Chapter 1 Path of Familiar Faces Part 1

It took me less than 15 seconds to feel my body, each limb was sore as if I was sleeping in a odd position for hours, my eyes calmly adapted to the sunlight leaking from between the trees

The feeling of grass could be felt by the back of my head and I started to move my feet, my hands calmly moved to my chest, feeling the cotton of my shirt and the fabric of my jacket, I took a deep sigh, somehow, I still had my clothes from "the outside" dressed on me, different from the others, I didn't awaken in a body similar to mine, one with a past on this world that is

"So... This is how this world looks like from the inside..."

I looked up to the trees and the blue sky, the wind blowing on the leafs being the only answer to my words, knowing that I was just wasting time, I forced myself to stand, I tapped my feet on the ground to make sure I wasn't feeling anything odd, my shoes made regular tapping sounds on the ground, my jacket and shirt shook slightly with the wind and my movements, my eyes reacted naturally as well

"Everything set... Then where am I?"

Talking to no one, I said those words as if to remind myself that I had something to do, at this rate I would soon be called insane, but the simple fact I managed to reach this world with my clothes and body was already insane.

I walked for a few hours, going deeper and deeper on the forest, my body was getting tired far slower than I expected, I always liked to take long walks, but the distance I walked was no less than 20 kilometers for sure, yet I didn't even start sweating yet and the blue sky didn't change at all, it didn't make much sense to me, but i soon noticed something, when I looked at my own feet, I saw the mark of my shoes, as if I didn't take more than a few steps ahead

"... It's a illusion... then there must be a caster nearby"

Saying that to myself again, i took cleaned my throat by coughing a few times before screaming at the top of my lungs.

"WHOEVER YOU ARE! COME OUT AND SHOW YOURSELF! I'M JUST A WEAK AND LOST TRAVELER!"

The forest stayed in silence for a few seconds, but suddenly, a voice came directly to my ears, as if being carried by the wind

"A lost traveler would have turned and ran away the moment they noticed the illusion"

"... Maybe, yet I wouldn't manage to talk with you if I did"

The voice on the wind sounded slightly sharp yet genderless, I didn't know who I was dealing with and didn't know if the "others" met them

"You... Remind me of someone, your eyes and posture are different, but your voice and face are very similar, human, what is your name?"

"... Good point, if I was to tell my name, considering what happened one thousand years ago, the people of this world would surely hunt me down thanks to "them" being who they are"

The voice stayed silent, it clearly understood the words I said and the meaning behind them as the wind itself stopped, I waited for the voice to say anything again, but instead, the trees before me started to open up, making a path for me.

"I see... Then this is no regular forest"

Seeing what stood at the end of the path, I knew right away where I ended up, the name of that forest was "Lost forest of Tupã", a forest that exists only on the spiritual realm as the gateway between the human continent and the land of dragons, looking at the one who gives name to that forest, i stood before the spirit dragon Tupã.

"You are the 13th, do you also go by the same name as them?"

"He... I was the one who named them from starters, I am the original, yet the 13th, being called 13 (thirteen) doesn't sounds bad, at least untill I can proudly say that name"

The dragon looked down at me, it's azure eyes piercing through my brown eyes, his silver scales looked more like feathers, giving a different feeling from a dragon you see on the tales, yet the pressure he was unleashing was enough to crush anyone without leaving a bone, that was, if he released it with animosity towards me.

"I knew that my master perished... Yet seeing you here gave me some hope..."

"He is dead, I saw that myself, yet, we both know that his spirit still lives, his pact with you still stands, so I want to ask you to help me"

The dragon roars at my face, the powerful roar sent me flying to a tree, i felt my bones get crushed like twigs as if the world was in slow motion, yet the absurd pain I never felt before spread like fire, my throat closer and my vision turned completely blurry.

"You dare say that to me?! My master managed to seal that... That "thing" by sacrificing his own life and leaving me sealed here! You still dare to say such a thing?!"

"Ah... Ha... Ah... Cough!"

I started to puke blood, i felt like I was about to die in any second, being that from pain or blood loss, i couldn't even count how many bones Tupã crushed with a single roar, finally realising what he did, the dragon put it's claw over my head and started a chant, as the words in spirit language were casted, my body started to recover itself, yet the pain still lingered, making me sweat 10 times as when I run a marathon.

"You... You have no soul core at all... There is no creature in this world without a soul core!

"Ah... Ha... Ah... I... Noticed it... This body is not like the others... It's my own body, born and raised in "another world", it's natural I wouldn't have any of the powers that belongs in this world"

"Then how in hell you want to do anything against those two?!?!"

"That's why... I asked your help..."

Forcing myself to stand, i faced the legendary dragon with a serious yet pained face

"I need a soul core, and I need as many weapons and treasures possible, since it's the only way for me to recover all 12 soul crystals"