She didn't want to go down there. Every single fiber of her being screamed at her to not go down there. She backed away and dry-heaved but that person kept on pleading with her.

Her humanity compelled her to go forward and she jumped down into the room. It was dark, damp and the only source of light was a flickering lantern. She dry heaved but nothing was pushed out of her stomach. The walls, the floors and the roof was covered in blood and guts.

The stench was unimaginable. She moved her hand through the air, it felt strange. This room was not normal. She could feel very thin pieces of silver string floating in the air. She tried to grab it but her hand passed right through it.

She moved over to a pile of bodies and dug through them. Underneath them was a girl covered in blood and guts.

She pulled her out and the woman gasped for air. She shuddered and heart-wrenching sobs wracked her boy. The new alien just gave her a hug. She didn't care that she was covered in blood and guts. She just hugged the woman.

Once the sobs stopped, the woman shifted out of her lap and the alien saw her eyes. They were a stark silver.

...

..

.

Outside the City

I can't feel my legs anymore. They spasm and twitch every now and then. A deep pain is radiating up from my heels but nevertheless, we march forward.

"Is there a city up ahead?" I ask Ake.

"Yes,

"Yes, Fort Kane. We should be safe there."

"Why is that?"

"It is the home-city of the Imperial Knight- Kane Rayleigh. She should be able to keep us safe."

I doubt that, I doubt that very much sir. "Do you know any magic?"

"Magic? No, I'm not a spell-caster. Moon does though. He was an apprentice to an Enchanter before the war."

I nod acting like I know what an enchanter is. If there are anything like what usual fantasy games are like then it'll be useful. "Do you mind if I ask him to teach it to me?"

He sighs, "His master forbids it but I don't think he'll be coming after Moon anytime soon. Do whatever you want."

My stomach grumbles. We've been walking for less then an hour and I'm very hungry. We are subsisting on some tree leaves and grass. There are no animals along the way. Even if there were they are fleeing from us. Even the trees and the grass is growing sparse now I think. People are grazing on it like locusts.

A lucky few should have food but I don't see it. Hiding it is a smart choice. You don't want to attract unwanted attention here.

I grab another fistful of leaves and shove it in my mouth. We don't have any water with us. By the morning, the river water was muddy and filled with shite.

I walk over to Moon and he greets me with a smile. "Hi."

"I wanted to ask you about enchanting. Can you tell me about it?"

He seems surprised by my request but then shrugs. We have been running around for awhile and some amount of camaraderie has developed.

"Enchanting is a branch of magic according to my master. It gives us the ability to grant certain objects with blessings. It is a very expensive profession because people with a talent for it are rare."

I hand my sword to him, "Can you demonstrate it for me?"

He smiles with a bitter expression, "I can't. I don't have my materials."

"What kind of materials do you need?"

"A kit with all my tools, reagents depending on the type of enchantment, potions, and other materials. I need some mana pods as well. My mana capacity is quite low at the moment. Master told me that it would improve in the future." He sighs.

It can't be easy to be displaced like this. It is almost heart-wrenching, people are sobbing, crying, delirious with fear and grief. I don't see a single happy face here. Back to the topic.

The thing I should focus on is how do I cultivate mana. Perhaps, I need it to activate my skill. It does state that its a magical creature. Pseudo-magical, whatever that means.

"Is there any other way to obtain mana then these mana pods?"

He smiles, "Obviously, all you have to do is meditate. If you have the aptitude for it you'll learn [Mana Sense] and other basic skills for a mage."

"Can you teach it to me?"

He reaches into his shirt and opens a pocket sewed into his shirt, to hide valuable belongings. He takes out a small pamphlet. "You can't lose this. This is a basic meditation manual. It teaches you the right way to perform it."

I grab it and thank him. He's very naïve. If I was in the same position as him, I don't think I would do the same.

I flip through it, it is very short and is filled with a few basic illustrations and its jam-packed with words. I smile with a bitter expression, my excitement is short-lived. I have no idea how to read this. I can understand everybody and even speak to them in their own language however, I can't read.

Whatever, I'm speaking right now is not my native tongue. I know that for sure. The way I pronounce words and their meaning is different. I understand context words and everything however, I have a slight accent compared to the other people here.

I walk back to Moon. "I don't know how to read." I can't help but be embarrassed.

Moon just shakes his head and tells me its fine. He'll teach it to me. Kogo walks over to us as well.

"Can you teach it to me as well?" She asks.

"I'd be happy to!" He replies.

I look over to the last person in our party. She is terrifying.