2 THE PAST

Mahiterra, an ancient world of eternal magic, inhabited by all kinds of magical creatures. A planet ravaged by eternal conflict and struggle. A place embraced by beauty and veiled in mystery. Home to warriors, spellcasters, dragons, and much more. Here the dead can walk and plague the living amd ancient beings of untold power exist. A plane where light and darkness can manifest as living entities and gods walk with mortals.

In this world Niadra Veste had been reborn, he is currently on the smallest continent named Magi'nu. Composed of three large land masses named Zulon, Asy'ivas and Nadimoan. Here, two great nations fight for control over the lands. The great nation of Ogaron which manages the northern half of the continent. The other, the militaristic nation of Ma'ilika controlling the southern lands of the continent.

Nid resides in the southern area of Zulon, in a land called Gar'osi Forest. A remote woodland, inaccessible to most, having no direct path leading to it. To reach Gar'osi one must go through a jungle and climb the steep mountain range that surrounds it. Painting a better picture of Gar'osi Forest's isolation, only the stragglers from the land's civil war and lost wanderers were able to get to the forest in the past a hundred full moon cycles. There were only five of them, and of these five only two survived.

In Mahiterra, once sentient races become an adult they acquire advanced job classes. They transition from the basic job class warrior, mage, and archer into any of the advanced job classes as long as they meet a requirement. However the person cannot choose their desired job class directly, they advance based on their affinity. Which is why before the coming of age, children will typically train based on the class they want to be in. If one wants to achieve the advanced job class knight, they would train in the ways of the sword.They had to gain the basic class of warrior to have a higher chance of becoming a knight.

This day, the purple sky lit by the massive sun, was marked by three heavenly objects more suited in the darkness of night. To Nid these differently colored moons stamped his arrival into this world. He had seen this before after living his life in Mahiterra. Today marks the fifteenth time he had witnessed the spectacle. Ushering in his transitions to adulthood.

Nid sat by the pond in the meadow, as he waited for his class advancement ritual while reminiscing his training. "Andrasyl's training was so boring, study this plant, study that animal." he murmured with a smile, while he threw flat stones into the pond. "At least I got an ability from it, but I don't even know what to do with this ability." Nid developed [Analyze Life Form] from his time studying nature. It can decipher a lifeform's initial property, and record any witnessed property.

"She taught me magic but I was never allowed to use them outside training. I mean I understand she dislikes violence but It isn't like I'll use my spells to take over the world." Nid muttered under his breath, as stones jumped on water each time he released them from his hand.

He caught a glimpse of his reflection, the water capturing his figure and color. "I can never get used to seeing myself looking like this. I look nothing like I myself in my old world." His long black hair flowed smoothly to his shoulders. Being an elf he sported long pointy ears, a trademark of the elven race. His skin was the color of ash spewed out by a volcano. A stark contrast to his eyes, which looked as if the red moon was trapped inside both his eyes. He wore a sleeveless leather shirt and pants, the usual garb for archers. His attire were better suited for the darkness, being all black. "Elves rock! You can never go wrong with them." He said while looking at his reflection.

A ripple from a stone he threw distorted his reflection in the water. As the waving water calmed, he noticed a guy waving in the corners of his vision. It was someone Nid knew, one who lives close by. He was a well built guy with a brownish complexion, his hair long and looked as if it was covered with green moss. He had a calm and pleasing air around him and had pointy ears much like Nid. His face adorned by identical tattoos on both sides, as well as his forehead. The armor he wore looked light and thin. It was comprised of several pieces, a wooden plackart on his lower torso. His cuirass, which protected his upper torso had a metallic leaf look to it. He also sported vambraces and greaves that looked like folded long leaves. He had wooden looking pauldrons and leather pants with matching long leafy cape.

Nid knew why the guy was present, he had come for the coming of age ceremony. He was one of the two survivors who made it into the forest. One of the only two who lived to tell the tale. His name is Emerwyn Wolfsbane, an elf like Nid, a Wood Elf to be precise.

He hailed from the continent of Elmesis, the birthplace of the elves. A Vagabond who had gained knowledge of the world through exploration before settling here. He was just like Nid, a foreigner in these lands. Upon seeing the familiar face, Nid recalled Emerwyn's story, the reason why he settled in this forest.

