WebNovelSCHISMA78.57%

New Names and Places

The undead was almost directly behind her as hazel mana belched out, from the girl's back sprouted blazing wings that expanded out and lit the surrounding area in green light. Almost as fast as the light cast shadows from the vegetation the child had disappeared. He shuddered.

He had confirmed that most living beings possessed mana, and how it was linked to his own condition.

He carefully descended the steep landmass and crossed over. Climbing on the other side did not prove to be difficult with his newfound strength.

As he climbed he thought back at the time before his revival. That being, the mixture of shapes which communicated straight into his mind, had attempted to turn him into something else, to assimilate him. The woman that pierced his heart had stopped it. He wondered if there was a connection between his revival and the woman or that sinister, odious being.

He could only speculate since his memories of what had unfolded in that dark domain were hazy and unreliable. There was a different part that interjected these images, it was a dream which he couldn't completely recall, a vision of a torn sky in a world of unforgettable, freakish beauty.

He was apprehensive ever since he heard the sounds, sounds that were more noise than words, yet carried meaning. It had said something about a soul... That was all he could remember, events laden with unknown factors and strange interrelations.

The girl was lying on the ground in the fetal position, she was shivering. The condensation of her hastened breaths formed a cloud over her face. It was cold.

Ruthenia was exhausted, she had to recruit her whole strength to reposition herself and pin her eyes on the Anortha that was standing over her. She had first noticed it when it was climbing the ravine. It wasn't the same one that had followed her from the village, this one looked different, its body was more damaged. It had a hole in its chest, through which the cruel moonlight could touch her eyes. It was so cold.

Even though it had come so close it did not attack. This one was different, there was something exceedingly frightening in its presence. It kneeled over her, almost as if it was... studying her. Then it spoke, she didn't understand what it said. Just breathing was unbearable, it was cold and painful.

The girl lost consciousness for a small interval and regained it. She didn't look too damaged from the landing, which made her unusually sturdy if she were to be compared to the humans of Agros.

She could have needed mana, since she had expelled so much if it, it stood to reason these were symptoms of its depletion. But something was not in order, she was in the range of his [Mana search]. This ability was not so different from [Mana Sense], but whilst [Mana Sense] could be used to gain a detailed image of his surroundings, [Mana Search] functioned more like a radar, it detected the direction of sources of mana and their size. He could feel how much mana was still left within her body and it was by no means little. There were yet more questions.

He had originally planned on saving the child, due to her being a human from this world. Were she to ally with him he would gain her ability to better navigate this foreign world and she would in turn gain his strength and protection. He had started spinning an order of actions needed to make her trust him, but he had not accounted for one thing, that being so close to her, being able to smell her mana, it had made him hungry. The smell she exuded was delightful, like a chewy piece of candy. He paused.

There was something wrong, he had started to notice a change in him. Unlike his past self, now, he felt nothing as he was about to devour the hapless victim of a disaster that he had caused. The desire to consume overwrote any sense of hesitation, he didn't think much of it. Should he even hesitate? It felt natural, like an instinct.

His dry tongue licked her skin. Her pulse induced exhilaration, the taste of her fear was pure, intense satisfaction. It was good, liberating. He might have considered not eating her if she had exhausted all her mana, but she had so much, it was irresistible.

The girl thrashed around and kicked multiple times while sharp teeth penetrated her throat. Her mana was so refreshing and sweet. He felt the need to gulp down more blood, more flesh, it slid down his throat and he couldn't get enough.

She shouted out loud, for help, for mercy, until she couldn't shout any more and had completely dried up. As the mana flowed into his body and was slowly being absorbed into his own he saw flashes, small pieces, reflections of the girl's mind. Her friends and family, dreams and feelings, words and names. In a moment he had collected an immense amount of information. He knew the landscape, he knew of nearby villages, and he understood how to use mana to create wind. It came naturally to him, like he had always known how to accomplish it. It required concentration to visualise the circulation of mana within himself, direct it and control it so that a small part exited his body. It rose up from his pores like smoke and twisted around his fingers. It was unlike what he had seen in the memories of the girl, it was not as dense, while being more clear and linear. The stream of mana inside him was different to that of Ruthenia, whilst hers was a whirlpool of winds and clouds, his was a slow light that pulsed outwards from the centre of his chest and seeped into every part of his body through small, branch-form paths that split from his blood vessels.

