Unexpected Encounters

It had been 5 days since Rein regained consciousness when he decided that it was time to resurface.

He navigated through the long tunnel, guided by the green glow that radiated from its walls. A minute had passed when the familiar stony path was interrupted by a silvery green mirror. A portal stood between the cave entrance and the lake, as if a sheet of glass was propped up against the edges of the water. Rein took in a large breath of air, anticipating the glorious future that lay ahead of him, and stepped forward into the depths of the lake.

As he broke the jade surface of the water, the toxic stench of fire burned through his nostrils. The air was dry, filled with the smothering heat that came from the lake's shores. Rein's humble hometown glowed orange as it caught fire, and his heart tightened within his chest as he heard the townspeople's screams.

Rein beat against the water hysterically as he rushed to shore.

He lived in Paxton, a humble town outlying Deviticus, a small region in the outer domain of the Eastern continent that was famous for its rich supply of herbs and unique life forms. The town was a small settlement built along the shores of the mysterious emerald lake, home to those of the lower class. The people were kind, and had welcomed an orphan such as himself since as long as he could remember. To Rein, the townspeople were the only family he had.

As he came closer, he discovered that a band of travelling mercenaries were plundering the town. A vein pulsed against his forehand as his blood boiled over in rage.

"Save us!" A middle aged woman cried desperately as she and her daughter staggered away from a large man cloaked in red.

Rein threw out his hand and the man in red fell to his knees, the shackles of his own body weighing down against him, chaining him to the ground. The man jerked his head toward Rein and a powerful geyser erupted from his mouth, slamming into him with the force of an ocean.

Rein lost consciousness immediately, wading in a sea of black. His anger had blinded him to the strength of the man in red which was most definitely that of at least an A-tier mage. Not only should Rein have been more cautious, but he should have known that he stood no chance against him as a C-tier warrior. As Rein despaired within his mind, a voice reached out to him.

"Wake up. Hey, wake up, there isn't much time. You aren't dead yet thanks to your emerald body, but you will be if you don't get up soon."

Rein offered no response, completely puzzled by the appearance of the alien consciousness.

"Although you aren't yet capable of defeating him, you can subdue him long enough to get yourself to safety"

There was no response.

"Activate your gravity affinity to slow his movements, and then your jade lightning affinity to strike him with a lightning bolt. It'll paralyze him for at least 3 seconds."

With no other options available, Rein opened his eyes and discreetly stretched out his hand towards him. The man's knees buckled once more, and by the time he turned to face his attacker, a sliver of jade lightning had buried itself in his chest, squeezing against his heart.

Rein was already on his feet when he saw the body of the woman lying lifeless on the ground, her daughter bawling by her side.

He dashed to her, and had picked her up with one arm when he felt half his mana deplete itself. The man had regained his senses and broken his gravitational chains, moving towards them at a lightning-like velocity.

Rein clenched his free hand with all his strength and activated the first level of his Emerald Fist. His hand shone a brilliant green as he stepped in towards the man, and it struck against his temple with the force of a mountain. As the large body fell, Rein pulled in the last of his remaining energy to create a green flash comparable with the sun and escaped.

Rein's gravity affinity allows him to weigh down any object or creature, at the expense of a large portion of his mana. When his spell is broken, the lash back consumes an even greater amount of mana while also setting his spell on cooldown for the next 10 minutes. While the Emerald Fist is an extremely powerful skill, it too consumes his energy much too quickly to be used in drawn out fights. Rein had no power to save his village, only being able to save himself and this one girl, but he knew that he would train to the very limits of his body and soul in order to become the most powerful person in the western continent.

As his ambition grew stronger, Rein contemplated the logistics of his journey.

Rein believed that the gold within the ring would be plenty for housing and acquiring the items that would supplement his cultivation. However, it would be important for him to act cautiously, as there are many who could swallow him throughout the dog-eat-dog world in which he is currently only a puppy.

The western continent was home to numerous A-tier masters, as well as a few S and double S-tiers.

In this land where the strong rule over the weak, Rein must tread carefully in order to reach the highest summit.

His current problem, however, was the girl. Where would she go now that her hometown is gone and parents were killed?

He looked at her as she lay unconscious. She was a pale skinned girl with dark, purple hair, and looked to be his own age. Although beautiful, she appeared very small and frail in his arms as she cried in her sleep.

Rein decided that he would take her to an inn in the nearest town, and discuss the matter with her when she finally came to.