18. Spirit Society (VII)

Running felt almost spiritual in his newly forged body. The forest floor flew beneath him. Trees blurred past. He was lighter than air and this was the closest thing to joy he’d felt in a long time. If he was any faster, not even his [Hyper-Vigilance] could keep him from crashing into obstacles.

The only downer was the crow on his shoulder.

While Raziel’s whole body thrummed with exhilaration, the crow was practically asleep, as if on a scenic joyride.

Raziel didn’t know if he should appreciate the silence or question it.

After a short discussion, Raziel and the [Wraith] headed north and left Father Linus behind to recover in the treehouse. Shockingly, all three parties agreed to this arrangement. A long journey would only worsen the [Priest]’s injuries, and he would be of little help against the [Devouring Manahound]. Father Linus similarly preferred to stay near Bramblebog, where he could easily observe the veil.

Throughout their journey, the occasional rogue spirit showed curiosity towards them. Yet, each time the spirit caught sight of the silent crow perched on Raziel’s shoulder, it withdrew, dissuaded.

Raziel suspected that his ancestor preferred being in his crow form.

The man only seemed to wear his wraith form as an intimidation tactic or when he needed to perform alchemy.

“Take a left,” said the crow smoothly. “There’s a spirit this way that I’m not interested in meeting.”

Raziel had never ventured this far into the Dark Forest before. His surroundings were pitch-black and he relied more on his hearing than his sight. [Hyper-Vigilance] came in handy, highlighting beast tracks that Raziel would’ve missed, emphasizing tiny noises, and warning him when he got too close to an unnoticed obstacle.

Squinting, Raziel tried channeling his mana into his eyes.

The crow ruffled its feathers. “What on earth are you doing?”

“I’m training.”

“Is that what you’re calling it? From my position, it feels like you’re trying to hold in vomit.”

Raziel refused to let the crow’s beady glare affect him. “I’m trying to channel my mana through my eyes. Enhanced [Hyper-Vigilance] will help me navigate in this darkness.”

“I see.”

“Yeah, I’m trying to do that too.”

The crow quieted again, and Raziel resumed his practice. After a few long minutes it seemed his ancestor finally had enough of the straining and tensing.

“Keep going and you’ll injure your meridians,” said the [Wraith] silkily. “Master your basics before diving headfirst into intermediate mana applications. Didn’t your parents ever tell you that?”

Raziel exhaled forcefully. “No. Should they have?”

“...perhaps not.”

“What do you know about my parents?”

“It was merely a general statement.”

“If you croaked the day I was born, then you must’ve known them,” said Raziel. “Though, they’ve never said a word about you.”

“Why would they? Am I that interesting?”

Raziel hadn’t heard something that ridiculous in a long time. Once again the [Wraith] was toying with him. Frustrated, he began pushing his legs to the limit, running as fast as his body was capable of.

A part of Raziel didn’t really consider the [Wraith] human. He was more like a natural disaster who just did things, and you could only hope those things were in your favor.

“Don’t vomit,” threatened the crow.

“If you’re that worried about your feathers then you should get a [Clean] Spell Card.”

“[Cleanse] Spell Card,” corrected the crow. “And almost no one has such a thing. It’s unreasonably powerful.”

“Mom would be pleased that you think so highly of cleaning.”

“[Purification], [Reverse], [Mend], and a hundred other absurd Spell Cards stem from [Cleanse]. Can you even comprehend what that means? [Cleanse] can perform everything those cards can, and at an even higher level. You could probably wipe out all life in a mid-sized country with [Cleanse].”

Raziel almost hit a tree. “Spell Cards can do that?”

“Like I said, that card in particular is very powerful,” murmured the [Wraith]. “Some cards are better than others.”

“You told Father Linus that he could do things with his cards that you didn’t expect.”

“Obviously, talent is also important. So is affinity. A powerful card in the hands of a mediocre alchemist won’t be anything impressive.”

In the total darkness, Raziel’s senses were heightened. He was hyper-aware of how hard his heart was pounding against his ribs.

“And me?” he asked numbly. “I’m talentless but you’re still interested in me.”

