Gasping for breath, the raggedly dressed man kept running, ignoring the pain in his chest and across his back. From time to time, he glanced behind to make sure no creatures were following him.
Kaelen stumbled several times over stones or merely dry twigs, yet he always got back up despite his body being covered with scratches and wounds.
Once he deemed it safe enough, he paused briefly to steady his heavy breathing. Kaelen bent forward slightly, with the spiritual mist around his body becoming more visible.
"It seems they've stopped chasing me," he muttered.
His memory drifted back to some time ago when he had woken up tied to a massive tree. At that moment, Kaelen saw no creatures guarding him. Seizing the opportunity, he decided to escape. But, of course, nothing went that easily.
"With my strength drained and no talent to speak of, it's impossible for me to get out alive. Right now, I'm relying solely on my mind," Kaelen murmured, surveying his surroundings carefully.
He stared at the hole still in his chest, dried blood crusting around it. Then his gaze shifted to the sky as dawn began to break. "I only have one day and one night left to obtain a new Elarith. If I fail, I will surely die."
After racking his brain for a moment, the man finally thought of something that might be true. "They will use me as an offering during the month of Aelurnis. The month when the inner whispers never stop for the Vey'zareth race who haven't awakened their Vaerloch and received their first Velhara. If I'm not mistaken, they only target those whose curses haven't awakened yet. That means I don't meet their criteria."
"That means if I can prove my Vaerloch has awakened, there's a chance I can escape. And the only way I can think of right now is... to ask for help from my Vaerloch," he muttered seriously. "I've never heard anyone talk about this before, not even my father. But I have no choice. Even if I die, at least I tried instead of sitting idly waiting for it all to end."
Kaelen didn't know how to communicate with his Vaerloch. This was his first awakening, and he was trapped here alone. More precisely—he was deliberately abandoned here.
He focused, trying to channel his inner energy despite his Elarith being taken away. His previous talent was as a knight with the light element. So he did his best to gather sunlight in his mind, then let it flow freely.
[Danger zone! Continuing will risk death!]
Kaelen ignored the whisper. He kept doing whatever he wanted. A while later, his body completely weakened. He found himself in a completely empty space. Truly empty—nothing but himself walking inside that void.
Kaelen swallowed hard as his footsteps echoed loudly. Yet he dared to face his own fear.
"Nyldorakh! I know you're inside my consciousness, inside my body. I need your help this time," he half-shouted. No answer came back, only his own voice echoing and bouncing off the empty space.
But the man did not give up. He kept walking slowly while observing his surroundings. "I'm not asking for your help for free. I know there will be a price for what I request today. And I'm not someone who breaks promises—not after everything that happened that landed me here in Xal'zarioth."
Kaelen bowed his head, memories flashing back to just before he came to this place. Shadows of those who left him, deliberately abandoned him, even destroyed his Elarith just because he had the most coveted talent. It shook his heart until, without realizing it, a silhouette of a massive dragon appeared before him.
It did not show its true form; what stood before Kaelen was merely a shadowy dragon-shaped figure—whatever the term.
"You dare enter your own consciousness. Even at a time when I should still be asleep, why do you dare to show yourself before me?" The voice thundered like the sky, deafening anyone who heard it, including Kaelen.
For the first time in his life, Kaelen felt living in Zyretheil was truly a curse of curses. Because facing him now was his own curse, something born from the first darkness. Something feared by other Vey'zareth—but Kaelen challenged it by entering a forbidden place.
The man lowered his head. "I'm sorry. I don't even know how you could awaken when I'm not yet fifteen years old."
"I was born from the first darkness, from the last light shining in Zyretheil. A Vaerloch can only be awakened when its owner endures deep suffering and despair. But you faced it too early, forcing me to awaken early as well."
"I never wanted to be here. But this time, you must help me, no matter what price you ask." Kaelen spoke earnestly. He dared to lock eyes with the majestic creature floating before him. Although he could not see what it really looked like, "If I die now, then you die too—that's a fact."
For a moment, silence filled the void until Nyldorakh spoke again. "Bring me three fire-element Thren. That is the price you must pay for your request today."
"Fire-element Thren? That's rare in a place like first-level Xal'zarioth, which only has forests and plants. But if I don't agree, I can't leave either," Kaelen thought.
Thren is a rare treasure obtained after adventuring into certain Veraxa, or given as a gift. It can serve the Vey'zareth race, their Vaerloch, or several other races.
