From between the rocks, along with the burst of air, a series of small needles flew right towards my face. Luckily, it was already made out of crystal, if not for that, it would’ve been very, very unpleasant and painful. With my hard head, they just bounced back, landing right in front of me.

Confused, I gazed towards the opening with a flame ready to blast whatever shot those at me, but I could not see a thing.

I looked closer at the projectiles. They almost looked like long thorns, or maybe very short conifer needles.

As I was to pick one up and was leaning closer to them to inspect it further, they suddenly came alive. The flame on my palm flickered and went out, almost like its source got snuffed out and in the same moment the needle grew maybe three sizes thick and maybe ten sizes long. It dug itself into the ground, like a root.

For a second, it went quiet. The only trace left was the hole it left in the ground and the confusion I had on my face. I lit the flame again to look closer, just for it to get snuffed again, and this time I actually understood what happened. Bit too late though.

The mana I was intending to use as a fuel for the flame was sucked into the hole that the thing disappeared in, feeding it and making it grow even more.

Around me four other holes opened, and from each of them a long, thin vine sprouted up, shooting up and up, breaking everything in its path.

Luckily, it did not target me. Unluckily, it did destroy the makeshift rock-igloo I made, creating another avalanche of rocks, almost burying me again. It did not do much damage, but it did knock the wind out of me. Some rocks landed right on top of me, pinning me down to the floor, immobilizing me once more.

I did not manage to curse or even groan, the creature was not done yet. It did not get much mana out of me, yet it was pretty lively. I felt the whole avalanche move as the vines were growing and pushing aside the rocks, trying to get to me. Well, at least I did not have to worry about getting out any more.

It reached me quicker than I expected and picked me up from the pile of rocks, wrapping one vine around my waist, and for the first time I actually was able to fully see what was attacking me.

It was a creature I’ve seen already - the weird humanoid monster with a thorny bush on its back, although it looked a bit worse for wear. The ones I’ve seen so far were lively and green, some even had flowers blooming on their backs, but this one looked like it was barely able to hold itself together. WIth body of dirty brown color, instead of the flowers it sprouted long branches, one of them holding me. To boot, it also looked like it was immobile - it still was rooted in place where it initially dug into the ground when it started sucking on my mana.

Speaking of, as soon as it touched me and picked me up from the pile of rocks, I started glowing. Or, to be precise the crystal parts that were closest to the vine did. Be it by chance or on purpose, it grabbed me exactly where I was still partially, well, normal, and squeezed hard.

-No big deal - I thought to myself. - I can just burn it.

But as I tried to, I could not muster any mana. And it was not because I was again out of it. I still had a bit remaining, enough to toss a spell or two, but as soon as I tried focusing, I felt it being drained, just like the time when the creature started growing.

It apparently had the similar ability to the leeches - to absorb mana from spells.

A strange thing though. Even though the creature did absorb my mana, or even worse, was constantly doing it, I did not feel like I was getting weaker. Quite the opposite, in fact. While after using a bunch of mana while trying to get out of that pile of rocks I was starting to feel drained and slightly woozy, especially when it robbed the mana from my spells for the first time, this time was different. I could already feel more energetic and awake, meaning I was getting mana from somewhere. The intensifying glow of my crystal body seemed to confirm that - and also was hinting at the source I was getting recharged from.

Looking closer, the spots where the vine was touching my crystal were glowing even brighter, while the vines themselves were getting grayer…?

Smelling the occasion, I grabbed the knife that I miraculously managed to not lose yet and sliced at the spots that were looking weaker.

I didn’t think the dagger had any other enchantments besides the one I already drained, but it was still a nicely made blade, cutting through the plant like it was butter. The vine crumbled almost instantly, dropping me on the ground. It did not manage to lift me up high yet, but I was still about a meter above the ground, and as I fell onto the rocks, I once more produced a large amount of sparks.

This time though, my clothes were not the only thing in range - sparks fell also at the creature and the remains of the vine too, promptly setting both on fire.

