《The Journey's of an uninterested person》 Character List [SPOILERS] Character List Zeil- The protagonist of this story. An immortal whose existence as far as he can remember had been dominated by being trapped in an endless loop of time. His past lives consisted of many an action becoming both a hero and villain in many alterations. He eventually grew old of these actions and decided to try something different. He eventually grew a passion for knowledge and since then it had become his sole anchor in sustaining his sanity. He changed his title to scholar to thank the knowledge which had become his sole means of feeling. Laene ¨C A Female elven guard who was one of the first to meet the Scholar in his new world. Her interactions with Zeil so far had been hostile and in turn contributed to Zeil¡¯s actions later Gaele ¨C A male elven. Who was first to meet Zeil. His first actions consisted of trying and failing to intimidate Zeil with a spear. He too contributed to Zeil¡¯s actions later Triel ¨C A male elven, who brought Zeil to the elder. A polite elven whose main duties are to be the assistant for the Elder. The first to ask for Zeil¡¯s means of identification. Schilla ¨C The guardian beast of the Elder. A wolf whose lineage traces back to the progenitors of the Elven and has a positive relationship with the elven that has been sustained through a pact for generations.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Will of the world- A child like consciousness which embodies the planet on which Zeil woke up on. It has a na?ve mentality and childish passion. At Zeil¡¯s first meeting it gifted Zeil a vision Leia ¨C The Elder of the Elven clan. As the eldest member of the clan she has the highest authority. At first meeting with Zeil. Her pride was insulted, and she sought to retaliate for the slights against her and her clan. This in turn caused Zeil to break off any form of courtesy with the elven. Draven- The Vice councillor of the Elven. Old by the standards of the Elven. He seeks to protect the interests of the Elven in all domains. Ravon- Chief security advisor for the Elven. Responsible for protecting and guarding the Elven village from outsiders. He takes a hard stance towards his kin believing they are too fragile to be guard¡¯s and has a harder stance against outsider¡¯s. Draje ¨C A male Ygdrain. Kin to the world tree Yggdrasil. His powers are related to plant life. His first contact with Zeil was in the hunters Guild. He eventually became one of the three beings to pass the hunter¡¯s basic proficiency test Gloi ¨C the female counterpart of Draje. A skilled warrior in her own making. And has hinted to be more skilled than Draje in the arts of plant manipulation. Rogre - Proctor for Zeil''s basic profficiency test and A male of the Kalai tribe. Not much is known of the tribe at the current time. However Rogre displays bull like features. Horns on his head and a massive body.His current epithet is '' The titans axe''. He is a 2 star iridium hunter and displays great pride in it.It was only until Zeil and theDraje and Gloibecame hunters that he deigned to give them his name. Prologue At the time of my Death I was alone; you might wonder why that matters since it is a common reoccurrence for people when they die. The thing is when I died, I¡¯m pretty sure that a floating blob of light wasn¡¯t there. Now, my interpretation of alone encompasses not just human beings but also all beings that exist on earth that includes plant life and organisms. Why You may ask that I¡¯m so sure I was alone Because I died in the cold barren abyss which is space. You see I was a scholar, yes, of the ancient type. However, I wasn¡¯t the stereotypical scholar. I preferred to travel rather than read books. Some may say a scholar without his books is like a warrior without his weapons. However, I am unusual as such. I am trained in a multitude of arts of warfare. And learned in both the lethal and unlethal arts. Poisons, Blacksmithing, medicine, wood crafting etc. I¡¯ve learnt it all over the course of my lifetime. How can a man learn so much in so little time you may ask? As of this moment; counting the time I¡¯ve been alive, before transitioning to this state. I¡¯m approximately 10000 years old give or take 400 years. I¡¯ve been alive before the birth of the common figure called Jesus in English or Esa in Arabic. I¡¯ve seen the pyramids being built from stones moved on the backs of slaves that travelled from south to north Africa under the tyranny of slave traders. I saw the rare charitable acts of the king of Ethiopia called Mansa Mousa as he completed his great pilgrimage to the Islamic holy city and gifted gold to the poor as he toured with his hundred-mile caravan.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. I saw the romans build and destroy civilization in their wake to satisfy their appeasement for the glutinous Caesar who sought to conquer all of man. I was there in the battlefield when Genghis Khan and his Mongolians raped, destroyed and brought fear to the hearts of the common man on his quest for greatness. And to be honest, much like a watcher I didn¡¯t care. These stories I¡¯ve seen that have happened. The sorrows, the despairs, the loves and hatreds all these emotions become lost with time. My name is zeil. In a language long lost to time before the oceans submerged Atlantis and Vikings roamed the oceans. I was born again. And now as time ceases to a halt. My introspection ends. The blob of light encompasses me and through a tunnel I am born again. Prologue Rewrite Prologue Re-write At the time of my Death I was in solitude; A Void of nothing where no air, no light and no noise existed. You might wonder why such an occurrence is special. Since, I¡¯m sure there are millions of beings who pass on alone. The thing is. When I died, there was ¡®nothing¡¯. You see; at the end of the universe, when the sun dies causing a cascading effect which wipes out the solar system. The universe resets. I¡¯d lived to the end of the universe many a time. In doing so, I had walked through the vestiges of time repeatedly and ended up replaying history. In my time in this universe. I had seen the birth of religious figures and witnessed the creation of architecture so great; they would exist for millennia. I was there when Julius Ceasar began his conquest to unify the world under the Roman empire. I was there when Genghis khan and his Mongolians terrorised the whole of Asia in his pursuit of greatness.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. But from the cruelty of man, I had witnessed acts so generous from people so kind. Their actions became legend and myth. I had seen what greed could do to mankind. Of the slaves and the pillaging and the rape of poorer countries. But in turn I had seen what mankind could do when they united and ascended to the stars. My experiences had shaped me and changed me. After living hundreds of repetitions trying to shape time, doing both heroic and villainous acts in pursuit of freedom from this eternal loop. I had learned to let go. I became a scholar. A being whose sole purpose was to understand the universe. Observing and learning knowledge, grasping for a semblance of hope of finding my place in existence. It gave me a sick sense of anticipation, for all the knowledge that I gained throughout my lifetimes. That one goal was ever distant. In a language long lost to time, before the oceans submerged Atlantis and Sumerians walked the earth. Before the curse of eternity was placed on me. Before hours became years and seconds became days. Before I was stripped of deaths greatest gift. I was given the name Zeil. And now as time ceases to a halt. My introspection ends. The Universe pauses and the darkness recedes. I feel a warmth in the surroundings as if it were safe. My consciousness slows. My mind shuts down. And I sleep. Chapter 1 The first thing when I awake, is the face of a woman beautiful but unlike fae, it was a motherly woman with eyes soft and brown and an incredible warmth that burned like fires of the hearth. Oh yes, if there was person who could break my old, shrivelled and jaded soul a warmth like that could undo many. However, as I¡¯ve said once before. All emotions die with time. You see I once met a woman like that and in the end, she too fell to deaths mortal embrace. So, whilst the warmth of her eyes resonates with my small mediocre body. My soul remains frozen as I feel nothing as the woman hugs me close to her body and nothing as her hands slowly weaken and fall to the ground. It¡¯s funny how macabre it is. That for the woman who wished for me to live to survive I should¡¯ve died in pregnancy. And for me to live she would die right now in front of me. Still smiling still looking lovingly at me. Even when her body grows colder, and the day grows darker.in times like this I reminiscent about the death of those close to me. How they all perished one by one. And you may ask why you don¡¯t just kill yourself if it¡¯s that harsh.in truth I have many a time. But much like a loop I have come back again and again repeating history much like a Guinea pig trapped in a wheel As I continue introspecting. The world slows down, the winds lose their sound, the animals remain mute as if something hallowed has visited and the world is paying its respect. A soothing voice speaks ¡°Tell me child, if you were given a chance in another world where immortals exist where stars can be arranged by the hands of beings, would you choose to go?¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Since as a baby vocal cords could not verbalise words, I remained mute ¡°Child, your thoughts are enough to convey your meaning, so I ask again, would you?¡± This time I reply with a thought ¡°tell me, being, in a place of immortals where planets can be brought low by hands of a being, where do I as a simple scholar fit in¡± The being replies with a chuckle, and the world shines a little brighter and winds begin to dance as if the happiness of the being is the happiness of the world itself. ¡°Child, there is no meaning. You have witnessed the birth and death of this planet many a time. Been called a murderer and protector, a villain and a hero, a scholar and a warrior and finally the indifferent one. Of all the beings on this planet, I find your existence intriguing and wonder what you would do when placed in a place so similar yet so different to this world¡± The being stops and the world holds its breath ¡°so, I ask again, would you?¡± I look at the world again its beauties lack lustre and grey, its nature a trap, an abyss, and I answer ¡°if there was a world where beings can bring down stars and I could walk freely to learn, to study their crafts, Being, I would go¡± The soothing voice returns ¡°very well, as a gift for being amongst the very few that can intrigue me, I will gift you what you have learned from your own lifetime and through this a body that you have earned. You will start as a man, like you have always been and from this you¡¯ll continue to grow infinitely, use your skills and your knowledge to thrive and I look forward to seeing what you can show me¡± As the winds begin to pick up as if the being has begun to leave. I speak one last time ¡°in the words of the old tongue that has been lost to time on this planet ''E? na??iyu?arvu¡¯" (my gratitude being = ??? ???????????? = E? na??iyu?arvu¡¯) Chapter 2 Once again, I woke up In a place unfamiliar to me, still trees, still green and yet there was something different. During my time in my previous life¡¯s when I sought all there is to know of the martial and spiritual arts. I encountered a hermit. Who sought to be one with nature He taught me the basics of his craft since I had gifted him a book I had written. It was a simplistic one showing the nature of the bones in a person¡¯s body and how nerves are connected. I learned fast and by the end of 10 years I had modified the basics enough to create a style of my own. Unlike the hermit who sought to harmonise with nature. I sought to harmonize with the universe and after a century of deep meditation I learned to turn the universe against itself. At my peak no one could harm me. Weapons, elements, spiritual and natural no attack could phase me. Unfortunately, by reaching that level of harmonization I lost my sense of being and my body and mind destroyed itself trying to continuously resonate with the universe. It wasn¡¯t until a couple life¡¯s later that I found a solution to this issue. Using the stars as a diagram, using the galaxy¡¯s as fixing points creating a 3d map of the universe and gradually converting the external universe into a replica within the internal body. I never managed to do this since the universe was far too large to fully map out. But here with beings that can move stars and manipulate planets, I could learn the secrets of the stars and achieve a breakthrough in developing my technique. As I looked around I noticed a break in the tree¡¯s and a stream running along behind some small rocks. I moved towards the stream and then looked at my reflection in the water. My first thoughts are ¡°same, same. Dead eyes and a perpetually bored expression¡± I turn from my reflection and begin walking on the side of the stream. Following it so that I may reach the exit of the forest. As I stroll slowly I begin to harmonise my breathing with my surroundings erasing my presence so that I do not notify the predators in the areas around me that I have trespassed into their domains. Eventually I leave the forest and I see small village in the distance about half a kilometre away in. I stroll slowly towards the village and at first it seems sparse however a bell rings and many beings with pointy ears, lengthy hair and spears arrive in front of me.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°halt, stranger for what reason have you come to this village¡± I reply simply ¡°I have no malicious intentions; I am a scholar and my sole objective is to learn your culture your paths so that I may compile it in the future so that it can never be forgotten. The being points his spear at me ¡°you wish to steal our knowledge?¡± You reply as if talking to a stone ¡°child, If I wished to steal your knowledge. I would enter your village without you knowing and begone before your realised that your knowledge is gone. What I seek is not your military arms but to learn from your masters in their crafts¡± The being seems off put as if realising that they cannot intimidate zeil with the threat of the spear ¡°very well, since you have shown no hostility towards us, you may enter but will be accompanied by these guards¡± He gestures to the two beings who are flanked on both his sides ¡°they will take you to the elder¡± As the being turns around and begins to leave Zeil speaks ¡°tell me child what do you and your kin call yourselves¡± The being turns and stares Zeil in the eyes ¡°we are called Elven, the descendants of the forest¡± Zeil replies ¡°then Elven I thank you for passage into the village¡± The Elven being turns round ¡°laene, Gaele make sure he doesn¡¯t cause trouble¡± The two eleven nodded quickly and flanked Zeil Laene, the elven on the left spoke ¡°please follow me, the elder is this way¡± Chapter 3 As Zeil walked, he observed the surroundings, he noticed the elven had a distinctive culture like the Amazonians who inhibited the great forest known to all in his previous life as the lungs of the earth. A simplistic nature he thought, much like the hermit he once learned from, these elven seem to live in harmony with nature. The village in fact was not small. A misconception caused from the distance from the view of the forest. And whilst not small it was hard to call it huge. In his previous life he had once seen cities span greater lengths and widths than countries.in fact towards the end of his life¡¯s that he had not perished in. the planet was dominated by cities so large they would join continents together. As impressive the culture was, it was the beauty of the village that sparked his interest. There have been few civilizations in his past life¡¯s which had aesthetic beauty built into the very foundations of their life styles. And it was intriguing to see how the homes were built out of hollowed out trees that spanned kilometres in to the sky. How even the green of the forest reached into the homes of every villager. And how plant life extended into the eleven lifestyles with vibrant plants growing from every wall and crevice. Laene the elven who was leading the stroll, slowed to a halt Infront of a building. This building was different to the others in the village. It had the presence of majesty around it. And the scent of something ancient and old reverberated through it.