Fang blinked awake.
He felt stronger, sharper and a tad... Lighter?
Pushing himself up from the forest floor, he caught sight of his reflection in a puddle of mud and water and froze."Is that... me?" he whispered.
Staring back at him was a young man, tall and around 1.86 meters. His once terrible skin was now pale. His ears stretched to elegant points, and his golden eyes shined like the sun.
Fang ran a hand through his tangled hair, feeling the greasy strands hair running his fingers.
Asu loomed over him, arms crossed, his face a warm collection of electricity. "How do you feel?"
"Different," Fang replied, his voice deeper than he remembered. "Stronger.
It feels like I don't fit in my own skin."
Asu nodded, seemingly uninterested in his answer. "It'll pass. Your body is adapting."
Fang hesitated, still staring at his reflection.
"How did we get here?"
"A simple spell. Nothing worth explaining," Asu muttered, glancing toward the bushes, his expression tightening.
Fang followed his gaze. "Is something there?"
"Nothing to worry about." Asu forced a half-smile, though his eyes stayed locked on the undergrowth. "We don't have time for distractions."
Fang swallowed his curiosity and nodded. "What now?"
"You need to survive. Either Learn to hunt or Grow your own food. Strength comes before knowledge, and you are far from strong."
Fang frowned, glancing at his hands. "Can't you teach me magic now?"
Thunder cracked overhead, and Asu's eyes glowed like storm-lit skies. "I think not dying should be enough for you, boy!"
Fang flinched. "I-I get it! Sorry!"
The sky cleared as quickly as it had darkened, and Asu relaxed. With a wave of his hand, he conjured a glowing circle on the ground.
Twelve symbols forming a perfect ring. "Magic in this world follows the natures of the twelve gods," Asu explained. "Each god's blessing makes your magic work as intended."
Fang tilted his head. "Why allow mortals to use it?"
Asu's gaze sharpened. "That is none of your concern."
Fang held back a retort, not wanting to risk Asu's wrath again. Instead, he listened.
"Your power comes from your nature and the mana you can circulate. In theory, your potential is limitless, but your lifespan is not. As an elf, though, you have time on your side. You're one lucky bastard that the elves are my creation."
"An elf?" Fang asked, confused.
Asu sighed. "Pointed ears. Immortal youth. Nature affinity. Surely you've read about them."
Fang shook his head. "Never really paid attention to fantasy books."
Asu huffed in annoyance. "Typical. Listen, Elves can live over a century and more as the mana they possess increases.
The can and will live far longer than the fragile humans. You'll fit in better here, but don't expect a warm welcome. You're a chosen one, and thus... A threat."
Fang frowned. "Why does being chosen make me a threat?"
"Champions hold power destined to change the world.
S
Not for good most of the times, though my disciples are quite disciplined.
Fang clenched his fists. "I don't feel powerful."
"Not yet. That's the problem," Asu muttered. "Your survival depends on mastering your nature. Now, concentrate. Feel your mana and try to Bring it to your palms."
Fang did as instructed, closing his eyes and focusing inward. A chill crept over his hands, and when he opened his eyes, ice layers coated his palms.
"Frost," Asu remarked. "You have Jin's blessing, frost magic."Then his eyes widened, noticing a faint purple aura mingling with the ice. His expression darkened.
"No... Osborne too? You're a dual-natured champion. Frost and death... how unfortunate."
Fang swallowed hard. "Is that bad?"
Asu grimaced. "Very Dangerous. If your powers conflict, your mana system will collapse. You'll become an empty husk of yourself, feeding on mana until you're drained to death. We must seal one of your powers."
Fang glanced at his hands, fear clawing at his chest. "Which one?"
Asu hesitated. "Frost would be safer, but necromancy will make you stronger faster.
Having the Power to combat the force of life itself is scary enough to scare assholes away.
But, it's your decision."
Taking a deep breath, Fang whispered, "Seal frost. I'll need power to survive."
Asu nodded. "Wise. Prepare yourself."
A chill settled in the air as Asu formed a new circle.
Half a kilometer away, a pair of elves crouched in the underbrush, eyes wide as they watched the ritual unfold."We must report this to Hoshimura," one whispered.
The other nodded.
"Send for the royal hunters. We'll keep watch until they arrive."
Fang felt his entire body grow numb as the frost energy was pulled from his veins and sealed away. He gasped for air, but slowly the cold faded, replaced by a simmering heat that spread through his core. Asu placed his hand on Fang's shoulder, and felt his power affinities. Seeing his frost nature sealed correctly, he smiled.
"You chose strength over safety," Asu said quietly. "Remember that choice. It will define you."
Fang nodded, determination in his gaze. "I hope I won't regret it."
Asu smirked faintly. "Good. Now, survive. Learn to wield death before it consumes you."
Fang furrowed his brows, glancing at his hands. "But how? I don't even know where to start..."
Asu rolled his eyes. "Typical mortal...
feel your mana.
Focus and meditate on it as much as possible.
