I came to my senses on the same platform with Falda’ar hovering alongside me, just where I was the last time before I woke up. My consciousness dived deeper into my memory again and now there was no Equis for me yet. No pyramids, no jungle, no deadly beasts, and my body was the same as when I arrived here from Earth. It felt like not even a few hours had passed since I'd appeared in this strange place.

“So, Ray, do you like this place?” he inquired. “Don’t answer. I know you don’t. Let’s change the scene a bit!” As he said those words, he released a bright white flash, which started moving outwards like a wave, spreading out along some sort of a landscape, making it visible. Our surroundings were quickly transforming along with its passing. Now we were standing on some flat plateau on top of a long mountain chain, the same endless darkness surrounded this titanic mass of stone. Our little isle covered in white tiles was now a spacious plaza of the same white tiles, but now golden contours were added to the tiles. A white road was going upwards toward the giant mountain in front of us. There was nothing on top of the mountain.

“It’s much better now, of course, but is there any meaning in standing on top of this enormous mountain?”

“Of course there is a good reason. Let me make a few finishing touches.” With another flash, the empty space below the mountains was filled with a white fog, or maybe it was clouds. The darkness in the sky slowly revealed a breathtaking starry sky, with an overwhelming density of stars and full of colorful nebulas. This sky could only be seen from planets which were much closer to the galaxy core than Earth. The surroundings were so bright now that its lighting could compete with the sunlight.

“Impressive. Really impressive!” I commented, Falda’ar’s contentment with my remark was obvious.

“I’m glad you like it. That’s not everything yet! But before I reveal the last piece, let me show you something else!” With those words, Falda’ar’s avatar was engulfed in a green, solid light and quickly changed its form. What I see now before me is a humanlike figure around two and a half meters in height, still too bright for my eyes to discern the details. The light subsided, finally revealing Falda’ar’s figure. Wearing elegant green suit with intricate golden patterns and decorations, with a metallic sheen to them, a dragonlike being was standing before me, smiling. His attire somehow was emphasizing his powerful muscles.

Falda’ar’s face was humanlike, except for his somewhat wide and flattened nose. The skin was covered in emerald green scales in a complex pattern, which looked naturally nice, as much as those scales could be for a human aesthetic. He had the eyes similar to his avatar from before, but they did not glow. On top of his head there were two horns, which protruded from just above the forehead, curved to the back of his head, and then turned slightly upwards and a bit to the sides, with the last stronger curve at the ends. His smile widened. His mouth was larger than that of a human and had a lot of sharp teeth. As for his face, it was slightly narrow and angular, giving him a noble and strict outlook. I could see an imposing tail of emerald green with thick and sharp scales behind him. This tail is a natural weapon, I bet. This total transformation surprised me.

“Let’s get acquainted one more time. You already know my name, so I won’t introduce myself.” He smiled and held out his big green hand with dangerous-looking claws at the ends of his fingers. We shook our hands, his grip strong as hell, then he continued: “That’s my true physical form, the one I once had in my homeworld. My race is called Draconides. Not the most peaceful race among the multiverse, if you ask. It was an actual miracle that I managed to ascend to the higher realms with the attribute of ‘Life’. You know, in a world of constant wars… that’s pretty uncommon.”

“Well, that — was really unexpected. You sure look powerful!” I replied with a smile. “And it’s much better than to talk to a strange green orb with yellow eyes, but now I’ll have to raise my head every time,” I laughed.

Falda’ar chuckled. “I like you, boy! We’re clicking well with each other. That’s important. I’ll be teaching you various things over a long time.” He talked while mildly smiling. “But we still have not finished with one last thing.” He raised his right hand and loudly clicked his draconic fingers. Immediately after that, the space on top of the mountain began to shift and distort, gradually materializing an immense structure at the top of the mountain, where the white road led. It was a huge white palace, with emerald and golden colors in its design. A large courtyard with gardens, lawns and some sort of training fields and installations was situated before the palace itself. Everything exuded a strict and warlike vibe despite its light colors and overall extravagance.

