Nothing like this had ever happened to me before. I used to think the warnings about the woods were just tales meant to scare me. But now, being chased by a pack of bloodthirsty Lupix Ferucis, I realized how foolish I had been not to heed those words.
[Damn it... It was supposed to be a simple workout, just to stay in shape... It wasn't supposed to end like this! No... I can't die like this!]
Refusing to give up, I sprinted through the trees, drawing on all my physical abilities and my knowledge of the forest I had frequented since I was six. thought out of breath, I felt my body speeding up. The fierce breaths of those beasts, once so close, seemed to reced. I was nearing the edge of the infernal woods and, believing the damned wolves couldn't catch me, I let myself relax a bit, thinking the danger was behind me. Unfortunately, the worst was yet to come...
My heightened attention waned as I felt less threatened. I began to pay less heed to my surroundings.
That's when distraction, compounded by encroaching darkness, led me to a grave error. Unaware, I stumbled onto a beast trap concealed by dry leaves and soil, its flimsy wooden lid giving way under my weight. The sudden collapse sent me plummeting into darkness; the horror hit me only when everything around me turned black.
I fell for what felt like an eternity, desperately grasping for something to stop my descent. Abruptly, my fall was brutally halted as strange, sharp objects at the bottom of that bloody ravine pierced my legs, arm, and chest. The pain was searing; those black bamboo reeds, known for their extreme hardness and deadly poison, were lodged deep inside me.
"Oh, fuck..." I said with a string of my voice: the pain was so terrible that I couldn't even scream... Which is a contradiction, but if you don't feel that kind of pain, you can't understand.
After a couple of seconds, however, the terrible pain that I felt gradually disappeared, leaving room for a huge sensation of sudden fatigue; [I am perhaps... dying?!] I could feel all my blood coming out of my body copiously; my breath was so labored that I seemed to be in apnea, and for a few seconds now I had stopped hearing the noise. Yes, that must have been the Death, which with his cold hands on my neck, she was dragging me into the world of the dead.
"H-Hel..p...bruagh!"
Desperately, I tried to cry for help, hoping someone would hear me. But I no longer had the strength, and when I opened my mouth, thick, boiling blood poured out, leaving a terrible metallic taste in my mouth.
Damn it, I was just a 13-year-old boy! How could I die like this?! I had dreams of leaving this stupid village, exploring new places, and maybe one day marrying a beautiful girl. But in my life, all I encountered were hardships: the sudden and mysterious death of my father, and the crushing blow that I could never become a like my father, shattering my greatest dream... Damn! Why did everything happen to me?!
My body suddenly grew cold, very cold, and my senses began to slowly fade away. First my hearing, then the rest: this was death, completing its task. I was dead... or at least, I thought I was.
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".... Where the hell am I?"
I suddenly woke up in a vast white space.
I looked around for several seconds and realized I was completely alone. My wounds had magically disappeared, and I felt relatively good.
"Is this... Heaven?" I wondered aloud, beginning to wander in the infinite white expanse. Normally, it would be wise to stay put and assess the situation, but at that moment, I had little else to do, since well, I was dead.
In this vast space, I lost all sense of time and distance. Two things became clear: first, I must have wandered for days without realizing it, which was odd considering I had not felt any fatigue until I realized what was happening; second, no matter how much I walked, I would find nothing here. Damn, if I had died, couldn't they at least send me to Heaven and give me a chance to hug my mom and dad?!
"Where the hell am I?" I muttered wearily, collapsing to the ground, almost desperate. I began to fear I would spend eternity alone, and just the thought of it threatened to drive me mad. Not only was I dead, but there was a real chance I would spend eternity alone!
As panic set in, I suddenly heard footsteps in the distance behind me. At first, I thought it was my imagination, but the steps grew louder and more distinct. When I turned, I saw a human figure approaching. His steps were slow and steady, and as he drew nearer, a strange sensation washed over me. After several minutes, I finally got a clear look at what appeared to be a man. Well, "appeared" because despite looking normal, there was something about him that intrigued and unsettled me.
"The man approaching was tall, dressed in a white chiton that partially concealed his lean physique, except for his well-toned arms. His olive complexion contrasted with long white hair cascading down to his ankles. His eyes, a strange fiery red, seemed to glow with their light."
