Gin wakes up feeling shittier than usual, looking out of the window, the sun hasn't even show up yet.
Well, dreaming about taking a fatal slash from a sibling that he never have would do that to people.
Silently rubbing his torso, Gin feels himself relax as rather than a gashing wound, his mostly scar-less body greets his hand on the other end.
Right, it was just a dream.
Not a normal one though, considering how weirdly vivid it was compared to his other dreams.
Gin has dreamed before of course.
Silly stuff about Finn suddenly being taller than him, or running on the beach together with the Jack Bird, or that one where the whole Astraea familia suddenly decided that bikinis with fishnet knee socks should be their official uniforms.
...What? Gin is not ashamed of his taste.
It is pretty wholesome compared to some shit out there!
Anyway, none of his previous dreams ever came close as feeling as real as his last one.
The alien feeling of familiarity with the blonde dude and the silver haired girl, the grief of seeing them fight, the resolute will to end it no matter what, all of them were as clear as day even after he woke up.
Safe to say, it was definitely not a normal dream.
Well, Gin is pretty sure of what caused it, so he doesn't have to contemplate it too much.
"Eljudnir, huh?"
His new Skill is definitely to blame for the nightmare.
Not only that, he still remembers what Hel said before he fell asleep. The new skill was just taking its toll.
Eljudnir was consuming his Mind at a rapid rate to the point he succumbed to a Mind Down last night.
Gin has only experienced Mind Down once before that, and it was on a controlled environment back in the early days of his training with Riveria.
It took him around twenty uses of Ginnungagap to trigger a mind down.
Considering how much his Mind have grown since then, it can be concluded that Eljudnir consumed at the very least around forty to fifty uses of Ginnungagap.
Gin heaves a heavy sigh.
If its only effect was giving him lasting nightmare, then he is pretty much duped.
What a shitty skill.
Well, no use of guessing what kind of skill it was. There is only one thing to do if he wants to know about his new Skill.
"Let's just talk about it over breakfast." Gin yawns as he prepares to discover the truth of his Skill from Hel.
As the morning finally come in full, Gin finds himself eating breakfast heartily at the dining room with Hel as usual.
His new member, the mysterious Ms. Dum Dum, rarely stays in Helheim, and even when she does so, Hel would always ensure that the two of them never cross path.
Hel was doing a good job with that, since even after three months Gin has never caught any sight of his new member.
Well, no use of thinking about that idiot.
She hasn't caused trouble either, so he is content to wait until Hel decides to introduce her to him.
There is more pressing matter to talk about.
Gin clears his throat to catch Hel's attention. "So… Last night, I got a pretty weird dream."
She looks at him and nods. "I know. It was naught but a mere prerequisite of Eljudnir, my champion. Showing you visions of people last moment is not the true merit of it." She sets down the toast she was eating and sits straight.
"You have come to me for answer and I shall provide it, my champion. Please, ask away."
"Alright. Then-"
"Hel, what is Eljudnir? Will it pose problem for me going forward?"
"Eljudnir is your Skill, my champion. It is a part of you. It will pose as much problem as any of your organs." Hel replies. "The true nature of Eljudnir and the cause of its awakening is most likely my influence on your fate."
"Your influence?"
"Aye. My authority over the souls of the departed along with the circle of reincarnation are to blame for the awakening of your Skill." Hel says. "Eljudnir is a powerful Skill, my champion. As such, It poses a number of prerequisite."
"The first one is the moment of your awakening, the moment when your divinity grows exponentially would be the impetus to rouse Eljudnir power."
A skill that only activates when he levels up?
Gin has read about numerous documented Skill from the public records, but it's the first time he ever heard a skill with such tall order to activate.
"The second one is an understanding of the soul of departed that bonded with you. That dream you had, its purpose was to give you a glimmer of their true soul… of how they embrace their final moment."
Their last moment, how they died.
The moment where the raw character of a person is laid bare for everyone to see.
Gin doesn't know about the one whose place he took in his dream, but he sure as hell can tell that they are at the very least a person who loves their family.
To the point of sacrificing their life to stop the fight.
"If you have completed those two conditions, Eljudnir shall open its door and welcome the soul to walk this plain." Hel looks straight at him. "Eljudnir is a Skill that allows you to welcome the souls of the departed into this world."
"Wait… Just, just wait a second." Gin loses his breath at the revelation. "Eljudnir is a skill to revive the dead!?"
"In a way, yes."
That's… that's a can of worms that he doesn't want to touch!
Reviving the dead!? That is just too much for a normal person like him!
"…So I am pulling dead people from the past and summon them here? What? Will I summon dead adventurers? Will I summon Argonaut or Albert the Great or people like that?" Gin grimaces.
