The beast streaked through the underbrush trampling everything in its path. Whatever was chasing it was gaining and gaining fast. With every stride the beasts previously one track mind started to gain autonomy.

Its mind split, thoughts of the bodies original inhabitant started to break through.

"Where am I?" "Whats happening" "Why am I running?"

Various questions echoed through the beasts head, it struggled for control, it knew it needed to remain, without its abilities the boy would die.

Many seconds past of intrusive thoughts clouding the beasts mind and it had started to slow the creature down. Every step it took became unsteady and uncontrolled. It started to fumble through the forest.

Suddenly the beast's next step was sucked in to the collapsing earth below it.

A small hole opened up in the earths surface causing the beast to fall through. It looked to the cavity that seemed to be sealing on its own volition with a muddied mind. The beast fell in pure darkness and was abruptly greeted by a rocky outcrop jutting outwards.

Its body came down with a thud, smashing into the outcrop with full force. The beasts head was taken by whiplash and cracked against the rock, simultaneously losing consciousness. It then continued down the cavern falling at speed, every now and again crashing into other protruding rocks.

*Thud*

The beast landed upon the cavern floor, bloodied and bruised. Bones were broken, shattered being the more accurate term.

The unconscious body could be seen healing, sounds of bones cracking and popping echoed throughout the cave. The speed of the healing was phenomenal, on par with the effects provided by a high-grade healing potion.

As the healing process came to an end so did the transformation, the beasts animalistic features shift back into the rugged and dirty face in which it originally was. Hair turned from white to black as if nothing had ever changed, claws back to finger nails, although blood stained.

What laid at the bottom of the cave was now a young fifteen year-old boy, Kalon had returned. The beast was no longer in control.

---------------------

"The trail just went cold?" The Duke said to himself in confusion.

The tracking spell he had employed no longer sensed the boy. It was as if he vanished.

"Hmmmm, the faint mana signal I could feel has vanished as well."

Duke Carlyle stood within a small clearing in which the trail had vanished, it was as if the boy he was after just ceased to exist.

"Curious, seems that bastard might have some tricks up his sleeves."

The duke then once again called out.

"Come to me, Irn, Dinia"

Two elementals one borne of fire and the other of water were called into existence. The two were humanoid in form, Irn was a silhouette of flame resembling that of a broad shouldered male. Dinia was female in shape, had no legs and was entirely water.

"Search the whole forest and come find me back at the tents when you have him, I'm going to tend to my sun."

Duke Carlyle had delegated the task to his elementals as he knew they who were in-tune with nature had a better chance of finding the boy he was after. His mana sense and spells failed him so all that was left was his contracted elementals.

The elementals then set out in opposite directions in order to find, what their master wanted so dearly.

The Duke then flew into the air and headed towards the camp, more importantly his wounded son.

------------------------

Hours past as the boy laid motionless upon the cavern floor, those hours soon turned into a day.

*GASP*

"Where am I?"

Kalon woke to the metallic taste of blood in his mouth and an aching body. He looked to his surroundings, he was was seated within a large dimly lit cave. He could see glowing crystals protruding from the cave walls. He heard the drips of water coming from the stalactites that coated the ceiling above him.

He looked further to see that directly above his position was a large crater stretching for who knew how long upwards.

"Did I fall? Theres no way, I'd be dead!"

As the boy tried to remember what had transpired he thought. "Knocked unconscious twice in a day, great job Kalon." As he remembered his first encounter with the elder frost wolf.

His memories of what happened next then resurfaced reminding him of what had happened to his only friend, his best friend, Terrance.

Tears started to stream from his eyes has he remembered the blade sliding across his friends throat.

"It's all my fault, If I hadn't left him alone. He...he'd be alive."

Kalon sat with his hands on his eyes as he let it all out, he cried for many minutes. All he could think of was his mistakes and the guilt overwhelmed him. He understood what had been his downfall, he underestimated the apprentices and for that he was punished. He knew now never to underestimate anyone, people were full of surprises and he accepted that he didn't know it all.

Minutes of despair past, only to be interrupted.

*Guurgh*

His stomach was calling for food, he was starving. It felt as if he hadn't eaten for days.

Kalon once again tried to remember how he got to the cave in hopes that he might remember a way out.

He tried but after he was subjected to watching his friends death, there was nothing, it was blank. He felt faint, echoes within his mind but they faded before anything came to fruition.

His mind then went back to the words he had seen after he his experience with the frost wolf.

"What was that?" he thought.

As if in response to his question an interface came into being in front of his eyes.

----------------------------------------

[Welcome to the System user!]

----------------------------------------

[Name: Kalon Quinn]

[Race: Human]

[Level: 1]

[0/100 EXP]

[HP: 200]

[MP: 1]

[Strength: 4] [Vitality: 4]

[Agility: 7] [Intelligence: 7]

[Perception: 10]

[Stat Points: 0 available]

---------------------------------------

[Skills]

[Spells]

[Quests]

[???]

[???]

----------------------------------------

Kalon extended his hand and waved it through the screen of text that appeared in front of him. His hand simply passed through having no effect.

"What on earth is this?" he thought as his eyes glanced over what was in front of him.

As he read all that was in front of him he came across HP and MP, the boy wondered what they meant and in response the tabs expanded.

-------------

[Health Points: Representative of the users life force. If the number falls to zero the user shall perish]

[Mana Points: Representative of the amount of mana within the users body. Users mana is currently due to the recent formation of a mana-core.]

-------------

"I have a mana-core now! I can use magic!" He thought bringing him some happiness.

The tabs then closed and returned to the original interface. Kalon had come to realise the system responded to his every thought so as he read on he continued to ask for explanations of what the tabs meant.

He then approached the [Skills] tab with his eyes and it opened.

--------------

[Skills]

[Skill points: 0 available]

[??? (locked)]

[??? (locked)]

.....

------------

As he scrolled down the interface he saw dozens of locked skills, the boy wondered what it might take for said skills to become available for him, but the system didn't respond this time.

Kalon moved on after exploring the [Skills] tab to the [Spells] tab. It was just as the previous tab was, everything was locked and he had no way of knowing how to unlock them.

Finally Kalon locked his gaze on the only tab left available to him, the [Quests] tab. When he opened it he was pleasantly surprised, the information was actually available to him.

---------------------

[Daily Quest]

[Running: 0/500m] [Pushups: 0/10]

[Squats: 0/20] [Situps: 0/50]

[Pull-ups: 0/5] [Handstand: 0/20sec]

[Reward: ???]

[Timed Quest]

[Escape the cave within five days]

[Reward: 200 EXP]

---------------------

Kalon realised that he had explored all that he could of the system, he was tempted to start doing the daily quests when his stomach reminded him there were more important matters. He needed food, he wasn't going to survive let alone do his quests without food.

The boy stood from his position and started to analyse his surroundings, he saw a tunnels in every direction. He had a decision to make and for his sake he had better make the right one.