Chapter 15: Stalking the girl in the woods

The dark blue-haired female humanoid sat upright, her eyes closed tightly as she relaxed her body. Her heavy breathing, once unregulated, now fell into a pattern. She began speaking softly, almost like a whisper, her calm gibberish words were interrupted by a quick burst in between breaths.

"Wi Valen, Wi Valen, Nutris, Wi Valen Gokfan, Wi Valen—" 

Before I could fully process the situation, I instinctively backed away from the humanoid, fearing she might harm me as well. Suddenly, white unknown letters began to materialize in the air, with the wind seeming to quiver, traced in thin blue colors as they swirled around the mysterious humanoid.

What is this girl doing? Despite my instinct telling me to retreat further for safety, the female humanoid didn't appear harmful. It doesn't feel like… A Guardian… Or an Aegir…

As I looked at her suspiciously, I noticed she had a black hair and two horns protruding from her head, with her hands resting on her thighs as she continued to concentrate on her chant.

'What is she doing?' 

As I watched, sweat beads forming on her pale face, the white glowing letters slowly appearing through her clothes, covering her skin, and then, unexpectedly, the female humanoid's form began to turn translucent, even her old, thick, ragged-looking clothing, allowing me to see through her.

'What? A ghost?' A sudden thought interrupted my concentration, causing the Mana I was conjuring to vanish in an instant. Focusing now, I recreated it to communicate with her, but before I could, a gentle voice whispered, "Pst."

Startled, I spun around to face a figure—a peculiar beast with white skin and pink brittles, standing on four limbs without a head. The strange creature extended its arm, its sharp claws gripping the cave's entrance with an uncomfortable screech echoing as it whispered once more, "Pst."

'That's odd.' I tilted my head, puzzled. Despite the creature being right there, the sounds it made seemed distant.

I turned to the female humanoid and noticed her figure trembling as she continued chanting, seemingly disturbed by the third party. 

'Is she using some kind of Magic with her Mana?' I pondered, noticing the beast began its approach to the humanoid. Suddenly, something sprouted between its hind limbs—two vine-like tendrils slithered behind its bestial form as it closed in on the female humanoid.

This… Is the female humanoid afraid of this animal and trying to hide from it? What should I do? Should I save her? I can phase her body into the ground. But then what? What will happen next? Would she harm me? No, that's impossible. I saved her, why would she harm a savior? Isn't that ungrateful?

She doesn't look like an Aegir; Aegir don't have black horns. So it's unlikely she is an Aegir when I know they are strong. This creature doesn't appear to pose a threat to an Aegir, However, she might know the whereabouts of Aeonian.

Before I realized it, the beast was right on top of the female humanoid, the ends of its tail bloomed like flowers, revealing several thin glowing fibers. What is that? Should I just stand by and watch? No, that can't do.

I floated forward, pulling myself from the wall, asking, "Hey, do you understand my words?"

The beast flinched in surprise as it frantically moved away from me, stomping on the walls as it pushed the female humanoid aside, but she continued her chant. 

'Is she alright?' I pondered before turning my attention to the beast.

"Excuse me, Mr. Beast. Do you understand what I'm saying?" I asked, curious if I could communicate with them. 

In stories, animals often talk and understand people. Pheleppeides mentioned that this wasn't typical in the real world, but there was no disadvantage in trying. It manages to say "pst" after all. 

If anything, I am not like those fakes.

I waited before tilting my head, realizing the beast couldn't understand me. It appeared scared, trembling in the corner as it watched my every move. I decided to guide the beast towards the cave entrance, keeping close to the wall until it crept out on all fours.

Turning my attention to the female humanoid, she had not moved from her position and continued chanting on the floor. I floated in front of her and said, "It's alright now. The beast is no longer here."

As if starting to trust my words, the trembling female cautiously opened one of her eyes before shutting them tightly as she trembled even more. It seemed she was afraid of me. Seeing such reactions, I couldn't help but recall Kreva'eh's response when she first glimpsed my form.

Do I appear strange? Am I a frightening sight? Why is that? I do remember I much resemble a humanoid. If anything, that strange-looking Ghost that once snuck up behind me, with its numerous limbs and legs, would be more terrifying than myself.

I knelt down in front of her, patiently waiting for her to stop her actions and communicate with me. However, every time she opened her eyes, they would tightly shut when she saw me. Maybe she doesn't understand my words?