-I didn’t mean to do it like this, but it still works… - I muttered to myself, standing up and patting out the small flame that also spread onto my pants, or rather I should call them shorts by now.

The creature was definitely not liking the treatment it got. While it was not screaming like the leeches, it definitely was in pain. Writhing, it almost looked as if it wanted to drop and roll on the ground in an attempt to douse the flames on itself. It was still rooted to the ground though and only managed to wriggle, looking pitifu.

Out of habit I wanted to toss a spell at it to finish it off quicker but stopped myself short. Even if it was half-dead, most likely I would then only feed it more mana and probably give it a chance to recover. The dagger was pretty effective against it, so I instead elected to try and use that.

But as I was closing onto it, I started second-guessing myself again - getting into a melee range with this thing did not seem like a good idea. While I was not fearing the flames, it still probably would be able to surprise me with something. It was essentially a wounded animal, after all.

And I was right. Even after I stopped and started reconsidering my course of actions, it was already too late, the two steps I’ve taken brought me back into the range of its vines and it grabbed me again.

This time I retaliated instantly, slashing with a dagger towards it, but, I can’t believe I am saying that, the plant was smarter than me. It anticipated that and redirected my blade, slapping my hand, so instead of slashing at the vine that was binding me, I hit one of the roots that was close to me.

Still, the dagger was effective. It cut through without an issue, but that was what the creature wanted. Apparently, the plant was not just flailing randomly - when I thought it was trying to douse the flames, it instead unrooted itself from the ground, leaving the one root next to me untouched. With the redirected swing I just released it from the ground.

As soon as it was free, it grabbed onto me with more vines, pulling itself towards me, almost like it was trying to hug me.

This time, I actually felt pain. Not really from the very forceful hug it was pulling me into, rather from its burning body over all. The fire did not discriminate and spread instantly, too fast in fact, making me realize that it was not just regular fire. The creature was more resistant than I thought, and while it still was getting damaged by it, it was far from being on its last legs. I guess it inherited the ability to imbue itself with the elements it got hit by from its friend, mana leech.

I wanted to give it the same treatment as I did to the massive creature in the tree-lab, but I got painfully reminded that it was not possible - I simply could not concentrate while the remaining pieces of flesh that I had left were being literally roasted on the bonfire that was the creature’s body.

While it probably had no idea about my weak spot, the tactic of burning me alive was one that could actually work. The pain rendered me unable to think clearly, while my attempts at swinging at it with the dagger were thwarted almost instantly by vines that grabbed me.

It was not even a few seconds after it grabbed me, but I already was starting to white out.

Wait. I was not whiting out. It was the surroundings that were getting brighter and brighter.

As I was grabbed I stopped paying attention to the state of my crystal, but now it was painfully obvious - I was glowing brighter than the whole creature, and it was on fire so that’s saying something.

On the other hand, the creature and the fire were getting… darker? No, it was just the creature, the fire itself was just dying down, almost like the source that it was fueling it got cut off.

Even weirder, the pain was also slowly fading away, replaced by a very, very unpleasant feeling of itching on my skin, mostly my stomach, to the point that I reflexively tried to scratch it.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Surprisingly, I could. The creature was not holding me any more. Or rather it was, but it could not muster any strength to stop my movements.

I wanted to use that opportunity to grab the thing and try peeling it off of me, but as soon as I gripped the creature, it gave out a very unpleasant shriek. It was sort of similar to the one I’ve heard from the leeches, although this sounded even less like an animal, more like I squeezed some sort of a plush toy.

While it startled me, it did not distract me enough for me to not notice the obvious glow that started spreading from my hand though, along with an even stronger feeling of energy going into me.

Understanding what’s going on, I stopped my attempts of trying to get it off me, instead grabbing it with my other hand. Sure enough, the same thing happened: I started glowing even more while the creature started making even more noise.

The fire was already out, but even then the cave was as bright as we were outside in the middle of the day, with the only source of the light being my own self.

