I gasp, waking up from the dream. It was too real, way too real, the emotions that bled onto me, sadness, rage, anger, and so much red, blood, the ruins, the destruction, the Godkille-

I trip and my head hits the side of the chest. Owww, this hurts! What happened?!

I look around inside the chest I slept in, my flames piercing the dark blanket that surrounds me. It feels… cramped here, more than before… I remember my evolution. Ah! I must have grown then!

I nervously open a slight gap on the chest, worrying that something had happened while I was asleep, and peek my head through it to see the room. It is exactly in the same state I last saw it. Why did I think it would have been different? I sigh. Good, nothing happened.

I slowly leave the chest, still not used to my body after the changes it had gone through. I illuminate my surrounding more, and notice that my flames seem… a little dimmer than before? No, it's their light that is more contained in themselves, instead of shining to every direction like before...

I rather like it. Their black colour seems to be more visible, and the tiny motes of white as well, bigger and shinier than before. I really like it.

The room, now with enough light for me to see properly, is really exactly the same as before, nothing, nothing changed. Why am I bothered so much by it…? I sigh again. I’ll keep attention on this feeling, but I have other things to take care of now. I look at the necklace at my chest.

So, you. I screech at it, conveying emotions of annoyance. It did not ask for my consent! And that ability on my status, too! [Moonbound], it was because of you, wasn’t it! I shriek at it, my… telepathy? Wait, what? No, no, I need to take care of the necklace first!

I convey more emotions, of irritation, of hurt, of sadness. I feel it responding, oddly. Is… is this thing alive? How? No- it is probably magic… must be it. The necklace responds, its emotions so raw, wild and powerful that I almost faint after receiving them all.

W-what? What is this necklace, really?! An artefact or something? I chuckle, nervously, and try to calm the thing after its outburst.

Okay, why did you bind yourself to me? I try to ask it, in the most simple form possible, conveying it in emotions instead of words.

It listens to me and responds in similarly powerful emotions as before but more controlled, calm. I understand, then. It wants… revenge? It wants to kill something? Someone? Huh, who knew a necklace could have these thoughts…

It explains to me everything, basically telling me its story, but… I simply can’t comprehend it. It is all too complex for me to understand, its emotions too strong. I sigh, and ask for it to stop.

It does so, becoming quiet after a while. I softly ask what it will do now as it bonded to me now, somehow. It conveys a resolute emotion, that it will not detach itself from me. It wants revenge, at any cost.

I’m worried though. But I can’t do anything for now, so I’ll just accept it. I ask it for an agreement. I’ll help it if it helps me, simple as that.

It thinks for a while, and agrees with my simple demands, I’ll help it get its revenge, and it will give me… things? in return. Sketchy, but I’ll take it. I sigh, relieved that I finally resolved this problem for now, and check my notifications, quite excited to see the results from my evolution..

-

Evolution is completed!

Changes:

[Starlit Infant Phoenix - E] -> [Starblaze Child Phoenix - D]

Level: 10(I) -> 1

Stats:

Strength: 6 -> 10

Agility: 15 -> 21

Recovery: 25 -> 40

Mind:17 -> 20

Will: 10 -> 20

Soul: 12 -> 15

New Abilities:

[Blazing Will]

[Lesser Shapeshifting]

Abilities changes:

[Starlit Flames] -> [Starblaze]

[Moonbound] -> [Bound by the stars]

-

Wow, it changed… a lot. I had already felt the differences before opening my status, but now I can clearly see what changed. I look at the necklace again. It seems the ability you gave me changed, I convey those thoughts to it. And now that I look more at it, I notice that its appearance changed a little. Instead of only a crescent moon being depicted, it appears that a… star? Or something similar is being carved on it. No mist is being created by it, while I also can feel a familiar warmth inside of it now, being very similar to my own flames.

It… took the aspect of my flames? Wait, how did it even do that?! I mean, it is a necklace that has thoughts, emotions and ambitions, somehow, and it gave me an ability as well.... Was it alive before? I don’t know… Sigh, not now. I’ll think about it later.

