Chapter 2: Prologue (2/2)

*THUD*

The sound of a large beast falling echoed around the forest. Usually the sound of smaller beasts scurrying away from the source would soon follow, but it seems they have already evacuated much earlier. 

At the center of it all was what appeared to be a small crater, and within it lied a huge boar like beast that one could almost mistake for a whale, had it not been for the fur covering it's body and the tusks protruding from it's mouth. 

"GUHAHAHAHAHAHA! How was it? did you see my greatness? THIS is power! pure and true power unlike your weak sh*tty cowardly magic!"

Beside the huge boar was a rather meager figure, but only when compared to itself.

The being in question boasts a towering height of over three meters and a body filled to the brim with muscle. He wore beast fur on his lower body, leaving his torso exposed. His bronze skin which seemed to shine in an almost metallic luster, together with his wide grin showcasing a set of serrated teeth and the sharp horn atop his forehead evidently disclosed his demonic nature.

"...Was that really necessary? You could have waited until I put it to sleep while it's guard was down"

Parallel to the giant stood a thin figure with a more normal stature. His body was wrapped in a grey robe decorated with gold linings that formed the images of branches and leaves. Held in his left hand was a wooden staff that slightly exceeded him in height. One could almost mistake him for a human, had it not been for his head being that of a goat's.

"TOO SLOW! We'd have taken much longer if we did it your way."

"It's called being prudent, you fool. if you keep recklessly going headstrong over everything, I can guarantee you will eventually hit a wall that even you can't break"

In response, the giant cackled before turning around and lifting the dead beast over his shoulders. 

"Even if I really find a wall like that then I'll just hit it again and again, as many times it takes. It will fall eventually."

Without waiting for a reply, the giant started striding forward. His companion remained motionless for a brief period before finally heaving a sigh and soon following after him. 

On the way, the goat man waived his fingers around as though writing in the air. Unknown symbols soon came into being, which then flew and circled around the massive boar atop the giant. The runes trembled slightly, before attaching themselves to the boar's skin and absorbing the blood within it.

Time passed as the two trekked across the forest before they came across a large cabin. As the two seemed to finally relax, the giant set the boar down.

"This boar should be able last you for at least a month or two."

The goat man commented, while casting a few preservative spells towards the boar.

"Heh, who are you kidding? This'll last a half a month at best."

"Only if you're being excessively wasteful."

As they conversed lightheartedly, a intense change abruptly occurred. The pair's countenance quickly turned solemn and they hurriedly turned towards a certain direction.

"...You can feel that don't you?"

"...Yeah"

They could sense an enormous shift in the flow of mana surrounding the forest, furthermore the source of the problem seemed to be very close to their current location. Noticing this, the giant immediately set off hopping across the tress.

"Wait! You shouldn't rush to... Ah damn it all!"

In the end the goat man quickly followed, casting a spell that allowed him to sink to the shadows.

_____________________________________

 

The giant quickly reached his destination, encountering what seemed to be the source of the disturbance.

"This is..."

Standing before him was an odd crystal boulder, it rose nearly as tall as him and equally as wide. A blood colored tint dyed almost its entirety, yet its crystal body was clear enough to see what it held within. Inside it was what looked to be dark mist wrapped around in the shape of a small sphere. Whatever was in that sphere, the giant certainly couldn't see it.

"You could have at least slowed down a little, you know."

From a patch of shadow arose the goat man, who felt somewhat aggrieved at being left behind.

"...I see, so it was this boulder that was causing all the ruckus."

"Do you know what it is?"

"Not quite, but I wouldn't say I'm completely oblivious to it."

The giant raised a brow at the unexpected response, turning to look at him curiously.

"As early as nine months ago, I noticed an odd change in the mana flowing around the forest. It wasn't anything drastic nor harmful; in fact, it was such a minuscule change that one wouldn't have noticed it if they don't have exceptional magical sensitivity. Of course, out of caution I still went to check it out. In the end, I traced that exact boulder as the source of the irregularity, though it was only less than a third of the size it is now."

The goat man recounted the encounter, to which the giant man only furrowed his brows.

"Then why didn't you do anything about it?"

"Did you think I wouldn't have tried already? This thing is practically immune to everything. Any spell cast against it would just be absorbed, I tried to smash a large rock on it but it only absorbed the impact. I've even used physical arts to try and break it or at the very least move it, but it was too heavy. Afterwards I just gave up, It wasn't doing anything particularly harmful anyways and I eventually forgot about it after some time."

The giant widened his eyes in surprise, his thoughts narrowing on a specific point.

"Did you just say you used physical arts?"

"That's not exactly the issue right now, Granvar"

The giant, Granvar, grinned in response. He turned towards the crystal boulder, shifting into a combative pose. His muscles bulged, while the mana within his body spread and circulated in a particular manner.

"Kartis, It seems you're not as hopeless as I thought you were. You only failed because of inexperience, now let me show you what a true expert in physical arts is capable of!"

