Chương 14: Chapter 13 - Cursed

Loud bird-song woke Ren up with a start. Instantly, his heart jumped all the way up into his throat as he scrambled upright, smashing his head on a part of the stump shelter.

"Nng!" Ren crouched and rubbed the back of his head, the pain brining clarity. Enough to register the innocent sounds and remember where he was. Soft, early morning light filtered through the forest's canopy and into the hollow stumps large opening over head. The fire had died down completely, leaving only cold ash and blackened charcoals. Elowen sat curled slightly in on herself, head tilted to one side, her hair spilling messily across her face. Dirt marked her once pristine clergy clothes. Ren exhaled quietly.

"I knew I should've made you rest longer," he muttered under his breath. Easing himself out of the stump and stretching caused his joints to pop faintly. A cold breeze flew through the trees, which Ren felt the entirety of because one of his shirt's sleeves was in tatters after the dog-like demon tore through it. The rest of his shirt was stained with both crimson and black blood, even after being forcefully washed in the river's raging current.

Looking around, the forest itself looked a little different in morning light. It was less oppressive, though no less dangerous, Ren wasn't sure what sort of things lived here. An eerie mist clung low to the ground, and the river roared steadily nearby. Ren stood there for a moment, breathing in the serenity while he listened. Once satisfied, he stepped back inside the large stump and crouched beside Elowen.

"Hey," he said softly, giving her shoulder a gentle shake, "we should keep moving." Her eyes fluttered open, and for a heartbeat, panic and confusion flickered across her face just like it had done for him. She glanced around wildly before her memory caught up and she pushed herself upright, rubbing her eyes with the heel of her palm.

"…Sorry." she murmured tiredly.

"I must have fallen asleep."

"Don't worry about it," Ren replied, straightening while offering her his hand, "but the sooner we put more distance between us and those demons, the better."

"Agreed," the regal elf said with a resolute nod, accepting the help. The two of them worked quickly after that. Ren scattered the fire's ashes and stomped out the last remaining cinders while Elowen removed the sticks that were used to dry their clothes. By the time they were done, it looked a lot less like two people had used it as opposed to a large animal of some kind.

"Does this forest seem... strange... to you at all?" Elowen asked as she brushed dust off of her hands. Ren looked around. The eerie fog was still present, keeping low to the forest floor and absorbing any light that shone on it through the canopy. Maybe he'd been too tired or too jacked up on adrenaline to notice before, but looking deeper into the misty forest made his stomach churn.

"I guess so?" he said eventually, unable to tell if it was just his hunger.

"I can't really put my finger on it, but I do get a sort of unsettling feeling..."

"Hmm..." the regal elf mused, her gaze drawn to look further into the forest.

"I don't like it. Let's head back the river and follow it down until we reach a settlement of some kind."

"That's fine by me," Ren responded, turning and walking toward the sounds of the raging water. He still wasn't sure where the steps to get back to Yumè began, but civilisation seemed like the best place to start. It didn't take long for the pair to reach the river again, the raging waters reflecting the morning sunlight beautifully. In the distance, Ren could see large billows of dark, thick smoke rising high into the sky.' Did Lady Agatha or the two Hunters make it out safely?'

he wondered as Elowen knelt beside the glistening waters. He knew the village and its residents more than likely didn't, but he was powerless to help. Elowen cupped water in her hands before bringing it to her face and letting the liquid run over it. Ren knelt beside her and did the same. Though instead of washing his face, he brought his hands to his mouth and drank, the freezing water biting against Ren's hands as he did. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent.

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"Okay," Elowen said resolutely, straightening as she rolled up her sleeves.

"Here's the plan for now, Ren: we continue forward until we find a suitable spot to cross the river and get away from this forest. Then we'll follow the river until we reach people, like I said before. Only then will I be able to orient myself and think up a proper plan of action."

"I want to get away from this creepy forest as much as you do," Ren agreed, resting his hand on the hilt of his dagger. He'd tucked it between his belt and his waist now that his satchel was gone, and he kept checking it out of habit, wary of it slipping loose without his notice and leaving him defenceless.

"But finding a place to cross this river might be harder than it sounds."

"With spring so close, all the ice and snow up on whatever mountain feeds this river will be melting," he continued, casting a glance toward the rushing water.

"That's why it's running so fast and so high."

"Well we can only hope to find a suitable crossing then," Elowen said simply, turning on her heel and walking away. Ren sighed and followed after her.' We haven't even eaten breakfast yet...' They continued downstream for quite some time, their boots crunching softly against damp earth and pebbles. The forest thinned and thickened to their right in uneven waves, the settled mist still present, even as the sun rose higher. Neither of them spoke much as they walked.

