《Blazing Crimson》


 Chapter 1 - Unwanted Visitor

    The smell of hot coffee and the opening theme of my favorite series, _¡°Mutant Samurai: Dishonored by Blood,¡±_ woke me up. Since my self-made retirement, most of my days began like this.


    Most of my friends were either nuts or some other kind of crazy¡ªlike coming back from the war as heroes and marrying their sweethearts.


    All I wanted was my salary secured at the end of each month, which I mostly invested in fixed-income assets with the best risk-reward trade-off. I¡¯d tried stocks and other nonsense, but living with daily anxiety, even while working during the war, wasn¡¯t great.


    Not that I had a glamorous job anyway¡ªjust an IT guy. My work mostly involved ¡°maintenance¡± on systems, which usually meant minor fixes or dumb tasks like restarting things. If the problem was too complex, I¡¯d use AI, though I¡¯d learned to distinguish its useful answers from the bullshit.


    After brushing my teeth, I grabbed my coffee and stepped out of my cabin in the woods¡ªmy home.


    Pulling out my phone, I tried to check the news. I¡¯d gotten out of WW3, but that didn¡¯t mean I was entirely safe. Most of what I consumed came from a village at the base of the northern mountain.


    Weirdly, there was no signal¡ªa rare occurrence, especially since I hadn¡¯t been notified about any outages.


    Looking around, the climate also seemed different. I couldn¡¯t put my finger on it, but the normally blue sky had an odd orange tint, even though it was already 10 a.m.


    With nothing better to do, I started reading the news.


    As always, some websites and social media were full of doom and gloom, while others spewed random drama. Nothing new. But it seemed that since 9 p.m., the news had stopped coming.


    If there was ever a time for the network to go down, this was it.


    ¡°Whatever, I¡¯ll play something.¡±


    Not that I had much to do here. I¡¯d amassed a hoard of games, mostly offline ones, though some had pesky DRMs. Luckily, most of the ones I cared about didn¡¯t. The rest were money sinks, bloated with random DLCs, often made with AI.


    But, whatever. I had decades of games to keep me busy.


    Booting up my favorite dragon RPG¡ªCD2, in my humble opinion, the best part of the saga¡ªI lost myself in nostalgia. A few hours in, a strange ticking sound started. It sounded like a bird pecking at the window.


    Nothing unusual, but as the pecking continued, I started worrying about my glass.


    When I reached the window, I expected to see a bird. Instead, it was a weird, horned creature, its body oozing some strange substance. One thing was certain: this thing wasn¡¯t normal.


    I scrambled to find a weapon¡ªa broom or something. The creature looked at me and shattered the glass.


    I swung the broom at it, sending it flying into the left wall, breaking my stand and a vase. At least it wasn¡¯t my monitor or PC.


    The freaky thing got up. Despite being the size of a steroid-pumped rat, it didn¡¯t die from my attack.


    It seemed this asshole wouldn¡¯t go down easy, and I didn¡¯t have time to run to the kitchen.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Reluctantly, I glanced at my _Mutant Samurai_ katana stand. It wasn¡¯t meant for this, but I didn¡¯t want to get some freaky rabies and die alone in the middle of nowhere. I wanted to die alone in my sleep, not from some mutant rat bite.


    I grabbed the blade, removed it from its case, and sliced at the creature. It was less like a samurai¡¯s strike and more like a kid swinging a stick. But if it worked on cockroaches, it might work on this freaky rat.


    The hellish rodent oozed away, dodging my blade, which got stuck in the wooden floor.


    Fear took over, and I yanked the blade free, dashing to the side. The katana broke, part of it still stuck in the floor, the other half exploding into shards.


    Now my katana was more like a jagged dagger. Like any responsible adult in this situation¡ªafter years of IT work and a few months as a wannabe soldier¡ªI tried to spear the oozing thing with it.


    I was sure I¡¯d miss, but the creature was dumber than I thought. It jumped at me.


    It was do or die¡ªor at least get Rabies 2.0. I surged with adrenaline from my mutated adrenal glands and, like some fruit-meat ninja, I stabbed the thing, pinning it to the floor with the jagged blade.


    The creature twitched, still showing signs of life.


    Like a responsible adult, I tried alternatives. First, bug spray. It didn¡¯t work¡ªthe thing just got angrier.


    As a last resort, I grabbed some alcohol and set the little monster on fire.


    Of course, I had a fire extinguisher ready. I almost missed my chance as the burning ooze from the creature ignited and threatened to burn everything down.


    Staring at the charred husk of the creature, I tried to focus on my options. I could call the police about this weird creature. If they couldn¡¯t help, they might at least point me to someone who could.


    I pulled out my phone. My worst fear was confirmed: no signal, not even for a call. No way to contact my parents, though they lived in a safer area. No way to let the elderly live here. Honestly, living here was a gamble with my health. The local healthcare was only a step above a morgue. Saving money had its costs.


    The second option was to stay put and wait for help, but that didn¡¯t seem like a solid plan. Lastly, I could try to find someone nearby who knew what the hell was going on.


    I probably had more choices, but after having my home partially destroyed by one of these little freaks, staying didn¡¯t seem like a good idea.


    Who knows? Maybe they¡¯d smell their dead sibling and come looking for revenge.


    I could just toss the carcass outside. Honestly, it was all a mess.


    ¡°What the hell am I supposed to do now?¡±


    ¡°Go out or stay here? Maybe I¡¯m overreacting, and it¡¯s just a weird creature. Pollution or radiation could¡¯ve made this thing, or maybe it¡¯s from a pharmaceutical lab.¡±


    Maybe I¡¯d just wait it out. Better safe than sorry.


    I went to my bedroom and searched under the wardrobe, where a dusty leather box was hidden.


    Pulling it out, I couldn¡¯t help but read the message printed in golden letters on the box. My old infantry buddy Carlos had left it for me:


    ¡°Here¡¯s my girlfriend I told you about. Have fun.¡±


    Opening it, I was relieved to find no sex doll¡ªjust a sleek double-barreled shotgun. On the handle, in golden letters, it read: ¡°Marlene.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a good idea to go out armed, but neither was dying from an oozing rat.


    After loading Marlene, I stuffed the rest of the ammo into a shoulder bag, along with a water bottle.


    Just a nice stroll through the mountains¡ªwhat could possibly go wrong?


    As I left my house, I realized a lot could go wrong. First, it seemed a jungle had spawned out of nowhere¡ªbigger and more alien than before, with weird pink reeds that gave off a sickly vibe.


    I¡¯d never been on mushrooms, but from what my old war buddies described, this looked like the real deal.


    At least the direction of the village seemed normal, the mountain still in place. That made up my mind, and I grabbed one of my backup hard drives and some valuables¡ªexpensive food, my micro PC, accessories, and a spare phone.


    Now, instead of just a shoulder bag, I was carrying my camping backpack. Not that I ever camped in a tent, but I knew where I lived.


    Everything pointed to someone creating some kind of biological weapon. Why they¡¯d do that in my country, which had been a bystander in WW3, was a mystery.


    Maybe they didn¡¯t nuke here because of the resources, including biological ones. But if they cared about that, why turn it into some sickly hellscape?


    I must¡¯ve been in shock, because what the hell was happening?? Normally, I¡¯d freak out and hide in my bathroom. No use overthinking it.


    Let¡¯s see if my village neighbors knew what was going on. Or at least, we could be lost together.


    On the way, I didn¡¯t find any other weird animals¡ªjust the usual wildcats, snakes, monkeys, and such.


    It seemed I was the lucky one to get a freakish skin forest outside my house. Not great for property value, unless that flabby stuff could be used in beauty care.

 Chapter 2 - The Village

    Entering the village, I found a bunch of people yelling at each other. Some I recognized, like the lying lady from the grocery store and the guy from the restaurant who liked to collect cards. Most were holding makeshift weapons, except for one.


    There was also the gossiping old couple. Normally, I avoided them because the last time I talked to them, I heard rumors that someone from the army was sent to spy on us¡ªlike I didn¡¯t have enough to deal with!


    As soon as they saw me with the shotgun at my side, some people stepped back. The policeman touched his revolver, not drawing it but making it clear he wouldn¡¯t let me get the first shot if things escalated.


    I put the safety back on Marlene and raised a hand, signaling I came in peace but wasn¡¯t handing over my gun.


    ¡°Hey, army guy, do you know what this horror show is?¡± the policeman asked, gesturing for everyone else to be quiet.


    Weird. Had they seen the oozing rodents too? From here, the skin forest looked more like an unnatural white forest¡ªnothing too creepy. What a difference an hour¡¯s walk made.


    ¡°Besides the pink-white forest and a weird mutated oozing rat, not much. Doesn¡¯t look like there¡¯s any of that here.¡±


    The gossiping lady cut in: ¡°Nah, some freaks in black vests took some of our people!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Maria. Let me handle this,¡± the policeman said, then continued: ¡°I shot at them, but they didn¡¯t seem fazed. Some weird black blood came out, but that¡¯s it. They were completely hidden in their stupid black vests.¡±


    Interesting. But what were they planning to do?


    ¡°Anything else?¡± I asked, trying to figure out the best course of action. Now we had black-robed beings abducting people.


    ¡°Besides them being really strong, not much. I¡¯ve been trying to keep these people safe.¡±


    He seemed to be doing a decent job, for sure.


    ¡°...there¡¯s something wrong with all the networks. Even my old radio isn¡¯t working¡±, the police officer added, it seems it''s not only me.


    The policeman looked around, as if noticing something for the first time: ¡°They only took the young people!¡±


    Hmm. ¡°That sounds like human trafficking. What are you guys going to do about it?¡±


    The policeman frowned, as if it were obvious: ¡°Could you help us find them? As you can see, I¡¯ve got my hands full.¡±


    "That is what happens when you don''t have a partner", I thought they worked in pairs.


    "Talk about it, Rodrigo got a promotion six months ago. The RH is still searching for someone who wants to work here, but it seems the only way in is by taking another government exam for new entrants."


    Right, so a bunch of old people want me to be their hero and investigate what these black-robed guys are up to. Really nice...


    Honestly, through all this bullshit, at least these black-robed assholes must know something about what''s happening here. And what if new mutated animals show up?


    These guys might be dead, but maybe not. What can I do to save them anyway?


    The group seemed a little scared¡ªmaybe not because of the rat, but the possibility of more abnormal things appearing. The policeman nodded and looked me in the eye.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t follow them for long, but they were heading toward an old gray building covered in black vines. Your guess is as good as mine about where that temple came from. Be careful".


    I nodded and waved goodbye to the group, gripping my shotgun. Glancing back as I headed in the direction the policeman had pointed.


    I needed to be careful. People in stressful situations might try to take Marlene from me. In all this chaos, I didn¡¯t want to be taken out by some crazy old man.


    That guy hadn¡¯t told the whole truth, or maybe he didn¡¯t want to scare the group further. But the thing was, it wasn¡¯t just the temple. The area around it was covered in a freaky skin forest. And, for God¡¯s sake, the guy must¡¯ve been colorblind because the temple was blood red, with dark red veins running through it. At least from this distance.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    As I walked toward the temple, further down the mountain...


    I¡¯d never seen this temple before, and it felt wrong. But the weirdest thing was that the village was at the base of the mountain, and from there, the land was flat for miles. There had never been a decline like this.


    A temple appearing out of nowhere? Okay, I could accept that. But the fact that it had displaced who-knows-how-many tons of earth and spawned weird skin forests? That was too much.


    I wanted to say that was the worst of it, but as I walked toward the temple, I saw something even more disturbing.


    The place was littered with corpses. Some looked like the oozing rats, but others were dogs as big as bulls. Some had skin that glittered like metal, resembling some kind of feline.


    The most numerous, aside from the rats, were humanoid monkeys with skeletal faces and no noses, their fur looking like feathers.


    Here and there, weird insects and critters were eating the corpses. Some were normal insects, but most looked too strange to be from here¡ªlike a spider with a painted face on its back.


    Weirder still, each corpse seemed drained of blood, reduced to a husk.


    I was starting to regret my decision to come here. But if these beasts were as strong as they looked, we were all screwed.


    Following the trail of corpses that led to the temple, I realized the path had been cleared of bushes and vegetation. The area looked ancient, with trash and debris scattered everywhere.


    It was like walking through a forgotten town. Nothing seemed useful... except for... what was this?


    Amid the rubble, something sparkled with a bluish light. It was small, about the size of a bead, crystalline like a gem. Getting rich was the least of my worries, but this could be useful¡ªmaybe for bartering or distracting the black-robed figures.


    As I pocketed it, the light vanished. I expected the bright glow to still shine through the fabric, but it didn¡¯t. Strange.


    Approaching the temple, two things stood out: the color scheme, which looked like an edgy vampire lord had designed it, and the sheer size of the place. It looked more like a king¡¯s palace than a temple.


    How and why would anyone bring this here? It made no sense. For the first time, I regretted living in the middle of nowhere.


    As I approached the palace, the smell of blood grew stronger, like a slaughterhouse.


    And like some hellish fragrance, the scent seemed to be coming from deep within the temple gates.


    I didn¡¯t want to go in there. A deep, primal part of me screamed that entering would be my end.


    As I wrestled with my inner conflict, a bright light flashed in my eyes, nearly blinding me. Looking around, I found the source: one of the hundreds of windows, where a light shone and then disappeared, like a signal.


    When it seemed to have my attention, the light moved through the shadows of the structure, guiding me. From there, I saw some ladders.


    ¡°Follow the light or enter the morgue?¡± I whispered to no one, shaking my head. It seemed I was going mad.


    But being mad was better than being dead. Still, I didn¡¯t feel lucky. With all the surrounding bodies, I¡¯d probably join them soon.


    I tried to be as sneaky as possible. There were no corpses around the palace, just in the surrounding forest.


    Speaking of the forest, it looked alien, but its structure still resembled normal vegetation¡ªjust with a weird appearance. I¡¯m no botanist, so maybe there was more to it.


