Swish! Swish!
The pocket knife sliced the air on both sides as Otto barely dodged all of them while trying to disarm the opponent. An incoming strike was coming from the left. Otto quickly grabbed the thug's right wrist and snatched it away.
But this time, the man didn't try to back away.
He raised his head to look at Otto with his white eyes. A spine-chilling sensation came to Otto, which made his hair stand on end.
The thug didn't try to fight back. No, he just stared back at Otto and let out a demonic voice.
"Vessel! Vessel! Vessel! Vesse…!"
Before he could even finish his sentence, his face began to swelled up like a balloon. Otto let go of the hand and backed away immediately.
Bloody tears began to flow out of the thug's eyes as the entirety of his face had swell up. And before long…
Pop!
The swollen head suddenly exploded like a water balloon as thick and viscous blood poured out of his neck like a fountain. Grey and white matter scattered across the floor alongside broken bone fragments.
As if a puppet had its strings cut off, the headless corpse collapsed into a heap of meat.
Otto was rooted on his spot the entire time. His heart lurched, both of his hands trembled, and his eyes widened with a cold shiver down his spine.
His head began to swirl like crazy. His stomach folded as he collapsed to his knees and gagged hoarsely before stomach acid left his throat.
He retched for a long time before his body began to calm itself, signalling Otto to get up. He rose to his feet, stared at the headless corpse for a while, before turning around and leaving the scene.
He struggled to drag both of his feet while at the same time picking up the bread bag that he had left before entering the alley.
The hue of sunset bathed his skin warm. People began walking to the bar or went home after a long day of work.
With all bruises and clothes torn, Otto trudged back to Gerav's house.
…
"I'm home."
"Well, well, well. Did you secretly neglect your training and slouch your way here…?" Gerav glanced at his disciple and froze. He quickly rushed to Otto and grabbed both of his shoulders.
"What happened? Tell me in detail." He narrowed his eyes while checking Otto.
Otto bitterly smiled and gave him the bag of loaves. "Just got into a fight. Don't worry, they ran away."
Gerav shook his head and replied. "That blood on you says otherwise."
Otto snapped and examined his own clothes. He wiped his face and discovered blood on his hand. Perhaps after the fight, he was too exhausted to even notice the blood on his clothes.
Otto didn't answer and imposed another question instead. "Sorry, but can I have a rest for tomorrow?"
Gerav nodded and went upstairs to get his bandages. Otto took a seat on the dining chair and ruminated over his past experience. Just what was that? Why did his head explode? What does he mean by 'vessel'?
He rubbed his temple before staring into his right palm. What kind of magic do they have in this world, and what does this world need from me?
Those two questions made him realise that his transmigration wasn't an accident. This world needs him, and it brought him here for that purpose.
Before long, Gerav returned with a wooden box. Otto quickly understood the box's purpose and got up to wash his wounds before wrapping the bandages around.
In the meantime, Otto inquired of the priest. "Old man, what kind of magic do they have in this land?"
"I won't say that it's magical; rather it is a system. A logic that we were already born with. Do you not have that in your hometown?" Gerav puts the remaining bandages back into the box.
"No, not even a single soul has used nor heard about it." Otto stretched his arms before resting them under the table.
Gerav puts the box aside before leaning forward. "As a traveller, you need to know this particular magic—elemental magic. It requires me a lot of time to explain to you, so I'll only give you a brief detail."
Otto nodded and listened attentively.
"Elemental magic—as the name implies—is about elements. Every elemental user will start off from seven base elements—Pyra, Aqua, Gaia, Zephyr, Voltra, Glacis, Floris, Lux, and Nox. Eat a golden apple that stems from the Adam tree's family, and you'll get a random base element." Otto got up to get a cup and drank tap water while listening to Gerav's explanation.
Basically, it's a gamble where you'll either get your preferred base element or not. He nodded before going back to his seat.
Gerav pointed at the back. "That's all I know. Now, the soup is on the counter. Make sure to get enough sleep before our next and last lesson."
Last? Otto dazed for a moment before quickly nodding. "Alright. You too, old man."
"Since when did you call me 'old man'?" Gerav chuckled before going up to his room.
Otto went to have a nice meal and went back to his room. Still, he lowered his eyes and sighed, for he could not take a shower for the night.
He closed the door and sat on his study chair. He picked up the storybook on the table and flipped the pages one by one. After two weeks of studying, he could now read the entirety of the book.
'Once upon a time, there lived five great saviours that descended from Mount Gtoja.'
'They all went to the land of tranquillity for one same reason: to defeat one of the greatest disasters Valeria had ever faced.'
'This calamity had destroyed countless cities and lives. Men are killing each other, while the women and children scream amidst the devouring flames.'
Jeez, is this even considered kid-friendly at this point? Now I kind of feel bad for that merchant's childhood. He flipped the pages and carried on.
'Its black form devoured people's minds one after another. Until the saviours decided to seal the black mist in the city of the north.'
'The sealed calamity had many names—The Dark Mist, Fragment of Corruption, and…'
Otto glued his eyes onto the last verse of the story.
'…The Black Wave.'