"W-what the fuck!"
After sitting frozen on my bed for a few seconds, I snapped out of the shock and grabbed Juna, getting up to survey the chaotic surroundings.
Fight or flight, never freeze!
Hopping over sections of wrecked debris sprawled across the floor, I heard a howl echo. In the distance, a tide of wolves were rapidly approaching, numbering at least in the hundreds.
After taking note of them, I quickly scrambled to look around for other fighters. Apes together strong.
I didn't panic, knowing it would only make the situation worse. My 'survival mode' kicking in.
As I ran, the scene blurred past me. The distraught. The severely injured. The people screamed for help, about to be killed. The dead.
I didn't let it slow me down; I knew there was nothing I could do for them.
I didn't even know if I could save myself, let alone them. I was too weak, just like last time.
Turning past a compartment wreathed in flames, I froze again.
The situation was far worse than I thought.
There was no hope at all.
Ahead was what had once been a cohort of Spiritbound, outfitted in high-grade gear.
They were by far the strongest unit in the caravan, the A-team to take on what the others couldn't, made up entirely of Resonants.
Though now, they couldn't be called that anymore.
Only two remained standing, barely. The other four lay scattered across the ground, their remains twisted and broken, the violence of their deaths unmistakable.
They were all fighting a single creature, and it didn't even look injured.
That could only mean one thing.
Ascendant Realm.
We're fucked!
Creatures were separated into different realms for a reason: they were in different goddamn realms!
For a cohort of Resonants to defeat an Ascendent, they better all be at the peak of the realm, contracted with a Domain grade spirit, have seamless cooperation, and be willing to sacrifice themselves without a moment of hesitation.
Now, I severely doubt we had a team of them with us, so I fucking bolted.
At first, I wanted to find a Resonant, or just any Spiritbound, and convince them to run away with me because of the hopeless situation. But, after spotting a thin gap in the wolves' advance, I decided to take the opportunity and ran.
There was no guarantee I would find or convince anyone after all.
Pulling out a spear from my storage ring, I charged at a blackmaned wolf blocking my path. It sprang to meet me, a gray streak cutting through the air.
With a swift pivot, I barely avoided the rake of its claws.
Then, with my spear, it instantly dissapeared as I quickly placed it back into my storage ring as I bolted past the wolf, running away!
In its confusion, the wolf looked at my back for a good few seconds before attempting to give chase. It was too late though, I was gone.
It wasn't cowardice that I chose to run. I believed I had good chances against that wolf.
It was at around the same stage as me, and as a human with greater intelligence, defeating an instinct driven beast wasn't much of an issue even if it were slightly stronger.
The problem came from the other wolves. They could join in on a moment's notice, turning my favorable 1v1 to an impossible 1 v many match.
So I ran and ran, deep into the forest.
It appeared fortune was on my side as not many wolves approached from my flank, though if it were really on my side, perhaps none of this would've happened.
After I had gotten a fair distance away from the monster swarmed caravan, I began treading carefully.
I was worried of possibly alerting predators of the forest, however even after an hour of walking, I didn't spot or encounter any.
If I had to guess, the wolf pack cleared out the area when migrating towards our caravan. This likely wasn't the wolf's natural hunting grounds or else the caravan route wouldn't have been marked so close.
Just what fucking luck… to encounter a migrating wolf pack with an Ascendant leader. They are typically territorial, not liking to move.
"Aghhhh… What even… in the fuck?" I raspily mumbled as I slouched wearily on a tree by a lake.
It wasn't until now that I had finally gone out of 'survival mode' and processed what happened this night.
The caravan was attacked by an Ascendant monster, and was going to be no more before sunrise… The fuck was I suppose to do?
I was stranded in a monster infested forest well over a hundred kilometers from shelter with nothing except food, water, clothes… Okay, I guess that's something— ah… Fucking hell.
It was then, I realized something that horrified me.
My only real chance of survival is to make my way back to the Vance Empire, however, how the hell was I going to get back?!!
I had no navigation equipment. No map. No compass. Nothing.
After all, what need was there for me to bring some on a journey in a caravan?
Gritting my teeth and clenching the grass beneath me, an idea hit me, and was quickly shot down.
The remains of the caravan might have something useful, but aghh… I can't get back to it either. The forest had twisted in on itself like a maze, and in my haze, I hadn't remembered the path I'd taken in a daze.
Panic crept in, tight and suffocating, but a soft "meowww" from my pocket pulled me back. Taking a deep breath, I pulled Juna out my pocket and gently stroked her fur until I calmed down.
Eventually, an idea struck.
Parts of the caravan were drowned in flames. By dawn, I should still be able to see smoke billowing out into the skies!
Letting out a breath I had been holding in, I decideed to get some rest for now. I'll head out fir—
"That's not the wisest decision. Think it through some more."
My thoughts were interrupted by a voice and I jumped.
The voice… was my own.
And when I jumped back, I saw a perfect copy of myself looking back at me.
"FUcking... what the fuck! I thought I calmed down, but I'm hallucinating now?" I muttered, sitting down as I took out a water bottle from my storage ring.
Hopefully, I'll stop tweaking out after getting some water to my brain.
"Ahahaha." A melodic laugh echoed from my clone.
Crouching down, he met my eyes with a wry smile. Taking gulps of water, I stared him down, my gaze saying 'go away now.'
"Do you really think I'm just your hallucination?" His expression became more amused.
"...What do you want from me?" I asked in an almost reigned tone.
It probably wasn't a hallucination. It felt too realistic, though I have nothing to base it off of, having never experienced hallucinations before.
"Shouldn't you be scared? Aren't you afraid of what I might do to you?" The being got up, slowly approaching me while still smiling.
"If you're able to copy my appearance and voice perfectly, you must be at least a Resonant and probably have a Domain grade spirit. If you wanted to do anything to me, there's nothing I can do," I answered, interally bitter.
Was this going to be my end? Even after all the effort I put in, I was still going to be completely helpless in the end. Just my fucking luck…
"—Just your luck indeed." The being cut into my thoughts.
W-what!?
…It can read my mind?!
That's right, it did that before but… That… That's something only spirits can do— wait, no! Spirits can't talk though. W-what… Who is this thing…?
"Who says?" The being replied with a chuckle. "That only applies to insignificant spirits. Those closer to the origin have no such limitation."
I didn't know what the 'origin' was but I could surmise the meaning of his words. "Y-you're an O-Overlord grade spirit?"
An Overlord grade spirit…
That was the best theory I could come up with, though some information contradicted. It was unclear whether Overlord grade spirits could speak as anything related to them and the sovereigns are kept secret.
Compared to Domain grade ones which were one in a thousand, Overlords were closer to one in a million. More importantly, they were the prerequisite for ascension beyond the third realm.
Without one, reaching the Sovereign realm was impossible. With one, lesser Domains fell silent, and the world itself began to treat you as something more than human.
Finally, an Overlord spirit could, if it deemed the situation dire enough, invoke a drastic measure. By releasing a fragment of its remnant authority, it could allow the bearer to launch an attack far beyond their caliber. They couldn't let them die easily after all.
Of course, the cost was always paid afterward, and it was a steep one. Oftentimes, it would be permanent though the severity varies.
The spirit let out another laugh, this time with disdain and amusement. "Oh, don't mistake me for those lowly beings."
Then he paused, looking straight into my eyes with a knowing stillness in its gaze before revealing: "I am a Primordial."