Chapter 28

Echoes of Eternity

(that time I cultivated memories…)

I wondered why, when I stared at the Plague Sus did I remember more of my past life. Why had the strange creature triggered such random memories? Or had it been the question Ajax asked and how he asked it? While we made our way to a river, cleaned, and began eating breakfast, cooked rabbit jerky made the night before last, I asked Ajax to ask me more questions. It was a very literal attempt at trying to remember my past life, which seemed to be fading more and more as I got older. It seemed the longer I was alive in this world, the more I trained, the more I made new memories of people I began to lose memories of my old life.

I was determined not to let that happen.

“I’m not really sure what to ask you. You explained the magic vision, the runes,” Ajax paused, “Ok, how about your titles and reputation, why are you able to sense those?”

No new memories came to light as I explained titles and reputation were important for understanding oneself. Your reputation was similar to your class, it was an extension of who you wanted to be and how others saw you, while titles were given for achieving goals.

“What about Classes? You are a shaman right? What other kind of classes are there, can you multi-class?

Something in the back of my mind, a memory flickered in and out but dissipated soon as I began to speak. All this had been explained to me once, when I was a child, when I didn’t understand why not everyone could tap into the system the way I could. I tried to hold onto the memory. A woman’s face, another mother, my first mother’s face, began fading. I remembered that the system had something to do with the UrRunes, the first runes created by the gods, or god-like beings. They were a gift given to humanity used to measure our mantle. I think it was more of a test, and given that the gods seemed to be nowhere in sight, one we failed. The system, whatever it really was, was just a byproduct of heavenly intervention, left behind after they abandoned us.

I answered Ajax, explaining that classes were like jobs. Had I been a blacksmith my class would have read forgemaster or blacksmith, depending on my skill. I was s shaman because that was what I was best at. I had sub-classes as a warrior, a hunter, a gatherer, even fishing, but those weren’t important to the system.

“So what happens when you have like a hundred skills, or a thousand?” Ajax asked. I noted that the skills I could view were skills I focused deeply on, training in my head during meditation. I also explained how I could choose to only look at part of my skills, I’d never actually tried to measure my entire mantle all at once… the idea seemed overwhelming. Every task could be measured, even breathing. All that really mattered was keeping track of the basics… health, armor, mana, regeneration, and attacks. I guess had I been a monk or priest my skills would be totally different.

I supposed if I meditated every morning on fishing with a yo-yo I would had fishing listed under my skills list. It was an interesting question though. I was surprised I was able to come up with an answer. A part of me still worried I was just making it all up. At the end of the day they were all just labels, letters and numbers we made up to make understanding the universe a little easier.

“That makes sense,” Ajax said, “I don’t meditate on anything so maybe that is why I couldn’t see if I had any skills. You seemed to have a bunch of them though.” I had almost forgotten that when I shared my mana with Ajax and we managed to get a glimpse of his abilities he had also caught a glimpse of my own. Had he not trained by my side, and alongside my father for years, surrounded by magic I was sure it would have been maddening. Any sane person would have thought they were losing their mind staring at stats and levels all day…

A new memory triggered. One of when I was a teenager. Chel and Stem were running after me. Chasing me as I ran through our village with both my hands against my head. Something was wrong with me… the runes, I couldn’t shut them out, my insight skill had activated for the first time and was telling me everything about everyone. It was a moment of awakening but for me, a young man without any mentors, it was a nightmare. Worst than going through puberty, another thing I wasn’t looking forward to going through in my new life. I thought I was losing my mind and started attacking the air around me until Chel finally caught up to me, tackled me to the ground. I remember her placing her arms around me, hugging me, holding me as I shut out the world. The system didn’t just effect my senses now, it carried throughout my memories allowing me to think back on a fight, a creature, and analyze it.

At the time it was too much, I couldn’t stop thinking about the different animals I’d encountered. A fox, a bear, a wolf, even an the different birds in the sky, each with their own weaknesses, immunities, and descriptions. It was like having a library inserted inside my head.

“Kai? Are you alright?” Ajax asked. I snapped out of it. I had tears running down both my eyes.

“Just remembering something,” I said.

“I asked what you think is the highest level you could get an attack?”

I smiled. I’d seen some amazing attacks. Even had several of my own. I quickly thought of my ‘Dragon Strike’ and how I was an ‘Apostle of Fire’ able to surround my entire body with flames as I danced around with dual blades, cutting through the air like a pyro. I had used that attack dozens of times after acquiring it, killing hordes of goblins, harpies, and troglodytes. I’d even used it against groups of raiders. I remembered someone once called me a demon as I summoned the flames with my mind’s eye, focusing them around my blades. They twirled like strings of light, surrounded my sharp steel swords, and turned them hot as dragon’s breath.

To learn ‘Dragon Strike’ I had to first master Fire Slash and Sword Strike. It took me years to strengthen my bond with my swords, with myself. It was when those two attacks reached level 10 that I unlocked Dragon Strike, an attack I felt in my core. It was like a waking dream when it happened. Everything from the way I was able to ignite the air by quickly striking my swords together to the way the fire moved around me. My body had been hardened by years of training, fighting, and probably a little too much time drinking. When I performed Dragon Strike I was moving with the flow of the flames, channeling my energy and the fire with my stance, my movements. One wrong step and I would have burned alive.

“I think when a skill hits level 10 you’ve mastered it and are able to unlock new moves based on that skill,” I answered him.

We were in the river now, cleaning our clothes and bodies. I felt the water stream move over my palm. I lifted my hand, cupped some water, and poured it over my face. It was refreshing.

As I closed my eyes, I triggered another memory. I was in my old body, in the river, naked with Chel. I was holding her in my arms. One up around her breasts and another wrapped around her waistline. My mouth, tongue, and teeth were against the back of her neck, her hair pushed to the side, as her arm reached backwards and grabbed hold of my hair. I could feel her pull harder as I thrust inside of her. After several moans I bit down against her skin and pressed harder against her hips. Both of us were locked together in embrace. A moment that would echo through all eternity.

I continued to stand in the river, in the present. I never wanted this memory to fade. I wanted to remember every moment with her, every freckle and mole on her body. I could feel myself inside of her, pressed harder against her hips. Water streamed down from her hand across my face. It was warm, we weren’t just in a river but a hot spring. Our gear sat on the edge of the spring while we stayed locked in each others arms. She moved, changed position. For a moment her face was blank, nothing there as my mind stitched my memories back together. I felt her legs wrap around me. My hands scratched along her back. She wrapped her arms around my neck and tilted her head back. She moaned loudly as the the two of us found release in one another. Her head fell forward and she began to moan in my ear. I pulled her in closer to me, her legs tightening around my back as they locked.

The memory faded. Still there for me to call on again but this wasn’t the place as I remembered where I was and who I was now. Ajax was already out of the water gathering up the rest of our gear and drying off in the sun. Everything that needed to be done in the morning had been done. I was glad he didn’t see me, there would have been too many questions. It was a hot day and the two of us still had a lot of ground to cover before we made it to the docks of Maestat. There would be time for me to explain things to him later, finally maybe I could come clean about my past life.