Elegy For An Epilogue

Cecillia released a gasp as a pressure started to thrum from within her sternum. It twisted and turned, churning away as it seared her insides. She clutched at her stomach as the white-hot, boiling pain surged before spreading through her arteries.

Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light and a refreshing coolness spread through her being as the agony dissipated slightly. Cecillia watched as white runic engravings appeared along the lengths of her arms, ethereal chimes sounding through the space.

Cecillia shuddered in relief, but the moment didn’t last long as a flicker of black lightning erupted around her form. The malicious energy coalesced and clashed with the divine runes, the pain within her core re-igniting. Her legs buckled and she dropped to one knee, gritting her teeth as she struggled to focus.

[Apologies. I’m afraid this was unaccounted for,] a woman’s tender voice flowed through her head, and the pain disappeared immediately. [I must say though… you have an impressive tolerance for pain.]

Cecillia’s eyes narrowed as they grasped onto the translucent screen. She had definitely heard a voice that matched with the system messages, but this was the first time it had occurred. The occassion proabably wasn’t taken lightly if it had to be personally attended to by a sentient entity. Especially considering all the errors that she had seen entailing from her damaged soul.

“You. What the hell are you?” Cecillia’s voice was cold, each word dripping with venom as her face darkened. “Tell me where I am, and why the fuck I’m in my sister’s body.”

Cecillia hadn’t realized that her clenched fists had caused her finger nails to dig into her palm, drawing a trickle of blood. Her mind had subconsciously directed all its anger and confusion at the unknown entity. Quickly realizing this, she eased herself but maintained caution.

[That is unimportant,] the feminine voice said dismissively. [What is, however, is that an error was made. I only exist to repair said error and compensate you for your troubles.]

Cecillia scoffed, “Compensation for my troubles? You mean trapping me in my sister’s body?”

[No. You will only receive compensation for the error that was made on our part. Whatever emotions you have is derived from an event out of our jurisdiction.]

The direct denial came in the form of a serrated dagger, piercing into her heart. If whatever this entity was saying was true, then that would mean that the only person who could’ve mediated this whole thing was Alice…

‘But why?’

Why would her sister go all this way and allow her soul to reside within her body. Why couldn’t she had just made things simpler. Skepticism invaded her mind and her anger deflated.

[We hope that you are able to find the truth on your own.]

Cecillia could’ve sworn the voice had a tone of desperation, but her thoughts were once again thrown into disarray as the white runes appeared with increased vigor on her skin. The raging storm within her body vanished and she was only left with an empty feeling.

[Ding! Divine Seal (XX) has been re-applied.]

[I have fortified the seal on your body. The events that transpired earlier should not occur again. As for your compensation…]

There was a silence for a moment, and an eerie breeze blew past. Cecillia raised a brow as a twinge of annoyance sparked within her.

“What?” Cecillia asked.

[I apologize, the calculations have been delayed due to your unusual… circumstances. It isn’t everyday that we encounter such an event. Though this will mean that you will receive a greater compensation than expected,] the voice replied.

“Cut to the chase,” Cecillia furrowed her brows. “What exactly am I going to receive?”

[You will receive a steel dagger, and a single question that I am authorized to answer. Please keep it simple, as you will only be able to ask once.]

Cecillia clicked her tongue. The dagger was exceedingly valuable in the situation that she had been thrown into. But the question on the other hand had to be asked cautiously.

Based on the entity’s words, Cecillia deduced that she wasn’t going to be able to receive any answers to her most pressing questions. Thus information about her surroundings was impertinent to her survival.

“Alright, then,” Cecillia said. “Where am I, and where is the nearest place with a large number of humans.”

She asked this very question because it knocked out a lot of the unknowns of this new world. Information about the forest was valuable to her immediate safety, and depending on the answer for the second part, it would confirm whether there were others of her kind. And even though she wouldn’t know if the humans would be hostile, it was a gamble that she would have to take.

[Impressive question,] the feminine voice said before continuing with an undisguised excitement. [Firstly, you are in the Forest of Elendar which is on the outskirts of the Nareth Mountain Chain. The monsters that reside within this forest vary from the levels, 1-25, although, beware of anomalies. Secondly, the nearest human settlement is the town of Windhaven, two week’s journey to the southern east. If you do choose to visit, be prepared for bandits.]

