Antonio’s PoV

“How far is the Forest Evina?” I asked.

“With your speed, it will take us a week.” Rei said.

“A week!?” Its too far away, “Can you just teach to control Mana?”

“No.”

“Why?”

Rei didn’t say anything, I wish Rei was William he would shout at me and its fun seeing him annoyed but Rei he either ignores me or telling me I’m stupid. His too serious for his own good, I want him to lighten up a little bit. It seems my “ability” to cheer up someone was futile to the great Rei! If he answered me I would play the ‘why game’ but Rei didn’t fall for it though.

“Which way to go captain?”

“Follow the road, when you reach a Village I will tell you where to go next.”

If I was in a movie, Rei would probably say, ‘Follow the yellow brick road!’ I will meet a scarecrow, a lion, and a metallic woodman. To find a way to go back to Earth.

“Aye aye.” I saluted and listened to his instructions, at least I have a GPS in my brain. Instead of Siri or Cortana I have an AI which I named REI it is a device inside my head who always said I’m stupid. REI has a few functions, an alarm clock that would never stop until you woke up, a reminder it would always repeat itself until you remember it, the best part is there is no MUTE button you will always hear it nagging at you like your Mother!

“Antonio! Stop daydreaming!” A shout woke me up from my thoughts, “How many times do I have to tell you, you need to be alert when walking on the road alone who knows someone or something will attack you!”

“Yes, sí , hai, ja, shi.” I answered in different languages. I’m bored and I can’t help it.

After several hours of walking, I still didn’t see any villages, “How far are we from the Village?”

“Three days.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?!?”

“You didn’t ask.” Fair enough, but I’m sure he did this on purpose. I’m tired and I need to rest. “Can I sleep here?”

“Yes you can but you would be dead when the sun rises.” Rei said, “At night monsters roam, the 9th Level Monster is equivalent to a 9th - 7th Arch-Mage. In midnight in rare cases Devil level beast would appear.”

I glanced at the sky and the sun was setting it would have been a beautiful scene if Rei didn’t tell me about this, “What am I supposed to do? Its almost night already!”

“Isn’t it obvious what are you going to do?” Rei asked.

“What?”

“Survive of course.” Hahaha. Funny, although I could imagine a grenade or a rocket launcher it couldn’t kill a 9th Level Monster! I was already having a hard time killing the Three-Eyed Wolf! I was just lucky it was alone if it had been of a group I would die fifty times before I could kill them.

“How?” I whined.

“Your problem, not mine. Find a way.” Rei wants me dead, what did I do to him?

“Please tell me what to do Rei…please.”

“Survive.”

“Rei!”

He didn’t say anything after that, I’m doomed maybe I should write a will.

…

The sun was asleep and the moon woke covering a quarter of its face, the warm wind turned into a cool one hitting the trees which caused them to sway. The noise of the branches hitting each other gives the sound of scratching of a beast claws.

A girl with white, well groomed hair slightly covers a thin, beautiful face. Wide green eyes, looking at the horizon with a gentle smile, she wore a dress which covers only a small portion of her shoulders and flows down into an elegant court neckline. It's a comfortable fit which makes the dress look comfortable, yet elegant and stylish. Her arms have been covered to just above her wrists. The sleeves start out loose and tighten towards the bottom where they wrap graceful around her wrists. She didn’t like to wear a dress but she has a premonition someone she loved was coming and she knew who is it, “Seth, finally your back.” She needed to wait for a few days and he will be here.

She had promised to Seth she will wait for him and show him what her real face looked like, although it may seem nothing special but she changed her appearance into an ordinary one. Not too beautiful, not too ugly. It was average and she spread a rumor of herself, she was cursed and her beauty was taken due to the jealousy of a Witch (A female Wizard level.) She was the only one who knew the truth not even her family. It change her life drastically, her suitors who claimed to “always be with her” mocked her and left. Her Dad who loved her disowned her since she wasn’t useful anymore to seduce the princes or nobles. She did not feel sad in fact she was happy, she was free. She left and change her name into Teluria Elyvi, which means ‘Alone and Happy.’

She trained in the army at first she was looked down by the people because her level was only at the 1st Level Knight she was still a teenager if she was in a academy she would be hailed as a genius but in the army? It was weak and a burden, nobody trained her and she was only an errand girl but she was not disheartened instead she trained by herself. The General was impressed by her perseverance and give her a chance to complete a mission it may seem easy to the veterans but to her it was too difficult but she agreed. In the mission she almost died several times but in the end she succeeded. She rose from being a errand girl into the leader of the army in five years.

