It was hard to know with certainty what came first, the Great Cataclysm or the arrival of monsters. No matter what, since those two events, the wilderness had become a forbidden area for most humans.
Compared to the Hollowlands, illusory domains with their own rules and the biggest enemy of Ascendants, what the majority of people cared about was the monsters.
Bloodthirsty, powerful- these were the two adjectives that most people would use to describe them.
They were a source of destruction, the reason why this land was devastated and why countless species of animals and plants had gone extinct.
... This information flashed through Aaron's mind as he faced the gray expanse before him.
No trees, no flowers, not even a single blade of grass could be seen. Only scattered remains, chewed bones of humans and monsters, peeked out of the grayish mud that covered the ground.
Even though the sun was shining brightly above, a sense of gloom hung over this place, as if it were an abandoned cemetery rather than a simple stretch of land.
As a scavenger, Aaron understood that such scenery was actually considered quite good. This place was fairly close to the City, and as such, was regularly "cleaned up" by powerful Ascendants.
It was exactly because of this that scavengers like Aaron had the guts to roam outside the City's walls.
Just when Aaron was "admiring" the scenery, a startled look appeared on his face.
A picture suddenly appeared in his mind. It was a small circle, with two dots, one white and one black.
The white dot remained still at the center of the circle, while the black one was moving from the bottom up.
When he stared at the white dot, Aaron felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if he was looking at another self.
At the same time, the picture in his mind reminded him of something he had seen in his previous life.
'Is it a radar?', he pondered, and when he thought of the dots' strangeness, his expression turned serious.
'If this is a radar, it's safe to assume that the white dot is my current position. Then, doesn't that mean that the black dot is...'
Before Aaron could finish that train of thought, a noise came from behind his back, pulling him back to reality.
He turned around, only to see a rapid shadow rush toward him, seemingly wanting to run him over.
The shadow's horrifying appearance was reflected in his eyes.
It was a skeleton, its shape resembling that of a rat but with the height of a dog. Patches of greyish flesh hung along its bones as they rubbed together, making a grating sound.
Its eyes were yellow and cloudy, while rows of jagged teeth extended from the upper and lower parts of its mouth, dripping with an unknown liquid.
A low, shrieking noise escaped its throat as it lunged forward at full speed.
Although Aaron had encountered monsters in the past, it was the first time for him to be so close to one.
Facing its charge, he instinctively raised his right foot and wanted to take a step to the side, but his intuition instantly let him know- the monster's attack would arrive before he could dodge.
With his life in danger, countless thoughts raced through his mind, and he searched for a way to save himself. In the end, only one option remained.
'Soul Thread!', he called inwardly.
In response, a blue thread leapt out of his fingers, one end extending towards the ground.
The thread wrapped around a rock the size of a human head, and following a quick tug of Aaron's hand, it swept towards the creature's path.
The heavy rock whistled through the air before crashing into the monster and bursting into pieces.
The collision didn't cause much damage to the creature, only leaving behind a few scratches on its white bones, but it caused its movements to pause for a bit.
This pause only lasted for a brief second, but it was more than enough for Aaron.
He pressed his foot against the ground and leaned forward, jumping to the side and rolling a few times over the gray land.
Meanwhile, the rat-looking monster finally arrived where he originally stood, its sharp, bony claws leaving deep marks on the ground.
Aaron took a deep breath, realizing that he would have been torn into pieces if he had dodged a mere heartbeat later.
He looked at the monster and remained alert, waiting for its next attack. However, the next scene surprised him.
After the monster saw that its charge had failed, it didn't immediately turn around and pounce on Aaron.
Instead, it twisted its head and stared in the opposite direction, its ears and nose twitching.
Its yellow eyes remained cloudy and devoid of any emotion, as if it were a puppet on a string.
Aaron's gaze sharpened when he saw this.
'Partial blindness? Does it rely on sound and smell, rather than vision, to trace its target?', he guessed and glanced around, trying to think of a way to take advantage of this weakness.
Finally, his eyes landed on his own shadow. Just like when he had first used the Soul Thread, he felt a strange instinct awaken within him.
When coupled with the information displayed on the Status Panel he had previously seen, he had some guesses.
'Shadow Veil.'
He followed that instinct, and his shadow shook, rippling like a lake of ink. Black liquid flew out and spilled over, attaching to his body's surface.
As the shadow wrapped him up, Aaron felt that his presence had become many times lower, while his breathing and heartbeat had turned inaudible.
The reaction of the rat monster only served to further confirm this guess. It tilted its head, seemingly in confusion, and spun around, obviously wondering why its prey had disappeared.
Seconds felt like hours to Aaron as he watched the monster wander in this area, trying to find his traces.
It was only after seeing the monster's repeated failures that he became more confident in the Shadow Veil's effect and understood that as long as he remained still, the monster would leave sooner or later.
However, he wasn't ready to do so. Years spent as a scavenger had taught him many things, one of them being that he should always take the initiative while in danger.
