Natsuki took the last chunk out of Rivere's hide.
He left the feathers, talons, beak and skeleton untouched.
Inside the heart he'd found a glowing silver orb, it released a small white glow and produced the sound of wind moving violently.
He laid down in the mess, holding the orb in one hand while looking at the sky.
It was night time now.
The stars were beautiful.
Natsuki didn't even feel a hint of fatigue now that he'd devoured the bird.
Only guilt, not fear but guilt that he was turning into something he couldn't control and felt good about it.
On his finger the ring began to make crushing sounds as another crack closed but a bit of it still lingered not filled all the way.
Natsuki watched it in awe.
'I know there's definitely something off about you now. Come on, it's been a week maybe I don't know, just say something.'
His plea was brief but then he felt something a familiar presence.
"Why are they always so dense, I mean we have had two encounters and you haven't guessed it yet."
The voice was the same as the creature that was in the black space when the dragon tried to take over his body.
"You? Your the one that saved me from the dragon."
"I've done a lot more than that boy. I reconstructed your body. I gave you the ability to attain power."
"Through eating monsters."
A loud groveling laugh sounded the area making Natsuki feel as small as an ant.
"It's more complicated than that boy! You don't devour the monsters you devour their mana!"
Their mana.
The revelation left Natsuki speechless and confused.
"How is that possible?"
"It's simple really, mana runs through all living things like blood and the vessels that are attached to the mantra cores intertwine with the heart and blood vessels."
"So when I eat their flesh I take in the mana from it."
"You do have a few brain cells, but never interrupt me!"
As he said it Natsuki's hand began to burn violently and then stopped before it could spread.
"Arghhh!"
Natsuki held his hand in sheer surprise.
The burnt hand twitching violently, he looked at the ring on his finger and it was pulsing softly.
"Do you understand me."
"Yeah yeah don't interrupt you, I get it."
His words came out vague and with more disrespect than he intended.
"It seems the traits have already began to develop in you. Your about to be an even bigger pain in the ass."
The voiced sighed.
"Anyway, I must tell you one thing. If you don't accept this path soon, you won't be strong enough to stop what's coming for you."
With that the presence disappeared.
Remained holding his burnt hand, looking at it twitch violently due to the pain that had numbed long ago.
'How am I supposed to fix this thing.'
But the presence had long left.
Remembering how his body healed after eating Rivere he searches for the small silver orb and hesitantly he puts it in his mouth.
Crushing it he swallowed in one quick gulp as it felt like he was chewing glass.
First he didn't feel any different.
'Great!' he sighed deep in frustration, 'I just wasted whatever that was.'
But then he felt different, the atmosphere seemed lighter and so did his body.
Slowly his hand began to return to normal, healing completely he pumped out his hands in celebration.
A gush of air shot out of them.
Looking forward his eyes gleamed with awe.
'That's awesome, but I need to stop sending out random blasts.'
Standing he looked ahead towards the exit.
Blocking it was a huge nest that fell during the fight.
From here he couldn't see anything inside because it was too big.
So standing he walked towards the nest.
Inside of it stood a bunch of random treasure the bird had collected from the people it's killed.
Picking up a nice looking he sword he was about to leave when something caught his eye.
Well two things.
Two ancient looking scrolls.
The leather skin has faded so bad that the writing inscribed on the outside was faded.
'Those look important, don't mind if I do.'
Taking them he opened one that looked a little more recent with less stains and and a few symbols here and there.
But what met him was unexpected.
His brain felt like it was going crazier than when he was moving around the forest.
The words were moving around the scroll like they were trying to escape the pages.
When he tried to read any of them he got a huge headache that he couldn't ignore.
He closed the scroll as quickly as he could but his head remained aching, it felt like the contents inside of his head were thumping.
'I'm not even going to try to open the other one.'
Looking around he saw one of the Skelton's from previous wonderers had a bag around it's shoulders.
It was nothing too fancy and was warn out with a hole on top near the zipper but it would do for now.
He put the two scrolls inside, took as much gold as he could from the pile and walked out of the forest.
Immediately he came out he noticed the changes.
The air smelled different and was much easier to breathe, under his feat the grass felt soft instead of like stone and the moon gave a soft light while the stars twinkled excitedly.
'I'm finally free from that shit hole.'
Looking forward he saw a carriage following a path.
'I guess that's where am I headed.'
– –
Meanwhile.
Durak was laying with quarter of his top part down on the ground, while most of his body was underground.
Then the atmosphere felt denser than usual.
His heart rate spiked increasingly high on its own without warning.
His muscles began to contract and relax on their own making him shake and shiver.
Then the feint sound of glass pieces being brought together was heard.
Bowing his head down in that direction, a figure suddenly appeared.
"LORD DRAYMOND! WHAT DO I OWE THIS VISIT.
Draymond looked at his servant with blank eyes and an even expression.
"Rivere is dead."
He said it so plainly someone overhearing the conversation would think it wasn't a big deal.
Durak fell silent.
He didn't know what to say.
"Lift your head servant, I want to show you something."
Draymond produced a medium sized mirror that hang in the air.
In it Natsuki killing Rivere was clear and Durak's temper began to flair.
His blood began to boil, his vision blurred red and he gnashed his teeth so hard it seemed like they would crack.
"LORD PLEASE! ALLOW ME TO GO AND GET REVENGE!"
"Of course I will, but I'm hear to tell you you won't stand a chance the way you are now."
"HOW LORD! HE IS NOTHING BUT A MORTAL."
"The same mortal just killed your brother in cold blood."
Durak fell silent once more, saying curses to Natsuki under his breathe towards the ground.
"I'LL USE MY BEAST MONARCH HAKI TO COMMAND AN ARMY OF MONSTERS TO FACE HIM THEM. JUST GRANT ME THE CHANCE."
"Your determined I see."
Draymond looked at the servant in front of him.
'Everything is going just as I thought it would.'
"Fine I'll allow it, but first I'm going to give you a boost in power to help you in your fight."
Draymond punched the mirror he created shattering it instantly.
Then taking the largest shard he input a little bit of energy.
And threw it at Durak.
Panic.
Durak's eyes bulged so big you could almost see the back.
"NO LORD PLEASE! DON'T KILL ME!
As it looked like it would pierce his skin and kill him it didn't.
It entered its body.
A rush of energy rushed through his body but the sudden high didn't last long as suddenly his body began to stretch out longer, new organs, bones and flesh began forming.
Legs began to grow in the gaps formed by the stretch.
His size began to increase.
His eyes changed colour to a void black.
And Draymond watched on unfazed by it in the slightest.
"If you can withstand your transformation then you will be able to go and fight the human."
He turned readjusting his hat and then shattered.
Disappearing without a trace.
Meanwhile Durak was screaming out of control.
His power was being released involuntarily, the ground shook and trees began to fly off leaving stumps due to the shockwaves being formed from his screams.
Monsters all over the forest began to tremble hearing the sound of their monarchs voice echo through the forest.
The weak ones got injured severely or died on the spot.
But Natsuki was unaware of the battle he had just started.
Walking down the path he saw the carriage moving on he smiled finally thinking he can live a normal life.
But the worst of it is yet to come.