"Thank you, Theodore Reinis."
The last thing Theodore remembered before falling unconscious was the words of the Giant Lady. He never even learned her name, and now he had killed her.
Theo couldn't breathe, struggling as his lungs experienced a sensation he had never felt before. They were burning as if they were filled with lava.
The world around him was completely submerged in darkness, and the sound of silence filled Theo's ears with a loud buzzing.
The buzzing slowly began to grow louder and louder, until it halted, and was replaced with a rhythmic thumping sound.
Thump thump
Thump thump
Thump thump
He quickly realized this was a heart beat.
With each successive beat, the world around him seemed to gain more color slowly, and his vision began to get restored.
The smell of blood within the air was more potent than ever before. It still covered his nose, mouth, eyes, and the rest of his body.
He felt as though he had just taken a massive blow to the head, and was facing a concussion as a result.
The white walls were way brighter than before, the smell of blood and dirt filled his nose, the taste of iron was strong, his skin stung like pins and needles, the palm of his hand was filled with the cold feeling of steel, and his breathing and heart beat were way more audible than before.
Like a drunk man leaving a bar, Theo stumbled upwards onto his feet with an uneasy sense of balance, barely managing to sheathe the sword that seemed to mysteriously be in his grasp.
Immediately, a sense of vertigo overwhelmed him, causing him to hunch over.
A volatile wretch came from him, as he began to vomit profusely.
Water, stomach acid, and this morning's breakfast all came up at once into a vile pile of liquids and solids, but nowhere in there was the blood he had swallowed so much of.
He couldn't help but wipe his mouth with his arm, smearing dried blood onto it, but that wasn't what he noticed.
He looked down at his arm, and it appeared much wider than before, no longer looking like a thin tree branch that's been bleached by the sun. Instead it looked more like the sturdy trunk of a palm tree, with veins running through it.
It wasn't such a major change that he couldn't recognize it as his own arm, but his skin tone had definitely darkened, and his frame had become wider. He couldn't help but quickly glance over himself.
His body seemed to have mysteriously developed more muscle, making it look like he didn't spend all his time in his room or in a class room.
His legs had become wider and longer, with strong calves and thighs, while his arms and shoulders had broadened, making him look much older now.
His veins were way more visible, with a dark blue that was almost unnatural.
His scar still remained, and he was still stained in blood, but he was more focused on the fact that he had become taller. He had easily grown over two inches taller, which explained his weird sense of balance.
He wondered what else about himself changed, but he couldn't figure it out due to the lack of a reflective surface, so he could only theorize.
He really hoped that he didn't look too different, thinking to himself "I hope my mom can recognize me…"
His heart beat began to settle, and his senses reacquired their focus, allowing him to see where he was once again.
He was still in the same spot, though the strings made from energy had now vanished, and instead a luster of energy remained in the air that wasn't there before, or maybe he just couldn't detect it before.
"Is this natural energy? But there's so little of it compared to before… I shouldn't be able to sense it. Compared to before… it's like I can actually see it:"
He pondered to himself, and reached his hand out as if to touch it.
Upon contact, he was surprised to feel an actual response from his senses.
Deep inside him, a feeling stirred as his heart began to beat in a unique rhythm.
A sound that reminded Theo of thunder within the sky filled his ears, then a loud crack as if lightning had struck.
He saw an illustrious glow matching the energy in the air begin to form from his skin, and he could feel the hairs on his body begin to stand up.
Suddenly a bright flash filled his vision, as what appeared to be beams of light began to fire from his skin, vanishing just as fast as they appeared.
Theo quickly could tell something inside his body was drained from doing that, mentally noting "I can do that three more times today."
His mind raced as to what that was, and settled into one idea.
Those who descend from dragons, the dragon kin, do not control natural energy the same as other species. Instead, they produce it inside their body and release it in various forms, some of which match the description of what Theo just did by accident.
He felt as though he was right about this, and his instincts told him this was his energy being expelled forcefully, but he wondered why it happened when he touched the energy in the air, and why that energy in the air was suddenly visible to him. It was hard for him to make sense of it all.
Theo took a few moments to close his eyes and listen to his heart beat, where he found strange control over its rhythm.
He determined two things rather quickly: The first is that when controlling the rhythm of his heart he begins to expel the energy in his body. The second is that different rhythms have different effects, but he's not sure how or in what way they are determined.
"There is an old saying that this reminds me of: 'Blood is the source of power.'"