Then, a hot pain pounded inside his chest. Again, and again, and once more, then it continued.

'A heartbeat?'

It was not, his heart was damaged, but there was something else. Something akin to electrical impulses rapidly hitting his nerves.

It was hot, then cold, his senses were going haywire. After that came asphyxiation, he had gotten so used to not breathing that it was almost strange. He breathed in the cold air. His chest was filled with pain as soon as his diaphragm contracted. His head was spinning, it was nauseating. He found it hard to stand so he sat down next to the motionless body of the human. Then, he lay down trying to take more deep breaths. It was an other chaotic change so he knew it was coming again, the omniscient noise that entered creepily from the back of his mind.

-Zzsh...- When it connected it was so loud, yet quiet at the same time. From far away and so close by. It spoke with its static and declared no will or intent, just observation.

-Subject signature registered under 'Proteus 0197'. Proteus 0197 is currently undergoing Evolution through process [?], triggered by mana input/overflow. Race details confirmed as [Shadow Ghoul]. -

-[Mana Absorption], [Mana control], [Unique Physiology] and [Corruption Resistance] identified as traits of Proteus 0197.-

-Ha, you did give me a name after all, 'Proteus', not bad.-

-Registering name as "Proteus"-

-So you can hear me, you should have said so earlier-

-...-

No response, just like that the connection closed and he couldn't reopen it. He tried again, but only a block of information flowed in instead.

•Name: Proteus

•Race: Shadow Ghoul

•Level: 6 /Classification pending/

•Health: 10/?

•Mana: 100/?

•Skills:

Devour

Mana control

Mana search

Mana absorption

[?]

(Passive)

Regeneration Factor 0.2

Mana sense

Corruption Resistance

Unique Physiology [Dark Claws, Dark Blood, Unlife]

The pain spread out, he still felt famished, this transformation needed more to fuel it. He reached out for the corpse of the human child and started vigorously biting and tearing and cutting and swallowing and licking. Every time the metallic taste entered his mouth he felt more and more alive. Proteus' skin was shifting, his fingernails elongated further, his cuticles burst open and black blood flowed outwards to fully coat them. His bones and muscles tore and reassembled as they became thicker. This transformation was different than the previous one, he didn't just feel stronger, he felt alive and it was clear that his body was beginning to repair itself, his skin that was full of tears and open wounds was now almost completely healed. He breathed in and closed his eyes, not because he needed to, just to experience it again.

With the knowledge he had gained from the child, Proteus understood that existences such as himself were considered evil, if he was discovered he would be hunted down and eliminated. Although he would have loved to not come into contact with more humans his position did not leave him much choice. He found himself between the corruption, an unknown enemy that had originated from an even less understood entity, and the humans, who would seek to harm him for existing.

The girl knew a little about undead beings, they were named 'Anortha' and they were said to be infested by a curse left behind in this world as the malice of a banished god. The corruption itself was less widely understood so the girl hadn't known much about it other than to recognise it by description. Proteus crabbed a few more bites and went on the path to the next village.

To face a foe you don't understand or to face a foe that isn't aware of you, the answer was clear.

Many villages this far away from the main lands didn't have official names, they were referred to by their position relative to important landmarks. Wior was the name of the city that served as the central point for trade and supplies, a gathering point for exchange and regulation. The distance to the city took more than three weeks by foot, since the forces to cull the corruption would most likely be dispatched from there, he had a little less than two weeks until every human he would encounter would become aware of the situation.

'I don't think that humans can match an undead's pace of walking.' He reassured himself.

That night one moon had taken its throne, it was an ominous white smile surrounded by small round gems high in the dark sky.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

In such a clear night two boys were laying on a bed in a small, faintly lit room.

"And then, the tears rushed out of his eyes. 'It is alright', said the bleeding star regretfully."

"Thomas, I am --- , you shouldn't trust me anymore."

"What do you mean you --- , and that I shouldn't trust you?", said the child with a scared expression, "No, I don't believe you."

"..."

"Why would you even say something like that."

The other boy didn't understand yet.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A murky memory resurfaced while the world was still and only the rustling leaves whispered loud enough to be heard.

