Arvion felt as if there was little to no time left to explain as he stared at the robe-clad Mag who looked slightly disgruntled at their late-night arrival. A chill permeated through the air as the trees had begun to turn a slight orange. Fall was coming yet this chill didn't seem to come from the seasons changing. And it was getting worse by the second.

"Something called a 'Cursed One' Attacked us and is now pursuing us. We held it back for as long as we could but we didn't manage to keep it down for long. It's heading this way and with its speed, it should reach us fairly quickly!" Arvion sputtered as fast as possible.

The look of Confusion and worry on Mag's face turned into a sour and anger-filled one in a matter of seconds as he began to mutter to himself.

"My dear friend, Hilroy, should be up and on his way to the wall. In the meantime lead me to the outer perimeter where you believe the Cursed One is heading. Also, did you manage to get a Name?"

Arvion thought hard for a second before answering hesitantly.

"I think it was 'Lone Hunter' But I'm not one hundred percent certain."

Mag nodded and let out a sigh of relief which looked strange compared to his angry expression.

"Then it shouldn't be in a pack... Should be able to take it out then..." Mag muttered to himself as he cast a simple spell on himself and the children that made them move at a much faster speed as the ground underneath them seemed to harden and provide traction so they could get a better grip on the ground.

As they approached the wall an old man that had a large handlebar mustache stood out in the dull moonlight. His hair was a mess that was the definition of unkempt. He wore a long robe that swished in the late-night wind in an almost elegant way.

A stoic look appeared on his face as he stared off into the distant forest. His eyeballs drifted all over the place in search of something, anything.

He turned to Mag with recognition in his eyes. He nodded to him grimly and continued staring into the distance.

"Any info on what we are facing?" Hilroy said as his white hair fluttered in the wind.

"A cursed One. A lone one at that. Shouldn't be too difficult for your old bones even though you are not a fighting type mage."

The man nodded before continuing his questioning "What tier and what level?"

Mag looked at the mouse in front of him in response to the more specific question.

"He should be tier 1, even though he is at max level it said something strange in the description. It said that its evolution path was locked." Arvion answered.

Hilroy nodded to himself at his answer.

"Common among Cursed Ones."

"How far were you when you fought it?"

"Not far... Perhaps a few minutes at best. We shouldn't have long before it arrives."

"Hmm..."

"What abilities did it demonstrate? Anything that stood out in particular?" Hilroy continued.

Arvion thought for a second and collected his thoughts before he answered. He couldn't leave anything out... this information might prove to mean life or death.

"First off, it was mana illiterate whatever that means. It simply had zero mana and didn't demonstrate any spell-like abilities."

Hilroy nodded and motioned for Arvion to continue.

"Secondly, it could eat mana itself but only if it was big enough to eat said spell. The skill was called 'Mana Eater' and when it ate my spells it grew in size and became much faster."

"And to my information that is the only significant thing that it had about it skill-wise."

Hilroy looked deep in thought as he turned to Mag who was staring off into the forest waiting for the thing to come knocking on their doors.

"Just like the old days, huh, Mag?"

"To the dot," Mag answered absent-mindedly.

They both remained silent for a moment before Mag made a simple gesture and touched a medalion on his neck that wasn't there the last time the boys had seen him.

As soon as he touched the medallion a small glow of light fluttered on its surface and a shiver ran through everyone's spine in the vicinity of the village.

It only took mere seconds for a kaleidoscope-like snowflake effect to cover the village in a protective barrier. The barrier continuously changed and fluctuated almost as if fractaling into itself hundreds of times per second.

"It's Beautiful" Arvion muttered to himself as he stared at the masterpiece in front of him.

A noise caught his attention though. He whipped his head behind him and could see a tree slowly moving through the forest. Arvions eyesight seemed to adjust to the darkness in the distance the more he focused, and after a moment, his heart sunk in his chest.

"It's coming" Arvion muttered to his dear familiar who seemed unfazed by the sudden change in events.

The stone-like Axel simply nodded and cracked his knuckles as he prepared to fight the creature in front of him.

"It can't damage me... I don't think at least. Whatever this new outer covering on my body is seems to protect me from most harm. " Axel said while observing his new skin.