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Laene spoke ¡°this is the elders hall, and this is where you can speak to him, so far you have shown no hostilities to our people and have been accommodating in our requests. Please note. Should that change you will be dead before a finger twitches¡± Zeil said nothing. He had heard it all before, threats, promises, curses, he wasn¡¯t offended. He looked laene in the eyes and when the elven met with his gaze. Zeil could tell that his impassive countenance uncomforted the eleven who wasn¡¯t expecting such a lack lustre response. Laene paled a bit and before he could continue A new elven appeared ¡°laene, thank you, the elder has said that the visitor can meet him right now¡± The elven turned and spoke to Zeil ¡°Visitor, please follow me¡± The elven then turned away and Zeil and the new elven began their journey to the elders location The eleven turn to zeil and spoke ¡°forgive my manors, my name is triel, the elders assistant may I ask visitor, your name¡± Zeil spoke calmly ¡°my title is Scholar; my name has long been lost to time and if you were to ask many of my past companions they would know me by different names. Thus, please if you were to address me call me Scholar for that is what I identify the most with¡± Treil replied ¡°very well Scholar, we have reached the elders location, please wait here whilst I inform the elder¡± A few minutes later triel returned ¡°you may enter now, the elder awaits¡± Chapter 4 As the scholar entered the room, he noticed that the atmosphere within the room was lighter. The plants were more vibrant, more joyful. As if, children who were in the present of their parents. There was life in this room. Once again, a spark of interest lit in the eyes of Zeil. To discover the knowledge of this village would be interesting. As zeil was contemplating his knew found curiosity, a female elf cloaked in an aura of majesty strode slowly towards zeil stopping 5 feet away from zeil. The room shimmered and Zeil was surrounded by female elven all with spears pointing towards Zeil The elf 5 feet away from zeil spoke, her voice rhythmic and harmonic in tone ¡°tell me Scholar, you,a stranger from a different land wish to learn our knowledge. And yet you act as though we are beneath you. I have seen what the elven have said about you. A walking corpse they call you. Tell me why I, the eldest should grant you the knowledge of my village, my kin from the disrespect we see from you¡± Zeil spoke calmly ¡°I have seen much in my lifetime, Good and Evil. From this I have lost interest in the common, for though you think the elven are worthy of my respect, Not a soul on this world has earned my respect. Irrespective of your inclination I do not care if you are slighted, my soul passion is Knowledge. When the first elven I met saw me they drew arms at me. When the second elven I met guided me he threatened me. when the last elven I saw spoke to me she looked down on me. For that you have lost whatever courtesy I had for you and your kin. However, you have something I¡¯m interested in therefore my presence remains. Let me learn the crafts of your kin and in turn I will teach you skills that will supplement your lifestyles.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The female elven around Zeil bristled with anger at seeing how Zeil disregarded the elder The elder spoke ¡°tell me Scholar, from your tone you seem detached from life. I wonder what would happen If your life truly became under peril¡± ¡°Schilla¡± she called The female elven surrounding Zeil vanished and in place a wolf remained. It barred its fangs at Zeil and moved towards Zeil slowly as if knowing its prey wouldn¡¯t run. Once in front of Zeil the wolf opened it¡¯s mouth and bit down on Zeil. Zeil moved slightly and the wolf missed its bite. Zeil talked calmly as if the wolf was non-existent ¡°your acts are uninteresting, tell your pet to stand down elder or it shall lose its greatest gift¡± The elder laughed. Her laughter like raindrops falling from a leaf at the dawn of the morn Zeil spoke ¡° very well¡± Then Zeil moved his hand very slowly. It began to split into after shadows. He pointed his right index finger at the wolf. The wolf seeing the finger attacked once more. Suddenly the wolf froze, paralyzed and in pain. It let out a loose howl full of anguish. Though not as smart as an elven the wolf knew it lost something important.it began to sniffle and curl up into a ball. The elder seeing this froze, what become of her laughter became a cold anger ¡°what have you done¡± Zeil spoke ¡° I have taken her ability to birth and know that because of you, her lineage will end here¡± The elder spoke In tranquil rage ¡°return it¡± Zeil spoke ¡°I refuse¡± Suddenly the atmosphere became darker, the plants lost their vibrant colours. And the children became beasts The elder spoke ¡°you will return what was taken from her, or death will be the last of your ordeals¡± Zeil sighed ¡°the stupidity of man, even in elven exists¡± Zeil turned around and began to walk The elder spoke ¡°Catch him¡± But Zeil was gone Chapter 5 It was a quiet night from Zeils perspective, the stars were clear, something which was unusual towards the end of his past life¡¯s. Some time, long ago when he was a youth he dreamed of the stars. To see them, to hold them, to name them. And now whilst he had lost interest with time. It left a tinge of comfort around his soul, not melting it but like a warm hand upon a glacier. A miniscule amount of heat was absorbed. After the unfortunate meeting with elven leader, Zeil had walked away from the village and begun his journey to find the next means of civilization. It was a waste he thought. Pride what a useless emotion. He could for-see the elders end in the future. And the elven¡¯s extinction due to their pride. Zeil thought ¡°it seems that the crafts from the elven will have be learned in the future when they are subjugated by their enemies.¡± to Zeil it didn¡¯t matter if the elven gave the craft to him now or he would get it from the elven subjugators in the future. He was uninterested in the conflict between elven and their enemies. He would just come back later once the conflict has been dealt with. It was interesting to see that unlike the skies in his former world. This world has a multitude of satellites surrounding it. Rotating round this planet in two separate directions much like the electrons surrounding an atom.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. In addition, there were objects that would fly like comets however they would move in a level plane. Never ascending or descending in inclination. ¡°Space faring civilisation¡±. Zeil thought Zeil could see a multitude of objects were slowing down about 50 km in distance ¡°Must be a docking station¡± he thought Since there was nothing to do Zeil decided to test his transportation techniques. From the hermit, he learned once harmonized enough, one could emulate nature to an extent. To be fast and untraceable he had wind, to be unpredictable and flowing he had water, to be ever prescient and grounded he had earth. He stilled his breath and harmonized with the nature. He felt weightless. Then took a step forward and fell. He was absorbed into the ground and felt his consciousness spread. Interestingly enough, There was a reply from the world as if a greeting from a child who¡¯d found a playmate. Zeil replied ¡°little one, can you show me this worlds history¡± Images began to bloom in Zeil¡¯s mind. Of Wars and terrors, Of beings who came from the stars, Of people who called themselves gods, of people who shook continents. And Of a man who grew in such power he crafted the satellite ring around the planet. And the people from all continents bowed in gratitude. Zeil replied ¡°thank you little one, I will return¡± Zeil pulled his consciousness back and he shifted back into the surface. In his conversation he had shifted 49km towards the space port and thus he started to walk the last kilometre to the port. Chapter 6 At first glance the port seemed impressive. Ships of all sizes were leaving and entering at any given time. Deciding a different approach this time he erased his presence and calmly strolled into the ports entrance. He saw a multitude of being¡¯s walking around. Different colours, shades and skins. Some colourful, whereas others were dull. It was interesting to see how so many beings of different colours matched together like paint on a canvas. The buildings were another thing that was different to the elven. Whereas they sought to harmonize with nature and live within its boundaries. The buildings in the port were made of clunky material. Showing practicality above all else. Reminiscent of his past life¡¯s civilizations, which chose functionality as the core basis of their lifestyles. He would like to say that the buildings appealed to him but Zeil knew it was a lie. Throughout his lifetimes buildings such as these were the most common in civilisation¡¯s which advanced far enough into technology to reach space faring status. Moving on from the buildings, Zeil knew in order to begin his earnest journey to accumulate knowledge. He would have to acquire space faring transport. Zeil knew of at least a hundred ways to acquire such a vehicle. In the end he could choose the legal method and accumulate wealth. Or the illegal way and steal either the wealth or skip straight to the vehicle. There was a multitude of ways he could acquire income such as the tyrants path named after watching his acquaintance Caesar, which included taking over the seediest parts of the port and extorting the underworld¡¯s boss or the merchants path named after the wealthiest man he knew Mansa Mousa selling his techniques for wealth and eventually holding a monopoly on his skills. For Zeil he decided to use a differing path. As unusual scholar, trained in both lethal and unlethal arts he would join an organisation, such as a guild to hunt animals. This in turn would allow him to access restricted areas of space, which no doubt would be a hassle from the other respective paths.