The following weeks were a blur of motion and a new kind of torture for me, as I slowly but surely, became more accustomed to the life of a forest wanderer.
Each morning, I woke to the chill of morning dew, chorus of birds singing, and finally, the persistent aching of a healing body.
Really, I was even surprised I'd made it this long… Especially with just how uncomfortable the floor is.
Thankfully, it seemed like there weren't any magic beasts in the area—at least none that could potentially harm me.
Which was an extremely chilling, yet slightly relieving thought. While I still didn't know exactly where I'd ended up, I was just happy that I didn't have to fight off a pack of storm wolves looking to grab an easy meal or something.
Most of my struggles, however, manifested in the form of hunger.
The most primary ones, at least.
While my almost endless supply of snacks and berries were sufficient enough at keeping me alive, I figured that if I went on like this—on such a diet—for any longer, my body's healing process would be impacted. As for Seraphina… I still wasn't even sure.
She hadn't woken up since it all happened, so I worried about how she would even be able to eat or drink, but it seemed like whatever it is that became of her managed to help her body sustain itself.
I wasn't sure if that could be considered lucky or unlucky.
For now, I'd just have to wait, I reluctantly decided.
My routine, if it could even be called that, consisted of me throwing a few berries or sweets in my mouth in the afternoon, shortly after I woke up, followed by spending a bit of time pondering and meditating, which seemed to speed up the process of my mana recovery by quite a bit.
Although my core was only around the later stages of mid-bronze, I could feel that in due time I'd make a breakthrough to the third phase of the bronze tier.
This became a quiet source of motivation for me.
I'd say I spent roughly a week under the effects of backlash—probably the most rough time in my life.
In my two lives, even.
But the forest, for all its indifference, was a patient teacher.
Although I'd studied various ways of surviving in situations such as this, as part of Master's—...or I suppose, Haldir's—torturous training methods, experiencing it was much more different than practical theory.
One day, I managed to stumble upon a steady stream. Beneath its surface, I could barely manage to make out the faint movement of fish.
And while I wasn't the biggest fan of fish, I could recognize its value. More than just food, it offered something much, much needed…
"I can finally bathe!"
I was so ecstatic that I almost tripped into the stream.
Whoops.
After stripping myself naked on the spot, I was this close to cannonballing into the water.
But while this stream had a bit of depth to it, there wasn't quite enough for that.
And also, I was still in too much pain to try something like that. But more than that, there was something that caught my eye in the stream
The reflection of a boy no older than ten, with an incredulous expression, as if his perception of reality itself had just massively shifted.
"Is this… me?"
The deep lavender hair I'd always known—a reminder of my father—was mostly gone, replaced by an almost ghostly white, with only faint hues of purple clinging to the ends.
I swallowed, deeply unsettled by the unfamiliar stranger in my own skin. For a moment, I could see myself in the palace again, staring at myself in the mirror I found in the storage room with twinkling eyes.
There was a lull—in both action and thought—until I finally managed to pull myself away from the scene.
The cool water felt like a jolt of nostalgia, bringing me back to the days where I would occasionally take cold showers in my past life, chasing after some half-remembered promise of health benefits.
I also decided to wash my clothes and left them out on a nearby rock in order to dry, which left me sitting there, stark naked for about an hour or two, with my butt pressed against the hard surface of another nearby rock just big enough for me to fit on. It wasn't all bad, though.
Truth be told, I felt like one of the men I used to see in Greek statues, posing dramatically as I pretended to be a model for a sculptor, only minus the well defined body. Engaging in this fantasy helped to lessen my boredom. That was until an idea sparked to life, fueled by the rumbling of my hungry stomach.
It was time I caught some food.
And so, I set out to this endeavor, carefully creeping into the stream once more, eyes peeled, and still very much naked.
After a few seconds, I managed to just barely spot my first contestant. I watched as it grew closer and closer, moving towards it with absolute precision. My heart was racing and my fingers were eager for the chance to clench around my dinner. Until finally, it arrived, and like a tiger, I pounced, lunging into motion.
…Of course, I ended up with nothing but a small cluster of tiny rocks, and a slight bruise against my kneecap for lunging so quickly. "Seriously..?" I muttered, half vexed, half surprised.
But that was okay.
