The journey through the Whispering Woods with Lyra as his guide was an experience that oscillated between the wondrous and the deeply unsettling for Kenji. The Sylphid flew ahead, her soft glow a comforting beacon in the dense, verdant gloom where sunlight struggled to penetrate. She moved with an effortless, fluid grace that Kenji could only envy, zigzagging between ancient, moss-covered trees and gigantic ferns that looked like something out of a prehistoric illustration. The air was thick with the sounds of the forest: the rustling of leaves, the distant calls of unknown creatures, the buzzing of insects the size of his thumb.
As they walked – or rather, as he walked and Lyra floated – the little fairy explained more about Aethelgard, the name of this world. She spoke of the Aether, the omnipresent mystical energy that, according to her, permeated all things, from the smallest stones beneath his feet to the distant stars that dotted the night sky. It was the source of all magic, of life itself. She told him about the different sentient races that inhabited Aethelgard: humans like him, though Lyra mentioned they were surprisingly rare in this particular part of the forest, more common in distant cities and kingdoms; the Sylvan Elves, elegant and reclusive beings, masters of archery and nature magic, who lived in harmony with the deepest forests; the Dwarves of the Stony Mountains, renowned for their skill as blacksmiths, miners, and their legendary stubbornness; and the diverse Beastfolk, humanoids with distinct animalistic features – wolfmen, cat-women, beings with reptilian or avian traits – who lived in nomadic tribes or small, scattered communities, each with its own culture and traditions.
Kenji absorbed it all like a sponge, his programmer's mind automatically cataloging, analyzing, and processing the information, trying to build a mental model of this new, complex system. The System Architect Interface remained active in his peripheral vision, a constant, subtle stream of data, occasionally highlighting objects or creatures with its translucent, informative labels. He began to experiment with it subtly, testing its limits and functionalities.
Focusing on a vibrant, exotic flower with petals that looked like purple velvet, the interface displayed:
Plant: Moontear Blossom (Common in Aether-Dense Zones) Unique
ID: #FLR-MNTB-08B Properties: Faintly Luminous (emits subtle bluish glow at night), Contains Traces of Healing Aether
Type: Soothing/Regenerative - unrefined - Potential Applications: Ingredient for Minor Healing Potion (requires Alchemy Skill Level 1+), Poultice for minor burns (limited efficacy).
System Note: Can be cultivated in stable Aether environments.
He tried to "optimize" his own stamina, which was beginning to wane from the trek over uneven terrain. The interface showed his updated status:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[SAI - System Log/Entity Status]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ENTITY IDENTIFICATION:
Name: Kenji Tanaka (Self/User)
AETHER STATUS:
Internal Aether: 72/100 Units
State: Slowly recharging
Rate (Resting): 0.5 Units/minute
Rate (Light Mov.): 0.1 Units/minute
PHYSICAL STATUS:
Physical Stamina: 65/100 Units
Fatigue Level: Moderate-High
SYSTEM SUGGESTION (SAI):
Recommended Action: Execute script 'Aether Flow Regulation - Enhanced Endurance Level 1'
Script Details: 'Aether Flow Regulation - Enhanced Endurance Level 1'
Primary Effect: Redirects Aether flow to leg muscles and cardiovascular system.
Expected Outcome: Temporary increase in physical endurance.
Estimated Effect Duration: 30 minutes.
Aether Cost:
- Activation: 2 Units.
- Maintenance: 0.1 Unit/minute (during script activity).
Cautions:
- Risk of muscle strain with prolonged or excessive use.
- Potential for accelerated Aether consumption if usage conditions are not ideal.
He concentrated, imagining the Aether channels in his body like data pipelines, and mentally "executed" the suggested script. He felt a warm, invigorating tingle in his legs, and indeed, the feeling of tiredness lessened considerably. It was like overclocking himself, forcing the system to operate beyond its normal parameters for a while. Fascinating and a little frightening, especially the part about "muscle strain." He made a mental note not to abuse it.
"You are very quiet, Kenji-who-Commands-Stones," Lyra observed, hovering beside his head, her childlike curiosity evident. "Are you thinking about your... your secret 'codes' again?"
"Something like that," Kenji replied with a small smile. "I'm trying to understand how all of this works." He gestured to the environment around them, to the vastness of the forest. "This world, the magic, my... newfound abilities. It's a lot to process."
"It is a rare and powerful gift you possess," Lyra said solemnly, her tone more serious. "The Weavers of Aether, as we call them, train for decades, sometimes centuries, to manipulate Aether with the precision and complexity they achieve. You seem to do it instinctively, as if you are... rewriting the fundamental rules of the world around you."
