"When people don't realize they can die, it often hits harder when they come close to death. This is the reason why we train our army as harshly as we do. Yes, the death rate is high among the recruits, but after the first live training, the deaths among our ranks drop drastically." - Training Marshal Entho.

Aster

To say I woke up with a jump was an understatement. I might have fallen out of the bed I was lying in and scared the woman who was in my room preparing a meal half to death.

The guard who must have been right outside had almost broken the door off its hinges, so really, everyone suffered when I woke up.

It was only after I realized that I wasn't in the street fighting a creature that wanted to kill me, and the woman explained in calm words that I was in the tower that everything started to come back. The end of the fight, getting injured, and Baldwin showing up and getting caught by the dragon, but no matter how hard I tried to remember everything past, that was still a hazy blur.

The woman who had introduced herself as a castle maid serving in the tower left to get Baldwin. After confirming I was fine, the guard returned to his position outside the room. A glance at the balcony told me It was about mid-day, and I was on one of the higher floors than my room, but not by much. Turning my gaze away, I looked around the room. It was massive compared to mine and had to take up at least a third of the floor space on this level. Even the balcony was three times the size of my room. Looking over the finely crafted furniture, my inspection froze on the mirror laid on the counter. Picking it up, I looked at myself frowning. I'd had my clothes changed when I'd been asleep and was in a plain but soft white gown that ended at the knees. That wasn't what drew my eye, though. It was the bags under my eyes. I looked like I hadn't slept in days. A knock at the door had me turn my head to see Baldwin walk in.

“Well, I expected at least another day before you woke up, but your body appears to have done quite well in fighting the curse off.” He said, smiling.

Tilting my head, I echoed his word, "Curse?” The crack to my voice had me wincing, and I accepted the glass of water that had appeared out of nowhere into Baldwin's hand, downing it after the first sip told me how thirsty I was. It also gave me time to think before he responded. I had learned about them in Mage Eldrem's Class, but it had only consisted of a few pages in a chapter about ailments.

Of all those pages, most of it was warnings to avoid all chances of a curse because of the permanent effects they could have on your status.

Baldwin must have seen my eyes widening because he waved his hand dismissively. “The curse came from a tier five Iron Wraith, the lowest grade monster you can get a curse from and one that has a known common cure that I keep in my storage space.” His face grew serious as he added, “Even still, you're a grade one. The curse would have killed you before you could get help because you have no resistance to it. You were lucky that Emyr and I were nearby, very lucky. Emyr thought the light had been a warning flare and an attack was going on. It's the only reason he moved so fast.” He rubbed his face and sighed. “Still, there's nothing that can be done about your leg. The scars from curses are permanent.”

I was startled by his words, and I pulled my leg up from where it was hanging off the bed. I had been so out of it that I had utterly forgotten where I'd taken the spike. Looking at my calf, I took in the scar on it. The skin was smooth but discolored to an almost black, jagged line. Touching it, I frowned at the lack of sensation. “I can't feel the skin there,” I said, looking up at him.

Baldwin nodded, apparently expecting It. “Look through your system notifications, and you'll see a red screen. Give it a read.”

I did as he said, skipping past all of the notifications I'd received until I found one rimmed by a red outline. I reminded myself to look at all of the skipped notifications later.

[You have been cursed by a Level 166 - Iron Wraith.]

[Curse - Blood Hunger - The iron in your blood is spreading with the will of the Wraith.]

[Current progress 11%]

[Applicant Of the effect has died, progress slowed]

[Current progress 17%]

[The curse Blood Hunger is being cured by an outside effect]

[Current progress 7%]

[Effect - Curse - Blood Hunger has been cleared, Achievement Earned]

[Notice: Affected area in the body has gained the ‘Dead To the Touch’ effect.]

[Notice: Achievements locked until Grade 2]

I closed the screen, feeling sick. From the time I had been hit by that spike to when Baldwin had killed the Wraith, it must have only been moments, and it had nearly reached a fourth. I would have been dead before I stood up from the ground if I hadn't died before then. “Thank you.” My words sounded slightly off to even myself, but I didn't know what exactly to feel.

