Chapter 10: Chapter 8 [And So The Journey Begins] (Niel & Luna)

◊[Niel]◊

Time rushed forward like the wind.

It had been 14 years since his birth into this world, and it was soon time for him to take off. He already gathered the various things that he needed on the table and was only awaiting one last thing.

He didn't have to wait too long either, as Kartis arrived with a small bag. At first glance, the bag itself was rather unassuming, yet hidden beneath it's surface were countless densely intertwined Runes. Niel himself could tell that, within the bag, were several dozen spells resonating with one another in harmony.

The bag was immediately handed to Niel.

"Here's the dimensional bag you asked for, it has about 20 cubic meters worth of storage. Just try to avoid putting artifacts and enchanted items into it, since it might ruin the spell correlations."

"Thanks."

It was another storage artifact that Kartis had personally created. Just like Granvar, Kartis was bonded to three different Element, one of which was the Spatial Attribute.

With this addition, Niel had two different storage spaces.

A smaller dimensional pouch inlaid with preservative spells used for his journey rations, containing various meats, vegetables, and fruits. Although his body had no need for sustenance, he made it a habit to eat delicious food once in a while.

The other new bag used for a more all purpose utility, containing items that he collected which may find their use soon.

He promptly began to place the items in the table within the bag he just received.

Once the last item, a journal book, was placed into the bag, he strapped it to his other hip before he turned to Kartis.

"Everything's ready."

"Are you sure? You didn't forget anything did you?"

"Yeah, I haven't."

Niel found it a little amusing that Kartis seemed more nervous for his journey than himself.

"...I see."

The two conversed a bit more as they began to walk out of the cabin.

During the nine years after his awakening as a Devil, Niel had slowly come to learn more about this world.

Granvar and Kartis would sometimes brought him to a nearby village, and at some point he started to travel to the village by himself. It was there that he found a more in depth information about the current continent he resides in.

He was even able to obtain a detailed map, highlighting key locations of the Alkanorz Continent, a significant aid in his upcoming travels.

Of course, there is still much left to be desired, especially when it comes to himself. He was still unable to form any connection with the elements, as such, raising his [Elemental Affinity] was still very much an impossibility.

Truthfully, he could already guess the reason.

The [Devil's Power] was likely a unique 'Element' or 'Attribute' that belonged solely to him, which also seemed to prevent him from forming any connection with any other element.

Despite having deeply sealed it for nine years, he could still remember the feeling of utilizing it. In almost every manner, it was identical to how everyone else had described [Elemental Imbuement] and [Elemental Manifestation].

It could've been a powerful ability that would make his travels significantly easier and safer, but after seeing that within the nexus of his heart, he no longer dared to use the [Devil's Power]. Even now, merely recalling it's image sends a shiver down his spine.

To compensate for the void left by [Elemental Affinity], he had learned and created various Spells, Skills, and Mana Manipulation techniques, but he wasn't sure if they could bridge the gap.

Regardless, he had already prepared himself in all the ways he possibly could, there was no use in contemplating any more deeply than he needs to.

Both Niel and Kartis finally reached the outdoors of the cabin. There, they were greeted by Granvar who was roasting boar meat skewers in a campfire just outside.

"Hmm? You're going already?"

"Yeah."

"It wouldn't hurt to stay a little longer, you want some?"

Granvar reached out to Niel, holding a large skewer. Niel took the skewer and immediately began to eat it.

"I'd love to stay a little longer, but I want to reach the Uonel Village before sunset."

"Well, that's a shame."

Taking his own skewer from the campfire, Granvar began to eat as well. Kartis, on the other hand, was rather annoyed at his extremely easy going manner.

"You are taking this a little too casually, don't you think?"

"You're the one who's taking this too seriously, the kid'll be fine."

Kartis and Granvar were beginning to bicker again, though it didn't seem to last long, as Kartis turned his attention to Niel who had already finished his skewers.

