Ra. Who is that?

The heavy, warm air fills my nose. I trudge behind Nel as she leaps over leaves and logs. The afternoon was rather uneventful. Nel finished her meal while I took a nap. She eventually woke me up at dusk to tell me it was time to go. She warned again not to show anyone my abilities and just go straight to Avalon. He’s powerful enough on his own so he’s typically by himself deeper in the forest.

Seems like Nel was right. The deeper we walk into the woods, the darker the scenery becomes. I can’t imagine transversing through here to hunt down monsters. I’ve also learned on our trek that animal-like beasts avoid us. The only hostile ones that I have yet to come across again were the Razor Wolves. Nel mentioned something else that was far more dangerous than them but she told me there was nothing to worry about because they’re the few monsters that can walk during the day.

We eventually come across a massive hole, similar to Nel’s. This one is between two fallen oaks dug deep into the ground. Large bones of different creatures litter in front of the entrance creating an intimidating atmosphere.

Hopefully he’s friendly.

We stop in front of the hole. Nel turns to me with large eyes, a faint smile forming on her small, pale lips. “I’ll go in with you to make sure there’s no funny business.”

Funny business?

I give her a look and she only giggles. I follow her into the tunnel, finding myself facing a larger opening. Bones pile at the sides, making odd, abnormal statues in shapes. At the back of the cave, on a cotton, thin mat, sits a man.

He’s darker in complexion, has short, mostly white hair with dots of red speckled at his scalp. He also has white crescents painted under his eyes which are a dull gray in color. His pupils are cat-shaped like mine. He’s wearing a torn, white tunic and dark, leather pants. His clawed feet are bare like any other monster it seems.

“Hello,” his voice is hollow, like wind blowing through a dead tree. “What have you brought to me, Nel? A mate you want me to approve of?”

Nel freezes a few feet away from him. I crane my neck to look at her and watch her face shine a bright red with a rare scowl plastered on it.

With her arms folded around her chest, she energetically shakes her head. “I found this one! He’s not my mate, Avalon, and you know that!”

“Curious.” He smiles, a teasing light dissipating his dull eyes. “What is your name then, new blood? How did you get here?”

I meet Avalon’s eyes. I was expecting an intimidating man but right now I see a young boy, possibly younger than me, with a carefree posture as he leans forward, his chin sitting in his hands.

“My name is Talen. I was recently cursed and came here looking for shelter.”

Avalon nods. “That’s good enough. A lot of young ones come from Trinity for a safe haven, albeit few. Cursed ones are rather rare.”

“They are?” I ask.

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“Yes. I can tell you’re new because you don’t know this fact. All cursed ones lose their memories. Being cursed doesn’t just mean you become a monster. Many others contract illnesses that make your skin boil or paralyze you. A lot of them die from these illnesses in mere hours or days. Becoming a monster requires conditions. The coma is the first symptom, then they transform, gaining abilities that reveal their talents and their flaws.”

“Abilities, huh?”

“Right. I can only assume you haven’t found yours yet. Humans don’t know this fact sadly, especially the people of Trinity. They kill most as soon as they fall under the coma. The ones who live here now were spared or lucky in one way or another.” He looks up at quizzingly, a long stare that made me shift uncomfortably. “It looks like you’ve been through some rough times but I see no injuries.”

I let out a nervous laugh. Nel briefly gives me a warning look. “I tripped on the way into the woods,” I nervously laughed, watching Nel’s eyes narrow more.

“If you want, I can let you see your ability. Letting one know what abilities they possess helps them alcomate to them.”

“Sure.” I smile. “What should I do?”

“Come to me. I’m a Watcher so I can see things others cannot with a touch.”

I nod, walking to the man. He holds out his hand and as I stand inches away from him, allow him to touch my arm. His eyes close, a frown forming on his face. His brows knit together in a concentrated line as he begins to click his tongue.

“I can’t sense a thing,” he murmurs.

His eyes suddenly shoot open, turning a bright and glowing blue. I step back in shock. I then feel a buzzing sensation underneath his touch. His eyes begin to roll in his head as the feeling intensifies. It lasts for moments but in those seconds, the buzzing starts to sting like tiny ant bites. I pull my hand back and watch in surprise as Avalon quickly recovers doing so.

He’s breathless, looking around the cave in confusion. “What was that?”

Ding!

[Activated Skill: Siphon!]

[Ability Acquired: The Watcher!]

A little bit too late for that announcement.

Avalon’s eyes return to normal as he looks back at me. “I couldn’t sense a thing,” he pants. “But that sensation…” his gaze glides over to Nel, a confused look etched on her face. “Nel, can you come here? I feel like I’m missing something. I need to check.”

Nel nervously walks over while I back away. He gently wraps his hand around her wrist and waits. Nothing happens, not even the glowing eyes.

“No, no… this is impossible.” He quickly glares at me, barring his sharp teeth in anger. “Get him out.”

“What?” Nel looks surprised. “What happened?”

Avalon stands, flexing his claws and hunching his back as if he plans on pouncing. “Out! Out!”

Nel quickly turns around, grabbing my arm and leading me quickly out of the cave. After the ordeal, we begin to head back to her cave in silence. The tense moment only leaves a hollow feeling in my chest.

Did I steal his power? How?

As I ponder in my thoughts, we eventually make it back into the den. Nel climbs in first, stepping over the fresh bones of the Razor Wolf. She sits at the back of the den, suddenly facing me with anger brightening her eyes.

“What did you do?” A saddened rage gradually overtakes her voice.

“Nothing!” I hold up my hands in defense. “He just touched me and… I think I involuntarily absorbed his ability…”

“Nothing? You basically attacked our leader, stealing his most powerful asset.”

“I didn’t mean to.”

She shakes her head in disappointment. “Do you have an agenda, new blood? Do you plan on stealing my abilities as well?”

“Of course not!” I say, baffled. She barely knows me though so of course me pulling off such a feat and killing a Razor Wolf with two taps is obviously suspicious. Can I really fit in anywhere? “If you want me to leave, I can,” I reason. “I just needed shelter for the night.”

She shakes her head. “You think after what you did you can just run away Scott free?”

“No,” I frown, trying not to let my emotions control my words. “I simply know now that I’m a danger here. It’s best if I move on.”

“Then move on. Find somewhere else to stay. Away from here. I appreciate you killing the Razor Wolf but I can’t forgive you for attacking our leader. You’ve made me your associate after all and after tonight, I can’t trust you won’t cause more trouble. There’s no telling what they’ll do to us.”

Attacking?! I simply touched him and the stupid voice-thing did it on its own!

“Fine,” I say with a defeated shake of my head. “You’re welcome. I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble.” I try my best not to stomp out of the cave.

Ra’s Blessing? More like a curse than anything.

I jump over logs and leaves, planning to find a shelter far away enough where I wouldn’t come in contact with either Nel or Avalon in the future.