I should’ve seen that coming. Not only my body was mostly replaced by the crystal, its power also proportionally grew. While before, it was able to absorb loose mana and the mana from the spells directly flung at me, now I was able to absorb strength even from living things.

Very unwilling living things, because that is what that creature was. Noticing how its suicide attack was ineffective, or even beneficial for me, now it was trying to get away.

Not like it had a chance. I am not a very strong person, but thanks to the crystal my grip was iron tight. Besides, the creature was already on its way out and almost out of strength, my crystal’s only quickened the process. I could feel it crumble and wilt under my fingers, and in a matter of even less than a minute I was left alone with just a pile of ashy dust next to me and a wilted, gray-ish piece of branch in my hand.

I no longer could feel the pleasant flow of mana going into me, so I assumed it was really done, if the remains were not enough proof.

I was now standing in the middle of a half-collapsed cave. My hunch was also correct - I was indeed still in the same cave, although if it was not for the hive-like walls, I would have had a hard time recognizing it.

Every wall was at least half-buried under a landslide mixed with a large amount of rock and stone, especially the one where the exit used to be. I guess when Axelrod was escaping, he also was redirecting the rubble that was falling on his head in such a way so it would block the entrance.

The middle of the cave was the only empty space that was not covered in rubble or rocks. The floor was cracked there, which was a bit unsettling, it was a raw rock after all, and even scorched a bit, probably from the sheer force of mana that was released when the crystal exploded.

Speaking of, crystal. What exactly happened?

In my vision, or maybe it was a dream, I clearly heard the presence talk to me. Was it because I was unconscious so it was easy for it to get into my head? But what happened after that?

I already used my mana sense multiple times, yet found nothing even remotely close to a sign of a life nearby, so I did not expect for it to work, but I tried again.

Glad I did. It was also a reminder that I should pay more attention to myself.

After the combat with the creature, I was still glowing. Brightly might I add. Meaning, I was still on a bit of an overdose and my mana sense was magnitudes more powerful than last time, even compared to when I was fully rested.

Before I even realized, my senses already spread through the whole cave and were going through the tunnel, up and up towards the village. In a matter of seconds I could feel the plant life above me next to the home where the old man attacked Bert not so long ago.

But the power I suddenly had was not the thing that was important right now. To be precise, I noticed two very strange things.

First of all, the lack of mana.

Before all this went down, this whole cave, along with its surroundings, was so mana infused it was hard to even walk through it without getting mana drunk. But now, it was the exact opposite - everything was completely dead. And not just like regular underground, no, it felt like life itself was drained from the earth somehow.

The scale was also something else. I couldn’t really tell how far we went underground, but we did walk for a long while, and yet almost the whole way towards this cave was completely devoid of mana. This void was in the shape of a sphere, maybe a bit distorted on its edges, with the epicenter being the cave I was in. Wait, no, it was not just the epicenter. The whole void was in the shape of the cave itself - like it was the extension of it. The edges had some traces of mana, a bit more of it in the upper parts, probably because they were already encroaching onto the forests’ roots and all that.

The second thing though was what worried me a little bit.

Besides the house, I also could get a feel of the entire village. I could tell that it was mostly the same although with one little detail. Or maybe a large one.

The barn which we “rented”. When I first reached it I expected to feel the remains of the people that we hauled there. Maybe Odar, Bert, or someone from the second party, king with his team. What I didn’t expect to feel was the emptiness.

Yes. Emptiness. Very similar to the one that was surrounding me now. Although the scale was miniscule in comparison, it was still unnerving. While the anomaly surrounding me probably could be explained with the Origin Crystal being destroyed and all, feeling a similar one right next to it was… eerie. I couldn’t help but get the image of the first Origin Crystal and what happened then. Did the same happen here? Did I start an apocalypse yet again? Cities destroyed, people, earthquakes, mana explosions. If we didn’t…

Hold up.

Why was I remembering that?

Didn’t that happen AFTER I blacked out? How the fuck did I know about that?

I started thinking, frantically. And remembering even more.