    Quietly, I started climbing the ladders. The light from the window guided my way. Unlike the shiny stone I¡¯d found, this light resembled the glow of a star at night.


    Was I in a poetic mood? Whatever. Time to climb these ladders.


    Slowly, but surely, I climbed higher and higher. It reminded me of when I was a kid, but with much higher stakes. I tried not to look down; if I fell, I¡¯d become floor jelly.


    Maybe if the situation weren¡¯t so insane, I¡¯d be terrified. But damn, this was like a nightmare come to life. Compared to all this chaos, climbing seemed like the safest bet.


    It still felt like a trap.


    From what I could tell, the window the light was guiding me to was in the middle of the palace. It took longer than I expected to reach it.


    That¡¯s when it hit me as I got closer: the light faded. The room was pitch black, not welcoming in the least.


    I hadn¡¯t climbed all this way just to be afraid of the dark. Acting more on impulse than instinct, I jumped into the room.


    That was a mistake. The window was higher than I thought.


    To put it in perspective, this was the lower window, so the room¡¯s ceiling must¡¯ve been incredibly high.


    I landed on my arms, feeling them sprain and ache. They weren¡¯t broken, but they were definitely injured.


    ¡°Fuck, now I¡¯m hurt. Is anyone else here?¡±


    An eerie voice echoed from somewhere: ¡°...is anyone else here?¡±


    ¡°Very funny. Some echo bullshit going on?¡±


    ¡°...dost mine voice echo? That is enough, I thank thee,¡± the voice replied, sounding more alive but still unsettling.


    Now I could pinpoint where it was coming from¡ªa corner of the room. As I focused on it, a figure emerged. Numerous candles lit up with blue flames, revealing the being in the room.


    What I saw was not a person but a creature over four meters tall. It had light blue hair cascading down to its legs, two fluffy antennae protruding from its head, and a human-like face with no eyes¡ªjust smooth skin where they should¡¯ve been. It wore a red dress, its long arms crossed in front of its chest. Not only that, but it had six pairs of arms, all insect-like except for the top pair.


    Though somewhat humanoid, the creature¡¯s alien features didn¡¯t ease my instincts. I grabbed my shotgun, relieved to find it intact after the fall.


    The eerie creature spoke again: ¡°Thou hast no need for such weaponry; I come with a proposal for mutual gain. Thou hast need of a guide upon thy journey; I am in want of one to branch the path.¡±


    For the first time, I realized the creature wasn¡¯t speaking aloud¡ªit was communicating directly into my mind. Its mouth didn¡¯t move.


    It seemed I was about to become insect food. Or just brainwashed.

 Chapter 3 - Choice of the Desperate

    ¡°Education goes a long way,¡± I said, though it came out more as a groan.


    Not that I wanted to help this creature¡ªit might decide to take a bite out of me.


    ¡°You talk... differently. Can you be more clear? What the fuck is happening?¡±


    The creature tilted its head unnaturally, like a person trying to break their own neck.


    ¡°Methinks this a folly, the act of communion amongst beings for carnal desire would not aid us in our desires. Thou are in need of guide upon this perilous path; I am in want of one who might broaden mine own.¡±


    I admit the first sentence weirded me out, and I tried not to focus on it. Past all the gibberish, it seemed the creature could explain what was going on.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s happening? One moment I was living my life, and the next, the world went crazier than it already was.¡±


    The creature stared, two of its insect-like hands brushing its antennae. It took a few minutes before it answered, during which I felt exposed, as if the being was peering into my very soul.


    ¡°Ah, a lost human. If thou speaks truth, thy world shall soon synchronize with all that do exist, as the new beginning shall soon commence. Thou art one of the first of thy kind to do so of thine own accord, deemed by reality to be one of the last planets to partake.¡±


    It¡¯s not like books, movies, games, and all that nonsense would help in this situation. But all the fantastical media I¡¯d consumed helped me understand one thing:


    I¡¯m screwed. This kind of chaos is always dangerous. Maybe this wasn¡¯t some weird experiment. But that¡¯s what this creature was saying¡ªit could be lying.


    As if sensing my inner conflict, the creature released its antennae.


    ¡°Fear not for thy health; thou art one of the first of thy origin to synchronize with the beginning at the end. Thy path shall be freer than most of thy brethren. Empowered by both the power and duty of one such as thee, the ancients are still limitless. Yet thou, in thy insignificance upon such a stage, hast a chance to achieve supremacy. Microscopic as it may be, it is a chance nonetheless.¡±


    ¡°What??? This doesn¡¯t make sense. Okay, it makes some sense, but still, what the hell is going on?¡±


    The creature slowly walked toward me, as if I were a scared little animal.


    "Alright, what is this ritual all about?", I''m here to save people, save myself, if some black magic is needed so me be it.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    The creature moved faster, stopping near me, close enough for one of its insect arms to reach out.


    ¡°We shall commence with mingling thy being with essence, as little by little this boundless space do acclimate thy existence. First, I must prepare the ceremony, for such a splendid act demand its glory to be fulfilled in full measure.¡±


    Faster than anyone I¡¯d ever seen, the creature gathered items from all over the room. It seemed there were hidden compartments everywhere¡ªcabinets, wardrobes. The creature even handed me robes.


    They were too big for me, but I wasn¡¯t foolish enough to anger the creature.


    I set my bags down, my back screaming in protest. Maybe carrying my portable PC and accessories wasn¡¯t the best idea, but whatever¡ªbetter not to die of boredom.


    Stripping down to my underwear, I put on the robes, my bare feet meeting the cold ground. At least it was clean¡ªcleaner than my house.


    Sitting on the floor, using the robe¡¯s hem as a makeshift mat, I waited as the creature prepared the ceremony.


    That time was enough for exhaustion to set in, along with doubts about my sanity.


    Am I here to save people, save myself, or just trying to survive this madness?


    The initial thrill of something new and unexpected had long faded.


    Maybe some of the amazement remained as I watched the creature put the finishing touches on the ceremony. The setup was in the center of the room.


    I don¡¯t know how, but the place now looked like an altar with an enormous basin filled to the brim with a liquid that resembled water.


    All around it, candles and strange symbols created a ritualistic pattern. The color scheme matched the temple¡ªblood red with dark red accents.


    The eerie voice sounded again in my mind: ¡°The preparations art nigh complete. Thou art awaited in the cup, drenched in body and mind. The synchronization shall soon commence, and thou shalt be made whole.¡±


    I looked at the creature where its eyes should have been, raising an eyebrow. Should I thank it or not? If I died from this nonsense, it would be stupid to thank my own murderer.


    ¡°Thank you, uh... What¡¯s your name?¡±


    The creature blasted my mind with a flood of information, but amidst the chaos, I grasped something: Houonas.


    Which was kind of nonsense anyway.


    ¡°Got it. Thanks, Houonas.¡±


    A pair of the creature¡¯s insect-like hands clasped together. I didn¡¯t know if it was a gesture of acceptance, gratitude, or something else.


    No use delaying it. This seemed incredibly dangerous, but if Houonas was to be believed, I might get answers.


    And if I had one flaw, it was seeing things through to the end¡ªat least when they caught my attention.


    Be it stupid as they may.


    Slowly, I stepped onto the platform above the floor, my feet feeling its warmth. Trying to convince myself this wasn¡¯t some royal cooking pot, I dipped one foot into the liquid.


    It was slightly more viscous than water, like it had been mixed with salts. The temperature was warm. I turned to see the creature approaching the platform.


    Sitting in the basin, I felt like I was in a medieval bathtub. Watching all those sword-and-sorcery series must¡¯ve been good for something.


    This place really did look like a royal palace¡ªprobably the largest structure I¡¯d ever seen. Sadly, I¡¯d never seen a real one, so this might¡¯ve been abnormally huge even then.


    It was about the size of an entire district!


    The series I watched had castles the size of small cities, though.


    As I mused, the creature spoke to me again, directly into my mind.


    ¡°So it begins! Thou shalt soon be more than thou art. Thy candidacy shall be writ in blood and flesh, a testament to thy becoming.¡±


    What?! Candidacy?!


    Before I could respond, an ethereal symbol appeared in the air. The creature¡¯s arms moved in a dance-like motion, and a red light reflected in the liquid, engulfing my vision in crimson.

 Chapter 4 - The Space Never Looked So Beautiful

    They say that images are better than words. What could be better than images, then?


    Wisdom, directly to the brain!


    Soon, concepts invaded my mind. Oblivion, Genesis, a war of supremacy to create rulers for the new beginning.


    From the wretches to the most magnanimous king, anyone had a chance to reach it.


    Their "words." Not mine.


    Anyone who accepted the chance, though, was sentenced to death by the competition.


    It seemed that now I was one of them. Not entirely by my own volition. But Houonas didn¡¯t lie. The process, at least by the knowledge crammed into my mind, synchronized me with this reality, though I doubted it was the only way.


    It seemed I needed to see what the creature wanted out of me.


    New concepts began forming in my mind, concepts that found sustenance in the information already stored in my brain.


    Magic, technology, biology, and divinity.


    If I remember correctly, a greater grouping than constellations is called clusters. What will it be useful for? Who knows? That¡¯s probably my small knowledge of sci-fi talking. Whatever.


    Soon, everything changed. My vision narrowed to only one thing: a magnificent starry sky, unlike anything I had ever seen, even in the occasional astronomy documentaries.


    Now, the concepts hold real meaning.


    Each cluster of power sustained existence itself. A tapestry of them spawning endlessly.


    Concepts ingrained in me resonated like a starred sky within the tapestry, and soon the thought invaded my mind¡ªit soon became true.


    Concepts like the mutation in my adrenal glands resonated with biology¡¯s cluster: a gigantic amalgam of life¡ªtrees, animals, prey, predators, fungi, and bacteria.


    Technology, an inherent aspect of my way of life, resonated in a cluster of war machines, sprawling cities, pyramids, and planet-sized futuristic dreams that surpassed even the cyberpunk realm.


    Why not witness divinity in its glory and its maze-like creation? Looking at the cluster, it sprawled across everything I¡¯d ever known: the old sagas of the Vikings, the pantheons of Greece and Rome, even the belief in one true God with His army of angels.


    This cluster demanded only one thing: devotion to its sprawling infinity, ever-changing, ever-doubted, and ever-believed.


    Even the stubborn part of my beliefs lay there.


    I gazed at the remaining cluster.  Magic, unbridled and wild: flames, tornadoes, titans born from magic, the genesis of planets from stardust, and their destruction by a purple gravitational force that compressed a colossal orb into a dense, mega-compressed sphere.


    So much magic unfolded before me, like imagination itself¡ªchimeras born from will and magic. I stopped looking as a snake-like bird spawned, its corpse made of glass.


    Each of these pillars resonated with me, but which would define my new being?


    Wait. Define my new¡­ what?


    I tried to look at my body, but there was nothing¡ªjust the void of space, not even a trace of it.


    That wasn¡¯t entirely true. Not just the void. I was above a derelict throne, its color scheme matching the red palace.


    Soon, the throne began emitting a red light, launching a beam at the four sections of space¡ªthe four clusters.


    Almost all the infinite stars dimmed, fading away.


    The four remaining ones began approaching my view. Like an astrology documentary, my vision was sucked in, racing toward them at light speed.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.The only strange thing was that it seemed the opposite¡ªit wasn¡¯t me approaching them, but them approaching me.


    Soon, I realized they weren¡¯t single stars. Each looked like a constellation.


    As I gazed at them, lifelike projections appeared, much like the ones in the magic constellation.


    First, sprawling veins of fire, like molten lava, shifted into a body engulfed in flames, ending with arms where blood flowed like lava, flames erupting from cuts as if the blood itself were fire.


    Each constellation followed suit, solidifying into a single image.


    It was as if they were trying to create a concept I could understand¡ªits origin, its purpose, why it existed.


    I felt their core concepts forced into my mind. _Blood._ The liquid essence of life. The carrier of a being¡¯s DNA.


    I didn¡¯t know if this insight was meant for anyone in my situation or crafted solely for me. I¡¯d have to ask Houonas about it.


    If the blood-fire constellation symbolized magic, the others spun their own variations.


    Divinity showed an arm in the same position, blood endlessly flowing from its palm. Some of the blood pooled, almost taking on new forms, as if hinting at something greater.


    In technology, the arm changed. No blood flowed freely; instead, with each pump, the arm mutated in a controlled manner, growing stronger¡ªlike someone transforming into a steroid-fueled powerhouse in an instant. If anything, it promised controlled improvement.


    Lastly, but not least, as they say, there was biology. Here, blood erupted from the hand like a bud blossoming into a flower. The hand transformed¡ªsometimes into a bright red reptile claw, other times into a gorilla-like arm.


    Some changes were even more absurd: flowers blossoming with a pinkish-white hue, eerily similar to those outside my house and around the palace.


    They looked fragile, but I sensed something vile and pestilential lurking within. Deep down, I knew this wasn¡¯t a coincidence.


    Each pillar resonated with me, each offering a different promise of power. But each demanded something in return:


    Faith for divinity. Energy for magic. Vitality for biology. Mind for technology.


    Suddenly, something halted the constellations and made itself known.


    New stars appeared, the cluster taking my form. Each star resonated with one of the pillars, promising improvement: strength, dexterity, speed, regeneration¡ªthe enhancement of my very existence.


    Its concepts flooded my mind like a torrent of knowledge.


    This was the path each synchronized being would follow¡ªnormally.


    From the first constellation choice, other pillars would connect. In my case, the maximum was a constellation binding me to technology and biology.


    Maybe I wasn¡¯t religious enough, and sadly, the cut-finger trick didn¡¯t count as magic.


    This demanded introspection. Let¡¯s assess my situation: I¡¯m in a temple, part of some mumbo-jumbo ritual led by a human-insect hybrid. Villagers were captured by supernatural black-robed figures, and revolver shots did nothing for the creeps.


    And let¡¯s not forget the oozing rat that nearly gave me Rabies 2.0, or the swarm of weird creatures outside the temple.


