CHPT 114: In need of Strength.

When the Tangents first came into existence, they sent everyone into a panic and bodies began to drop like flies everywhere as technology and modern life altogether collapsed.

In these hysteria filled dark times, there was suddenly a glimmer of hope. People started experiencing bursts of power and unlocking skills that belonged to their respective Classes with vastly unknown potential.

But unfortunately, no matter how many giant Lizard monsters and little green skinned devils the —now super powered humans cut down, there was always something stronger, something smarter, or something better suited for the harsh environments of the new world that cut them down in return.

The new generation of humans as a whole were simply too inexperienced to face off against intelligent species that seemed to be made for battle. This is where the Astral Realm came into play.

The harsh and violent new way of living was overwhelming for a newly Reborn individual with no teacher and no one to share their new experiences with.

So, seemingly out of nowhere, a sort of new world found its way into the minds of the Reborn. A place they could go when they needed it most, waking up with more experience— more power, than the day before.

Then, talk of Gods spread across the world like a wildfire.

People who were recently Reborn would wake up with new skills, mimicking that of different Gods and Deities that they reported to have seen in their dreams. The humans that seemed to be chosen by the Gods themselves showcased levels of strength that were a cut above the rest and became invaluable in the fight against the monsters inside the Tangents.

The Astral Realm became an incredibly important commodity to the human race and especially to someone who was in need of power. Not just power for status or money, but power for survival.

Thats how Claude found himself sitting at the foot of his bed near a pile of partially read books with a pulsating migraine from focusing for too long and lack of sleep. He'd spent an alarmingly long time in the Library, reading and learning what he could. After reading for an hour or so, Ursula and Warren joined him and were the ones to find valuable information on the scarcity of known things about the Astral Realm.

In their time reading together, he could feel Ursula's suspicion growing as she watched him urgently search for information on how to increase his power— which confused him since she still offered to help.

He was able to ease her suspicion by saying he wanted to make sure he was ready when the HellBreeder came back for them— it wasn't a lie, but it still felt wrong. Luckily, he could see that she understood how severe the HellBreeder was, he could smell her fear at the thought of the giant scorpion-like Demon.

He ended up leaving the Library with a dozen or so books and Warren and Ursula behind him, arguing over how many— if any, Heroes it would take to defeat 50 Frost Giants.

He now sat at the foot of his bed, going over what he had to do to assure his chances of entering the Astral Realm. It was quite simple for him since all he had to do was think about what he was in danger of and what he needed to get stronger for.

As he sat on the stiff twin sized bed near his window, all he had to do was let his mind wander to where it always tried to go during the day. A world of darkness engulfed in pain, death and worst case scenarios. Over time, the vicious scenes and possibilities became more vivid and in detail until it felt like he was standing in the center of a living nightmare.

"[Alright. That's enough.]" Arne spoke firmly into his mind, bringing him back to reality and rebuilding his mental restraints.

Claude opened his eyes with a snarl and felt trails of sweat running down his face and arms. He could feel his hands shaking and as he looked down at them, he noticed claws and deep black hair sprouting from his darkened leathery skin.

"[I think it's safe to say you've throughly reminded yourself.]" Arne said.

"Now all I need to do is go to sleep." Claude replied.

"[Indeed.]"

Claude took a deep relaxing breath and laid back— ignoring the thick covers and the way his feet hung off the edge of the bed. He could feel his muscles relax against the mattress almost immediately. It didn't take long for the rhythmic sound of Guards all over the building walking their routes to lull him to sleep.

It felt like he'd been asleep for no more than an hour when the sweeping sound of wind woke him.

He kept his eyes closed, hoping to drift back to sleep and end up in the Astral Realm. Only he couldn't which irritated him to no end.

"God dammit! I haven't slept since Saturday! Why am I not tired?!" He thought angrily.

Right when he was about to do something about his lack of tiredness, a collection of cold wet surfaces bumped into and sniffed at his face furiously. His eyes shot open reflexively. All he saw was black, thick and trailing up into the air like smoke combined with pairs of pale bluish white orbs. Once they backed away, he could discern what it was. What they were.

"I guess I'm already here." He said as he sat up in the grass and came face to face with The Phantom Wolves.