"That is where you draw the wrong conclusion, my champion." Hel shakes her head. "All the souls in the heavens are jealously protected by us gods of death. All of the departed from this world will finish their circle and walk on this plain once more, clean and unblemished from their previous run. No mortal power could interfere with that."
"Then?"
"The soul from this world is out of your grasp, true, but the same could not be said about those not of this world."
…What?
"Those people you dreamed about, and the soul who responded to your call are not a resident of this world."
Gin's head draws a blank.
"You can call them foreign souls, I suppose."
Gin fails to make any kind of voice.
His mouth only opens and closes like a goldfish's without doing anything else.
Another world? That's a thing? What the hell? This is way beyond even for his highly trained intelligence!
Hell, he imagines even people like Finn or Riveria will act the same like him.
'No, focus.'
Another world exist, big deal.
Gods walks in this world, one of them is having breakfast beside him right this moment.
Is another world really that unbelievable considering that?
No, it's not that weird.
The more important thing to consider is… does he really want to use this skill?
Sure, getting a potential comrade for free each time he levels up is neat, but they are people who have died.
He will selfishly welcome them on this world and get them to fight his battle… Is that a right thing to do?
"You look conflicted, my champion."
Gin looks up at Hel's words.
Is he really that easy to read?
"I understand what you are thinking. To egoistically rip one from their rightful rest must have weight on your mind, but you need to understand the nature of Eljudnir."
"The nature?"
"Yes. Eljudnir is not a war conscription. You are not forcefully ripping them away. The people you will summon are ones whose soul reverberate with your own. You only extend an invitation to them. The choice to answer the invitation is ultimately in their hands." Hel explains.
"But… As they have the choice to respond to your call, you also have the choice to extend the invitation." Hel stands up and touches his back.
"If you wish it, I shall seal away Eljudnir."
"Seal it?"
"Eljudnir is a part of you, but if it hurts you with its presence, then I shall cut them away." Hel says.
"The choice is in your hands, my champion. Will you choose to embrace it, or will you deny it?"
Gin ponders the question for a while, though the answer is obvious.
"No need to seal it, my goddess. I have made my choices."
Skill, different from Developmental Abilities, is born from the desire of the owner.
Eljudnir is undoubtedly born from Gin's desire of wanting companions that could understand him.
…He doesn't want to deny that part of him.
In the future, he will surely meet problem with the summoned souls, but that is a risk he is willing to take.
Hel nods and backs away from him. "I see. Then you should know what to do correct?"
Gin doesn't have to pretend the constant pull he feels doesn't exist anymore.
"Yeah… I'll pick her up as soon as I can."
It should be easy to get permission to get out of the city when he is just a Level 2.
....
The forest is within a day walk, and luckily enough, he didn't burn down his old hut when he departed for Orario.
The soul that he is bounded to should be sleeping somewhere inside that forest.
It took a day before the guild gave him permission to go outside the city.
Rehmer easily accepted his excuse of visiting some old friends in his village in occasion of his level up.
It was a complete lie, considering he doesn't have anyone close enough for him to necessitate dropping by to share the good news with.
Yeah, he was kind of an introvert back then.
Gin departed from Orario as soon as he got the okay, leaving behind Hel to house sit according to the guild agreement.
They must have been worried that he will run away from the city with Hel in tow.
The fact that they do something like that to ensure a no name new Level 2 like him staying in the city speaks volume of Orario's current state.
Even someone like him is too valuable to let go now.
Gin calmly treads the nostalgic path.
It takes four hour by foot to reach the forest, even if he runs full throttle with his current stats, he will still need around three and a half hour.
Judging from the sun position, it should be around mid noon when he arrives at the village.
If he is lucky, he could meet up with the summoned soul before the sun set.
…Speaking of the summoned souls, what does he know about the current one?
Eljudnir only works when he understands the summoned soul.
Gin is not sure how much he needs to understand her, but refreshing his minds and noting down the available information should be a right action to take.
Well, it's the only action he could take for now anyway.
'Right, the easiest one to remember should be her death.'
'What caused it?'
'She was killed… kind of. She jumped out in the blade's way as her brother slashed at her sister.'
'Her last moment was born from her act of self-sacrifice.'
Could he do the same?
If Riveria suddenly turns evil and attacks Ais or vice versa… What will he do? Definitely not taking the blow.
That's what his bow and arrow for.
If they fight and try to kill each other then he will just shoot the attacker without killing them. An arrow to the knee might work well.
But… in the same exact situation as her, he might actually do the same.
As Gin ponders on the what if scenario that will definitely not happen, he finally arrives at the vicinity of his old village.
Well, what other things does he know about the summoned soul?
To truly understand her, maybe deducing her identity could work?