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. At first though, finding a source of information was necessary. A bar perhaps, would tell him who¡¯s who of this place and the locations of the important factions. After walking for a while around the port. He found a bar. Easy to tell since the smell of the alcohol was stronger as he neared the building. And the bodies of drunk being¡¯s were laid out on the floor Infront of the building. As he stepped through the entrance, he saw the bartender alone drying the mugs which where once filled with alcoholic drinks. Zeil sat down at the bar and released his stealth technique. From all sides the sounds of ranged weapons being notched were heard The bartender looked at Zeil ¡°What do you want¡± he said Zeil replied simply ¡°I need information¡± The bartender replied ¡°it¡¯ll cost you¡± Zeil replied ¡°I don¡¯t have money¡± Then the bartender laughed ¡°then get out¡± Zeil spoke slowly as if he were talking to a child ¡° you will give me the information¡± The bartender replied with ¡°guys.. get him out¡± The other patrons of the bar started to move towards Zeil A Being with green scaly skin much like a lizard talked ¡°you heard the man.. get out¡± Zeil then spoke again ¡° Bartender.. Give me the information and I will leave¡± The bartender replied ¡°ive had enough of this joke.. toss him out¡± The rest of the patrons moved closer to Zeil and just before they reached him Zeil said ¡°Very well¡± He shifted his hands very slowly and after shadows were created from the movement. He lifted his hands towards the bar tender. And pointed his index finger at him Suddenly one by one the patrons began to fall and vomit indescribably Then the bartender turned a sickly colour and he too began to vomit Zeil untouched by all this. Said ¡°give me the information, otherwise you will vomit until you die¡± The bartender now with fear overwhelming him caved in ¡°What do you want¡± he said Zeil replied ¡°Give me all the information on the leaders and the locations of all the major factions¡± Chapter 7 It was night when Zeil was finished with the Bartender. He had acquired the information needed to find the locations of each faction, and what they represent. As expected, a guild based on hunting down animals was based in the port and fortunately they had very low entry requirements. This way Zeil wouldn¡¯t have to deal with the annoyance of explaining himself to the guild when he applied. To Zeil¡¯s irritation, hunters of high-level beasts could enter restricted areas and in order to do so one must pass a proficiency test. Lower level hunters however had the same restrictions applied to them as civilians. The only advantage at a lower level is access to the guilds merchandise and bonuses such as free travel when going to Guilds headquarters. With an entire night left before the guilds opening tomorrow, Zeil masked his presence, sat down and started meditating, he decided to ponder on the images that the will of the world displayed for him. He began to dissect each notable figure in the vision. Their fighting styles, their abilities, their skillsets. In his mind he began creating models of the figures displaying their arts. Throughout the night the models in Zeil¡¯s head continued fighting against each other slowly revealing the core secrets of their arts. It was only when the first light from the sun came that Zeil stopped meditating, got up and began his journey to the Guilds branch. When he arrived, the guild was quite busy. A collection of new Hunters was registered each day with a number spanning from 10-15000 beings per day. This was due to this guild branch being the only one that was responsible for the sector of space surrounding this port. From the bartender Zeil inferred that this port was a transit port much like a bus station in his past life¡¯s. People often drop of here to get the next space flight to their destination. As he entered the guild hall, he released his presence concealment, fortunately for Zeil the guild was so busy handling the new recruits they didn¡¯t notice an increase by one. Zeil lined up behind some tall beings, who had wood textured skin and tree like bushes growing from their faces. He found them intriguing because they spoke with a harshness of a chalk screeching on a board. And whilst Zeil could handle their high range of pitch due to his past. He wondered how the other recruits handle the level of pitch of their speech. Before long its was Zeil¡¯s turn to registerStolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The receptionist looked at Zeil and gave him some papers and a blank Card ¡°read this and sign all the dotted lines. Keep the Card with you it is a communication tool and also proof of identity. After this you will be sent to a proficiency test to determine what class of hunter you should be in. ¡°Class?¡± zeil asked The receptionist replied ¡°yes Class¡± Zeil spoke ¡°I apologise I thought there were only two rankings within the guild low rank and high rank, am I correct in assuming that I¡¯m misinformed¡± The receptions replied with a sigh ¡°take these leaflets, they will explain everything to know about the guild. Just know the information on each leaflet vanishes after 10 minutes after they have left the original positions. For security reasons, that¡¯s what I¡¯m told anyway¡± Zeil signed the paperwork anyway then moved to a secluded area to read the correct information about the guild. To summarise what was on the leaflet: The hunter¡¯s Guild is separated into 10 ranks, each rank is denoted by the colour and quantity of stars that are on guilds identification card. The lowest rank includes copper, aluminium, bronze, iron and steel identification cards. With, 1 star at lowest and 5 stars at highest. whereas, High ranking cards begin at iridium then Ruthenium, Gold, Platinum then Rhodium. Beginning with 2 stars at the bottom and having and increment of 2 up to 10 stars at the highest card. Post this level the Chief weaponsmith for the Guild will forge you a unique Identification that grows as you increase your strength. And that classifies you as a VIP member. Shortly after memorising the information. The leaflet information began to dissolve into particulates. ¡°Announcement, All newly registered hunters please move to the positions that have been sent to your identification cards. The proficiency tests are about to begin in 10 Minutes¡± Zeil looked at his card the number 6 and row index B was displayed clearly. Zeil moved to his indicated position and noticed the two earlier tree beings were included in his group. Interestingly enough, the pitch of their voices had changed to a much lower pitch which was much gentler than the screeching of earlier. A massive being walked to their group. He had horns on his forehead and smile that stretched too much for his face. On his left shoulder he carried an axe about twice the size of a 6 year old human child. He spoke loudly and with a booming voice ¡°Alright Newbies, I don¡¯t care what your names are. Or where you come from. I¡¯m the supervisor that proctoring your proficiency test. Shut up I don¡¯t want to hear it, follow me and hopefully some of you die in the test¡± As Zeil looked around he saw beings who were bristling with anger at the supervisor¡¯s manors. Zeil Knew those who were agitated would probably perish in the test. But he said nothing and began walking after the supervisor¡¯s footsteps. Chapter 8 Very quickly Zeil realised something unusual. The environment began to change drastically as if they were not in a port city, and suddenly there was no buildings, just trees. The proctor speed began to pick up. At first Zeil was the only one to notice, then the tree beings realised it as well. The other beings in Zeil''s group eventually noticed the change of pace and begun to hasten themselves. However, the atmosphere shifted, and some of the beings began to shake in fear. One of them pointed at