There was a first time for everything. Statistically, I'd have to catch at least one after some time.
Right?
…And thus the remaining hours of the day were spent in pursuit of such an endeavor.
All which failed, naturally, and did nothing but tire me out even more.
By the time night fell, I was huffing my way back to dry land, regretting my decisions.
That night was one of the most tortuous ones for me. Tired, aching, and hungrier than ever.
I was a prince… How could my life have fallen so far? I was destined to rule over an entire kingdom of people, to lead countless of them into a shared future, to revolutionize the entire world with my reign as first a prince, then hero, then king, with my profound knowledge and skill…
So just how in the hell was I bested by mere creatures of the deep?
Truth be told, I was even tempted to unleash my first stage of my beast stigma, but quickly gave up on that idea, however, seeing as I was not only unaware of the potential effects my resonance could have with the comatose Seraphina, but I also lacked a sufficient amount of mana for it—and that form really knew how to chew through my reserves. But considering the situation, it'd be best that I get more comfortable spending time within it.
But man, who knew fish could be so elusive… so insidious… so… cunning?
Suddenly, I found myself with a newfound respect for them.
Thankfully, the very next week brought about some very welcome changes.
***
Swirls of mana, pure and undefined, flitted like fireflies towards my sternum.
I drew in slow, measured breaths, feeling each individual mote gathering at the center of my chest.
The sensation was subtle, at first, and quite ticklish—a gentle tingling, as if a cool breeze were swirling within me, brushing against the edge of my awareness.
But with every inhale, the current grew stronger, the many-fold threads of mana weaving together in a delicately beautiful spiral.
I focused, impressing my intent on the flow and carefully guiding it, and it responded in kind, stretching outwards from within and gradually expanding my core. It was like watching a whirlpool form in clear waters, the currents deepening and sweeping everything away with it.
This process continued for another half an hour or so, carrying with it a coolness that soon gave way to a gentle warmth—small and gradually progressing, at first, before picking up—spreading throughout my sternum, then into my chest, and finally, my limbs.
It wasn't the burning pain of overexertion, no, but a rather comforting glow.
My heartbeat echoed in my ears as the sensation reached its peak, shining with a radiance I was sure was visible from within me, and I basked in the glory of a newly reached stage.
"Finally…" I was officially in phase three of my stage one core, hehe. Next up was a silver core.
But the thing I was most excited about was the restoration of mana in my core.
If I could best describe it, then… it'd be like having a small truck come by for your birthday and dump a pretty sizable amount of water on you?
…Ah, actually, scratch that, who would want water dumped on them? Unless it was during summertime.
So… I guess that's the analogy there.
Basically, advancing phases restores a certain amount of mana back to you. Only a tiny bit, though, completely unlike the complete restoration you get once you fully advance a core stage.
But since my mana pool was quite limited for being a bronze core, that small amount of mana was enough to push me past the effects of backlash, and into maybe… seventy percent of my maximum capacity?
Yeah. It really helped me out here…
Makes you wonder, what if I just saved every new ascension from now on for moments like these?
But of course, that method becomes less and less viable the higher you advance, since your core naturally grows to expand and would be capable of holding more and more mana, which would help prevent you from ever reaching that point anyways.
Stretching my limps, I stood up and reached out a hand, commanding a small whirl of water magic to take shape.
I cycled through this process a few more times, utilizing the three elements I was capable of. It was like stretching a muscle you hadn't used in a while, and I slowly got the feel for it again.
"This should make fishing a lot easier… And catching food in general, really."
Sighing, I moved to glance at the stream, but a slight flinch of movement caught my eye instead.
Many more seconds went by with nothing else happening, leaving me wondering if I was simply imagining things.
But, just as that thought flashed across my mind, tiny limps unfurled from their week of inactivity, shifting underneath a pristine coat of silver. It was slow at first, then the activity picked up.
My breath hitched as I watched a small fox clumsily emerge from its enduring slumber, ears twitching and soft magenta eyes searching, before settling on me.
"S-Seraphina…" The words escaped me, trembling under the weight of days worth of disbelief, worry, relief, and most of all, uncertainty.
Though what appeared before me seemed too real to refute—and she seemed to have been the exact same aloof fox I'd known for years—there was always a chance she'd be different from how she was prior to everything. These were my unspoken feelings that only grew by the day.