    I didn¡¯t see the appeal of becoming a ¡°better me¡± right now. Sure, I had the adrenal gland mutation, but even that wasn¡¯t enough to put me on the frontline.


    Maybe some of my war buddies would thrive here. Carlos, for example, had three mutations: enhanced vision (God knows how)¡ªwhich he used to cheat while playing cards¡ªcarbon-like skin that required special needles to pierce, and a brain that could process information faster for a few seconds.


    Like everyone else, he didn¡¯t like sharing the details of what made him a mutant. We all took the shot for a new life¡ªa richer one, in my case¡ªthough it didn¡¯t work out so well.


    Simply put, it didn¡¯t interest me. Especially since it felt so restrictive. Enough about me.


    I could feel the chance to select any part of the clusters as my starting point, rather than being forced to expand from what already composed me.


    I wouldn¡¯t become a better version of myself, as some villagers might.


    Hmm. Is it possible to choose more than one starting point?


    As I focused on the magic constellation, a new connection formed between us. The four pillars¡¯ myriad of constellations shone again, obscuring the ones that defined my current existence.


    After a moment, more than three-quarters of the stars blinked out of existence. Still, a quarter of near-infinity was a significant sum.


    Each connection to a different cluster diminished the number of stars until I could almost count them in each pillar¡­ almost infinity, still impossible.


    It seemed the more clusters I chose, the more limited my path within each became.

 Chapter 5 - Power of Choice

    Not that it would make me weaker; probably not. However, I''m not even sure what the best constellations are. Did I have only this one chance to choose? Would they vanish forever? I didn''t know how much time I still had in this ritual, and there was no way for me to see each constellation to understand which ones to select.


    Nevertheless, maybe choosing a concept of life essence as guided by the throne could be my best bet at least to survive. A restricted path, but perhaps an optimal one¡ªa perfect choice for someone lost as hell like me. Sometimes linear beats an open path filled with randomness.


    So be it. I choose four constellations. Better to live with a mistake than die with another good choice.


    As my being connected to the chosen stars, I was surprised: It wasn''t each constellation entirely but only one star in two cases¡ªsmaller almost-blinked-out stars got connected instead of entire constellations. Two other stars shone like they had something special about them.


    In a constellation near the magic pillar, there was a star that projected an image¡ªa droplet of blood on fire. Anyone with at least one brain cell would understand what it meant, and as soon as I realized its significance, my connection to the star deepened.


    I knew how to fucking use this!


    The situation is worse than some grimdark fantasies I''ve read about; at least I''m not suffering in a hole somewhere.


    Fuck, why did I need to think about that shit?! Focus on the freaky magic¡ªlet''s get freaky. Yes, Henrique, let''s get freaky. One more cool star to go.


    As I focused on another big star, "big" didn''t seem fitting anymore; it needed a better name. Magic star? Too childish, like some weird European children¡¯s show. Soon the outline of magic... magic spell... Starspell? Spellstar? Let''s get practical: Spellstar it is.


    My brain settled on that name because all my attention was now focused on the Spellstar. It projected such a simple image¡ªa drop of blood intersected by a line, soon forming half droplets becoming whole in just seconds. The process repeated itself in an endless loop.


    It didn¡¯t take more than a moment as the connection deepened; I understood how to do it. The weaker stars'' connections were solid and final even if not quite as strong as Spellstar''s.


    The constellation of all connected stars looked like a blur in space, confusing my brain whenever I tried to count them. Only the concept remained clear.


    Soon, reality came back into focus.


    ---


    I felt another bound making itself known¡ªthin but firm¡ªand then fading into the background. Weirdly enough, my eyes were already open and gazing at a strange figure resembling Houonas. If anything could be summed up in one word for this change, it would be "human." Don''t get me wrong; the creature still had three pairs of arms. However, they now seemed straighter and more human-like¡ªnormal-sized if not slightly longer. Their body was even more humanoid-looking: stockier with light red skin and vermilion hair, but still tall as hell.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    The greatest change, however, was Houonas face. The creature now had a pair of eyes! They were weirdly round and beady, entirely white without pupils.


    Houonas sat deep in thought on a chair, holding a book in one hand while fluffing its antennae with another. After a few seconds, the figure turned to me like an apparition. Their mouth opened into what seemed more of a smile than the feral grin I had expected.


    "Thee has awoken," the creature said and got up to make an unnerving curtsy that would have earned him 10/10 in any etiquette class. "Do not be distraught by mine appearance. Thus, thine synchronization affected me as well. Mine paltry illusion became sublime reality!"


    Their weird way of speaking was starting to feel less strange¡ªlike when you play a medieval game and their speech starts feeling natural.


    "So your previous form was an illusion? Why?" The whole insect vibe had given me some clues, but I figured small talk before diving into the meatier topics seemed like a good idea. "It is customary in the Ecclesiastical Order. Shared by many different faiths throughout known domains, our appearance showed time pastime to generate fear and even disgust among your kind."


    "Humanoid? Did you see any other people?" Maybe some of the villagers had arrived too.


    ""People? Nay, mine speech doth not pertain to thee within this sanctified domain. My utterances be aimed at those abominations - the lycanthropic simians, the verminous rat-men, and the revered Erythocetes himself. Weremonkeys... maybe they were some of those dead guys outside. Better to make sure. So I asked Houonas, finally noticing something: the creature was now using his mouth more like a feminine one than before.


    "Weremonkeys are known for their resourcefulness¡ªless so compared to the venerable Erythocetes but far greater than that of wererats. Their domain lies in the forests around the palace and beyond; rarely do they venture into our hallowed halls."


    "Less akin to sentient beings than beasts, the wererats dwell deep beneath the earth, abhorring the harsh rays of sunlight. Hence, owing to their mutual aversion to light, Erythocetes did employ these creatures to labor within the palace''s catacombs and mines." Taking a breath that seemed forced and unnatural, Houonas continued.


    "The venerable Erythocetes are not the sole kind known for their vital synergy with blessed blood. Thy visage doth bear a striking resemblance to theirs, yet with notable disparities: mouths full of fangs, encircled by tiny suction cups upon teeth as pure and white as porcelain; hollows at the end of each fang and cup."


    "Endowed with minds beyond the norm, they communicate through mind-speech as doth mine own kin. Our shared eloquence hath forged a facile path for their acceptance of our Ecclesiastical Order, swiftly establishing this blessed palace! So deeply are we connected to all that exists!"


    This was too much information.


    "Houonas, you don''t look like any of these beings... and I''m thankful for your help. But what''s your deal with me? Why do you care?"


    Soon the creature started fluffing its antennae again. "Mine desires are but to act in accordance with the faith I have learned during this existence. Thus, by mine belief in thee and thine promise of burgeoning power, mine strength shall ascend like a booming thunder following light for all eternity! Alas, my actions stem from fear derived from a fleeting time as the last vestiges of reality merge into oblivion, that new genesis may be created."


    "... What? New Genesis?"


    "Genesis simply is. Mine words be spoken by faith, guided by facts. As how doctors analyze sickness to find cures, or blacksmiths gaze upon their creations; ''tis anathema! Genesis remains genesis, oblivion remains oblivion¡ªour blood is our own!"


    Great, so Houonas was either a zealot or some sort of fraudulent priest. Nothing new here.


    It''s not like I can believe anyone without proof in this world. But if you want to live smartly, get practical clues about the reality around you. Like how to act when coming home and avoid being robbed, which places have better discounts¡ªthings like that.


    Priorities are key here. So let¡¯s talk magic first. Practical things come later.

 Chapter 6 - A Taste of Magic

    So soon, I explained the whole shenanigans of space magic and supernatural existence, this nirvana-like experience I had.


    At first, I feared that Houonas didn''t understand anything I said. But then it started clasping its palms and moving them like some sort of cartoon villain planning a new evil plot. I pray my gut is right, and they got what I was talking about.


    "Thine concept of existence is most wondrous," Houonas began, "to view the connection to existence as stars in the night sky. Just beautiful!"


    However, it seemed that Houonas could tone down their enthusiasm a bit. "Mine concepts diverge from thee. As most of mine kind, my connection to existence itself is one of faith¡ªour singing mind chorus, each verse a fragment of existence, a way to understanding and power if one so desires."


    Houonas whispered this last part more to themselves than to me: "A shard..."


    Slowly, the creature pulled out a gemlike crystal from its vest. It looked exactly like the one I had received before¡ªbluish light emanating from it. But now, I felt something different coming from it.


    "Plead thy mercy," Houonas said softly, "but I could not control the urge to appraise such a shard. To learn its story if it desired so."


    "Such tiny things engrave their existence in something so raw. They can be used for more than just being consumed by ones like thee to increase connection to existence and search for power. Used as raw materials, their existential energy creates something more¡ªreleased to their proper form, whether an item reborn or a mimicry of themselves."


    Houonas handed the shard back to me gingerly, its palm grasping mine as it released it.


    "This one is just in its simplest form," Houonas continued. "Its existential energy can help thee connect better with technology and science¡ªor any other purpose thou wishest for so long as they be aligned with existence."


    Hm, interesting. Does this work like some of those pills in movies that unlock beyond the 10% brain processing? Later I learned it was fake science, but who knows¡ªmaybe it will work.


    "So, what do I do with it?"


    Houonas tilted its head to one side, and its unnerving eyes focused on me. "It saddens me," Houonas said softly. "The last of mine shards had been used in our process of synchrony. The process is not hard by itself but helps if thee already learned how to resonate the choir with reality, thus creating the supernatural itself ."


    A bunch of fluffy words, but that kind of remember me something.


    "Do you mean the spell from the Spellstar?"


    As soon as I finished speaking, Houonas started fluffing its antennae. Sometimes that thing grows numb with all this touching.


    An image is better than a thousand words, and action is better than a thousand videos¡ªthe phrase didn''t work on my social media but works for me. Time to get out of the basin anyway.


    I''m not looking forward to cutting myself or boiling alive, so I''ll start with the Divine spell.


    The process was simple as long as you knew how to do it. It felt like learning to feel something entirely numb in your entire life¡ªbe that because it didn''t exist before, or because you never got a feeling for it.


    Like some sort of gaseous or liquid substance percolating through my being¡ªif I let myself feel, I could sense it.


    Instead of letting my body work on this automatically like breathing, I took control and did it manually. For me, that''s what it felt like¡ªso I did just that.


    With the knowledge from my connection with the Spellstar, I used the spell. It felt raw, expensive, slow, inefficient¡ªlike using a C4 to break a nut.


    Nevertheless, I think it will work.


    Pocketing my shard, I focused on the spell. From the middle of my right palm, a drop of blood appeared. I cleaned it with my other hand; there was no wound or scratch.


    I showed my left hand to Houonas and did the spell again. Soon, the drop pooled together under gravity''s pull and flowed downwards onto the floor.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    It felt like the dumbest magic ever seen¡ªlike some stigmata bullshit.


    Ha! But it doesn''t stop here.


    Houonas took some distance, much like I did, seeming to anticipate what I was about to do. However, they moved farther back than I had. So I obliged and did the same¡ªwhether they were a religious fanatic or a charlatan, they at least knew more about these existential shenanigans than I did.


    Taking hold of the connection I had with the blood pooling on the floor, I channeled my energy and willed it to burst into flames.


    Soon, crimson flames erupted from the floor like a flaming bomb, the size of a watermelon. The air shifted, unbalancing me, and the heat stung my face and body¡ªnot enough to singe, but enough to bring tears to my eyes.


    It felt hotter than the gasoline-fueled bonfires I¡¯d made with the guys.


    Taking a few steps back from the blood, I lost some of my energy¡ªif my reservoir is my body, I lost my hand and wrist of energy.


    Sadly¡ªor happily¡ªthe flames stopped after a few seconds. They had run out of fuel. For a moment, I thought the spell was simple in imagination until I saw the scorched floor¡ªsome sort of woody brown stone that became blackened by the fire''s heat.


    Yes, little Henrique¡ªwe have a shot at becoming a fucking magician. Let someone try to reveal it as just a trick.


    Back on topic: my crimson flames made me lose more energy¡ªan arm or shoulder length worth. A cool crimson flame for an arm of energy? Worth it¡ªI didn''t even need to hurt myself.


    Houonas finally stopped and looked at the now-extinguished flames, "Intriguing," Houonas said with a smile. "To be pleased with a synergy of choirs in just thy first act! Thou showest promise."


    Makes sense¡ªthe energy part.


    I took out the shard again and focused on it. If I lost some energy, maybe taking some from the shard would give it back.


    It soon started; the energy rose in my hands but vanished as soon as I thought it would recharge me. Soon, star clusters appeared like a daydream.


    The energy wanted to flow¡ªbut no¡ªit was more than just energy; its essence needed guidance.


    I guided it toward the constellation I chose from the technology cluster. A new connection formed¡ªa new star¡ªand the energy flowed in an instant.


    No signal of the star¡ªthough I felt the connection, and it worked.


    Soon as it finished, I returned to normal. The weight of the shard vanished with its essence itself.


    Cool¡ªI didn''t feel like in a trance or endorphins pumping through me; just breathing naturally, doing what I was meant to do. Yes¡ªthat felt right.


    Houonas made another creepy smile and said nothing more.


    So now I''m a magician with a shotgun¡ªtime for some heroic shenanigans.


    "I don¡¯t want to be that guy," I''m trying that is, "but... Houonas, do you have any shards to lend me? I need them to save people from the weirdos in black robes¡ªthe kidnappers."


    Houonas finally made another face; its mouth curved downwards like a sad clown.


    "Just said mine last shard has been used for our synchronization," it replied while touching its antennae. "Such an incident that happened to thy kind must be due to invaders¡ªnewcomers to this domain. It saddens me their work bears fruit already."


    "Nevertheless, the stalemate is broken¡ªthe nine heirs shall soon commence the final battle against these invaders¡ªa mist ever obscuring them."


