Marcus nodded, still feeling the adrenaline of the battle and the newfound power within him. He took a defensive stance, focusing his mind on detecting any threats while Zayzal turned his attention to Sera.
‘It seems I have a bit more control over my telepathy now. Instead of just sending my voice into the mind of another, I can reach out and search for people to talk to. I can also slightly feel the emotions of others, but it’s very faint and might just be the after-effects of getting stronger.’ Marcus thought, glancing at Fenrir.
He wished that his [Beast Tamer] talent was the one that improved, but there wasn’t much he could do if Zayzal wanted to start with his [Telepathy].
‘Still, I wonder why I don’t feel much stronger than before.’ He thought, clenching his fists. Although he felt revitalized and maybe a bit more powerful physically, it was very faint. His mind was what really felt empowered.
‘...Maybe it’s just because we have different talents. Hopefully, my [Beast Tamer] one can make my physical body more powerful.’ With his current self, he didn’t think he’d be all that useful against something like the ice bear they faced before.
Marcus maintained his vigilance, his enhanced telepathy enabling him to detect any subtle changes in their surroundings. He was still coming to terms with his newfound abilities, but he was at least a bit more confident in being able to hold his own.
Meanwhile, Zayzal focused on Sera, who was ready to take the next step in her training.
Previously, they had worked on strengthening her skeletal system, infusing the pathways with mana. Now, it was time to fill and enrich those pathways until they reached their maximum capacity.
“Remember, Sera, concentrate on the pathways we created last time. Let the mana flow into them, enrich them until you feel they can hold no more,” Zayzal instructed with a calm and steady voice.
However, they both knew that they didn’t necessarily create anything and just found the most optimal paths in the body to carry mana to their designated spots.
Sera closed her eyes, focusing intently. She could feel the dense mana from the lake seeping into her body, filling the pathways Zayzal had highlighted during their previous training sessions. Her bones creaked and cracked as they were infused with mana.
Thump! Thump!
Her heartbeat became so strong that it made small waves in the water. Sera gritted her teeth, feeling power rip through her veins, but she persisted, determined to get stronger.
Zayzal watched her progress, sensing the growing strength within her. Then, suddenly, he felt a tingling inside his own body.
For some reason, his own [Adaptability] talent started reacting to the dense mana, subtly augmenting and refining his cells. Intrigued, he used his Mind's Eye to observe the changes happening within him. There, he saw that the dense mana was interacting with his talent in a way he had never experienced before, unlocking new potential.
His cells were absorbing everything they could, merging it all together. Taking a deeper look, he understood that he wasn’t just adapting to this increase in mana density, but he was essentially evolving, similar to what Sera, Anders, and Marcus experienced.
‘I have a feeling that once my cells are fully saturated, my [Adaptability] talent will change in quality. What it’ll become, I have no idea, but I doubt it’s anything bad.’ He thought before he was snapped out of his thoughts by Sera’s body glowing brightly.
Staring at her intently, he understood that her bones were finally fully saturated.
With a light smile, he put both hands on her shoulders and sent a stream of his mana into her. “Good, Sera, you’re doing well. Now, we’ll move to the next step – Fortification. Or, at least, that’s what it looks like to me. This time, you need to envelop your bones with mana, reinforcing their structure for future progressions,” Zayzal guided, showing her exactly what she needed to do.
Sera nodded, understanding the challenge ahead. The process was more complex and demanding than the infusion, but she was ready. Slowly, she began to envelop each bone with mana, strengthening and improving their structure.
As Sera continued with the Fortification process, Zayzal figured that he should point out how to improve her [Barrier Constructor] talent’s power system so that he wouldn’t have to physically guide them if they wanted to get stronger while swimming. “You don’t have to do this now, but I’m going to illuminate the process for your other talent.”
With that said, a set of shining illusory pathways appeared inside her body that she could feel and see through her Mind’s Eye.
Sera nodded and continued to fortify her bones.
Marcus, observing the progress of his companions, felt a surge of motivation. Although his physical strength hadn’t increased dramatically, he somewhat came to terms with the fact that the potential of his talents lies elsewhere. He focused on his connection with Fenrir, talking with him telepathically, strengthening their bond and preparing for whatever challenges lay ahead.
After a while, Sera reached a satisfactory level of saturation and completed the Fortification process, for now. There were still many training sessions to come, but she did all she could deal with right now. She opened her eyes, feeling a newfound strength coursing through her.
“I feel... stronger, more resilient,” Sera said, flexing her muscles and feeling the solidified mana within her bones.
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Zayzal nodded in approval. “You’ve made great progress, Sera. With this, we should be able to take care of the boss room. Hopefully.”
Turning around, he saw Marcus and Fenrir sitting next to one another, staring out at the lake, looking for any dangers. Zayzal smiled at the sight and got out of the water to grab his things.
“You ready to swim?” He asked, to which Marcus hesitantly nodded.
“...I guess. However, I’ll probably have to rely on you and Sera to deal with any monsters.”
“Leave it to me!” Sera jumped out of the lake, digging up chunks of grass when she landed as she was unable to control her strength. “Damn fish monsters won’t stand a chance against me now!”
“......Great. Thanks.”