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Erwin" the mysterious figure said with a slight smile, peering closely at me.
I had so many questions: how did he know my name? Was this Heaven? Was I dead? Was he some sort of angel or worse, a demon? But all these questions faded into the background the moment our eyes met. Despite his striking appearance, there was a familiarity in his gaze that confused me. It was like deja vu, except the feeling grew stronger with each
"It seems you have a lot of questions." - the man in front of me spoke, slowly approaching - "One thing is certain: you are not dead."
"Uh? I'm not dead?"
The man in front of me nodded, unleashing in me a strange sense of relief and joy: I thought I should abandon the idea of being able to live and explore the world, but in one way or another, I had managed to survive...
But then a question arose: if I wasn't dead, then what the hell was this place? And if he wasn't an angel, then who was he?
"I know you want answers, really, but unfortunately we don't have much time, so please choose your questions well..." said the man, his face slightly gloomy;
When he said that sentence, I was a little worried: What did he mean by short time? I was a bit anxious after hearing his words because I wasn't sure what might happen soon, like if I'd return home or die. Even if he had told me that I was alive, I couldn't trust a complete stranger.
I had so many questions to ask him, but a bit out of a hurry, and a bit because of the excitement of the moment, I asked him the question with the simplest answer;
"Can I at least know your name?"
When I asked him the question, the man had a strange gasp; from his face, one could understand that he certainly did not expect this question... Or at least, this is what it seemed to me, since for a few seconds, it seemed to be completely blown away by that question;
Then, all of a sudden, he started laughing. A laugh so loud and strange that it caused me a lot of discomfort and embarrassment.
"What...are you laughing about?" I said quietly, with a slight embarrassment;
"Hahah... well, with all the things you could have asked me, my own name..."
The man stopped laughing, and with a smile on his face, he finally answered my question - "You can call me Giltor, young Erwin..."
Of course I didn't ask for his name out of courtesy; I wanted to know if his name would evoke in me some old memories, since at that moment, I was almost certain to know him. Yet none of this happened, leaving me with more doubt than certainty.
I wanted to ask him a lot more questions, but all of a sudden, my vision started to blur, and I started feeling sleepy, very sleepy. I didn't understand why, but I knew that at any moment, I would fall asleep, although at that moment, I wasn't quite sure that I would wake up, seeing how things were; at that moment, I was really afraid of dying.
"That's why I laughed at your stupid question..." - said Giltor, beginning to shake his head, slightly disappointed by my question. - "Your body is not yet ready to stay long in the "Nim-Ruh"...
"Nim... Ru....?" I said with a thread of voice, not understanding what he meant by that.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"Listen carefully, now I will only say important things... so try to remember everything" - asserted Giltor, while I slowly lost consciousness, trying to stay awake with all my strength, even if it became more difficult with every passing second - "You're not dead right now, but you've been forcibly entered the Nim-Ruh, and this has provoked your awakening in a "forced" way... This wasn't supposed to happen now, but in several years, that's why I was here, as the guardian of your power... Damn, if you hadn't been so stupid! But by now the die is cast, we can't do anything about it... So make sure you commit yourself out there!"
As he spoke, I heard half of the things he said to me; so his whole speech was very strange and confusing. Only two things I had kept in mind: that he was the guardian of something, and that what had happened to me was not normal... or at least I believe.
The mysterious man looked at me for a few seconds, and after careful analysis he snorted loudly, enraged by what was happening;
"Well, the boy won't remember anything I think!" said the man nervously, scratching his head; then, he put his hand on my forehead, looking at me with an almost sorry look... I didn't understand why, but those eyes made me a little anxious.
"Be careful out there, boy..."
Just then, I closed my eyes, feeling nothing around me.
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The Lupix horde remained stationary at the base of the ravine, observing Erwin's cold body. Even though they were several meters away, they could still distinctly smell the scent of his flesh and blood.
These creatures required a lot of food and were accustomed to killing their prey only to devour it later, amassing large quantities of carcasses. Their "favorite dish" was the meat of young animals, and in this case, they viewed Erwin as a delicacy. For several minutes, despite sensing the potential poison from the traps, they tried to find a way to descend and climb back up. They attempted it repeatedly, but to no avail. It was something impossible.