Baldwin took in a deep breath before he spoke, “Look, Lady Aster, I don't know much about how you grew up except that it was in the Claw Woods and with a very powerful Grand Beast, but most city kids, especially in the capital don't see monsters or creatures above grade one unless it's a bond until after they completed schooling, with the exception being the adventuring course. We're looking into how a Wraith ended up in the city, especially one that high grade, but that's not for you to worry about. I've scheduled a military therapist to talk to you tomorrow. Until then, get some rest, and when you feel ready, talk to the guard outside the room, and he'll take you to your room.”

I didn't say anything as he left. My mind was too busy spinning with thoughts. I had almost died, but hadn't I almost died dozens of times in the forest? How was this any different from then? Looking down, I watched the edge of my fingers shake slightly and interlocked them together to get them to stop.

It was a long, silent moment as my thoughts wandered, my eyes staying on the scar. I didn't know how long I remained in the same position, but a bird landing on the balcony railing snapped me out, and I took a long breath. If I kept thinking about how I almost died, I would spiral, and I couldn't be doing that with so much to do. If I could just push the thoughts away, then there would be no point worrying about it. My eyes looked at the food sitting on a table half a dozen feet away, but standing proved to be a wrong choice as my legs wobbled and my head swam, almost falling.

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Once my sight had cleared and I could see straight, I made my way to the food plate that the woman had set out. Eggs, a piece of seared meat, and various fruits were laid out on a plate. My stomach told me that before going to my room, food would be required. Even with the meat cold and the fruit somewhat warm, it was delicious. As I ate, I thought. There were a lot of things that needed to get done. I was missing time at the academy staying here, but judging by Baldwin's words, I wouldn't be leaving until at least tomorrow.

There was also Umbra. The thought of her had me checking the bond. It was there, only a mental grasp away, but it was still empty.

Once done with the food and making a much-needed trip to the bathroom, I opened the door to the hallway, giving the best grin I could at the guard. I felt bad about scaring him earlier so I could at least try to be friendly. After confirming I wanted to return to my room, he led the way. Every door was closed, so I couldn't see any other rooms as we made our way through the halls and downstairs.

Once back in front of my familiar door, the guard took a position next to it. Before I went in, I took a good look at him. He was in heavy metal armor with a dyed cloth that had the symbol of the kingdom draped over it and a full plate helmet that covered his face. It made it hard to guess his features, but the slits in the helmet told me his eyes were brown.

Assuming he was there to guard the door and not wanting to bother him more than necessary, I walked in. The first thing done was checking on Umbra. The bond was as quiet as ever, and she was still in the same position she had been in for the past few days. I knew she would be mad and worried when she woke up and learned about what had happened, but if I was the first, I could hopefully downplay it a bit.

Still, I'd rather have her scolding me than be absent like she was now.

Sitting on the bed, I relaxed a little. Being next to her and in a room I had been in for months made me feel safer, even if I knew it didn't change much. Taking a minute to look over Umbra for any noticeable changes and not finding any, I brought up the system screens I'd skipped earlier.

[Through skill and proper footwork in the heat of battle, your skill Balance - Rank 2 has increased to Balance Rank - 4]

[You have aided in killing a Level 166 - Iron Wraith; experience is awarded based on damage done. Fighting a monster more than two grades above you has awarded a bonus multiplier of x2.7 for experience]

[You have leveled multiple times]

[Level has increased from 46 to 52]

[You have failed to accept rewards designated for the quest; rewards have been auto-deposited and experience awarded]

[You have leveled up]

[New level: 53]

[PMS Kat: Aster, I know when you see this, a few days will have passed, and you probably will still feel like shit, but when we get back to the academy, I think we should talk. Captain Baldwin, you know the dragon rider that saved our lives?! He didn't say much, but he says you're safe, and the curse is gone. P.S I'll keep

notes for you in the classes we share]

I grimaced at the message from Kat, and a quick thought to bring up the party menu told me that it was still active and hadn't been disbanded yet. That moment, they knew I was in the tower, but from the sound of it, Kat thought it was because Baldwin had brought me here to rest. The notification about helping to kill the wraith was almost a joke, as leveling six times from a single arrow shot that did nothing was insane.