I look at the way forwards, and wonder what I’ll find there. Another part of the dungeon, yes, but what new challenges I’ll see? I’m excited to see what lies beyond it now, but I still have something to do before that.

I look inside the chest again, seeing the dark blue potion and the coins. I’ll take the potion now, and leave the coins here. I don’t have anything to keep it in.

I conjure a hand of flames, their use being more instinctual now, and pick the potion, uncork the cap, and drink it. The taste is… fine. Resembling blueberries, I think? I notice the effects rather quickly, as I feel a tingling sensation on my whole body. The feeling stops, and I receive a notification.

-

Stat Potion consumed.

+1 Mind!

-

So, it was a… stat potion. Good to know. I look at the silver coins left inside the chest. I really won’t be able to take them… I huff. I don’t have anywhere to use them anyway, so I’ll just leave it here. Who knows, someone might find the coins in the future!

Determined to see the rest of the dungeon, I start to… No, wait. I can probably fly now, can’t I? I look at my wings. They are way bigger, before being only 50 centimeters, now having 1.5 meters of wingspan. My body is bigger, as well, but I don’t have the exact numbers…

Ok, flying! I think I know how to do it. Instincts guiding me, I prepare to take flight. Extended wings, proper position… go! I fly, just for a little bit, and fall to the ground. Huh? I can’t fly… why?

Is it the place? Maybe it is… I’ll try later, then. I sigh, close the chest, and depart, entering the gate and going to the unknown.

Please, another good fight!

...

I mindlessly hop through the corridor. I’m doing that for a while, one hour? Or more? I don’t know…

I continue skipping through the black corridor, its colour changing to grey a few hours in. I play with my flames, imitating some shapes, figures and more from memory. Creatures that I saw from the forest, rabbits, deers, tigers, lions, all creatures with magic here. Objects that [Memories] had shown me, something so familiar yet unknown to the current me; Cars, planes, a city. I make them of all sizes possible in this place, small, medium, big, and more.

I was conversing with the necklace while doing that. It rants with barely repressed hate about the one that killed it, and I just let it. I’m learning some things about the necklace, as well. It apparently was someone powerful when it was alive, something… divine? That was how I interpreted the emotions it gave me. But… What is considered divine here? The amulet doesn’t answer it, too deep in tts rant.

Other than that, it was getting boring. The corridor is way too long… Maybe something is up, now that I think about it? The other ones I went in weren’t this long… odd...

Wait...perhaps? I stop hopping, and carefully test what I thought of. Maybe… I’m in an illusion of some kind? When did I enter it, then? Odd… I flare up my flames after a moment of introspection, and make them explode and erupt towards all directions, coating the passage in starmatter, reminiscent of an inferno with the colours of a starry night. Everything around me starts to melt, but the point when it does melt feels wrong to me, so I make my flames hotter, completely melting the walls, floor, ceiling, and everything inside this corridor.

Only I stand in the blazing inferno, my necklace gleaming, my eyes shining, and the world burning, The surroundings shatter, my flames too much for the illusion, and everything changes.

So it was an illusion, huh? The surroundings changed when the illusion shattered, and I find myself in a monotone forest, black and white being its main colours. Leaves on the ground, some black, some white, some a mix of both; the trunk of trees, grass and more are the same. No wind blowing, no leaves falling, no bushes rustling, no screeches, chirps, roars, nothing. It was completely quiet.

This place is familiar to me, somehow… but I don’t know why. Its the colours, I think? A strong sense of déjà vu is what I feel. I already had seen a similar scene to this one… but [Memories] doesn’t have anything, so it probably isn’t in my… last life? So- so that was what [Memories] was! I suddenly realize that. No, wait, back on focus. I sigh.

Ok, this scene is familiar, but how? The arena was like this forest, if seeing the colours and its devoidness of all kinds of life and noises… I huff. I really can’t remember. How annoying, my flames flare conforme my emotions. I screech, and immediately stop when I hear soft noises in the distance.

Soft sounds of something crushing leaves, walking or prowling through the forest. Sounds here simply feel wrong, as if the forest didn’t want to be stained by it, but I hear it clearly after discerning it.