The pack let out deep grunts, akin to frustrated sighs, deciding to leave. But as they were moving away from the trap, they sensed something coming from that cursed snare. The Lupix, being animals, detected this presence and immediately went on alert, pulling away from the pit with wary eyes focused on it.
At that moment, the air in the forest became thin, and while the small animals fled in fear and the intense pressure they felt, the Lupix remained still, ready to attack anything that emerged.
Then, suddenly… a beam of red light, with a sinister appearance, violently erupted from the pit, rising almost to the sky. At that moment, those animals that feared nothing took a step back, intimidated.
Slowly, Erwin’s body emerged, floating in the air. But he was unconscious. No, his eyes—shut tight—made it clear that he was unaware of what was happening, neither to him nor around him.
It was something surreal, almost as if it had come out of a novel. But it was real, damned real. The monsters had the ability to sense mana—similar to wizards—but with much more precision and efficiency.
And it was this very thing that put them on alert, as they didn’t detect any mana, only an oppressive pressure that was growing stronger and stronger.
The canine monsters were agitated and frightened. After all, they were still animals, and none of them could understand what was happening.
This, however, irritated one of the Lupix, who, instead of avoiding any conflict, charged at Erwin. But as he got close enough to Erwin, he reflexively reached out, grabbed him by the neck, and with extreme ease and brutality, killed the Lupix, which let out a small cry of pain before succumbing miserably.
This only served to alarm the remaining wolves even more. Seeing his amazing strength, they slowly backed away until they disappeared into the darkness of the night, never to return.
Erwin’s floating body, as if sensing the danger, began to move through the air as soon as the wolves vanished. Finally, he reached the edge of the forest, where Erwin, or at least his body, fell heavily to the ground, exhausted and devoid of strength.
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"Uuurgh..."
Erwin opened his eyes; this time he was not in the woods, or in that infinite white space, but in the bed of his room; Erwin's memories were very confused: he remembered everything that had happened to him in the woods, and above all, he remembered perfectly well his state of health: he realized that, by this time, he must have died, given the type of injuries he had caused himself.
He was sure that once he closed his eyes, he would never wake up again; how the hell was it then that he was still alive?
"What if.. just a dream? No, it's not possible..."
For a moment, he thought he had imagined everything, but then his memory recalled the fear, tension and immense pain he felt that night. [I can't have dreamed it all, it's impossible...] thought Erwin, who at that point, wanted to confirm if his were simply stupid doubts: he got up from his bed, and quickly, he stood in front of the mirror, taking off his shirt.
As soon as he did this, a strange smile appeared on his face, combined with a sense of complete disorientation and a pinch of fear: in fact, there was no scar on his body.
"But how...?"
Suddenly, as Erwin was immersed in his thoughts, a man opened the door of his room, standing still on the edge of the door and looking at him with a look that promised nothing good;
Erwin noticed after a while of his presence, and only when he noticed the man, he made a small jump back to the fright;
"R-Ron!? When did you get in?!"
"A few seconds ago" - said the man with a serious expression, looking down on Erwin, who could see in his eyes the man's anger, frightening him a little.
For a moment, his mind was beginning to make him believe that it was all the result of an ugly, indeed terrible, very realistic dream; but the moment he saw Ron's particularly annoyed expression, that idea went to pieces, since in fact, Ron had strictly forbidden him several times to train in the woods
"Are you all right?"
"Uh...yes, I think..." said the boy, who certainly did not expect that question from the man, believing that maybe nothing would happen to him; but as soon as he lowered his guard, the man, with quick and imperceptible steps, approached the boy, hitting him with a punch on the back of the neck, causing Erwin a huge pain.
"OUCH! YOU HURT ME!" The boy yelled, immediately touching his head for the pain he felt. At that moment he cursed himself for not preparing for the worst, since he knew Ron's character very well, and knew that this would be his reaction.
"Well, that's just a small part of the lesson I'm about to give you..." - said Ron, who despite his relaxed face, began to crack his hands, as if preparing for a fight - "How many times have I told you not to go into the woods, huh? Why don't you ever listen to me, you idiot! If you are so dumb to go into the woods in the middle of the night, at least make sure you don't fall asleep in the woods, you damn idiot... If the hunters hadn't found you...mh?"
"Asleep...in the woods? What are you talking about?"