A hundred full moon cycles ago the land was ravaged by a civil war. He was trying to explore the continent of Magi'nu, oblivious of the violent event taking place. Not knowing the place's geography, he approached a group of what he thought as natives of the land. As he walked towards the group, he felt tension choking the air. The closer he got, the more he realized that these humans had a look of someone scarred by bloody conflict. Even so, he was used to the ill treatment. People of this world tend to hate people of different races from them. He smiled, trying to look harmless while waving his hand. "Emenen lof'ar, konun asif emethel?" shouted Emerwyn. The next thing he knew, he was on the run. Attacks from the enemies whistling past Emerwyn, while they chased him weapons in hand.

"Tsk, How did I get caught up in this mess, I was just asking for directions to the nearest village." he complained to himself while running to the safety of the woods.

"Come to think of it, do they even understand elven here?" he added irritably. Arrows flew as if chasing his every movement, while bolts of flame, ice and earth exploded around him. Cuts and bruises emerged from his body, blood slowly trickling away.

He sprang up the first tree to greet him, leaping nimbly from one tree to another for cover. A forte he possessed, being one of the wood elves. Up in this towers of wood he had a chance. Being in the enemies turf and outnumbered, it would be suicide to fight back, so he fled. His every move was quick and calculated, wasting no movement, as he tried to get away from his pursuers as fast as possible. As the light faded from the skies, Emerwyn knew that nocturnal beasts are going to be on the prowl. Being an experienced adventurer he knew that most of the time, these creatures are out for blood.

"Damn, this just keeps getting better and better. Let me catch some breath." He sarcastically hissed.

Emerwyn felt eyes filled with bloodlust lock-on to him. He was bleeding and bruised but still in good shape. Be that as it may, he was not gonna risk fighting beasts he knew nothing about. So he decided to scale the mountain before him. Using each tree branch as foot and handhold, every step propelling him further to the top. He dashed from tree to tree, until he noticed shadows chasing him.

There were four behind him and two on each side, all around a few yards apart.

"This is bad, I'm already surrounded and I don't know where I'm going. These guys are fast, I'm really at a disadvantage here." he smiled wryly.

"Well, since I can't beat you in speed, I might as well slow you down forcefully." with a swift motion he readied his bow which was slung across his shoulder, pulled out three arrows out of his quiver, nocked them in a bow within a second and then did a backflip to aim it at his pursuers.

"Let's try this one!" he exclaimed, smiling proudly without a hint of fear.

He mentally activated his skill [Tri-arrow mode - Earth Pinner]. His arrows then seemed to glow for a bit then became tipped with earth. He shot the arrows simultaneously and all of them hit the ones behind him. Upon impact the earth tip expanded and encased his pursuers.

"Alright! Three down, two more to go!"

While he was celebrating mentally, he did not notice that the one on his left side was now darting towards him. 'Slash' A hot searing sensation shot throughout his right arm, and he felt warm thick liquid flowing out of his arm. He looked at his arm to discover 3 gaping wounds with blood splattered everywhere. With blood gushing out his wounds, he looked for a place where he can hunker down and patch himself. [Sonar Scan] He activated one his magics, and with a snap of a finger, he found one. A huge hole in the base of a tree. Activating a skill, [Swift Step] he boosted his speed and was able to shake off his remaining pursuers.

"Tsk! I got careless. They really are fast." He uttered with disbelief while looking at his wounds. His strength was faded each time more blood gushed. He grabbed a potion from a small satchel on his hip and splashed it over his wounds. His wounds sizzled and bubbled, after a while he stood up. He stood up and gave the area a quick scan. He could not see them, but his instincts tell him that they are there. Hidden among the trees, waiting for a chance to seal the hunt. He reached out towards his injured arm, running hands along the wounded flesh. "Good thing this stuff works." He told himself, as the previously wounded arm had now no trace of any injury. "I need a better vantage point, If I want to survive this night. I need an escape route."

