The transition from the Grave of the Forgotten to the Red Forest was not subtle. It was a violent assault on the senses.
Behind us lay the gray, silent dust of the dead. Ahead of us lay a living, breathing nightmare. The air here was thick and humid, clinging to the skin like a wet shroud. It smelled of copper, sulfur, and something sickly sweet—like flowers blooming on a rotting carcass.
"Careful where you step, Master," Valeria warned, her voice low. She didn't sheath her greatsword. "The roots here are thirsty."
I looked down. The massive, twisted roots of the black trees weren't just sitting in the soil; they were pulsating. Every few seconds, a faint crimson light traveled up from the ground through the bark, like blood being pumped through veins.
"It's alive," I muttered, touching a trunk. My finger came away sticky with red sap. "The whole forest is one giant organism."
"And it knows we are here," Seraphina added. She wasn't floating freely anymore; she stayed close to my shoulder, her violet light dimmed to a whisper. "The Mana density here is suffocating. It's chaotic. Wild. Unlike the sterile void of the grave."
We walked for what felt like hours, though the sky never changed. The giant, pale moon hung frozen above the canopy, bathing the bleeding trees in a ghostly twilight. The howl we had heard earlier—the Beastkin's cry—had faded into silence, but the threat remained.
I stumbled, my boot catching on a concealed rock. My vision blurred.
"We stop," Valeria announced instantly. She didn't ask; she decided. "His heart rate is irregular. The Resonance took too much."
We found a small clearing protected by a circle of ancient, moss-covered monoliths. The stones seemed to repel the red roots, creating a safe zone of dry earth.
I slumped against one of the stones, sliding down until I hit the dirt. I didn't realize how much my hands were shaking until I tried to unbutton my collar.
"Water?" Valeria asked, offering me a leather waterskin she must have scavenged from somewhere.
"Where did you get this?" I asked, taking a sip. The water was stale but cool.
"From the Corpse Eater's lair, back in the grave," she replied simply. "A Knight is always prepared."
Seraphina drifted down, crossing her legs in the air. She looked at me with a mix of curiosity and concern. "You look terrible, Kael. Like a ghost who hasn't realized he's dead yet."
"Thanks," I rasped. "I feel worse."
I closed my eyes, trying to center myself. The adrenaline was gone, leaving behind a void in my chest where the Red Seal sat. It wasn't burning anymore; it felt... hungry. A cold, gnawing sensation that radiated outward, demanding fuel.
"The Crystal," I whispered. "The Memory Shard unlocked something. I saw a menu."
"The Interface," Seraphina corrected. "Focus on the intent. Call it forward."
I took a deep breath. System. Status.
A flicker of azure light distorted the air in front of me. It wasn't clean or stable like a video game screen. It buzzed and glitched, lines of code fragmenting and reforming like a bad signal.
"Can you see this?" I asked them.
"We see the mana reacting to your will," Valeria said, squinting at the air. "But only you can see the writing."
I focused on the text. It was a mess of corrupted data and hidden fields.
[SYSTEM ERROR: SOUL LINK UNSTABLE]
[Subject: Kaelen Vance]
Identity Parameters:
Name: Kael
Race: Human ([CRITICAL ERROR: Soul origin does not match world frequency])
Class: [ ??? ] ( Data Corrupted. Previous Class: Commander. Current Class: Locked )
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Vital Statistics:
Level: 2
HP (Health): 85 / 120 (Status: Exhausted)
MP (Soul Force): -15 / ??? ([WARNING:
MANA DEFICIT])
Note: Subject is currently consuming physical lifespan to sustain Mana flow.
Attributes:
Strength: 7 (F-)
Agility: 11 (E)
Intelligence: 24 (B+) ( Anomaly Detected:
Otherworldly Knowledge )
Willpower: [ ??? ] ( Measurement Failed. Value exceeds standard limiter. )
Charisma: 18 (C+)
Active Effects:
[The Red Seal (Tier 1)]: Allows dominion over entities flagged as "Discarded."
[Mana Parasite]: User cannot generate Mana naturally. Must drain from: Leylines, Artifacts, or Bonded Partners.
Skills:
[Tactical Mind (Passive)]: Active.
[ ??? ] (Locked): Requires Level 10.
[ ??? ] (Locked): Requires "First Blood" of a Divine Entity.
"Mana Deficit," I read aloud, my voice hollow. "Consuming physical lifespan."
Valeria went stiff. "What does that mean?"
"It means," I said, looking at my trembling hands, "that right now, keeping you two anchored to this world is eating away at my life. If I don't get mana soon, I'm going to age until I turn to dust."
"Parasite," Seraphina whispered, looking at the [Mana Parasite] tag she couldn't see but clearly understood. "The Seal didn't make you a God, Kael. It made you a leech."
"Watch your tongue," Valeria snapped.
"No, she's right," I said, closing the glitching window. "I have high Intelligence and unknown Willpower, but my body is a AA battery trying to power a tank. I need fuel."
Seraphina floated closer. Her expression changed from scholarly to something more... primal. Her eyes glowed brighter.
"We are fuel, Master," she purred. "We take energy from the world, and we can give it to you. That is the pact."
"How?" I asked.
Seraphina reached out. Her hand, usually cold and intangible, solidified. She touched the side of my neck, right over the pulse point.
"The Seal binds us," she explained softly. "Valeria is physical; she protects your body. I am spiritual; I protect your mind. But energy flows both ways. If you open the gate... you can take what you need from us."
"And leave you weak?"
"Better us weak than you dead," Valeria stated firmly. She knelt on my other side, removing her gauntlet. She offered her bare hand. It was scarred, calloused—a warrior's hand. "Take it, Lord. My reserves are full from the Golem kill."
I looked at them. The Knight offering her strength, the Wraith offering her essence. This wasn't just a game mechanic. It was an exchange of life.
I took Valeria's hand. I let Seraphina keep her fingers on my neck.
"Transfer," I commanded mentally.
It wasn't sexual, but it was incredibly intimate. It felt like a warm rush of liquid gold pouring into my veins. The cold, gnawing hunger in my chest vanished. My shaking stopped. My vision cleared.
[System Alert: Mana Deficit Resolved. MP: 40 / ???]
I gasped, pulling back. "Enough. I'm good."
Valeria swayed slightly, her face paler than usual, but she nodded. Seraphina just smiled, looking a bit transparent for a second before solidifying again.
"You have a heavy appetite," Seraphina teased, though her voice was breathless.
"We need to move," I said, standing up. I felt stronger now. Not superhuman, but stable. "That howl we heard earlier... the Wolf. The System... it wants me to find her."
"Why?" Valeria asked, putting her gauntlet back on.
"Because," I said, looking at the blocked skill trees in my mind. "I think she's part of the unlocking process. And... I think she's in trouble."
I walked to the edge of the stone circle. The red forest stretched out endlessly.
"Valeria, give me the light," I said.
"Sir?"
"Your eyes," I pointed. "You see heat, don't you? Like infrared."
"I see life signatures," she corrected.
"Guide us. Find the signature that burns the hottest and the most erratic. That's our wolf."
Valeria stepped forward, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the bleeding woods.
"There," she pointed northwest. "It is faint. But it is wild."
We stepped out of the safety of the ruins, back into the breathing, watching forest. My profile was full of question marks, my class was an error, and my life depended on stealing energy from ghosts and demons.
But for the first time, I smiled.
"Let's go see what this forest is hiding."