    "This is thy chance for supremacy! Seize the Palace!" Houonas shook its hands like a motivational coach with extra humph from all those arms.


    Fanatical clerk coach¡ªha!


    Still, I need all the help I can get. Time to beg again: "Do you have anything that could be of help? Like some food, water, or a map?"


    Houonas suddenly stopped still and went to search cabinets and storages around the place. While waiting for them to find something useful, I tried not to feel anxious.


    Soon, Houonas showed up with a weird granite tile¡ªsome writing in an unknown tongue was etched on it.


    "I present thee one relic of this palace," Houonas said softly. "Use thy energy, so its blueprint appears before thee. Do not be afraid of consuming it¡ªit is no shard."


    I took the granite tile, and as Houonas had said, using my energy made the thing work¡ªthough magical by nature, it looked like a tablet with shades of black, gray, and white but still useful.


    As soon as I used it, the language changed to mine: Portuguese, English¡ªeven Mandarin. Not that I knew much of the latter.


    I only had one word for this place: enormous.


    The Palace itself was vast¡ªrooms upon rooms, saloons, gardens¡ªa gigantic cooking complex, armory and stores, training grounds, a library, throne room, sewers¡ªand even cave mines!


    Each area had its own weird symbol of skulls with long fangs instead of teeth.


    As I glanced at Houonas again, they spoke: "Thou must have noticed the heir emblem¡ªeach an heir candidate bound to this palace. Thine is one of many rooms hidden from all but thee¡ªa sanctuary for three days."


    Houonas touched its antennae and continued softly: "Thus rarely shall they waste their time in such enterprise to look at you, when so many heirs draw breath. Nevertheless, such occasion will arise¡ªwhen limited by physical means, the palace sends you here where your inheritance is contested."


    "Till only an heir remains¡ªthe succession continues. Do not believe or trust anyone who does not swear fealty to thee and synchronize with thy existence; seek ones that be of help¡ªand they shall aid as do I."


    Houonas lowered its head, voice husky: "Nevertheless¡ªdo not lose hope. I am the last of my colleagues to reach these venerated grounds¡ªall others are servicing an heir. With intruders'' success, none will survive¡ªtheir vile desire to rule and dethrone the blood''s will. Even if my fellows accept losing what they gained and synchronize with thee¡ªbe cautious.''


    "Do you have anything more? Where is the best place to get supplies?"


    "As one summoned not long ago, to keep the natural order against the ones that desire to subvert. I did not dare leave the premises of this place as I shall do my duty thus. A duty to thee."


    "Alright, thanks," it seems that is useful as Houonas will get.


    For someone so big, I hoped they would volunteer to fight at my side. Whatever.


    Now it''s time to act.


    Changing into my old clothes and taking Marlene for a stroll, I psyched myself up. Time to put the army training into practice¡ªremembering almost nothing about it except basic stuff. But now¡ªI''m a magician. Time to get freaky.

 Chapter 7 - There Will be Rats

    Leaving the room, I felt my palm sweating, and my grip on the shotgun tightened. A part of me wanted to go back to my house and take some supplies, especially water. My tongue felt like sandpaper.


    According to the tile relic, I was in a section of the palace where bedrooms and various other rooms were located. Part of me hoped that some creature would show up, looking for a spray of bullets on their head. But as I passed through each room, it seemed deserted. No luck with water either; the faucets in the bathrooms had been drained.


    I didn¡¯t take this personally, but I couldn¡¯t help feeling a little frustrated. Dammit!


    The place looked looted¡ªlike a bunch of robbers or crack addicts had taken over and turned it into their playground. Torn clothes, destroyed furniture, broken glass¡ªnothing had escaped their wrath. Everything pointed to druggies, except for the absence of feces. So yes, no fighting the addicts.


    It took hours just to check each room; my sense of size was completely off. This place felt bigger than a district, with red and dark red dominating the color scheme¡ªthe only exception being the wooden, stony maroon floor. The palace had an endless series of stairs going up and down, like some medieval hotel building complete with chandeliers and all that jazz. All fit for more than Houonas sized people, big as hell.


    No wonder no one cleaned this mess¡ªit was too vast for anyone to handle. In hindsight, it made sense that no one would be here. By what Houonas said, the heir to this place should be me, and I needed to remain incognito for now. So there wasn¡¯t much point in searching these rooms again¡ªthe scavengers had already looted all they could, until I showed up to the others heir tiles.


    If the intruders¡ªthose black-robed guys¡ªhad caused all this chaos, they probably had already done a thorough check-up or started here. The nearest places from my current location were the cooking complex, library, and saloons¡ªall located on the top floors like where I was now.


    Soon enough, I reached the exit of my area. As expected, there was an enormous wall made of the same material as the floor¡ªstrange design choices indeed. Where did they get so much material? It looked to be from a single tree, with no signs of boards or composite materials used in construction.


    I had no idea how expensive it would be to buy this place. Not that I intended to sell it after becoming its owner¡ªI needed not to die first for that to happen. Houonas hadn''t said anything about selling the palace, but I wasn¡¯t foolish enough to think I could do so without consequences.


    Talking about money, I still hadn¡¯t found any of those precious shards. One way to get them would be from someone''s corpse¡ªHouonas implied this much. Easier said than done; while I might have a chance against some rats, taking on the intruders seemed more daunting.


    There were even these leeches called Erythocetes, probably the strongest creatures here.


    Now for the big question: which place to go next?


    For my sanity and thirst, the choice was clear¡ªthe kitchen!


    My body felt like lead; after all that walking up and down, my legs ached. Carrying a shotgun didn¡¯t help either. At least I had left my camping bag in my room, only carrying the shoulder-bag with ammo.


    The ritual refresh my body, even though I felt fatigued after all this seach. Still worth it, especially since these past hours seemed to have topped up my energy through natural regeneration¡ªa beautiful thing indeed.


    Walking across the intersection of this great wooden wall, I tried to keep noise levels down. Here, there was no hope of not encountering anyone. According to the map, it seemed to be the main way of crossing between areas.


    From what I could see, the illumination came from things resembling light bulbs far away enough that it wasn¡¯t clear how they worked but provided adequate lighting nonetheless.


    Still, if everything blacked out I still have my phone flashlight.


    Suddenly, as I approached the end, a group of abominations appeared¡ªlike some kind of targeted missile running in my direction with uncanny precision. Their rat-like noses were bigger than half my face¡ªa mix from hell between a gray sewer rat and something ugly beyond belief. Crooked teeth like someone had mashed their heads with a hammer.


    Of average height and build, they wore clothes that looked like potato sacks sewn into makeshift miner garb¡ªexcept for the one in the back, who wore a strange brown skinsuit. Not only was it a skinsuit, but the material also looked like leathery skin.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Two of them held pickaxes; another carried a shovel. The last one wasn¡¯t even wearing any clothes but was wrapped in dirt instead.


    Freezing up and letting them make the first move wouldn''t work, so I lifted my shotgun as the nearest creature approached within range and pulled one of the triggers.


    The shot sprayed into the bastard¡¯s body¡ªhis skin didn¡¯t seem resistant to lead pellets that penetrated his flesh. The creature fell to the ground, the blood flowing like a fountain, the cretin spasming from blood loss.


    His companions continued their charge without hesitation; I didn''t wait and targeted another one right in the head. His face exploded like a broken watermelon of red, white, and gray.


    No time for fooling around as I walked back while sliding my forearm to eject the spent shells. But the shovel rat wasn¡¯t done yet¡ªhe jumped forward with his metal shovel aimed at my head.


    Adrenaline surged through me; legs followed commands as I leaped aside. The air moved past my arm hairs, showing how close he had come to hitting me.


    Crouching down, a soccer ball-like object shot from the side¡ªpanic set in and I blocked it with the shotgun.


    The impact hurt like hell¡ªthe brown ball exploded into a cone of dirt that hit my left arm, causing it to bleed profusely. You give me blood; I get ideas.


    Flaming ones.


    Using the divine spell again, I doubled down on this gamble¡ªthe wound giving me double the bloody prize. Karate-chopping the air generated momentum as the blood pooled in my skin flew forward toward the rat shovel enthusiast.


    The critter twitched its nose, smelling blood on his fur¡ªnow for the final aroma. Without delay, crimson flames erupted around him; the creature screeched like mad.


    Both spells consumed an arm¡¯s worth of energy each. Strangely enough, the flames kept growing bigger with every passing second as the rat fell to the ground in agony and convulsions.


    The spell continued consuming more of my energy while a dirty rat watched his fellow being burn alive¡ªlike some kind of trance.


    My adrenaline kept pumping; I didn¡¯t want to waste this opportunity. Running toward the shotgun, one eye on Marlene and another on the burning rat, I noticed that screeching stopped as almost half of my body¡¯s worth of energy was consumed, the crimson flames snuffed out like they had run empty.


    The dirty rat broke his trance, running at me with a ball forming in his hand¡ªconsuming earthy material and dirt around him.


    Son of a bitch¡ªI changed direction and did almost a drift with my shoes while lifting an arm to cast another divine spell, pumping more blood into the mix. The rat used its pea brain and jumped at me, betting that he would hit me first.


    I threw a looping punch as I leaped to my right, trying to give him less surface area for his attack. Smart move¡ªhis ball whizzed past my shirt. I too missed my punch entirely due to instinctive head movement on the rat¡¯s part.


    That''s alright.


    "Some-blood-in-your-eyes," left my lips in synchrony with an open-handed spray of blood onto the creature''s face. The bastard only had a second before flames erupted, enveloping his entire head as he scratched at it desperately trying to peel off skin and flames.


    There was no use waiting; I dashed toward him while spraying more blood on his burning body until he became nothing but ash in the ground. My energy fumes were nearly depleted¡ªcutting the spell short seemed like a wise choice now.


    Taking a deep breath, I smelled the acrid aroma of burned meat mixed with pungent rat stench. In that moment, something moved at what remained of the dirty rat¡ªa postmortem reaction as his body contracted in itself and emitted light enveloping it.


    What was left behind was a crystal emitting red hues¡ªno doubt another shard. The smooth sensation of this crystalline wonder fell into place; another light erupted from one of the rats I had shot earlier, convulsing throughout our battle.


    Concentrating all essence in yet another shard, this time there wasn¡¯t any distinct hue but weaker refraction around its transparent crystal.


    With both shards snuggly in hand, it was time to consume them.


    Maybe Houonas¡¯s words were true; the shards held more than just energy within their cores.


    But did I have a chance of getting back to ask? More importantly, could I explore here without being followed by hordes of rats?


    I didn¡¯t think so.

 Chapter 8 - A Vampire and Wererats Unlikely Farming Partnership

    As I consumed the shard of the dirty rat, the essence was pulled from the magical star cluster. I didn¡¯t see why I shouldn¡¯t let it go.


    Soon, the same effect I had experienced with the technology shard before happened again. A new connection formed¡ªnot enough to show me a star, but enough to feel it taut, similar to the one in the technology cluster.


    The shard soon vanished from my hand. One gone, one more to go.


    The pickaxe rat''s shard felt strange. It had no stronger pull on any of my constellations.


    Rubbing my two brain cells together sparked a flash of insight. I supposed this was the other cluster I had skipped, the one tied to my existence.


    This type of shard needed a name. I could call it neutral, base, plain, dull, or even "me shard." It¡¯s not like I have time to waste on these things right now, so let¡¯s call it basic.


    The basic shard didn¡¯t have any particular pull to my constellations. However, right now, I need power¡ªa team of rats has already beaten me up.


    So, the shortest path to getting one star, hopefully a spellstar, is through the magic or technology shards.


    I already got a magic spellstar. There¡¯s a chance I could get another one, or maybe I only get one in each constellation. Houonas really isn¡¯t much of a teacher.


    But I¡¯m not even sure if the technology tree would give me any spell in the next star.


    Nah. The magical spell was really useful; it¡¯s worth a try to pump it up.


    Consuming it takes but an instant. As the last traces of the shard vanished, I feared it wouldn¡¯t be enough.


    The stellar shine banished such thoughts. Sadly, the star didn¡¯t show any sort of spell image.


    However, my body felt different¡ªnot exactly my body, but my energy.


    It became more concentrated, like someone adding extra lemons to a lemonade. The feeling was substantial. I didn¡¯t know the exact numbers, but it felt like two arms¡¯ worth of energy.


    Taking my body into consideration, maybe it¡¯s around twenty percent?


    Anyway, now it¡¯s just me with a bleeding arm and a bunch of dead rats.


    It seemed to already be coagulating, though.


    Even after they roughed me up, I couldn¡¯t stop wondering how these critters found me.


    Rats are known to have good noses, so maybe they¡¯re like trained dogs. A human like me running around didn¡¯t take a genius to find strange.


    I didn¡¯t like the way my brain was working. Taking a look at the filthy rags the wererats called clothes didn¡¯t help either.


    Not many options, and if I wanted to stick to my plan of going to the cooking complex, I needed to go right now.


    Taking out my ammo bag, I used my shirt as a makeshift bandage for my left arm. It looked quite stupid, but I didn¡¯t want these filthy rags touching my wound.


    Between the two unburned rags, I chose the one from the headshot rat. The blood still pooled in the top part, but it had less blood overall.


    The other rag, I tried a quick experiment, but it didn¡¯t work. Rat¡¯s blood sadly didn¡¯t make any crimson flames.


    It seems my blood is essential. I¡¯ll try another species, though, if the opportunity arises.


    Last but not least, I rescued my damsel in distress, ready for action.


    Marlene is a little roughed up, scratched like a cutting board, but still in working order. I topped it up with some ammo and slung it over my good arm.


    Taking a quick look with the tile relic, I checked the way to the cooking complex and bolted from the rat corpses.


    I didn¡¯t know how much time I had, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s short.


    ---


    I knew this place was huge, but damn, did it have to be this big?


    To reach the cooking complex, I¡¯m crossing intertwining paths, like some sort of in-between place between the sectors. Resembling a highway tunnel, the material is the same maroon wood, again without any sign of fractures or boards. It felt like I was inside a tree.


