Six days had passed since the sudden Valkyrie attack Dream faced. So far, he hadn't encountered any more of them, most likely because they hadn't caught up to him yet. Despite spending the last six days heading straight southward to put as much distance as possible between him and the Odoe capital, he hadn't managed to make it out of the forest.
“Just how big is this damn forest?” he complained, frustration creeping into his voice. He walked over to a nearby tree and decided to climb to the top in an attempt to get a better view of his surroundings.
From up there, he noticed the shattered moon up ahead indicating the southern direction. However, as he looked around, a depressing sight met his eyes: nothing but trees in all directions, tall verdant towers stretching endlessly, creating a claustrophobic green canopy.
"I should've known it would be like this," he sighed, realizing that there would be no coming out the wood soon for him.
As he climbed back down, he paused and climbed back up again, thinking of a desperate idea. With just a little concentration, Dream allowed colorful threads to emanate from him and spread out in the four horizons.
Unfortunately, all it achieved was to make Dream dizzy, as it was something he had never been able to overcome. So much so that suppressing the threads became second nature to him, keeping them invisible most of the time. Bearing through the dizzying display, Dream managed to make out four particular threads among which three of which seemed to extend into the southern horizon and one into the northern horizon, standing out amidst the myriad of colors. Today wasn’t the first time, and certainly wouldn’t be his last.
He couldn't explain how, but those three threads simply stood out to him. Suraxai had mentioned something about them, after all, he had only noticed these threads after his liberation from the crystal coffin, so left without any indication, as to what they could he figured out an answer for himself.
Well, it wasn't particularly hard to figure out what they did. They were simply attached to all living beings that, to some extent, had either prana or odo within them. While he hadn't met anyone with actual arcane wielding ability, Dream was certain that if he were to encounter such a person or creatures, one of those threads would be drilling out of their body. He also knew, from experience, that when the person or the being attached to the thread is slain, the thread would simply disappear.
Now back to the four threads, it was with unwavering certainty that Dream knew exactly who these threads were attached to: the former Lords of Old, his three main targets, and the reason for which he ran southward away from the Odoe Capital where the large golden almost rope like thread came from, instead of any other direction.
Dream's goal had never been to simply run away; he was here for an adventure. While he didn't feel like he'd taste the good part of it, he knew that by heading in this direction, he would eventually accomplish his other goal of devouring the suns and moons. But to do so, he needed to first take care of the Lord of Old that betrayed Suraxai.
Agna the Elden Dragon, Ailward the Prodigal Son, and Izzan the Kin-eating Lindwurm—all their threads spread into the faraway southern horizon.
“Just wait for me. I’m coming for y’all, but for now, let’s do this.”
Past a certain distance, it was impossible to make out the threads' fluctuations and thus guess their owners' movements. However, if they were to enter the appropriate distance around Dream, he could lower the amount of visible thread to a minimum. With this, Dream was granted a sight with limited threads, allowing him to pinpoint the location of monsters around him, and to a certain extent, allow him to monitor their every move, making it near impossible for anything to launch a sneak attack on him, as long as he kept this ability active, which he had been doing from the moment he entered the forest.
It was quite the edge in a monster-filled forest like the one he was in. However, if he were to stumble upon monsters who didn’t see any reason to use sneak tactics or, like it had been the case with the Valkyrie, beings he instinctively had no chance of outrunning, the advantage would be rendered useless.
Setting his attention to his surroundings, Dream noted, "No golden thread, huh? Well, at least there doesn't seem to be a valkyrie on my trail. That's already a good sign, at least for now. As for monsters, not many of them either… wait, isn't that count a little too low? That's a good thing, for now, I guess. Let's focus on getting out of this forest first; there's bound to be an end to this. Gotta stay positive.”
Satisfied with the data he had gathered, Dream climbed down the tree and continued his journey southward.