"I already told you, its not going to-"

*CRACK*

"-work?"

The large crystal boulder which Kartis initially thought invulnerable crumbled to pieces.

"GUHAHAHAHA, SEE THIS? what your puny magic can't- eh?!?!"

Above the rubble of the crystal boulder lied the dark sphere, which suddenly began to unravel. And within it was...

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"...An child?"

As Kartis muttered while in shock, the baby slowly opened his eyes. The child expressionlessly looked at them, before looking at his surroundings and frowning.

"What in the hell is a kid doing in there?"

"Hold it! don't do anything rash."

Kartis hurriedly stopped Granvar from taking action while cautiously examining the child. The baby had short jet black hair which glistened vibrantly against his deathly pale skin, along with crimson eyes reminiscent of blood. Against the sides of his head were two short horns matching the color of his hair that one wouldn't have noticed unless they were particularly attentive.

'This kid...'

Kartis narrowed his eyes. He was well aware just how much force Granvar had placed in that strike. Even if the Crystal boulder cushioned most of the damage, it was unthinkable how an infant could come out of it unscathed. Moreover, the way the child inspected his surrounding was unlike any reaction a newborn normally has.

"Pardon my manners, but do you happen to have a name you would like to be referred to as?"

"Uh, you talking to the kid?"

Kartis drew slightly closer to the child as he spoke, all the while Granvar looked at him in confusion. Noticing his bewilderment, Kartis attempted to elaborate.

"There are some powerful races in this world, such as dragons and divine beasts, who are said to be born with inherent wisdom and knowledge."

Hearing this, Granvar gaped his mouth in surprise.

"How come I've never heard of this before?"

"Of course you haven't, have you ever even read a book?"

Kartis scoffed at Granvar before turning back to the child. The child on the other hand curiously observed them, though showing no sign of responding. Time continued to tick on as they stared awkwardly at each other before Granvar finally seemed to snap.

"Look! you were wrong again! there's noth-"

[Niel. I am called Niel.]

An answer came before Granvar could finish his sentence. But instead of being spoken, it was more as though the information was sent into their minds, leaving the two of them in surprise.

At the same time as Niel had stated his name, the remains of the dark sphere he was previously held at suddenly came alive. It was absorbed into his body and started crawling around his skin, before finally forming into an ominous symbol resembling that of a serpent devouring itself unto his back. 

"Uh, you okay kid? what was that about?"

Granvar looked worriedly at the child, while Kartis observed him more intently before coming to a conclusion.

"Might be a racial characteristic of his"

Hearing so, Granvar sighed in relief.

"By the way, what was that about me being wrong again? Huh?"

Yet before Granvar could relax, he heard his companion speak in a somewhat irritating tone.

"Well, uh... that was."

"As expected, I really shouldn't have much hope from your tiny muscle brain"

"Shut up, how was I supposed to know about-"

_________________________________________________________

 

As I watched two of them argue, I tried to recall what led me to this situation. 

I remembered that although I barely managed to survive the explosion, I ended up falling into the sea. By then I was already riddled with numerous injuries that staying conscious alone was difficult enough, much less swimming back to safety. I thought I died, and for the most part believed it to be so. 

I awoke in a dark limbo of sorts. It wasn't the hell that I thought I'd be welcomed into, yet I've largely accepted it as proof of my passing. 

But my current situation is one that baffled me to no end. Leaving aside the pair bickering, who are clearly not human, the very air I breathed felt distinctly alien. Moreover, outside of the senses that I normally have, I could vaguely feel a few extra senses added in. Last and most importantly is the peculiar 'energy' flowing through my body, which I strangely can instinctively utilize, such as when I voiced my intent despite being unable to speak.

Ultimately, I resorted to doing something I usually avoid. I browsed through my memories, even going as far as to unearth things I've buried below the depths of my consciousness. Images of my past flashed by as I passively scrutinized them. One by one, information that were once discarded or abandoned at the back of my mind were brought out. My thoughts started to race faster and faster, until finally...

...'His' image, too, came to surface...

'Stop'

I tried to calm the feeling boiling up my chest, while burying the unnecessary things back.

Even now, 'that' topic remains an issue I dare not tread upon. Perhaps it will continue to be that way for as long as I exist.

Regardless, I had already found what I had been looking for.

'Reincarnation'

If it had been just that, it would not have been hard for me to figure out without unearthing my subconscious. Yet this one is riddled with all sorts of abnormality, and I can somewhat already guess what exactly happened.

I've likely been reincarnated in a different world, with my memories intact no less. Though the unknown reason for being so still bothers me, along with the bizarre case of being born out of a crystal.

"Hey kid, do you have anywhere to go?"

Just as I finished my thoughts, the giant spoke to me. It seems like they've already stopped arguing.

"The name's Kartis and the big guy over there is Granvar. If you have nowhere else to go, wanna come with us?"

"Hey! I was about to say that!"

As the two spoke, the man named Kartis reached out a hand to me.

 

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