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Evangeline
Evangeline's eyes fluttered open, awakened by the plip-plop of water droplets rhythmically landing on her face. In the dim light, the world around her materialized as a crude shelter, that resembled more to a goblin's shack than the homely home of an elf in fantasy stories.
No beautiful manor in view. No maids, no classical music playing in the background, nor a comfortable bed. `Didn't the system reincarnate me into a race favoured by both faes and elves? what kind of treatment is this? ` Eva wondered, disappointed.
The air inside was damp, and the feeble light struggled to unveil the details of her peculiar surroundings. As she stood up from the bed, she wobbled a bit, trying to stabilize her new body. She could feel that her clothes, mere rags that clung uncomfortably to her form, offered no protection against the biting cold emanating from the hole acting as a window to the outside.
With a soft sigh, she glanced around her room to have a general idea of what she would have to work with and did some warm-up exercises, until she could confidently move around. Eventually, she made her way to the corner of the shelter, where an old, cracked mirror was wedged to the wall.
Glancing back at her, a pale young elf met her gaze in the mirror. Droopy, sharp ears poked out from her long, messy black hair, and clear signs of fatigue adorned her emerald eyes. Her body, appearing frail and bony, stood as a testament to the limited access to proper food. In her bruised hands, runic-shaped spots adorned the middle of each palm.
`What happened to her? ` was the first question that came to mind after seeing her new self. Clearly, the elf must have gone through a lot. `Hopefully this is just some weird punishment shack or something, and the previous owner of this body had deranged parents that I can escape from or convince to stop being lunatics` she hoped.
Now that she familiarized herself with her current living conditions and new self, Evangeline mustered some courage and pushed aside the ragged cloth that served as her doorway to see what was waiting for her outside.
Her breath visible in the frigid air, she saw only desolation. An unwelcoming forest of dead trees surrounded her shelter in every direction. The only sounds she could hear were the cawing and cries of crows. Each tree's skeletal branches reached out towards the grey sky, as if cursing the heaven, while their body’s twisted forms casted long shadows on the pristine ice below.There was no trace of any civilization in sight.
For a moment, she stood there, desperately looking around for anything that could ease her worries and luckily, there was, in the corner of her eyes, a conveniently placed well near her dwelling. Relief washed over her as she approached it, thinking that at least I won't die of thirst. `That's one less thing to worry about.` she told herself. She even tried the water to be sure it was real. The clear water had no fishy taste and seemed safe enough.
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However, her fleeting happiness was short-lived. Hunger gnawed at her stomach. She hurried back inside to have a safe place to think. Realizing that she had completely forgotten to check her status, she sat on her bed. `Okay, so I have no idea how to check my stats. Great. Wait, didn't I use mana to talk to that demon in the void? Yeah, that's it! Maybe I can do something similar by using mana to identify myself` Hesitantly, she attempted to replicate the process, envisioning mana moving around her body.
As the natural light dimmed, and after spending a considerable amount of time making little to no progress, frustration set in. She wanted to keep trying, but her stomach was not cooperating so she reluctantly gave up for the moment.
`I can't even sense my mana, why was it so much easier in soul form? Is it because I'm not familiar enough with this new body?` she wondered, disappointed. `I guess I have no other choice. At this rate, I'll just starve and become completely helpless,` she sighed.
After about half an hour of walking and exploring the forest while trying to stay close to her only shelter, she came to a simple conclusion: "This forest sucks." Apart from patches of grass, moss, and brightly coloured mushrooms scattered here and there, no prey animals or berry bushes were found.
Nighttime drew near, and both the distant howls and dropping temperature signalled that it was time to go back. On her way back, she noticed a patch of grass that seemed out of place compared to the rest – a vivid green, seemingly immune to the frost.
She picked up a nearby stick and cautiously poked at it, half expecting some kind of trap given its suspicious appearance. As if confirming her suspicions, the moment her stick reached the odd patch of grass, nearby screeches suddenly pierced the calm night. "Great..." she muttered.
The eerie sounds of spiders approaching came from every direction. The first to reach her, a massive spider the size of a wolf, emerged before she could escape. Attempting to flee, she turned around, only to find another spider blocking her path, fangs menacingly bared.
Surrounded and outnumbered, she could only stand here while the spiders kept their distance, gauging her. Their hisses, resembling a form of communication, filled the air.
"Hi? Um, friendly?" she tentatively asked, but the spiders ignored her, continuing their debate in an unknown language.
Determined not to become their meal, she screamed and charged at the smallest spider she could find among their group, agitating her hands to scare it away. The tactic worked: taken by surprise, the spider moved aside, and without looking back, she sprinted for her life.
In seconds, the pursuing spiders overcame their confusion and immediately began their chase. It did not take long for them to catch up with her. One of them leaped, almost landing on her. In that tense moment, she could feel its fangs and breath tickling the back of her head. `I... must be faster... come on, stupid body, faster! ` she thought, pushing through the limit of her weak anatomy who was already showing signs of muscle fatigue.
Another spider came dangerously close, swiftly attempting to strike her with it's fore legs. It missed but tore a part of her rags and skin, causing blood to trickle. "NO!" She yelped. The sensation of blood trickling down her back seemed to stir something within her, and at times, her steps became a blur, carrying her further than expected.
Soon, the sounds of the arachnids faded. She stopped running, looking around for them. They were no longer on her tail. "I... managed to escape?" she said, taken aback by her own performance. `Then I must move to safety`. Her shelter was just thirty steps away.
Rushing inside, she collapsed on the bed, curled up like a ball and cried as hard as she could, releasing all the pent-up fright from the terrifying encounter and frustration brought by her weakness and current living conditions.
A gentle, melodic ding echoed in her mind, halting her emotional breakdown. Before her, a small blue window materialized, displaying a simple sentence.
--ding-- Novice Space Mage is now level 5 / 30 !
Do you want to learn a new skill?