"I feel... Different yet the same. Maybe a better way to put it is that I finally feel free."

Arvion nodded as he understood the feeling. It was something he had experienced many times in the last two and a half months. The feeling of accomplishment. The feeling of overcoming one's weaknesses. The feeling of becoming closer and closer to one's true self.

The creature grew closer and as it did so the two tier-two mages stood together and started preparing to cast spells.

Mag spoke first as he began making gestures with his hands.

"100 Times Ice Arrow!" He said as a single ice arrow the size of a small building appeared floating and rotating in the air.

"Combo Time" Axel muttered under his breath as he seemed to prepare his remaining mana in preparation to help the spell his father was casting.

Hilroy nodded at Mag and began to speak a few seconds after Mag had finished.

"Seek out my enemies and strike their hearts! Heart Striking Arrow, Manifest!" Hilroy shouted as the arrow in the sky seemed to have a sheen of blue cover its surface as magic imbued it in a support-like manifestation.

Arvion realized they were all setting up one large attack together and quickly tried his hardest to think of something that would help the situation...

Meanwhile, Axel began to cast out his mana and cast a silent nonverbal spell, which was the only thing he could manage.

A few seconds after Axel started however a strange yellow hue covered the edges of the arrow and made it gleam with an energy similar to lightning.

Arvion looked around his surroundings while desperately thinking of what he could do with his pitiful 5 mana remaining in his body.

'System. Reduce the gravity on the arrow in front of me by 2 times for 20 seconds!' Arvion commanded in a hurry as he didn't know what else would help.

Arvion let out a sigh of relief as he realized that he had managed to help in some way, no matter how small in capacity.

Mag's eyes began to twitch in concentration and sweat-drenched his brow as he managed to keep the mana in place for a few more moments.

The creature seemed to be on a roll as it had approached almost half the distance towards the walls of the village.

Hilroy began to cast another boosting spell on the arrow as he realized what Mag was signaling by holding the arrow in place for a longer period of time than anticipated.

"Mana Flow Emulator Activate, Increase the efficiency of one's mana flow and strengthen a spells power, Manifest!" He shouted as a massive amount of power left his body.

The old frail man seemed to buckle under the pressure of the magic he was concentrating on.

He fell to his knees but managed to keep the spells activated.

As Hilroy cast the spell Arvion could see the threads of the world weaving in and out of the Arrow almost as if making it stronger by infusing it with the threads of the world. Whatever that meant.

'Perhaps he has a space affinity?' Arvion thought before casting the thought aside to focus on the action that was about to take place.

"RELEASE DETECTION ICE LIGHTNING SPACE ARROW!"

The air seemed to become truly frigid as the arrow was let out from its place as it soared through the sky with a simple flourish of Mag's wrist.

The arrow flew through the air with astonishing speed and Arvion could see the path it was taking as the threads of the world quivered as it moved through space.

The Cursed One seemed to notice this approaching arrow and grew even larger in an attempt to consume the arrow but as the arrow reached the cursed one's maw it darted downward towards its groin before striking it with little resistance.

The creature let out an earth-shattering shriek before slowly turning into an ice sculpture that stood at an astonishing 100 feet tall.

The creature stood stock still as the ice completely covered its body and left him frozen in place, dead as a doornail.

Mag and the old man fell to the ground in exasperation after having used almost all of the mana in their body to do such an effective attack.

They panted heavily and looked incredibly tired but still let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the dead creature.

That was until the ice started to crack and another roar was released upon its surroundings.

The two old men shared a glance that simply conveyed one meaning.

'Oh Fuck.'

Arvion looked at the creature with fear in his eyes but was absolutely confused as Axel simply leaped from the stone platform they were on and jumped to the creature in one large jump.

A smirk could be seen on the kid's face before he saluted Arvion midair and arrived at the cursed one at an insane speed.

His fist was stretched out in front of him as he put all of his momentum into this single punch. A whistling sound could be heard as he sailed through the air at incredible speeds. Even a draft blew in his surroundings as he parted the very wind he was moving through.

And that wasn't all! As he jumped his body was covered in lightning that seemed to be constantly stimulating his muscles, increasing their efficiency while decreasing the pain he felt.

