Sylvian eyed the newly arrived transcendent with fear. Its beak pried open, releasing an inquisitive squawk at him. The beast ruffled the feathers along its massive wings as its head tilted from side to side. It was as if it was trying to piece together what kind of creature dared be in its tree. The bird's eyes were massive, inspecting every muscle of Sylvian. The feeling made his skin crawl. He tried to back away but bumped into the trunk of the tree. There was nowhere to go. The bark along his back might as well have been a prison cell. He could not fight, nor run, from a creature that was realms of cultivation above him; a mere Bogali.

The bird inched closer and closer. Its eyes picked Sylvian apart, likely sizing up if he was of any threat. The oppressive form drew closer with every passing breath. Suddenly, Sylvian felt a distant emotion. It was foreign, just like so long ago when he felt the deer's emotions in the field. This time, he knew it to be the bird's.

A cold sweat dripped down Sylvians back. He mentally felt the bird's intense curiosity. He could feel it trying to understand him. Sylvian didn't get it, surely the bird understood he was human? Transcendents were naturally smarter than animals, and even a normal raven could recognize a human. By now, the bird's beak was mere inches away from his face. Sylvian could smell its foul breath, reeking of decaying matter. Likely from whatever was last unfortunate to meet this monstrous bird.

Sylvian didn't know what to do, they stayed there in that position for moments, just staring at each other. Maybe he misunderstood? Did the bird not want to kill or eat him? Was it genuinely just curious about the creature it found in this tree? Sylvian did not know, but he knew all he felt from the bird was curiosity, so he reached out to touch the beak.

Hunger

The bird reared back, its wings spanning two meters to either side. It howled, letting out an air-piercing screech pointed directly at Sylvian. His outstretched arm jolted back to safety, and Sylvian screamed out in terror. He could feel the hunger of the bird, he could feel the intensity to eat. Fear exploded through Sylvian, traveling along the connection to the bird's mind. Again it screeched, but this time it was a scream similar to that of terror and pointed to the sky.

The bird reared back, nearly falling off the tree. Sylvian felt shock from the bird as it backed away. It gave him a long, questioning look before leaping off the limb and flying off into the distance. With its presence gone, Sylvian gasped for air he didn't know he was missing.

"Holy fuck! What was that?" Sylvian shouted to himself. His chest felt heavy as it rose and fell with staggered breaths. He sat there in shock for a moment, feeling the connection of the transcendent slowly fading into the distance. Not long after, he could feel the connection from the bird strain and then quickly snap. All emotions traveling across the connection vanished into thin air, and he knew it meant that the bird was long gone.

Slowly he got down from his position in the tree, his heart racing until his feet finally made contact with solid ground. The adrenaline was wearing off when he noticed a wet spot on the center of his trousers.

"Of course..." Sylvian's voice trailed off into a slightly maniacal laugh. "Just laugh it off, it was all just a game anyways. Almost being eaten by a stupid bird." He kicked a rock into the clearing, mocking himself for his unsightly display. He was shaken and frustrated, and angry at the stupid beast for ruining his morning hunt. He went to kick another rock and a trail of energy flowed through him, sending the rock a little farther this time. A smile crept onto his face. Sylvian's heart increased in rhythm once again as he closed his eyes and focused inside of himself. He could tell. He had awoken as a cultivator! He could feel the difference as the Arcana around him flowed through his veins. Every beat of his heart pushed a surge of power through his very being.

"Holy shit. I did it! I'm basically a magician!" Sylvian shouted, throwing his hands into the air in celebration. His dreams of becoming a cultivator and blasting out magic were finally a reality. And it would all be a thousand times better if he didn't have a massive wet stain between his legs.

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Thinking back to the incident in the tree sent shivers down Sylvian's spine. He needed to get home and get cleaned, then he could tell his parents about his awakening. They would be so excited! The thought of his parents cheering him on helped Sylvian feel the mood lighten up.

