Kai drifted through the dense, shadowy trees, the faint warmth from his absorbed essence still humming inside him. He felt a bit brighter, a touch more confident—but as he floated deeper into the forest, the shadows seemed to grow thicker, swallowing his small light. It was like the forest itself wanted to snuff him out.

Every so often, he heard faint rustling in the underbrush or saw the glint of eyes watching him from a distance. The creatures in the Floating Forest weren’t all dangerous, but he wasn’t about to test his luck. He stayed alert, prepared to fire off his Luminescent Pulse if anything lunged his way.

After an hour of navigating the twisted trees, Kai noticed a faint, pale-blue glow bobbing in the distance. Another wisp?

Curious—and glad for anything resembling company—he floated closer, keeping his light dim to avoid startling the stranger. As he neared, the blue glow grew sharper, until Kai could make out the soft, hazy form of another spirit, smaller than him and flickering erratically.

“Hello?” Kai called, hoping he wasn’t about to spook a creature that would turn hostile.

The blue wisp froze, then turned toward him, pulsing with a slightly nervous energy.

“You… you’re another wisp?” The voice was small and wary.

“That’s right! Name’s Kai.” He floated a little closer. “You don’t happen to know your way around this forest, do you?”

The wisp’s glow brightened a bit, and it floated toward him cautiously. “I’m Lumi. And… no, I’ve been hiding here since I woke up. Everything seems too big or too hungry.”

“Tell me about it,” Kai replied with a sympathetic glow. “I’ve only managed to fend off a creature or two by sheer luck. But I did find out that absorbing essence is the way to grow stronger. So far, it’s been… bugs and crystals.”

“Bugs?” Lumi sounded horrified.

Kai chuckled. “Not the tastiest, I’ll admit, but they do the trick.”

Lumi seemed to consider this, pulsing faintly. “I’ve only absorbed essence from flowers… they’re slow, and they don’t have much energy. You think… bugs might work better?”

“Definitely,” Kai replied, gesturing toward the forest floor, where the occasional flicker of insect glows dotted the underbrush. “Let’s team up—better chance of survival that way. We can share what we find.”

Lumi hesitated, her light dimming. “You’d… really help me?”

“Of course!” Kai replied, surprised at her reaction. “Two wisps are better than one, right?”

A moment passed before Lumi brightened again. “Alright. I don’t know much about this place, but I’ll follow your lead.”

As they floated together, Kai noticed that Lumi’s presence actually made the forest seem less ominous. There was something reassuring about having someone else nearby, even if she was just as new to the world as he was.

Together, they scoured the forest floor for any insects or small creatures that glowed with essence, absorbing whatever they could. Lumi was hesitant at first, clearly squeamish about draining even the smallest firefly, but Kai encouraged her, explaining that it was the only way for them to grow.

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As they absorbed essence, Kai’s own progress increased slowly but steadily. By the time they’d cleared out a small patch of the forest floor, his essence gauge had climbed to 41%, and Lumi was beginning to glow a bit brighter as well.

“See? We’re getting stronger already,” Kai said encouragingly. “Pretty soon, we might be able to handle some of those bigger creatures.”

“Do you think we’ll… evolve?” Lumi asked, her voice tinged with a mix of hope and fear.

“I hope so. I mean, if we’re stuck as wisps forever, that’d be pretty boring,” Kai replied with a grin in his voice.

As if on cue, a notification flashed before his vision.

[System Notice: Evolution Path Unlocked. Choose a Secondary Trait to Develop.]

Kai’s glow pulsed in excitement. “Hey, check it out! The System’s offering me a choice!”

Lumi drifted closer, curious. “What are the options?”

Kai glanced over the choices that appeared in his mind’s eye:

1. Phantasmal Shield

Create a temporary barrier that absorbs damage, useful for defense against physical attacks.

2. Mirage Illusion

Generate a temporary illusion to confuse or mislead creatures, ideal for escapes or diversions.

3. Ethereal Slash

A short-range energy attack that deals moderate damage to lesser creatures.

Kai thought for a moment. He was tempted by the Ethereal Slash—it sounded like it could come in handy if he got into a tight spot. But the Mirage Illusion was intriguing. It suited his tendency to think his way out of trouble rather than charging headfirst.

“Lumi, which one do you think would be best?” Kai asked.

She considered, pulsing thoughtfully. “The Illusion might give us a better chance to escape if we’re cornered. But the Shield would help you survive attacks… it depends on your style.”

Kai nodded. “I think I’ll go with the Mirage Illusion. Feels like it fits my… wisp personality.”

He selected the option, and a brief surge of energy filled him, like a mental map of his new skill had unfolded in his mind. He could almost sense how to use it, how to create a fleeting image of himself somewhere else.

“Alright, I think I’ve got it,” he said, grinning. “Wanna try it out?”

Lumi pulsed nervously but nodded. “Okay… but don’t make it too scary.”

“Promise.” Kai focused, reaching into the essence within him, and concentrated on a spot a few feet away. To his surprise, a duplicate of himself appeared there, glowing faintly. It even shifted a bit, making it look almost alive.

“Whoa…” Lumi drifted closer to the illusion, poking it experimentally. Her light flickered with fascination. “It’s… convincing.”

Kai beamed. “Not bad, right? This could definitely come in handy.”

As they marveled over the new skill, a sudden rumbling echoed through the forest, and the ground vibrated slightly. The trees shook, sending loose leaves tumbling down around them.

“What… was that?” Lumi whispered, drawing closer to Kai.

A low growl followed, reverberating through the forest like distant thunder. Whatever it was, it sounded massive.

Kai swallowed—or felt like he did, even without a throat. “I think it’s time to test out this illusion for real.”

Just then, a massive creature lumbered into view—a hulking, dark-furred beast with claws the length of Kai’s entire form. Its eyes glowed a hungry red as it sniffed the air, locking onto their combined glow.

Kai’s mind raced. They couldn’t outrun it, and they couldn’t fight it. That left one option.

“Stay calm, Lumi,” he whispered. “I’ve got an idea.”

He activated his Mirage Illusion, placing a decoy of both himself and Lumi on the opposite side of the clearing. The moment the illusion appeared, he dimmed their real lights and hovered as still as possible.

The beast snarled and turned toward the fake wisps, its eyes narrowing with predatory intent. In a flash, it lunged at the illusion, its jaws snapping shut on empty air.

“Now!” Kai whispered, motioning for Lumi to follow as they floated as fast as they could in the opposite direction.

The creature whirled around, realizing it had been fooled, and let out an enraged howl, but by then, Kai and Lumi had already slipped into the dense cover of the trees.

They didn’t stop moving until the growling faded behind them, and the forest returned to its eerie silence.

Lumi’s light pulsed in excitement. “That was amazing! You saved us!”

Kai chuckled. “Guess my new skill was worth it after all.”

But even as they floated onward, Kai couldn’t shake the feeling that the creature was still out there, watching them from the shadows. And he knew that if they wanted to survive this forest, they’d have to get a lot stronger.

For now, though, they had a little breathing room—and, for the first time since becoming a wisp, he had a friend.