Unlike lunch, dinner was light, consisting only of some bread and fruit as a side dish, since the excursion was planned to start early the next morning.

As they ate, Ezra broke the silence. »Before we leave tomorrow, we should probably refresh some of the basics regarding monster bailiwicks - just in case.«

She stole a glance at Alvyn, but he didn't notice it.

»Great Idea«, said Bertio and then turned to Kieran. »Since we've been to a few already, could you please tell your companions how they work? «

»Sure.« Kieran swallowed the bread he had been chewing on. »First of all, monster bailiwicks are essentially created by monster spawners. These are objects that suck mana out of the air and condense it, which in turn creates monsters. The area they affect is also the area the monsters stay in.

Secondly, besides the dangers of the monster, whose strength, intelligence, and mana usage abilities can greatly vary depending on the bailiwick, the main issue is that mana can't be regenerated within its border due to the low concentration in the air. Therefore, you can easily die if you do not manage your reserves properly.«

»Yes, a good summary«, praised Bertio. »Let me add a few details, though. Those bailiwicks are of great importance for the economy as they turn mana into monsters which in turn can be harvested for their materials. As the monsters stay within the bailiwick's borders, there is never any danger for the common folk, though everything that enters will get attacked, whether human or animal. It follows that it is usually better to keep them around and not exterminate them, as long as the area isn't urgently needed for other uses. Therefore, our mission objective is not to destroy the spawner but rather to help you become familiar with its workings and train the three of you to work together.«

He looked at Alvyn, Kieran, and Irina, who nodded back at him.

»Very good. We will go in early, so make sure not to stay up for too long«, said Bertio and stood up to walk over to his tent.

In the next few minutes, the other two trainers left as well, and only the four students remained.

While everyone stared into the fire, watching the flames flickering and sparks sizzle, Alvyn broke the silence by yawning.

»Well, I'll be off as well. I am confident that we will have good teamwork tomorrow. Sleep well.«

He vanished into the darkness of the night and a few minutes later Kieran did so as well.

Vern didn't feel tired at all since he had slept in so long today and preferred getting hypnotized by the fire.

»I'm kind of worried.«, said Irina after a while. Her voice, sounding so similar to one in his dream, creeped him out. He risked a glance at her soft face, illuminated by the fire, and her black hair lying over her shoulder in a ponytail.

»I don't think the commanders would allow something bad to happen. You three are very important to the kingdom after all.«

»Maybe. But Rewalt keeps telling me all these horrible stories of his. How he watched his comrades getting murdered most brutally by monsters.

»That's … well … probably just his way of making you aware of the potential dangers. I doubt he intended to scare you, just making you a bit more cautious.«

She smiled. »Yes. That would be just like him.«

A couple of minutes later, she stood up. »Thank you … Vern … .«

His heart beat faster when he heard her say his name.

»I'll be going to sleep now too. Don't want to be so tired to accidentally shoot my teammates. She winked and left him alone at the fire.

As his heart slowly calmed down, the scenes of his dream kept appearing, no matter how hard he tried to wipe them from his mind. He was convinced that he was going to lose his mind.

The next morning, Vern woke up to the noise of the others leaving. He wished them farewell and lay back down, just staring into the distance, waiting for the sun to complete its rise. Then he stood up, washed his body, and changed clothes before snacking some berries they had collected yesterday.

With that out of the way, he took up his sword and went into the forest. He wanted to train, to make sure he used the time he had well. This was his opportunity to finally catch up to his brother – at least not to fall behind too much. And disappointing Ezra was also not something he was fond of.

So he took his stance before flicking his sword around hitting the air or brunches, committing to whatever movement felt right to him.

As he danced like that through the forest, his movements became smoother, and he started to enhance his body with mana, something that he had rarely practiced before.

Hours passed, and Vern was surprised that he still had mana left, even though he had been using it a lot all this time.

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Suddenly his movements froze, and he stared at the figure, casually walking by him with no care in the world. A beast had just silently walked out of the cover of a ridge line and currently crossed paths with him. It had the physique of a fox, but its size was about one and a half times that of a wolf. Strangely, its whole body was shimmering light blue and was transparent to some extent.

What should he do? Run? He had never seen or heard of such an animal or monster.

He decided to stay still and only moved his sword very slowly into a better position, just in case.

Was it even noticing him, as it passed by just a few meters in front of him? Finally, it glanced at Vern, and then it looked in the opposite direction, before freezing mid-stepping. Slowly it turned its head back to Vern gazing directly into his eyes.

They remained like that for a few seconds, and then it took another step forward, keeping its eyes focused on him. Vern just stared back, ready to act at a moment's notice. Swiftly, the fox creature turned around and jumped toward him in one fluid motion.

Vern had expected as much and, during their staring contest, had changed his mind to fighting. While the fox aimed at a spot in front of him and not directly at his body, Vern moved in himself, focusing his mana to increase his agility.

His body slipped underneath the creature. He pulled his sword with him right through the creature's front legs. However, there was no resistance at all, like he was just cutting through the air.