His ancestor went quiet - Raziel didn’t feel talons digging into his shoulder, or feathers ruffling by his ear. The [Wraith] was preternaturally still and silent. “You were born with a card, weren’t you?”

Raziel couldn’t speak, he only nodded.

“Affinity,” repeated the [Wraith]. “If a card is wielded by someone suited for it, miraculous things can happen.”

“W - “

“Don’t ask me about that card. That’s the one topic I refuse to be wheedled on,” said the [Wraith]. “I’ll only advise you to not touch it until you’re an alchemist. You need a certain level of strength to use it properly.”

Raziel recalled the overwhelming emotions invoked by the Red Figure Card.

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“What happened to the other half?”

“Maybe you’ll find it.”

“I see.”

“I thought you couldn’t see, which is why we’re having this ridiculous conversation in the first place,” the crow shot back.

Raziel offered him a blinding smile. “Earlier you mentioned the basics…?”

Raziel could picture his ancestor rolling his eyes in exasperation. “Visualize. The first step is meditating and learning your mana system from the inside out. Learn how many meridians you have. Learn their structure. Your soul is who you are - your mana is yours, no one else will have the same kind of mana as you. Learn yourself.”

That… was a lot less exciting than Raziel hoped it would be.

“Fool,” hissed the crow. “This is real magic. How dare you look so unimpressed?”

Raziel ran into a clearing and slowed down. The fish in the sky-river cast ribbons of light onto the forest floor. The reflection of a waxing moon rippled gently in the sky above. He could smell it - the low-level smoldering in his lungs of dark mana.

“Why did you slow down?” asked the [Wraith] in a lazy sort of way. “Now you’re just standing in its mouth.”

A tornado of darkness suddenly ripped around them, killing all light. Silhouettes writhed around him, contorting into painful forms. They all began howling in unison. Raziel spun in a circle, cataloging every detail.

The crow urged him. “What are you waiting for? Go slay the [Devouring Manahound].”

“Which one is it?” said Raziel, pointing his blessed blade in several directions.

“The dog.”

In the midst of the shadows, Raziel glimpsed a flicker, swift and predatory, bobbing and weaving. Raziel's heart pounded in his chest as he followed the [Devouring Manahound] with his eyes.

He knew immediately that he was outmatched.

The blessed blade sang against his fingers. He brushed his thumb against the metal, soothing himself

Just months ago, he'd defeated an Uncommon-Grade [Galefury Jackalope]. Since then, he’d grown substantially. More skilled. More stats. But now, facing a Rare-Grade beast, he felt the old fear grip him. It was only one Grade up, but he felt like he’d been transported back in time.

He needed to be a better fighter - now.

Raziel pieced together the flashes of enlightenment he’d gained while watching the [Wraith] fight the [Phantasm].

No wasted movement.

Predict your opponent’s next strike.

Dance.

> [Hunter’s Pursuit Activated (+1 Strength, +3 Dexterity)]

His initial steps were awkward, too slow to dodge a whip-like tongue from one of the shadows. Despite the sting slicing across his belly, he pressed on, intent on finding the rhythm.

Even if Raziel’s familiar, brash way of fighting could’ve saved him a few injuries, he never once considered falling back to it. The pain only encouraged him to try harder.

Another lash.

Then another.

His shirt hung in strips. Shadows simmered in the lacerations covering his body. Raziel’s mind was sharply focused as he analyzed the patterns. He sensed that he was on the verge of a breakthrough.

When the next lash came, Raziel whirled a half-step to the left. It missed him by an inch.

> +1 Insight

> ATTRIBUTES

>

> Strength: 5/10 (+1)

>

> Dexterity: 5/10 (+3)

>

> Body: 8/10

>

> Soul Power: 5/20

>

> Magic Power: 4/10

>

> Cognition: 5/10

>

> Insight: 5/10 -> 6/10

A mean grin cut across his face.

Dancing with the darkness, Raziel's movements became more fluid, more instinctual. He anticipated every attack the silhouettes threw at him with uncanny precision, sidestepping when they overextended and lunging when they fell back.

The silhouettes weren’t independent creatures - they were extensions of the [Devouring Manahound]. They all possessed the same habits. When Raziel noticed that one of the silhouettes preferred their right leg, he couldn’t help but realize that they all did. With each successful dodge, his confidence soared.

