Chapter 13: Misunderstanding

The Mountain Guardian, Fixed her golden eyes on Lina, and she spoke. "Let us go and meet this person." she paused briefly before adding, "But if you are not ready, you may stay here, and I shall go alone."

Lina was startled by the wolf's words, she immediately shook her head. "N-no! I'll go, please take me with you," she said, as her voice trembled with resolve.

The wolf smirked faintly, her expression was almost human. "Very well then," she said. "Let us go. I must know the purpose of its arrival… and demand a reason why it chose to go to my territory, and of course demand compensation for the damage it had caused."

Lina quickly nodded, she did not dare to question the wolf's words about getting compensation. Then together, they began making their way toward the person who fell from the heavens, the one Lina had long sought, which her mother prophesied.

Meanwhile inside the crater, Millus sat upright in the middle. He gazed around, marveling at how natural it felt to wield the powers of his new body. And despite being in an unfamiliar world, he felt oddly at ease.

"Veda, I've been meaning to ask you this," he said aloud, his voice was calm and curious.

"Yes, Millus? What is your question?" Veda responded in his mind, the voice was steady and patient.

Millus squinted slightly, focusing on the faint particles drifting through the air. "What are these floating colorful things I see when I focus on them? Can you explain them to me?"

"Those are the natural energies that permeate abundantly through nature," Veda explained to him. "The natives of this land call it mana, however in other dimensions they may call it differently. All living beings possess mana, though its quantity and quality vary from individuals."

"I see," Millus said, nodding as he took in the information. "Then what about the things I did earlier? Like making the fruit float?"

Veda replied, " That was a simple manipulation of the natural mana in your surroundings. Normally, the beings in this world must conjure it using chants, incantations, magic circles, or other similar methods. They may also use mediums to enhance the efficiency and power of the spell and magic. By focusing their intent, imagination and calculation, they can shape the natural mana in the air into something malleable like fire, water, or other elements, then combined with their innate mana drawn from their heart, the source of life. However, what you did was different."

"Different? What do you mean" Millus tilted his head curiously.

"Your body processes and manipulates mana at an instinctive level, bypassing the limitations of traditional techniques. What you did earlier was a basic application of this instinctive control," Veda explained.

Millus pondered this for a moment, stroking his chin. "I see. And the mana leaking from me… was that why the girl had a hard time approaching the mountain before?"

"Correct," Veda confirmed. "You instinctively suppressed the overwhelming mana surrounding you after you stabilized your body and soul. Without that suppression, the girl would not have been able to climb the mountain. The wolf, being a lifeform born of nature and mana, is an exception, it can endure such an environment."

"Interesting. And earlier, when I mapped out the surroundings, was that also because of mana?" Millus asked Veda.

"Yes. What you just performed earlier was mana sense, a technique that allows you to detect and analyze your surroundings. However, you also possess innate senses far beyond the capabilities of ordinary beings, allowing you to map your environment even without actively using mana."

Millus nodded with satisfaction. "I see. Then that explains a lot." He leaned back slightly, as he gazed up at the crater's edge. A faint smile crossed his lips.

"It seems they'll be here soon," he said, his voice tinged with amusement.

Through his enhanced senses, he could already see them coming down as the girl rode the towering wolf while descending the crater. Most would've struggled to discern their forms from such a distance, but to Millus, it was as clear as looking through a high-definition lens. Every detail, and every movement, was sharp and vivid.

While sitting he rested his hands on his knees, waiting patiently for their arrival.

A few moments later, the Guardian of the Lunar Mountain and Lina both arrived at the crater's edge. Lina got permission to ride on the wolf's back, she gripped its fur tightly. After arriving they stopped at a safe distance from where Millus was, their hesitation was clear as they both remained uncertain of Millus's' identity, was he an enemy or an ally?

The giant wolf studied Millus intently, her golden eyes narrowing on him. "*This being… no, this person's aura is peculiar,*" she thought.