    It didn¡¯t have any normal decoration.


    Ah, unless you counted the bodies as such.


    The place looked like a war zone, bodies strewn across like garbage, some bloodstains painting the walls without any corpses underneath. Most of them had rags below.


    My guess is that these either got removed or became shards.


    Aside from the offal, blood, organs, and bones sometimes strewn about, the corpses that remained somewhat intact were mostly wererats.


    The buggers are almost all gray, but among them, I could see some brown ones, and in even lower numbers, two blacks and one white.


    After that, there are some sort of obese doglike beasts, the size of a bull. Most of them seemed to be husks without any blood. The same goes for some metallic-furred felines.


    That¡¯s when it hit me. They¡¯re the same species as the one I found near the castle. Less deteriorated, in a way¡ªmore fresh.


    Looking at the place, I can¡¯t shake the impression that something is missing from the scene.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.These shards must make the life of crime scene investigators a living hell, or body snatchers, maybe both.


    I don¡¯t know why someone would take out bodies, though. Nothing here seemed edible. Maybe the dog and feline ones, obviously only in an emergency.


    The bodies didn¡¯t give me any comfort, but I have a plan, and I will finish it.


    Obviously, I also took the time to find something useful, especially shards.


    Distantly, I could hear a cacophony of sounds, growing louder bit by bit. I hadn¡¯t heard it in many situations. I was never a frontline guy myself, but it¡¯s not every time a situation is under control.


    In these situations, I acted more like a civilian, and in battle, the most a civilian does is see and hear, slowly increasing their own fear.


    I¡¯m no different, but nothing that adrenaline can¡¯t help with.


    It¡¯s not something I want to rely on all day. As they say, health is about balance. If they don¡¯t say it, they should¡ªit¡¯s a great phrase.


    I didn¡¯t want my heart exploding and all that.


    With my blood pumping, I moved fast and stealthily. No reason not to take a look before a fight.


    I¡¯d prefer it, actually¡ªjust look and no fighting.


    Taking an intersection, the sound escalated quickly. The sound of metal and crushed flesh.


    Screeches, barking, screams¡ªmaking the battle sound more like a frenzy in a barn than a battle itself.


    No sooner had I seen a silver swish cutting the air and rat both, one screech ceasing, erupting in a bleeding, profound scar on its neck. A second later, the wound increased in size, erupting even larger, almost cleaving the wererat¡¯s head.


    As soon as the silver flesh returned to its wielder, I got a better look at it.


    The thing looked like a metallic vine. No, not a vine¡ªa whip. Something I could only remember seeing in some games. No sane person would use this in a fight.


    That¡¯s the thing¡ªthe being wasn¡¯t a person. Although the creature is humanoid, wearing silklike clothes like a noble from medieval times, it disregarded the use of armor.


    Resembling a man, its face had a critically inhumane aspect. More than the pale pallor, the creature¡¯s mouth is bigger than half its head.


    Fangs protruded from it, like a lamprey¡¯s. Unlike the animal, the fangs were long. How the hell did they fit inside?!


    This creature looked elegant, towering over the wererats. Dashing, even with its monstrous appearance, its hair tied in a man bun with red lacing.


    Complementing its vest with multiple shades of red, that guy is really an enchanting prince from hell¡ªat least he thinks he is.


    A monstrous pale guy that looks like a bloodsucker? Yeah, that¡¯s probably one of the Erythocetes.


    Houonas should have described them as vampires, although they¡¯re way uglier and more monstrous.


    At its side, what could only be described as oversized fat dogs, their red collars twinkling with fresh blood as they feasted on one of their furred enemies.


    The other army consisted of a horde of wererats, with no sign of the oozing mice, though.


    I kind of had a hypothesis that they were friends or some kind of pets.


    Instead of the oozing mice, their company had metallic felines, their green eyes sometimes glimpsing at me but always returning to their nearest enemies.


    The wererats came in various colors, most of them gray, with fewer brown, black, and white-furred ones.


    Strangely, an orange-furred one seemed out of place with its brethren, its color attention-seeking. It didn¡¯t take long to identify it as their leader.


    Wielding a hammer with a crimson crystal for its head, the thing was oversized for the wererat, being almost half its size.


    The being didn¡¯t care, moving it with effort. Each swing met the floor with a thunderous boom or, when lucky, hit the oversized fat dogs, while the vampire moved gracefully out of the way.


    When unlucky, its buddies took the brunt of the hit, with wererats crushed into raw meat.


    The rats didn¡¯t stop coming to their leader¡¯s aid, though, working like some macabre armor of bodies, absorbing the damage from all the vampire¡¯s attacks.


    Soon, I noticed where these guys were coming from. Just ahead, there was another intersection, with new wererats flooding in like a plague.


    If these paths weren¡¯t so large, I¡¯d be swimming in rat¡¯s blood.


    Neither of the two leaders seemed to notice or care about me, too entertained by their deadly dance.


    Not only that, but the bastards also had something shiny on their fingers from time to time. In the wererat¡¯s case, its buddies dropped it into its mouth, its hands preoccupied with wielding the hammer.


    The vampire used its agility to the fullest, grasping the shiny things from the floor, sometimes even using its whip to help.


    Shards were raining like candy.


    Obviously, the feast was all sponsored by the dead creatures dropping like morbid leaves in fall.


    I almost felt pity for the poor suckers¡ªalmost.


    Because just near me, I found that the rain wasn¡¯t only raining prizes on them. Between the corpses just ahead, still far from the mayhem, lights were shining.


    Time to make some company for these lonely shards.

 Chapter 9 - Battlefield Scavenger

    First, I did a double-check on myself.


    Marlene? Charged.


    Energy? Half-tank and rising.


    Water? Yes, please¡ªwith a slice of lemon.


    Am I forgetting to save the poor villagers?


    Almost. But if I¡¯m dead, I can¡¯t save anyone. It¡¯s like self-esteem¡ªfirst, love yourself so you can love others. Survive long enough to actually do it and be a hero for some people.


    Alright, I¡¯m psyched up. No more self-talk. Time to get freaky.


    Because, my God, these bastards are getting stronger¡ªfaster than gym rats on roids. No side effects, and full of supernatural juice.


    Each new swing from the vampire becomes less about increasing the wounds of the bleeding targets and more like a full-blown second attack in itself.


    A scratch transforms into a full-blown open fracture in a second. A deep cut becomes an explosion of blood a moment later.


    The orange bastard didn¡¯t look any less dashing, his swings becoming faster and faster. Less like a toddler with a foam hammer and more like a child with a plastic one. I honestly wouldn¡¯t want to be the target of that crystal.


    At least until I topped up with some of these shards.


    Looking like a carrion crown, I slowly started increasing my shiny hoard.


    It was almost like a rainbow¡ªif that rainbow were made of only shades of red and green, and obviously a pile of translucent light.


    Getting nineteen shards, I felt like a little cheater.


    That feeling passed as soon as I glanced at the mayhem happening just a little way ahead.


    I need this. Otherwise, I don¡¯t stand a chance of surviving.


    Yeah, I could run, but that could also mean the end of me. These freaks are getting stronger every moment, though strangely, the chaos seems to be slowing down.


    Whatever.


    I almost increased my haul, but the metallic felines¡ªlet¡¯s call them tigers, though their ears were almost double the size of a normal tiger¡¯s, but their muzzles looked similar¡ªkept staring at me as I went for more shards.


    When I reached a certain distance from the fight, they started moving in my direction. As I stepped back, they returned to the mayhem.


    They acted like bouncers at this match¡ªonly enter if you want to play.


    On the bright side: five red shards, three green ones, and eleven translucent.


    Already a good distance from the clash, I started consuming the magic and biological shards¡ªlet¡¯s call them bio shards. The basic ones I¡¯d use depending on the result.


    Using two magic shards, I expected to gain a star outright, since I¡¯d only needed two shards to increase my magic constellation before. The third one worried me more, but the fourth one did it.


    A new star formed, connecting to my constellation. Sadly, just a normal star again. At least I got an increase in my energy. And I won¡¯t bet my life on it, but the energy seemed a little more¡ªlike not just a 20% increase on the base I had, but 20% on the total I had. Like some sort of magical compound interest.


    Good for the conflict I¡¯m already planning to participate in.


    Bad because I wanted a fucking new spell.


    I consumed the last magical shard, and a strained connection to a new star in the constellation soon formed.


    A little pissed, I consumed the bio shards.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.One shard, and I already felt the connection taut. I didn¡¯t know if consuming more than necessary would waste the essence of the shard or something like that, so I topped it up with a basic shard.


    And¡­


    Another normal fucking star. It got worse because I didn¡¯t know what the fuck it did.


    I felt like some old man scratching off lottery tickets.


    On the bright side, there were a bunch more shards to go.


    Two bio shards¡­ and¡­ not enough. Added four basic shards into the mix.


    And¡ªfucking yes!


    Woo-hoo! Fuck! Oh, my beautiful Spellstar, come to papa!


    The star projected an image of something slowly being enveloped by blood, showing a metallic sheen.


    In essence, it looked like some sort of iron fist thing. Honestly, being a mage throwing fire is way cooler, and with the bonus of not needing to be in melee range¡ªtake these poor bastards ahead of me as an example. Still, I need to test the range of my burning blood spell.


    And to be fair, a fire mage with shining metallic skin seems metal as hell. Unless I get frozen like a statue.


    Alright, six more basic shards to go.


    Where to spend them?


    I could try using them for the magic constellation, but I¡¯m not even sure if it¡¯s enough. And I need to figure out how the fuck these shards work. Based on my brief experience:


    - A basic shard is half of one tuned to a pillar cluster.


    - Each subsequent star requires double the amount.


    The problem is, I didn¡¯t need two whole shards to get a second star. I needed one tuned shard and one basic shard.


    I need to check with Houonas. Maybe there¡¯s some kind of rule for certain stars. Maybe it¡¯s that simple.


    Let¡¯s balance things. Yes, I don¡¯t know what the fuck I¡¯ll get from the tech constellation. However, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll get two Spellstars in a row with the divine one. Hmm, I can actually get one star in each¡ªlike two basic shards to make one tuned and another basic one to tune it up.


    Let¡¯s see if I get lucky with the divine constellation¡­ another normal star. Alright, I don¡¯t feel any different.


    Consuming my last shards and feeling the connection to a new tech star forming, I didn¡¯t hold high hopes of getting a Spellstar.


    But hopes be damned¡ªthat¡¯s what I got. The projection seemed a little weird; it looked like an anatomical video. Not that it didn¡¯t have the awe of the others, but this one seemed different.


    It showed an entire body, its blood vessels working throughout. Soon, a green and vile substance entered the arm¡ªa poison. The projection focused on where the poison entered.


    Weirdly, the poison didn¡¯t move. Some part of the blood blocked it physically, slowly drifting it out of the body through an incision¡ªprobably the same one that delivered the poison.


    Soon, the poison was out, along with some of the blood. However, some of the blood didn¡¯t move anymore, becoming something like a stopper¡ªnot coagulating, but not letting the blood flow out either.


    It¡¯s a really weird spell, but I got the gist of it: physical control of my blood inside my body.


    Hmm, this seems useful for my use of blood, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll be better than the iron skin thing.


    Anyway, I¡¯ll call the bio spell _Blood Skin_ because Iron Skin isn¡¯t totally accurate. And the tech spell will be Blood Control, though I don¡¯t see why that¡¯s technological to begin with.


    Alright, the shards are gone. Let¡¯s test _Blood Skin_.


    Using the spell with the concept I got after binding myself to the star, I first created a small droplet of blood with the divine spell¡ªwhich I need to think of a better name for later.


    Soon, I used the _Blood Skin_ spell. The droplet of blood flattened at the tip of my index finger, taking on a dark red color with a metallic sheen. It looked kinda cool.


    I didn¡¯t have anything sharp nearby, so I bit it. The blood film held up incredibly well, resisting my bite. Still, I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d want it instead of a bulletproof vest¡ªwhich I don¡¯t have anyway. So, better _Blood Skin_ than nothing.


    Speaking of vests, I found a silk shirt near a blood puddle. There were also pants and some coins. The coins had a human face on one side¡ªkind of beautiful, like a supermodel, her features sharp and angular. On the other side, the model showed their lamprey-like ugly mouth.


    That shit seemed useless. Would I try to negotiate with money with these freaks? No, and I won¡¯t be carrying useless weight around. I could try to use it for some stupid trap, like leaving free money in the street, but fuck¡ªeven a poor sod like me has magic.


    No water, no food on him either. So, just the shirt.


    I put the silk shirt on under the wererat rags, keeping an eye on the mayhem. I won¡¯t die putting on a stolen shirt if I can help it.


    Looking at my bloodied shirt haphazardly bound to the wounds on my left arm, I almost threw it out¡ªalmost. But there¡¯s my blood on it. Maybe it¡¯ll be useful. So, I stuffed it into my shoulder bag.


    Now I felt fresh. The shirt was a little bloodied but clean and had a really fragrant aroma. Not enough to dispel the horrendous wererat musk, but whatever.


    I have better things to think about.


    Like how the fuck I¡¯m going to fight these freaks.

 Chapter 10 - Between Wererats, Metallic Tigers, and a Vampire

    The fight had really changed while I was theory-crafting about how the shards and star clusters worked.


    Someone might say it changed for the better¡ªthe fight was cleaner, more focused. But that was the problem. These fuckers weren¡¯t fighting anymore; they were sparring with each other.


    Why would they? Obviously, because these assholes were farming shards!


    I didn¡¯t see why the orange wererat would do that, especially since he was bearing the brunt of the losses with his horde.


    The fat dogs were also present in large numbers, though fewer than the rats. The difference was that the dogs didn¡¯t need to be used as meat shields. Their greater threat was the felines.


    I would¡¯ve loved for the armies to fight to the death. The problem was that the leaders would only grow more powerful as the rabble died.