And as he approached the light from the lightning grew brighter and brighter.

The cursed one, just having been released from its prison of ice, looked at the creature heading towards it and instinctively opened its mouth to receive the incoming magic.

But as it did so, Axel simply soared through the air and into its maw only to, seconds later, fly through the creature's head, completely decapitating the creature.

Axel flew for a couple more hundred feet before landing on the ground in a thud, then rolling a few hundred more from his incredible speed in which he had launched himself. He finally finished his tumble by hitting a tree heavily with the entire force of his body.

Arvion felt pain being sent through his body as the connection between his body and Axel's body strengthened and grew stronger.

Arvion jumped down from the wall and promptly took one point of fall damage as he ran as quick as possible towards his familiar.

'Please be okay! Please be OKAY!' Arvion thought to himself as he arrived at the fallen body of his only friend in this world.

The stone body of Axel laid crumpled on a tree, a deep imprint left on the tree in which he had hit.

Cracks lined his body and red human blood was dripping from those cracks as well as from his eyes and mouth.

His eyes, opened only halfway, remained unblinking and his chest remained still.

Arvion felt his head pounding as he could literally feel the blood pumping through his body. A sound could be heard in the distance of his memories pulling him into something he hadn't been able to remember for the past hundred years of eternal darkness. Of eternal rest. Of eternal Death.

---

All he could see was darkness all around him. He knew where he was. He was dead. He was in the eternal nothingness that would be his future for all of eternity. He didn't believe in God while he was alive and neither did he in this very moment. All he felt was an empty feeling deep down in his soul.

He couldn't remember why he felt so empty. All he could remember was falling down upon his kitchen floor with a slit throat.

No reason why. No understanding how. Just, Boom! Dead.

It wasn't painful from what little he remembered. It was rather peaceful, feeling your body become colder and colder as you succumb to the sweet release of death.

Perhaps the release was his lack of memories. Not remembering what caused him to die. Not remembering what pains he had suffered through his life. Maybe this was what bliss was. Arvion contemplated deeply in his dark surroundings.

Suddenly a light appeared, wiping away the eternal darkness but only for a second.

A flash of sensations filled his body as he felt the jolt of a vehicle hitting a speed bump. He could feel metal straps buckling him into a highly uncomfortable bed or something similar to one at least.

It wasn't as soft as one but seemed to hold the same purpose.

He could see bright flashing lights that alternated between red and blue in quick succession.

He could hear the whirring of sirens and the screeching of tires on a road.

'Where am I even?' Arvion thought to himself before the world became dark once more.

He could hear a voice in the void he was in. However distant it seemed he could still hear it. It was a voice of a male, roughly around the age of 20-30. He sounded gruff and harsh on the ears but his panicked and serious tone made the gruffness come off as caring at that moment.

"CLEAR!" the man shouted though it sounded like a dull echo to Arvion. The world came into view once more as he could see who was trying so desperately to save him.

It was a man in his late 40's, his voice much younger than his body. He kept a neatly trimmed beard that bobbed up and down as the ambulance he was in swerved from side to side.

He wore simple white clothes and held what seemed to be a pair of defibrillators. He couldn't see them but he could guess what they were because of the man's words and the cold metal he felt pushing down on his chest.

He could feel a shock of electricity run through his body as his muscles spasmed and tried their best to prove that his blood was pumping, and he was indeed alive.

Pain filled him and in a matter of seconds, he was out once more.

As he went into eternal darkness he could still feel the cold steel against his chest. He knew someone was trying to save him but he couldn't speak nor let him know that he preferred this cold, dark and empty place compared to the living world.

At least he didn't have to feel pain in the void. At least he didn't have to suffer. Though he did wish he had another chance. A chance to live life the way he wanted to. But that wasn't going to happen. He didn't believe in reincarnation after all.

"STAY WITH ME GOD DAMNIT!" The gruff voice echoed out once more as he felt his body spasm once more as he returned to the living world again.

But in the flash of light, he could almost swear he could see the form of a woman's face.

'A lover? Family perhaps? Maybe even a coworker or something similar. Who knows? And who cares.' Arvion thought to himself as he felt his dull eyes swivel around his head to take in every detail of his surroundings.

