«What?» – he thought, staring at the pale inscriptions flashing before him.
They were still merry in the air, gently swaying, as if they would dissolve right there at any moment. The knowledge of what they meant was drilled into his mind, one could say, out of nowhere.
He had indeed seen such symbols for the first time. A language like that was also absent from the depths of his memory. But… it's understandable given that the young man basically remembered nothing.
The hands clenched a clump of soft grass, and the eyes scanned the area again. There was nothing and no one nearby.
Only some insects and birds occasionally flew by, making their characteristic sounds. The beautiful, heavenly place near the sun‑sparkling river was filled with the sounds of birdsong and the chirping of beetles.
But all of this was almost instantly drowned out by his own thoughts when a message appeared before him. At that moment the body froze, as did his breathing, but his heart kept beating steadily, as if nothing had happened and everything was quiet and calm. It was precisely this reaction of his heart that prolonged the flow of thoughts.
«Elevating? A reward? For what? – he continued to ponder, and new questions kept surfacing after the previous one. – But why am I so calm?»
This question was the most important for the young man. Whatever happened, his heart kept beating steadily all that time. Then a small realization arose in him: «All this time I only thought I was anxious.»
He ran his eyes over himself and the surroundings once more. Nothing stood out: neither he, except for his silvery hair, nor anything special, nor the surrounding area. If it weren't for the earlier strange incident, the guy would never have believed that this river has its own oddities.
Or did he imagine it under the influence of adrenaline and panic?
«No. I remember it clearly and consciously. It wasn't just some haziness. Everything was real. Incredible depth, distance from the surface, the enormous size of the snakes — all this is a reality that is hard to accept, but what is, is. — my eyes turned again to the soaring inscriptions. — But what we need to find out above all now is, what the hell is this?»
[The Ascended, do you wish to receive your reward?]
There was the very same question.
— Wh-what does that mean? — his voice was hoarse and weak. His throat was dry, though he didn't feel it at all, as if everything were normal.
After the spoken words, the written text changed. First, the pale text gradually began to disappear, starting from the end. It reached the first word and also faded away. A new one began to appear in its place.
[You have passed the trial granted to you by the «Grace of Welter». Therefore you deserve a reward. Do you wish to receive it?]
[Yes/No?]
The young man's mouth closed. He didn't know how he was supposed to react to everything he had read. What is the «Grace of Welter»? What is the test he supposedly passed? New questions arose again, which decided to remain unanswered. But something hinted that he would receive them if he accepted the reward that this 'Something incomprehensible to him' speaks of.
— Y... yes, — he said, stammering with a weak voice, still not entirely sure of his actions and what might happen next.
Almost immediately everything changed dramatically. The body was illuminated by a small, weak golden glow emanating from the chest. This light was so faint that the young man barely noticed it. But the changes were felt more clearly. The wind surrounding him, which rustled the surrounding tree foliage, seemed to pay him more attention. It, as if, wrapped him in an invisible and fragile garment, which appeared almost indistinguishable from what it was a few seconds ago. The grass and flowers around him bent away from him because of the stream of wind coming from his body. A weak, but still wind.
At that moment, a new text appeared that almost instantly attracted attention.
[The reward to the Ascendant is being issued!]
[I ask you to pay full attention to what will happen next. There will be no repetition!]
After that message, he tensed up more and focused all his attention on what was about to happen. So he almost immediately began reading the new words.
[You performed an incredible deed! One that is even impossible to imagine, let alone accomplish! For this, you are granted a proportionate reward.]
The young man still didn't understand the meaning of what he heard, but decided for now to focus only on the process itself. He will think about its meaning after all this.
[You are blessed by the wind. In your blood flows its lineage and power. The wind protects and accompanies you in adventures and battles. Frost protects you from pain and the elements.]
[Attribute «Storm of the Frost lands» received!]
«Attribute? Her kind? What about it? – he tried to read and understand the meaning of what he read simultaneously. But he could hardly manage it given his zero knowledge or even hints. – Could it somehow be connected to my past and lost memories?»
The last question stirred him, although his body did not react at all. Only his emotions and soul reacted.
Meanwhile, the messages continued to appear.
[I am starting to create your personal Status Window… In progress… Done!]
[Now you have permanent access to the State Window.]
As soon as the sentence finished forming, knowledge of how to open and use this «State Window» immediately appeared in my mind.
– State Window, – quietly whispering to himself under his breath, the young man continued to stare straight at the flying pale symbols.
A moment later, a golden window full of the same pale inscriptions but entirely different opened before him. The first lines immediately caught his interest. He crossed his legs in the lotus pose and began to read them actively and with full attention.