Which was fine by Ren, since his thoughts were loud enough on their own. He replayed his performance of last night in his head. The fights with both demons and the way he played support for Varrin.

He wasn't able to use [Soul Shepherd] for obvious reasons, and it would remain useless until he found someone who was up to his standards to be shepherded. Until then, he would have to make do with his own skills, and while awakening did strengthen his body beyond that of a typical person, Ren still had no technique to anything, nor did he even know how to use a sword much less use one in a life or death fight. He glanced sideways at Elowen. She moved with elegance as she took measured steps.

Her posture was proud despite the lingering pallor in her face. To anyone else, she might have looked merely tired.

"…Hey," Ren said eventually, breaking the silence. Elowen looked over at him.

"Yes?"

"Why did you use your Soul Power to the point of endangering yourself?" he asked carefully.

"You know you could've asked me or Varrin for help, and there's no shame in retreating." She didn't answer immediately, and the duo walked for several more steps, the river rushing in a constant roar beside them. Elowen exhaled deeply.

"Truthfully," she said quietly, "I awakened with less Soul Essence than the average Blessed."

"What? Is that even possible?" Ren asked, a little bewildered.

"Of course it is," the regal elf responded solemnly.

"There are all sorts of Soul Powers and Soul Attributes out there, and they aren't all good either." She looked over at him, an eyebrow raised.

"Were you really not a Blessed before we were transmigrated here?"

"I tried telling you," Ren responded with a shrug. They walked a couple more steps before he asked, "So how much less?"

"Roughly a third," Elowen replied, small flakes of ice condensing at her fingertips as she extended her hand, "compared to someone like you or Varrin probably would have."

"And my Soul Power… it takes a lot of essence to use. Manipulating ice at that scale isn't very forgiving. Every construct, everything frozen, and every shard—it all adds up and drains me quickly." Her other hand extended from her side and white motes coalesced into the beautiful jade sword.

"That's why I wield the Sword of Aelcryth," she added, flourishing the blade so it caught the sunlight.

"It improves my Soul Essence control, while also lowering the cost of my Soul Power." A faint, humourless laugh escaped her lips.

"Without it, I'd burn myself out even faster." Ren nodded in acknowledgement and silence returned once again.

"It's rather embarrassing to be honest," she admitted, dismissing her Soul Attunement.

"To awaken with a power like the Glacial Sovereign's… and still fall short." Ren listened to every word Elowen had said. He didn't respond right away, he wasn't great at this part and never had been. So Ren went with what felt right in his gut.

"Honestly?" he said, gesturing widely.

"I really like your Soul Power." Elowen slowed ever so slightly.

"And so what if you can't use it to its fullest yet?" Ren continued.

"That just means you've got room to grow, got things to master. We're the same in that sense." He shrugged lightly.

"Seems like a waste to sell yourself short now." Elowen stopped, and for a moment, she just stared at him. Eventually her expression softened.

"Thank you," she said quietly, a smile playing at her lips. The moment lost itself when Ren suddenly heard sounds coming from the right of them, from the forest. He froze, drew his dagger and lifted his hand.

"Stop." Elowen got into a defensive stance instantly, her eyes narrowing.

"What is it?"

"Can't you hear it?" Ren whispered just loud enough to be heard over the roar of the river.

"Something is in the forest."

"Demons?" she asked.

"…Not sure." Ren scanned their options quickly as the sounds slowly approached them.' Should we try to cross the river?

'he thought.' We could also turn back the way we came, or—' He was abruptly cut off when a deer burst through the brush, rushing straight toward them. Ren yelped in surprise as the animal quickly changed direction when it saw them, sprinting past and continuing downstream. He looked at Elowen for a moment before chuckling weakly, trying to save face.

"Not demons after all then I guess..." Elowen paid no notice and summoned her sword again.

"Maybe not, but it was definitely running away from something."

"Huh?" Ren opened his mouth to speak further when more shapes burst from the undergrowth, hissing and barking loudly as they did. Three creatures no taller than a child's waist skidded to a halt in front of Ren and Elowen. Sickly green-grey skin stretched over stunted bodies and knobby joints, and oversized ears jutted from their heads as they held crude blades in their hands.

Ren knew exactly what they were as soon as he saw them, as they perfectly matched the descriptions in the storybooks his parents had once read to him and Yumè. They were none other than...

"Goblins." Elowen breathed, planting her feet into the ground as ice shards started to form above her head.

"Get ready Ren." Quickly composing himself amidst the barks and snarls, he readied his dagger and prepared to fight the small monster closest to him.