    As I pieced together everything I¡¯d observed during their clash, I noticed something¡ªmaybe it was just hot air, but if it wasn¡¯t?


    The rats never looked at me. They also didn¡¯t seem to fare any better against the metallic whip. However, they could fight the dogs without much trouble. Not that they actually killed many of them. Weirdly, they didn¡¯t use any magic or even weapons during the fighting.


    Nevertheless, my gut told me something was off. How had these fuckers found me so easily in the passage earlier? And now, even as these beady-eyed creatures looked in my direction, they didn¡¯t express any reaction.


    The metallic tigers, though¡ªthey reacted.


    So my conclusion was: the rats were blind, or at least had poor vision.


    As long as I smelled like them, I had a chance.


    I¡¯m not proud of myself, especially as I rubbed the blood of one of the nearby rats on my head and face. The stench almost made me tear up.


    My pants and shoulder bag were next, dripping with blood.


    A seed of a plan began to form.


    Step one: Try to reach the wererats stealthily.


    Step two: Figure out what these fucking felines wanted. They could¡¯ve attacked me, but they didn¡¯t. Could they stay out of my way? Did I have a way to kill them without the leaders noticing? Good questions, but I¡¯d deal with them when the time came.


    Step three: If I dealt with the tigers without the leaders noticing, I¡¯d act like a wererat and try to mess with the vampire. That would probably be enough to make the bastard fight for real. Like their farming alliance was off.


    Step four: Wait for one leader to die and finish off the other. I didn¡¯t know which would be better, but I¡¯d figure it out as the plan unfolded. Running was the last resort¡ªone I didn¡¯t want to use right now.


    Slowly, I approached the brawl, creating blood skins around the palm and back of my hands. I tested it on one knuckle first; it was flexible enough to use like some sort of metal knuckle glove. I didn¡¯t extend it to my fingers for three reasons:


    1. The material, though somewhat flexible, would be too rigid for me to use my shotgun. Even the smallest finger movements would be a hassle.


    2. I didn¡¯t know if I could use my divine blood spell over it.


    3. Would I not try to steal some shards? Fucking no.


    The first and nearest feline slowly approached me. The other felines, not engaged in the brawl, glanced between me and it but didn¡¯t move.


    They were really lazy.


    As I neared within two meters of the creature, I gripped my shotgun but didn¡¯t point it at the metallic tiger.


    We stared at each other for a while. Then, the tiger moved its head¡ªstill keeping a trained eye on me¡ªand gestured up and down.


    I feared dying by a tiger prank, but I also feared dying any other way. So, I looked where its head was pointing.


    The two leaders.


    I turned my attention back to the metallic tiger and nodded. I didn¡¯t know if it understood what the fuck that meant, but the tiger seemed to get the gist of it. It bit the air like a predator snapping at prey.


    Soon, it purred menacingly and repeated the motion. I got it¡ªthe creature wasn¡¯t happy with the leaders.


    They didn¡¯t seem to be pets of the wererats. Maybe allies.


    Would I ally myself with the tigers? Temporarily, yes.


    Did I feel like becoming a tiger¡¯s hitman? Absolutely. If they didn¡¯t cross me, I wouldn¡¯t cross them. We¡¯d see how they acted. Maybe I¡¯d breathe after this fight without wading through their furred corpses.


    I nodded at it; the beast mirrored me with a long nod. Soon, the felines watching us returned their attention to the fight, the one nearest me getting back into the thick of it.


    It seemed they understood me.


    As I approached the battle, I kept my focus on the tigers. A little caution never killed anyone, and I needed some after dealing with tigers.


    Yes, I¡¯m becoming mad, it seems.


    My theory slowly proved accurate as I reached the back of the horde. The wererats gave me space to enter. Curious, I repeated the process¡ªstepping back and approaching again a few times.


    Each time I stepped away, they closed the space. Each time I approached, they opened it, like some sort of automatic door.


    These fuckers weren¡¯t right in the head. The rats I¡¯d fought before seemed a lot less stupid.


    I filed that information away and approached the clash of the leaders.


    The musk of these rats was unbearable. My bile rose, but I gulped it down and breathed through my mouth.


    Stopping before the last two rows of the rat horde nearest to the leaders, I felt like I was at a show. At least, that¡¯s the feeling I got, even though I¡¯d never been to one.


    Each time one of the meat shields died, another took its place. I never left my spot, letting one of the poor suckers take my place as the next sacrificial lamb.


    The floor was littered with corpses, but most had already turned to mush from the horde trampling over them.


    Obviously, there was a limit. The leaders shifted the battle a little further ahead, the horde following. The vampire and his dogs let the rats push deeper into their territory.


    Alright, enough sightseeing. I needed to mess with this. I wasn¡¯t sure my blood had a chance of reaching the vampire from here. Even if the drops would be enough.


    My energy, after using _Blood Skin_, was only a little more than half now.


    A shotgun wouldn¡¯t be a superb choice. These rats didn¡¯t have any weapons, and I didn¡¯t think a gun would be normal for them.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Wait¡ªI didn¡¯t actually need to drop _only_ my blood.


    Opening my shoulder bag, I pulled out my bloodied shirt. The problem was, as soon as I did, the surrounding rats started sniffing in my direction. I let my adrenaline pump, thinking fast as I dropped the shirt and let it soak in the bloody offal on the floor.


    Soon, the rats stopped sniffing my way, acting brain-dead again.


    The problem was whether the shirt would work now.


    I tried to create a little ember on the shirt, focusing on my blood.


    Most of it seemed to have only a weak connection to the spell. Only a little was still strong enough to be fully usable.


    No use. I searched for a clear spot to soak some blood, doing it while keeping an eye on the rats nearby to see if they¡¯d sniff my way.


    Soon, with less than half my energy left, I finished. Not wasting any time, I balled up the clothing, like I sometimes did when trying to make a basket shot into my laundry bin.


    Adrenaline still pumping, I waited for the right moment to throw the ball at the vampire.


    I had a perfect line for it: _Taste it, bloodsucker._ Honestly, it wasn¡¯t that great, but vampires drink blood, and I was going to throw it at him, so he could taste it.


    Whatever. It wasn¡¯t time to get freaky; it was time to get tactical.


    Silent and deadly was the name of the game. Being a nuisance was even better.


    A couple of minutes later, the opportunity came.


    Fueled by adrenaline, focus, and some space to throw, I launched the laundry ball.


    It was the best shot I had.


    I aimed for the bastard¡¯s head as he evaded an upper swing of the crystal hammer. Sadly, he lifted his head just as I threw, and the ball only grazed his shoulder.


    That should¡¯ve been the end, as I didn¡¯t feel a connection with the blood.


    Surprisingly, the creature looked surprised. He grabbed the laundry ball and examined it.


    The fucker hissed loudly, frowning as if someone had shot his mother.


    I honestly would¡¯ve loved to see what he¡¯d do next. Fuck it. Burst into flames.


    Soon, crimson flames engulfed the bastard¡¯s arm as I pumped energy into the burning blood spell.


    The fucker wasn¡¯t stupid, but it was too late. Even as he hurled the ball at the orange rat, who screeched as it hit his feet, part of the flames remained on his right hand.


    Getting the rat leader hit was a bonus, but I needed to play the part of the rat gang, so I stopped pumping energy into the bloody shirt.


    Instead, I focused on the burning hand for a few seconds and then stopped. Now I was running on my last leg of energy¡ªprobably 15%, maybe a little more.


    Looking more lamprey than man, the creature hissed, waving its right hand, now a burned husk. A rough voice entered my head:


    "Such a filthy rodent dares to use BLOOD TO DIRTY ME?! I AM ITS MASTER! I AM ONE OF YOUR OWNERS! TOIL IN THE MINES, SLAVES! ENOUGH OF YOUR SHARDS! ENOUGH OF YOUR CHILDISH REVOLT! ENOUGH OF YOU!"


    The metallic whip slashed at the rat leader, a meat shield quickly taking the brunt of the hit. It wasn¡¯t enough¡ªthe tip of the whip grazed the orange rat¡¯s pinky, and a second later, the finger blew off his hand.


    Screeching like prey caught by a predator, the wererat swung the crystal hammer, taking a step back.


    And another step back.


    Yes, I knew what this furred fucker wanted to do.


    Not wanting to be caught in this mess, I walked back, letting the rats take my place.


    The battle had finally started for real.


    For a moment, I thought the vampire asshole was talking to me¡ªmind-talking¡ªbut the poor rat was the victim of this misunderstanding.


    I¡¯ll never forget you, my pal.


    Soon, the battle¡¯s tempo changed. The vampire and his fat dogs went on the offensive, taking complete initiative.


    The orange rat spun in circles, letting the wererats be batted away like flies. The horde at the intersection rushed even faster into the melee, now looking more like a torrent of sewage.


    Showing their smarts, the tigers had retreated to the back, trying to fend off only the fat dogs in a pincer attack. Fend off my ass¡ªthey were just getting away from the eye of the storm.


    I couldn¡¯t blame them, though. I was doing the same.


    Although, I kind of wanted to dive into it¡ªfor different reasons, alright.


    So engrossed were they in their melee that they didn¡¯t give a damn about the shards.


    Until the orange wererat stopped making appearances and ran like a coward, the hammer transforming into a shard in its tiny hand. There was something wrong with it, though.


    It shone a shade of green, stronger than any shard I¡¯d ever seen. The orange wererat consumed it, and the rats all around it in a mad rush searched for any shards and dropped them into its mouth.


    The vampire also found this strange, frowning and then rushing even more after the rat.


    In a moment, I felt something different¡ªsomething weird.


    Not a moment later, all the rats except their leader became deranged and even more feral¡ªfaster, stronger. They wounded each other but rushed at the vampire like a flood of bodies.


    Their leader screeched, an irritating noise. The rats lost all reason, attacking to eviscerate anything but themselves and their leader.


    The tigers didn¡¯t wait and bolted as the rats started killing the fat dogs in great numbers.


    I didn¡¯t run but walked back, making myself small against the wall, watching the chaos unfold.


    God, I¡¯m glad I¡¯m not the vampire.


    After making quick work of the last fat dogs, the rats circled the vampire. Now, the roles were reversed¡ªthe bloodsucker had become the prey.


    "FILTHY! FILTHY! FILTHY! FILTHY! FILTHYYYYYY! OUT OF ME, SLAVES!"


    Again, the vampire¡¯s rough voice resounded in my head.


    Something changed. The vampire¡¯s body grew thinner, smaller¡ªlike someone had drained him.


    His skin turned red like a demon¡¯s, his fangs protruding even more from his lamprey-like mouth.


    In a dash, he moved like the wind, the whip slashing through the rats like a scythe through wheat. Their wounds exploded moments later, like bloody fireworks.


    Wave after wave, the rats¡¯ bodies fell like they were being fed into a blender.


    A minute passed, then two, three, ten, fifteen.


    After who knows how long. The vampire¡¯s movements slowed¡ªeven slower than before his transformation, weaker.


    The rat torrent had been reduced to a trickle.


    Now, he tried to collect the shards, but the rats stopped him, using their attacks to worsen the bleeding scratches on his body.


    So little blood dripped from him; the vampire really looked like he was out of blood. His mouth moved toward the rats¡¯ bodies, toward the bloody offal on the floor, but he refused at the last instant, as if disgusted.


    I bet the guy was hungry.


    Not a moment later, he lost control and bit one of the rats attacking him. His fangs penetrated the beast¡¯s neck like a dozen knives through an oversized kiwi. He drained the creature in seconds, then dashed back, holding the husk.


    A few moments later, the vampire vomited blood. His eyes and ears dripped blood, and the creature looked worse for wear than before.


    Looking at the intersection, no new wererats showed up.


    I think it¡¯s time to prepare for the showdown. Slowly, I walked toward the clash, gripping my shotgun.


    The rat bastards kept attacking the vampire, the wounds increasing in severity. His right hand was now entirely gone, only a stump remaining.


    As I glanced at the orange rat, the bastard wasn¡¯t faring any better. Strangely, the creature kept panting, sitting on the floor, curled into a ball. Blood dripped from its body.


    The vampire, abandoning caution, went on a mad dash, attacking the surrounding rats.


    His arms bent strangely as the effort took its toll. With a new whip swing, a rat died, but his right arm twisted unnaturally.


    Not stopping his dash, the vampire made one last slash toward the orange rat¡¯s sitting body¡ªnot enough to reach.


    The rat flinched but didn¡¯t move, probably thinking it was impossible for the whip to reach.


    Until the vampire released the whip, the metallic tip slashing through half of the beast¡¯s head.


    Finally, for him, only four rats remained.


    One bit his leg, another his side, and a third bit his remaining hand.


    Their movements were slow, lacking the ferocity from before. They froze in a loop, their mouths biting again and again but making no other movements.


    I approached the group slowly, just a short distance away. Ignoring the orange body convulsing on the floor¡ªthe promise of a new shard¡ªI focused on the vampire.


    The vampire collapsed onto his back. The only movement he made was with his right arm, trying to pull his hand out of the brain-dead rat¡¯s mouth. With some success, he removed it¡ªonly the middle and index fingers and half of his thumb survived the bite.


    With steady steps, I let some of my energy create a couple of drops of blood with the divine spell on my off-hand fingers.


    Soon, my fingers were drenched as I stepped closer to the vampire. The beast turned its head toward me¡ªwhether because he heard me, saw me, or smelled my blood, it didn¡¯t matter.


    With practiced ease, I aimed the muzzle at his head. Pressing both triggers, a burst rocked the creature¡¯s head back.


    I swiped the blood from my off-hand, the burning blood spell creating crimson flames that engulfed the vampire¡¯s head. The stench of burning meat assaulted my nostrils.


    My hands trembled, my brain finally registering the vampire as something akin to a human.


    Fear gripped my stomach, blanking my mind.


    Ejecting the shell, I reloaded and fired again into the flaming head. And again.


    I stopped as the body contorted.


    My finger itched to pull the triggers. The recoil of the two shots still made my arm a little numb.