“Wow! Just… wow! Is it the place where you live?” I asked. Those keepers really know how to indulge in a comfortable life. But that’s really strange how it was created with one flick of a finger.

“It is just a projection of the place I live in, but it should be as good as a real thing for our purposes. Let’s talk on our way, shall we?” He gestured with his hand to follow him.

“Alright, but what do you mean by projection?” It intrigued me.

“What I mean by projection is that we are in a sort of illusion now. Your body, as I’ve said earlier, is traveling through the layers and space, and we are inside of a small virtual world. It is precise to the tiniest details. Your mind and soul can be active here while your body is in travel. When you arrive, you will forget most of what you lived through in this place. That won’t be permanent, though. The cause is the actual separation of your mind and your physical brain while you are here. You will remember everything in time, but it may take months, or years, tens of years, even, in the worst case. Nothing is predictable when dealing with matters of mind. At least not for me. The intricacies of mind and soul are not my domain, as you can guess, and my methods for those are very limited.” He told me slowly.

“Was all — these — complications you had put me through necessary?” I asked; all this seemed really far-fetched and twisted.

“Well, it saves a lot of my power and is also much safer for you. I doubt I could make it successfully by more conventional means. Don’t forget that I’m not some sort of a god. I have my own difficulties despite my power, and you must be still wondering why I chose you exactly. Honestly? No really complex reason. You might deem yourself unlucky, but later you will change your opinion to the opposite one, I’m sure. I was looking at Earth for a long time already, all because of its position and properties, one of the best ones to open a tunnel to Equis, not even mentioning the direct connection Earth has with it. Although I don’t want to delve too deep and explain the ‘fate’ stuff, you won’t understand it, anyway, but I must tell you at least some things.”

Falda’ar folded his hands behind his back, seemingly in thought, while we were moving up the mountain unhurriedly.

”Your connection to your world on that day was almost near zero. The less connection you have, the less energy I’ll need to sever it. The principal source of such a connection is your state of mind and your involvement in the lives of other beings around you. So, these things were really lacking in your life, and by a lot. Your state of mind at that moment was rejecting your old life, and you were lucky enough to hit your head and faint just after that, weakening the connection even more, so I acted without delay. And here you are, standing before me.” He looked me in the eye, assessing my reaction. “Don’t resent me for it, Ray. Trust me, getting here is actually your golden ticket of sorts. A win-win for both of us. You’ll understand it as time passes.”

We moved in silence for a long while. I had a lot of things on my mind, and he just gave me time to ponder. What he said made some sense. My life really was like that. I’m not even mentioning that it would have ended for good with a stupid drunken fall, one way or another. That’s a disturbing thought. Maybe everything is not that bad, if this isn’t just my hallucinations. Though that thought about this all being a dream or a hallucination is complete bullshit, just a popular fiction. You can’t act and think clearly somewhere inside your clouded mind being in a coma. It will always remain clouded until you recover. So here I am, and this is my reality, however twisted and crazy it might be.

“So, what are we going to do now?” I finally asked.

“I’ll show you around, and we will start your apprenticeship. You’ll need a lot of things learned before I can release your mind and soul back into your body. And I will be quite demanding. The time we’ll spend here is not free, neither for me, nor for you. You don’t have to worry about me, but you should worry about yourself. The time here flows differently. Years here are mere seconds in the warped space where your body is, but your body is a foundation of your soul and mind. It will be depleted, even though I’m supplying a lot of energy for the entire process. I’d say we should not exceed two centuries of time here, at least not by a lot. You pay with your body’s health and with your age.”

“Are you serious? Talking about centuries? And my body… What good would that do if I’m old and weak?” I looked into his yellow eyes.

“The more knowledge you get, the better, otherwise it may take hundreds of years for you to develop your foundation of power, and I’m just trying to speed up the process. Your period of weakness should not last too long, but we must do everything properly. The first memories which will return will be about those events you have experienced here the earliest. Like our talk right now.” He raised his hand, gesturing.

