Six days have passed, and there is no sign of Si. At this point, I have little hope for our reunion. It seems I'll have to visit on another day, preferably with a grand tale or two. Still, these past six days have been rather productive.

Firstly, my spiritual energy gradually decreased for the first three days, but by the fourth day the decay started accelerating. I hadn't hunted for a day prior to arriving, so my limit is at least five days. Using , I display my spiritual energy as a green meter beneath the MP bar, and link my energy loss to a sense of hunger. Crest has become incredibly versatile over the past year. It may even become a master rank skill.

Secondly, by the end of yesterday I received the following notification:

Ding!

Innate Skill: Analyse Soul (Greater) obtained!>

"Woohoo, two greater skills at once!" I thought. In addition to sensing spiritual energy, I can now sense the souls themselves. While my title is limited to animals, this skill can detect any life form or wandering spirit within a smaller radius.

As for my other skill...

I use in conjunction with on my and find the following information:

NameN/ASpeciesHareHP

0%MP

0%SkillsNone

Storing souls is still useless, but this new skill serves a very useful purpose. I use and on a nearby ant, and after a short delay...

NameN/ASpeciesAntHP

100%MP

100%SkillsNone

... a health bar with these figures appear above it. I crush the ant, but it still has full HP. I analyse it again and the HP corrects to zero; it does not refresh in real time. Nevertheless, this ability is a great way to check a target's condition. If I have a higher rank will I be able to externally check their skills like with the hare?

Now that I think about it, isn't a more broken ability than ? It may not be unique but it synergises with other skills and it sure makes life a thousand times more convenient! It feels like reality is becoming more of a game... but I must not forget it's basically a mental condition.

On another note, the following notification also appeared:

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Integrity is insufficient to evoke effect.>

It seems to be linked to my integrity stat. Will something happen once I fulfill the requirement? Well, all I can do is wait and see.

As for the final thing I achieved over the past six days... I made up my mind. I'm going to show Helena what I really am. I'm overjoyed she accepts me, but I can't hide such a thing forever, especially after my journey's end. I believe in our bond, and it has to be done if we ever want our relationship to grow.

I trace along the grain of my mask, wondering how I could have hidden my identity for so long. It's because she has never cared about my appearance nor my being, while I've been overly conscious. Really, if I had just opened up sooner I wouldn't have beaten myself into corner over the past year. She's just as understanding as Si.

By the end of the seventh day, I prepare to depart. I go over to the magic circle and scratch the following message underneath:

"Dear Si, I came to visit but it seems you're not present. We'll hold our reunion on another day. From Tyler."

I approximate the sound of my name in Arenish. It's fortunate spelling is based on pronunciation.

While it's a shame we couldn't meet, each step home fills my ribcage with joy.

----------------------------------------

I'm back after nine days of nonstop walking. On a side note, the Dellmore Forest is ridiculously huge! Is this entire continent a vast wilderness?

Anyway, it's good to be back on familiar hunting grounds. There was an unfortunate lack of prey over the last few days, so I met my quota by incinerating several birds. As a result, I have nothing noteworthy to bring back, besides a bundle of herbs she will use for tea. Since I'm meeting her brother, it would be nice if I found a large boar.

Hang on a second, Helena's brother does not know a single thing about me! Surely he will alarmed by how suspicious I am. I wonder if there is anything to make me more presentable...

As I ponder these hopeless thoughts, I am greeted by the sight of Helena, sweeping her front door. She looks up to me, as if she had predicted my arrival.

"Welcome back, Enbos."

"It's good to be back, Helena. How did you know I was coming?"

"I didn't. I was..."

Now that take a closer look, there isn't anything left to sweep. It's remarkably clean for a yard in the woods, as if she was...

"I see. You just happened to be outside."

"Y-yes, that's exactly it."

We dally outside the door, unable to break the awkward silence. She looks around restlessly, but settles her eyes on the herbs by my side. For some reason, she wears a self-mocking smile.

"Funny, I've just run out of tea leaves and you miraculously return with a bundle. I was half expecting another headless boar, though."

"I couldn't find any worthy game, so I picked these instead. Shall we brew them?"

"Of course. By the way, my brother Hedrick will arrive the day after tomorrow."

"I'm a bit nervous, actually. Do you realise how fishy I am?"

"Of course, but I thought you stopped your fish fetish?"

"That's not what I meant...! Oh never mind, there is something I have to tell you Helena."

"So do I. Let us talk over a nice, warm drink."

As usual, I follow her inside, take a seat and watch as she prepares the kettle. It's the same scene I have experienced countless times, except for one additional detail...

For some reason, my is detecting spiritual energy in the air. It's faint, but it envelops the entire room. As I look for the source, my eyes freeze on Helena's figure.

This has to be a mistake. It's normal for me, but it shouldn't happen to a healthy human being.

Her soul... is slowly eroding. Miniscule particles are being left in her wake.

"Helena..."

"Yes?"

"Why... are you dying?"

"... Honestly Tyler, you could have asked more delicately."