Right now a ghoul named Proteus walked silently on a path made by humans, which led to the other side of the mountain. Ever since he had transformed into this new form his senses had become more heightened. He could hear the animals sleeping hidden among the emptiness that the light didn't touch and his [Mana Sense] could reach more than double the range it had before. In the direction of the village the big lake mirrored the starry sky along its distortion of the light.

This world didn't have anything as convenient as cars or locomotives and the mountain path was a pain to traverse even for someone that didn't feel fatigue. There was no place in particular that he was trying to get to anyway, but Proteus considered the possibility of gaining more information than what he had currently to be worth the risk of being close to humans. It wasn't clear how it had happened, he managed to see inside the memories of the child when he absorbed her mana, the prospect of seeing an adult's memories was too important to pass by. For his own protection he had to know even more about this world.

It was ironic how a Ghoul, that dreaded being hunted down, would seek humans. His goal was not precisely to eat them, but to gain information. If seeing through the memories of a single child was enough to become able to control mana, then there was no limit to how much or how complex something was. As long as he devoured humans, eventually, he would even become capable of speaking their language. Failure or being found out would mean confrontation, but human society was too convenient. If he managed to become integrated as a 'human', he would escape one of the imminent dangers that worried him.

More concerning would be his appearance, judging from the state of his body there was a slim chance that he would be able to pass as a normal human. His body had started to heal but it was still badly damaged, he had claws and he also had to rid himself of the odour of his formerly decaying flesh.

In the meantime, while he had been absorbed in thought, a creature had walked in front of the lone Ghoul. Ghouls did possess better eyesight than humans, though it wasn't comparable to proper night-vision, Proteus could distinguish the appearance of the 'thing', by combining what he saw with his sight and the images he received when the animal moved into his [Mana Sense].

It was humanoid, each of its limbs were a bit shorter than the length of its middle section, it had a hunched back, a large head with pointed ears and held what could be described as a very rudimentary spear. It was a goblin, he recognised it from the memories of Ruthenia. It was as tall as a child of about 10 years, so to a kid it would be a horrifying thing to see, especially with the way it snarled, its sharp teeth and the drool that steadily drooped out of its mouth.

-Fortunately I was about getting bored of walking for all this time, so what is it going to be?- The goblin stopped its disgusting vocals and the Ghoul readied his claws. Then, a sudden thought passed by his mind. Fighting the goblin was not only a good way to relieve boredom, it was also an opportunity to practice using mana offensively.

He closed his eyes and concentrated again, the goblin seemed to have understood his intention and shouted as it took charge with its little, wooden spear. It hadn't managed to take a second step when the Ghoul's nails started glowing purple. This sudden change caused it to panic and step back.

What Proteus had understood about Ruthenia's magic was that it wasn't anything like creating wind out of nothing. To put it simply, one had to move mana into the air and then control it. He was terribly bad at this compared to the child. His gaseous mana instantly wrapped itself around him the exact moment that it exited his body making it hard to imitate the method the girl had used.

'At this point it won't get any easier to use mana itself as a weapon.'

He inspected the mana circling his fingers and an other idea was formed.

He reabsorbed the mana into himself through his fingers, and as it still hanged on his nails he focused into making it condense densely around his claws. What happened stunted both the goblin and himself. His claws were emitting a purple glow and their surface area had increased by a sharp layer of the obscure substance. It could be compared to the glowing claws of the bear he fought before.

Proteus wanted to test the strength of his mana covered claws against the wooden weapon of the goblin. As he did so he ended up cutting both the little spear and the goblin's hand in halves.

The agitated thing couldn't react fast enough, it nervously looked down at its wound, a straight cut.

Then, the ghoul used a different attack, he swung his arm in a horizontal motion outward, while at the same time flinging mana out of his fingers with the momentum of the movement.

The result was a thin, crescent shaped mass of mana, which travelled outward and hit the goblin leaving behind a shallow cut.

-It should be faster-

Swing. Cut.

-Faster, sharper- he smiled

Swing. Cut.

The goblin was fleeing.

-Faster-

It tore through the skull of the severely wounded goblin, continued to hit the ground and vanish in the rising dust.

Satisfied with his experiment, Proteus picked up the limp creature and proceeded to eat.