For the first time in his life, Kaelen felt that living in Zyretheil was truly a curse of curses. Because what stood before him now was his very own curse, something born from the First Darkness.
Something feared by other Vey'zareth, yet Kaelen had dared to challenge it by entering a place he never should have.
The young man lowered his head with mixed feelings. "I'm sorry. I don't even know how you could awaken when I haven't even reached the age of fifteen yet. But the moment I heard a whisper within my body, that was when I knew you had truly awakened. And you asked me not to die."
[I was born from the First Darkness, from the last light that shone in Zyretheil.]
[Vaerloch can only be awakened when its owner experiences deep suffering and despair.]
[But you've faced that earlier than you should have, forcing me to awaken early as well.]
[But I had hoped it would end there, not push yourself and come here at a time you were never meant to.]
[Besides, no other Vey'zareth should ever be able to meet their curse face-to-face as you have.]
"I never wanted to be in this place myself. But this time you must help me, no matter the price you demand of me," Kaelen said earnestly.
He forced himself to meet the gaze of the being that floated proudly before him. Even though the young man couldn't see what the figure speaking to him actually looked like, "If I die now, then you can die too, and that's a fact."
For a moment, the situation fell silent until Vaerloch spoke again. It seemed the monster was also reluctant to talk further with Kaelen and instead told him what had to be done.
[Bring me three fire-element Thren. That is the price you must pay for your request today.]
"Fire-element Thren? That's something rare in a place like Elyndor— which is the first-tier Xal'zarioth, made up only of forests and plants. But if I don't agree, I won't be able to get out of here," Kaelen thought to himself.
Thren itself was a rare treasure similar to an item that could be obtained after someone ventured into a certain Veraxa, or given by someone as a gift. It could serve the Vey'zareth, their Vaerloch, or several other races.
Veraxa itself was a region commonly used as a testing ground for all Vey'zareth in Zyretheil. It could be an unstable wild area like an ancient forest, an unconscious abyss, or anything at all.
Veraxa didn't have to be located within a Forbidden Region. However, a Forbidden Region would certainly contain multiple Veraxa scattered within it.
Seeing his counterpart remain silent, Vaerloch finally spoke again.
[You can't handle it? Then struggle on your own. I don't need to live to prove my existence. But you need to be in this world for your ambition that large.]
When the figure flapped its wings to turn away, Kaelen shouted, "I agree!"
The words made Vaerloch stop. He turned back even if only his shadow was visible. At that moment, Kaelen continued his sentence, "I agree to bring you the fire-element Thren. But I need time. Right now I'm in the first tier, Elyndor, which is entirely forest and plants. But I saw the second tier has barren land almost like hell. I'm sure I can get it there."
[So what do you want me to do?]
"You only need to show those people that my Vaerloch has awakened, then they'll release me."
After pausing to consider, the being finally spoke again.
[You've lost your Elarith, I can't channel my power for you to borrow. But I can borrow your body to show my power to them.]
Without asking further, Kaelen nodded. "Alright, let's do it!"
The boy didn't think at all about the consequences of making a pact with a curse. Even though his Vaerloch was relatively kind, it was still a creature of darkness.
Kaelen turned back to return to his own body until Vaerloch's voice stopped him again.
[That will drain a lot of my power. So the price for it is that your time limit to complete Zyretheil's rules decreases by one year. Can you handle that?]
The young man fell silent for a moment, then looked back at Vaerloch. "So I only have ten years from now to conquer the eight Forbidden Regions?"
The Forbidden Region was not an ordinary battlefield like Veraxa. It was a place where everyone who entered would stake their lives to survive.
Throughout history, those who entered a Forbidden Region faced only two outcomes. First, they came out alive as a victor, or second, they never returned, their life and death unknown.
[Yes.]
Before Kaelen could answer, Vaerloch spoke again.
[Out there, danger is already stalking you.]
[Someone of masculine gender from the Drae'vanyth race.]
[Drae'vanyth are Zorgathr, or monsters that possess awareness and minds like the Vey'zareth.]
[They inhabit Elyndor, the first-tier Xal'zarioth.]
[They were created to obstruct Vey'zareth challengers who come.]
[His height is estimated at about 492 cm with a core of natural power. He is someone you've seen before.]
---
Out there— one of the tree-bodied creatures native to this place, the Drae'vanyth race Vaerloch had just mentioned, was approaching Kaelen's body whose soul might or might not have returned yet.
He was someone they called the "Elder." Someone Kaelen had also seen before.
Silently, Moinnaphu—the Elder's name—kept widening his short-branch ears with leaves sprouting from them. He sniffed with his ears, making sure Kaelen was still there.
The Drae'vanyth could see. But to find their enemies, they would sniff their bodies' scent.