As he came to a stop several meters away, he turned around with his sword, ready to strike again. His adversary, on the other hand, had shifted its body closer to the ground as if getting ready for another jump. At the same time, its bushy tail was standing vertically in the air, smoothly flipping from side to side.

Vern wasn't sure how to read this, and as he didn't think he had inflicted any damage, he was considering running away.

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted – no, it felt like something else had entered his mind.

›Might the stranger who entered the forest not only see but hear me too?‹, a voice in his head gently asked him.

Vern didn't answer, not that he knew how, and just stared at the creature.

Finally, he tried to answer by directing his thoughts back to where the voice came from.

›Are … are you talking to me?‹

›Yes!‹ The fox jumped straight into the air, waging his tale even more.

Vern took a step back. ›Can you … like … read my mind?‹

›No. I can't. Only if you'd allow me to do so.‹ The fox calmed itself a little. ›I've never seen anything that could see me or let alone communicate with me. It's been such a long time …‹

Hearing that, Vern lowered his sword slightly. ›So you can't interact with physical things?‹

›No, I can't … unfortunately. I can only walk this outer area of the forest, as the seasons pass by … again and again …‹ Its tail fell lifelessly on the ground next to it.

›Well, that sounds … sad? Anyway, it was nice meeting you. I'll be on my way.‹

Vern moved backward, his sword still unsheathed.

›Wait, do you want to make a deal?‹, the fox suddenly asked.

›A deal? Nah, I'm good thanks.‹

He walked away, but the fox followed him.

›You see. Since I am bound to this forest, I can't leave it. So I want you to lend me your body so that I can.‹

›Why would I do that?‹, asked Vern and moved faster.

›Well, I thought you wouldn't mind since your body already houses more than one soul.‹

Vern stopped immediately and turned back to his pursuer. What had the fox just said?

›Oh, so you're down for it? Great, I–‹

›No, no, no. What did you just say?‹, interrupted Vern. ›That my body has more than one soul in it?‹

›Yes. You didn't know?‹, asked the fox surprised.

›No. Are you sure you're now wrong?‹

The fox smirked, or its animalistic mouth did something that resembled it at least. ›Well, as I said, I've been in the forest for a very long time and have seen basically all kinds of animals and humans. None of these ever had more than one soul. That much I can tell at a glance.‹

›So, what would that mean? How would I know that I have another soul in my body?‹

›Well, I don't know too much about it and can't diagnose anything from the outside. But if you let me in your body–‹

›Oh, so you just want to possess me or something?‹ Vern narrowed his eyes. ›You said you can only stay in this forest, right? If I leave it, you can't follow me, right?‹

›No, wait! I'm not lying.‹ The fox jumped in front of him, attempting to block his path. ›Have you never had any memories of something you've never experienced yourself? Or something similar?‹

Vern pondered for a while. He didn't feel like the fox was hostile, just desperate if anything.

›Then, what about dreams? Something like that?‹

›Yes, that is certainly possible.‹

›Hmm, so what does 'soul' exactly mean? What effect would another soul in my body have.‹

›Generally, souls are bound to their physical bodies. If the body dies, the soul vanishes. The soul itself is comprised of a person's consciousness. If at some point another has soul entered your body, you would be able to do intuitive things, you couldn't before like … for example … knowing how to cook something new or handle weapons and tools you`ve never touched before.‹

›What about movement and mana? Would I have different movement patterns and more mana?‹

›Should both apply. Mana is connected to one's soul after all and moving is just another skill built from memory.‹

›Hmm. What about having not a soul of something else, but a soul of a future version of myself? Is that also possible?‹

›Err, I don't know, honestly. But if you let me in, I can check for you.‹ The fox came closer, staring intently at Vern.

›You said you couldn't read my memories without my permission, right? But can I share specifics with you?‹

He desperately wanted the fox to see the dream and its opinion on it.

›No, it doesn't work like that. You are going to have to let me into your body first.‹

›You wouldn't lie, would you?‹

The fox licked its front leg avoiding eye contact. ›I would never. In any case, I won't be able to use your body as my host without your permission.‹

›Well, ok. What do I need to do?‹ He resigned himself to the fox.

Its eyes widened in surprise. ›Just don't resist.‹, the fox said and jumped at him.

When its body hit his, he closed his eyes, even though he knew there wouldn't be an impact. He felt that the fox's presence was now pressing forward in his mind like it was going in after they had talked through a closed door until now.‹

›Mhm, aha … I see.‹ He heard the familiar voice but now as if it was just a thought among many in his head. ›There is a lot of weird stuff here, not that I am an expert or anything …‹

›Can you see the memory of my dream?‹, he asked and thought about it himself to lead the fox through it.

›Oh, don't worry. I've already seen everything.‹

›What do you mean by everything?‹

But the fox didn't answer and instead proceeded to investigate. ›Ah let's see … I think I can fix it like this …‹

These were the last words Vern heard, and his mind was all of a sudden flooded with memories, lots of them. They were rushing through his head like he was reliving days in seconds. He collapsed on the ground, completely overwhelmed and unable to do anything but watch.