On the Surface

My chest seized and the sound of a feral cough burst into the air.

_Was that me?_

_It's like someone crushed me with a hammer..._

My instincts wanted to throw me to my feet, but my body wasn't having it.

Upon sitting up, the rupturing pain ensnared my chest as if a knife thorned whip had woven itself around my body.

"Arghhh!"

I couldn't help but groan in vexation.

Ahhhhh, whyyy..?

_I hadn't expected to pass over so suddenly, but even so... just what happened? I feel like my ribs are shattered—like shards of stone have been blasted into my chest._

Short, intermittent breaths provided meagre relief while I waited for my blurred vision to regain its clarity.

_This would be a nice time for that pain tolerance skill to level up..?_

_No luck, huh. Just how much do I have to go through?_

I wanted to grumble about just how much health I must have lost, but my attention was tugged away by the vibrant environment surrounding me.

_Forest?_

For a brief moment, I thought it was still day, but no... The forest was alive.

I mean... obviously, but the bright magenta luminescence, fluctuating in intensity as the humid air passed by, granted this place a vitality that alleviated some of the stress of my pain.

The trees were not nearly as bright, but the leaves were reflective and a deep blue like my scales; with the moisture in the air hugging tight upon the canopy, scattering the light into short streams like the sun peeking through gaps in the clouds.

_It's definitely more beautiful than the outpost ceiling..._

I would like to say it took my breath away—it was far more beautiful than some dirty cave—but I didn't exactly fancy expunging my lungs right now.

There was a particularly unkempt section of the canopy just above me though... I must have fallen through it.

_I'm sure I positioned myself for that not to happen..._

_And, for some stupid reason, I had half expected there to be a barrier of sorts, but all the angels can obviously fly... unless the two I've met, well, and myself technically, are outliers._

_But... what happened to Rena?_

_Did she stay behind?_

A spark of guilt awoke itself in my heart, and slowly, I picked myself up from the ground to look around.

It took a monumental effort, and that's hardly an exaggeration this time.

Most of the light I could see was actually coming from behind me and tapering off in front, leaving only colder yet brighter hues of pink deeper within.

It quite nicely complemented the rich, rapidly cooling air.

So where's this light coming from?

_I'm getting deja vu; there better not be a crystal behind me._

I turned around, the raw, wintry air numbing my torn lungs.

For the most part, a thin mist clouded my view into the distance, giving the illusion of an endless black abyss.

If not for the tiny perturbations on its surface, I wouldn't have realised it was a body of water--a lake, not enormous but it had a noticeable current I couldn't tell the origin of; too slow to be heard, but could easily be spotted by the way a large, only slightly darker, shadow irregularly deformed with the natural flow of the near ink-black water.

_Is there a purpose to it?_

Before I could take a closer look, the air cleared in front of my face, and a body at its edge to my side made itself apparent to me.

My eyes widened, and I rushed over without a thought, only to hack up a cough and stumble forward.

I caught myself and slowed my breathing and pace.

It felt excruciatingly slow, but I reached her in only a few breaths of time.

Even against the darkness of the water, I could see the faint dye of red drifting on its surface.

Her face was pale, and in the light, her skin was brighter than even her hair.

_Shit, shit, shit._

_Luckily, she's still breathing._

_Did she jump after me?_

Deftly reaching under her back, I raised her out of the lake, and the bitter cold water drained from her hair and clothes into the crevices of my armour, soaking the unfortunately absorbent cloth beneath.

Her neck was heavily pulled down by the weight of her hair, so I twisted my arm at an awkward angle to support her head while looking around for a good location.

A few large rocks half-buried in the ground caught my eye; there was a relatively flat one, so, without a second thought, I jostled over as fast as I could manage.

_Fortunately, I'm getting used to the chest pain._

Crouching down, I placed my ear near the surface.

_It's still warm._

I carefully began laying her down on the rock, pondering what to do next while watching her damp clothes saturate the rock beneath.

I frowned.

Taking a gauntlet off, I pressed the back of my hand against her cheek; she was even colder than I expected.

_If only I could use fire magic._

I had actually spotted that lanky imp briefly try to use it before, but I zapped them in the face only a moment later; it really wasn't something worth thinking about at the time.

_Hmm..._

_Wait, can I do it with my lightning?_

_Can I... even use my lightning?_

Pulling my hand up, I focused on calling it from within.