    My ears ringing.


    I pushed all the issues exploding in my mind down. No need to question my humanity¡ªnot right now!


    Time to work. I walked toward the spot where the orange rat¡¯s body once lay, now replaced by a brilliant green shard.


    There was no time to waste.


    I¡¯m the last rat.

 Chapter 11: Theory of Power

    I would love to say that I¡¯m cold-blooded, all professional-like.


    The butterflies in my stomach beg to disagree. Right now, I feel like a kid whose parents told him he could buy anything from the toy store.


    The difference is that I don¡¯t need to buy anything. The fucking shop is mine.


    Not a second to waste, I grab the green shard that the filthy orange rat transformed into.


    There¡¯s just one wonderful problem: the rat didn¡¯t transform into one shard¡ªit became three!


    One green, one blue, and another green, all of them shining brighter than the few shards I¡¯d seen before.


    I expected a translucent one in the mix; they seemed the most common, after all. No complaints.


    There¡¯s a chance that any shard could contain a weapon or maybe even what Houonas said¡ªmimic, mummy, mimicry?


    Whatever. I want power. I want it right now. No need for a giant hammer; I don¡¯t need a mime either.


    What the fuck would I do with a mime, anyway?!


    So, I did the best thing I could do right now. The deceased great leader, the orange rat¡ªfurred political savant¡ªconsumed the hammer shard and lived to tell the tale¡­ almost for an hour. Not the shard¡¯s fault, though! I think¡­


    In better news, soon consuming the brilliant green shard proved that shards aren¡¯t only different in appearance. The essence contained within the shard seemed concentrated.


    My fourth star connection soon formed¡ªwith only a single shard!


    Sadly, it¡¯s just a normal star. Still, I don¡¯t feel any different. Whatever.


    Nevertheless, the shard still had some oomph, and soon I formed a weaker connection to what would be my fifth star. Not enough to unlock it, but enough to feel the connection. I need more fuel for it.


    So, I topped it off with the other brilliant green shard.


    And that¡¯s where my mathematical fears became reality.


    The brilliant shard wasn¡¯t enough anymore, even with some essence from the one I¡¯d used before.


    At least the connection seemed more than halfway through.


    In this situation¡ªsomewhat dire, with rats possibly showing up while I¡¯m low on energy and need to count my ammo¡ªit¡¯s obviously time to sweep this place.


    No time to check if the vampire or the wererats had any resources or items. Now is shard time.


    I¡¯m pretty proud of myself. In less than four minutes, my shoulder bag is exploding with loot.


    Maybe it¡¯s a safety concern having these shards near my ammo.


    But I¡¯ve got bigger problems: time and danger.


    Summing it up, I have one remaining brilliant blue shard from the orange rat. The greatest haul, however, comes from the vampire: five large magic shards, three large bio shards, one large tech shard, and three large basic shards.


    Yes, calling them ¡°big¡± because of the quantity of essence makes some sense, though I need a better naming scheme.


    An interesting fact: the vampire didn¡¯t only have big shards but also some small ones.


    Nine magic, seven biological, five translucent, and one tech shard.


    I thought the vampire would be the only one to drop big shards, but here and there, I found two big bio shards.


    I don¡¯t know if some creatures were stronger or if someone was stealing from their bosses.


    The rats seemed like really loyal soldiers.


    Probably the work of the tigers or the fat dogs.


    A pet is the greatest friend, my ass!


    Now, without delay, it¡¯s time to analyze my math problems.


    First, my shard theory. Without it, I can¡¯t prove my first law of star progression.


    To prove it, I¡¯ll use my tech cluster.


    First, a summary of my spoils:


    Big Shards:


    - Five Magic


    - Five Bio


    - Two Tech


    - One Basic


    Sadly, no divine shards. They seem pretty rare. I¡¯ll probably have to use the translucent ones to top off that cluster.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Normal Shards


    - 17 Magic


    - 29 Bio


    - 5 Tech


    - 33 Basic


    - 2 Divine


    I couldn¡¯t, for the life of me, figure out where the divine shards came from. Good for me, whatever the source.


    Now, for my shard theory:


    The third star of the tech constellation will take four tech shards to unlock.


    A new normal star¡ªno spell, no change in me. But proof is born.


    Since I don¡¯t have more tech shards, I¡¯ll use some basic ones to prove another theory I have.


    Let¡¯s call it the Basic Shard Law.


    With the remaining tech shard and fourteen basic shards, I¡¯ll get another star.


    Again, a new connection, a new star, a new proof.


    Basic Shard Theory: Its value shall always be half of a colored cluster shard.


    This will be my truth until proven otherwise.


    And with it, my first shard law¡ªno, constellation law.


    First Constellation Law: Each star will cost double the shards of the star before, provided the shards are of the same type as their cluster.


    With one caveat: a thing that disproves the theory. My second stars didn¡¯t need more than a shard, and the third one needed four shards.


    Still, my would-be fifth star will prove it again and help me quantify the value of the big shard.


    Which will require one big tech shard and twelve basic shards¡ªequivalent to sixteen tech shards.


    The essence flows, connecting me to the new cosmic body, another part of the constellation.


    And¡­


    Another normal star. A mathematical victory, but a power loss.


    I really want a new spell right now!


    As a plus for my depression, my future looks pretty grim. Doubling the quantity of shards for each star, with most stars being useless aside from the magic ones¡ªhow the fuck will I get strong?


    This past clash was more about me playing with the rival tribes like some colonizer than actually fighting myself.


    I won¡¯t use all my shards right now on my magic cluster. Both the vampire and the orange rat, at least judging by their shards¡ªwhich is probably the right thing to do, equilibrium and all that¡ªseem to have balanced their shards.


    However, if after all these shards I don¡¯t get a new spell or learn what these fucking normal stars (that aren¡¯t magic) do, I¡¯ll splurge all my new shards on the magic cluster.


    And probably go back to Houonas and try to pry some useful information out of that religious fanatic¡¯s brain.


    Alright. I spent the big tech shard¡ªnot enough for a new star, but enough for a frail new connection.


    Time to spend all the magic and bio shards.


    What seemed like a fortune of shards pales before the menace of calculations.


    So many shards, for barely a little more than the unlocked stars from before.


    Managing this many shards almost made me remember my childhood playing with marbles. Who would¡¯ve guessed that these small, beautiful things would hold so much power?


    Starting with magic:


    I already have a weak connection to my fourth star, from a single shard I consumed during the encounter with the team of wererats.


    So, seven more shards.


    Soon, the connection grew taut, and another star formed¡ªanother increase in my energy density. In my body, I could feel it, especially since I¡¯m drier than any desert.


    Soon, an even greater quantity of energy flowed through my body.


    Now, sixteen shards¡ªone big and six normal shards. Another star, more energy, but this time¡­


    I feel weird.


    Like a balloon with too much air. More energy is always welcome, though.


    Especially since this increase is even greater than before.


    It¡¯s insane. Now, this is good. Finally, math is being my savior.


    This beautiful energy is increasing exponentially, the same way the shard cost doubles for each new star.


    Although, with this flux of energy, it¡¯s probably way less than double.


    Still, exponential growth is beautiful. Compound interest is what made my dream life in the countryside happen.


    It made my money work instead of me.


    Still, I need someone to help me quantify the energy or something that could teach me. Maybe I¡¯ll create my own way of measuring it so I can understand how many spells I can use.


    I don¡¯t have time for that right now, so I¡¯d better focus on gaining power.


    Three big shards, two normal magic shards.


    Another normal star, but this time, something changed.


    The stars, which before were only beautiful in the void of my¡ªlet¡¯s say¡ªexistential space, now began to change.


    Starting from my first star (in this case, my Spellstar), a bright line shot up, soon meeting my second star, which beamed a line to my third, and so on, until it reached my sixth star.


    It looked like a weird figure¡ªmaybe a rune, maybe a drawing, maybe it¡¯s just random.


    What mattered most was the change happening in my body.


    The energy surged, my body feeling like a pressure cooker. With one problem: no way to vent it out.


    My energy didn¡¯t respond to me; I can¡¯t use any spells.


    And worse of all, my energy is recharging at an alarming rate¡ªlike fueling a bottle by submerging it straight into a river.


    It isn¡¯t painful, but it feels like I¡¯m overstuffing.


    I focused on my breathing, trying to calm my nerves, and turned my attention to the area nearby.


    Nothing beats trying to forget an immediate danger, like thinking about a possible new one.


    Slowly, I felt better, and the energy inside me changed. It felt concentrated¡ªfrom a sparse fog to water vapor.


    Not that it looked like it, but that¡¯s how it felt.


    As I tested it by creating a drop of blood with my divine spell, the sensation remained the same. The spell worked as normal.


    The difference is that my body now contains way more energy.


    That must be why the vampire and the wererat leader could use their powers so much.


    Although I¡¯m not sure if they used spells. The vampire seemed to, but the orange rat didn¡¯t look like he did.


    I¡¯ll keep that in mind.


    Still, is the energy increase limited only to the magic cluster? If so, they¡¯re really fucked without a connection to a constellation in the magic cluster.


    Food for thought, though not a priority.


    I finished absorbing the last magic shards¡ªone big and two normal, so twelve in value. A weak connection soon formed to what would be my seventh star.


    Now, it¡¯s bio cluster time.

 Chapter 12 - Speaking with Myself Is Not Madness, but Learning!

    Summing it up, I have one remaining brilliant blue shard from the orange rat. The greatest haul, however, comes from the vampire: five large magic shards, three large bio shards, one large tech shard, and three large basic shards.


    ¡°Pet is the greatest friend,¡± my ass!


    Sadly, I don¡¯t have enough shards to see if there¡¯s something different about the seventh star of the biological cluster or if it would be more of the same.


    Hmm, I have enough for the sixth star, though, so let¡¯s see if it does anything like the magic one.


    Consuming the bio shards like candy, I unlocked my sixth star.


    Wonderful!


    The same thing is happening! Fuck yeah!


    As the beaming lines finished linking each star, a different symbol¡ªlet¡¯s call it a rune¡ªappeared.


    Can¡¯t get distracted by it. Like I had a choice. Slowly, I felt a change in my body, but not a normal one.


    My focus was forced inward, with a concept ingrained in my mind. The stars, the connections, showed me something, guiding me toward something I couldn¡¯t possibly understand.


    I saw my hurt left arm¡ªstill injured, but with a little less blood. It was like watching a hyper-realistic 3D video of anatomy in action.


    Soon, the area of the wound came into focus, especially my blood vessels. My attention was drawn to one wounded vessel, as if it were an example.


    It showed the vessel clearing itself of some sort of debris. The vessel dried up, and the image lingered for a few seconds before something changed¡ªmore blood replenished it.


    Ah, I got it.


    Finally, the concept connected with my mind as an insight, not my own, struck me.


    My blood is regenerating faster, which is great for someone like me who uses blood for spells.


    There¡¯s a caveat, though, as the alien insight revealed: it still consumes resources from my body.


    So, I¡¯d better eat all my vegetables¡ªor red meat, in this case.


    Message received, my overprotective bio-existential constellation.


    I still need to consult my AI chatbot to see if faster blood regeneration is useful beyond making me a better juice machine for my spells.


    Still not looking forward to cutting myself to cast spells, though. Wasting less energy on pain doesn¡¯t seem all that budget-friendly.


    Oh, well, at least I learned that these normal stars have some use. The magic normal stars are still the best.


    In a blink, I consumed the remaining magic shards¡ª47 shard value in total. According to my calculations, I need 17 more shards to get another star. And look at that, there¡¯s just enough... nah, fuck, I forgot I¡¯d need double the basic shards.


    I should get a notebook to keep track of my current number of shards in each constellation.


    Another thing to do when I return.


    Fuck, this still isn¡¯t enough power to be a menace against people like the guys from before.


    Should I go to the kitchen or not? I¡¯m fucking parched, and I didn¡¯t even grab any food from my home.


    Alright, time to top up shards in my divinity and see if these corpses have anything useful.


    ---


    Getting powerful, what a fucking joke! Another two divine shards and four basic ones. Just another normal star.


    Now, should I spend the basic shards on divinity in the hope that my sixth star gives something useful, save them, or invest in magic, which seems like the best constellation overall?


    ...


    ...


    ...Magic.


    I know divine shards are really hard to get, but I need power. Still, would I really get a spell at the seventh star?


    No, that¡¯s the thing. Investing in magic, even in the worst-case scenario, gives me more energy for spells, which is always great. The compounding effect makes it the best choice.


    Thirteen basic shards¡ªworth 6.5 for magic. Next time I get a basic shard, I¡¯ll invest it in magic to make the total an integer.


    Enough about shards. Time to loot the corpses.


    Weirdly, after all this time, no one has shown up. Which only makes this fight even stranger. Why were they fighting? Aren¡¯t the wererats supposed to obey the vampires?


    Rummaging through their remains didn¡¯t help much.


    My blood skin started to flake off. Likely, it¡¯s not permanent¡ªwhich is both good and bad.


    On the bright side, I won¡¯t have metallic red hands for life. On the downside, I¡¯ll have to waste energy and blood for each new blood skin spell.


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    The detached remnants also aren¡¯t responding as material for spells, like burning blood.


    Alright, as for the loot: the orange rat didn¡¯t have anything useful¡ªjust some vegetable-like plants, rocks, and metallic tools I don¡¯t see a use for.


    As for the vampire¡¯s possessions, he had some coins (like the ones I got from the other remains), miscellaneous items like a hairbrush, a box of powder that smells like perfume, and a bunch of other useless things.


    Except for one vial. Uncorking it revealed a red substance that smells like blood.


    It¡¯s still useless¡ªunless you¡¯re a vampire, obviously.


    For me, it would be useless if I didn¡¯t have blood spells. But if I mix some of my blood in it, maybe I could make a sort of bomb.


    The other possession that interested me is the metal whip. The problem is, the thing is too hard to handle.


