I am really bad at communicating with people, aren’t I?

“Poyraz?”

“Yes?”

“You can stop hugging me. I am fine.”

Oh. I quickly pulled my arms back.

“Sorry about that.”

Why I am apologizing? Technically, she was first to… Nevermind.

“How is your mana and stamina?”

I asked. If we were to fight against the masked man together, I had to know about her condition so I could match my moves with her.

“I am fine.”

She waved off my question. However, I knew from her heavy breathing and the sweat covering her body that she was tired. Despite knowing that I said nothing. If I tried to convince her to rest, she would just flip me off.

“We should get off here and regroup with at least Nocturna. She was very useful when we were searching. I am sure her skills could help us.”

I thought a fast way of getting to the ground.

“Hold on to me.”

Morrigan held on to me with a questioning expression.

“Come on, Gökbörü.”

By creating an ice block under us we were able to surf down. The wind blew fast as we went down rapidly. It was like riding a roller coaster. Except with no safety.

“Aghhhhh!”

Morrigan, for the first time I was with her let out a stereotypical girl scream as she grabbed my arm with an iron grip. If I wasn’t wearing my armor, her nails would probably pierce my skin. I, on the other hand, was having fun. Using Enhanced Senses and my high Agility stat, I surfed on top of the thorns like it was nothing. Gökbörü was also feeling like me with his ears flying back. Perhaps he was having too much time as he forgot to replenish the ice beneath us just as we were about to reach the ground.

“Shit!”

The shield got knocked off our feet and we started to tumble to the ground. Thankfully, we were past the thorns. Feeling that I would be the first one to fall and Morrigan would fall on top of me, I disabled some of my armor mainly my helmet and horns to not injure her.

My back hit the ground. Thankfully with my armor covering my back and focusing my mana, it didn’t hurt as much as when I fell into the cave. Just like I guessed, Morrigan fell on top of me. What I didn’t guess was my head getting buried into her bosom.

NICE.

I mean, how cliche. What is this, some kind of cringe romance anime?

“Woof! Woof! Woff!”

Morrigan raised herself and for a second I saw how red her face was. As she hid her face beneath her long, black hair I looked at Gökbörü who was running around in circles while barking.

“Hell no, we are not doing it again.”

“Woof?”

He stopped and let out a sad woof. Seeing his puppy eyes made me feel made.

“Okay, maybe later.”

He started to wag his tail. I dusted myself and looked around.

(Your partner wants to share “Regeneration” with you.)

Even though I wasn’t injured beyond some bruises and exhaustion, I accepted it since I could use three of his skills. Considering the vine sneak attack the masked man just did, I couldn’t stop using Enhanced Sense or Combat Instinct. Even detecting his attacks a second late could prove lethal.

“He doesn’t even care about his own summons.”

Morrigan clenched her fists as she looked at the beasts impaled on the thorns.

…

How I was going to tell her that they were beastkin?

Would I destroy her sense of herself if I told her about it?

Did I have the right to hide the truth from her?

Fucking hell. I was already hiding the fact that humanity on Earth was extinct from Lily. But this, this was different. I… Fuck.

…

I’ll let it to my future self. My present self has to worry about defeating the masked man and getting civilians to safety.

“Caw! Caw! Caw.”

I closed my helmet as soon as I heard the cawing of the raven creatures. Gökbörü let out a growl as he hid under my cloak. The flock of raven creatures(a conspiracy?) was even more mutated than the last time.

“Poyraz!”

Morrigan shouted as ravens dived towards me.

“It is okay.”

I manifested my shield while activating Armor Collapsing Claw. My mana was mostly replenished. I blocked the first ones with my shield before releasing a wave of mana to kill half of the flock.

“This is a misdirection. Gökbörü.”

It wasn’t Combat Instinct that told me that. My Enhanced Senses also didn’t pick up anything. I just knew it. Ravens were weak. I was able to get past a flock of them before without my armor or mana. He may be insane but he wasn’t stupid. He had no reason to send them just to damage us.

Gökbörü existed out of my cloak and jumped on my shield. I spun around, cutting a dozen ravens while throwing him towards Morrigan.

He once tried to turn Morrigan into those monsters. Coupled with his madness with “freeing beastkin”, it was likely he would try that again.

Without looking back at Gökbörü or Morrigan, I focused on killing the remaining ravens. Just as I killed the last one, I heard a pained groan. But even before I heard his voice, I could feel his presence. The divine power inside me burned brightly. I could feel my chest heat up. Aliera’s divine being, which killed a Demon King as soon as she was born reacted intensely to demonic energy leaking from him.

I turned to him. He had an ice spear poking out of his chest, courtesy of Gökbörü. Hah, read him like an open book.

He looked different now. He was even larger. His horns and his mask were turned black. Red veins ran across his body, letting out an ominous light. His nails were long and sharp. His feet were now hooves.

“Ignorant, stupid child. You are as clueless as I once was. Let me open your eyes.”