Emerwyn knew it would only be a matter of time before his hunters find him. He also knew that there are other beasts in this jungle that might go after him. So he made a gamble, he crawled out the small space he hid in. Carefully pulling himself out, trying not to make a sound. Then with a small grunt, he effortlessly jumped up the gigantic tree's branch. He squeezed through the canopy, and sat amongst its leafy branches. "It would have taken me days to get out of the woods." he said, after getting a better picture of his surroundings. In his eyes, was a reflection of a vast thick jungle, with the only clearing found on the summit of a mountain range. "This is going to sap a lot of magic, but if I stay here I'm going to become animal food." He reached inside another satchel on his back, this one a little bigger than the previous. As he pulled his hand out, a piece of paper was lodged between his fingers. He opened the paper, on it were symbols written in a sort of rectangular pattern. He threw the paper in the air, then without a word, cast his spell. [Mini Gate] The symbols gave out an eerie light, black and purple mixing in a dance like pattern. The dark light then expanded, forming some sort of black mirror. Emerwyn reached out and grabbed another paper, this a lot longer. He unrolled the paper and activated the runes inside. [Dimension Door] Again the blackness from the symbols joined forming a much larger mirror like door.

He jumped inside, the blackness creating ripples like when one disturbed water. Absorbing his body into the void, little by little the door-like structure dissolved. It's magic symbols disintegrated, erasing the trace of it ever existing. Far above the mountain, the same symbols started etching itself into the ground. Soon another door had materialized. A hand slowly reached out, followed by Emerwyn's full emergence. "Whoo! This spell is really draining." He said, while slumping down on the barren ground on the mountain peak. "At least I can finally get a breather." his vision blurred, as the tension in his body evaporated. With the majestic view of the jungle he just covered, his heart was at ease before blacking out. "This is a beautiful place, almost as beautiful as the wood elven lands. I really pushed myself covering such a distance. . ."

He awoke wide eyed, ears twitching to the sound of wings beating in the air. The same bloodlust loomed in the atmosphere, making the hair in his body stand on ends. "Really? They were able to find me here?" He grabbed his bow slung over his shoulder, took arrows from his quiver and nocked it on the bow. His eyes scanned his surroundings for the source of the malice that he felt. His jaw almost dropped as he witnessed the predators that chased him flew over the canopy, with more springing out of the jungle. They let out blood curdling cries, as they home in on their prey. Emerwyn formulated a plan in his mind, while observing his enemies. They were now bathed in the fading light of the moons, but from the darkness he can still make out their shapes. "Birds?" he whispered. These avians had long black beaks, complemented by its shiny black feathers. With scarlet eyes that seemed to desire bloodshed. It had a size rivalling some of the smaller races, being half the height of Emerwyn. It's with was as tall if not taller than the wood elf, as it spread its wings that blot out most of the light. "These things are huge, how can these things be so fast? Tsk. more importantly how were they able to find me?"

The wind blew stronger the closer they flew towards him, he sucked in air and shouted. "Bring it!" He aimed the arrow towards the swarm of darkness. The dirt colored light formed a drill like tip on his arrow, and released. [Stone Piercer] the arrow shot straight through the flock, killing two as they got pierced in the chest. A hole in the shape of a perfect circle and the size of a fist formed in their chest. Blood sprayed in the air, causing it to create a rain made of blood. Without a second thought he nocked three more arrows, and used another archer skill [Tri-arrow mode - Earth Pinner]. Effortlessly capturing three more to fall down crashing. [Dual Arrow Shot], light covered arrows sliced through the air, aimed at the largest bird leading the flock.

Using its large wings, it blasted a strong gust of wind. The arrows flying towards clashed with the blast of wind, making it wiggle in the air and fall limply back to ground. Seeing this, Emerwyn eyed the large bird, and silently conjured a plan to take the beast down. To his surprise, the bird started getting deformed as it slowly made its descent. Limbs resembling that of a humanoid started forming from the wings that had shrunk. Its bird like feet, started shortening and forming a pair of feet, along with its head and body. Soon, what stood in front of him was no longer a gigantic black bird but a human. It emitted blood lust so strong that it almost had a smell. "Fresh meat! Do struggle for me, I've never had your kind before." the thing said confidently, with a belittling tone.