"If the heart pumps blood, and blood is the source of power, it makes sense that pumping it in different ways would have different results… maybe I can ask Whitney about this…"
He pondered to himself for a moment, unsure if to be excited, confused, or what. In the end, decided this was just another great mystery that comes with exploring ruins. So, he didn't harp on it too long, because he wanted to get home more than anything now.
Without the threads anymore, the room seemed to exist as a whole space once again, one that he could properly see thanks to the flow of energy.
He was able to walk across the room to the end, where he finally noticed a shift in color from the blinding white, into a more stable balance of greens and browns.
The sight of this made him realize he wasn't in the same room as before, which makes sense due to the lack of blood puddles, but the excitement made him not ponder this, and instead he ran forth.
The smell of fresh air entered his nose, followed by the smell of greenery, flowing water, and still the smell of blood covering him.
He almost felt tears well up in his eyes, as hope was restored once more, causing him to almost collapse to his knees.
As he basked in the joy of freedom, he heard the sound of shifting grass, and could smell a foreign smell, one unfamiliar to him, as most smells are to a human's nose.
Suddenly, one Daniel Brein came out from the shrubbery, a ball of flame in his hand as he shouted.
"Who are you, and where is Young Theodore!"
Theo instantly raised both his hands, shaking them and pointing to the large scar on his right arm.
"Daniel! It is me! I'm Theo!"
"Theo?! By the Titan! What happened to you?!"
"It's a long story- one that's going to be very hard to explain, just give me a moment to clean myself up please… there's a river that way, right?"
"Yes- how did you know that-?"
"Well, you aren't covered in dirt, unlike me."
Daniel nodded his head, and dispersed the flame in his palm back into the environment in the form of energy.
As he did this, Theo watched as the ball turned from a fire to a bunch of invisible threads, and rejoined the translucent veil over the world. At the same time he noticed a distinct color of red break away from the veil, entering Daniel's nose whenever he breathed in.
The two stopped at the river, as Theo began to take off his armor, and look into the water.
He couldn't help but begin to flex in the reflection of the water, staring at a completely foreign reflection.
If it wasn't for his face resembling his father so much, he'd think he had been given an entirely new body.
His hair had become a much more apparent shade of blue, as opposed to black, and his brown eyes now had a golden glimmer inside them, like something was alive in them.
His skinny frame was replaced with a wide chest, and a flat stomach with the beginnings of what looked like an actual developed set of abs, but it was still a long way from the Theo's ideal body.
Though Theo has never had a lot of body hair, it had become much more prominent, with a little bit of chest hair; and much more hair on his arms and legs, making him a bit uncomfortable due to how much older he looked. If he didn't shave his face, he wondered how fast he'd grow a beard.
Daniel didn't watch as Theodore washed up in the river, and once he was done the two rejoined.
Theo had removed the broken armor, and was left in a cloth shirt that didn't properly fit him anymore, with trousers on that no longer needed the belt to stay. At his side was still his shortsword and the broken pocket watch.
Theo then promptly explained the events in as much detail as he could, leaving Daniel in a stunned state for quite a while as he weighed the truth of Theo's words.
After a moment, he decided to believe Theo, and stood up.
"Aren't you going to ask more questions?" Theo raised both his eyebrows in concern for Daniel's silence.
"Take advice from your elder; when you ask too many questions, you become a target. Theodore, when we get back, we will have to report this, and you will have to talk to a lot of people. I want no part in that. Nondisclosure agreements are only given by magicians, never signed by them!"
Theo felt like he understood Daniel, who simply wished to not be in any more trouble than the two already were.
As for Theo himself, he already knew he was in for a lot of change in his life. He knew that being a simple scholar wasn't an option anymore.
He just hoped that this wouldn't harm his family
After discussing their injuries, and their plan, the two gathered the little supplies they had left and began to take off into the dense forestry.
The plan was simple: they would try and exit the forest, or find signs of civilization. From there they would find Violet Rock, or the nearest place with SSA contact, to contact Giant's Helm and have a rescue team sent to their location.
The beginning of their journey was rather rough with Daniel's broken arm, and only a single short sword not meant to cut branches.
The dense trees blocked their path, and sharp thorns dug into them. They were so on edge that the simple movement of a squirrel was enough to get them startled. They were very aware of this strange crimson bear Theo saw in his vision.
Occasionally, they would take a break and listen to their surroundings. They were trying to hear voices, or running water, using Theo's enhanced hearing, but they found nothing yet.
After two hours of walking, both of them became exhausted due to hunger, and had to take a break.