Gin walks inside the forest, following the constant pull silently.
If he keeps going this way, there should be a lake deeper inside the forest.
The villager sometimes go there for a swim or a bath.
Her identity, huh? Now, that's a hard one.
The only dialogue he could remember is how her brother said something about protecting his homeland and how she begged him to stop fighting and instead do kind stuff? Something about warm hands and tears.
Gin gets nothing on the soul, but her brother on the other hand…
Her brother should be an important person that cares for his country.
He might be a soldier, a knight, or a noble.
Either one of those things… Maybe the soul is the same as her brother?
'Definitely not a soldier or a knight though,' he can't feel any kind of muscle when he is living in her shoes.
If she was a knight or a soldier, she could at least wrestle the sword away or block the blow with something else beside her own body.
So… a noble? It's a far-fetch but it kinda make sense.
What would a random nobody doing watching a battle on the sidelines?
The summoned soul could actually be some sort of noble.
Maybe…
If she was a noble, then she would be a good one.
Warm hand and tears, huh? That's just mere pretty words, but she has a better ideal than most people.
The fact that she took her wounds like a champ is admirable too.
…Gin might actually get along with her now that he thinks about it.
...
He arrives at the lake as the sun set.
Yep, he can't see it, but he definitely feels something down there.
"Are you down there? Oi, miss soul?" Gin calls out as he slaps the water's surface.
No response. He only feels stupid now.
'Dammit, Eljudnir sucks ass!'
'Why couldn't it comes with a manual or something?'
Gin hates to say it, but right now, he likes Niflheim better!
Okay, the fact that he admits that he likes that crazy skill more is already a warning of his mental state.
He needs to think calmly now.
Alright, he knows about her last moment, her identity, then what could he add to that that shows that he understands her?
That he knows her?
Her name? Could that be it?
It escaped his notice back when he was dreaming, but he can taste it on the tip of his tongue.
Should he try it?
It feels like singing along to a song that he vaguely remembers.
Gin's mouth moves before his mind think about it.
"Elise, are you there?"
As the bottom of the lake suddenly glows a bright blue, Gin quickly retreats behind a tree in case the appearances of his supposed summoned companion comes prepackaged with some enemies for a surprise battle.
He peeks out from behind the tree.
…Okay, false alarm.
There are no eldritch tentacles climbing up to the shore or anything like that, so it should be safe.
Gin carefully un-pulls his bowstring and looks at the lake.
It is a picturesque sight.
Her long blonde hair fans out as her body floats slowly on the lake's surface.
Her eyes is peacefully closed, her expression serene… and her body is fully exposed to Gin's gaze.
"Oh, Hel no." Gin's hand meets his face. "How am I supposed to bring you back, dammit."
The first naked girl he sees just have to be a summoned dead soul from another world!
...
Gin walks through the dark forest, reliving the days when he was but a simple hunter.
Unlike the city landscape that could change rapidly in a matter of months, the forest where he hunted before hardly changes.
After eight months, he almost forget how relaxing it is to just stroll through the woods.
The forest is dark, but his improved eyesight, brought about by his [Archer] development ability, sees through the darkness just fine.
The background noise is filled with a faint chorus of insects, birds, and other nocturnal animals.
'Oh, how soothing.'
Gin feels content just enjoying the atmosphere and gazing at the stars above. It makes him wonder what else exists out there.
Could he reach the heaven where the gods live if he managed to fly high enough?
"...Unn…"
As a small, warm breath makes contact with his neck, Gin finds himself being dragged back to reality.
Yup, no good.
He instantly becomes conscious of the weight behind him, of the naked girl he is currently piggybacking.
Well, not completely naked.
Gin is not sick enough to leave this girl bare of clothing. He has done his best to cover her body with his cloak.
...Yet somehow, that extra piece of fabric just makes it far worse!
Dammit, why does he have to be a defiant that like half clothed girls more than a completely naked one!?
Knowing this, wouldn't it be better to just let her be in her birthday suit!?
No, no, no.
He couldn't be that stupid!
Wrapping her with his cloak to hide her shame is one thing. Taking off the cloak and getting her naked again is just criminal.
Gin's inner conflict continues on until he arrives at his old hut.
Double checking to see if the coast is clear, he carefully sneaks into the hut and carefully closes the door.
"Safe." Gin wipes off the accumulated sweat on his forehead and feels his muscles relax.
Everything is going well so far. No one finds him bringing a young naked girl into his hut in the middle of the night.
He can still live his life as an upstanding human being, free from any kind of stigma!
Laying down the girl on the bed and lighting up the hearth, Gin paces here and there, nervously thinking about what to come.
He glances at the sleeping girl.
Elise, he reminds himself.
She has a name, he better get used to calling her that.
