Elias stared at the System Prompt once more. He'd dismissed it countless times and yet he kept coming back to it. Anxiety and anticipation filled his stomach—he didn't know why, but every time he read it, it made him feel uneasy.
He needed time, time to process everything, Tess's death, whatever the hell that power was that embedded itself within him and the System and its cryptic quests. It was too much all at once.
At least he had a month—after that, everything would change.
Elias had thought about what Jacob had meant when he said he thought he'd have more time. He had interpreted that as him having wanted to have better prepared him for the attack—he was wrong. No, Jacob was leaving, so was he for that matter.
In four weeks time, an adventurer named Uthred Gorgos would arrive at Haven's Point, from there, he would take him as an apprentice—what did that involve? He wasn't too sure. Did he want to stay in Haven's Point? No. He had no reason to refuse, what was left for him here? Jacob was the only familiar face he wanted to see and he was leaving.
Jacob had told him to close off any loose ends within the next few weeks; as he was unlikely to return within the year. When he had asked why Jacob wasn't accompanying them, he told him that, "Too much has happened in the Empire these past few years, my boy, more than you know—and more than you should know right now. What you need is experience and blasted holy bastard will be the one to give it to you. I'm needed elsewhere."
He'd tried to question him, but it yielded no result and so the following weeks turned into a blur as he studied, trained and fell into a cycle of contemplation—Under Jacob's watchful eye he was forced to read dusty tomes filled with System lore, explaining the complexities of Tiers, Skills and the System itself. He poured his entire soul into the study, anything that served as a distraction would suffice.
The training he was going through provided a different kind of reprieve—the familiar routine of sword forms and sparring was an outlet for some of the emotions that raged throughout his spirit, and, he did end up getting to grips with his new attributes.
Every time he felt the buzz of System energy within him, it reminded him of his partial Awakening—losing Tess and her final moments. Both her eyes and the Aberrations cruel smile as her body had slumped to the ground. Elias found himself phasing from reality, often staring off into the distance, his hands clenching and his breath catching in his chest—he'd eventually remember to breath and break out of his stupors with a shake of his head, burying the memories into the recesses of his mind.
Mixed with the evident grief was a excitement and curiosity, only a slither, but it was present. Jacob had told him a little about Uthred, he was a knight known throughout the Empire. He served the 'Order' and was famous. He could only imagine how powerful he was.
He could also only hope that the fame he carried matched the man himself.
Mira stood frozen, her eyes fixed on the figure at the edge of Haven's Point square. The usual bustle of the area was gone since the attack, leaving only a handful of stalls and the normally colourful awnings were all gone.
The figure, it was, Elias… but it also wasn't.
He looked bigger now, he looked different, his smile, his mischievous laugh as he played with Tess—it was gone. He just looked tired now.
Then, like a strike from her mother it slammed into her, the memory: the Aberration—a nightmarish creature that looked like a walking wolf man. It's purple fur slick with oozey black and the smell—they smelt so bad!
She was sure she could feel its breath on her face, reeking of rotten food. She'd been paralysed, like a rabbit before a fox—its crimson eyes staring into her.
Then—he came. She was saved, it was Eli! Tess's boyfriend. He had yelled at it, distracted it, his voice and his determined charge with his special stick filled her with hope. He definitely hurt it, and he told her to run. She did. She had run to Uncle Hem's house, hiding behind the railing on the porch as she'd watched the horror unfold.
The sounds, bones splintering, flesh tearing apart and inhuman growls were mixed with Elias's grunts of pain. Every noise was burned into her memory.
She blinked, forcing herself back to now. The figure the other side of the square was a stranger. The boy who'd rub her hair and sneak her treats was gone, instead of him she saw… something else…
The memory shifted, imposing itself over the present. Elias was ontop of the monster, he was covered in thick black goo and—his blood and the monsters were pouring into a pool in the floor, but, it wasn't the blood that made her breathless—it was his eyes. They were burning with that familiar crimson light.
Terror, primal and all-consuming gripped her heart.
Her legs trembled and as if he could sense her presence, Elias turned to face her, their eyes met—his gaze dark and unreadable.
Only one thought cut through Mira's mind: "RUN!"
She ran. Her feet pounding across the dirt streets, each step taking her further from the thing wearing Elias's face. "Mummy!" she called, the cry barely making a sound as it left her throat, "Mummy?!"
Elias walked down the streets to the square; he was supposed to collect a few spices for their meal that evening. As he did, he took in the area in front of him, the rain in the past few weeks had diluted the pools of blood to barely distinguishable darker patches on the ground. The previously busy market square was now reduced to a couple of barebone stalls serving food and basic supplies. He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair as he recalled the melody of the instruments from that night, the warmth of her body against his as he clumsily danced, "What do you have against us…? Me?" he said to himself as his gaze shifted to the sky, "What have I done that's so terrible?!"
