The light drifted through the cave like slow, golden snow.
Sophia crept closer to the nearest cluster of plants. They grew from the cracks in the stone, thin silver stems topped with bulbs that pulsed softly, as if breathing. Each pulse released a puff of glittering spores that floated up toward the ceiling.
"Okay, that's pretty," she whispered. "System, are these dangerous?"
[Analyzing... Luminar Bloom detected. Non-toxic. Absorbs ambient mana from the surrounding stone and releases it as light. Edible.]
"Edible?" Her stomach growled right on cue. She hadn't eaten anything since waking up in this world, and the chase had burned whatever energy she'd had. "Is it... good for me?"
[Consuming a Luminar Bloom restores a small amount of HP and stamina. The host's passive skill, Nibble, will also allow the host to absorb trace mana from it.]
"Nibble works on mana plants too?" She looked down at her paws, then back at the bloom. "Fine. I'm a bunny. It's basically salad."
She bit off one glowing bulb. It tasted like honey and cold water, and warmth spread from her belly through her whole body. The ache in her legs faded, the scrape on her back stopped stinging, and for the first time since the wolves, her heart slowed down.
[HP restored: 12. Stamina restored: 20. Trace mana absorbed. Magic Manipulation is now active.]
"Magic Manipulation?" Sophia froze. Underneath her ribs, something she hadn't noticed before was moving: a faint, warm current, flowing in and out of her like a second pulse. That's mana. I can actually feel it.
She closed her eyes and tried to follow it. It was clumsy at first, a stream slipping through her fingers, but after a few minutes she could nudge it from her chest down into her paws. Her fur tingled.
"This is so cool," she breathed. Then she remembered the dead wolf and her smile faded a little. I should be careful. I'm strong enough to hurt things now, and I'm not sure I like how easy that was.
She ate two more blooms to be safe, then looked deeper into the tunnel. The glowing plants lined the walls as far as she could see, leading downward, away from the collapsed entrance.
"System, is there another way out?"
[Scanning... Behind the host, the entrance is blocked. Ahead, the tunnel continues for approximately 300 meters before branching. Several lifeforms detected in the second branch. Power level unknown.]
"Unknown?" She swallowed. "That's worse than 'strong.'"
[Host, a suggestion: Rest here before proceeding. The Luminar Blooms will continue to restore stamina. The host's current level is 1. Unprepared exploration is not recommended.]
She looked at the tunnel, then at the glowing flowers, then at her small, shaking paws.
"...Yeah. Okay. A short nap first."
She curled up beneath the brightest bloom, her nose tucked under her tail, and let the light wash over her. For the first time since her death, she felt safe. As she drifted off, she noticed that the spores weren't only floating toward the ceiling anymore. Some of them were drifting toward her, settling into her fur like tiny stars.
[Notice: The host's body is absorbing ambient mana at an abnormal rate.]
Sophia was already asleep and didn't hear it.