She noticed his expression and became amused.
"Oh right, you haven't killed an abomination, have you?"
He shook his head. "Not that I know of, at least."
Elia nodded. "Well, I guess I should tell you some things about them. First off, they're quite hideous. Secondly, where I'm going to take you — into the forest — usually the types of abominations there are unsettling."
Her face turned solemn for a moment.
"They stalk their prey, so always think that someone is watching you. That's why the people of the town call them nightwalkers or nightcrawlers."
Ivel then asked, "Well, how do they look?"
Elia shuddered slightly. "They look like people, but not quite. You'll know when you see one."
She stood up, and Ivel stood as well, strangely eager.
"Are we going right now?"
Elia sighed. "Well, I would just ask Father to be sure first."
Ivel nodded and went to the training grounds where Leom and Aniya were practicing. He walked up to Leom, and for a strange reason, he was nervous… maybe even sweating a little.
"Uh, Leom, could I talk to you for a little bit?"
Leom turned around to see the boy. "What is it, Ivel?"
"Well, I was wondering if I could go to the forest to hunt monsters with Elia."
Leom froze, shocked by the sudden question. He then contemplated for a moment.
"Well, I suppose it's better that you ask me instead of just running off, so thanks. But… the monsters in the forest aren't something to take lightly, Ivel. Though since you're not going alone," he sighed, "I'll allow it."
Ivel's face lit up with a bright smile, excited.
Leom then turned to Elia. "Make sure not to take him too far into the forest."
Elia nodded.
Aniya, who had overheard the conversation, walked up to Ivel and handed him something — a nexus orb.
Ivel looked at the orb, having only heard about them in stories Leom had told him. Nexus orbs were the essence of monsters and were only left by them in rare cases. These orbs allowed one of the qualities of a monster to be absorbed by a human, making them extremely valuable.
Aniya looked at Ivel's expression and chuckled. "Don't make a big deal out of it. All it does is let you see things better. You're going to need it if you're going to hunt in the forest."
She patted the boy on the shoulder and, as she walked off, Ivel shouted, "I'll make sure to put it to good use!"
Ivel grabbed one of the iron swords from the training ground and went back to Elia, holding the orb. His hair swayed slightly in the wind.
Elia smiled. "You should absorb it quick. We'll be in the forest in no time, you know."
Ivel nodded, then stopped for a second and turned to Elia.
"How do I absorb it?"
Elia was thrown off by the question, then simply gestured, holding it on top of his core.
He did as she showed him, and suddenly a violent rush of energy spread to his core, then around his body, finally stopping at his eyes. A second later, the world looked clearer than before. He could see every detail, every speck, and if he focused enough, maybe even the essence of life itself.
Ivel shook his head, overwhelmed by the amount he could see.
Well, at least I don't have to worry about going blind when I'm older, he thought.
They traversed through town, and as always, people looked in admiration toward the young woman with a beautiful face. Her blonde hair, green eyes, tall figure, and athletic body were admired by the villagers.
But when the villagers looked at the boy, there was no hint of admiration — only fear or hatred.
Ivel was already used to it. He didn't care much about it; he rarely went to town anyway. When he did, it was on rare occasions.
Nonetheless, the young boy followed his sister to the gates of the town, and they entered the forest outside the walls.
Elia pointed out a harrowingly large mountain.
"That mountain is hundreds of miles away, but we can still see it. Cool, right?"
It was indeed large, so much so that it was a landmark in the country. The people of Manerva called it the Harrowing Mountain.
They finally arrived at the forest, which was littered with dead leaves as winter approached. The trees no longer danced to the wind; instead, they made a disturbing creak that echoed across the whole forest.
Elia pulled out her sword as they kept walking.
"Careful. From here on out, we're bound to run into a monster."
Ivel nodded and pulled out his sword. They continued walking through the dense forest, the ground covered with dead leaves.
Suddenly, Ivel felt a chill run over his whole body, as if a gaze was seeing right through him.
Elia sensed it as well.
Ivel hurriedly looked around, focusing his enhanced vision, letting his eyes scan all around him.
Finally, he saw it — the lanky humanoid figure.
Its face was pale with hollowed eyes, while its body was consumed by darkness. It had long limbs and claws, and horns protruded from its sides, formed around it like a rib cage.
As Ivel focused closer on the nightwalker, it seemed to look at him — though Ivel could not really tell since the creature had no eyes, just empty sockets that seemed to have once been filled.
Suddenly, the creature smiled at Ivel. The smile was filled with malice and contempt. Its teeth were rotting yellow and blood-stained.
As it turned its head, taunting the boy, Ivel thought to himself, "You really are a creep."
He then told Elia about the monster's location as they rushed toward it.