Welcome, Alex. Would you like to view your character sheet?
I quickly accepted, curious to see what it would say.
Name: Alex
Level: Lev 0 (10/10 exp)
Attributes:
* Astral Body: 13
* Astral Mind: 19
* Astral Spirit: 16
Error… leveling up halted due to realm of origin "Earth" anchored to the third level. Spirit guardian contacted. Please hold.
The stag, as if jolted from a trance, snapped its head up and glared at me, its voice dangerously low. It would have been far more intimidating if not for the absurdity of the situation. "Stop doing whatever you’re doing! I’m trying to untangle this clusterfuck!"
In an uncharacteristic display, the stag stomped nervously with its front hooves. The gesture was so oddly human that I froze for a moment, unsure of how to respond. After a beat, I cautiously took a step back and, with a nervous swallow, said, "Look, I can tell you're going through something, and somehow, I'm caught up in it…"
The stag took a menacing step forward, lowering its sharp hooves toward my chest with unsettling precision. It bellowed in a voice that pierced through the heavy air. "Going through something?! Do you have any idea how royally fucked I am right now?"
I quickly took a few steps back, my heart pounding. I reached for the golden tether, but it seemed to evade me, impossibly slipping out of reach. The stag's hostility was palpable, but somehow, I found the courage to raise my hands, palms out, and speak gently, "But, BUT! I honestly don’t have a clue what’s going on! Maybe if I explain, it’ll help us both."
The stag paused, its eyes narrowing, and then, in an unexpected shift, it bent its neck at an impossible angle. The movement, meant to scratch its flank with its sharp horns, should have looked grotesque, yet it was oddly graceful. The tension in the air seemed to ease. After a moment, it straightened and turned back to me, its gaze softened slightly.
"Go ahead."
I seized the opening, relieved that the creature had calmed a little. "I’m Alex."
The stag snorted derisively, clearly uninterested in my name, but I pressed on. What followed was a flood of words. I couldn’t stop myself. The words spilled out in an almost cathartic rush, as though I had finally found someone to share my confusion with. The stag listened, though its disinterest was palpable at times, but I couldn’t help it—I had to explain. It felt, in a strange way, like I was talking to an old friend, someone who might understand, even if that someone was a divine, slightly panicked stag.
After a pregnant pause, I ventured cautiously, "Euh… I keep referring to you as a stag in my mind. Do you have a name?"
Its glowing eyes widened slightly, as though taken aback by the question. For a moment, I feared I had somehow offended it.
"My name," it began, a touch of grandeur lacing its voice, "would shatter your mind if you heard it. It crosses into the Fifth Realm."
There was an unmistakable air of pride in the statement, as though it relished my inability to comprehend its full majesty.
"You may refer to me as Velarion," it said at last, inclining its head slightly as if bestowing a gift.
"Well met, Velarion," I replied, trying to sound dignified but cringing inwardly at my awkwardness. To my surprise, the stag seemed to appreciate the formality, its massive antlers glinting faintly in approval.
It stomped its hooves—a deep, resonant sound like distant thunder—before continuing, its tone now deliberate, almost wary.
"What happened here should be impossible. Your world is anchored to the Third Level. To pierce the veil, to see into the Astral Realm, is a feat reserved for those on the brink of ascension—souls who have lived through countless cycles of reincarnation."
The weight of its words was staggering, but my mind instinctively shoved the implications into a corner, filing them away for later examination—or avoidance. Velarion took my silence as acceptance and carried on, his voice growing steadier, as if lecturing a particularly dense pupil.
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"Your soul is young, yet… surprisingly adept at visualizing your thoughts. That, I suspect, is the only explanation for your ability to harm the shadow creatures."
I opened my mouth to ask, but he anticipated the question, snorting in faint irritation.
"The leeches, as you call them, were siphoning your energy. It’s… elementary."
I blinked, dumbfounded, and he shook his massive head as if pitying my ignorance.
"A quick lesson may be in order," he said, lowering his voice as though explaining a concept so vast, it needed to be simplified for my mortal comprehension.
"There are seven realms of existence. Imagine them as bubbles adrift in the Astral. Beings born in the first three realms—like yourself—exist in the lower tiers. Ascension is possible for them, but the process is… arduous."
He paused, letting the word hang like a warning.
"For such beings, ascension comes through the accumulation of energy—gathered through life experiences and reincarnations. A soul must endure countless cycles to gather enough energy to even glimpse the higher realms. The odds of success are exceedingly slim."