Cecillia blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected this much information to be revealed to herself so early. Wasn’t this kind of a cheat?

“Ahem,” Cecillia coughed, “Thanks for the help… I guess.”

[It is only my job,] the entity emphasized dryly. [But on a final note. Don’t fall asleep too readily, the night is dangerous.]

With those final words, the entity’s presence seemed to have disappeared entirely and a clink resounded from her feet. Glancing down, Cecillia saw a leather hilt protruding from the ground. The weapon didn’t have a crossguard, and as she pulled it out, its sleek double-edged blade glinted in the light of the twin moons.

[Steel Dagger]

When Cecillia used her identification skill, she was met with disappointment. She had half-expectedly thought that receiving an item directly from the system would have several bonuses and effects, just like a video game would. But instead, it was just a plain old dagger… a weapon she had years of experience using, and the first hope of light within the dreary darkness.

A slight smile curved her lips and she knelt next to the stream. Despite being a simple goal, the countless interruptions and events had delayed her from taking even a single sip of water. But now, it was peace at last and her throat was saved.

Cecillia firstly washed her hands in the running stream, swishing them around as the dried blood was removed from her palm. She then formed a cup and brought a generous amount of water to her mouth, greedily gulping down the cool, refreshing liquid as it soothed her throat.

The feeling extended to her body as she noticed a considerable change within her level of tiredness and when she opened her status menu, she was met with mild surprise.

Status:

Afflictions:

Mana Corruption - 13 days 23 hours

Divine Seal (XX) - 13 days 23 hours

Health: 123/130

Stamina: 88/100

Mana: -/-

Her health had decreased a little due to her outburst earlier, but just the act of drinking water restored quite an amount of stamina. She figured food was all she needed left to top off the bar—

“Right… food,” she mumbled, glancing around.

The forest stared back at her and she raised an eyebrow. To forage for nuts and berries was a decent idea, the existence of a rabbit meant that it was able to sustain itself off the shrubbery. It sounded like the plan that she would have proceeded with, except for the fact that she wouldn’t know which species would be poisonous or not. Crossing that option off her list, she was left with hunting.

With the dagger it wouldn’t be too difficult, she had done her fair share of skinning and preparing meat. The only issues were the monsters that the entity had mentioned, and earlier she knew that her ears wouldn’t have lied, wolves lived here and that was a fact. Although—her eyes shone with a red light, they didn’t call her the strongest soldier of humanity without reason.

Cecillia smiled and followed the stream downwards. Obviously, she didn’t know where she was heading, and since the sun wasn’t out, it was hard to tell east from west. But the universal law stated that all mammals needed water for survival. Hopefully for this world, it would be the same.

Minutes passed as she walked along the length of the stream and a long shadow appeared in the near distance. Cecillia’s footsteps softened and she crouched down, slowing her pace. The only sounds left in the air were the faint trickling sounds of running water.

She held her breath and slinked into the shadows of the forest. Her eyes examined her prey and she used the identification skill.

[Deer - (Level 4)]

Cecillia estimated that she was about thirty meters from the animal. In the moonlight, she was able to see the deer’s alert ears. They twitched at every subtle sound as it lapped at the stream and its legs were already tense like a spring, ready to bolt at a moment’s notice.

Her grip tightened on her dagger and she inched closer, making sure each movement would go unnoticed. Now within fifteen meters of the deer she simply waited. Her breath was barely audible and her dagger was beyond ready for blood. However, just before she was about to close the distance, there was a shallow brushing noise further down the tree line. It looked like she wasn’t the only one here on a hunt.

Cecillia’s breath froze and the deer did so as well. The animal raised its head, ears twitching as it glanced in the direction of the sound. Cecillia watched as it sniffed the air, nostrils flaring as it tried to detect the source. It stood there for almost thirty seconds before it seemed to think that things were going to be okay, and its head returned to the stream.