It was going to be the last thing he sees except the eternal darkness from before. Better make the most of it. But to his disappointment, there wasn't much to look at. It was a completely white area except for a faint accent of red stripes in the compartment of the ambulance.

There were various medical instruments everywhere that were almost overwhelming as various beeps rang out in the room.

An IV bag hung from the ceiling and seemed to be feeding him medicine that was trying desperately to keep him alive. It swung from side to side as the Ambulance made its way through the crowded streets.

There was also a window near the back of the ambulance but anything outside of it was heavily obscured from the speed they were moving at and the fact that his eyes didn't even want to work.

A field of flowers filled his mind as he drifted back into the void. It was filled with a red type of flower that didn't have petals. It was a strange sight but he could see the faint figure of the woman from before dancing lightly in the small alcove they were in. Her dress billowed in the heavy wind and he could feel himself moving in tandem with the wind as danced.

It was peaceful. But it was all behind him now. A nameless girl. A nameless place. A nameless flower. A nameless dance. It was all gone now. And he preferred it that way.

'But what about this feeling of... joy? Companionship and compassion? Is it worth being alive for?' Arvion thought to himself before feeling the cold metal touching his chest slowly fade away.

'No! I want to live. I want to feel the feeling of the wind dancing upon my skin! I want to feel the joy of laying in a field of flowers. I want to see people and form connections. I want to save people and make the world a better place! I don't want to rot in eternal darkness forever! NO, I WANT TO LIVE!'

Darkness filled his mind as his memories faded once more and the metal that was touching his chest had faded away completely.

He was no longer alive. No longer on the edge of life or death. It was clear what side he had landed on. It was clear that he wasn't content anymore. He couldn't live like this.

"I! WANT! TO! LIVE! GOD DAMNIT!" Arvion shouted in the void that surrounded him.

'And live you shall...' A voice murmured in his mind before his mind slowly fell into a rhythm of eternal sleep and rest. He would need it for what was to come.

'A new life you shall have. A second chance to live. Don't make the same mistakes you made before.' the voice echoed out once more.

'Like I could remember them if I tried...' Arvion thought as his mind went blank and his memories slowly faded as an unknown amount of time passed by.

Nothing remained. Until this very moment. It was only a portion, a small one at that, but they had returned.

---

Arvion breathed in and out heavily as he felt the flashback had sent his mind reeling as he experienced the endless solitude of the void once more.

'How did I not go crazy?!' He thought to himself before his senses finally returned to him.

He could see Axel's faint outline pinned up against the tree. Mere seconds had passed but he knew what he needed to know. He wouldn't let Axel feel the void. No, he wouldn't let him endure that.

'I don't have long. What should I do?!' Arvion thought before using the identify skill on Axel to get an understanding of his current status effects.

---

Species: Half-Human / Half-Giant

Titles: None

Tier: 1

Level: 9

HP: 0/30

SP: 12/20

MP: 0/30

XP Value: 90

Exclamations: Your familiar!

Current status effects:

Dying: Currently at death's door.

Bleeding Out: Lose 1 HP per minute. May be cured by basic healing spells and restoration effects.

Giant's Blessing: Resistant to physical damage and minor resistance to magical damage. Proficiency in stone-related skills and Runic Magic. Increased strength and speed. Increased size and durability.

---

'He's bleeding out! I need to bandage him as quick as possible and apply pressure to the wound.' Arvion thought as a random medical thought appeared in his mind.

Arvion quickly got to work as he used his speed to grab nearby vines as quickly as possible. He then proceeded to bind Axel's main wounds and checked back on his status only to find that the bleeding effect was no longer there.

'Good Grief!' Arvion thought as he felt the pressure overwhelm him.

'Seems like I bought some time before he dies. How the hell am I supposed to heal him?'

'I have no mana remaining and I have no healing skills.'

'Mute notifications!' Arvion thought as he quickly used his evolution points he just earned into wisdom to gain some mana back.

'How the hell am I supposed to heal him with my current Affinities though?!' He thought before cursing as the body of The Cursed One released a groan and seemed to start glowing with white light.

'What now!?' Arvion asked himself as he began to prepare to protect his familiar.