More sounds follow after the first one, Something or someone is coming… towards my direction? It seems so.

I decide to hide and observe for now, activating [Stealth] and hiding in a bush, making sure to not make any noises not light, my flames dim, my presence indistinguishable from the forest.

I inhale and exhale softly. In, out. I calm my anxious heart, the warmth helping me focus on the task ahead. I slowly hear the sounds approaching, turning louder and louder as it comes closer. It reaches my position, and I finally see the origin of the sounds

Three humanoids stand there. An Elf, a Human, and a Beast-kin.

The same humanoids I saw outside of the dungeon, and the ones I followed to enter here.

I breathe slowly and softly, careful to not drag any attention to myself. I need to be careful, I don’t know their goal to enter here, and as I don’t understand their language, perhaps I’ll never know.

They walk through the area, the elf emotionlessly leading the party, the human at the centre, taking notes on her notebook, and the beast-kin, weary and alert of everything that could happen.

They walk to the centre of the place I’m in, a small clearing devoid of trees and tall bushes.

The beast-kin says something to the elf, he replies not in words but in gestures. She nods, and puts her hand on the pouch at her side, opening it and- Wait, what. Why are there fully set tents here without warning?!

I soundlessly gasp, surprise being my main emotion now. Are these spatial pouches? Or whatever they were called? The human stops writing on her notebook, closing and putting it on her pouch. Another one of the spatial pouches, I wonder?

The human gestures happily to the forest around her, speaking words with so much emotion that I could understand it somewhat. She is excited at the forest, for what I don’t know. The elf takes her attention, gestures at the tents, and at the ground around it. The beast-kin adds to the elf’s gestures, speaking, nods at both, and leaves the clearing.

I follow her with my eyes. She doesn’t go far, however, only picking some huge branches from the ground and breaking some branches from random trees. She is back at the clearing quickly, already preparing a campfire, I recognize what she is making.

The elf and the human are sitting near the future campfire, doing nothing but watch the beast-kin make it. When she finishes, she speaks to the human, who nods, and starts to mutter words in another language.

This language, however, I somehow knew. The language of magic. The meaning behind the words is the effect the spell the human is casting, which is [Ignition]. A fire starts a few moments after the human mage mutters the words, as I watch the scene unfold with fascination.

Another type of magic! Mine is obviously different, seeing that I don’t need to mutter any words - after all, I can’t even speak -, but I’m still excited to see it!

Ok, calm breaths. I calm myself quickly, and put my attention to the group once more.

The campfire is now lit, with a piece of meat roasting above it. The human mage is staring at it in a daze, and she didn’t even notice when the beast-kin tapped her in the shoulder, pointing at the sky,

Huh, something in the sky? I look at itm noticing that its colours are changing. It was a dark grey now, almost black. Night is approaching? I look at the party again, the human mage with a skewer in her hands, eating the meat that was being roasted on the campfire.

The beast-kin puts another piece of meat to roast on the campfire, while the elf eats some nuts and berries. Nothing much happens after that, they eat, and night comes. They entered their respective tents, and went to sleep, beneath the great starless black sky.

The campfire is still burning, its flames smaller than before when it was lit. The air is chilly, even without wind blowing through the forest. I carefully and noiselessly exit my hiding spot.

I need to leave here. They seem to have their own objectives, and I don’t know what their reaction will be when they see me. Will they kill me? Talk to me? Or something more?

I do not know, and that is why I leave.

I want to find why this place is familiar to me, what these adventurers are doing here, and more.

I leave, and I jump on a trap that I hadn’t seen before, triggering it. Ropes appear around me, binding me to a tree and turning the entire world upside down… I panic. Why did I didn’t see it?! I think quickly and decide to burn through the ropes, leaving small scorch marks on the tree. The ropes unbind itself from me, and I gain my freedom once again.

I make a relieved sigh, and rapidly leave the scene.

I need to keep an eye out now, as they will probably know that something was near them after seeing the trap.

I run through the monotone woods, alone towards the unknown.