"Try not to get into trouble, while most demons don't usually provoke others for no reason, there are some hot headed idiots who aggressively challenges anyone in their way."

While speaking, Kartis seems to give a quick side glance at Granvar as he was saying 'hot headed'. Granvar noticed, but actively ignored the insinuation.

"It's fine. Besides, I need to go now."

""Take care/Be safe.""

"I will. Also take care of Zephir."

Both Granvar and Kartis glanced at each other, before giving an odd smile. By this point, he had already turned around heading forward without hesitation.

As Niel picked up the pace, moving further and further from Home, he suddenly felt the wind rushed by him, whispering a few words.

"Just remember, if you ever miss this place, you can always return at anytime."

He halted briefly in surprise, with a slight smile forming in his lips. 'I will be back', he silently thought to himself, before setting off once more.

_________

___

 

He rushed straight across the forest. Having already been accustomed traveling to Uonel Village, he knew the quickest path to take.

Yet, all of the sudden, Niel immediately came to a stop. Frowning, he felt a presence that he couldn't be more familiar with, just a little ahead of him.

He calmly walked towards it, and before him was his suspicion held true. A grey furred wolf, a little larger than a husky, was sitting a distance in front of him. Formed around his fur were dark green like patterns that glowed luminescent, while over his neck was a black collar with inscriptions woven in it's surface.

 <Hey what's up boss, so where we heading?>

Instead of speaking by mouth, a voice seemed to be instilled into Niel's mind. It was a form of telepathic Magic that Niel was more or less familiar with.

"Why are you here? Didn't you say you were going hunting earlier?"

<What else? I already had my fill, now I'm just here to be your guard and travel companion.>

It was the Gale Wolf that he had taken in around 10 years ago, one whom he had named 'Zephir'.

"Go back."

<I don't want to. Besides, if I decide to follow you anyways, you wouldn't be able to stop me either.>

"..."

They stood around staring at each other for a few moments, until Niel couldn't help but sigh in defeat. It was certainly true that he could use a helping hand, given his current situation.

"...Do whatever you want."

<YEAH!... I mean, great, that's good. So where we going?>

"Uonel Village."

<Why? Are you also saying your goodbyes to them?>

"That, and—"

Niel lightly tapped the storage bag on his hip.

"—I need to make my own personal weapon."

 

 

---

 

 

◊[Luna]◊

It was almost time.

Most of my preparation had already been completed since yesterday, so I could pretty much take it easy now. I could probably have slept a bit longer, but right now I'm just wandering around the palace trying to revisit and imprint the places which I had spent my childhood.

Ah really, I already feel like an old man—or well an old woman, to be exact?—reminiscing their younger days. Treading the site leisurely, I met and greeted some of the servants and maids around.

This place was still pretty lively even though the sun was just starting to rise, probably because I was about to leave.

After moving around for some time, I finally return back at my room. Naturally, I entered it, deciding to check on it one more time. I don't exactly know when I'll be back in this place, the closest reference is Lenora who I've only met once for the 14 years that I have lived.

And that was 5 years ago, so for all I know, it might be at least a solid 9 years before I come back. 

The inside of the room was already neatly arranged, though it was missing a couple of things which I decided to bring with me. I languidly looked around the place, before standing in the large mirror that I've been using for years.

Reflected right in front of me was a beautiful young girl wearing a silver long sleeved shirt and black pants.

You are reading story Mirrored Journey – A Hero & Devil’s Tale at novel35.com

I'm not even trying to be narcissistic here, considering the genes of mom and dad, it would be weirder if I wasn't. The features hasn't really changed either, my hair was still gray, while my left and right eyes were still gold and blue respectively.

Though, just looking at myself just merely reminded me of my new discontents. 

For one, despite just still being only 14, I'm already growing considerably in certain places that was completely unnecessary.  I would've considered it eye candies if they were in another girl, but they're just unpleasant when attached to me.

