Status: Injured | Nutrient Deficient | Hypovolemia

Step-0 [1st Awakening]

Name: Ewan Ayres

Species: Human

Vitality: 0.8

Spirit: 1.3

Anima: [Fire – 0.1]

Astylinds: 1 [Potential: 3]

Fire Monkey [Orange]: Step-0 [Level-0] [Grade-D]

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Equipment: Common Clothes.

Storage: Journal; Elementalist—The Path of Anima [Subtype-Book]; Spellbook; Bloodlust [Spell]; Transmute [Spell]; Anima-Crystals; Obsidian Dagger; silver metal dishware.

Novas: ??

Sol: 61

Ewan checked his details as soon as he regained enough strength to cast . There were several changes on the screen this time, his status even showed his three issues—his injured hand, his lack of healthy intake, and his recent loss of blood. The problem of nutrient deficiency would go away on its own now that he could afford proper food, but the other two required either external healing or time.

The next change was the increased Anima, it showed ‘0.1’ right now but it wasn’t the end; the increment hadn’t stopped. The data was the amount of Anima stored in the runes, and each rune’s upper limit was his maximum soul strength, which equaled the energy his soul produced—his ‘Spirit’. This meant he could store ‘1.3’ units of Fire-Anima in his rune right now.

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His Astylind section also changed, it displayed a part of Orange’s data. Since he burned the soul essence for the contract, the ‘Potential’ decreased as well. And the final change was the updated name of the items he owned in the claw-ring. Most of the data had indeed come from his memories; Orange’s name in his status screen alone proved this.

Once he checked everything, Ewan closed the screen and heaved a sigh of relief. His shoulders slouched and his back bent; he was a bit faint, but a huge burden was off his mind. Now that he contracted Orange, he didn’t feel naked anymore. His strength hadn’t changed much, but a sense of security embraced him, as if he had a blanket over his naked body now, and it eased his taut nerves.

The relief didn’t change his plans though, he still wanted to contract the other three. The only problem was the method to wake them up from their suspended state. His Pa said they required a lot of blood. Ewan didn’t know how much was ‘a lot of blood’, but if his Pa said, ‘a lot’, it meant it was enough to kill him if he used his own—his Pa seldom exaggerated important matters. Even if he did it in parts with large intervals, losing that much blood wouldn’t do him any good, especially when his status already showed nutrient deficient and hypovolemia. And he didn’t want to wait too long to get better before contracting them.

There was no other way; he had to buy it. But Staron’s blood and Astylind’s blood were off the list. Even though he had a lot of Anima Crystals, he had no idea how to use them as currency. Most of all, he didn’t know where to use them as currency.

He planned to find a way to get in touch with the Severynth groups and communities one day. But for now, he could only let it go. And so, the only option he could go for was the regular beasts’ and animals’ blood. It should be available in the butcher’s shop, he reckoned. A minor issue was the amount, which he could solve by buying from different vendors. It could be ostentatious, but it had to do for now.

Before venturing out, Ewan put the dagger back in the storage and tried out the innate skill he learned after his first awakening as a Severynth, 'Dekoth—Soul Vortex’. He aimed at Orange and used the innate skill with much familiarity—it was the same as taking a deep breath. A black vortex formed at his palm and Orange dissolved into threads of orange mist.

Ewan closed his eyes and sensed the fire rune in his soul space, its inside had a world of fire—a complete void with nothing but roaring flames. Orange, with his childlike curiosity, cavorted around. He chased after one fire snake, then another passerby took his attention away.

This was the space inside the rune that acted as the contracted Astylinds’ home.

Ewan had been itching to use his innate skill since the day his soul awakened. Since he walked the path of Severynths though, he could only use it after he contracted his first pet. If not, his only other option was ‘Aokoth—Core Creation’; the skill Cerades used as their foundation.

The lack of elemental runes and the feedback meant the Cerades had to create something to control Anima and train—they chose a ‘core’. The ‘Aokoth’ skill copied the other Starons and Astylinds and allowed them to do this. Yet, theirs were innate and Cerades had to make do with the acquired, and the resulting incompatibility caused their downfall. This was why Ewan couldn’t consider a Cerade’s path, even if his large amount of soul essence gave him steep advantages if he were to walk on it.

He aimed and opened his soul vortex again, and Orange jumped out and looked around, confused. A deep sense of want for the ‘fire snakes’ passed on to Ewan with their soul connection, and with Orange hooting at him to egg him on, Ewan used Dekoth again and sent him back to the rune.

The sun had already bid its farewell for the day, and the two crescent moons bathed the courtyard in a violet-silver hue. “Tomorrow then.” He decided when he looked out the window.

He had one last unknown thing in his claw-ring. He could check that tonight and get the blood tomorrow.