Ch 11 What is lost.

Asher, who was currently sitting on the ground, watched the party of three who had introduced themselves as a team of awakeners sent by the guild taking care of bodies once again, since he had messed up their hard work not too long ago.

"Ha," Ash's eyes were still desperate but tired nonetheless. He did not want to accept that his grandpa had died. But he now needed to.

He has said he would help, but all three insisted on letting them do it, and he should rest. Ash reluctantly agreed after arguing a bit.

Ash has already explained all the events to them. Of course, he did not tell about the white world; it just didn't feel right with him to share something so personal. If that could explain his feelings.

According to them, two days have already passed since the fight ended. But he was feeling as if he fought that abomination of a tree just a few minutes ago.

'If not for getting healed, I would really have thought it was just moments ago.' Sighing again, he looked at the clear blue sky, feeling lost on what to do now.

He couldn't live alone in an empty village after all. Now that he was calm and free from the stress of survival. He finally had time to introspect on all the things that happened till now to look for any hint he could think of that has been the catalyst to such change.

'It's just not possible for a tree to suddenly turn into a creature of the beyond, a monster. Someone must have done it, but who?' Ash questioned himself and quickly came to a conclusion.

"That lunatic was the only anomaly that happened in the village when he was not here and also the only one who had climbed that tree as well.

No one else can be suspected other than him. The problem lies with how to find him. Ash did not know how he looked nor how he did such an absurd thing of turning a tree into a monster capable of stealing origin from even normal living beings.

"Have you calmed down?" A soft voice soon came interrupting his thoughts.

Looking up, Ash saw Anny as she came and sat beside him. She did not look much older than him, probably between 22 and 24.

"Yes, once again thank you for ... your help." Ash paused mid-sentence as if talking still felt heavy on his heart.

"It's alright; this is our job we get paid for." Anny gave him a smile and told this as if to ease the heavy atmosphere.

Ash nodded, thinking the talk was over; he again looked at the bodies of dead villagers.

"You have just awakened, right? As an awakener with 4 years of experience, let me give you some useful tips." Anny, noticing his silence, tried to keep the conversation going.

"First of all, as a newly awakened, you are a rank 1 I think that should be obvious: when you come to the city with us, go register yourself in the guild. It will be helpful in the future on whatever course of action you take. Now what is your source element?

Even though Anny said it, she did not seem to talk like she was actually asking about it.

Ash showed a little reluctance and answered. "Um, it's related to space."

Ash lied with a straight face, telling someone his source element was 'Eternity.' It will be absurd; not anyone will believe him to begin with.

"Hmm, that's amazing. Your ability must be strong since you were able to defeat a monster almost reaching beast rank." Anny chimed in as happily she clapped her hand to show her excitement.

"Everyone can have the same source element, but the abilities they gain are different. With every step in the ladder to gain new power, we awakeners open our potential. Liber is a rank 2, while I and Gian are both rank 1 awakeners. Do you understand?"

Ash nodded in understanding. He already knew people can possess the same source elements. Space was quite rare but still could be found among people.

"The chance of some awakening is very low; 1 in 500 people awakens only, and in that, do you know the most common are physical-type awakeners with body-related skills? They come from the earth source element mostly or could of a special branch all together. While the next common will be elements like fire, water, and wind-based source elements."

Ash again nodded; this was something he knew as well, but extra information was never bad.

Anny, seeing he was attentive, nodded and continued her lecture.

"There are also special types which are different concept all together in which many people actually come under. Light, dark, space. or many more I don't know about.I have a healing ability but my source element is of light."

"There are also things like divination, but I have never met anyone with such skills, so I don't know under which source element they come. But don't trust everything I said; I can be actually wrong since most people will never accurately tell their source element or even understand it all together."

Anny said with a small smile while looking at Asher's silver eyes.

"Anyway, let's go for monsters, or what people also call monsters from beyond; they are classified by many names as well as their corresponding ranks. For example, a rank-1 will be called a newborn; similarly, a rank-2 will be called a beast rank monster. Rank 3 is an Avenger, and finally, rank 4 will be called the Calamity rank." Anny informed him.

"What about rank 5 or above?" Asher asked curiously now that he heard something new.

"I don't know, nor do I actually want to know; meeting with a rank 3 will be a death sentence for any awakeners. Even a rank 2 can kill tens of awakeners."

Anny shrugged and answered his inquiry. As if remembering something, she hurriedly took something out from her bag and gave it to him.

"The one you killed was a semi-rank 2 beast. Do you know how shocked we were to find it? That you killed a semi-rank 2 newborn but still almost a beast-class monster."

"Was it that big of a deal.?" Ash took the almost purple crystal shard from her and looked at it.

"Yes, it was! Our party had fought a level 2 once previously, and we hardly won. well pur compatiblity was also not good with the beast as well" Anny said loudly.

From his understanding of what she explained, the one he killed was originally a newborn, i.e., a level 1 monster, but it has reached almost beast rank.

Actually, that will explain the mental attacks he was feeling while he was fighting as well as the puppets getting disconnected but still working under its control.

'Those two abilities were totally different to come under the same rank.' Ash nodded thoughtfully at this discovery.

Before he could say anything else, Liber came towards.

"The priest has arrived; let's go."

Seeing a man in white appears wearing an intricate star design on his chest.

He gave both Ash and Anny a nod before moving towards the bodies lying around and went to his knees and clapped his hand.

Seeing that the party of three, as well as Ash, went near it to pray as well.

"Celestia, who loves silver.

The ruler of stars in the endless night.

She who bestows divine judgment."

Please lead their souls to give them peace and solace."

The priest's murmurs can be heard by all four of them; they simply joined their hands and prayed as well. Seeing that the priest's prayers were completed, after some minutes they stopped as well.

Liber went forward and gave Asher a glance, then looked at the priest, telling him to step back.

After the priest stepped back, Liber raised his right hand as a gentle red flame erupted in his hand. Like a snake, they coiled his hands, then moved forward toward the lying bodies to wrap themselves around. As one body ignited, the other soon followed.

After almost fifty bodies have ignited, Liber again ignited those snake-like flames and did the same with other bodies as well.

Asher, along with others, quietly watched this spectacle. He had also started a fire to save Eron village previously, but now another fire was started to incinerate the bodies of the lost ones, the one he had failed to save.