The group sat in a loose circle within the small clearing they had claimed as their temporary refuge. The towering dungeon loomed in the distance, its dark silhouette a constant reminder of the challenges that lay ahead.
But right now, the group's focus was inward, on the gifts they had received from the obelisk and the insights they had gained.
The air was thick with the scent of pine and earth, the forest around them alive with the sounds of rustling leaves and distant bird calls. The fire crackled softly in the centre of the clearing, its warm glow casting flickering shadows on the faces of the group.
Each of them was lost in thought, processing the knowledge and power the obelisk had bestowed upon them.
Sam was the first to break the silence. He sat cross-legged, his notebook open in front of him, filled with hastily scribbled notes and sketches. His eyes were distant, his mind still reeling from the flood of information the obelisk had poured into him.
"The obelisk…" Sam began quietly and thoughtfully. "It was a repository of knowledge, a guide for those who seek to understand this new world. I can't explain it all, but I feel like I've gained a deeper understanding of the world around us. More specifically I feel like I better understand mana."
"You're our key to getting stronger then, huh? Let us know when you figure it out enough to teach us." Victor smiled.
Sam nodded, his gaze returning to his notebook. "I'll do my best. There's a lot to understand… a lot to process."
Lily, who had been quietly listening, spoke up next. She stared into the fire, but her mind was elsewhere, still attuned to the subtle vibrations of mana in the air around her.
"I can sense mana more clearly now. It's not just a hum anymore—it's like I can distinguish different frequencies, different signatures. I can feel the mana of the forest, the dungeon, even each of you. It's like… I can identify someone just by their mana. It's strange, but it's also like a beautiful symphony."
Ethan grinned. "So, you're like a mana detector now? Can't sneak around anymore."
Lily rolled her eyes, a faint grin creeping up her lips. "Don't worry, Ethan. Your mana is about as subtle as a punch to the face. I won't be able to miss you."
The group chuckled. Then Ethan's expression grew serious as he spoke about his own gift.
"It showed me how to guide my mana, how to circulate it within my body. I can feel it now, like a current flowing through me. If I focus, I can make it move, strengthen my muscles, sharpen my reflexes."
Victor's eyes narrowed as he studied Ethan. "That's good, it'll make you stronger in a fight. Just don't over do it."
"I know. I'll take it slow."
AJ, who had been quietly absorbing the conversation, rippled slightly, his form shifting as if to draw attention to himself. The group turned to him, their expressions curious.
"AJ," Sam said encouragingly. "What about you? What did the obelisk give you?"
AJ's form shimmered, and for a moment, nothing happened. Then, a low, resonant hum filled the air. It was a strange sound, almost like a voice, but not quite. The hum grew louder, more distinct, until it formed into words.
"I… can… speak," the words slow and deliberate, but unmistakable.
The group stared at him in stunned silence. It was the first time AJ had been able to communicate with them properly since the wish event, and the sound of his voice—if it could be called that—was eerie yet comforting.
"AJ…" Lily said with awe. "You can talk?"
AJ's form rippled again, the hum returning. "Not… talk. Manipulate… mana. Create… sound."
Sam's eyes widened as he realised what AJ was saying. "You're using mana to vibrate the air, to create sound waves just like the obelisk... I'm guessing that's part of what it gave you."
AJ's form shifted, as if nodding. "Yes. Obelisk… gave me… knowledge. Blueprint… for my body. Can… change. Grow. Adapt."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what do you mean? Like you can make your body bigger? Change its shape?"
AJ's form shimmered, and for a moment, his gelatinous body began to shift and reshape itself. His form elongated, his slime-like body taking on a more humanoid shape. It was very rough and imperfect, but the resemblance was unmistakable.
AJ stood before them, about the height of a toddler, a slime in the rough shape of a human, his features blurred and indistinct, hardly recognisable.
The group stared at him in awe. "That's… amazing," Sam said with wonder. "If you can shape your body like that, it opens up so many possibilities. You could mimic other forms, adapt to different situations… I assume you can create more of your own slimy material, I wonder if you can create another, separate body... like a clone..."
AJ's form rippled, the hum returning. "Maybe. But… difficult. Need… more mana... and practice."
Victor briefly smiled. "This is good. If you can adapt your form, it'll make you more versatile in a fight."
AJ's form shifted again, returning to his more familiar, amorphous shape. "Yes... I will... be useful."
Walter, who had been quietly observing, finally spoke up. His voice was calm, but there was a renewed energy in his tone, a sense of purpose that hadn't been there before.
