Enthralling Presence

"Who will finish it?"

Melissa swallowed hard, feeling the weight of the question hanging in the air. Her grip tightened around her spear, the cool metal oddly comforting against her sweaty palms.

In that moment, she wished desperately that she could trade places with her husband Yusuf, his steady hands and focused gaze aimed at the boar from a safe distance. His bow and arrow seemed a much more sensible weapon than her up-close-and-personal spear.

Melissa's eyes darted to her friend Annabelle, who was busy murmuring words of encouragement to her daughter, Stella. Both of them, brimming with a magical aura, seemed completely engrossed in their roles as mages.

Her mother, Emmanuelle, however, was as unfazed as ever. Standing comfortably at the back, she held her staff high, her healer role enabling her to stay removed from the actual fight.

A sense of dread filled Melissa. She had to do this. She had to kill the boar. If not for herself, then for her son, Adam.

This was the path he'd chosen, and she'd be damned if she couldn't walk in his shoes, even if it was for a little while.

With a final look at her husband, who gave her a reassuring nod, she inhaled deeply and stepped forward, spear in hand. The boar's panicked grunts and the tense silence of the forest drowned into a muted background noise as she faced her gruesome task head-on.

"It's me," she declared, surprising even herself with the resolve in her voice. "I will finish it."

The hive unit gave a faint nod of acknowledgement, and Melissa's heart pounded as she approached the fallen boar. The sharp spear felt heavy in her hands, its tip gleaming ominously under the forest's dappled light.

This was it. She was about to kill, to spill blood. Just like her son had. A shudder ran through her as she steeled herself.

'No going back now.' As a mother, this was her path.

With a heart pounding like a drum, Melissa advanced towards the boar. Each step seemed to amplify the fear she felt, but also the resolve. This was for Adam, a phrase that had become a mantra in her mind, helping her push through each difficult moment.

The boar looked at her, its eyes reflecting fear and confusion.

"Now," she whispered, launching herself towards the beast.

The spear felt like an extension of her arm as she thrust it forward. Her body, powered by adrenaline, moved fluidly. The boar tried to scramble away, but it was too late. The spear found its mark, sinking into the boar's flesh.

A guttural sound filled the air, a mix of the boar's agony and her own gasp of shock. The creature's struggles lessened, its lifeblood seeping into the forest floor.

Melissa found herself caught between her past and present. The terrified eyes of the boar staring up at her a stark contrast to the PowerPoint presentations and corporate boardrooms she was accustomed to.

The spear in her hand, still shaking from the force of the thrust, felt alien compared to the sleek, cool touch of a laptop keyboard.

Melissa had been a force to reckon with in the corporate world, but here in the Dreamverse, she was a warrior. And this shift, this new identity was a heavy mantle to bear.

A wild boar lay dying at her feet, its life extinguished by her hand. It was a stark and unnerving reality that turned her stomach.

As she stood, the spear hanging limply from her hand, she felt a wave of despair crash over her. She had walked this path to better understand her son, Adam, to experience his journey in the Dreamverse.

But this - the raw, visceral violence, the life or death battles - she hadn't fully grasped what it would entail. The feeling of taking a life, the burden of it weighed heavily on her.

She felt sick.

Her gaze fell on Yusuf, his face mirroring the turmoil she felt. He took a step towards her, his bow loosely hanging in his hand. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into a comforting embrace.

"It's hard," he whispered, "I know."

"Adam," she choked out, her voice barely a whisper, "our son, he's had to do this, live this way."

"I know," Yusuf said again, his voice steady and reassuring. "But we're here now. We can understand, help him in a way we couldn't before."

In the silent, watchful expanse of the forest, Melissa and Yusuf found solace in their shared embrace. But the tranquility was abruptly shattered by the dismissive voice of her mother.

"We can't afford to dally. Loot the poor creature and let us be on our way." Her voice held a dismissive edge, a coldly detached order devoid of any semblance of empathy.

A surge of anger coursed through Melissa. The icy indifference in her mother's voice had ignited a spark within her. With a jolt, she broke free from Yusuf's hold and rounded on her mother.

"Can't you see how hard this is for me? Do you have to make this moment even tougher? Or is that just one more thing you want to take from me, like everything else?" The words tumbled out in a bitter rush, her pent-up frustration finally boiling over.

She was at her breaking point. Dealing with her mother's constant disregard and antics had chiseled away at her patience over the years, and now she was done holding back.

Matriarch Emmanuelle's reaction was swift, a single eyebrow arching in apparent surprise. Yet, her smirk held an unmistakable undercurrent of challenge. "This is the reality of the Dreamverse, Melissa. If you're not ready to face it, you should never have stepped foot here. We're in the midst of an apocalypse, and we simply don't have the luxury of indulging your weaknesses."

Melissa felt her anger flare at her mother's condescension. "Don't you dare tell me what I should or shouldn't do," she shot back, her voice shaking with pent-up frustration. "I'm not here to play games, I'm here to understand my son, and it's not made any easier by your constant criticism!"

