His eyes opened slowly, feeling heavy and gummed up like he had been asleep for a very long time even though not much time had passed. There was no pain, which made sense after everything that had happened. He let out a low grunt and pushed himself up on his shoulders, looking around. It was the middle of the night now. The only light came from the soft glow of the fireflies drifting over the grass and the pale lavender light of the two moons hanging in the sky. He looked down and jerked back from a terrible smell.
"Ugh, what is that?" he yelled, clamping a hand over his nose and mouth.
Right next to him was the huge, dead body of the monster he had killed. It was already starting to rot. How had he been lying there, passed out, and not noticed that smell? He took a few steps back, thinking hard, his hand still pressed to his face.
"Oh, Lucid. You are awake."
A voice rang in his head. It felt distant but also very close, like it was coming from everywhere at once. It was a sound with no real source, just hanging in the air all around him. Lucid jumped, spinning around and ready for a fight. Then he remembered. He relaxed his shoulders.
Oh. Right. That.
"Lucid, how do you feel?"
"I feel..." He started to say "tired," like he always did, but then he stopped. Strangely, he did not feel tired at all. He felt light. Clear-headed. Full of energy.
"I feel... good," he said, his voice low.
"I am glad to hear that. I used some of my fate essence to heal you."
Fate essence. He knew that term. He had heard it a lot when he was with his old group, traveling through the rifts. From what he understood, it was a kind of energy that the Enlightened used to power their abilities. He also remembered that if an Enlightened used it all up, they became weak and vulnerable. The thought made him wonder.
What is this voice? Is it one of the Enlightened? No, that cannot be right.
"I know you have your doubts, Lucid, but please trust me."
Huh. It is like it can hear my thoughts. A cold feeling went down his spine.
"I only want what is best for you. Please do not worry." The voice came again, soft and strange.
"Lucid, I must say, you did very well. But please, do not make my heart race like that again."
Do you even have a heart? he thought.
"Running would not have worked. That thing was too fast."
"But you did well, Lucid..."
He turned and started to walk. It was night, and he had no idea where he was going, but he could not stay here. His stomach was already growling. He needed to find food.
"Lucid, you are not planning to leave this monster behind, are you?"
He turned back to look at the dead creature, lowering his hand from his face. He was starting to get used to the smell.
"There is no way in hell I am eating that."
"No, not that. Lucid." The voice let out a soft laugh. "What about it?"
"Can you absorb fate essence from it?"
"Fate essence?"
"I want you to reach out your hand and take it. The process is simpler than you think. You just need to quiet your mind and focus on the energy that is left there."
He stared at the carcass, looking at it longer than he usually would. He was lost in thought for a moment before he finally spoke.
"I cannot. I am not one of the Enlightened."
"I know, Lucid. But we share a body now."
Huh?
"That means you can use my abilities. But we can talk about that later. For now, please, just try."
"Alright. But do not expect much."
He reached his hand out carefully, focusing on one spot. At first, he felt nothing. He just felt foolish, like a kid pretending to do magic.
"Uh, I do not think this is wo—"
Before he could finish his sentence, a sudden warmth hit his palm. It seeped into his hand and flowed up his arm. It was a deep and comforting warmth, like the heat from a campfire wrapping around you on a cold night. He stood his ground, opening his eyes as he watched the creature's body begin to dissolve into a soft, yellow light. The light grew brighter, turning a pure white, then broke apart piece by piece. It cast a brief glow over the area before it was all pulled into his hand.
"Almost there, Lucid. Just hold on a little longer," the voice said, sounding strained now.
He had done it. Lucid panted, breathing heavily. The voice inside him seemed just as tired managing audible gasps too.
"That was wonderful, Lucid. You did great, you can rest easy now."
"Please Chill on the compliments... I don't need someone to stroke my ego..."
As he said that, a shape like white smoke appeared in the air in front of him, forming into a solid rectangle. Black letters flowed around it, snapping into place as if they were urging him to read.
'What the...'
He narrowed his eyes to read the rectangular shadow, which seemed to be made of smoke.
Enlightened Title: The divine maiden
Name: Alice
Rank: Primordial
Fate essence: ∞
Trait: ███████▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒
Description: Lost in time and space... Error... Error... This message cannot be revealed further
'What is this?' Lucid thought, staring at the strange window of light. It felt threatening, like a page from someone's personal file. His name wasn't Alice, but seeing a name he recognized sent a chill down his spine.
He wasn't completely in the dark, though. On his missions through the rifts, he'd seen his teammates stare at empty air, their eyes focused on something he couldn't see. He'd thought they were crazy, but then again, their whole job was to jump across dimensions to save humanity... so maybe he was the one who didn't understand. He had guessed their powers needed a source, and now the pieces were coming together. As he stood there, he felt sure this was that source. He just couldn't prove it.
"What is this..." he whispered.
"I do not know... Lucid."
"You left out the 'Divine Maiden' part..." he said, a hint of humor in his voice.
'What the hell is this?' The question screamed in his mind. 'What does it mean?'
"I... I do not know," Alice's voice replied, and for the first time, she sounded as shaken as he felt. He could sense her confusion mixing with his own. "This... this should not be. A status screen is a picture of one's soul. But this... 'Primordial'... I do not remember this."
"You don't remember being a 'Divine Maiden'?" Lucid asked, his voice low and doubtful. "And what are these broken parts? 'Lost in time and space'?"
"I truly do not know, Lucid." Her voice was small, almost scared. "The memories are gone. It is like looking into a dark room where I know the furniture should be, but I see nothing. I only know my name, and that I am tied to you."
A flicker of her usual warmth returned, weak and fragile. "And that I wish to help you."
The screen flickered and then dissolved into white smoke, pulled apart by the wind until it was gone. Its sudden absence made Lucid feel strangely exposed. He looked at his hands, half-expecting to see them glow. As the last of the light faded, he confirmed his own suspicion. He had a good idea what this was, which is why he had played dumb to get a real answer from the voice in his head. With a sigh, he cracked his knuckles and stretched his elbows. He knew it could hear his thoughts, but hiding certain ideas and faking others was simpler than it seemed. Playing dumb had confirmed his suspicion: no matter what thought he held in his mind, the voice inside his head would always take it at face value.
"Well, either way... it doesn't change anything," he said aloud.
The voice spoke after a moment of quiet thought. "What do you mean?"
"I'm still trying to get home. So, whether there's a voice in my head or I'm just seeing things, it doesn't matter much."
"You are not hallucinating, Lucid."
"I was... being sarcastic."
"Sarcastic?" the voice sounded puzzled.
'Never mind,' he thought. Someone as ancient as her probably didn't understand jokes. He didn't care much anyway; his goal was clear. Find shelter, get home. All this talk of status screens, fate essence, and a voice in his head was just noise.
"Lucid? May I tell you something?"
"Yeah."
"After you absorbed that fate essence, I feel... more aware. I feel much better."
"Good for you."
"No, truly. I feel... stronger. I am not sure what will happen, but please, continue to gather fate essence. I believe it will help me remember. Perhaps I could even get my old form back."
"To become a divine maiden?" he replied with a smirk.
"Well, having a physical form is better than having none... don't you think?"
"Anyway," she continued, "I sense a concentrated source of essence not far from here. We could find shelter there."
"A town, perhaps..." he muttered to himself.
"Yes, something like that. Continue down the riverbank, and it will lead you there."
A loud growl cut through the quiet, coming from Lucid's stomach. He felt a flash of embarrassment, but he couldn't deny he was hungry.
"Ignore that..." he grumbled.