He lowered his hand and grabbed the handle of the dagger tied to the left side of his waist, "unsheathing" it and revealing its rusty, chipped short blade. It was the only weapon in his possession, something he happened to chance upon while wandering in the wilderness.
Holding it provided Aaron with confidence, giving him the courage to step closer to the monster.
His footsteps were slow yet steady, and coupled with the effects of the Shadow Veil, his movements made no sound.
A few seconds later, he stopped a few steps away from the monster, drew a deep breath, and lunged forward with the dagger raised.
Its mottled edge reflected the sun as it whistled through the air, its target clear- the monster's head.
Just when the dagger was only a few centimeters away from the monster's head and Aaron thought that he was successful, though, the shadow covering him shook. The darkness on his skin squirmed, turning back into liquid and retreating into his shadow.
With the Shadow Veil's effects disappearing, his breathing and heartbeat returned to normal, causing the rat monster to finally discover him.
A loud shriek escaped its mouth as it sensed the danger and raised its sharp claws, swinging them towards Aaron's direction.
Although caught off guard, Aaron didn't panic because of the sudden change.
'Soul Thread!'
A blue thread shot forward from his left hand and wrapped around the monster's front limbs. The thread trembled as the creature struggled and looked ready to snap.
But it was too late!
A sickening crunch echoed as the dagger penetrated the rat monster's forehead. The dagger's dull edge only dug a few centimeters deep before cracks covered its surface. With a clang, the dagger burst into fragments, embedding in the monster's skull.
This caused more damage than even the cut itself.
The monster's fierce struggle stopped abruptly. Its body went limp, and it collapsed to the ground, fully motionless.
'It's finally dead!'
Aaron couldn't help but take a few steps back, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he tried to catch his breath.
Although the previous fight was short and he seemed to have easily killed the monster, he was exhausted. Not physically, but mentally.
The initial sneak attack, the narrow dodge, and the subsequent strike all weighed heavily in his mind.
From the Soul Perception allowing him to preemptively sense the enemy, to grasping the opponent's weakness, and activating the Shadow Veil in the middle of the battle. If any step of the above was missing, he would have died.
It took a few seconds for Aaron to recover, and it was only then that he raised his head and noticed something unusual.
A translucent figure was floating mid-air above the corpse, its appearance the same as that of the monster. When his eyes fell on this figure, he felt something awakening within him.
Having sensed the same feeling just not long ago, he didn't resist but followed his body's instincts.
A blue thread rushed out of his fingertips, and as if possessing a will of its own, it moved towards the figure and wrapped its body before drilling into it.
The thread clattered, and chewing sounds echoed in Aaron's ears while the figure became increasingly transparent. A few seconds later, it dissipated completely.
The blue thread floated in the air and, seemingly satisfied with its meal, returned to Aaron's body and merged with him.
Aaron paid it no heed, however.
The moment the thread touched the figure, he noticed some changes taking place within him, and this feeling only intensified upon its disappearance.
He was slightly surprised, but he had a guess regarding what was happening.
"Phantom Minion.", he whispered softly.
As if responding to his call, a translucent phantom emerged from his body and landed lightly on the ground before him, its head lowered.
The phantom stood on all fours, and despite its transparency, its appearance was perfectly clear in Aaron's eyes. It was a rat-skeleton, with flesh wriggling along the gaps of its bones, while its sharp teeth and the disgusting liquid flowing out of its mouth made it even more terrifying.
Aaron sensed a subtle connection between him and the phantom. Through this connection, he felt that he could control the phantom, just like a puppeteer could control their dolls.
'Sure enough!'
Just like he was expecting, after Soul Thread, Soul Perception, and Shadow Veil, his last ability, Phantom Minion, finally revealed itself.
Glancing at the phantom of the rat monster, he began giving it commands, wanting to see the extent to which he could manipulate it.
He started giving it instructions, starting simple, such as stepping to the side, then gradually becoming more complex.
Before him, the Phantom Minion obeyed his commands faithfully, moving as if it were still alive.
'I wonder what would happen if I told it to investigate the temple.', he thought, and immediately acted on the idea.
Through their connection, he commanded the Phantom Minion to enter the temple. But for the first time, the Phantom Minion showed no reaction. It remained still, as if waiting for his next instruction.
Aaron tried again and again, but no matter how hard he tried, the Phantom Minion refused to move.
"Why? Why won't it enter the temple?", he whispered and turned around, only for his pupils to dilate in shock as he did.
Where the temple originally stood, there was now nothing, as if the grey, lifeless land had swallowed the building whole.
The strangest part? Throughout the whole fight with the rat monster, Aaron had taken several glances around but had never noticed the temple's disappearance, as if it was completely natural.
In fact, if it were not for summoning the Phantom Minion and experimenting with its uses, he would have already left this place and never found out about it.
This thought sent a shiver down Aaron's spine.