As they prepared to swim across the lake, Marcus, Sera, and Zayzal readied themselves mentally and physically for the journey ahead. Each of them felt the dense mana in the lake, a potential source of strength and, perhaps, hidden perils. They already knew something was down there, so it was just a matter of when they would attack.
However, Sera and Zayzal couldn’t, in good conscience, give up this opportunity to get even stronger.
Marcus and Fenrir were the first to enter the water as they had the best senses, followed closely by Sera and Zayzal. As they began to swim, the calm surface of the lake rippled with their movements, and the dense mana enveloped them like a tangible force.
Now that his mind was more attuned to his surroundings, Marcus started to pick up faint echoes of emotions and memories coming from the lake. It wasn’t overwhelming enough to cloud his mind, but he did find it very distracting. Fenrir looked over as he seemed to sense his companion's heightened awareness.
As they swam further, Marcus's senses suddenly honed in on a vivid memory that surfaced from the depths of the lake. It was a clear and poignant recollection of when he first met Fenrir – a small, abandoned wolf pup he found on an Alpine mountain. The memory was so vivid that it momentarily took his breath away.
“Fenrir... I remember when I found you,” Marcus whispered, the memory playing out like a scene from a movie.
Fenrir let out a soft growl as if he, too, were somehow connected to the memory, reliving that critical moment with Marcus.
In the memory, Marcus was younger, his face less worn by the battles and challenges he had faced in recent times. He was trekking through the snow-covered landscape of the Alpine mountains, his breath forming clouds of vapor in the cold air. The mountain's natural beauty was breathtaking, but there was an undercurrent of loneliness in Marcus's demeanor, a solitary figure against the vastness of nature.
As he navigated a particularly steep slope, a faint whimpering sound caught his attention. Curiosity piqued, he followed the sound, finding a small, huddled form in the snow. It was a wolf pup, alone and shivering, its eyes filled with fear and confusion.
Marcus remembered the hesitation he felt at that moment, the uncertainty of how to react to the vulnerable creature before him. But something in the pup's eyes stirred a sense of kinship within him, a feeling of being connected to this wild yet innocent being.
He knelt down, extending a cautious hand towards the pup. The little wolf, initially skittish, slowly inched closer, sniffing Marcus's hand before finally allowing a gentle touch. It was a moment of trust, a silent understanding that had formed between them.
Marcus wrapped the pup in his jacket, warming it with his body heat. He knew he couldn't leave it there, alone and defenseless. From that moment, Fenrir became his companion, a bond forged in the solitude of the mountains, growing stronger with each day.
Back in the present, Marcus felt a warmth spread through his heart as the memory faded, replaced by the cool waters of the lake. He looked at his now strong and loyal companion and felt a surge of gratitude for that fateful day.
“Fenrir, you were just a little ball of fur when I found you,” Marcus said with a chuckle.
Fenrir growled in response.
Suddenly, multiple shadows appeared underneath Marcus.
Seeing this, Sera raised her hand towards Marcus, and a shimmering golden barrier formed around him and Fenrir, enveloping them in a protective cocoon.
Despite the barrier's strength, the shadows didn’t seem hindered. They shifted forms and swirled around Marcus.
Unbeknownst to the group, these were memory-eating spirits, a menace that threatened to devour the most precious recollections of their targets.
As one of the shadows got close, it took a metaphysical bite at Marcus's mind. The sensation was excruciating, like a part of his very essence was being torn away. He screamed in pain, clutching his hands as his brain felt like it was smashing against his skull.
“What’s wrong?!”
“Marcus! You okay?!”
Zayzal and Sera shouted, alarmed by Marcus's sudden agony, but moved swiftly.
“Marcus! Hold on!” Zayzal shouted, swimming towards him, but he was unsure how to combat this unseen assailant.
In anger, Sera brandished her axe, though she knew it was futile against such spectral enemies that existed under the water.
In that moment of chaos and confusion, Fenrir, driven by a primal instinct to protect his companion, lunged at the shadow beneath them. His jaws snapped at the intangible entity, and to everyone’s surprise, he managed to tear it apart, dissipating it into nothingness.
The sudden retaliation from Fenrir caused the other shadows to recoil and retreat, disappearing into the depths of the lake. As the threat subsided, Marcus's screams turned into heavy panting, his body relaxing as the pain subsided.
Zayzal reached Marcus, his hands steadying the shaken man. “Marcus, are you alright? What did it do to you?”
Marcus looked up, his eyes glazed with a mix of pain and confusion. “It... it took something. A memory, I think. Part of the moment when I found Fenrir...”
Sera swam closer in concern too. “Can you get it back? What just happened?”
Fenrir, still by Marcus's side, nudged him gently as if offering his support.
“It’s okay, Fenrir...” Marcus managed to say, petting Fenrir with a trembling hand. “You saved me. But, that memory... it’s blurred now, fragmented. I can still recall it, but things feel jumbled.”
Zayzal frowned, his mind racing for a solution. “These creatures, they feed on memories. We need to be careful. Each memory is a part of us, a part of our journey. Losing them... it’s like losing a piece of our soul.”
Sera clenched her fists, her eyes scanning the water vigilantly. “We can’t let them get close again. I’ll keep the barrier up. But we need to move fast.”
Receiving a nod from everyone, Sera took the lead with Fenrir this time as Marcus swam in the middle with Zayzal in the back. Their eyes were zoned in on the water this time.