The more I thought about it, the less sense it made. Just how exactly was she able to transform into such a creature on the day we were falling?
She had never shown any signs of being capable of such a thing before.
It occurred to me then, after some thinking: even now, I truly wasn't entirely familiar with this magic beast I was bonded to.
Sure, we had spent years of our life together without ever separating, but at the end of the day, she was a Silver-Fur Fox of the Lychnus genus—which I'd learned were, actually, not very well known for their battle capabilities, nor were they known to be capable of transforming.
Meaning, I didn't truly really know the identity of the fox I called Seraphina.
And though I presumed we shared a bond together, the reality was that there was always a chance she had never seen it that way… If she decided to take that form again—and for whatever reason, to attack me—then there would be little I could do to stop it.
I swallowed, feeling a bead of sweat roll down my brow as her hazy, piercing gaze seemed to settle in me, slowly focusing.
After a few seconds of silence, her eyes gently shut, and I began to feel a preluding sensation in my mind, before a soft, human-like voice suddenly permeated my thoughts.
'...Hungry… and tired.'
Was all that it said.This.. is new.
The voice was soon followed by another sensation, only this one was much more tangible, yet still very much not.
I soon realized it to be a byproduct of the mental connection I shared with Seraphina—a product itself of our bond, only, for some reason, much more capable than I remembered it to be.
At first, I was only able to sense a bit of her mental state and feelings. But this time… I felt her prodding into my own mind. Tiptoeing around the metaphorical barrier, to no avail, before she sent out something like a request, was the best way I could describe it.
A gentle nudge to let her in.
…My focus slipped and before I knew it, she was in.
Along with it, there were some instinctive realizations that came with this sensation.
The voice sounded again, only this time much more confused.
'Sera… Scared? But…happy? Thinks… will be harmed…'
An incredulous scoff flashed across my mind—not my own.
'Sera stupid…'
She recoiled after saying this, and I felt her connection to my senses dissipate shortly afterwards.
There was a slight aftertaste to her thoughts though.
A lingering feeling would be better to describe it. It was one of utter contempt. Not for me, but for my worries.
I was left standing with my mouth agape, trying to process the fact that I had just been called stupid for such a thing, meanwhile Seraphina stood, her neck turning in search of something.
Ah, right. She did say she was hungry…
Something else about her caught my attention though. Just behind her, right next to her tail, there was a small stump. Of what, I couldn't tell, but it didn't seem like it'd cause her harm.
Which is what concerned me the most.
…I guess if I'm still worrying about her, there's the answer to my concerns about how things would be from now on. That was really stupid of me to think otherwise… Sorry, Seraphina.
I let out a breath that I didn't know I'd been holding, feeling a heavy weight on my shoulders suddenly ease off.
My stomach took this time to announce itself, as well, so I decided to put all of this stuff behind me.
Now that I had just broken into the next phase of my core, I was dying to test out any new improvements.
And besides…
I still had a bone to pick with those stupid fish.
***
Thus, the rest of my day was planned out for me.
It wasn't like there was anything in particular I might've been occupied with anyways, considering I was sort of lost in a random forest.
Recently, I'd been trying to stay closer to areas that I knew, as well, mainly ones that offered me more shelter and resources rather than if I had gone much further out.
It wouldn't do well to simply up and die in the middle of nowhere, after all, especially not for a prince.
But there was a more intentional reason for it all that I hoped would pay off soon.
Once I finally returned to the stream, I suggested Seraphina standby as I caught our dinner using magic.
There was something I wanted to try since it'd been on my mind. Sucking in a deep breath and stretching out my hands, I exerted my influence on the surrounding environment, remembering my time spent at the castle researching Runic Spire and all of the potential roots, bridges, and modifiers that could accompany a spell. Three simple spellrunes appeared ingrained within a translucent circle in thin air, and they read: Aqua + Parvus + Duratus.
Throughout my time being bested by these nimble creatures that reside in the stream, I spent a lot of time thinking, and most importantly, learning. Strategizing. Crafting.
All so that when the time would come, fortune would surely gaze upon me with favor. Within my time at the Esyvia Manor, I furthered my discovery of Runic Spire. Contrary to my initial belief, it was actually still widely practiced to this day. It was how Magicrafters and engineers imbued certain objects and tools with action—through the use of runes, of course.