"*His ears are slightly pointy which is not quite like the elves or forest sprites, but his features resemble a human's. What is he?*"

Then a flicker of recognition crossed her mind. "*Ah, I see. He is a nocturnal being of the dark. And a superior one of their kind…*"

Her eyes darkened as she looked at him. "*A vampire.*"

The wolf straightened her posture, her tone sounded solemn as she spoke. "*Child, it seems I have misunderstood this being further. This is no ordinary visitor, this is a fiend of the dark. A creature that feasts on blood and relishes the suffering of their victims. I have slain their kind before for coveting my essence, but this one… this one is exceptionally strong. Perhaps he's the king of their race.*"

Lina's breath was caught in her throat. "W-what do you mean, Great Guardian?" she asked, her voice trembled as she glanced back at Millus, who appeared calm, even curious.

"*It means,*" the wolf said gravely, "*that I cannot guarantee your life or mine. You must leave now. This place will become a battleground and you might get caught between us.*"

Lina's eyes widened with disbelief. She hesitated, wanting to protest, but the wolf's fierce glare left no room for argument.

Millus watched the two from his position in the crater. Although he couldn't understand their words, he noticed their wary postures and the tension in the air.

"Veda," he asked, "what are they talking about? I can't understand what they're saying."

"Analyzing language… analysis complete. You can now understand them," Veda replied to him.

"Oh, nice one, well thank you Lady Veda," Millus said, smirking.

As he focused on the pair again, he noticed Lina being lifted into the air, floating upward and away from the crater. "Huh? What the, why's she floating?" Millus muttered, astonished at the scene.

The wolf was now standing alone, she bared her teeth. Then her voice rang out, infused with power. "Begone, fiend!"

Millus barely had time to react as a compressed soundwave howled toward him, tearing through the air with incredible force.

"I think there's a misunderstanding!" he shouted, raising his hands. But the howl slammed him into the craters wall, he clutched his ears to block out the deafening noise.

Before he could even recover, the wolf charged towards him. Her massive jaws snapped shut just inches from him, he instinctively leapt into the air to avoid being swallowed whole from the wolf's massive canine.

'Crap!' he thought, adrenaline surging through him.

As he landed to the ground, a magic circle materialized beneath his feet, it summoned a pillar of fire that roared upward towards the sky. Millus narrowly dodged the attack by flipping backwards.

The wolf ran along the crater's circumference, she moved so fast that she was almost invisible. But Millus's sharp eyes tracked her easily, he traced her movements with precision.

"This dog is so fast," he muttered as he extended his hand. A black magic circle appeared behind him, glowing faintly with dark energy. Spears of shadow erupted from the circle, flying toward the wolf's previous magic circle and shattering it.

Before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, the wolf suddenly vanished in its place, then it reappeared directly in front of him.

"Crap! It became faster!" Millus cursed.

A sudden pull of gravity magic yanked him downwards meeting the earth, slamming him to the ground. Before he could even react, a barrage of elemental magic rained down on him, lightning, wind, and fire bombarded his position relentlessly. Dust and debris filled the air, obscuring him from view.

The wolf landed gracefully on the ground, she watched the cloud of dust with narrowed eyes.

"How Weak," she said coldly.

Then suddenly, the dust parted as Millus shot forward, slicing through the haze.

"What?!" the wolf growled, preparing to counter, but Millus immediately turned away from her attack in an instant. His fist connected with her side, sending her flying across the crater. Her massive body crashed into the rocky walls, causing a series of landslides here and there.

Millus landed lightly, his eyes sharp as he stared through the dust. "What? You've got to be kidding me right now!" he exclaimed.

As the debris settled, the wolf's massive form was gone. In its place now stood an athletic woman with gray wolf ears and a tail. Her curvaceous figure radiated strength, her eyes burning with determination. Her compressed size only made her aura feel denser, and more dangerous.

"How amusing, to think the moon approved of such a being," she said, smirking. "How can a monster like you be here? No matter your origin, I will stop you. As the Guardian of this mountain!"

Millus raised his hands in protest. "Lady, I think there's been a huge misunderstanding-"

Before he could even finish his words, the woman immediately closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye. Her fist shot towards him intending to hit his face. Millus instinctively moved to block it, as he intended catching her punch, but she retracted her arm and delivered a left hook instead that sent him flying into the crater wall.

"Ugh! Damn, that's a heavy punch!" Millus groaned, pushing himself out of the rubble. "Where Does she generate that kind of force?"

He cracked his knuckles, his expression hardening. "Alright, fine. You wanna play rough? I'll give you some!"

End of chapter