Daniel and Theo waited inside a bush, and saw a small squirrel perched in a tree.
Daniel raised his hand, and Theo watched as a vibrant red energy rose from Daniel's palm. This energy gathered into the shape of a ball, and seemed to cross some sort of invisible threshold, changing from energy to matter instantly, as flames were produced.
Since his changes, Theo has been able to actually visualize naturally energy, perceiving it as colors.
Daniel then thrust his hand forwards like tossing a ball, and a screeching sound followed, as fire accurately slammed into the squirrel and knocked it out of the tree.
Theo quickly leapt out of the bush and stomped out the fire before it could spread, and picked up the flaming hot squirrel, using his shirt like an oven mitt.
He gave Daniel a thumbs up, and then they repeated this process one more time.
After that, they sat down together and Daniel lit a fire on some sticks, and they cooked the squirrels while sharing some anxiety with each other over what was to come next.
A lot of it was just what would happen if their plan didn't work, and they came to the conclusion that they'd just have to adapt and survive no matter what.
For some reason, Daniel seemed to avoid talking about why he needed to get home so bad. Theo was very open about his mother, and how her anxieties had come true, but Daniel simply refused to share the reason he was so motivated to move forwards. His arm was broken without any medical attention, and he seemed to ignore the pain through willpower alone. Theo didn't realize it before, but Daniel is actually way tougher than he seems.
The two finished their cooked squirrel, the hunger letting them ignore the strange taste, then they continued onwards.
After another 20 or so minutes of walking, the shrubbery seemed to thin quite a bit, and they were able to squeeze through trees.
The bright sun suddenly filled their eyes, as the trees seemed to disperse in all directions, and create a ring around them.
They had reached a clearing in the forest! A small flower field that seemed to be home to some animals, likely used to sunbathe.
Immediately, Daniel spoke up, excited at the thought of respite.
"Young Theo! Finally we can rest without worry!"
Theo's brow wrinkled, and his nostrils spread in detest, as a gory image filled his mind of him and Daniel being torn to shreds.
"This is where the bear is… She wasn't lying to me…"
Daniel went silent, and his expression changed into a serious mode, then he asked Theo very calmly
"You saw the strange images, not me. Tell me what you think we should do, and I will do it."
Theo looked at his senior with surprise. He figured Daniel would have an idea, and not rely on Theo. The feeling of trust restored a slight confidence that had started to wane.
"Alright. I need you to trust me, even if I sound crazy, can you do that?"
"Theodore, my boy! That's what I've been doing so far! This entire situation is insanity incarnate!"
Theo couldn't help but smile at Daniel, feeling like he understood why the man enjoyed being called a magician. He enjoyed making people smile.
"Alright, I will sit in the field, and wait. I need you to stand here, behind the trees. Do not come out early, whatever happens. I need you to launch a fireball whenever you see the bright flash. We will catch it off guard."
Daniel didn't question Theo's plan, and instead nodded, and took two steps back into the tree line, leaning onto a tree and skulking in the shadows.
Theo then shared eye contact with him, confirming both of their confidence in each other, before walking out into the flower field, and sitting down with his legs crossed.
He then gently reached to his side and unsheathed the short sword, and brought it to the palm of his hand. He wanted to use blood as bait, but his heart began to beat with fear of the pain and he chickened out of it.
He sat there with the blade in front of him, and thought to himself, his heart beating out of rhythm due to nervousness.
He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, trying to steady his heart beat.
As he did, he could no longer see the natural flow of energy in the air. Instead, an internal image filled the darkness beneath his pupils.
He saw his body shape, with a bunch of streams flowing through his body, and wrapping either from his heart, or into his heart.
He was able to recognize this as veins and arteries carrying blood, but he knew it wasn't blood he was seeing, and rather the natural energy inside of his blood. It was no different than oxygen.
When the heart beat, energy was expelled from it, and carried throughout Theo's body. Because he wasn't actively using the energy, it seemed as though the energy was carried back into the heart again, but this was just a theory he had.
When he accelerates his heart beat, or makes it follow a rhythm, he is controlling the flow of the energy through his blood, and is able to direct it, though the exact method of controlling the results didn't make sense to him.
"If I can control its flow, why did it blast from my skin in a wide spread? Why not from the palm of my hand, or from my wrist? Or somewhere with a lot of veins of arteries?"
"Is it because I am only controlling the amount of energy, and not the energy itself? Then how do I control the energy itself…"
The questions filled his mind, as he found himself able to slow his heart beat significantly, as if he was slowly fading into the environment.
