Chapter 39 - My Reflection

I couldn't believe my eyes... I was able to turn into this horrific creature?

I mean... It is snake-like which puts it in the reptile category perhaps?

But I'm not certain... Other than its name, appearance, and the fact that the evolutionary route got registered within the system, not much can be said can there?

For all, I know there is more to this than meets the eye... Hmm... Thinking about the possibilities made my thoughts wander off.

While this all happened very quickly the system showed me what it was that had been added to it.

[New evolutionary route discovered due to survival and devouring the specimen. Evolutionary routes have been unlocked and are now possible to be shown whenever

"the player" prefers this. Would you like to take a look?] [YES]/[NO]

Without knowing the answers I knew that the best option at the moment would be to observe what "the system" had to show me. But... At the same time,

I didn't know how safe I was...

Within this new environment predators like these could be lurking around every corner...

"But there are no corners!"

"I know, I know... But there is numerous plant life to hide behind."

"Wait... haven't I learned anything from my previous experiences?! Like how danger is always around the corner? I'd rather do what I had set out to do, which is searching for a temporary shelter.

Think Mira, in a forest like this, how do lizards usually find shelter? Do they burrow themselves under the ground? Or do they try to blend with their environment like how I used the dark to my advantage? Camouflage must be the solution to most survivability, right? Camouflage and Stealth that is."

At that moment I realized I only had been using the dark to blend in with the environment,

but with my black scales and white skin... I had to admit... That nothing looked similar to me...

This might become challenging if I don't find a way soon.

While thinking of several options an idea popped up in my head, an idea that didn't make sense but began to eat up my curiosity all the more.

As the thought began to overpower my thinking I uttered the following words within my head.

"If that beast is part of my species, what do I look like? I mean... The system had explained how my choices of evolution looked, but I had never really gotten the time or chance to look at myself, did I?"

By now the thought had won against my rational reasoning which made me walk closer to the pond. The pond I remembered to have encountered several hardships not too long ago.

Slowly I closed in on the pond, as light shined brightly towards it. Almost giving it the theatrical treatment as if the pond was in the spotlight.

At first when I reached the edge hesitation struck.

What if I didn't like how I looked? What if I too was insanely hideous? Quickly I took a step backward-looking at my sharp claws which slowly dug into the ground underneath me.

I looked behind me, to the trusty tail which had helped me climb together with my claws,

always keeping balance whenever I needed it most.

Come to think of it... why am I even worried about it? Maybe more information will unlock when I have seen my entire appearance? Yes... yes, that must be it, right?"

Having talked some sense to me I finally to the final steps towards the pond. With my nails clawing around the edge of the pond, ripple formed allowing a distorted view of what I hoped to see.

Moments passed as the rippling grew weaker.

So much so that the water gradually came to a standstill. Silence had befallen the forest as I "Mira" the young lizard gazed upon myself.

The explanation "the system" had given me wasn't too far from the truth, seeing how my skin was white as snow. My scales on the other hand looked a bit different. Although still black like burned ashes, there was also a glimmer of purple around the edges. Why that was, I didn't know. But the explanation I came up with at the moment could be because of the acid I tended to conjure.

But where the outlines purple? Or could it mean my scales adapted to the situation? To find out more about this I had to experiment.

But that was not the point right now, right at this moment I was admiring what I had become. Something so different in comparison with the early days... my skin looked a bit more rugged than before, not the smooth and slick newborn skin from back then. Was this really what I wanted to become?

After carefully inspecting both my rugged skin and evenly layered scales I decided to confront myself with the undeniable. Staring straight at the water, there it was. A creature stared back at me. The creature was me. A streamlined shape similar to that of an arrow could be seen.

A pointed snout... I played with my vision looking at every nook and cranny as realization struck...

All this time... I thought that I had the usual two eyes, eyes which had grown accustomed to the use of fire and acid. Eyes which displayed a deep purple, with flame-like hints within such as the occasional red, orange, and yellow accents, but in reality one which wasn't visible had been present all along.

"The mind's eye". I said to myself.

I closed my eyes, trying to see what it could do. When I did one of my skills activated on its own, scanning the area around me. Almost like a sonar something pinning within me allowing me to see my immediate surroundings and any life within it.

[Anything hostile present?]

"Not as of yet, or so it seems."

With this skill, I truly had a vision beyond the capabilities of my own two eyes.

But… Would it be possible to create something similar to "The Mind's Eye"?

"Maybe the system can show me how to learn the skill or how to unlock it.

But first, let me think… There has to be a way to be safe from danger… At least for a while right?"

I took my appearance in, but didn't know how to feel about it… Then again there wasn't much I could do since this is who I was in this world. Knowing this was true I would rather focus on finding a safe place, which will allow me to look into the evolutionary route that had been unlocked. Slowly I raised my head and started to look around me.

Within my immediate surroundings several trees could be seen, trunks were lying on the ground, but I wasn't sure if that would be good enough, although having encountered something so huge as I did… How big would the local wildlife be?

Taking this into account I had to find a place which I could close off, as to make sure to not invite unwelcomed quests while examining my newfound information. Deciding it was best to find something like an opening in a tree or cave I took off to venture into the woods.

As I left the pond something important came to mind. Would I be able to easily find other water sources within the forest? Thinking of fruits and other options would seem not too difficult, but knowing I was already at a water source right now it would spare me the hassle of finding another one, not to mention other animals would be coming to this place which could leave some easy prey.

Thinking about what had just happened made me chuckle a bit.

"Maybe it's best to stay close to the bond then?"

Quickly running back I decided to scout the immediate vicinity of the pond.

Something which I had not noticed before as I returned to the pond was the fact that it was surrounded by sand. Not dirt like the rest of the forest or gravel-like in the caves I had ventures true, but soft sand. At the same time, there was a lot of mud which seemed logical at the time seeing as how water gets splashed outside of the pond from time to time.

"There are several ways to adapt to this environment is there not? Or maybe I should just try to climb up a tree for now?"

Asking myself this question gave me an idea; using the skills I had acquired since birth would be best. Maybe I could even learn how to swim? I haven't seen the skill pop-up ever since I jumped inside the pond for dear life…

I sat down and looked around once more, this time with a more logical plan in mind.

To find a seemingly strong and thick tree to climb up in. To take a better look I decided to circle the pond. When this had shown no results I had to make a decision quickly as most trees seemed to be just as strong.

That was when I found something interesting to the left. A tree had broken off partially but had its insides still intact. It even had an opening for me to fit right in. Now I only needed to find something to close the entrance with, which could be done with some broken-off basks, moss, and sand.

I was proud of how it all turned out, but now… it was time to rest and check what the system had mentioned to me before. "The Evolutionary Route".