In the steps of Eternity

Into The World: Part 1

Walking forward with my back against the rising sun I look back at the town that I have gained many memories. Though I didn't have much from my time staying with and helping the orphanage, it was still a place of immeasurable comfort. With a sigh I look back along the road west.

After some travel with the town out of view, I take a deep breath and spread a thin veil of mana across myself before tapping my foot against the ground launching me forward at a break neck speed. Though the orphanage was aware of my immense control over mana, the town was a whole different case. Meridith had often advised to avoid letting people see me use magic in general, let alone the amount I control.

“Maybe I should head to the mage's tower to learn how to do more than just manipulate the Mana and Anima around my body” I think to myself as I travel before ultimately discarding the idea. If the town had a strong distaste for me and how I don't seem to age, then I could only imagine what the reaction from a group of people who are overly enthusiastic about magic research would be.

Shuddering at the thought of becoming a living guinea pig I slow my speed at the sound of horses practically screaming.

Creeping up on the camp where the horses are tied I find a very familiar aura, chilling to the skin and full of invasive Anima.

Covering my skin in an even denser layer of Mana the chill and Anima are pushed back while I take a look deeper into the camp.

The camp seems to be uninhabited, even though there are signs that there were people here just shortly before. As I get closer to the tents that are pitched under the trees I find signs of struggle and am immediately filled with the desire to run. Backing away slowly my back bumps into a tree and my mind jolts, immediately remembering the grotesque figure from the shrine in the desert wastes.

Smacking the tree behind me as I run and turn splinters fly everywhere as the rest of the tree tumbles down towards the ground before getting caught by the other trees around it. Taking deep breaths I can feel the chill invade through my mouth with each heavy breath.

Panic sets in as I realize I failed to keep the invasive Anima and its chill from reaching me. My mind skitters across my thoughts. “What I should do!?” I practically scream in my own head in thought. Surrounded by this... Tainted anima my body all but freezes as I grow colder and colder.

As I stand there practically paralyzed by the deathly chill my chest begins to tighten before the sound of my heart begins to thump. Louder and Louder. Breaking from its bonds my hair slowly raises and drifts as if flowing in a river current. Rainbow light shimmers across each strand that pass by my face as it begins to illuminate the shadows of the woods around me. There is no pain. Only warmth this time. Which catches me off guard.

Before I could think any further The eerie atmosphere filled with tainted Anima is all but erased in a great light blinding even myself.

When the light fades my hair drapes over my face and shoulders as if it had never moved on its own accord. Turning my head to look around I can't help but fall on my butt as a great feeling of exhaustion sets in.

Sighing inside my head I can't help but wonder if I am gonna pass out again. “Seriously? It's been how long since I have had to deal with this, and now I get to do it again?” I ask myself in a overly sarcastic tone before indeed passing out.

Yawning at the endless expanse of white around me, I notice that at least this time it is a little different. I am standing on a watery surface. Looking down I see the endless black. “Ah.” I think to myself. Realizing that every time I have been here I was down there. But before I could lift my eyes back to the surrounding I see a pair of Crimson Red eyes looking up at me from the depths.

With a start I subconsciously attempt to surround myself with a mana screen and jump into the air. But doing so HERE of all places the results were much different than I had expected.

From the moment I launched into the air, the small ripples from where I stood turned into Tidal waves that seemed to tear off into the distance around me. Looking back to the surface of the water just below me it was almost as if the water never moved in this place, and right as I thought I was going to fall into the water. I wished for a safe piece of land to avoid that outcome. And yet before my very eyes land shifted up from the waters below.

Landing on the singular island in the endless ocean I sit down and take a breath... or two... Well, more like a Dozen breaths. This place never seems to get any less weird. “Now I just have to wait for one of those shadows to show up again and I can leave right?” I think to myself, forgetting that my thoughts are just gonna echo around here anyways.

Standing up again and taking a look around I avoid looking into the depths of the water below again. Wondering where the shadow is this time I walk around the edges of this small island in circles while I wait and look.

Quiet giggles fill the air slowly getting louder before they ring directly in my ears. But before I could turn around to see who or what it was I am shoved off the island, but I don't land in the ocean like I expect to. Instead of the ocean I land on dirt.

Looking around myself I realize I am back at the camp I found before passing out. But with one major difference. Though they are not actually made of crystal, the plant life now have a very crystal like look to them. Shimmering and refracting light that passes through their leaves or the blades of grass.

Standing up and touching the trunk of one of the trees it begins to shimmer as Anima seems to flow through the whole of it, looking as if there are rainbow veins running through it. But just as I began to take a chance to get a better look I hear foot steps from behind. Heavy foot steps as if they are heavily armored.

Before I could think to hide somewhere they manage to come into the camp clearing and spot me. With a loud booming voice one of them shout “Halt! This place is off limits by the decree of the hold! What are you doing here!?” as they continue to step in my direction I can't help but look at them with confusion.

With a nervous laugh after giving it a few moments of thought all I could do is say “I got lost and managed to wonder in here. The plants are so beautiful so I got distracted on trying to get out.” But the guards didn't look as amused as I would hope. Instead they only look more cautious and ready to attack if I made any sudden movements. With a sigh I resolved to bail as fast as possible.