In most ways, thinking about the fight was terrifying, knowing something like that could have killed me, and I could do nothing about it. On the other hand, though, it showed how strong I could be in the future and what I could do.

From what was explained to me in the academy, the highest level humanoid was grade eight, and that was a three-hundred-year-old elf. There were hints during courses to something other than leveling being required to reach above grade two, but nothing had been said to me yet. The next thing that drew my attention was the reward from the quest. It was the second party quest I'd gotten and had been a personal quest, which had to mean something, right?

Looking through my storage, I searched for the item. Whatever I had earned, It couldn't be that good for surviving a fight I wasn't meant to be part of.

My mouth opened in surprise when I found what I had earned.

“What in the gods..” I trailed off, glancing at the door. I didn't know the grade of the guard, and for all I knew, he could hear me. Reaching into my storage mentally, I pulled the item out. By looks, it was a pale black circle no bigger than my head, but its shape and size were eerily similar to something else I had held before. With a bit of hesitation, I identified it.

[Black Ocean Serpent - Epic - This is the egg of a Black Ocean Serpent that was Awarded through the PMS. This egg will only hatch when certain conditions are met. When in a storage space, this egg will enter a stasis, keeping the animal inside safe.]

[Note - You can only have one bond]

I nearly dropped it out of shock, then stored the egg back in my storage, and then I looked at Umbra and her sleeping form. Was someone playing a trick on me?

Talzo

Talzo looked at his wife and raised an eyebrow, flicking a finger to the screen they were watching. “A Black Ocean Serpent? Didn't those go extinct three dozen millennia or so ago when humans found out what they could evolve into?”

Khyrie looked at him and made A hissing noise before replying, “You really think I'd let one of my favorite creatures go? No, One that had reached sentience sent me a prayer, and I took her eggs before they were found.”

Snorting at her words, Talzo and took a sip from a small glass of amber liquid that had materialized in his hand. “You always push the bounds of the system, dear, and with so few who pray to you now, it allows the meddling. It's exciting.” He paused for a moment. “But why change the reward and give the mortal child an egg when she's already bonded?” Khyrire grinned wide, too wide for any humanoid race, and her teeth bent and switched from a serpent's fangs to ones wolves used with a few cracking noises. She snapped the air, causing a small tremble in the area that would've destroyed small cities if they were on the ground, but as they were sitting on a couch in his personal realm, it was fine.

She responded after her form shifted again, taking a moment to look at the girl on the screen. “This one is bonded, but you know the reward from the event, a slight alteration from a skill shard to a beast egg, is a small matter in the system's eyes, especially here in this sub realm, but when she needs it in the future, the cost would be too great even for me.” “So you've taken an interest in her then? Will you offer her a blessing?” Talzo asked, smiling as his wife took the form of a Half-Elf Beast-Kin covered in gray fur and seemed to find It suitable as she paused in her changes.

“No, not until she decides if she wants to be a Beast-Kin.” She gave a half-hearted sneer before laying her head down on his shoulder. “You know that blessing a person from a race that does not see you as one of their gods costs more mana, and we don't know how if she'll even live through the event Void has planned.”

Talzo smiled but wisely kept his mouth shut. He knew Khyrie had already become fond of the girl, otherwise, she wouldn't have been watching her as closely as she did.

Even in a realm this small, there were other things she could have been doing. On top of that, she had given the mortal an egg that could grow into a leviathan. It was rated almost higher than dragons in the proper system. The only reason it wasn't classified as mythical or legendary here was this system wasn't up to date.

He sighed slightly, then smiled as he ran his hand over the fur as he thought about the pending update. When they all return to the Alaina Realm, there were going to be a lot of changes for these mortals to get used to.