“Well, then I’ll be counting on you, not like I have much choice, anyway. Which things will we be learning first? You said there are civilizations on Equis I must assimilate with. Are they humans too? How advanced are they? Will I need to learn their language? And what meaning do you put into the word ‘assimilation?” I had too many questions on my mind, so I spewed them like a machinegun, until Falda’ar stopped me.

“Wait, wait, wait! Not so fast! No, they are not humans. There are actually a lot of intelligent species on Equis. Most of them are not at all averse to other intelligent species. So there should not be much trouble for you. Just don’t tell everyone you meet that you are an alien from another world. I’ve seen my lot of such idiots around the multiverse. For some, their stupidity cost them lives, but that shouldn’t be your case.

“Of course it’s not prohibited, but look, almost everyone there is not familiar with terms such as ‘space’, ‘star system’, ‘galaxy’ and, of course, ‘multiverse’, along with everything coming together with those. You don’t want a reputation of a crazy, bald, hornless, thin minotaur, do you?” He roared with laughter. “But you still might get it, just without the ‘crazy’ part!” He joked again. “As for languages…” He held out his hand toward my head, and clicked his fingers, pointing at my head. “Those are already taken care of.”

“What do you mean? And what is a minotaur?”

He switched to some melodious language. He sounded really strange in contrast to his warrior-like appearance. After some time I’ve started to catch onto some meaning, albeit barely. “Quatis can si interstand ne, Rei? Is ti abetar noi? Don mayk thease streange faice, Reyi! You sould be able ta unerstand mi now aleady! Come on, Ray, it is easy! Oh, I finally see some intelligence in your eyes. Congratulations on learning Equestrian! There are several other popular languages in your head in case you need them. You’ll be able to learn them quickly if need arises, but I deem practicing them unnecessary. We’ll be talking in Equestrian during our stay here, so you’ll be able to speak in this language better than most locals do,” — Falda’ar chuckled, — “and about minotaurs, they are bipedal intelligent beings. Your world should have some legends about creatures anatomically similar to them with the same name, and there are not so much other bipedal species on Equis, so minotaurs should be the ones closer to your anatomy.”

I’ve tried talking in this strange new language, and by the time we’ve arrived before the gates, I have succeeded with this task. Learning and talking in a completely unknown language was freaking me out at the start, but it somehow becomes all more natural as I speak more and more.

“You mentioned the word ‘bipedal’. Are there other intelligent beings on Equis which are not — bipedal?” This thought disturbed me.

“Oh, actually, most of them are quadruped. But don’t be alarmed by this fact unnecessarily. The diversity of species will make things easier for you in such communities.”

Now we are standing before the gate with an intricate golden ornament. I turned my head to Falda’ar, waiting for his next actions. With a flick of his finger, the gates smoothly and silently slid to the sides.

“Welcome to my humble abode, Ray!” He theatrically extended his hand towards the entrance. “Make yourself at home. Oh, well, it is your home now, actually.” He laughed and led me into the courtyard on the side. We arrived before a picturesque pond surrounded by a lawn. “Let’s not waste any time, then. We do not need to eat, drink or sleep here and have to spend our limited time practically. I can show you everything else during a break. Now sit and listen to me attentively. Our first lesson starts here.” He clicked his fingers again and a pair of white chairs appeared on the lawn across each other. “It’s better than to sit on the grass.” He gestured to me to take my seat.

“Nice scenery you have around here.” I marveled at the whole cleanliness of this landscape. The lake was pristine. Of course, I understand it is an illusion, but such a pleasant one.

Falda’ar has started his lesson. “So, let me remind you that almost everything on Equis is working on magic energy, more or less, so everything can be affected by it, as everything contains it inside, animate, or inanimate. But you will be an exception to this rule. I’ve already told you before, your whole being will operate on principles of my, and now I can call it ours, aspect of ‘Life’. The magic will flow through you, but won’t interact with your body. On the other hand, you will be drawing this raw magic power from whatever source you can find for yourself, and convert it into your ‘life essence’, not leaving even a drop of regular magic inside your body.

