Chapter 16: Aden and The Beast (1)

The sun shone brighter than usual, the brightness illuminating the insides of the cabin.

Aden briskly stood up from his bed and inspected the floor.

There were dark patches close to his bed side, and a few to the edge of the room.

“Should I remodel?” He muttered.

Walking out the cabin, his eyes automatically turned to where his master usually cuts wood for their breakfast.

He wasn’t there.

A light hum left his lips as his bare feet made contact with the damp grass.

“Alot of work to do today,” he said whilst stretching.

“Might as well start early.”

Accompanied by the sounds of nature, Aden wandered into the jungle with a hum.

Looking round the dense vegetation before him, he couldn’t help but wonder, “Will I ever leave this Jungle?”

Since his reincarnation, life hadn’t been unpleasant, but months surrounded by nothing but greenery inevitably bred curiosity.

Pushing those thoughts to the side, Aden fiddled with the ring on his index as he walked deeper into the jungle.

At last, he spotted a suitable tree that was large enough for the reconstruction and fearlessly approached it.

It was no exaggeration to say the tree was among the tallest in the jungle. Its crown towered above the rest, branches stretching far and wide, its sheer width nothing short of breathtaking.

Letting out a deep exhale, he closed his eyes and gently made contact with the rough exterior.

The pathways of the tree, and all other creatures that resided there, were all made clear to him. Unlike before, he could decipher them with ease

He had already infused a considerable amount of Resonant energy when a dull crunch snapped his eyes open.

Immediately, he focused his attention on the direction of the sound but left his hands on the tree.

Normally, this abrupt change would’ve caused a backlash, but he was just left with slight dizziness.

Shaking his head, he watched the rustling foilages vigilantly.

The trees shook and the cracking of branches grew closer. His hands gripped the tree tighter, nearly allowing his hands to pierce through it.

Then, everywhere went silent.

Aden frowned, but he didn’t lose vigilance. A transparent energy coated his body as he waited patiently.

Minutes ticked by without any change.

Letting out a light exhale, Aden attempted to retrieve his aura, before—

Boom

A large beast jumped out from his left with it’s claws extended.

Aden shuddered, then kicked off the tree, propelling himself backward.

“Rooaaarrrr!!”

The beast was coated in golden fur; its eyes blazed with the intensity of the sun, and its claws dug deep into the tree, its gigantic frame nearly tearing it free with each shake.

Fear washed over him as the beast’s eyes fixated on his.

Luckily, it was still stuck in the tree, so Aden did what any logical being would do when faced with such a situation.

He ran.

As fast as he possibly could.

His feet stretched farther than needed as he sped through the jungle, tuning out the beast’s savage roars in the distance.

’This isn’t normal. Beasts have never attacked apart from that one time ever since my reincarnation especially not one as intimidating as that.’

’I’m definitely not foolish enough to confront that thing head on, in the name of testing my strength.’

The roars still persisted even as he ran, but he didn’t spare a glance in it’s direction.

“Something’s wrong…”

Upon reaching the cabin, he was surprised to see that his master still hadn’t awoken.

He couldn’t peek through the rather large gaps in his room, both out of respect for his master and because they had been coated with his energy.

Sighing, he sat on a stump and scribbled in the soil with a stick.

As useless as the memories of the previous owner were, there were still some interesting things that he learned.

To be precise, he’d learned of the Trial.

A magical dimension that forced those it transported to confront their greatest fears, with the chance of triggering an awakening.

Obviously, it was intended for the privileged unawakened.

For normal folk who hadn’t awakened, the options were harsher: thrust themselves into danger or endure severe emotional turbulence and awaken naturally.

And so, not everyone had the opportunity to tap into their potential.

On the upside, the Trials were open to all awakened individuals regardless of social standing, promising growth with minimal financial cost.

There were a total of seventeen stages, each more intense than the last, guaranteeing breakthroughs with every success.

“These are the only useful memories this guy had. The rest revolved around which maid had the fattest ass and various torture techniques.”

Raising his head, he muttered, “He’d probably learned about the Trials just to impress the Princess”

A soft chuckle left his lips as he stood up. “I would love to see this Princess that’s causing so much trouble.”

The soft clicking of the door brought Aden out of his thoughts.

Bowing with a solemn expression, he began.

“Good morning, Master. I hope you had a good rest?”

He lifted his head to meet his master’s gaze and was met only with searching eyes.

’Why does he keep looking at me like that?’ he thought uncomfortably.

Nodding lightly, Kaelthorn walked back to the room as he spoke:

“I’m going to have my bath. Your punishment still stands.”

His heart lurched, but he nodded nonetheless. “I apologize for my actions. I didn’t know what came over me.”

Faced with the clicking of the door once more, the air felt heavier as he was sat in silence.

His expression was unreadable, but his fists clenched tightly as he walked back into the jungle, his jaw tight.

****

Kaelthorn watched through the window as his disciple went back into the forest.

Of course he was aware when Aden went into the jungle earlier and the attack from the beast that forced him back to safer grounds.

“He’s more…him, today,” he muttered.

A thought prickled at him. ’Had Aden’s use of Resonance partially offset the Character Imprint? Or was his newfound composure temporary? Had their personalities mingled seamlessly and was that a blessing or a curse?’

Questions gnawed at him, unanswered, while time ran short. The faint rustle of leaves and the distant echo of the forest were the only responses.

****

Aden sped through the forest as his transparent energy shimmered around him.

His destination?

Back to the place he ran from.

His master’s expression hadn’t changed. It was still blank and unreadable, but this time, Aden sensed something beneath the empty facade.

Suspicion.

Aden’s jaw tightened even more, his wrists grappling a branch that flung him high into the air.

“What could I have possibly done to earn his suspicion?” He mumbled.

“It’s not like I killed anyone.”

Sliding down from a crouched tree, Aden approached another that had its bark scarred with deep claw marks and he moved with heightened vigilance.

Following the foot prints of the beast, he cocked his head slightly when he realized they dissapeared at the foot of a bush.

“Where did it—!”

His instincts screamed. He hurled himself sideways just in time, the violent rush of air slamming against the back of his neck.

Skidding to a halt, he met the gaze of the colossal beast, and this time, he didn’t look away.

“I’m not running this time.”

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