the trees of the forest and his face went pale from shock. Suddenly the proctor stopped, turned around and spoke "Welcome to Hela''s forest. the proficiency test starts here. Your task is to follow me for a full 24 hours. Now before some of you get any ideas" He threw his axe to the left and it hit some sort of animal which squealed and writhed like a slug before dying. It then exploded and its leftover blood ate through the trees and stones in the vicinity around the corpse. The axe then returned to his hand like nothing had happened "this forest is notorious for having the exploding variant of these little monsters, unfortunately for you lot, if you lose track of me in this forest I''ll count you as dead and you''re on your own. So, stick close because whilst the monsters explode, they aren''t nearly as harmful as some of the weaker creatures of the forest. for example that one" he pointed to a worm which managed to find its way to one of the beings on Zeil''s group. But it was too late. The worm bit into the being skin and almost instantly the being begun to deflate, and the worm begun to inflate The proctor continued to talk "you see, this is what I mean. now that worm has sucked up all his blood. He is essentially dead, and if we wait too long more of those worms will continue to come because the corpse of a being is very nutritional for the worms lifestyle, therefore before this gets worse ill¡­" And he threw his axe at the the corpse infested with the worm.The axe caught fire and when it landed a huge plume of fire erupted in the corpses location "heres a tip, you ever run into one of them, burn them, now lets get started with the test. Ready¡­.set¡­. Go" Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.And he took off in a shockwave of wind For Zeil it was relatively easy to follow the proctor. He masked his presence and harmonized with the earth. Wherever the proctor was he could tell instantly through his connection to the earth Since the test seemed too simple for Zeil he went of in his own direction. He began Traversing the forest to find out what makes Hela''s forest so feared by the populous.it was interesting how a lack of presence could get you anywhere he mused. He saw a cave eventually, surrounded by unusual variants of bears. Some had sharp blades covering their entire bodies completely like fur whereas other were more crystalline like, with round bodies and sharp edges. Zeil stepped past them and went into the cave The first thing he saw inside the cave where baby cubs. He ignored those, however what caught his interest was the corpse he saw sitting in a meditation posture with his back against the wall. From the dust on the corpse body Zeil estimated at least 100 years since the corpse''s death. He went up to the corpse and felt his pulse. Just to check. He''s had previous experience where a corpse turned up to be a deeply meditated person who was in a trance. Unfortunately, for the corpse it was well and truly dead. A glint caught Zeil''s eyes and he looked closer to the positioning of the corpse. His back was hiding something. Zeil picked the corpse up and placed it down to the left of his previous position Zeil said aloud "allow me to atone for disturbing your rest, by building you a seat so that even in death would your meditations allow you to reach enlightenment" Zeil using the harmonized connection to the earth created a platform for the corpse and on it he wrote "???????? " He then turned around and picked up what was hiding behind the corpses back. It was an unusual object . A piece of metal which when touched. Fluctuated like liquid. "how interesting" zeil mused Zeil decided he had enough exploration for the day and decided to return to the proctor''s location before he was written off as dead But he knew one day he would return to this location as he felt he hadn''t even begun to discover the secrets of Hela''s Forest. (enlightenment =???????? =A?ivo?i ) Chapter 9 POV change- Elven Guards It was a cold atmosphere inside the elven Village. The Guards were cursing at themselves for letting the Visitor in and doing harm to the elder. Even though she wasn¡¯t harmed, the Scholar took something precious from the Elder and escaped unharmed. As the guard which had first threatened the Visitor with the spear Geitre felt that it was his action which started the entire problem. He was in an unusual situation because he felt what he did was acceptable for a guard. Though clearly the visitor felt differently and now he was being summoned to the Elders chamber. He didn¡¯t know whether it be discipline or Brief recount with his communication with The visitor. As he entered the Elders hall, he saw Laene who was also summoned by the Elder Triel arrived shortly after and in a solemn tone said ¡°as the three elven who have had the most contact with the Scholar, The elder wishes to understand him from the differing perspectives and wishes to find him so she can exact justice for what he did to the elder¡¯s guardian beast¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Scholar?¡± Laene said Triel replied ¡°yes , it seems that the visitor goes by the title Scholar. When asked what his name was he became obtrusive in not telling me . At the time I thought, surely no harm would come of it because if trouble started The elder and her Guards could stop it before it became an issue. It seems it backfired spectacularly and now we have less information to go on. Triel Paused and his eyes went blank. After 5 seconds Triel¡¯s eyes recovered their light ¡°the elder is ready for us please follow me¡± Geitre was nervous. He had only ever been in front of the Elder 2 times in his life. Once on the day he finished his basic training and graduated together with a class of 100¡¯s and the other when he was appointed guard duty for the elven village and the Elder welcomed him and his fellow new recruits in a conference arranged by the chief security advisor. When Geitre entered, he noticed it wasn¡¯t just the Elder which was there. The advisory council was there aswell. Which included his direct commander. The Elder spoke ¡°Geitre¡­.Laene¡­..Triel. All of you have had communication with the Scholar. Step forward and kneel.¡± From behind them,the air shimmered and the Elders Guard appeared. The Elder then lifted her hand and suddenly a wave of pressure fell upon them. Geitre saw it first before he felt it. Laene eyes went blank and he dropped to the floor. A that moment Panic started to take hold and before he could do anything about it. Geitre lost Consciousness aswell. Chapter 10 POV Change -Elders perspective The Elder watched as the Elven fell to unconsciousness. ¡°Guards¡± she said ¡°get them to the alter, we¡¯ll search their memories for anything they¡¯ve missed¡± The Elven Guard replied as one ¡°Yes Elder¡± The Elder was still seething from the Visitor actions. To have the gall to hurt her guardian beast and leave as if nothing had occurred. ¡°The visitor will pay¡±. She thought Ever since that day, her guardian beast Schilla, a female wolf had lost its ability to give birth thus effectible ending her lineage. This was a travesty of a high order because the relationship between the Elder¡¯s and wolves can be traced back to their origin days and to have an outsider sever that relationship for future generations was a crime of such magnitude. He would be tortured for years before death. ¡°Was this necessary Leia?¡± said a voice from the right side. It was the Vice councillor The Elder responded ¡°Draven, these younglings are too inexperienced with the outside world, they would surely miss aspects of the visitor if they were to recount their version of events. Perhaps in a silly attempt to appease me, they may even embellish what had occurred.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Draven responded ¡°But surely the need to apply pressure to these younglings was unnecessary. You could¡¯ve just made them loose consciousness, instead of this posturing. I believe Leia your letting your pride and anger out on your kin. I, sincerely doubt that these elven would hide anything from you.¡± ¡°let it go Draven, they needed to toughen up anyway¡± A bald Elven with a long dark Beard said Draven replied ¡°Ravon, as the chief security advisor. Shouldn¡¯t you stand up for your guards¡± Ravon smiled and said ¡°I¡¯m just using this as an experience for my guards. They shouldn¡¯t have been that weak anyway. Did you see that female Elven she didn¡¯t even last a second and the boy wasn¡¯t much better. How pathetic. In my younger days. At that age there¡¯s no way such a small amount of pressure would cause the guards to faint.