***
For several hours, Dream wandered further south down the forest until he arrived at a strange corner of the forest where several trees seemed to have collapsed to the ground, their mighty trunks resting among the undergrowth in apparent surrender. Yet, around him, there were no signs of a violent storm or any other natural force that could have caused their downfall. No shattered branches or upturned roots lay nearby, leaving behind a baffling mystery that prickled at the edge of his consciousness. The fallen trees exhibited no signs of decay or weakness that might explain their collapse. They seemed as robust and healthy as the others that stood tall around them. It was as if some unseen force had momentarily decided to bend the laws of the forest, distorting reality just enough to leave the corner of the forest as it were.
As Dream advanced, his initial perplexity and intrigue were quickly replaced by a sense of familiarity. The unusual display extended further down the forest, but with each step, his mind adjusted to the strange sight. He advanced without having to stop; after all, he didn’t encounter many monsters around. Mostly, he had been avoiding them. Not that he’d been actively avoiding them, mostly because he didn't have to try particularly hard to avoid them. For as long as he'd been wandering through these woods, Dream had one policy: only fight when there's a need to, always keeping a close eye on his vital strength and prioritizing safety. It's under this motto that Dream has, so far, only fought against monsters who came for him, rather than seeking them out.
Only in those instances would he fight, instead of choosing to ignore them as he mostly does. Not only would it allow him to survive the encounter, but it also allowed him to make significant gains, as those monsters tend to be much stronger than the ones he would actively seek out. After his encounters, Dream has been particularly living by this motto. In fact, he had been so successful in avoiding monsters that for the first four days after that encounter, he literally didn't have to fight anything. It was only on the day after that he had to fight a monster—one that wasn't even that strong, resulting in minimal gains.
Of course, advancing deeper and deeper without getting stronger while knowing that the monsters around him did, sounded like a bad idea. However, Dream thought it was still a better alternative than being caught up by the many Valkyries he was more or less certain were after him. He could always prey on monsters later when he gets out of these woods, and perhaps then he would have the opportunity to find an enlightened beast he had been eagerly looking for in those woods. Yet, he had come to realize that he wouldn't find that enlightened beast in those woods.
With this mindset, Dream advanced—a little bored by the lack of action but with a hopeful smile on his face, knowing he wouldn't be bored for long. Something was on his tracks, spying on him—something that wasn't a Valkyrie, but instead, an awakened beast that believed itself to be stealthy.
Suddenly, but not-so-unexpectedly, an attack was launched at Dream. Summoning his aero-elementalis, Dream evaded the beast's attack, which crashed against trees in the distance, causing them to collapse.
"Whoa, seriously? I can't imagine what would've happened if that had hit me," Dream remarked.
At that moment, a large creature emerged from its "hiding" spot. It was a dark insect-like creature that somewhat resembles a spider with the abdomen part of its body. On the other hand, it looked more like a scorpion in some ways, especially with its front appendages threateningly clawing in his direction. Naturally, unlike either a scorpion or a spider, the creature was nowhere near small enough to fit in one's palm. Instead, it was towering over Dream, standing at least as tall as a tall adult Arbian would be.
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Name
H.P
P.P
Threat
Arachniscorn [ Lvl. 2]
20
306/321
Savage
Description
The Arachniscorn is an awakened beast found in the Southern Part of Ainerax. It is a naturally born savage-ranked threat, with the potential to grow into a fiend-ranked one.
Its appearance combines features of a giant spider and a deadly scorpion, with a dark chitinous exoskeleton and protruding spines. The creature's multifaceted eyes emit an eerie glow, and it moves with silent grace, aided by segmented limbs. Arachniscorn is a lone, cunning if not very shy predator, hunting during both day and night.
The Arachniscorn, like most awakened beasts, possesses elemental powers, but it primarily relies on its own twisted version of aero-elementalis.
"Well, you've finally gathered the courage to show yourself," Dream said with a hint of sarcasm. "But you sure do look ugly. No wonder you want to remain hidden."
Unlike their enlightened counterparts, which have literally evolved into something entirely different, Awakened Beasts tend to be anatomically close in appearance to their mundane counterparts. However, just like the beast in front of him, there were exceptions to this rule.