Fortunately, it wasn't to the extent that they would become a hindrance to me in any way.

(Although, it could also just be because of my over the top physical attributes)

Secondly, being beautiful doesn't exactly benefit me in becoming an adventurer. I'm trying to travel and explore, not to court or woo people. It's fairly obvious what kind of 'pain in the ass' situations a pretty girl would encounter when going around places.

I was already considering what sort of mask I was going to wear, maybe even try to act like I had a horribly disfigured appearance.

And yet, what I would consider the most annoying thing so far is my face. It was way too similar to my previous life face, something I had to come to terms with as I grew up.

Of course, it's not a complete identical image. I may have looked like a girl in my previous life but at the very least, though few and hardly noticeable, I still had some masculine features (Maybe, probably, I'm pretty sure).

Not that they exist anymore in this life anyways. My contours from head to toe had turned completely feminine, which left a rather bitter aftertaste in my heart.

Needless to say, what annoyed me was not the resemblance. I just simply felt like I completely lost to my (Previous life's) sister.

The very same woman who constantly made up various stupid excuses to force me to crossdress on countless occasions, who kept complaining to me till my ears bled about how I looked better than her and how I should've been born a girl, and who may have very well jinxed my death (That last one was personal).

I probably already said this a thousand times, but I'll say it again. 'F*ck you, Erna!'

Grumbling and venting my dissatisfaction in front of my mirror was pretty much my morning routine, I guess it wasn't all that bad to give it one last go.

While I was standing in the mirror deep into my thoughts, a translucent firefly came inside my window, landing atop my shoulders. It transferred a few information to me, which could basically be summed up as 'Everything's ready'.

"Yeah yeah, I know." I said, grinning.

'Huup' Instead of using stairs going around the building like a normal person, I jumped up from the window to take a quicker shortcut. Landing perfectly, I rapidly dashed towards the agreed site, ignoring the surprised reactions from the servants around.

With my blinding speed, I naturally reached the site quickly. It was a section of the palace that was near the exit gate, inside it were mom, dad, Aiden, and Vairon. Everyone else didn't come because they gave their early farewells a day ago.

Dad was taking care of mom, who, by the way, is pregnant again. (Goddamnit, old man!)

The other two left their stations to go give me one last visit.

Just as I entered, Aiden casually tossed me something, which I immediately caught in surprise. 

"Hey, careful! What if it breaks?"

"It's made of Mithril not glass, you blockhead."

'Well, that's true' I couldn't retort back anymore, but my attention was already zeroing in the item. It was a sheathed sword that I had requested to be made earlier, and not just any sword either, it was a man(or woman) of culture's best friend, a Katana.

All this time, I've only seen long swords and other western medieval weaponry around here. I wasn't sure if the concept of a Katana even existed, and even if it did it wouldn't be in this kingdom. So in the end I had it made, even describing the process of it's creation and shape (or at least, what I knew of).

It was made from Mithril, which was one of the best Mana conducting metal, and can even be used to amplify spells, like a magic staff. There was also plenty of enchantments placed within it that enhance it's already spectacular specs.

Taking it out of it's sheath, I could see it's curved blade's silvery contours which seemed to exhibit a greenish sheen. It wasn't heavy, but it was exceedingly sharp. Inputting Mana into it was a very smooth process, I could even feel the Mana going up a level in quality.

"Awesome! Thanks bro, I owe you one."

"I didn't do it for you in particular, I was just curious what kind of sword you were trying to make."

Aiden was the one who introduced me to a good blacksmith, which helped simplify the process quite a lot. We had to go through a bit of a trial and error using basic metals before utilizing special metals like Mithril.

"Now now, you can experiment around with your sword later. Do you have everything in order?"

"Yeap, I already have everything I needed."

From my pocket, I took out a small ring, that fit right into my index finger. It was a special made advanced dimension storage ring, which had several features one usually wouldn't find in other dimensional storage artifacts.