And that was the day she meet Seth.

…

“Rei? How come I saw nothing at night?” I yawned.

“I lied.” Rei said, “I was impressed by the way, you can hear the rustle of the leaves one hundred meters away.” I don’t know if he was complementing me or insulting me.

“You lied?!?”

“Yes.” Rei said simply, “If you use your brain you would know I am lying, this is a road humans build it of course it would be safe from beast. When a beast step on this road a Formation would activate and kill it, but I did not lie about Devil Level beast the formation wont work on them but it is highly unlikely they would roam here since this is not their territory.”

“Did you forget? I came from an another world!”

“You’re wasting time, lets go.” Rei change the subject, he forgot didn’t he? “Close your eyes first and absorb Mana and imagine to refresh your body and mind. With meditation you don’t need to sleep but it doesn’t replenish your energy. Kill some beast and absorb them it will act as a food.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this? This is important I don’t need to sleep and eat.” This is awesome, I wonder if this is considered normal in this world.

“It was obvious if you pay attention to your body when absorbing Mana or Qi from the beast.”

“Can I ask a question?”

“What is it?”

“How do you know the Level of a person or a beast?” I was curious about this, Rei seems to know what is Level the enemy and it was useful.

“Intuition, perception, and experience.” Rei said, “You need this three to learn the skill to see through their Level. Your perception is great but the other two not so much, this is the reason why I need you to go to Telu to learn from her.”

“I see.”

“Now meditate.”

...

I sighed with relief as my tiredness was gone, at least I wont be grumpy because a sleepy me is a rude me. Walking without any group is boring than I thought it would be. I have no one to talk to… Rei? His too serious and he will ignore me I said nonsensical things.

I heard a battle cry, “Protect the carriage!” I move towards the sounds it was in the forest and I saw a cliche scene a carriage protected by soldiers and mercenaries was attacked by a wounded White Wolf it has the size of three full grown man.

I saw the Mages chanting, “∳ɪ☼ βμπ∩.” A fire flew out of their hands and surrounded the Wolf and was getting smaller and smaller the Wolf is trapped.

“What language are they speaking when they’re chanting?”

“You don’t need to know. You can use Magic without chanting.”

The Wolf howled and the air turns colder, frost covers its whole body and it clawed the fire. It lowered its body slightly and pounced at mercenaries while its tail shoot ice crystals at the carriage, the Mages reacted fast and created a barrier but one of the mercenaries was killed by the Wolf. One of the man filled his Qi into his spear and thrust it but the Wolf dodge it easily and countered with a icicle coming out from its mouth. He dodge but he hit at his shoulder and the frost keep spreading until it covers his whole body. He died.

“I wish I had some popcorn to watch this fight.” I sat on the tree watching, I keep cheering on the Wolf its too cool. If I fought with it its hard to tell who will win.

“Are you really normal?” Rei asked.

“Yes. Why?”

“A normal human would help them to kill the wolf but you keep watching like it was great show, if I had the chance to go to your world I will not go even if I will lose my life.”

I smiled but didn’t say anything, I watched the battle the Wolf is winning but it was wounded I wonder who will be the first to give up the humans or the Wolf?

I saw one of the Mage was still chanting for a long time, ahh, I see they are waiting for the Mage to finish the chant to kill the Wolf.

I pointed at the Mage who was chanting, since this is a cliche scene to break it I will help the Wolf instead of them. I smiled, “Pistol - Bang!” As soon as I shoot it I hide in an another place, I watch my Mana bullet getting close to the Mage he dodge it as I expected but his chant was stopped. He spat a mouthful of blood and he passed out.

“What happened?” I asked Rei as I watch the mercenaries panicked when the Mage fell down. The Wolf used the opportunity and and sweep its tail to the carriage and ice covered the ground and freeze the soldiers while the mercenaries run away. The Wolf wins!

“A backlash, if the chanting was stopped forcibly it will harm its user. Since he is using a powerful Magic he will be unconscious for a year or so.”

“Awesome.” Mage has its own weakness but what about the Warriors?

The Wolf slashed the carriage and I saw it killed the people inside the carriage and get something which is a small pup, the Wolf is a mother saving her child I watch it leave and it turned back and looked at the place where I’m hiding, “Thank you.” and the Wolf left.

I was surprised, “A wolf can talk?!?”

“Yes.”

“How?!?”

“Magic.” Rei said one word but it did not explaining anything! Anything’s possible I guess since this is a world of Magic. I won’t be surprised if a tree can talk.

…

..

.

END OF CHAPTER EIGHT