¡± A female elven from the Elders Guard appeared She spoke ¡°Elder the alter is prepared¡± The Elder got up and said ¡°Draven, Ravon. Enough with the squabbling. Its time¡± The Elder waved her hand and instantly the group was transported to the Alter Room In front of her was a curved platform hollowed on the inside filled with water. A metallic flower remained still in the centre. And as the elder waved her hand. The petals from the flowers opened up. The petals then grew larger until they could encompass three elven. ¡°Guards put the three elven on the petals¡± The Elven guard¡¯s moved the three unconscious bodies onto the petals. The Elder then waved her Hand. Two things happened spontaneously. The petals closed round the bodies of the elven and a seed was dropped from the flower. The seed floated towards the Elder The Elder then took the seed and placed it back in the water. Another plant grew, but unlike the metallic flower it didn¡¯t have petals. It instead had a circular shape orbed that grew instead ¡°Expand¡± said the Elder. The orb grew until It was large enough for all the people within the room to see what was inside of it Then once more the Elder waved her hand and images began to play on the orb. These were the memories of three Elven The elder then spoke ¡°Very well visitor, Let us see if you can hide¡± Chapter 11 Zeil returned to the proctor¡¯s location in quick time. He could see that the group had thinned out with the two tree beings within the filtered group. There were about 9 beings in the group. A number which reduced from the initial 30 beings that Zeil started out with. The proctor stopped, turned around and addressed the new group ¡°Alright, your group ain¡¯t so bad afterall, nine of you survived.you should be proud you aint pathetic little vermin like the rest of those weaklings¡± Zeil released his presence concealment and walked towards the group. The proctor stopped and stared ¡°make that 10 then. Alright since I¡¯m such a nice guy ill give your group options. We can continue at this pace and the proficiency test will continue for 10 more hours or fight me and last a minute. If you manage to last that long then immediately ill authorise you being a hunter. Ill give you 2 minutes to choose which idea that you want. Those who want to continue with the 10 hours move to the left and those who want to fight me move to the right¡± Immediately Zeil and the tree beings moved to the right. Zeil decided that combat would be an interesting break from the monotony of the travel. And the faster he¡¯ll get his hunter rank the more interesting the things he could do. Of the remaining 7 beings 2 chose to fight and 5 decided to continue the pace. The proctor looked at the groups and saidYou might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°50:50, aye . that¡¯s what I like, unfortunately for you guys. I¡¯m getting bored and I was told as long as there is some beings alive then I could do I want. Therefore¡­.¡± The proctor disappeared and reappeared behind the left group ¡°you¡¯ve all been killed by the nasties inside the forest¡± And he swung his axe in a diagonal direction and split all 5 beings in half. With the blood of the beings still on his axe. The proctor said ¡° alright who wants to go first¡± Immediately one of the two beings who joined the right group. smiled and said ¡°I¡¯ll do it¡± He was unusual being. His skin was scaly looking almost similar to a snake. When he spoke his tongue had a fork. And his eyes were black except his pupils which were white. He moved in a fluid manor. As if he had no bones in his body. The proctor smiled and flashed his teeth ¡°very well newbie,ill give you a handicap since you had the balls to start first¡±. He then threw his axe to the ground and said ¡°come at me¡± The snake like being sprung like a viper biting into its prey The proctor dodged the attack easily. The snake like being then changed his means of attack. He moved in close decided to try and stab the proctor in the chest. The proctor saw it coming and decided to wait until he was in range. He then backhanded the snake like being and sent him flying ¡°c¡¯mon boy, 30 seconds you¡¯ve got it in you ¡° the proctor taunted The snake like being grew enraged and charged headfirst at the proctor The proctor dodged the charge easily and hit the snake like being in the back of the head ¡°what a shame¡± he said ¡°5 seconds more and you would¡¯ve made it¡± He picked up the unconscious being and threw him in the forest a small lizard popped up from the undergrowth and crawled toward the being ¡°let this be a lesson¡­¡± The lizard opened it mouth. Which suddenly enlarged until it was big enough to surround the snake like beings body¡± ¡°never go unconscious in this forest¡± Then the lizard swallowed the being ¡° now who¡¯s next¡± the proctor smiled menacingly Chapter 12 Zeil decided as there were 3 more beings in his group that would have to be tested individually. He would choose to be the last in the group. That way he could find out how the inhabitants of this world fought. Though he had already seen how the proctor fought. It wasn¡¯t a measure of how skilled the proctor was because it was like a man with a sword fighting a defenceless child. And whilst the child did have a measure of skill, it was buried under its childlike mentality. Hopefully the Tree beings could be more useful in that regard. Zeil had an inkling that the tree beings were well versed in combat. And throughout this test, the inkling was reinforced. They further confirmed that suspicion when they were second only to him in awareness. They didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by the intense pace of the proctor. In fact, they looked unbothered with the entire test as if it were a stroll through the park. Unfortunately for Zeil the proctor decided he was next for the fight He pointed at Zeil and said ¡°your next. So, get ready¡± He turned and addressed the group ¡°unfortunately because none of you had the balls to fight me first, you won¡¯t get the same handicaps as the first guy. In fact, I¡¯ll be using my Axe now. Don¡¯t worry however, since I¡¯m using my axe the duration changes from 1 minute to 59 seconds. Here you go a whole second advantage.¡± He then let out a huge grin then spoke ¡°I¡¯m so generous aren¡¯t I?¡± He then turned and pointed at Zeil ¡°Get over here Pipsqueak, its time for you to earn your place¡± Zeil looked impassively as he strode towards the proctor. He then stopped about 5 feet away from the proctor. The proctor then asked ¡°What are you waiting for?¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Zeil remained silent The proctor lifted his axe and said ¡°very well. If you won¡¯t attack, then dodge¡± He then disappeared and reappeared to the right of Zeil and swung his axe in a diagonal manor. Just as it was going to reach Zeil. A ditch appeared under the proctor¡¯s feet and he lost his balance causing his swing to miss its target. Zeil as usual remained in the same position. ¡°you¡¯re a lucky bastard, aren¡¯t you?¡± the proctor spoke Zeil decided that it was time to go on the offensive. He harmonized with the wind and took a step forward. In that split second Zeil targeted the head, heart and crotch of the proctor. The proctor sensing something unusual moved away quickly, but it was too late. Zeil in his wind harmonised form was able appear rapidly in front of the proctor. He punched out towards the proctor¡¯s chest and when it landed it was able to create an implosion. The proctor slid backwards and said ¡°nice punch¡± He then spat out blood. ¡°you pass. 59 seconds are up¡± He then looked at the rest of the group members and said ¡°alright I¡¯m getting pretty bored right now. So, all three of you are going to fight me together. This time however, to make it fair. The duration is 3 min for the fight. As soon as this axe reaches the floor after I¡¯ve thrown it is when we start¡± He then threw the axe upwards. Zeil watched as the axe descended. As soon as it touched the ground the proctor was next to the other being who joined the group last. He lifted his massive fists and smashed down on the head of that being. The force from the impact caved the being¡¯s skull. Suddenly, the two tree beings appeared flanking the proctor. A vine appeared from both ends surrounding the proctor and cutting off his escape routes. Zeil could see that as the proctor was focusing on the vines. A small flower was blossoming next to his leg. The tree being on the right made a hand sign and the flower latched on the proctor¡¯s leg. Almost immediately the flower¡¯s petals turned into a vine and trapped the proctor. Whilst this was going on to the left of Zeil. The axe on the floor started floating and when the proctor