To him they were his parents, even if remembered his entire previous life. He felt much older than he was now, but his parents still raised him in this life. They did everything they could to always provide for him. He may technically be older in mind, but Silvia and John were still his mom and dad. He would do anything he could to give them the best life possible. Being a cultivator was the first step of that.

Sylvian made a fast pace back to the village. He jumped over fallen trees and skillfully dashed through vines. With his new level of cultivation, it all seemed like a breeze. He could breathe better, see better, move better. His body just felt lighter and Sylvian felt more in control. Even though he was walking on the way out in the morning, what was an hour-long trip to get to the clearing was only a 15-minute trip back.

The trees became scarcer, and Sylvian could begin to see the village underneath the morning sun. The wheat patties were glowing with vibrant kumai. An image that gave Sylvian pause. Normally the kumai would avoid any villagers other than himself. Where was everyone? He slowed down to a steady walk. Nervousness began to rise in his gut. Something was wrong. There should be people.

Sylvian looked toward the cluster of houses near the roads. From above the stone cathedral, on the main road from the city, he could see the edge of a banner peering out. He could make out the tale-tale colors of red and blue squared off on the fabric. House Griff. Sylvian felt his heart sink. Whatever the Griffs had business with, it was never good. That the family made a visit to their little farming village meant there was some kind of trouble.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed Sylvian's arm, pulling him back into the tree line. Before he could do anything, Priestess Ellen's face appeared in front of his. "Geez Ellen!" Sylvian exclaimed. "You gave me a heart attack. What's going on? Why is the Griff family here? Actually, why are you here?" Sylvian looked around, shouldn't Ellen be in the church greeting the Griffs?

Ellen donned a stern face. The look she gave was grim and did nothing to calm Sylvian's nerves. "I came out here for you, Sylvian." Ellen pulled back on Sylvian's arm, dragging him back from the tree line. He stumbled from the unexpected force and tried to keep up with her. Glancing back at Hasita, he could make out the distant banners of House Griff as they faded out of sight.

"I don't understand." Sylvian tried to speak up as they ran. "Why are we running? What's going on?" Despite his panicked questioning, Ellen refused to answer. She just continued to pull him deeper into the woods. "Ellen! Please!" Sylvian pleaded.

Ellen let out a long sigh while slowly coming to a stop. "Sylvian." She turned back. She gave off an intensity Sylvian had never felt before. Ellen was family to him, like an aunt. His father had fought with her in the last territory war and often told stories of Ellen being in her sixth stage of Arcane gathering. But knowing that and actually feeling the gravity she exuded around herself was entirely different.

Sylvian couldn't help but gulp his words back down. He was frozen under Ellen's pressuring gaze. "We do not have time, they will make you a slave if they catch us. Do you understand?" He gave her a stern nod in acknowledgment. He needed answers, his mind was in shambles over the possibilities of what was happening, but he understood what she was saying. Now was not the time. Whatever was happening apparently meant he could end up in chains.

Sylvian instead took the time as they ran to notice things he did not initially realize. Such as Ellen's appearance. He was so used to seeing her in the garbs of the church that he hadn't noticed her change in outfit. Gone was her priestess attire, and in its stead was clothing that heavily resembled modern military clothing back on Earth. Ellen wore forest-patterned camo with black boots. Her jet-black hair was tied back and draped over a large leather rucksack. While Sylvian took in her outfit, he noticed a wand strapped to the side of her hip. Its wooden handle was barely visible through the leather.

'What the hell is happening.'Syvlian thought to himself.

It did not take long for a clearing to come into view. Not far off from where they stood, Sylvian spotted the same tree from this morning. The thought of the experience made him shake in vague terror. He hadn't even noticed that Ellen had finally let go of his wrist.

"I'm assuming whatever that look is has to do with that?" Ellen's voice took Sylvian out of his distraction. Looking back, he saw that she was pointing to his crotch. His face blushed up for the second time today. He had forgotten about that unfortunate accident. Ellen quickly grabbed some clothes out of her bag and tossed it to him. "Get dressed. We have a long way to go."