He was part of the ebb and flow, moving with the shadows, moving against them.

One silhouette hesitated. Raziel didn't. He leaped, blade first, cutting through it like smoke.

The shadows bowed like they were puppets whose strings had been cut. The curtain of darkness pulled them back.

Adjusting his grasp on the blade, Raziel ventured forward. The [Devouring Manahound]’s aura suffocated the air. The shadow wall condensed into a four-legged body crafted of living darkness. Malevolence smoldered in its eyes. Raziel wanted to spit. The beast wasn't a meathead. This one was sly. Cautious. After all, the [Devouring Manahound] had laid a trap and waited for its meal to fall in.

To win, Raziel needed to be smarter than the beast.

He already knew the beast preferred its right side.

When the perfect moment came, he faked a stumble. The [Devouring Manahound] lunged with arrogant glee. But Raziel was ready. He rolled out of the way and plunged his blade into the beast's unprotected belly.

The [Devouring Manahound] dissolved into smoke. Skeletal remains bounced to the ground. The forest clearing slowly reappeared, a vision of silver.

Raziel gazed at his blessed blade with a newfound appreciation. The weapon pulled its weight. One good strike and the [Devouring Manahound] evaporated.

“You’re wounded,” said the crow in a deeply contemplative tone.

“He wasn’t poisonous. I’ll be fine.”

“Don’t get cocky. The beast was holding back the entire fight - it wanted to separate you from your holy blade before going in for the kill. You didn’t get to experience its deadlier abilities.”

“That’s why you shouldn’t play with your food,” said Raziel, sifting through the black bones. Now he could ask Father Linus to repair his [Elusive Dreamhound] Beast Cards. “Your meal might end up learning a thing or two from you.”

The crow swooped down and waved a wing over the remains, vanishing them. “I’ll hold these for you.” Beady eyes swept discerningly across Raziel’s tattered clothes. “After all, you have nowhere to keep them.”

Raziel didn’t argue.

“Since we’re here, shall we search for dark path materia?” asked the [Wraith].

Raziel clenched his jaw and tilted his head up to gaze at the moon. “No.”

“Oh? But you and the priest were so eager to create [Devouring Manahounds].”

“I don’t want that kind of beast by my side,” he said.

The crow seemed pleased. “Not a good match?”

Raziel shook his head. “I don’t know if I have an affinity for [Elusive Dreamhounds], but anything is better than that creature.”

Aside from the macabre puppet show, what truly bothered him about the dark path beast was how cunning it was. Lying in wait. Ambush. These weren’t Raziel’s preferred tactics. After a moment of thought Raziel straightened his back, newly confident in his decision. “I’ll just train harder to make up for it.”

“Hmph. Maybe you aren’t entirely hopeless after all.”

Raziel took back what he said about the [Wraith] - the crow didn’t merely seem pleased, he was practically a ball of sunshine. A smug and gloating ball of sunshine. His plumage even looked more iridescent.

Unsettling.

“Pretty crow,” a voice cooed in the quiet. “Come.”

The [Wraith] suddenly froze mid-flight. “Raziel. Run.”

The attack happened both slowly and too quickly at the same time. In an instant, the [Wraith] elongated into a human form, his eyes glowing like hot coals. His aura exploded outwards, flinging Raziel through the air like a straw doll. Raziel landed hard, ears ringing. He scrambled forward on his hands, but his ancestor had vanished.

With shaky legs, Raziel’s body pitched forward, almost tipping into the abyss below.

Where had that come from?

Was this the Rift?

The ground beneath Raziel quaked.

He sprinted, the earth collapsing behind him like a house of cards. Giant trees were mere specks as they sailed into the gaping maw. Voices called out after him, crying for him. Raziel ran long after he’d left the Rift behind.

Finally his legs collapsed from under him. Panting, Raziel had the terrible sense that he was being watched.

Gritting his teeth, he looked down.

His wounds were pulsing with shadows.

Fifteen [Devouring Manahounds] surrounded him, a sea of contorting silhouettes, drawing in closer and closer.

He drew out a blessed blade only for the darkness to snuff out its light.

“Crap.”