held his hand up. The axe caught fire and returned to its owner. The proctor swung the axe and burned off all the vines He then addressed the tree beings ¡°you caught me off guard, I¡¯m impressed. both of you pass the test¡± He then told Zeil ¡°Pipsqueak¡­ looks like you and these two are now Hunters¡± He turned and looked at the Tree beings ¡°congrats to all of you¡± He then took out a crystal and broke it. A flash occurred and suddenly they weren¡¯t in the forest anymore. Chapter 13 Zeil quickly reoriented himself. He found that he was at the guild branch. The proctor spoke to them ¡°You are now hunters at the bottom of the well. But I have a feeling that you lot aren¡¯t as weak as those newbies. Therefore, I¡¯ll tell the receptionist to put in a further proficiency test to find your actual class ranks¡± He pulled out his identification card ¡°bring me your identification cards, I¡¯ll officialise your entrance¡± The proctor took his card and placed it on Zeil¡¯s card. They flashed and when the proctor removed his identification a new insignia was on Zeil¡¯s Card. He repeated the process for the tree beings. ¡°Now your id cards are fully activated. Be back here in an hour. By then the receptionist should be able to sort something out¡± The proctor then turned and walked away Zeil decided that since an hour was quite short. He would continue meditating on the visions that the will of the word gave him. Before he could leave however, one of the tree beings moved towards him and spoke ¡°Greetings, I am Draje ¡°he then pointed to the other tree being ¡°she is Gloi¡± ¡°We wished to compliment the skill that you displayed during the combat test. we noticed your combat skills were unusual and were interested in what style you were using¡± Zeil greeted in reply and said ¡° I am known as Scholar. The techniques that I used were learned from a hermit whose name was lost in time. It has no name or title simply because what I used was not a combat style but merely an application of something else.¡± Draje didn¡¯t seem offended by the lack of information. In fact, he grinned as he replied ¡°aren¡¯t all the best combat styles applications of other things¡± Zeil spoke in turn ¡°your use of plant life was something similar. However, it seemed like a inherit ability rather than a trained one like mine. May I ask what type of Being you are¡± Once again Draje grinned as if he found Zeil amusing ¡° Our ancient title for our people were Ygdrain. The kin of the World tree Ygdrassil. In modern times however, we share a title with our cousin¡¯s the treeant¡¯s¡± He then lifted his hand to Zeil and on it a flower grew His eyes glowed as he said ¡°And yes the skill earlier is inherit in our Kin. As the Kin of the world tree all forms of plant life can be manipulated¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. He then pointed at a secluded spot and a plant grew from the ground. It continued growing until it was about 3 feet tall and 6 feet wide. 3 smaller plants sprouted around it each being 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide. ¡°Come then scholar, we can discuss the skills differences further¡± He turned and walked to the plant. Zeil followed him Draje then beckoned to Gloi to come over.He turned and addressed Zeil ¡°forgive my companion. She is unused to communicating with strangers¡± He then sat down on one of the smaller plants and gestured for Zeil to do the same Shortly after Gloi arrived and she too sat down Draje then spoke to Zeil ¡°now that were all here. We can talk further on the differences between my inherit skill and your learned one. May I ask do you have the ability to control all forms of plants as well?¡± Zeil lifted his hand and the largest plant began to shake and vibrate. It then grew branches and on the branches were petal leaves. Zeil responded ¡°whilst, I do have a measure of ability. It isn¡¯t as easy to use, and the effects are limited by my understanding of plant life. Perhaps instead of plant manipulation. It would be easier to call it a manipulation of the plants life force¡± Zeil then paused and seemed to contemplate what he was going to say ¡°you¡¯re inherit skill on the other hand, seems to communicate with the plant rather than its life force. May I ask if plants have a symbiotic relationship with you¡± Draje smiled as he responded ¡°My friend, what you¡¯ve just said has been deemed un-credible by at least ? of this world¡¯s inhabitants. Be proud, you have figured out something which academicians from high technological civilizations have failed to realise in centuries of studying our Kin.¡± He then paused and the plants around him began to blossom with flowers ¡°our abilities were gifted to us by the progenitor of our kin. Yggdrasil. As the world tree which held up several dimensions. It enabled us to become a sort of nobility towards all plant life. In short creating an authority which all plants must obey¡± He then gestured to Gloi ¡°our females in general have greater authorities over plants, so whilst my skills may impress a few. In truth the males of the Ygdrain¡¯s are collectively less impressive than the female counterparts. However, regardless of skill. We do hold a greater authority over plants than our lesser cousin¡¯s the treeants.¡± He paused once more, and his eyes took a dark shine ¡°there are ways to overcome this authority. but such secrets are kept hidden from our kin by the elders. Beings who are the closest in blood towards Yggdrasil and act as his speakers.¡± Zeil noticing the change in attitude spoke ¡°it seems like you have something to prove but allow me to give you advice from a man who has seen a lot in his life. To gain, you must sacrifice. If you were to truly learn the means to overcome this limitation. There will be a lot of blood and death involved¡± Zeil¡¯s eyes went blank as if recalling a lost memory ¡°Many civilizations I have seen followed similar situations and in many of them they ended up falling to extinction because such an unrest occurred.¡± Draje seemed contemplative of Zeil¡¯s words. He then replied switching the topic completely ¡°it seems the time has come; an hour has passed. The receptionist should be ready now. Perhaps we should move now. I look forward to a further test of my skills¡± Draje and Gloi then stood up. Draje addressed Zeil once more ¡°we can continue speaking on the way there, You can tell me more of your experiences as we walk¡± Zeil replied with a nod as he got up Draje waved his hands and the plants disappeared ¡°then let us go then.¡± Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Zeil arrived at the reception with the Ygdrain¡¯s. He learned a lot of their culture and where they came from. True to their ancestries the Ygdrains were born on the planet at the core of the solar system. In other words. The seed that birthed Yggdrasil in the beginning. It was known in their native tongue as ¡®Valkai vittai¡¯ known to all in the universe in common as Seed of life. It was famous for as long as the seed existed the planets around the seed would continue to be nourished by Yggdrasil . Yggdrasil itself was unusual because unlike a normal plant. In which the seed would split, and the roots would burrow into the earth for nourishment. Yggdrasil at the moment of birth ascended the dimension it was born into and cut itself off from the birth seed. Perhaps it was a moment of consciousness from Yggdrasil¡¯s intelligence, but it preserved the seed and burrowed its roots into alternative dimensions. At the moment of its birth several dimensions ceased to exist. At the time, many civilisations thought that the universe would collapse. However, what Yggdrasil in avertedly did was stabilise its birth dimension. Unlike Zeil¡¯s former lives, space wasn¡¯t and still isn¡¯t infinite in this universe. Its neighbouring dimensions were expanding too quickly, and the life force of the universe was depleting from starvation. The birth of Yggdrasil created a guardian for its birth dimension and allowed its home dimension to attain more sustenance. But in turn it increased hostilities with beings from alternate dimensions. The Ygdrain¡¯s were a source of respect and hatred from a multitude of races. Their relationship with Yggdrasil made them a respected race in their birth dimension. However, outside of their home dimension many beings sought to destroy them. For Ygdrains leaving their home dimension were a source of respect. Because it was the difference between being treated as a youngling and being treated as an elder. In the Ygdrain¡¯s Civilisation all elders had the power and the abilities to destroy continents at the minimum. This was because in leaving their home dimension there was an assurance of entering war with the hostile races. Those who survived at minimum when they came back were strong enough to ascend to the ranks of Elder¡¯s.