    I don¡¯t know how to wield a whip, either. Channeling some energy into it to see if it did anything didn¡¯t help. The thing seems to be just that¡ªa whip.


    I was hoping for another shard weapon like the orange wererat¡¯s hammer. In a sense, that hammer didn¡¯t seem very useful unless it had something special about it.


    Overall, it¡¯s just weird that an average-height being like the wererat could move that thing with such ease. For an overgrown rat, it¡¯s impressive.


    Is there a chance the whip is a shard weapon? Maybe, but carrying its weight around isn¡¯t justified¡ªespecially since I¡¯m not into BDSM or cowboy shenanigans.


    Letting the whip fall to the ground, I take a look at the road ahead. The tigers vanished after the fight, but they could show up again.


    After this clash, the best thing would be to meet Houonas again to clarify some of my doubts.


    Nah, this is just me wanting to run away. I need to use my time wisely before my presence becomes known.


    Houonas could be full of hot air. Maybe they already know about me. Maybe they¡¯re hunting for me right now!


    ...Just keep calm.


    Taking the tile relic, I do a quick check. A change has occurred in the markings.


    ¡°The heir with the territory of the saloon has fallen. Who could have done that?¡±


    The saloon is the farthest from where I am right now, on the top floors.


    If it¡¯s the heir of the cooking complex or the library, they could have been weakened¡ªor gotten stronger.


    Son of a bitch! What am I supposed to do?


    Food and water. Food and water. I need to survive, find out what happened to the people, and figure out how powerful the heirs are.


    I¡¯ll just get out of here. Problem solved. The oozing rats would be a piece of cake to deal with, although if one showed up while I¡¯m sleeping?


    Would I sleep near Houonas? So many arms strangling me in my sleep...


    ...Before I could come to a decision, my legs moved on their own.


    Not on their own¡ªI need resources, and I will fucking get them.


    The idea of going home isn¡¯t so bad, though. If going to the cooking complex doesn¡¯t work out, going home is my second option.


    Walking as stealthily as I can, the tile relic sits in my shoulder bag, ready to be checked when needed.


    The intertwining paths, sized like a highway tunnel, have an architecture that makes it easy to follow directions, even with their massive size.


    I¡¯d only get lost if I wanted to.


    The lighting made it easier to see where I was going, but not enough to ease my fears.


    Enough to comfort my greed.


    My right hand gripped the shotgun, my palm sweating. Soon, a bright azure light could be seen at the end of the tunnel.


    The familiar light of a big shard¡ªa tech shard, judging by its blue tone.


    So bright, it could only be more than one shard, or maybe an even better version of it.


    It would be a beautiful sight if not for the multiple wererat bodies, all with arrows protruding from them.


    There¡¯s even a metallic tiger among the corpses, meeting the same fate.


    This isn¡¯t the only way to reach the cooking complex, but it¡¯s the most direct.


    The trap would be perfect if it didn¡¯t have so many victims screaming to anyone not stupid to not come.


    Hmm, weirdly, there are some arrows thrown on the floor, a little dirty, I bet it''s blood. And why aren¡¯t there any shards besides the trap?


    Ah yes, seems I found a camper. It seems these assholes are using a bunch of ways to farm shards.


    Now, I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll go this way. The problem is, what if the tigers thought the same? Maybe they¡¯re still eager to ally.


    It could work, I need all the help I can get.


    Before I could delude myself in my chances of riding a tiger and throwing spells all around, I feel small tremors, the vibrations not enough to make me fall but enough to make walking a little harder.


    ¡°Now what?¡± Enough with delaying. Time to move.

 Chapter 13 - The Library

    Going back wasted more than half an hour. The tremors grew stronger until they stopped outright halfway through.


    I headed to the other intersection, one where the corridor also connects to the library. Probably, I¡¯ll have to waste another two hours going this way.


    After all this hassle, it¡¯s not just my mouth that¡¯s parched¡ªmy body is exhausted, and my growling stomach isn¡¯t helping either.


    Just a quick look, some water and food, and then I¡¯ll get back.


    Some ways into the corridor, that plan was thrown out the window.


    The wooden wall of the library is torn apart, as if a beast had taken a bite out of it. The serrated edges look like the marks of many fangs, and the sheer number of bites suggests an insatiable hunger.


    Whatever did that isn¡¯t something I want to meet.


    I couldn¡¯t help but peer into the library through one of its torn-open wounds. Before I knew it, the light from the chandeliers illuminated a scene of utter mayhem.


    Books were strewn across the floor, some wet with blood, others coated in a viscous substance.


    Enormous wooden bookshelves had toppled over, some crashing into each other, while others stood untouched, looking pristine.


    A moving staircase was nearby, along with others scattered throughout the place¡ªlikely used to reach books on the upper shelves.


    A necessity, considering some bookshelves were the size of small buildings.


    After a couple of minutes, I was presented with a grand view of the library, far greater than I could have imagined.


    I picked up one of the books from a nearby shelf. Its pages were filled with squiggly lines, possibly some sort of foreign language.


    I put it back. No time for this.


    ¡°Hello, my friend of learning. Could I help you?¡±


    The voice was soothing and high-pitched, but there was no doubt it was speaking directly into my mind.


    ¡°Shy, are you? There¡¯s no need to be sheepish. You¡¯ve caught me at a less-than-ideal moment.¡±


    Enemy or friend? Probably an enemy. Still, if it hasn¡¯t attacked me outright, it¡¯s planning something. Better to find out what.


    Slowly, I tried to look around the library. The problem is, the place is massive, especially in the center.


    Damn it, what happened there? It looks like someone dropped a meteor. A crater made of wood, paper, and whatever else you¡¯d find in a library, just at the center of it.


    Wait¡ªjust outside its epicenter, a sudden movement caught my attention.


    ¡°I¡¯m too weak to greet you properly. I don¡¯t know how much longer I have in this world. Going to try to move a little. It¡¯s no problem, really, if we can communicate within the boundaries of our minds, would it?¡±


    To trust the strange voice or not? A little of both. Especially if it¡¯s a trap¡ªI¡¯ve already seen one with the shards and arrows.


    Taking a glance at the periphery of the crater, I detected no movement. The long, moving staircases and bookshelves stood still, frozen in time.


    If this voice is responsible for all this destruction, killing me would be easy.


    Using the intact floor as best I could, I approached with caution and a growing fear for my sanity. It took longer than I wanted to reach the crater.


    The crater itself had wet patches¡ªsome unmistakable blood, others covered in ice, hinting at their source.


    Going down into the crater would be dangerous, risking a fatal fall. Ha, talk about a death trap.


    The voice remained silent the entire time, likely plotting something. With Marlene at my side, it was the perfect time for an experiment.


    I opened the blood vial and used my divine spell. Blood dripped from my fingers into the vial, and within seconds, it was almost overflowing. I stopped the spell and forced the stopper back in, the pressure requiring a bit more effort to seal it.


    I slipped it into the pocket of my battered pants and gripped my shotgun. Time for some talk.


    ¡°Hey, stranger. This place has seen better times, hasn¡¯t it? Let¡¯s skip the small talk¡ªwhat do you want?¡±


    The soothing voice replied almost immediately. ¡°This place has indeed seen better times¡ªyesterday, in fact. What I want and the state of this place are bound by something in common.¡±


    The voice lost some of its soothing quality, the pitch rising higher, like a dying animal.


    ¡°One of the offspring of the great ruler, a sage who denied the sustenance of blood, became a creature consumed only by its hunger!¡±


    ¡°The great ruler died of causes never disclosed to me, which is more concerning. A lie would be easy to spread, but they only would do when knowing the truth.¡±


    ¡°The death of the great ruler, the army, and the bureaucrats had to deal with the frontiers as the assimilation of the new landmass began in less than a day! Just a sample of the changes to come.¡±


    ¡°What assimilation?¡± That doesn¡¯t sound good.


    Almost whispering, the voice continued, ignoring me. ¡°Worst of times to start a succession. My lord desired none of it, sending his personnel and guards away with the librarians to a place far away from his palace¡±


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    ¡°In his old age, there was nothing my master desired less than to compete for the rule of his deceased younger brother. He didn¡¯t blame him for being selected, though¡ªhis brother¡¯s gaze had always been reserved for his deceased wife. His bloodline was cut a little shorter than needed for his offspring to be the sole heirs.¡±


    The voice fell silent for a couple of seconds¡ªwhether from exhaustion or emotion, I couldn¡¯t tell.


    This old geezer didn¡¯t answer my question about assimilation. Probably going senile. Hmm, it¡¯s likely related to what Houonas said about my world synchronizing. A day, then.


    The information is useful. It seems I¡¯ve gotten tangled in this succession mess as a placeholder. But there¡¯s something else taking priority in my mind.


    ¡°Cool story, but what the hell do you want with me?¡±


    Silence answered me for a few seconds before the voice returned, weaker now.


    ¡°A little crass, aren¡¯t you? Understandable. My desire is simple: to slay the hungering beast that took my master¡¯s life. Murdered his uncle¡ªdevoured him whole! Such a beast cannot become an heir. The threat of the invaders is negligible. I don¡¯t know what aspect he now follows. Safe to say, it¡¯s not of blood.¡± His words trailed off. ¡°I hope it¡¯s not pure hunger¡ªa slave to desire.¡±


    The gall of this guy!


    ¡°So you want me to kill an heir who wrecked this place and killed its owner? No fucking way!¡±


    ¡°No, I wish for you to tell your master to do so! It¡¯s their obligation as offspring of the past ruler. His successor cannot be that beast!¡±


    Master?! Pfft, medieval bullshit.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a master. So it seems I can¡¯t help you, good¡ª¡±


    Before I could finish, the voice boomed in my head.


    ¡°AN HEIR?! You smell as if covered in decaying entrails... I must say, it¡¯s a good way to fool the furred beasts. Although you¡¯ll need to change it, or they¡¯ll grow even more feral with an undead walking among them.¡±


    Good to know.


    The voice in my head grew softer, like the finest silk, though the high pitch ruined the effect.


    ¡°Say, wouldn¡¯t you accept me into your employ? I¡¯m not the best, but I¡¯m a renowned wardmaker in this domain. Part of my power will be lost, as I doubt you¡¯ll be as powerful as my past master. But I¡¯ll do my best until my dying breath to put down that beast!¡±


    Interesting proposal. This guy at least seems to know more about this place than Houonas. I don¡¯t know what a wardmaker is, but if it has something to do with magic, that would be really useful.


    ¡°Alright, say I accept. What do I need to do?¡±


    The voice boomed again, full of enthusiasm. ¡°Come near me. I shall use one of my shards to seal our agreement!¡±


    Ha, no way.


    ¡°Nice try, but I¡¯m not going down there. It¡¯s the stupidest trap I¡¯ve ever seen. Kind of an insult that you¡¯d expect me to fall for it.¡±


    ¡°What trap?! You! How could I be a danger to you??¡± The voice fell silent for a moment. ¡°I can still synchronize us, but I¡¯d lose one of my nexus shards. The shard would be better used empowering you!¡±


    Hmm, appealing to my greed. Not the first to try this scam on me. No, thanks.


    ¡°No deal. Do it right where we are.¡± Maybe I could be a little more gentle.


    Especially since the mysterious voice didn¡¯t answer for a couple of minutes.


    ¡°Fine... such foolishness. If I weren¡¯t on my last legs, I¡¯d discipline you!¡±


    After some movement in the crater, a bright verdant light resonated, far brighter than any shard I¡¯ve seen.


    For a moment, I pointed my shotgun at it, fear of it being a spell getting the better of me.


    Before I could pull the trigger, the energy shot out. A new symbol appeared, similar to the one Houonas made, but different and equally elusive to my understanding.


    My vision shifted to a familiar space¡ªthe star clusters shining briefly. My stars, the ones I¡¯d bonded with, glowed brighter than anything in the void.


    Soon, I felt a new connection¡ªnot a new star, but something fragile, its vast dimension fading as if splintered, like a rope breaking apart until only a single strand remained.


    The vision faded, and I was back in the library, focusing on the crater.


    In a sudden burst of motion, something darted from the debris¡ªswift and pale as a ghost. From here, it appeared as nothing more than a fleeting point of white.


    ¡°YOU AREN¡¯T AN ESTRANGED OF THE SANGECARIOS LINE, NOR ONE OF THE LORD COMMANDER¡¯S MEN! NOT EVEN AN ERYTHOCETES¡ªA HUMAN!... Who are you?¡±


    I guess being mind-deaf isn¡¯t a thing after all. Because if it were, I¡¯d be. Weirdly, I heard a small sound echoing around the place¡ªprobably the mysterious being yelling too.


    At least I felt the frail connection between us, giving me some clues.


    ¡°What the fuck would I know?! Someone named Houonas made me an heir after I climbed through the window of one of the roo¡ª¡±


    ¡°No time for explanations! This place isn¡¯t as safe as it was before. Someone might get curious about the fall of my master.¡±


    ¡°It was you who asked, you¡ª¡±


    ¡°No time to waste, either. Get out of here! It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve felt this weak. It¡¯s invigorating in a crazy way¡ªreminds me of my childhood.¡±


    The white point began floating upward, defying gravity.


    ¡°I still have some things to improve our odds of destroying that monstrous beast. Go away. I¡¯m decrepit, but not dead! I¡¯ll find you at the entrance of the quarters.¡±


    The creature wasn¡¯t finished. ¡°Don¡¯t leave by the corridors. This place is trapped¡ªcourtesy of yours truly¡ªand I¡¯d be quite displeased if you stumbled into one of my wards!¡±


    With that, the white point floated away in the opposite direction.


    ¡°How the fuck do you know the territory I¡¯m in? Wouldn¡¯t you get lost?¡±


    ...


    ¡°The silent treatment, is it?¡±


    It seems the mysterious white being either doesn¡¯t want to speak with me or is already too far away for its mind-speak to work.


    Or maybe it¡¯s some other magic nonsense.


    Crazy. Another bond, another pain in the ass.