"I used to rewrite rules all the time in my old job," Kenji sighed, a touch of melancholy in his voice. "Usually to fix other people's mistakes or to make inflexible systems work. It seems some things don't change, no matter the universe."
They passed through a clearing where the vegetation was dark, twisted, and strangely silent. The air there was heavy, cold, and carried a faint odor of rot and despair. Huge claw marks, larger than those of a grizzly bear, were gouged deep into the soil and tree trunks, as if a massive, enraged creature had rampaged through.
System Alert: Residual Traces of Blight Corruption (High Concentration - Environmental Hazard). Large Blighted Entity (Estimated Class: Gamma or Higher) passed through here recently (Temporal Estimate: 2-3 hours ago). Avoid prolonged contact with the area. Aetheric purification recommended if exposure is unavoidable.
Lyra shivered visibly, her glow dimming until it almost went out. "The Blight... was here. Something big, very big, and very bad." Her voice was a frightened whisper.
Kenji felt a chill run down his spine. The Putrid Wolf was classified as "Low-Medium" تهديد. What the hell would a "Large, Class Gamma or Higher" threat be? He sincerely preferred not to find out anytime soon. "Is Greystone Crossing safe from these things?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.
"Safer than the open forest, certainly," Lyra replied, though her voice didn't convey complete confidence. "It's walled, with a reinforced wooden palisade, and there are always some mercenaries or adventurers passing through who can help with defense in exchange for a few coins or a roof over their heads. But it's a rough, pragmatic place, Kenji. A meeting point for all sorts of folk – some honest, many not so much. Be careful who you trust and what you reveal about... your talents."
Kenji nodded, absorbing the advice. Survival tips from a tiny fairy. His life had definitely taken a turn that no programming manual could have predicted.
After several more hours of walking, during which Kenji discreetly practiced a few simple "scripts" – like creating a small Aether spark at his fingertip (consumption: 0.5 units, utility: questionable) or trying to "analyze" the internal structure of a leaf (result: an overload of complex botanical data that almost gave him a headache) – the terrain began to rise slightly, and the dense, giant trees gave way to sparser vegetation and lower shrubs. Lyra, who had become a little more cheerful as they moved away from the corrupted clearing, pointed ahead with a delicate little hand. "There! Finally! Greystone Crossing!"
Atop a low, rocky hill, Kenji could see a crude wooden palisade, weathered gray by time and the elements, with a few rough, clumsy-looking watchtowers positioned at irregular intervals. Smoke rose from several chimneys within the walls, and he could hear the distant, indistinct sound of voices, the nicker of a horse, and the rhythmic beat of a hammer on metal. It was a surprisingly reassuring sight after the wild, threatening nature of the forest. A bastion of civilization, however rustic.
But as they drew closer, climbing the slope of the hill, Kenji noticed something else, something that made a knot form in his stomach. A thick, black column of smoke was rising from an area west of the trading post, in the direction of the forest they had just come from, but further to the side. It wasn't the clear, cozy smoke of a hearth or a forge. It was the dark, oily smoke of something burning uncontrollably, something large.
System Alert: Forest Fire Detected (Extent: Moderate and Spreading. Origin: Unknown - Potentially related to Blighted activity or armed conflict). Prevailing wind blowing flames East/Southeast (partially towards Greystone Crossing).
Lyra saw it too, and her small body tensed. "That's not good," she whispered, her violet eyes wide with apprehension. "Fire in the Whispering Woods is dangerous, it spreads fast with the dry trees... and so close to the Crossing..."
Before she could finish her sentence, a sound cut through the air, making Kenji flinch and his ears ring. A scream. Sharp, terrified, unmistakably human. It came from the direction of the trading post, from within the walls.
Seconds later, another scream, this one more guttural, followed by the harsh, metallic clang of weapons clashing, the shriek of steel on steel, and bestial roars that didn't belong to any animal Kenji knew, not even the Putrid Wolf. They were the sounds of battle, of desperation.
Greystone Crossing, the refuge they had sought, their first safe haven in this new world, appeared to be under attack.
Kenji looked at Lyra, whose small face was ashen, her glow almost entirely gone. His first glimpse of civilization in Aethelgard, and it was already a chaotic, bloody battlefield.
His mental "script" for a quiet arrival, a hot meal, and maybe some answers had just encountered a critical fatal exception. The debugging of his new reality was about to become far more interactive and dangerous than he had anticipated.