It could separate items into different categories, along with being compact and stable enough that one could put another artifact inside it. Although, it doesn't seem like I could place another dimensional artifact inside it, so that's a bummer.

"Are you sure you're prepared then? While you're here we can still help you out, but once you leave the capital, you're on your own."

"I know, I'll be fine."

Dad voiced his concern, while mom who was sitting next to him stood up and made her way to me. Once she reached me, she wordlessly took out a blue jeweled necklace before putting around my neck.

Once it was placed, I could feel a spell wrap around me. I looked around myself, unsure of what had changed, but I could at least tell that my hair became black.

"This is..."

"It's an artifact I made, do you like it?"

"Yeah."

Mom smiled at me, to which I couldn't help but smile back.

"It's first ability is fairly obvious, but it has a few more interesting functions. I'll leave that for you to find out."

She took a step back. Everyone seemed to have already said their piece, well except of course, Vairon who was sitting in the side reading a book.

'This prick...'

He loves to pretend to be indifferent, but in reality, he already visited me yesterday so it wasn't necessary to a second farewell. Moreover, the book hes reading is an encrypted book, yet I couldn't sense any decryption spell being used.

"So, anything to say to me Vairon?"

"...Good luck, I guess."

Briefly, he glanced at me while saying those words.

'Whatever man, your loss.'

"Well, I'm gonna go now. I'll try to keep in touch."

"Stay safe, don't forget to eat well."

"Try not to make a mess everywhere you go."

Ignoring a certain line, I began to make my way out.

"Remember, it's best to avoid exposing your identity as the Hero. The whole continent is churning around in attempts to look for you."

"I will."

Honestly, I was thinking of going to fly out in style instead of walking. Well, leaving like this makes it somewhat more impactful, I guess. Probably not a good idea to say that out loud though.

 

 

---

 

 

On another side of the world, an unnamed island stood atop the ocean, silently enduring it's tides. There were countless greenery residing within it, which housed innumerable creatures. At its center was a mountain reaching towards the sky.

Upon one of the mountain's sides was a small hole that seemed to have been deliberately dug out by something, yet its size was far from being able to fit a person.

Suddenly, the entire island shook, eliciting the perched birds to fly off and the animals to scatter around in panic. The mountain on the other hand, despite having shaken along with the island, remained stable.

Unknowingly, within the aperture on the mountain side, a change had taken place. The opening gave the illusion of widening, as a figure slowly emerged from the inside.

Its steps were silent, almost fleeting even, yet they held unmistakable might behind them. Its fur shone a delicate radiance of majesty, wielding a solemn dignity and suppressing all those that stood before it.

As the being was about to reveal itself from the cavity, the surroundings seem to lose all color. Its presence alone silenced the world with overwhelming grandeur. Power wordlessly emanated from it's body, with a simple exhale, the colors returned to the world.

Soon, it's true form had finally beheld—

—It was a Black Cat.

"F*ck, why did it have to be day time? The sun is way too bright!"

A talking Black Cat.

"I should've woken up at night instead, why does this always happen to me?"

The entire time, it had its eyes tightly shut, perhaps to prepare itself for the rays of the sun. Yet it would seem that its preparation were completely in vain, as the sun had proven its light far superior to what the cat's eye lids could protect.

Having resided within the cave for so long had robbed the cat's eyes the ability to quickly adapt to the light, which seemed to have left nothing but an unpleasant experience for the cat.

In an attempt to clear its vexation, the cat began to stretch itself while deeply mulling within its thoughts.

'How wonderful it would be if I could sleep a bit longer.'

It awakened much earlier than it was originally meant to be, moreover the backlash of having committed a taboo had left it in a severely weakened state.

"Then again, I still have to keep my promises."

It sighed while muttering silently to no one in particular, quickly finishing its stretches before jumping off the mountain cliff, ignoring the height of which he had been standing earlier.

 

 

---