[Name of the Ascendant: Someon
Essence of the Ascendant's Soul: Locked from the Light
Level of Supremacy: Student
Attributes: Storm of the Frost lands
Forces: Cover of the Wind, Cover of Frost
Legacy of the Lineage: Storms and Cold (0/7)
Artifacts: The Princess's Sorrow]
Attention, youths… Someona… was drawn to the almost hazy line of the State Window. The knowledge he needed began to flow into his brain. But he clearly felt that it was incomplete, as if he were being deliberately limited in it.
«But at least this will be enough for the first while. At least I know how to use it and what to do next. It would be much harder if this feature didn't exist and I had to learn everything from scratch myself.»
– Someon, right? – his gaze turned to the very first line in the Window. – So that's my name. Without a surname… a commoner?..
Somehow he knew that those without surnames were common folk. Probably also the knowledge that gave… or rather filled… this «Grace of Welter».
– Haa, well now I know what my name is. That's something, – Someon concluded with a chuckle.
Having decided to take a walk, he stood up and approached the river. Kneeling down, he carefully looked into the clear and clean water of the river, trying to see something there.
«Nothing.» – with a sigh of disappointment or relief, he looked at himself.
Shimmering silver hair, soft nephrite eyes. The same soft, sweet and innocent facial features, creating an atmosphere of something pure in this world, untainted by dirt or wickedness.
– Maybe I really was a foolish and incompetent student? – he looked again at his knight cadet uniform.
When he recovered a little from all that, Someon decided to walk around the nearby area. But at the moment he got to his feet, a new wave of pain hit his head.
Only now there was no voice. This pain was the only thing happening to him now. And, to be honest, Simeon would have preferred to hear that woman's voice. Not knowing the reason, but it soothed him and drowned out the pain.
– Arggh!! – the pain was so intense that he couldn't stay on his feet and fell to the ground, clutching his head.
Holding his head tightly, he rolled across the ground.
– D-damn!! – he shouted with all his might.
At that very moment, the wind around him swirled and covered his body with a weak and thin sheath. Together with it, a faint chill spread over his body, cooling the emotions caused by the pain and muffling the pain itself.
Gradually, Someon began to recover. Opening his eyes, he saw the same landscape. Everything remained the same, except for his body.
Outside, he was wrapped in a shell of wind, and inside he felt cold. It was precisely thanks to them that he was fine now.
«Hold on!» – the reason for this phenomenon immediately occurred to him.
– Windows State! – already shouting, he summoned pale inscriptions. Specifically, not the whole Window, but the specific line on which he focused more.
[Power: Cover of the Wind
Power Description: As a bearer of Its wind blood, this world looks kindly upon you and will accompany you throughout your entire journey.The wind softly tears your body and whispers nearby events.]
«So this is what these Powers give.» – a foolish smile appeared on Simeon's face when he realized an important thing.
He had power over the winds. Weak, but it is now, temporary.
– I wonder what will happen next, – he was already about to start dreaming, but then he remembered something. – What should I do that?
He remembered that nothing – absolutely nothing – don't knew about this world. So even if Someon wanted to find out what power he would have over the winds in the future, without knowledge and a way to achieve it, they would remain only unattainable dreams.
– How everything is complicated. And why did I end up in the damn forest? – he asked himself, as no one could answer him. He continued to examine his Window State:
[Power: Cover of Frost
Description of the Power: The ice element is also under Her control, as is the Wind. The winds will aid you in combat and travels, and the Cold will maintain a cool state and balance.]
Each description was vague and did not give a clear designation to the Powers. So understanding exactly what they were doing was not an easy task. But he already understood something, based on what had happened a few minutes earlier.
«So [Cover of the Wind] will help me fight and travel, and [Cover of Frost] keep a cool head, right? That's why the pain began to subside and the condition became calm. All of this because of this Power.» — Someon almost immediately began to connect the threads between the events and what he was learning.
But in the descriptions of both Forces there was something that unsettled him. A detail that appeared everywhere. From the awarding to the description of the Forces.
– Who is "She"? – he stared at the line that mentioned "Ney".
The icy element is also under Her control, as is the wind.
Someone who rules simultaneously over Ice and Winds. What kind of creature could that be?
Such thoughts made his body shudder and recall the giant serpent he considered terrifying and insanely dangerous. But now he was not so sure about it. Perhaps, in this world there were beings far more dangerous and terrifying than that serpent.
«Where the hell did I end up?» – tears were already gathering in Someon's eyes, but then a strange thought came to him.
— And where, then, does a part of Her lineage come from in my blood?