Your mana levels are measured and you can see it on command by saying "show mana".
Fang was confused. "Show mana?".
Before he could stay confused, he fell backwards when a weird number appeared before him.
{Mana: 99/140}
"Good, this is your current mana level. Quite standard for an elf.
Each time you use your spells and meditate your mana rises and your powers too.
Now, the only spell you should learn is this:
Asu put his hand of Fang's forehead and a light shone from his fingers.
Fang closed his eyes, and he felt like a new person when it was over.
"What was that? I can use that spell now? I can see it in my memories, what did you do?"
Asu smiled cockily, and looked at Fang from above.
"I gave you knowledge. This spell is called death's grab. The ropes it creates are not as sturdy as you might want them to be, but they will drain the life force of the one it touches.
The life force can be contained with certain relics, but for that you'll have to learn to build those relics.
For now, Practice on small things.
birds, beasts, or crops. before you dare claim a man's soul, you should learn to absorb their essence. Jumping too much forward is very VERY dangerous.
Don't try it."
A shiver crawled up Fang's spine. "And if I can't control it?"
Asu's gaze hardened. "Then you'll become crazed. You'll lose your mind, your body will feel the loss of mana and will seek more until there isn't any.
And then? You'll die."
Asu smiled, and then said. "So don't."
With that, Asu vanished in a burst of lightning, leaving Fang to process the weight of his powers and the dangerous future ahead.
Fang took a shaky breath, the echoes of Asu's warning still ringing in his ears. Control myself... or be consumed. He stared at his hands, where faint wisps of dark energy curled from his fingertips before dissipating like smoke.
"Death magic..." he whispered. The idea of raising corpses sent a chill down his spine, but there was no backing out now. He needed strength, and this was the path he'd chosen.
His stomach growled, reminding him that power meant nothing if he starved to death first. Sighing, he looked around the forest, trying to focus on something less terrifying than necromancy. Birds chirped overhead, oblivious to the turmoil in his mind, and the rustling leaves were loud enough to snap him out of it.
Truly a heck of a day he was having.
"Alright... hunting," he muttered. Asu's vague advice echoed in his thoughts. Learn to hunt. Grow your own food. Easier said than done.
He searched the ground for anything that could serve as a weapon. sharp rock, maybe a big Branch.
but his mind kept wandering back to his newfound powers. Maybe he could use magic to kill something small...
Hesitating, he knelt down and pressed his palm against the earth.
"Focus," he whispered.
His hand grew cold, and shadows pooled beneath his fingers, forming ropes of death that stretched out.
The tendrils seemed to react to his concentration, spreading out farther.
A faint sound caught his attention.
A rabbit, cautiously sniffing the air only 20 meters from him in a bush.
The shadow tendrils shifted, drawn to the tiny creature. Heart pounding, Fang willed the shadows to ambush the rabbit from all sides. The rabbit squeaked and froze as the tendrils snaked around its legs, pulling it toward Fang.
Breathing heavily, Fang felt his mana draining the Rabbit's life force.. he wanted feel pity, but he couldn't.
survival outweighed pity.
He squeezed his hand into a fist, and the tendrils tightened, crushing the rabbit's neck with a faint squeal. The lifeless body dropped to the ground, and the shadows dispersed, leaving Fang alone with the corpse.
"This is food. Nothing more."
So fang picked the rabbit and thought on how to butcher it.
But remembered he knows nothing of the sort.
"Now what? I don't have a knife or anything like that, much less the knowledge to light a fire."
He muttered under his breath, cursing his lack of foresight.
"Fire... right." He glanced around, spotting a pile of dry leaves and some twigs. He knew that rubbing sticks together made fire.
at least in theory. With a sigh, he gathered a few sticks, exposing the dry wood underneath. He made a small pile, arranging the leaves as a pile.
After a few frustrating minutes of clumsily rubbing sticks together, he stopped, glaring at the pile. Nothing but splinters and sore hands. "Damn it... this isn't working."
He looked at his hands, remembering the faint wisps of death energy earlier. Could he use that? He wasn't sure how it would work, but it wasn't like he had other options. Fang focused, summoning the same feeling he had when casting Death's Grab. Darkness pooled around his fingers, but he hesitated. Fire and death didn't mix, right?
He grabbed two sturdy sticks and held them in place with his hands. Concentrating, he formed two thin tendrils from his fingertips, almost like spectral fingers. With a determined breath, he wrapped the tendrils around the sticks and began to rub them together rapidly.
At first, the movement was clumsy and uneven. The tendrils wavered as if uncertain, but Fang gritted his teeth and forced more mana into them. The speed increased, and the friction built up until thin tendrils of smoke curled up from the leaves. His tendrils moved faster and faster, the sticks heating up until a faint glow appeared between them.
Suddenly, a tiny flame sparked to life. Fang quickly blew on it, nurturing the fragile ember until it caught on the dry leaves. A grin broke through his usual stoic expression as the fire finally took hold.
"Got you," he muttered triumphantly.