Alone on the night, I sat alongside the campfire with the blonde girl. She wore a white blindfold, which gracefully covered her eyes.
She wore casual clothes, just another person dragged to this island like everyone else.
Aside from her long and silky hair, her face was completely pale as if devoid of any blood and she fidgeted nervously.
"Heya".
After hearing my voice, she shifted her head as if trying to make eye contact with me.
"It's you, Cassian?".
"You know my name? Anyway, it's me".
An awkward silence enveloped us for a few moments before she finally spoke.
"My trait lets me see the future among other things, and what I saw was... your death".
My hands began to shake a bit after knowing what the future might hold for me. But I still knew that even if I died, it would all be reset again.
With a slightly shaky voice, I asked her:
"In your vision, how did I die?".
She took a breath and then told me what future she foresaw.
"The first thing I saw was a dead body, and the chief mourning the corpse, then I saw us with the tribe people coexisting in peace. Only for tragedy to strike".
The shadows of the campfire danced as she continued.
"Countless animals and beasts wildly ran towards the village filled with bloodlust, then I saw gory pieces of flesh, both human and not, flying everywhere, a carnage of death".
My body tensed up as she took a deep breath.
"Finally, before everything ended, I saw you surrounded by countless beasts. You were gripping your spear with one hand, despite the dull situation, I could see you smiling. The next moment I saw your corpse, that's when I got back to reality".
I tried saying something, but my words didn't come out.
"I'm sorry for not telling you earlier!".
The blonde girl's apology made me stop thinking about it.
"It's fine! The fact that you decided to tell me is already enough".
I made sure to tell her I was fine, then I looked at her blindfold, remembering how her eyes had been bleeding for the past few days.
"It must've been hard going through these visions".
She raised her head.
"Ah, don't worry about me! I'm already getting used to it".
Her shoulders relaxed a bit as the warmth of the campfire enveloped us.
"It's already quite late, isn't it? Let's head back to the village".
"Alright, lend me your shoulder".
Walking with her behind me, I suddenly remembered a small detail, I didn't even know her name! But before I even got to ask her.
"It's Anastasia".
Another piece was added to the board, maybe she will be the one who will let me clear this tutorial, but before that, I'm going to survive this foreseen death no matter what.
***
The next day, I did the same as always. I woke up, ate breakfast, and talked to the tribesman for a while. Seyeon and Jiwon were working hard as always and went hunting.
Meanwhile, I went to the riverside spot where I would usually swing my spear. Once again, I mindlessly wielded it, slowly getting used to handling it.
I knew, I already knew how ineffective this training was. But the training was just a distraction.
Sometimes, I felt something in the air, my body reacted to it akin to a sixth sense, I was sure it was mana, or as the tribesmen called it, U'shara.
That was the breakthrough I needed, but on the rare occasions I felt it, it just evaded my command, as if it were pure air. I could not wield it.
"Ahh! So fucking annoying!".
I've been doing the same thing for days, hoping that I would somehow get the hang of it, but no, nothing, nada. And now that I knew that my death was slowly approaching, I needed it.
I sat in the lotus position, closing my eyes and slowly breathing in and out. I could feel every sense heightened, but no trace of mana appeared.
"What are you doing again?".
I heard the voice of the same tribesman that I met yesterday. I opened my eyes and greeted him, he clearly looked amused.
"I'm training". I replied a bit curtly.
"And what are you exactly training?".
"I'm trying to use U'shara".
He then made an 'aha' sound and nodded to himself.
"Have you ever used it before?".
"No?".
"Pfft".
A small laugh escaped his lips as he heard my answer.
"What's wrong?".
"You outsiders are really odd".
He then smiled at me and offered an explanation.
"U'shara is everywhere, but using it isn't just about wishing for it to move. It's akin to a feeling or sensation that must be trained, little kids from our tribe are unable to use it because they're young and wouldn't have been able to feel it for as long as adults. The fastest way to develop this 'sense' is with external help".
"External help?".
"Exactly, if someone continuously transfers U'shara to your body, it becomes a lot easier to feel it, slowly improving your feel for it. This is what's done to train new hunters in our tribe".
His smile faded a bit.
"Trying to feel it by yourself is akin to learning how to walk without your parents' help, it can be done, but it takes much more time. If one can naturally feel it and wield it without a teacher, they could be considered a genius".
He then beamed a smile at me,
"And from the looks of it, you're not one!".
The way he joyfully said that annoyed me a bit, but the joy of finally seeing a way forward far surpassed that.
"Then, can you help me?".
"Mhm".
As he nodded, he ordered me to sit. After I did that I felt a cold hand pressed against my back, and then...
Wshhh
I felt a wave. With my eyes closed, I saw a pitch-black world, but I felt as if countless waves moved through my body. I was burning and freezing at the same time.
My senses dulled and collided against each other, I couldn't feel the ground anymore. Ripples of water coursed through my being as I felt that my own body didn't belong to me, all this energy invaded me, molded me, and embraced me. I was an ocean.
Just before I felt I could start manipulating this energy, my sense of taste returned, and an odd metallic taste invaded my mouth.
"We're done for today".
Before I was able to ask him to keep going, a sharp pain went across my head. When I opened my eyes I saw it. I was bleeding.
"Bleeding through your orifices is normal for people who never used U'shara before, going further won't be of any help anymore".
After a while, I washed my face and returned to him. Although I still couldn't use it, I could sense mana much better than before. He made this breakthrough possible.
"Thanks, I couldn't have done this without you". I bowed to him and showed him my satisfaction.
"Why are you thanking me for? You still need to be able to sense it properly, then I have to teach you how to manipulate it and effectively fight with".
I stood in awe as he went on about teaching me, I might get on my knees at this rate.
"Why do you want to help me this much?".
After my question, his sparkling eyes became slightly cold and his gaze drifted away.
"I just... don't have anything better to do".
"Well, at least I should know your name, mine's Cassian".
I shifted the topic as I didn't wish to press him.
"Mine's Khan, but you can call me master".
My desire to get on my knees disappeared after he said that.
"Yeah, I'll pass, you look even younger than me".
He then dramatically feigned being hurt, only to lie on the grass.
"Get some rest today, tomorrow we'll keep going".
I glanced at him before lying alongside him. We didn't exchange any more words.
Admiring the sky, my mind was left to wander freely. I thought about my family, I instinctively knew that I wouldn't see them for a long time, so I the pain of not being with them would only get worse the more I remembered them.
I was scared, but maybe if they were here with me, having to die repeatedly wouldn't be so bad, knowing that they would be there for me in my worst moments.
'Don't think about them'.
I got a hold of myself and got up, ready to go back to the settlement.
When I arrived, something was clearly wrong, almost no one was seen, and the people I encountered were visibly agitated. After approaching one of my people, I asked them what happened.
"They told me that the tribe's shaman died".
"What?".
I knew who the shaman was, it was a figure as known as Dagan and the chief, but for him to suddenly die.
I stood there confused, but as I looked around, from the corned of my eyes I saw it:
A swarm of beasts were headed towards the village, their eyes crazed as they trampled on one another as if desperate to reach the settlement.
My lips curled upward. Fate really doesn't take its time.