Morrigan and Gökbörü were slightly far away from the man.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Shut up! You don’t get to preach to me! You traitor!”

The man took a step forward.

“Traitor? You are the one with humans! Do you know what they did to our kind?”

“Bullshit! They saved more beastkin than you killed! They are my comrades and friends of beastkin! If it wasn’t for them I was still thinking all humans were evil! They showed me a new possibility. A possibility that was told to me once by my mentor!”

“And what is that possibility, child? Enlighten me.”

“A future where beastkin and humans live together and help each other despite their differences! A future where children are not taught to hate others just because they were born different!”

I felt a fire starting in my chest. The fire burning inside Morrigan was spread to me.

Was this your dream, Morrigan?

Hah. She sounded unsure and hesitant when we first talked about the changing dynamics between beastkin and humans. But she now shouted her dream from her heart. She has matured.

“Whoever your mentor was, he was stupid. Humans are traitorous, selfish, and arrogant. They will never see beastkin as equals!”

Black fur started to cover Morrigan’s body. Primal Evocation.

“I will not allow you to speak bad about Grandpa Adonis!”

Shit. I couldn’t follow her as she leaped towards the masked man. And to think she was tired…

He raised his staff to block Morrigan’s strike. Even though he was successful, he stumbled a step back. With a stomp he created a wall of thorns, forcing Morrigan to back away. He covered his face with his free hand.

…

Why?

Did he want to protect his mask? No. That wasn’t it. He also covered his face when his mask was broken. But it was repaired now.

Ignoring the questions growing in my mind I ran to Morrigan’s side.

“How long can you keep that form?”

I whispered.

“5 minutes at most.”

She answered between rapid breaths. I glanced at Gökbörü, who had reappeared from the shadows and was growling menacingly at the masked man. Since I was closer now the divine power even reacted more. The demonic force man carried had to react the same but his gaze was fixed on Morrigan.

"You're both so naive. Do you think humanity can coexist with beastkin? It's a fantasy, a dream. And I will shatter that dream."

I moved in front of Morrigan with my shield high and sword drawn.

“Perhaps it is a dream now. Perhaps it will keep being a dream while we are alive. But once everything was a dream. There was a time when my parent dreamed we would walk and we could run now. There was a time when I couldn’t even lift a sword. There was a time when I had no dreams.”

I pointed my sacred sword towards him.

“You calling it a dream doesn’t matter! Every dream can become real if we are willing to give what it takes! That’s why I am not going to let you extinguish the fire Morrigan carries! My being as the Champion of Aliera and Poyraz Karabulut both won’t allow that!”

Requiem for Unfinished Dreams.

When I first read my Sacred Sword of Selection, I thought it was referring to countless dreams that didn’t come true on my Earth. I thought it was a sign that I would be stuck in the past forever.

But what if that’s not true? What if it was referring to dreams I could help to fulfill in this world?

What if the sword I was holding was not a regretful sigh for the past?

What if it was a hopeful prayer for the future?

“Do you think you have what it takes to turn that dream into reality, human?”

He growled.

“Well, why don’t you come and see?”

I answered sarcastically.

The masked man's eyes blazed with anger and determination as he faced us. The clash between our opposing ideals and powers crackled in the air like a storm waiting to unleash its fury.

He stabbed the ground with his staff. Vines, armed with dagger-like thorns writhed and reached for us.

“Spread!”

I said while dodging to the right. Gökbörü was with me, biting my cloak to follow me. I saw Morrigan nodding to me before a wall of vines cut us off.

Shit. By spreading I was planning to make us harder to catch but he used that to his advantage. I tried to rush Morrigan’s side but something bursted out of the vine wall.

“This plant manipulation shit is getting old.”

“Woof!”

I said while looking at a wooden golem manifest in front of me. At first, it was small but as soon as it took root, it grew to nearly 6 meters tall. It was bipedal but had no head. Instead, a red-black energy glowed inside its chest. Its bark was unnaturally black. Most of its body was covered with jagged thorns. These thorns dripped with a malevolent and probably venomous sap. The only advantage I had was the fact that it was rooted in the ground.

Could I just let it here? I mean its arms were long but could it bother us? I could run awa- Is that a sapling in its hand?

I raised my shield high as it threw its sapling towards me.

“Fucking hell!”

It was a mistake. I should have dodged it. It fucking exploded as soon as it touched my shield and sent me flying. It also released a cloud of dust when it exploded.

(You resisted the Curse of Ancient Green.)

(You resisted the Poison of Blackened Pollen.)

Who the fuck thought of giving a tank ranged, area of effect, status effect attack? It is unbalanced as fuck!

Thankfully both I and Gökbörü had high resistances.

“Shit.”

He was probably trying to capture Morrigan and turn her into one of those monsters. I clenched my teeth.

I had to hurry. I trusted Morrigan’s strength but the tricks masked man had worried me. I had to kill this overgrown tree and help Morrigan.