I remembered… seeing myself getting my arm chopped off… then shielding that kid from the shards flying everywhere from the explosion. But I also remembered seeing the exact same thing from the other perspective, followed by Iloa’s vaporization. And I still definitely could remember the pain of getting my limb cut off along with getting tossed away from the explosion.

What in the fuck was did that mean? I remembered the whole incident from multiple perspectives…?

But that was not all. When I thought about the Origin Crystal and the original explosion, my thoughts naturally went towards the crystal that exploded here… and I also had more unfamiliar memories here.

I remembered Axelrod taking a swing at me, just to bounce back and try again… then the explosion… myself getting flung back. Then I remembered being in the dark, finally finding that familiar mana, going berserk and… getting drained by me… Or my other self… Fuck, who exactly was I?

The mix of memories was very unpleasant and having them felt both right and wrong at the same time. I knew I shouldn’t have seen those things from those perspectives, yet I felt… accomplished?

I stopped myself from remembering even more, trying to focus on one thing at a time. Really, I wanted to forget half of what I just remembered, but for some reason I knew that it was not possible, nor was it right.

That was not the easiest thing to do in this situation. While the memories did not just pop out uncontrollably whenever they wanted, they were present whenever I started to think about it. Unluckily, everything in the nearest vicinity was unsurprisingly reminding me of what just happened, making the memories emerge again and slowly starting to give me a headache.

I had to do something to try and focus on one thing at a time, or at least at the least amount of things. Something to occupy my mind for a second.

Trying to clear my mind, I sat down and gazed at the ground, trying to, for a lack of better term, meditate. Did not help. Accidentally though, in the corner of my eye I noticed something shining lying under a small pile of rocks. That being the best distraction I had at the moment I started walking towards it. Just as I was getting closer, I felt a crunch under my feet and heard something shatter.

Realizing that I just stepped onto some broken glass, I quickly stepped back. Of course, no harm came to me since I was made out of crystal, but still. After a closer look, I recognized what exactly that junk was - it was just remains of the contents of my bag and probably also Melle’s. Same with the shine I saw earlier - it was just more of the same.

I didn’t really care about what happened to the junk I was carrying around, but it was as good a distraction as any other, so I started moving some rocks around, trying to get a bit deeper into the pile where I saw the light being reflected.

I was not using any magic, physical labor was a good way to keep your mind off things. And besides that, I wanted to see how strong my body actually was.

Unsurprisingly, I was still as weak as before. While sturdy, the crystal did not exactly add much to my muscle mass. True, I managed to move some stones and kick away some others, but not more than I would be able to lift if I was just a regular pile of flesh and bones.

Digging through the rocks though made me remember exploring the tunnels next to Melle’s house and the bowl. Which of course came with another jolt of memories about MIRE.

This time though they were a lot more tame. Or maybe I was just getting used to that.

It was just about me, or at least I felt like it was me, spending time with Mike’s kid before the accident happened. Then, later, sitting in the middle of our main lab, alone.

I shook my head trying to get back into the proper state of mind and instead focus on something else.

What exactly did I come here for?

Right. Melle. At least this name was not giving me any more jolts of memories. I did remember her being taken by Axelrod along with the kid. I regretted that immediately because just as I thought about that, the memory in question started playing from multiple points of view, giving me a headache again.

-Focus… - I muttered to myself. - Let’s get out of this place first. Where’s my shit…

I again started scouring the surrounding area for my belongings and I finally managed to find them. Too bad they were absolutely destroyed.

The bags, both mine and Melle's, were torn to shreds. While I sort of expected for my enchantment to finally give out - it already survived more than it should’ve - I still was sad seeing it destroyed.

On the other hand, maybe it was for the best - at least it’s going to be easier to not accidentally get some headache-inducing flashbacks. After all, it was the last thing I had from the old times and the Mire. Not including my crystal of course.

The other bag, including all of its contents, was also in shambles. I was hoping, since its magic was most likely a bit more stable than mine, that it’d survive this, but nope. I guess I should’ve seen that coming.

That meant that I was left with just my two bare hands and a magicless dagger to somehow get out of here.