For a moment, Matriarch Emmanuelle seemed taken aback by Melissa's outburst. But she quickly regained her composure and retorted, "Then perhaps you should spend less time being emotional and more time trying to understand."

The verbal exchange hung in the air, a stark testament to the longstanding tensions between mother and daughter.

Melissa's gaze flickered to Yusuf, her anchor amidst the storm. He met her gaze with a quiet nod of support.

Taking a deep breath, Melissa composed herself. She had had enough of arguing, of letting her mother's remarks get under her skin. "Forget it," she muttered, her voice firm. "We don't have time for this."

She turned her gaze back to the group, her resolve unyielding. "Let's go," she declared, her voice echoing in the hushed forest.

Yet, as they ventured deeper into the forest, Melissa couldn't shake off a nagging feeling. Her mother's unexpected presence in the Cult, her influence creeping into her son's life... It was something she had to confront.

She had managed to keep her mother at a distance for years, but somehow, she had slithered her way in. A knot tightened in Melissa's stomach. This was a battle she had evaded for far too long.

As they trudged through the underbrush, Melissa made a silent promise. A promise to protect her son from her mothers manipulations, to wrestle back control. It was time she fought back.

But how far would she have to go?

---

Outside, evening had turned into night, the only light a lonely glimmer from the stars. Adam was resting, his body reeling from the exertions of the day and the significant blood loss. He looked paler than usual, his face etched with weariness.

He had managed to perform another seven normal sacrifices, each time the chilling spectacle of the ibexes' dematerialization played out on the altar. Now, only two more remained before the count reached ten.

He had managed to also level up, he was now level 14. He pondered the skill that had played a crucial role in his successful kidnappings.

[Enthralling presence I](Common)(Tier 1): With an aura of darkness, your presence captivates and ensnares all who dare oppose you. This skill instills fear and uncertainty, weakening enemy resolve and undermining their combat effectiveness. Your malevolent charisma becomes an irresistible force, bending others to your will and coercing them to carry out your desires. The power of your dominion commands obedience, allowing you to manipulate minds, exploit weaknesses, and unravel the unity of your foes.

Skill upgrade mission: (0/2) Break the resolve of two of your enemies. Reward: [Enthralling presence II]

The skill, an upgrade from the tier 0 [Battle Cry] skill, had indeed expedited the process. Yet, it was a mana-hungry beast, draining him at an alarming rate. To prolong its effects, he had to invest all his remaining points into his willpower. A costly trade, but one that had proved invaluable today.

One factor that significantly eased his task was the long-awaited upgrade of his [Soul Severance II] and [Soul-Piercing Strike II] skills. They had finally evolved to their level III equivalents after much patience and hard work. These improvements not only amplified the power of his attacks but also made his undertaking of capturing the ibex a much simpler process.

Even though he had managed to secure a good number of sacrifices, he had hardly dented the ibex population. Yet, these creatures were shrewd. Sooner or later, they would notice the missing members. He needed to be cautious, maintain his pace, and reach level 15 before their wary instincts caught on.

But his goal was the sacred sacrifice, and he still lacked the elusive 'tuft of the mountain'.

He rose, making up his mind to seek this final ingredient. The ibex's hints about the tuft might be vague and unreliable, but it was the only lead he had.

From what he gathered from questioning the ibex, the tuft was most likely near the cliff face.

"Time to find this tuft"

---

Under the blanket of night, Adam looked like a specter, his pallor seeming even more pronounced in the sparse moonlight. With his vision limited by darkness, he had to be careful not to stumble into any nocturnal predator's path.

Adam headed to a different part of the cliff, a spot untouched by the ibex. His eyes scanned the rocky base and the varied vegetation that grew there, his mind wrestling with the question - what did the 'tuft of the mountain' look like? He wished the sacred scroll had provided an illustration, an image to guide his search.

Before being sacrificed, some ibex had offered snippets of information, hints to guide him. It was apparently a herb, found towards the base of the cliff, but amidst the chaotic growth of plants and weeds there, it was like finding a needle in a haystack. While the tuft was not considered extremely rare, its identification amidst this green confusion was proving to be quite a challenge.

He scrutinized each herb he came across, his hopes deflating with every headshake. It seemed as though his search would end in disappointment until he spotted an odd-looking formation.

What seemed to be clumps of fur clung to the cliff side. It didn't resemble any plant he had seen before, but intuition told him that this was it.

With a mix of excitement and caution, he approached and inspected it.

His heart leapt with joy as his suspicion was confirmed - he had found the 'tuft of the mountain'. Carefully, he pried it from the cliffside, trying to minimize the damage.

He lacked the appropriate skills for delicate extraction, and a few strands broke off. Yet, the damage was minimal, and he held the tuft in his hands, his mission one step closer to completion.

As Adam started collecting more of the tuft, a sudden bleat sent a chill up his spine.

Slowly, he turned to face the source of the sound.

A blue ibex, unlike any he had seen before, stood there, glaring at him.

Upon inspection, he felt his heart drop.

[Voltstalker Ibex, Level 83 (Tier 2)]