"It didn't give me power or knowledge, not in the way it did for the rest of you. But it… it showed me a new perspective. I've spent my life looking back, reflecting on the past. But the obelisk reminded me that the future is a choice. We have the power to shape our own destiny, to rise above the challenges we face. It's… it's given me a renewed sense of purpose."
Ethan patted him on the should. "You and your wisdom are important to this team, never forget that."
Finally, Victor turned his attention to himself. The others looked at him expectantly, curious about what the obelisk had given him.
"I can suppress my mana—though I'm not entirely sure what it does. I'm guessing I should be able to hide myself from you, Lily, and therefore hide from monsters with similar abilities."
The obelisk had given them all something—knowledge, power, insight—but it had also reminded them of the challenges they faced. They were growing stronger, but the road ahead was still fraught with danger.
As the conversation died down, each member of the group found themselves drawn to experiment with their newfound abilities. The fire crackled between them, but their attention had turned inward, to the strange new sensations and knowledge the obelisk had gifted them.
Sam was the first to move, pulling out his notebook and writing down notes, he was focused on understanding mana. He wanted to know more about cultivating, how to do it, what they stand to gain, and want they stand to lose.
Meanwhile, Lily had closed her eyes again, focusing on her companions. The symphony of mana signatures was becoming clearer, each signature distinct and fascinating.
Victor's mana felt like a tightly wound spring—controlled, efficient, with layers upon layers of restraint. It pulsed with a stead rhythm that somehow reminded her of a heartbeat under pressure.
Ethan's signature was completely different—raw, powerful, like standing next to a bonfire. His mana surged and dipped with his emotions, currently elevated from excitement about his new abilities.
Walter's mana surprised her the most. It felt deep and complex, like roots spreading through rich soil. There was wisdom in it, patience, but also something new—a bright thread that represented his new found hope.
"This is incredible," she whispered, opening her eyes to look at her companions. "I can feel how you're all different. Victor, your mana is so... structured. And Ethan, yours is like—"
"A punch to the face?" Ethan grinned, flexing his shoulders. He'd been experimenting too, trying to feel the mana within himself. It was elusive, like trying to grab water, but occasionally he caught glimpses of it flowing through his body.
"Actually, more like standing too close to a bonfire," Lily laughed. "But in a good way."
Ethan concentrated, his face scrunching with effort. For a moment, nothing happened. Then his eyes widened as he felt it—a warm current moving through his arms. His next movement, reaching for a water skin, was faster and more fluid than usual.
"Whoa," he breathed. "I felt it that time. It's like... like my blood turned into lightning for a second."
Victor had closed his eyes and attempted to follow the obelisk's guidance about suppressing his mana. It was counterintuitive—instead of reaching for power, he had to let it go, make it smaller, dimmer.
The process felt like trying to hold his breath, but with his entire being. Slowly, carefully, he imagined pulling a blanket over his mana signature, muffling it.
Lily's eyes snapped open. "Victor, I can barely sense you," she said, her voice filled with wonder and a touch of unease. "It's like you're... fading."
He opened his eyes, and she could sense him clearly again. "Interesting," he said, though the effort had left him slightly drained. "It takes concentration, but it works."
AJ had been attempting something far more challenging. The knowledge of how to reshape his form was there, but translating it into action was proving difficult. His gelatinous body rippled and shifted as he tried to make sense of the blueprints the obelisk had given him.
He managed to extend part of himself upward, creating something that might generously be called an arm, but it was unstable and collapsed after a few seconds. The effort of creating sound waves to communicate was easier—he could feel how to vibrate his form to create the resonance needed.
"Hard... to hold... shape," his voice echoed, the words clearer than his earlier attempts but still slow and deliberate.
"It's like learning to walk all over again, isn't it?" Walter observed kindly.
Walter himself had been reflecting on the obelisk's message about choosing the future. While the others experimented with tangible abilities, his gift seemed more philosophical. Yet as he watched his companions, he felt a clarity he hadn't experienced in years.
He could see how their abilities might complement each other, how their individual strengths could be woven together into something greater. It wasn't knowledge in the way Sam had received it, but rather an intuitive understanding of leadership and group dynamics.
"We'll need to practice these abilities systematically," Walter said, his teacher's instincts emerging. "Not just individually, but together. We need to understand how they interact, how we can support each other."
Sam looked up from his notes, excited. "Yes, and I think I understand enough now to help guide that process. The patterns I'm seeing... mana manipulation follows certain rules, certain flows. If we understand those, we can improve our training."
The group spent another hour in quiet experimentation, each pushing the boundaries of their new gifts.
As the fire crackled and the shadows danced on the trees, the group knew one thing for certain: they were no longer the same people who had entered the forest. The obelisk had changed them, set them on a new path.
Now, it was up to them to walk it.