Chapter 7 - The Sacrifice in Vain

Staring at my hands, my face contorted in awe. Finally. I had an attribute. Thinking back, I remembered the attribute detection orb glow light blue just before I lured the spider to that library. I was physically exhausted, yet I wasn't cold in the slightest. The deaths were driving me to the brink of insanity, with no way to retaliate against monsters so horrifying, but now, I could see a glimmer of hope and a possible chance to escape this terrifying place. I looked up the dark hole that dug into the earth, and figured I had no idea of how to get back up. Observing my surroundings, a rocky path led into the darkness and a small pond, which I had fallen into, lay behind me.

I walked into the darkness as my heavy, water logged clothes slowed my movements. Cheering myself up I thought of how I would train my attribute, which I presumed to be water, and if I went back to school, nobody could bully me. Life hadn't cheated me just yet. I outstretched my hand into the darkness and attempted to conjure water. A few droplets of water appeared in the palm of my hand, yet I was overjoyed at my affirmation.

The rocky walls, started getting thinner as the passageway shrunk smaller and smaller. Soon I had to get down on my hands and knees. The space quickly became too small to turn around in and my breathing became deep and heavy in the tight, area. This fear inducing environment didn't last for long however as I exited and arrived in a spacious and large cave. Large stalactites hung all over the roof and as I inspected the space closer I found ancient writing scribbled over rocks and pillars. The cave had a podium in the centre where a tablet showed characters that I was illiterate to in bold writing, but also allowed me to scout out my surroundings. And then, In the corner of the room an oddly shaped thing moved up and down lightly, almost unnoticeable. I went to crouch down behind the tablet yet got a better look by accident. It was a human.

I scrambled over to the person, who looked no younger than me. It was a girl, who was very pale and most likely at deaths door. Long, brown hair flowed down the young woman's back as I nudged her, attempting to wake her up. Suddenly an idea flowed into my mind and I cupped my hands into the shape of a bowl. I flowed a moderate amount of mana into my hands, and visualized water. Water formed into my cupped hands and I placed it to the girls lips, sat her upright and slowly poured water down her throat.

At first, the young woman took small sips, but after a while started taking huge gulps at a time, and forced me to create more water in my hands. The more water I created, the faster and easier I was able to create it. About ten minutes in, the girl opened her eyes, and looked directly at me drowsily. Her face distorted into fear as she pushed away from my knees. A raspy voice choked out, "What are you? Stay back you vile beast." She attempted to get up but collapsed back down to the floor.

Putting my hands up, I nervously replied, "I'm human? I'm not a beast." The girl, who was dressed in torn yet elegant clothes, screamed back. "Do not try to deceive me. Your aura reeks of a monster, and your clothes are unlike any I've seen before." A puzzled look crossed my face as I wondered whatever the woman meant by my aura reeks of a monster. I was about to ask what the young woman meant, but was interrupted by a bolt of lightning heading directly for my face. 'It's going to hit, I can't dodge it.' A few centimeters before the lightning hit my face, a thin pillar of ice shot from the floor at the speed of a bullet and blocked the lightning. 'Wow' I internally exclaimed, both shocked at the streak of lightning and my body's semi-instant reaction towards creating a pillar of ice.

Before I got too carried away with my narcissistic thoughts, I raised my voice. "Please don't fire another bolt of lightning. I don't know if I can block that again."

The girl clawed her hands into the ground, pushing herself backwards and wept whilst pleading, "Please don't kill me, I just want to live."

I held my hands in the air and comforted her, "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. Can you please calm down." The girl looked through blurry eyes at me and nodded slightly. Although she didn't move closer, she did stop crying. An improvement at least. I sat down cross-legged on the floor and handed the girl my hoody. She flinched as my hand approached her but reluctantly took my jumper, with a quizzical look on her face. "What is this... boy?" I coughed at her words before saying, "It's a hoodie." She looked at me and blankly said "What is a hoodie?"

"A hoodie is something you can put on for warmth, and you can call me Tomita." The girl, briefly looked down at the hoodie, before trying to put her arms through the hole for the head. "Aack." she let out in her struggle, and went on to say, "What kind of trap is this?" I laughed and instructed her to put her hands through the two smaller holes, and the her head through the larger hole, lastly.

After a while of silence in the darkness, the girl eventually spoke. "I'm sorry for calling you a vile beast, but may I ask, what is wrong with your aura?"

"I don't know what you are talking about really, could you help me out and tell me what you mean." I, genuinely confused asked.

"Well firstly, you have way too much mana for such a weak water attribute. Secondly, there is another attribute that I have never felt before that comes off your aura, and lastly. The weirdest thing of all, you aura isn't one of a human. Furthermore, what kind of monstrous talent do you have. In that single use of your mana, your aura got considerably stronger, when normally it should get weaker as your mana is used"

I looked at my hands, estranged with myself. My aura isn't human? I have another attribute? And then it clicked. Is that what that weird power is? My ability to return back in time after each death is an attribute.

- May continue story if response is good -

- also lmao, no spoiler in title name -