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Draje told Zeil that he and Gloi chose the path of the hunter to train themselves for leaving their dimension. He never specified to Zeil how many elders that his race had. However, he quickly told Zeil there was no race that existed in their home dimension that could withstand the Ygdrains at full force. In fact, he quickly added that they were a contender for one of the top 50 races in strength in all known dimensions. And Yggdrasil itself was known to be in the top 30 beings that existed in the greater multiverse. While contemplating these knew found facts The proctor from before showed up and he addressed the group ¡°you¡¯re all here on time. Good. Now that your all hunters. You deserve at least a modicum of respect. So, you have earned the right to know my name¡± He paused and then his presence grew larger and his eyes started to glow ¡°My name is Rogre of the Kalai tribe. I am a 2 star iridium hunter also known as high rank to the civilians outside. I was given the epithet ¡®the titans axe¡¯¡± He dropped his axe and said ¡°and I don¡¯t need to tell you why¡± He then relaxed and his presence reduced ¡°the proficiency test that you just did. Tested your stamina and your basic combat abilities. Now as a hunter you will pick a monster or beast from your id cards and hunt it down within a time limit. As new hunters, I¡¯m not expecting much.¡± He then paused and took a breath ¡°However, remember regardless of how fast you kill the monster. The quality of the corpse is an integral part of the test. If you do not bring the monster back within the time limit excluding monsters above my stage. Your beginning rank will be capped to bronze, 3 star¡± He pointed at the receptionist ¡°Once you give the receptionist your cards. Your class proficiency test will immediately begin. As Beginners you will be teleported to a vicinity of 100km around the target. It¡¯s up to you do the rest¡± He then turned and began walking away. Suddenly he stopped and he turned around ¡° I forgot something¡± He grinned and then said ¡°your cards have a sort of life saving system that can be used once every 3 months so If you¡¯re in a bind say the words ¡®V¨¥??aiy¨¡?i¡¯ and it will immediately cancel your test and teleport you back to the guild.¡± ¡°There¡¯s more info inside your cards on the consequences of doing that¡± He then turned around and walked away one last time. Chapter 1 [Re-write] Chapter 1 Re-write The first thing I saw when I awoke, was the face of a woman. Beautiful, but unlike fae. It was a motherly woman with eyes soft and brown and an incredible warmth that burned like the fires of the hearth. Her hair was a bronze colour that seemed to meld with the colours of the evening sun. She was old. You could tell from the wrinkles around her eyes. And yet they added to the simplistic beauty rather than took away. Her smile was simple as she looked at me and yet it warmed me. But there was something off. Her skin was pale. Cold, if I were to describe it. Her breath was harsh and heavy. There were bags under her eyes. And she seemed so tired. It was only until then. That I realised we were on the move. The skies were settling into the afternoon. An orange pinkish gloom melded with the sky. It was beautiful. The trees of the forests around us shined verdant green as if an emerald was polished to a sheen. The grass was of a green of different shades. As the wind blew it mixed and twirled with the green of the trees to create a fluctuating colour that mesmerised all who looked at it. The woman was struggling, you could tell. The remnants of tears at the corners of her eyes showed a story of sorrow and pain. As she moved, you could tell she was hurt. A limp in a step, a slightly longer break. She was slowing down. She was reaching her end. It was only when the sun disappeared over the horizon, the woman stopped for her last time. It was simple and yet callous. I knew what would happen to her. I could see death in her shadow creeping along. It was an unusual contrast. Death would strike in a place of life. The inhabitants of the forest around us continued with their lives. The animals went to find food, the insects continued crawling on the ground and nature remained as it was. Not a thing changed. There was a stream in front of us. It¡¯s waters, crystal clear. Fish swam around enjoying their simplistic life¡¯s and occasionally jumping out of the water. Ignoring our existence as if we didn¡¯t matter at all.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The woman held me closer. Gripping me tightly as if I may fall from her grasp. She sat down on the ground and stared at the stream. And as tears continued to fall. She looked at me with such love, such affection that for a moment my heart felt moved and I wished to reach out to her. She squeezed me in her embrace and with such heartfelt sorrow she whispered ¡°N¨¡? u??ai k¨¡talikki?¨¥?¡± Repeating the phrase constantly as her tears flowed like rivers. Eventually, as the day got shorter. Her voice began to quieten. She laid me on the ground and laid down next to me. Her voice grew hoarse and yet she never stopped repeating the phrase. Until eventually she grew quiet. She was dead. I could tell. Her arms were relaxed. No longer grasping at me, no longer holding me. The feeling of security and comfort disappeared. All that was the left, was the hollowness of death. It was dark now. The forest which had once been a source of beauty, had twisted and become something else. The shadows of the trees elongated and stretched as if something was reaching out of the darkness. The moon and its pale light illuminated the surroundings. The grass was no longer green, and the trees had the lost their colours. Shades of black were all I could see. As a soul trapped in a child¡¯s body, without sustenance and warmth I knew I would die soon. It was inevitable. It was the quickest of my loops that I had ever experienced. To exist for less than a day, then die to starvation. It was morbid humour at its finest. But suddenly the winds slowed down. The insects quietened and the animals froze. The moon changed from a pale yellow to a pristine white. Its light no longer pale, shined with a holiness to it. It was as if a hallowed presence had descended on the forest. A ripple in the stream caught my attention and suddenly flowers around me began to bloom consecutively. Their vibrant colours reminded me of paint mixed on a pallet. The reds, greens and blues mixed to form an abstract painting and the darkness of the forest was the backdrop. From above a soothing voice was heard. It had a calming presence. As if It were kin and I were one of its children. ¡°Tell me child, if you were given a chance in another world. Where immortals exist. Where stars can be arranged by the hands of beings, would you choose to go?¡± I looked at the sky where the voice came from. I thought long and hard. A chance to be free from this eternal loop. Yet I questioned this choice. What would I sacrifice if I were to go? What would be needed, to pay back this gift. The being replies with a chuckle, and the world shines a little brighter and the winds begin to dance as if the happiness of the being is the happiness of the world itself. ¡°Child, I hear your thoughts clearly. There is no task. There is no goal. I gift it to you freely as a parent would to its children¡± He paused. And the world held its breath. ¡°So, tell me child. Would you?¡± I looked down as I thought back to my past. My anguish and hatred, the despair from finding out my actions did nothing. That so long as I existed, nothing I could do mattered. The days where madness consumed me. Where I fell and cursed at life itself. Where I begged death for its gift and received no reply. I looked at the sky once more. The moon and the stars were all I could see. There was an ethereal beauty to it. The stars twinkled like light passing through shards of glass. I would remember this scene. The last of this universe. The last of my home. As a spark of sorrow appeared in my soul. A tinge of anguish hit me. It was a connection to this world I never thought I would miss. I had made my choice. It was simple Let me go being. Let me move on from this eternal loop. I accept your offer. The darkness faded from the trees. The shadows became light. The forest glowed. The world shined with an ever-increasing luminous aura. And as the world broke down. As the last of the images of the moon faded. I thanked the being with all my soul ¡° Iruppatu e? na??i.¡±