposed to how the goblin orb I had absorbed only disintegrated softly. It bursts into tens of pieces, of which then decays into smaller form of ¡®deceased¡¯ mana. As if trying to ascend into the heaven, these mana began floating into the air, forming a very beautiful scenery of serene, despite the chaotic situation down below. As beautiful as it is¡­ I cannot allow this to continue. Whilst the bear continues to cause irreversible damage upon the forest, I descend behind its back, silent and without producing even the slightest gust of wind. Devoid of the knowledge on my presence, the bear then advances forward. What is it after? A village? A human? I don¡¯t know, but I should cease its movement, and kill¡­ end it, right here, right now. Focusing my thoughts, I expanded my mana and stretched it out forward. The result was the very same illusionary hands that I first created in the cave before. Although barely noticeable in bright daylight, I could see it clearly, thanks to the difference in the characteristic of my mana from the mana in the air. With the utmost gentleness, I reaches for its orb. It seemed¡­ chaotic, cracks spread everywhere upon its surface, vibrating much harder than any other orbs I have seen. A voice soon echoes within me as I reach closer toward the orb:- ¡°Please, do not destroy me. Please, I beg of you. Do not destroy me, for you will destroy my owner.¡± ¡­Huh? The soul¡­ it¡¯s¡­ defending its owner? ¡°Why do you avoid death, little one? Why do you deny the end when it is time? You do possess the knowledge, that you won¡¯t have much long of a time anymore, you-¡° The orb began exuding an aura, a black aura of resistance. It is pushing away my illusionary hands, rejecting the grasp that I have brought. ¡°This is not by natural cause, high being. My owner¡­ it is not a magical beast on rampage.¡± Without letting the orb overpower me, I pushed my hands with more force. ¡°What¡­ what are you trying to imply?¡± ¡°It¡­ it was a very peaceful animal. Not a magical beast, but a simple bear that lived its life following the rules of the nature. But one day, a human boy clad in red robe came, and planted something within the chest of my owner. Now¡­ that¡­ ¡®thing¡¯ have assimilated with the bear, and are now trying to push me out of the bear¡¯s body.¡± ¡°Are you saying, that even if you perish, the bear will continue on its rampage?¡± ¡°You are intelligent, high being. Please think of it, I am the only one holding back my owner from truly unleashing his power. Without me, there will be no one to stop it in its track. So¡­ please, assist me.¡± Helping this bear and its soul? But¡­ how? As it is now, trying to stop it in its track are suicidal to me. No matter how I change my perspective, I can¡¯t help but to think that I¡¯d end up getting sliced into two with those claws. Is there a way to help them¡­ or is it not possible? Nevertheless¡­ time is ticking¡­ [ Choice 1]
Help the bear and its soul
If the soul speaks of truth, then the bear are in fact an innocent being. And absorbing the soul will only make matters worse! As such, assisting it may perhaps be the most reasonable decision I should make. Not to mention... why do it call me... ''high being''? Perhaps it holds yet another piece of the puzzle to unlock my true identity.... Become the answer to me, unknown.
[ Choice 2 ] [table=red] Refrain from helping the bear and devour its soul instead It doesn''t matter whether the bear was innocent or not. What I seek for now is power, and I do not require any more burden to slow me down. Considering this bear holds an immense power, that alone is a bountiful harvest for me. Not to mention... the damage done by this bear... is no longer excusable. Assimilate with me, power. [/table]
Author''s Note :- This vote, unlike last time, will last only for a day. As always, should a major decision has been decided, then the poll may perhaps close early or not, and I will begin working on it, as soon as possible. As always, happy voting! :)