But when the bindings on Kaelen's body suddenly came loose, Moinnaphu instantly thrust his large branch—his substitute for hands—forward to shield himself reflexively.
All five of his eyes kept a close watch on Kaelen's movements. How Kaelen's body floated in the air with his eyes turned black.
"How can you still have power? Your Elarith has been taken and destroyed!" Moinnaphu shouted angrily.
He even looked up to stare at Kaelen floating above.
"This body is mine. No one can take it from me, including you," Kaelen said.
But Moinnaphu realized that wasn't Kaelen's voice. How could a fourteen-year-old boy's voice sound so grim and heavy?
Without waiting any longer, Moinnaphu stomped the ground hard until dozens of vines crawled upward. They would have struck Kaelen if his mouth hadn't instantly unleashed fire that burned the plants.
"Red Dragon Flame!" Kaelen shouted loudly.
The fire from his mouth spread, nearly reaching Moinnaphu's roots. Quickly, the masculine figure dodged and leapt to cling to one of the large trees behind him.
Hearing the flames creep closer, he spun his staff— which he always carried— until droplets of water began gathering at a single point.
"Peaceful Water Chill! Extinguish!" Moinnaphu aimed his staff at the fire, and the gathered water poured out to douse some of the flames crawling there.
Kaelen, possessed by Vaerloch, paid it no mind. Just as grasshoppers began swarming because of the fire's smoke, Kaelen soared with two shadowy wings and immediately flew eastward from that place.
Chaos erupted, the Drae'vanyth and several grasshoppers scattering in panic. Furious at seeing Kaelen escape, Moinnaphu's anger flared and he shouted.
"Stop! Help me put this out and find the Vey'zareth who just escaped. Even if he doesn't meet the sacrifice requirement, no foreign race may leave Elyndor alive."
---
Elsewhere, Kaelen broke off his thoughts about moments earlier when he'd unknowingly wandered into a cave glowing with green light inside.
Curious, he stepped inside, glancing around carefully, observing everything.
"This is still part of Elyndor, so its security level must be low. But for now, I have no choice but to hide here temporarily. I have to recover, and so does Vaerloch. Moreover, I must find a way to rebuild my Elarith," he muttered while glancing at his own chest.
[This is the Alarys Cave. Located nearly thirteen kilometers from the Kulthar Swamp. Its security level is weak to moderate.]
The whisper was clear in Kaelen's ears. But before he could process anything, an arrow shot straight at him.
Had Kaelen's hand not been quick enough to catch it, the deadly object would have struck his neck. Yet even though he survived, Kaelen still felt slightly shaken.
He had lived for fourteen years in the Cursed Land of Zyretheil. Yet things like this still always managed to leave him speechless. If it were a human, they probably wouldn't survive long out of sheer terror.
"Who are you?" asked an adult man who had just shot the arrow at Kaelen.
The man covered one of his eyes like a pirate. That made Kaelen's gaze linger, studying him carefully from head to toe.
Since arriving in Elyndor—and since the tragic incident Kaelen refused to remember—the boy had become more wary of the people he met.
"Who is he?" Kaelen whispered in his heart.
He might have sounded like he was talking to himself. But this was how he communicated with his Vaerloch.
It didn't take long before a voice entered his hearing. Though Kaelen alone could hear it.
[I am not your personal machine you can order around as you please. This is my last help. After this, I will sleep for a long time to atone for your mistake of awakening me too soon.]
[Kid, we are merely a pair of body and curse who happen to share the same vessel. We are not friends or partners for you to talk to me whenever you want.]
Kaelen fell silent for a moment at the response. It was true; all Vey'zareth feared hearing whispers from their Vaerloch. Why had Kaelen chosen to speak with his?
His thoughts shifted again as another whisper reached his ears.
[He is a Vey'zareth male aged thirty-nine Zyretheil years.]
[I cannot access his origin because your power is insufficient.]
[His status is even unknown. But his core power is physical.]
[He stands 324 cm tall and weighs 148 kg.]
[There is a reason his body grew that large, but with our current strength, I cannot access it yet.]
While examining the muscular figure—almost twice Kaelen's height—before him, the man named Magnus cleared his throat.
"What are you looking at?" he asked with a deep voice. From his expression alone, Kaelen could tell he wasn't pleased with Kaelen's behavior.
Without much thought, Kaelen only shook his head. He then handed back the arrow already in his grasp to the man. "This is yours. Next time, you can't welcome every visitor like that."
Kaelen then walked past the man still standing there. But on his third step, Kaelen felt his shoulder grabbed. Without turning, the boy stopped.
"I don't like welcoming guests," the man said shortly before stepping forward to stand directly in front of Kaelen. "If you insist on entering and joining, make sure you're the last one."