Ophieus blinked in surprise as he stared at the floating silver light screen hovering in front of him. It was a silver rectangle with words written in black shining across the surface.
It was then Ophieus felt his curiosity quickly taking over as he leaned in, moving one hand and towards the light screen. But then his hand simply slipped through the screen.
But he didn't mind this as he recalled a voice and then spoke aloud to the light screen
"What is this?"
The silver light screen glowed as the previous words vanished and then new words appeared with a voice echoing in his mind again.
[Call me the Silver Key. I am here to help you on your journey, Master Ophieus.]
He tilted his head, studying the strange display. His brows drew together, thoughtful. "Why are you helping me? And where did you come from?"
The Silver Key's answer came instantly in a calm tone in his head once more.
[Do you recall the voice from the world of gray fog? I was sent by her.]
Ophieus blinked in surprise as he recalled the voice. Then he nodded his head as put the pieces together, realizing the voice was helping him even further. But this begs the question, why is she doing so much and for what purpose? The more he thought about it, the more questions appeared in his thoughts and made him even more curious.
"Why is she helping me? Unless I know her?" Ophieus asked with his eyes slightly shining.
[That… I cannot say to you. Master Ophieus is too weak to withstand the knowledge.]
Ophieus furrowed his brows before asking. "Are you saying… I'd lose consciousness if you told me?"
[Your mind would shatter, your body would burst, and you would distort into a terrifying creature that would wreak havoc all around. The pain itself would be far worse than what you went through in the fog before]
Silence fell in the area.
Ophieus stared blankly at the silver light screen, the words hanging in the air. The words on the screen matched what he heard in his mind, but the truth was he wasn't expecting this kind of answer.
"Can… can knowledge really do that?" Ophieus asked in slight wonder and curiosity.
[Information from certain existences or kind can indeed cause such things, simply because you are too weak to fully comprehend and withstand it. The true danger is that your mind will try to understand and comprehend it. By the time your instincts scream at you to stop, it would be too late as just hearing the first sentence would break down everything.]
Ophieus caressed his wavy black hair as he sighed. "Alright… since you were sent by her, you should know a method to make me strong enough to withstand it, right?"
[But of course. Here is your current information now, Master Ophieus.]
The words faded from the screen before a new set of glowing words and information appeared on the silver light screen.
[Name: Ophieus
Pathfinder: Awakening
Strength: Green (Very High)
Vitality: Green (High)
Stamina: Green (Very High)
Agility: Green (Very High)
Perception: ???
Magic: Green (Average)
Sanity: 102
Knowledge: 14]
Ophieus stroked his chin as his golden eyes glanced over every word on the screen. "These represent my overall strength? And… What is a Pathfinder?"
[Indeed, these are your statistical information. A Pathfinder is one who breaks the limits of a normal person. You can think of it as the name of the wielders of magic in Luminous.]
Ophieus hummed as his gaze shifted to awakening then his gaze moved down to most of his stats. Most of them had the word Green with a bracket that seems to imply the degree or how strong he was in that category.
Then he looked down at perception to see it was unknown then saw Sanity had a number unlike the others. A smile flickered across his face but before he could continue looking.
A new set of words appeared below the stats information in renewed urgency.
[Master, look at the Knowledge part. That represents the tiny ball of light you devoured.]
Ophieus blinked. "That tiny light was that? So what exactly is it?"
[It is a mix of the beings magic and its own knowledge. Master, you can devour these from the enemies you defeat to grow stronger.]
Ophieus nodded as he recalled the feeling of when he touched the orb. But as he opened his mouth to ask another question, the ground beneath suddenly began to shake. His eyes glance down to the ground as his body tense and then Ophieus realizes.
It wasn't just the ground, but the trees were swaying, bushes trembling and then he heard distant growls, roars, and howls echoed from all directions.
Trouble.
Ophieus frowned as he continued glancing around while saying. "We'll have to talk about this later. How do I summon you again?"
[Simply imagine the Light Screen, or ask for me in your thoughts.]
Ophieus nodded once more as the words of the screen faded and then the light screen dispersed into silver lights. Leading Ophieus alone in the forest that continues to shake and tremble with the growls and roars echoing from all directions.
Ophieus took a deep breath before then moving forward, his hand on the hilt of his sword as he continued forward.
Ophieus moved forward, as his mind spun with questions, but he quickly pushed them away. He saw the fog was still clinging to the roots and trunks of the trees with no sign of thinning out. The good thing was it muffled his steps except for when his boot stepped on fallen branches.
But it also helped warn him of any creatures around, then Ophieus blinked as he felt he stepped on something soft. Looking down his eyes widened at the light-blue smoke rising up from below, the fog masking below.
But he could figure out it was one of those shadow creatures from before.
Ophieus stepped forward to see that the ground was uneven. There were small craters, cracks, and every few feet he had to sidestep toppled trunks or skirt around broken stumps. He kept moving, eyes scanning the shadows, half-expecting another monster to leap out. But nothing attacked as he took a couple more steps forward and then Ophieus eyes widened.
He saw shapes lying scattered on the ground.
Ophieus slowly approached and the closer he came, the more details came into focus. There were countless dead bodies with black mist spread all around. The same wolf-creatures he had fought before had their forms twisted and broken. Some had gaping holes in their sides and chest while others were crushed.
Ophieus stepped closer and then he saw another creature other than the ones he fought before. The creatures had black feathers but the rest of their forms were lost in the hidden and obscured by the fog. He stared at the dark feathers that were scattered and clump in black mist.
Ophieus tried to make out more, but the haze hid everything except the gleam of the feathers and shape of their shattered wings.
Then above the bodies, words appeared in the air and surprised Ophieus. It was similar to the silver light screen, but it was smaller and hovered above the bodies.
[Beast Festival]
For the feathered creatures when he glanced to them, a different word hovered.
[Black Feather]
And beneath both of them was another word but smaller but even more chilling.
[Abomination]
Ophieus felt a chill down his spine, furrowing his brows. He moved toward the bodies and knelt down to one of the Black Festival bodies. Its ribs were shattered with their being multiple holes but when he looked further, he didn't see any organs. All he saw was shadow tendrils and light blue smoke slowly rising up from the hole.
So, they aren't your standard living beings… And I'm in a forest with them. Ophieus thought as he moved a finger across the wolf's fur and felt how cold it was. He glanced at the Black Feather creature beside it and moved one hand towards the feather that was still shining. He noted how hard it was before plucking it out and inspecting it.
Ophieus saw purple lines through the feather and a faint smoke on the edges making him wonder if all abomination had that strange smoke. He released the feather, watching as it drifted through the fog towards the ground as he sighed.
"Did they fight each other," Ophieus muttered, as he held his chin. "Or is there another Abomination here?" He glanced at the trees that had claw marks, ragged holes, and others that looked more like the work of a hammer.
"Maybe… there are other people here."