Veraxa is a region often used as a trial ground for all Vey'zareth in Zyretheil. It can be a wild, unstable area like ancient forests, bottomless chasms, or anything else. Veraxa doesn't have to be inside the Forbidden Regions, but Forbidden Regions definitely contain Veraxa scattered within.
Seeing his companion silent, Nyldorakh finally said, "You're not capable? Then struggle on your own. I don't need to live to prove my existence. But you need to exist in this world for your great ambition."
As the figure spread its wings to turn away, Kaelen shouted, "I agree!"
That made Nyldorakh halt. He turned back, though only a shadow was visible. Kaelen continued, "I agree to bring you the fire-element Thren. But I need time. Right now I'm at level one, which is all forests and plants. But I see level two has barren land, almost like hell. I'm sure I can get it there."
"So what must I do?"
"You only need to show those people that my Vaerloch has awakened, and they will release me."
After a pause, Nyldorakh finally said, "You lost your Elarith; I can't channel my power for you to borrow. But I can borrow your body to show my power to them."
Without asking further, Kaelen nodded. "Fine, let's do it!"
Kaelen turned to return to his own body, but Nyldorakh's voice stopped him again. "That will drain much of my power. So the price is your age limit to complete Zyretheil's rules will be reduced by one year. Can you bear that?"
The man fell silent for a moment, then looked back at Nyldorakh. "So I only have ten years from now to conquer eight Forbidden Regions?"
The Forbidden Regions are not ordinary battlegrounds like Veraxa. They are places where anyone who enters stakes their life to survive. Throughout history, the choice for those who enter the Forbidden Regions has only been two: first, leave alive as a winner, or second, never return—never known if alive or dead.
"Yes."
Before Kaelen could respond, Nyldorakh displayed writings on his body.
[Danger! Enemy Approaching!]
[Name: Moinnaphu
Race: Drae'vanyth
Age: 47 years
Height: 392 cm
Weight: undetected
Gender: masculine
Origin: first-level Xal'zarioth (Elyndor)
Status: Elder/leader of the race
Core power: nature]
---
Outside—one of the half-root creatures native to this place—was approaching Kaelen's body, whose soul was unknown if it had returned or not. He was someone they called 'Elder'.
Quietly, Moinnaphu—the Elder who always carried a wooden staff wherever he went—widened his leaf-shaped ears. He sniffed carefully, making sure Kaelen was still there.
But when the bindings on Kaelen suddenly snapped, Moinnaphu immediately pointed his staff forward to defend himself. Kaelen's body floated in the air, his eyes blackened.
"How could you still have power? Your Elarith was taken and destroyed!" Moinnaphu shouted in disbelief. Though his five eyes didn't work well, he still looked up at the floating Kaelen.
"This body is mine. No one can take it away, including you," Kaelen said. But Moinnaphu realized that was not Kaelen's voice. How could a 14-year-old's voice sound so fierce and deep?
Without waiting any longer, Moinnaphu stomped the ground forcefully, causing dozens of vines to climb up. They nearly reached Kaelen until he breathed fire from his mouth, burning the plants.
"Red Dragon Fire!" Kaelen shouted loudly.
The fire from his mouth spread, almost touching Moinnaphu's roots. The masculine figure quickly dodged and leapt to cling to a large tree behind him. Hearing the advancing flames, he spun his staff until droplets of water gathered in one spot.
"Peaceful Water Chill! Extinguish!" Moinnaphu aimed his staff at the fire, and the gathered water flowed rapidly, dousing some of the spreading flames.
Possessed by Nyldorakh, Kaelen paid no mind to this. Just as more Drae'vanyth appeared due to the smoke and fire, Kaelen instead soared with two shadowy wings and immediately fled eastward.
Chaos erupted as Drae'vanyth scrambled and panicked. Angered by Kaelen's escape, Moinnaphu shouted, "Stop! Help me put this out and find that Vey'zareth who just fled. Even if he doesn't qualify as a sacrifice, no foreign race should leave Elyndor alive."
---
Elsewhere, Kaelen stopped his thoughts about earlier when, without realizing it, his steps led him into a cave glowing with green light inside. Curious, he stepped inside, glancing around cautiously.
"This is still part of Elyndor territory, so the security level is definitely low. But for now, I have no choice but to hide here temporarily. I need to recover, and so does Nyldorakh. More importantly, I have to find a way to rebuild my Elarith," he muttered, staring down at his chest.
[This is the Alarys Cave]
[Located nearly 13 kilometers from the Kulthar Swamp]
[Security level: low to moderate]
The whisper echoed in Kaelen's ears. But before he could process anything, an arrow suddenly shot straight at him.