If there was one way to describe the situation Vastarael was in, he was being chased like a wounded animal in a forest by vicious hunters. He could still see the hologram right in front of him, even though he wanted it to go away. And with that, it was obvious that he would be stuck in the past for a while.
[Second Test: Eliminate the monster located at the Mountain of Sinners.]
[Time limit: 70 days.]
He didn't know where the mountain was or where he was supposed to go. He had no food, no water, no information, nothing at all. He didn't know anything about the evaluation or why he was sent here or even worse, why he was being hunted. Well, he did escape an arena and freed a slave...
But other than that, he had no idea where he was and why he was here. Was it Anqerise in the past? If so, would he meet his parents here? And if he did, would it break the flow of time?
But he had no time to think such thoughts. Right now, he was escaping a horde of soldiers in a forest. There was one thing that Vastarael realized.
He was incredibly strong.
Every time he stumbled on a tree, the tree moved instead of him. He even uprooted an entire tree and threw it as the soldiers, who surprisingly dodged it like assassins. His speed was slightly reduced because of his energy drained by making Chainless his subordinate. His physical prowess was still too strong. Thanks to being the son of both a mage and a swordswoman, he wasn't affected by the lack of Essence in his body at all. Unlike mages whose bodies fall into fatigue and pain whenever they lose their energy, Vastarael didn't. He was the perfect blend of both mage and weapon user. His mother did train his physical capabilities without using energy at all so he was used to it already.
This duality made him extremely powerful in a battlefield. If he didn't have Essence to use his Runes and Mystic Circles, he would use his own strength and weapon mastery to get out of the mess.
The reason why he was running like a hunted animal was because he didn't want to kill a human. It was not because of his morals though. He was trained to kill. Every opponent he fought with during his mother's training needed to ignite his murderous intent. If he didn't fight to kill, then he would be the one who got killed instead. He didn't want to risk a lot of variables that he couldn't notice yet. Who knew what would happen if he killed them.
So, he did one simple thing.
Halting abruptly in a small clearing, Vastarael spun on his heel. The seventeen guards were closing in. His lips curled into a smirk.
"Let's even the odds."
With a flick of his wrist, he thrust his hands forward, sending a barrage of sapphire shards into the surrounding trees. They exploded on impact, sending splinters and debris flying. The guards scattered, diving for cover. Their leader barked orders trying to regroup his men but Vastarael didn't give them the chance. He unleashed another wave of sapphire. The sheer force knocked a dozen men off their feet.
He caught one guard by the collar and slamming him against a tree. The man's sword clattered to the ground as Vastarael's grip tightened.
"The Mountain of Sinners. Tell me how to cross it."
"I'd rather die than betray my post."
Vastarael sighed. He pressed his fingers against the guard's temple.
Memory Extraction wasn't a gentle process. It wasn't even particularly kind to Vastarael himself. It was an invasive, raw act, delving into someone's mind and siphoning their memories. The world around Vastarael dissolved into darkness as the guard's life unfolded before him.
First, there was light. Vastarael saw a boy laughing with his siblings, running through fields that stretched endlessly beneath a summer sky. Then came the discipline of adulthood. The rigid training, the cold metal of a blade and the weight of responsibility settling on the boy's shoulders as he became a man.
The Mountain of Sinners appeared next. It loomed in the guard's memory like a monolith. Vastarael saw secret paths winding through the treacherous terrain. He saw the whispers of the soldiers, speaking of ancient beings that roamed the mountain.
And then the memories turned darker. Vastarael saw faces etched with pain. He heard the cries of those betrayed in the name of loyalty. He felt the guard's guilt buried deep, suffocated beneath layers of duty and shame.
Every emotion and moment hit Vastarael, threatening to drown him in the sheer weight of another's life. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to endure it.
When he finally withdrew his hand, the guard slumped to the ground, lifeless. Vastarael staggered back.