"I won't taste good, I promise you." Emerwyn answered. While he kept his main focus on the being in front of him, he saw passing glimpses of the other birds circling above him. Like ominous vultures waiting for his death so they can begin the feast. He reached for his arrows, deftly manipulating them as he readied for the upcoming confrontation. [Swift] [Earth Skin] He activated his skills and magic, boosting his proficiency. "Hopefully upping my evasion and armor would be enough." he told himself, with a gulp of air, he vanished. He popped out the humanoid's back, then released the nocked arrow [Stone Piercer].

The humanoid stood still, and with a wave of its hand, a wall of wind caught the arrow. [Wind Wall] With a smile, it turned its head towards Emerwyn. But then the arrow which appeared to be caught, pierced through the wall of wind and took out one of its ears. "Gaahh!" Rage filled its eyes as it screamed in agony. The wood elf's ears was bombarded not only the being in front of him but also by the blood chilling cries of the ones that flew above. Its hands lit up, a sign of spell being cast. "I'm gonna kill you for that! You piece of meat dare to hurt me!" [Blood Rage] [Rage Form] [Frenzied Feeding]

The humanoid in front him, shivered and clawed its skin. Its hands and feet peeled its flesh, turning inside out as sharp talons appeared in its place. Its mouth extended into a beak, lined with sharp teeth. Feathers grew The birds that flew above suddenly dove its sharp beaks pointed at Emerwyn. The spectacle made the elf swallow the saliva that pooled inside his mouth. He knew that his chance of surviving is plummeting fast, outnumbered and tired as he is. He knew that he needed to move fast, but before he could even act, the humanoid disappeared in a gust of wind. "Where di. . ." Before he could even finish his thought, another sharp sting erupted from his side.

He looked behind him, to find his body pierced by the claws in the beings hand. "Suffer insect!" Emerwyn placed both his foot on his attackers chest and kicked it hard. He was blasted away from its grasp, as he skid on the uneven ground. "Crap!" He muttered while a black mass of blood thirsty birds dove towards him. He ran, but even when his mobility was boosted by [Swift Step], the sheer number of his attackers meant that full evasion as impossible. "Tsk, one blessing after another. I have enough magic and aura for one more gamble." He nocked another while he ran, [Black Flash] then in an instant was gone. Which baffled his pursuers, screaming and crashing into each other. "Ahh!!! Find him!" the being shouted at the flock of monsters he commanded. A glint of light made the rabid leader of the flock, turn its head. "Bye." [Hyper Shot] Emerwyn released the arrow, bathed in a bright aura. It roared with wind swirling around it as the arrow traveled in the air. He fell on his knee, his breathing labored. "I need to go." He said, as he stood up and limped towards the other side of the mountain.

The being was caught off guard, wide eyed at the approaching power that threatened to end him. "Shield me!" He shouted at the birds. Sparking some of the dark avians to fly in front of their master. With layers of meat shield stacked in front, it braced itself. Putting both his feathered arms in front of him. Within seconds of being shot, it hit them. The force of the impact blew away dust, dirt and stone. All the layers of its so called meat shield vaporized. The shapeshifter stood, black blood dripping from the massive damage. A quarter of its body had now been lost, minced by the power of the attack. It dropped on the ground, blood pooling around it from its gaping wound.

Meanwhile Emerwyn kept moving, limping his way to survival. He stumbled and crawled, trying to reach the peak of the mountain. Exhausted, his vision blurred, his body bloodied. "Is this my. . . time? Dying as bird food. . . doesn't sound appealing . . . to me." he lamented, his face kissing the dirt while forcing his limbs to move him forward. With all his remaining strength he then pushed himself over the peak to the other side. It was a huge fall, he rolled and tumbled on the rocky slope. Flashes of pain surrounded him, he could hear his bones creak and crack, all the while blood abandoned his body, until he fell on a river. This act saved him though, as he had fallen inside Gar'osi Forest where he was later found unconscious, and saved by Andrasyl herself. After a while, he regained his strength and then swore fealty to Andrasyl. Emerwyn has lived inside the Forest ever since, abandoning his wandering ways.