Simultaneously in that timeframe, Cecillia was also looking for whatever made the sudden noise. She parsed through the undergrowth in the general direction and her eyes slightly widened as they paused on a shady outline. It appeared in the shape of a wolf, but what was strange was that everytime she tried to focus on its body, her eyes seemed to slip away, almost like hanging from a slippery ledge. Fortunately, the second creature hadn’t seemed to notice her presence and bared its fangs.

[Twin-Tailed Wolf - (Level 6)]

‘Is it using some kind of stealth skill?’ Cecillia thought.

It was the only plausible conclusion she could think of, but before she could continue with her hypothesis, the wolf made the first move. Out of the shadows, the creature surged forward, its form stretching as its jaws widened. Startled, the deer released a high-pitched screech and panicked. Its legs scrambled on the rocky bank, and its hooves dug deep into the ground as it broke into a sprint. However, the twin-tailed wolf was on the animal in a flash.

With a savage growl, its jaws clamped down on the deer’s flank, teeth sinking deeply into flesh as the unsuspecting animal screamed. The deer thrashed against the wolf’s iron hold, but was unable to deter its predator. The wolf clawed at the animal’s side, leaving long lacerations in its hide. Blood seeped out of its wounds as it struggled, but Cecillia knew that it wouldn’t last long.

The deer continuously lost strength and as another threatening growl sounded, the light within its black eyes dimmed. Cecillia did feel a little guilty. The poor creature just wanted a sip of water, but in a world like this, she wasn’t surprised that it followed the laws of the survival of the fittest.

Her gaze shifted to the wolf and she felt a little pity springing up in her chest. It had done all the heavy lifting, and here she was, right about to take all the credit for its honest day of work.

Chuckling in her mind, she waited until the wolf tore a piece of meat from the deer and it was then that she closed the distance. The edge of her dagger glinted with a silvery glow as she sprung out from the forest, arm arcing downwards as she slashed for the creature's throat.

At the last moment, the wolf leapt out of the way, but Cecillia still felt a connection. Dark red blood dripped from the end of her blade and the wolf stared her down. Red, viscous liquid mixed with its matted black fur as she saw its gaze flickering cautiously between the deer’s corpse and herself. A low growl was emitted and it lunged forward with widened jaws.

Cecillia narrowed her eyes and stepped out of the way. The wolf was faster than her, but it was only a dumb animal. If its greatest weapons were its teeth and claws, then a human’s would be their intelligence.

Cecillia smiled tauntingly as the wolf circled around her. Just one slash of its claws or a successful bite would spell her end so she exercised extreme caution. Again, the twin-tailed wolf leapt forward, its form blurring as the night made it difficult to track its movements. However, Cecillia only waited. This fight could only be won if she fought reflexively.

Seeing a swipe cross her vision, she jumped backwards and broke out into a run. She made sure that the wolf followed and it certainly did as it bounded straight at her in large striding jumps. Perhaps if it were more intelligent, it wouldn’t have made the mistake.

As she felt the wolf gaining at her, she suddenly came to an immediate stop and her vision locked with the wolf’s which was at the apex of its jump. Cecillia grinned, and dropped her weight before dashed under its body. She avoided its flailing limbs and pierced upwards into its abdomen, slashing down and out as a massive tear was ripped into the wolf’s flesh. A second later, a thud was heard on the rocks followed by a soft whimpering whine.

Cecillia glanced over to the wolf as she flicked her wrist, ridding her dagger of the blood before wiping off what had splattered onto her face. If there were any onlookers watching the scene, they would think she looked like a demon.

She stepped forward to the prone creature, and raised her blade, intending to put it out of its misery. However, she wasn’t able to get close due to its thrashing limbs. If she made the wrong move, they would both perish tonight. Clicking her tongue, she crouched down and she stared down the wolf with a piercing gaze.

“Hey you,” Cecillia scowled. “You’re already dead. Give me my exp.”

Of course, other than securing her dinner, her second goal was to kill the wolf. She already assumed that killing the creature would allow her to level up. But alas, as she circled around its dying corpse, there was nothing she could do to finish the job. Fear already existed in its eyes, and its instincts for survival had taken over. There was nothing Cecillia could do until morning came.