"He's human. Seems that he died, huh..."
He killed a living being for the first time in his second life but he didn't feel anything. The only thing he felt was incompleteness. That was the price of Memory Extraction. It wasn't just about seeing someone's life but it was about feeling it. Every joy, every sorrow, every burden became his own, if only for a moment. Fortunately, he can use Memory Extraction to erase those memories that weren't his.
Vastarael sighed as he looked at the others.
"The Mountain of Sinners. I know the way now. And if you think you can stop me, you're welcome to try."
He turned and vanished into the forest.
"I will try to use Memory Extraction less from now on. Seems that it can kill a mortal who hasn't become an Essentia yet."
°°°°°°°
The night had settled thickly over the forest. Vastarael sat near a modest fire he built in a shallow cave. The air was heavy with the rich scent of roasting meat. He leaned back against the cool stone as he stared the hulking form of the animal they had slain. It was a deer-like creature at least two meters tall. Vastarael hadn't killed it.
Chainless had.
The crackling fire cast light on her figure as she worked to prepare their meal. Her hands moved efficiently, slicing strips of the animal's flesh and skewering them on sturdy branches she had gathered. Blood smeared her arms and face but she didn't seem to care, or perhaps she didn't even notice.
It was her arrival that had surprised him most. He was making his way toward the base of the mountain when she appeared from the shadows. Vastarael had said nothing at first. It was clear she endured her own battles over the last few hours. Now, as they shared the fire, he watched her more closely.
She hadn't said a word since she arrived. Not even when he offered her a seat by the flames. Her lips parted now and then, as if to speak but the sound that emerged was... wrong.
It struck him that even in the arena, when she had spoken, her voice was not fully there. And her words, though understandable, had been strange, almost like she was grasping at a language she didn't fully know.
"You're mute."
Chainless paused as if she had heard him. She didn't react otherwise, only continued roasting the meat, turning the skewers.
"Is that what you are? You can't speak."
He didn't expect a response and he didn't get one.
The smell of cooked meat began to fill the cave and Vastarael took one of the skewers she handed him. The meat was tender. It was surprisingly flavorful for a wild beast. Finally, he reached out to Phaenora's system.
He focused on Chainless, letting the system pull up her profile.
______
Name: [???.]
Alias: [Chainless]
Age: [???.]
Title: [Minafallen, Gladiator Maiden]
Species: [Immortal Human]
Affiliation: [Subordinate of Vastarael Richinaria]
Status: [First Phase Essentia, 201/1000]
Principal Tether: [Chain Materialization]
Base Tethers: [Regeneration], [Strength]
Major Divinities: [None]
Minor Divinities: [None]
Codex: [None]
Artifacts: [None]
Boon: [???]
Bane: [???]
_______
She was the same rank as him but he was stronger than her. In the cases of power rankings, being on the same phase did not mean that you had the same capabilities. For instance, a human Essentia and a Dragon Essentia. If none of them trained on their power, who would be stronger?
The dragon, obviously. Race and lineage was a very good advantage to rankings. And Vastarael being a Divine Being, he was definitely higher than her.
_____
[Chain Materialization: She can materialize chains made out of pure sapphire instead of metal thanks to the subordinate bond.]
[Regeneration: She can regenerate.]
[Sapphire Bond: She is linked to you through a subordinate pact. You can sense each other's locations and convey telepathic messages to each other.]
Vastarael exhaled slowly. The system confirmed what he had already suspected. She wasn't entirely natural. The way she fought and survived all made sense now. He was surprised that he got a bond with him as a subordinate. She also had Regeneration.
"Alright, Chainless. Get some rest. I'll be keeping a lookout for the night. I need to restore my essence by tomorrow and you need to rest too."
Chainless nodded in response and lay on the cave floor. She slept seconds afterwards, leaving Vastarael in wonder.
'She's a fast sleeper. Well, time for me to organize my thoughts and restore my body to its full state.'