Usually, I felt... conductive; it was like the lightning wanted to pass through me, but now there was some kind of resistance, like trying to suck honey through a straw instead of water.

_But this still meant it was there._

Coinciding with my thoughts, a few violet arcs darted between my outstretched fingers, and I smiled in satisfaction.

_Hopefully this will work like it does in my head._

Turning around, I quickly collected the fractured sticks that had apparently fallen with me through the tree, along with some much deader, far drier, ones littered around the forest floor.

There was some strange fruit too, but I didn't pay it much mind.

I placed the flattest piece on the stone and lined a few of the dry twigs with each other, not quite touching, and leaving a square gap between them.

I pinched my finger and thumb together, forming a point, and placed it close to the gap.

Slowly, I began pushing the charge, the mana, into my fingertip, not letting it arc between my fingers. It had nowhere to go but into the wood nearby, and after a threshold was reached, numerous tiny streaks began jolting out of my finger.

I increased the mana flow further, and the shocks became more frequent.

The partially trapped air was growing hot, and evaporated moisture was lifting into the air with each passing strike.

A sudden pain bit my finger, and I reactively pulled my hand away, frowning; only to then smile at the flickering crimson glow reaching up from the small branches.

Slowly, it grew as I placed the smaller, drier twigs into the weak flame, and it soon became large enough to burn the thicker branches I had found.

_This one should burn for a while._

_It's a shame no one's here to compliment my genius; just feel how warm that is._

I held my hands forward as if grasping the heated air. It was expanding between my fingers and washing over me, pulling the fatigue from my body yet also making me grow more tired.

Lowering them down, I gently cupped Rena's own, warming hers for a few moments before repeating the process.

I did this a few times and began seeing some colour return to her face.

_She's a little insane... Must have tried to save this body with her small wings alone._

Sighing in relief, I sat down at the other end of the rock and felt the cool touch of the wind against my face.

_Why do I feel like I'm getting into character somehow?_

_It's like my mood is slightly different... and it doesn't feel as unnatural as I would have liked it too; but that itself is quite unnatural and uncomfortable._

_Is there more to these contracts?_

_Well, I can only wait and see; I only noticed because I went back to normal in my own body. It's only slight, but I wouldn't want it to be permanent._

_Hm, it sounds weird, but I hadn't actually touched anyone yet, outside of claws and scales anyway... Yet here I am doing it in a body that isn't my_ own.

_I'm actually feeling quite resentful._

_But I'm sure I'm still me right now; it's just a matter of circumstance._

Looking at Rena, I noticed that a small amount of blood had run down the stone.

_Is it deep? I'm not sure there's anything I can do._

But at that thought, a sudden realisation dawned on me.

_I haven't tried to check the system yet._

Hastily, I beckoned for the window to appear...

[Quantifying Agent: Adrian...]

[Completed...]

[All incompatibilities have been discarded.]

[[Name: Adrian (Syrin)]

[lvl: 20/20]

[Race: Angel]

[HP: 703/1503] [MP: 140/140]

[Class: Siege Breaker]

[Stat Points: 0 + (Lesser Blessing of Conah +20 all)]

[Strength: 180]

[Agility: 55]

[Mana: 30]

[Agent Compatible Abilities:

[Spatial Awareness lvl 5] [Aphantic Mana Sense lvl3] [Steel Skin lvl4]

[Light Magic lvl4 --> lvl1] [Holy Aura lvl1 --> lvl0]

[Monumental Shift lvl3] [Seige lvl1]

[Greatsword Arts lvl5] [Greatsword Mastery lvl5]]

[User Compatible Abilities:

[Lightning Magic lvl3]

[Martial Arts (Bloodletting Style) lvl2]

[Phantic Mana Sense lvl1]]

[Compatible Titles:

[Synesthesic] [One against Many] [Monster Slaughterer] [λ-Pride] ]]

_Of course... He did, in fact, focus everything he had into strength._

My nose was slightly turned up at the sight.

I wanted to look up at the sky, as if overcome by a profound level of exasperation, but there were only leaves above me.

_And the whole 'user' thing is bothering me; it could just use my name—I thought we were friends, Sys._

Jokes aside, maybe... just a huge maybe... This light magic could do something for me. I mean, if darkness is corrosive, then light is... growossive? or something.

_Absolutely infallible logic, I'm sure._

_Well, there's no harm in trying..._