'This is not working.' I thought. Swiftly changing my plans, I pivoted and phased through the walls, observing the girl from within. If I can't communicate with words, then I will simply follow her, hoping to gain something from this.

Several minutes went by as the female humanoid halted from her chant. Slowly, she rose from the ground with a shaky arm and then leaned against the wall. She's finally moving.

Retrieving something from within her clothing—a long, brownish-black cloth—she wrapped it around her leg. Is she bleeding? Abruptly, tears streamed down her face as her body stopped trembling. 

"*Hiccup*. Liberr. I'm so sorry," she said, her voice muffled by tears. "I will come back. I promise."

Those words 'I will come back, I promise' echoed in my mind. What did she mean by that? My curiosity only grew as I watched her pick up the weapon she had tossed aside—a long bow she slung over her shoulder. Then, double-checked her surroundings before pausing to gaze at the glowing flowers I had forgotten.

She cautiously approached the glowing flowers, reaching out with her hand before halting midway as if a sudden realization struck her. Without picking it up, she leaned in closer as if inspecting it carefully. A frown creased her brow as she rose to her feet and silently exited the cave.

Surprised that she didn't take it, I wondered why. Phasing away from the wall, I used telekinesis to bring the flowers towards me as I followed the girl from behind. Could it be that she realized the flowers were mine, which is why she didn't take them? If so, that would be quite incredible.

With her senses like that, it would be difficult to follow her without getting spotted. Channeling my Mana to a point, I shifted my vision from my form as I phased through the ground. This way, she wouldn't be aware of my presence, even if she spotted where my vision is. She will never see anything.

Phasing through the walls with the flowers brought close to me, I continued to follow her from behind. Passing by the waterfalls, I noticed that the glowing, white circular floating above was no longer there, and the surroundings seemed darker than usual.

Faint whispers from the distance reached my ears, turning around to find a girl kneeling down. Drawing closer, I observed her taking out a knife and delicately slicing through the glowing flowers that bloomed from the cracks by the cliffside.

Abruptly, black smoke began to seep from the cut, causing her to startle. Swiftly, the girl retrieved a vial from her clothing and poured a glowing greenish liquid over its stem. The wound sealed rapidly, halting the flow of the mysterious black smoke.

"Tsk," she clicked her tongue, glaring at the flowers.

She picked up one of the glowing flowers from the harvest on the ground and used it to light up the others nearby. Carefully touching their stems, she squinted. Nodding to herself, she chose a glowing flower and repeated the process several times until only a few remained.

Was there a difference between what she had taken and what remained? Closing in with my sight to focus, there was hardly anything discernible. 

Suddenly, a rumble caught my attention, and I turned my head to see the girl with a long rope already extended to a cliffside, secured around one of the edges. She pulled on it several times, confirming it was safe to climb. Her feet clung against the walls as she ascended.

I followed the girl to the top of the cliff, but before she reached the summit, something loomed over the distant land. A white, glowing circular object floated unnaturally above the trees, slowly moving closer. She panicked and quickly pulled herself up, reaching the top and hastily jumping into the woods.

Suddenly, a ray of light emanated from the circular object, flashing around as if scanning the ground for something. What could that thing possibly be?

However, I didn't waste my curiosity on it and followed the girl. I saw a light moving between the trees, a faint silhouette that outlined the girl's form. I followed it numerous times before catching up to the scene where the girl knelt on the ground, cradling something in her arms as I heard a stifled cry escape from her.

What is she doing?

Curiously, I guided my vision closer and peered over the girl's shoulder to see a black-hair young child, visibly wounded and covered in torn flesh. Claw-like markings opened her skin, fresh blood oozing from the wounds. The light in her unfocused eyes slowly faded away..

This young girl… She doesn't seem like an Aeonian or an Aegir… So, she's dying isn't she? Unlike me, unlike Aeonians, we are immortal as long as our souls do not cease. At least, that's what Pheleppeides said.

"Liberr, Liberr. Don't worry, you're safe now. I'll make sure you get home safely." the girl reassured, placing her weapon down.

Home… The mention of it stirred thoughts of Aeonian within me. Unlike us, that girl's soul will vanish soon after her body dies, forever. It's something inevitable, something even the girl can't change. So… Is it alright if I possess her body?