Waking up, I decided to complete the registration form from yesterday. My mom was going to visit me today, and she would arrive in a few hours, so I had plenty of time to do whatever I wanted. Almost anything.
Sitting on a small chair, I opened the form on the rotten desk.
For the next thirty minutes, I did nothing but complete unnecessary sections. Most of the information would be tested tomorrow anyway, so I could not really add anything I wanted to.
Flipping through it multiple times, I decided to read it one more time to make sure nothing was wrong.
On the first page, it said "Wayfarer Registration." It was just the cover page, so there was nothing to do about it. Turning the page, I read:
"Full name: Ray Lucien
Age: 17
Preferred role: melee fighter
Preferred weapon: spear
Reason for choosing Wayfarer: ..."
Flipping through it again, everything looked good. There were not many weapons to choose from. I could get a sword, but I wanted reach. I would not want to get too close to not-so-friendly creatures, and I had never practiced archery. Not like I could do that anyway. There was also no chance I could pass the test tomorrow if I lied here.
Putting the document in a safe place where I could see it and not forget about it, I took the initiative to clean the house until my mom came home. Cleaning was a superficial word in this situation. The whole place was broken and moldy, so I could only make it go from looking terrible to looking slightly less terrible.
Hearing the front door open, I took a few deep breaths and prepared myself. Even though I tried not to care too much about the whole situation, it was not that easy. I was not her actual son. Yes, she technically gave birth to me and raised me, but she did not birth and raise a newborn. It was a secret I would never tell her. I did not want to ruin her life. It was ruined enough.
Putting on my "son" attitude, I smiled and looked at her tired face.
"Hello, Mom. Was work more exhausting than usual?"
Of course, her real name was not Mom. It was Lisa. But what kind of stupid son would call their parent by their name? Besides, our relationship was really good for a mother and son.
Letting out a sigh, she pointed to the wrapped package in her hand.
"Obviously. They bought an insufferable hag. Everybody is starting to get more and more impatient. I also got some real meat, the tasty kind, so we will have a proper dinner... after that. Putting everything aside for a moment, have you made up your mind? Are you really going to do that? You know, walking the path of awakening is riskier and harder than a normal job. Do not think you are fated to walk an easy road. Not everyone has that kind of luck."
If I had been born in this world with no memories, I would probably have settled for some easy job. Having strong mental fortitude was one of the pillars of awakening, and everything here was dangerous to some degree. On Earth, I could only read about magical worlds. Now I was living in one. I hated reading when I was a child, but as I got closer to being a teen, I had to spend most of what remained of my life in a bed, so besides reading, there was not much else. I wanted to live this life full of challenges, fun, and hopefully not bitterness, even if it was an impossible wish.
Even though I had already made up my mind, Lisa's question still made me feel uneasy. After all, I was still risking my life.
"Yes, Mom. I have already made up my mind. I promise I will be careful, and if I cannot bear it, I will resign. There is no shame in that. The only shame is not trying at all."
She did not respond anymore. She looked away with a worried expression. It was normal for her to feel that way. Shouldn't any mother worry if her son was going to battle, knowing he might not return?
As we kept talking about other topics and tried not to bring up anything sensitive, the world outside began to darken, but it was not dusk yet. That meant only one thing: the Shift would happen soon. The whole world would begin to get swallowed by darkness. The duration varied; it could last for several hours. But even then, what human would be afraid of a little darkness? It was not as if you could not see. In fact, people here had developed vision similar to dogs in the dark. It was not like seeing in broad daylight, but it was better than seeing nothing at all.
So the only truly terrifying thing was what happened to the Voiders during the Shift. While it was active, they became stronger, their killing intent intensifying, prioritizing nothing but murder. Some would be newborn, appearing out of the darkness, while the ones already active would act like every other Voider. Outside the Shift's influence, they would still massacre humans, but only if they came into contact with them. Voiders did not hunt without the Shift active.
After closing every window and curtain, Mom and I stood in the bedroom, waiting for it to end. Patrols were walking the streets regularly during this period, and most forces were inside the village, not wanting to attract outside dangers and also protecting humans by killing the new Voiders that appeared.
Peeking through the curtain, I could see a battle taking place somewhere close to us. Farther down the street, a party of five was battling some abominations that resembled humans, though not entirely. There were ten of them, around hip height. They had no heads; their faces were on their chests, and their mouths stretched from their upper chests down to their abdomens, while their hands reached almost to their knees. A fitting name for them should have been... "Headless."
The party took formation, with two archers in the back, two swordsmen in front, and a healer in the middle. Red and greenish colors emanated from his hands, showing that he had an ability. Since normal humans had no abilities, the healer was already a Replicant or higher. Hunting parties usually consisted of one or two established Replicants and three or four humans who were still walking that path.
Encounters like this were the best for parties. Weaker Voiders tended to attack in groups, and while both encounters were dangerous, one was extremely valuable. They could gain ten hearts, saving time and reducing risk.
They were lucky no higher entity was controlling them, because the fight would have been much more chaotic otherwise, though it would not have been as bad as if there had been a Voider with two hearts.
A loud flashbang blinded me temporarily. When I opened my eyes again, I could see, blurry at first, that three Headless were already dead, while one swordsman was staggering on his knees with his palms covering his eyes. The healer's attention was now on him, healing the damage caused by his own ability.
Two Replicants. The battle was already decided. Maybe if the enemy had been stronger, or if there had only been one Replicant in the party, the situation would have been different, but there was no chance they would lose.
I actually hoped the humans would die, but I wanted them to kill some Headless too. That way, after everything settled down a little, I could reap some benefits. It was inhumane, but the world was not fair either.
Sighing and pulling the curtain back into place, I could only wait. I did not want anything to see me, and now I knew I could not gain anything.