The Arcane Evolution

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION

Mission accomplished! Choose a reward.

1. Earn 45 system points [Select].

2. Increase your strength [Select].

3. Memory [Select].

---

'Mel, should I select Memory again?'

~It's up to you, Host.~

After a few minutes of deliberation, I weighed the benefits of increasing my strength against the allure of uncovering another memory. Ultimately, curiosity won out. I wanted to see what the system had to show me this time.

"I choose Memory," I said decisively.

~Very good, Host.~ Mel replied, and with that, a scroll appeared in my hand. Over the next two days, through various tasks and challenges, the following memories unfolded.

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Memory 2:

"Hold the handle tight, Ra. If you strike too hard, you'll ruin the material. Look at this sword... No one among us uses it. Congratulations, you've just wasted precious resources," a male voice chastised.

"I'm sorry, Kafa. I'll do better..."

"I hope so. We have to deliver twenty swords to the queen this month. You'd better make yourself useful."

A tense silence followed, punctuated by the rhythmic sounds of bellows and metal striking metal, until Kafa spoke again.

"Come here, Ka, I'll show you how we enchant our weapons."

"Really?! Thank you, Kafa!"

Hurried footsteps echoed, followed by Kafa's voice, now tinged with pride.

"The secret, Ka, is that unlike humans, we don't use beast cores. We respect nature and use our blood."

"Our blood? But why don't humans do the same?"

"Because our blood is magical, nourished and created by the queen. We are superior to humans, and we respect nature."

"I see. When can I start enchanting my weapons? Will you teach me how to do it with our blood?"

"Be patient, Ka. I will teach you when you're ready."

---

Memory 3:

"We can now begin the coming-of-age ceremony," an older male voice announced, one I hadn't heard before.

"Today, Ka, descendant of the queen, will be entrusted with passing on the knowledge of the forge to our future family. Rise, Ka. You are now Ka'fa, caretaker of the queen's body."

"I will do all in my power, Sa'fa. I swear on our species to lead us to our highest glory."

"Our queen created you, and you will give your life for her. GLORY TO THE QUEEN!" the old voice shouted, followed by a chorus of voices.

"GLORY TO THE QUEEN!"

"GLORY TO THE QUEEN!"

"GLORY TO THE QUEEN!"

---

Memory 4:

"Congratulations, Ka, on your promotion. The queen has ordered an increase in weapon production. She wants thirty swords this month."

"THIRTY?! That's impossible, Acha. Twenty was already pushing it, but thirty? That's madness..."

"You must do it. The orders come directly from the Queen. The humans are closing in, and she desperately needs these weapons. She's even allocated a hundred liters of blood for the task."

"I see... With that much blood, it might be possible. Thank you, Acha. You may go."

The door closed, and Ka'fa muttered, "With that much blood... I might just pull it off."

This vision was longer than the others. For what felt like hours, I heard the sound of a hammer striking steel, accompanied by distant explosions. Ka'fa whispered again, "They're making quite a racket today—"

Suddenly, the door burst open, and Acha's frantic voice filled the room, "KA! YOU HAVE TO LEAVE! THE HUMANS ARE HERE—" Her voice was abruptly cut off, followed by a wet, gurgling sound.

Then, a much more human voice spoke, "Well, well, well, what do we have here? A forging whisperer... How interesting."

"ACHA! You scum! She had nothing to do with this!" Ka'fa shouted, his voice laced with rage.

"Oh yes, she did. She had everything to do with this," the human replied slowly. "And soon, you'll be next."

The room filled with the clanging of metal as a fierce battle erupted. After a few minutes, the human's voice hissed, "You're weak, whisperer. Now tell me, why did you pierce that vat of blood?"

"Why should I tell you anything? You destroy everything for your twisted pleasure—you're the cancer of this world," Ka'fa spat, his voice growing weaker.

"Oh, a philosophical whisperer... How fascinating. And do you want to know something? Until you tell me what I want to know, I'll make you suffer with this silver blade until your soul is destroyed. Do you understand?"

"Do what you must, you filth. I won't say a word."

For what felt like ten agonizing minutes, the sounds of pain and resistance filled the air before Ka'fa finally spoke, "Stop... I'll tell you something."

"Oh, now you want to talk? Hurry up then."

"A prophecy," he said, each syllable dripping with defiance.

"What does this prophecy say?"

"That we will wipe out all humans," Ka'fa said grimly.

"Yeah, sure. I can see you're a sucker for fairy tales. Let's celebrate by kicking this up a notch. You know what hurts you more than a blade?"

"..."

"I thought you didn't know. But unfortunately for you, I do. It's our blood. They say you suck our souls, but our blood corrupts you, makes you suffer until you disappear. Let's test that theory."

"Human, if I die, you won't get anything from me."

"I know that. And that's why I'm going to do it to the other whisperer—so she can warn you all that we were here. You must have been close, right?"

"Not at all. That's not how it works, stupid human."

"Mmh... We'll see."

I heard a dragging sound, likely Acha's body being moved. The human spoke again, "Tell me, whisperer, do you think if I plunge this silver blade, tainted with my blood, into her heart, it will kill her instantly?"

"No, your blood won't hurt us. Stop this and leave her out of it."

"Not a chance, whisperer. Get ready—three... two... one."

"Wait!"

"Oh, now you've decided to talk?"

"Yes. This vat of blood was meant to feed this rapier," Ka'fa said, pointing to a rapier lying against the vat.

"You feed your weapons? You're definitely not normal."

"No, by 'feed' I meant 'enchant.' But it won't do you any good—it needs whisperer blood to work. It's useless to you."

"And why were you saving so much blood, then?"

Suddenly, the sound of clashing blades and rapidly flowing liquid filled the room.

"Oh, well done. You almost got me there. But in choosing to kill yourself, you've just destroyed your precious sword for a meager cut..."

I heard the sound of a body hitting the ground, followed by the unmistakable sound of a blade piercing armor—likely the human finishing off Acha.

All that remained was the slow trickle of liquid and the human's retreating footsteps. A different set of footsteps approached, and the human commanded, "Search everything! We need to be out of here in less than ten minutes before the hive arrives. Quickly!"

Little did they know that the rapier, now soaked in both whisperer and human blood, had undergone a transformation—a series of fortunate circumstances had made it a far more powerful and stable weapon.

---

After the vision ended, I found myself sitting on my bed, contemplating everything I had just learned. Sharing the details with Mel, we drew several conclusions:

First, the creatures speaking in the memories were whispers—monsters we had no idea could speak.

Second, there was a complex hierarchy among them, far more intricate than we had realized.

Third, a prophecy existed, one that we might be the only humans to know about.

Finally, after some research and considering that these visions don't appear without reason, we deduced that the sword I had received might very well be the one created by Ka'fa, the whisperer. But if that's the case, why did the system identify it as familiar?

As I pondered these revelations, a familiar chime sounded, and a new panel appeared before my eyes with a message that caught me off guard.

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SYSTEM NOTIFICATION

Congratulations! You've listened to all the visions and drawn the correct conclusions!

Reward: Skill Arcane Evolution