Name
H.P
P.P
O.P
O.M.P
A.P
Level
Dream
79/79▲
813▼/831
397/438▲
41.7▲
126▲
13
Much like all the monsters he had encountered thus far in the forest, the creature crawled its way toward Dream without a word of warning. It screeched and howled, emitting a haunting scream as it unleashed a sickle-shaped aero-elementalis attack from its pedipalps.
[ Aero ]
Acolyte
Wind Shield Lvl.1
46
Even with his [Wind Shield] conjured, Dream managed to protect himself, but the force of the attack still pushed him back several meters.
“Waouh, very impressive now let me show you mine.”
With a swift gesture of his hand, a powerful gust of wind erupted from his palm, aiming to knock the creature off balance.
[ Aero ]
Apprentice
Unrelenting Wave Lvl.1
15
The force of the wind sent leaves and debris swirling around them, creating a chaotic dance in the air.
However, the creature proved agile and managed to maintain its footing, its spindly legs gripping the forest floor. Undeterred, Dream conjured crackling arcs of lightning that danced across his fingertips. With a focused aim, he directed the electrifying energy toward the advancing creature.
[ Aero ]
Acolyte
Wind Shield Lvl.1
46
The lightning surged forth in jagged tendrils. With the creature side-stepping at an impressive speed considering its size, some bolts zipped past the creature, while others hit their mark, causing the creature to convulse and screech in pain. The eerie glow of the creature's eyes intensified as it continued its relentless pursuit.
“Bold, aren’t we? How about you now taste its consequences?”
[ Aero ]
Acolyte
Unrelenting Surge Lvl.1
46
As the gust of wind surged forth from Dream's outstretched hand, the Arachniscorn was caught entirely off guard. Its spindly legs struggled to maintain their grip on the forest floor, but the force of the gale was relentless. The creature was swept off its feet and launched into the air, tumbling uncontrollably backward.
In a chaotic dance with nature's fury, the Arachniscorn was sent flying, its haunting screeches blending with the howling wind. The impact against a nearby tree was brutal, causing the once-mighty trunk to shudder and splinter under the force. The tree, unable to withstand the sudden blow, toppled over with a resounding crash, adding to the chaos that ensued.
The Arachniscorn's body collided with the ground, limbs sprawling in all directions. It struggled to regain its footing, but the wind continued to buffet its form, making it difficult for the creature to find stability. The eerie glow in its eyes flickered momentarily, betraying a moment of confusion and vulnerability.
"Let's end this," Dream murmured, summoning his electro elementalis to form a mantra, planning to take advantage of the creature's moment of vulnerability and strike the final blow onto the Arachniscorn.
Just as he was about to strike the final blow with his electro-elementalis, he noticed something and swiftly switched to his aero-elementalis, propelling himself into the air to perch atop a nearby tree.
His seemingly random reaction was not without reason; it was triggered by the sudden realization of something behind him, or more precisely, something both behind and beneath him.
“What is that…” Dream frowned at the sight he beheld.
A tree near him had collapsed seemingly without reason, followed by another, then another, but as he squinted, he soon realized it wasn't without cause. The ground beneath the fallen trunks had turned into liquid mud, causing the trees' collapse. As if the sight wasn’t odd enough, from his perch, Dream watched the muddy puddle that caused the tree to collapse, moving as if having a life and a will of its own. It advanced toward the Arachniscorn, which, as if sensing the danger, immediately proceeded to run away, only to be almost caught up by the puddle.
Dream was able to notice the thing in advance due to the thread attached to it, so naturally, he knew that he wasn't dealing with a sentient puddle but rather a monster—one that, emerging from the puddle, swiftly engulfed the Arachniscorn in one single, powerful bite. Its large jaws closed around the poor chitinous creature, causing its blood to splatter into a gory rain.
Witnessing that gory display of his opponent being engulfed whole, Dream remained silent for a moment, not out of fear or trepidation, but out of fascination. What stood before him wasn't just any monster like the ones he had encountered recently; the creature that suddenly emerged, stealing his prey, was exactly what he had been seeking from the moment he entered the woods.
Name
H.P
A.P
W.P
Aspect
Lesser Aspect
Mawcrawler
12
154
0.2
Morphogenesis
Aquamorphism
“An enlightened Beast.”