She isn't a resident of this world.
She is a dead soul from another world, given a second chance by means of his new skill, Eljudnir.
Yep, Gin's head hurts thinking about that.
There are still a lot of things to think about, though.
For example, does she even speak the same language as him? If she does, then what about writing? Fighting skills? Magic? Hell, what if her world has a different kind of common sense than his?
Not only that, what if Eljudnir changes her fundamentally?
Will Elise be the same girl he knows from his dreams?
Will she keep her memories?
Will she be blindly loyal to him and Hel?
Will she have knowledge of him the same way he knows about her?
He is going in completely blind on this.
Well, whatever.
Thinking too much about things that he can't change is a waste of time. The only thing he needs to do is to do something he can do.
Gin nods to himself.
The first thing he should do is to make sure that Elise will have a good first impression on him.
That means he needs to make sure that she will feel safe talking to him!
Which means, for now, he should...
....
It's obvious.
Waking up in an unfamiliar place without the clothes on her back is bad enough.
He doesn't need to add 'and completely alone' to that list.
Oh well, might as well prepare some food for her. He did bring some supplies just in case.
Too bad he didn't bring a change of clothes for her though. In his defense, having her completely naked was something he has not considered.
Maybe getting her some clothes would be a good idea? Gin sold or gave most of his belonging to raise money back when he was moving to Orario, so he didn't have any of his old clothes, but the villagers should have some.
He thinks about asking a complete set of clothing for her before realizing that a grown man asking for a girl smallclothes is definitely suspicious.
'Well, Elise just has to make do with what she'll get.'
Deciding on his course of action, Gin leaves the hut and heads to the closest house.
Gin quietly stirs the porridge and adjusts the coals so the porridge won't burn.
Getting some clothes for Elise is easy enough. Turn out having a lot of valis to give solve most of his problems.
Elise is smaller than him, so the clothes he got for her might be baggy, but it is better than nothing.
Sounds of bed creaking enters his ears.
'Elise is finally awake, huh? Moment of truth here.'
"Hey, you are finally awake." Gin says while keeping his attention on the porridge. "Can you understand what I'm sayin?"
"Yes, of course." Elise's voice is pretty calm considering that she woke up in a dirty hut with a weird dude like him.
"Oh, are you cooking?"
"Yep, it's just some porridge though. Well, I don't know if you can eat or not. I mean with all the, you know?" He makes a dying sound at the end.
"Too soon?"
"Hehe, maybe." She giggles at his words.
Quite the cheerful girl, isn't she?
"I am not really hungry. So maybe just a little."
"Growing girl should eat more. You won't be building any meat or muscle if you eat too little." Gin grunts.
'She's just like Ais at the start.'
Ignoring her wish, he fills a bowl with a generous portion of porridge. "Trust me, just eat like normal. Porridge is easy to digest anyway."
He finally turns around and looks at Elise. His soul cringes with guilt at her expression.
"…You sound like Camilla." she mutters sullenly.
…Crap. Elise's tone changed.
Camilla, a name that Gin doesn't recognize. Is she someone from Elise's original world?
"I…see." Gin scratches his head. "This Camilla, she, uh… she cool?"
Elise seems to be surprised at his question, but she nods slowly in response.
"Nice. It would be suck if I remind you of like, I don't know, some child eating witch that fatten up child before eating them, maybe?"
"Of course not! Camilla is very kind! She's my big sister!" Elise pouts, though Gin can feel some of her cheer coming back.
"You should be overjoyed, like, wham! Kablaam! Yaay! You know?"
"Yay, I am so happy." Gin speaks dryly.
Elise glares at him while inflating her cheeks.
He snorts.
She is as intimidating as a squirrel!
"Oh come on. It will be pretty hard to get happy when I don't know the detail." He stands up and motions for her to the small dining table.
"Let's talk as we eat. Why don't you start by telling me more about this Camilla? Hell, let's talk about everyone you know. We got plenty of time after all."
"…Yes!" She grins and race him to the table. "Here, Gin. Sit down and let me tell you the story of the bestest big brothers and sisters ever! Oh, and after that I will tell you about my friend, Effie and Arthur."
"Yeah, yeah. Chill Elise." Gin sits down before realizing what she just said. "…So you do know my name."
Elise tilts her head. "Well, yes? You were the one bawling and begging me to come, weren't you?"
The fuck Eljudnir?
This version of him sound crazy pathetic!
"…Haha, yep that's me." Gin mock salutes. "I'm Gin, Gin Hvergel. Nice to meet you...again, I guess."
....
Elise von Nohr (Fire Emblem)
Age: 14
-Eljudnir: A skill born from the Goddess of death, able to summon 1 soul from other world each time he levels up!