And this is the product of my suffering…
…Of course, nothing happened as these thoughts coursed through my mind, but that was intentional.
All that's left is for me sit back and relax, and—
Before I could even finish that thought, a small bubble of water suddenly shot out of the water, about the size of my head or so. I coaxed it towards me, relishing in my sudden glory.
Encased within this bubble of water was a somewhat long and scaly creature with two bulging eyes.
Yikes…
But its appearance didn't mater—it was edible, that's all that did.
And finally, for the first time after arriving here, I was finally able to get my hands on some actual, whole food, and not berries and snacks. I spent the rest of the day fishing and gorging a little too much, which left Seraphina and I puckered out by the time nightfall arrived. We were laying on our backs, side by side, the nearby area illuminated by the light of our campfire.
If this was some type of comic from my past life, we must have looked like a certain man-animal duo that were known for their silly and comedical antics, laying here with our bellies all full.
We sat like this for quite awhile, recovering our strength and simply enjoying the fact that we had survived yet another day. My thoughts were cycling through some worn-out channels by now, but that was alright since it kept my mind occupied.
…At least that was, until a certain sound in the nearby distance seemed to shatter this illusion of peace.
"Hehe, we really hit big this time, Boss! Man, I can't believe we managed to snag ourselves such a boon! The customers are really gonna love this one, I betcha…!"
Seraphina's ears perked, and I found myself swiftly in attention.
A half-smile began to crease my lips.
No way, that can't be…
These sounds continued for a few extra seconds.
"There's people…! I'm… I'm saved!"
Putting out the fire and packing my things up—not that I had much—I quickly yet quietly set out to find these people.
If all things went right here, I could finally leave this forest!
Eventually, I managed to find their camp. It was deceivingly far to mine, but their voices traveled well through the trees, which made it possible for me to hear them from further away.
I climbed a tree and decided to scout things out first before I immediately jumped out of the bushes acting all friendly. I'm sure the sight probably would've scared the fellows, had I.
So, I watched these people from afar, studying them and trying to decide the best way to approach this situation, and who to ingratiate myself to first.
…Or wait, no. I'm royalty—it should be the other way around…!
…However, things swiftly took a turn. It was like the longer I listened in and observed them, the more unease I began to feel about the situation, for whatever reason.
Maybe it was the tones they used, or the things they discussed, but I knew that things didn't quite seem as they appeared.
There were three men in total, all dressed in sufficiently… mundane clothing—for lack of a better word—though one of them, who I found out was the leader of the bunch, wore a hood with what seemed to be made from some type of leopard-type creature.
He was also the most grizzly looking out of them all, coincidentally.
The other two—Peggy, the smallest of the crew, but also the most talkative, and Rhinbo, the biggest of them all with a crooked smile—didn't seem like the smartest bunch of people. But for different reasons…
I also noticed the faint glimmer of a sharp curved sword that rested somewhere near Rhinbo's hip, reflecting the light from their campfire.
Peggy had a small stick embedded with a dim, crude gem that I was reluctant to even recognize as a wand that he always kept in hand, waving it around and gesturing with every word.
I wasn't sure about their boss, however.
"You would think those bimbo adventures would be more strict with their rules, hehe, but they aren't! I mean seriously, Biggie, who woulda thought we'd pull off such a heist? We—of all people—the most unlucky of all of the Undertroupe. I guess that's why we're called the underdogs, right?" Peggy cackled unceremoniously at his own joke, his right hand slapping his knee as he took a lengthy swig of his beverage.
Rhinbo, who he seemed to refer to as Biggie, made no attempt at hiding his crooked smile, hearing this.
"Yeah. A real boon, ain't it? I'll tell ya, our informant sure pulled out all the stops for us. Must've seen our potential, hehe. And to smoothly be able to set such a thing up… Oh, once the boys back at the bar hear about this, we'll be seen as rising stars. It's only up for us."
He took a quick drink of whatever beverage had been in his cup, shooting a curious glance to the man sitting across from him.
"...We have it all to thank you, Boss. Without your help, we'd both have bled out in the outskirts of some rundown town by now. We owe it all to you," his voice boomed. "…And as such, allow me to present my own precious bottle of booze—specifically reserved for grand celebrations like this, haha! As a personal thank you."
