"How many times have I died again?" I wondered, struggling to grasp how much time had passed.
"You want power? Then you have to work for it," said a voice—Erelya's, unmistakable and ever firm.
I don't want to die... I'm so tired... I tried to say, but the words never came out.
"Sadly, there's no such thing as free power. You've got to earn it."
"You want to learn aura? I'll teach you the only way I know how," she added.
Why is no one coming? Surely my parents wouldn't just abandon me in a place like this...
From the brink of death, I was pulled back—over and over and over again. I'd thought I'd accepted death. Back in my bandit days, you'd witness death so often you'd become numb to it. But that's when it happens to others.
"P-please... ugh," I choked the words from my throat.
"I don't want to die. Please. I don't want power anymore."
"Nope. I've been putting this off for too long," she said without mercy.
"But having a vessel this weak is a problem. I merely tried to cast a basic spell and you were out for a whole day."
Her eyes narrowed. "If you want it to stop, then use aura. The moment you manage that, it ends."
Stab.
Again and again, she pushed me to the edge of death. And each time, I grew more aware of aura. I couldn't use it, couldn't even reinforce my body with it, but something was beginning to click. I started to understand its structure.
Stab.
I infused just a thin layer of aura into the part of my body I knew would be stabbed. Just enough to dull the damage. Just enough to keep going.
"Yes... that's it," she encouraged. "Feel it. Use it."
We repeated this process more times than I could count. My aura barely managed to block the attacks, but against a demon—a top fifteen demon—barely surviving was an achievement in itself.
"You're grounded now. You can sense aura. It took you an entire week, but you did it," Erelya said, as the summoned beasts dissipated one by one until only she and I remained.
"As of this moment, you've finally made it to the starting lin—"
Before she could finish, I collapsed.
---
Hah... hah... hah... I panted, soaked in cold sweat.
"Wait—I didn't even do anything. Why am I this tired?"
"Obviously you're tired," Erelya answered, appearing again. "Your body's in great shape now, but your mind? I'm surprised you haven't gone insane."
"You're so fond of popping up like this. So, all of this was just mental strain?"
"Exactly."
"Oh."
"Aren't you hungry? When are you going to cook something?"
"Why? I'm too weak to move," I muttered, dragging myself out of the cave. It felt stuffy in there—like the blood had soaked into the air itself.
"Physically, you're in the best condition you've ever been. Mentally, you're stable too," she said before pausing. "But you've been in this place for six days."
She gave me a slightly worried look.
Why is she giving me that face when she's the one who almost killed me? I thought.
"Anyway, I got you something to eat," she said, revealing perfectly sliced meat.
"This is enough for five people... and luckily, I still have some ingredients."
Soon, smoke rose into the air. We ate until I didn't even have the strength to be angry anymore. Oddly, my body wasn't feeling pain at all.
---
Later, after the meal, I lay down, letting the accumulated mental fatigue catch up.
"What you felt back there—that was aura. The way you used it was unique," she said with a smile. She looked genuinely proud.
"It's unstable, but for a beginner like you, it's impressive. Only possible because of your high combat sense."
"I guess so," I replied, channeling aura into my hands.
"Yeah, that's it," she said, actually encouraging me.
Back before I became a bandit, I was an adventurer. But I never ranked higher than Bronze. My options were limited, I thought.
"Back then, the one thing I really wanted to learn was aura," I said, laughing as I looked up at the sky.
"Someone's probably coming to pick me up tomorrow. Might as well enjoy this last little camping trip."
---
That night, I began hearing voices—human ones. Odd, considering this forest wasn't the type of place people wandered through casually.
"Hey..." one of the voices called.
"Have you found the person?"
"No, sir. But we're still not sure whose blood this is."
"Judging by the volume, it looks like a massacre went down," another said.
"Regardless, we must find whatever caused this," their leader ordered.
Boom.
One of the scouts fell—fast. Too fast.
A mutation, I thought. Even with aura, I wouldn't stand a chance against something like that.
"Shit," Erelya muttered beside me. Her face was twisted with confusion—and fear.
"How did something like that get here?" she asked herself, visibly rattled.
"What is that?" I asked. If she was panicking, it had to be serious.
"That's a low-level demon," she said.
It's just a weak demon, I thought. Why the panic?
"How is that an issue? I don't get it."
"On its own? It's not. But it shouldn't be here. Demons don't just walk into this world."
"Meaning...?"
She gave me a grim look. "Let's be blunt. How do demons usually cross dimensions?"
"Hmm... sacrifices?"
"Exactly."
After a brief search around the area, her expression darkened.
"Found it," she muttered, then darted deeper into the forest.
The soldiers, despite their surprise, were holding their ground. They weren't normal humans either—that much was clear.
Even if I stayed behind, I'd be in danger—and worse, a liability, I realized. Without hesitation, I ran after Erelya.
Eventually, she came to a halt.
What we saw made my stomach churn.
"Damn it. This is the problem with demon worshippers."
"How could anyone do this?" I asked, face twisted in disgust.
This sight alone could break someone. And I feared it was only the beginning.