Just then, he heard a sound, a distant shuffle and loud huff.
The huff was inhuman, and sounded similar to the huffs a lot of mammals release from their snouts, such as a horse or a dog. The bear!
Theo opened his eyes, and saw the large bear emerge from the tree line.
It stood on all fours, but it was easily double the size of any bear Theo had seen in text books before. On its hind legs, it was almost 20 feet tall!
Theo couldn't help but nervously gulp, but his anxiety felt strangely under control.
For some reason, the bear seemed to blindly look around and sniff the ground, as if unaware of Theo, who was less than 10 feet from it.
Theo felt his heart beat begin to speed up again, as the bear's ears twitched, and it looked up at Theo.
Suddenly his heart beat began to accelerate, and the bear began to growl, as if it just noticed him somehow.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!"
Before Theo knew it, the bear had extended its front paws and firmly planted them, then pushed off them, and opened its jaws wide, trying to bite down on Theo!
"I thought bears used their claws!"
If it weren't for preparing himself, Theo would've died just then, but instead he internalized his own image, and controlled his heart beat.
The thumping filled his body and made him feel an intense warmth, and a shortness of breath.
CRACKLE
A loud sound resembling thunder and lightning filled the air, and the clearing was enveloped in a blinding light!
From behind the tree line, Daniel sat patiently, occasionally glancing at Theo, who was weirdly still.
He couldn't help but have anxiety envelop his mind, which suddenly got worse when he saw a large, crimson bear! It was even bigger than Theo had described!
He clung to the tree with his backside like his life depended on it, and held his breath out of fear.
He raised his right arm upwards, already swirling the energy into a ball, but not yet materializing it.
He then heard an loud crack, and watched bright light flash past the tree!
He pivoted on his heels, and swung around the tree, the energy in his hand manifesting into a ball of fire!
As the bright light released from Theo, he quickly tucked his head backwards and slammed it into the flowers behind himself. He then rolled to the side like a child tumbling down a hill, and barely avoided being crushed by the bear!
He heard a loud roar and grunt, the bear roaring and swiping at the air as it was left blinded by the light!
A small ball of fire then shot out from the tree line and accurately nailed the bear in its snout, spreading the flames around its face and igniting it!
The bear raised itself onto its hind legs and began to roar violently while shaking its head.
Its paws raised upwards and began to swat itself into the face, putting the fire out with violence.
Theo took this opportunity to strike!
He ran forwards with his short sword in hand, and thrust it towards the exposed belly of the bear. The sword struck true against the crimson fur of the bear, but it felt like Theo had hit a rock with all his might!
"Shit- why is it so tough?! This is fur, not iron!"
"Theo! Move!"
He heard Daniel's voice shout out, and glanced upwards to see the large bear's body coming downwards.
He quickly rolled to the side, falling onto his back and quickly getting up.
He saw the bear standing there and swatting at the air.
Its eyes were coated with a thick black layer of burnt fur, and its pupils were melted! Its skin may be like iron, but it seems its eyes were a weak spot!
"Daniel! It's blind! It can't see us! Go around and meet me on the other side!"
Daniel quickly listened to Theo and began to wrap around the circular clearing to get to the other side.
At the same time, the bear heard Theo's voice and quickly lunged at it, swiping its claws aggressively.
A panic filled Theo as he took a bunch of steps backwards and stumbled, almost falling.
He then hit his back against a tree, and quickly stepped to the side and backed into the tree line.
The bear kept walking forwards and swiping, hitting the trees and shaking them, leaving large claw marks.
Thankfully, Theo was safe due to the bears large size making it hard for it to chase them using only sound.
Theo looked to his side and saw Daniel, then they both began to take off together!
They glanced backwards and saw the bear still swiping at trees while roaring at them.
A sense of relief came over them as they slowly heard the roars vanish into the distant air, and they quickly stopped to catch their breath.
"Holy shit… I thought we were going to die-"
"No- huff -Young Theo! I- huff -Had faith in you the whole time!"
Daniel smiled at Theo while out of breath, and the two shared a relieved laugh, and looked up to the sky.
"We have a few hours until dark, we really need to hurry up. The forest is even more dangerous at night…"
"Yes, that is very wise young Theo. I was going to suggest the same thing myself. We can rest when we find a safe respite."
The two quickly agreed, and began to walk again, heading forwards in the direction that the sun was now facing. It was common knowledge the sun set in the west, and they traveled east to the site, so traveling west meant they were walking closer to where they came from.