Rhinbo reached for a small bottle nestling in a pocket near his boots and pulled it out. It didn't look much different than anything I'd seen before, but you could tell it was reserved for a bit more… extravagant times.
Not that I had been frequently around alcohol, of course…
Slowly, he popped the lid open and filled half of his Boss's cup with the liquid, smiling the whole way.
The man seemed to consider something, staring at his cup indifferently, before Peggy took the spotlight, looking a little envious at the fact that he had not been allowed in on some.
They bantered for a while before returning back to the subject.
"Yeah, Boss! If it wasn't for your earth magic, we would've never been able to separate the kid from her guards! Man, oh man, just thinking about it is getting me excited…" Peggy then continued, going on in disturbing detail about what they had just been up to mere hours before, before the grizzly man with a short stubble flashed a look at the two—specifically the talkative one—giving him a cold, hard stare, and shutting him up.
…Well, as cold and hard as one could muster with a single eye, anyways.
The duo seemed to shrink in on themselves as their colleagues' gaze intensified.
Finally, he stood up, taking a swig of his beverage, downing it all in one fell swoop, before he set off to a nearby carriage which was being pulled by some sort of… deer-horse hybrid(?) entering through a pretty sizable door.
Before he closed it, however, he flashed one last look.
"Idiots. Make sure the horseers are fed before you knock out for the night. And don't you think about harming our merchandise."
And with that, things went silent. I never heard from him again.
Peggy seemed to recover his senses before quickly scrambling to another side of their campsite, another carriage pulled by the same type of animals as before, only this time, the cargo/room it pulled was much smaller.
He threw a few slabs of raw meat to all of the animals involved, and a few minutes later returned to the campfire, a vexed expression lingering on his crooked face.
"Geez… Would it kill the damn bastard to celebrate for once?" He hissed in a whispered tone.
"I mean for Asteh… Esteh… Aestheryia's?—whatever her name's—sake, we hit big for once! We went through so much damn trouble for that noble kid, and it worked out…!"
Rhinbo merely shrugged as his buddy let out a stream of hushed murmurs and curses.
And after a while, he slowed down and seemed to revert back to his cheerful self, beginning to chat about his past experiences and even brag about his capabilities in water magic.
It was by then that I had already figured everything out.
These people… They're damn slave traders.
It was especially obvious after Peggy began to recount the trouble they went through by kidnapping whatever noble child they had hidden within the second carriage.
And while I felt quite strongly about the situation, the question was…
Was I capable of handing it by myself?
I could always continue to tail them to whatever town they travel to after this, and then attempt to report them to the nearest authorities. Or I could simply… not get involved. However I felt about this, I needed to proceed in a rational manner.
Up until now, I had only ever been subjected to countless sessions spent training—nothing as real as this.
And… As much as I wanted to refute it. I was afraid. I couldn't stop considering the sizes and potential might of these people had I decided to engage them in combat.
…Shit. Even after all that training—after all those nights spent wishing to the stars to allow me a chance to prove myself, to give me something… Was this all I amounted to?
…But gradually, clarity began to settle within, a byproduct of the small amount of mana I'd started to channel through my veins in attempts to cool myself down.
It wasn't the kind that'd suddenly flush your worries, no, but more so it was like a reminder.
A duty. A realization.
I wanted to be a Hero, didn't I? Then, that was all there was to it.
If I didn't steel my resolve right here and now, I would never be able to see my dreams come true.
To move beyond my days of worthlessness. I'm sure Lucien must've once experienced this.
Perhaps, every Hero and mage ever.
This was the call, wasn't it? If I ran away now, things wouldn't ever change.
Everyone has to have been worried or afraid of something once in their lifetime. But it was their response to it that mattered the most, right?
Esil's words before I left the palace still echoed through my thoughts.
The power to bring happiness to all whom I encounter…
Yeah. That's right.
I… I don't ever want to go back to how things were before. I'll never go back.
I swear it on my title as Seraphis Eltath Verlice, Prince of Verlice.
…And so, I made a promise to myself right then and there.
To continue to forge forth in this life of mine, and to blaze a path of glory befitting a Hero King.
And if that was my desire, who then could stop me?