The stag’s words were dizzying, but I bit back my confusion, unwilling to interrupt. It seemed satisfied by my silence and continued.
"Shadow creatures," he said, his voice darkening, "are beings who failed to ascend. They are remnants, stranded between realms. Most are harmless scavengers. But in their desperation, they wander the Astral, seeking energy to consume."
He paused, a glimmer of disdain crossing his radiant form.
"But traveling the Astral without proper shielding against entropy comes at a cost. These beings degrade, losing their minds, their essence, until all that remains are hollow, insatiable predators."
I shivered despite myself, the weight of his explanation sinking in.
Velarion’s gaze fixed on me, his tone softening slightly. "Your encounter with them was not mere chance. They were drawn to you, to the flicker of energy your soul gave off when you… connected to the Astral. A feat you accomplished without meaning to, I suspect."
He sighed heavily, his breath shimmering in the air. "You are an anomaly, human. And the Astral does not take kindly to anomalies."
I pushed the ominous declaration to the back of my mind. It had seemed to work so far, so I decided to keep it there for now. Instead, I asked, “Are you telling me that the majority of people… or beings… are destined to become hungry beasts? What’s the point in all of this?”
My anger at the unfairness of it all gave me the courage to press on. “You said that only the first three realms have to go through this method. What about the others? Can’t you share your methods to help more people ascend?”
Velarion’s expression softened, and for the first time, I saw something like sorrow in his ancient eyes. “The truth is, as vast as the seven realms may seem, energy is a finite resource. The shadow creatures you encountered are likely from the first or second realm. Now imagine shadow creatures from higher realms... believe me, they can be far more vicious than you can imagine.”
The stag’s words lingered in the air, heavy with a truth I wasn’t ready to fully comprehend. Then, to my surprise, Velarion stopped and looked startled, as if something had just occurred to him.
“I totally forgot about you!” he exclaimed, his voice taking on an edge of urgency. “I have to address this issue we have.”
A creeping sense of panic began to coil in my chest. My voice barely rose above a whisper as I asked, “The system said it’s contacting a spirit guardian... when would they arrive? And who are they?”
The derision returned to Velarion’s gaze, making me flinch. “I am a spirit guardian. You should have felt the familiarity by now. I’m the shepherd of ascendants on the planet you call Earth, and I serve as its guardian against the shadow creatures.”
My mind reeled at the revelation, but I couldn’t keep the question from slipping out. “So why did those leeches attack me, then? If you’re supposed to guard us against them?”
The anger that flickered in his eyes was like a storm building, and I immediately regretted my words. “I… I didn’t mean to question you. I’m sure you’re working hard.”
Velarion took a deep breath, his expression softening, though his voice remained firm. “Do you think I chase down every rodent?” he asked, the sarcasm cutting through. “They weren’t even level 10. They couldn’t have caused any permanent damage.”
Despite the annoyance in his tone, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. It was clear that he was not a being to be trifled with, but also one with limits to what he could protect from. I hadn’t expected the reality of these higher realms to be so... complicated.
"You're lucky they were just minor pests," he muttered more to himself than to me, his eyes scanning the horizon as if contemplating something much larger than our immediate conversation.
I fell silent, suddenly aware of just how little I understood about the larger workings of the realms—and about Velarion’s role in all of it.
He looked exasperated. It was better than angry, so I supposed that was progress.
“We should address the issue at hand,” he said, his tone firm but not as harsh as before. “The good news is that the system seems to accept your existence. Believe me, there’s no sin worse than taking shortcuts to gain energy. If that had happened, you would have been obliterated, and I would have been obliterated with you for letting it happen.”
He started tapping his hooves in rhythm, the sound like chimes echoing through the air. “So, I’ll accept your integration into the system. But remember, the system rewards the ambitious. Don’t waste this honor.”
His eyes shimmered once more, and just as the light flickered in his gaze, a notification appeared at the edge of my vision.
Your integration to the system has been approved!
Welcome, Alex!
Level up!
Level 1 reached
+1 Attribute Point
+1 Skill Point
Title achieved: Ascendant (???)
+1 Attribute Point per level
+1 Skill Point per level
100% Skill Level Speed Increase
I blinked in surprise, the sudden flood of information rushing in faster than I could process. The words "Ascendant" echoed in my mind. So, this was real.