When asked, the man looked strangely at Erwin for a few seconds;
"Don't play dumb, Erwin! You fell asleep in the woods!" said Ron, this time raising his voice a little. But looking at Erwin's expression, he realized something was wrong.
Erwin at that moment was completely confused by the whole situation: he knew that something had happened in the woods, he was firmly convinced of it, but now the situation took on unexpected implications since he did not remember at all that he had fallen asleep!
[W-What the hell is he talkin about?!]
Erwin remained a bit silent, and at that moment the only thing he could do was to tell Ron everything, not to further aggravate his already bad situation.
Erwin told to Ron everything in detail, without neglecting any detail; of course, Erwinhad no memory at that time of what happened after his "temporary" death, nor of that man named Giltor, and yet, as he told his story, He had the distinct feeling that he was omitting something really important, but nevertheless, he decided not to tell this particular to Ron.
"So, in summary... A bunch of Lupix Ferucis chased you into the woods, you were able to outrun them, but just when it seemed done, you fell into a trap-hole... and died and then rose again..."
Ron had every reason not to believe one word of Erwin: the boy, in order to train secretly, was able to create the most incredible excuses. The story he had just heard could have been the queen of all excuses, as it was so incredible that it seemed like a child's fantasy; yet, this time Ron noticed how Erwin's eyes were serious and sincere, And that only raised the doubt that that story so fanciful that he had just heard might be true.
"Assuming that's true" - said Ron, scratching his head - "It's more likely that you've come into contact with some kind of poisonous plant or some kind of gas that, upon contact with your skin, has made you delusional, making you imagine everything. I'm pretty sure that's what happened; if not, then..."
Ron quietly stood up from the chair, going to a small bedside table in the single hallway of his humble home; Erwin wondered what he was looking for, and was immediately answered when Ron returned to the living room holding a small crystal ball;
"What is that sphere?" - asked Erwin, intrigued as to why he pulled out that strange sphere - "I-It's not a sphere for the truth, right?!"
"... Shut the hell up. Hold this ball in your hand."
"And now what?"
"Let's wait."
Ron began to observe the sphere, while Erwin, not knowing what to do, began to observe the sphere, not knowing what to expect from it; but after a few seconds, something unexpected happened; the sphere, began to emit a faint blue sea light; light that gradually became more and more shining, until forcing Erwin to close his eyes.
"Hey old man! What is this?!" asked Erwin who, as soon as he removed his hands from the sphere, stopped shining;
Ron, for a few seconds, had a completely surprised expression; [I thought...I believed that Erwin's story was the result of some type of poisonous plant, since in the woods it was easy to come across these plants... I had the doubt it might be something else, but this...]
"R-Ron... Ron! What's going on?" asked worried Erwin, seeing the confused expression of the man; Ron looked at Erwin, and after a few seconds spent observing him, a radiant smile appeared on his face;
"Erwin, tell me, do you still want to become a Gifter like your father?"
The boy, of course, was stunned by this question: his biggest dream, was to become like his father, a Gifter of the first order and an exceptional adventurer, but unlike him, Erwin did not have a basic requirement to become Gifter: In fact, he had not been able to awaken his core and control the energy that produced it, that is, the aura, important thing so that a person can even think of being able to take on the job of Gifter.
So even though Erwin wanted to become a Gifter more than anyone else, it would have been difficult, since he didn't have the qualifications to become one... Or so he believed until that moment: Erwin wondered the reason for that question, and only then, when his eyes fell on the sphere he recklessly dropped, he had a kind of intuition.
[No...it can't be true! ]
As soon as he saw Ron's face, he did not need to ask him any questions: Erwin began to cry suddenly, without being able to stop: in these days, he had passed away to be a sort of nullity in his eyes, to die prematurely, then mysteriously come back to life; the boy felt he was losing his mind, indeed, he believed that it was now a matter of time, before going completely mad.
But everything that had happened to him in these days, all the sufferings and doubts, seemed like a sort of test to give him the greatest reward he could imagine, because in a totally unexpected way, he had managed to awaken his heart.
"So? what's your answer, brat?" Ron pressed him, expecting the most obvious answer;
Erwin wiped his tears quickly, and without hesitation, he finally answered Ron's question;
"Yes, I'm ready to become a Gifter... the best of the Gifters!"