His fists clenched as he gritted his teeth, why did he deserve the victimisation of the System?
A shiver went down his neck, and he turned, "Mira?" he thought, "She's alive, at least you spared someone, hm."
As he looked at her he felt a feeling of sadness and fear, he couldn't blame her. She was five, maybe six years old. Witnessing the horrors she did at that age would affect anyone, he was seventeen; look at him. As the thoughts crossed his mind, she bolted, running out of sight behind a house on the square's edge.
Elias drew in a long breath and sighed; if she could feel his mood from that far away, his attempts at bottling up had obviously failed.
He shook himself and forced a more neutral expression, he really was relieved she survived, "I hope you fare better than me, Mira."
The fire in their home crackled—the village had come together to restore his and Jacob's home after the battle, knowing how much Jacob had individually contributed to their survival, other than a small leak in his room and the strange feeling that an uncluttered abode provided, it was pretty much back to normal.
A smell of wild boar mixed with forest herbs as Jacob set a large platter of meat on the wooden table in the centre of their living space, Elias stared blankly at the flickering flames of the fire, he couldn't eat—it came in waves, his mood shifting from moments of OK, to moments like these, filled with emptiness.
"Four months," he thought, "Four months until I awaken fully."
Across from Elias sat a large, muscled man—much wider set than Jacob, he had an aura around him that seemed to embody strength, Uthred Gorgos. The man tore into a boar's leg as his blue eyes blazed with intensity. Elias was both drawn to and intimidated by the mans presence.
Uthred set the bone down, "Lost in thought, lad?" his voice resonating in the air.
He flinched, the sound pulling him from his daze, he looked up and offered a slight nod. He found it hard to speak when the numbness found him and the images of Tess filled his mind.
"Grief…It can make you feel that way, by the gods, don't I know it, "Uthred said, his gaze softening as he reached for his tankard, "But, it can also drive you to purpose, as Arvos demands."
He looked at him intently, Uthred's blue eyes seeming to pierce through his crumbling walls of composure.
Uthred leant forward, "The Empire of Organon," he began, "Needs men like you, Elias. Men willing to stand against the shadows." He paused and took a sip from his tankard, "The Adventurer's guild, well they're a bit rough around the edges—less bound by oaths. But by the Gods, they're driven by a similar fire! They venture into the unknown, into the places most ordinary folk dare to tread."
After a few moments of silence, Uthred's gaze unwavering, Elias responded as he looked down at his calloused hands, "Why me?
Jacob, who had sat mostly silent until now, reached over the table and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. His eyes full of the familiar warmth of recent weeks—he glanced at Uthred and he noticed a spark of something in his eyes—a warning? Then he spoke softly to Elias, "You have a strength within you, boy. Something special, Uthred can see it just being in your presence. I see it, and it will soon be time you saw it too."
He thought on Jacobs words prior to their meeting, his mentor had a plan for him and apparently, so did Uthred. A few individuals, those 'blessed' by the System, would be chosen for an ancient Order—part of the Empire. The same Order that Uthred was a knight of. The Order was the self-professed defender of the entire realm and their missions were said to be delivered by Arwen and Arvos themselves.
Apparently, Jacob believed that with his partial Awakening and the instruction of Uthred, he would have a shot at being chosen.
Internally, he had doubts. He reviewed the System Prompt that hung over him,
[Innate Ability Detected – Innate Ability: Corrupted Core – Tier: 0 – Level: 1 – Rarity: Unknown – 'The corruption of the Cosmos flows within your body'
Essence storage amount: 0 / 5Essence can be spent along with mana to enhance and minimally alter the effect of skills.Minimal increased resistance to the effects of corruption on the Spirit and Body: 'Please note that resistance is not immunity. Adverse effects likely after prolonged exposure to corruption]
The prompt began to fade from his view as he decided to dismiss the notification—but then it flickered, the following words drawing across the flickering prompt in a strange, crimson, cursive text: [Tread carefully Awake—]
Then as quickly as it appeared, both the words and prompt disappeared, a faint orange wisp of light flowing over his vision.
"What was that?" He thought.
Uthred nodded after a pause, the movement bringing Elias back as the mans voice boomed in the room, "Four months lad! Four months to forge you into something worth of the divine!" He grinned, his expression revealing a hint of a younger self, "It'll be gruelling, but trust me lad—you'll love it!"
A spark ignited within him, a small ember of hope.
"Four months, what harm could four months be?!"