“Now, for the time being. you will be learning the basic usage of this essence. You will be able to use it for quick regeneration, rejuvenation, ailment treatment, physical empowerment and some other minor tricks using this energy consciously. That’s for starters.

All these effects will always affect you, even if you don’t actively use your essence. At first, it will be barely noticeable, but it will grow along with you. It’s in the nature of our power, but it will be much weaker than when used consciously. The more essence you have, the more prominent its effect will manifest. Oh, and you can also use it on other living beings other than yourself.” I was listening carefully. My mind was consuming this information surprisingly well and I could repeat what he said word for word.

“Yes, before you ask anything, you may see me as a brutish warrior, but… Well, as a draconide, I’m a little ashamed to confess, but ‘Life’ is not an attribute of a warlike conqueror. While it can indeed be a powerful tool for war, you can forget about shooting death rays with your eyes or throwing fireballs with your hands.” Falda’ar chuckled. “No, it just does not work this way. Life is slow, but tenacious. It always finds a way to survive, to adapt, to restore, to thrive, and when it does, it even goes as far as changing whole continents to serve its purpose. Our power is the same, and so are we. Your power will grow. Slowly, but inevitably, like life itself. Have patience, and don’t be rash.”

Falda’ar pointed a finger at me. “As for your mission on Equis, in the beginning, there will be none, except to survive, adapt, get stronger and get to know the world, then fish out the way to contact me from your unreliable mind. Before you can do it, it is useless to even try to achieve anything. I had a bad premonition about Equis for some time already. My professional flair, of sorts. It’s not the trouble of mortals. Like wars, disasters and other trivial stuff, no. It’s something which might require my intervention in the future.” He fell silent, thinking something through.

“Don’t forget, you’re not a savior, not a messiah, and I’m not a god. Don’t let it go to your head. You are my eyes and hands in this world first and foremost. You will just get yourself killed if you rush headfirst into some powerful enemy, but I digress here. It’ll be hard to get in contact with you once you are there, but if anything critical happens, I will, despite the costs, so rest your worries aside.” Falda’ar grinned. “Yes, your death is not too critical, in case you think it is. Though it’s highly undesirable, too. I won’t be there in time, anyway, should that ever happen. I will reclaim you, without your body, of course, and it will be quite a setback for us. So try to not disappoint me, Ray, for I have marvelous plans for you.”

“So… I’m really not going to die there trying to slay some unkillable demon lord? That’s reassuring. Huh… That old lizard scared me with his exaggerated speech before! He did it on purpose, and more than once already. Damn, he is doing it even right now… Okay, it’s just the way he is.”

My train of thought was interrupted when Falda’ar continued: “Before we start our practice, there is one more important thing. The magic of this world can be manipulated by the mediator substance. Emotions. Yes, don’t be surprised. Those things often become really tangible matters in worlds with magic, some even become an alternative power source for certain beings. Equis is no exception. There might be even more complicated mediators, but we will pass on that.

“I’m telling you all this not because I want you to master these unreliable things, but to warn you about them. Strong beings can have a strong influence on living creatures around them, and you are not an exception. The power of an aspect is now a part of your being. You may be weak for now, but do not underestimate it. You will inevitably spread your influence around you, and to make things more complicated, ‘Life’, as its name suggests, affects living things directly. Yes. With minimal resistance at that. Not only will you be able to use your essence on others, you will affect surrounding creatures with your emotions, so you should be careful about those.” Falda’ar folded his hands before his chest.

“If I simplify and make it succinct, we both, and this world too, have a positive energy foundation. Emotions, too, have their own spectrum. Let’s take hate for example: this emotion is a pure negative, toxic to us, toxic to Equis itself, and toxic to literally any living being of this world, especially if they are projected by the likes of us. So, if you become full of hate, you can guess what the result will be like.” He pointed his finger at me with a serious face.

“And you can’t control this process; the energy around you will be constantly converted by your emotional state, gaining the properties of those emotions into a sort of aura. It can have positive effects on living beings around you, but it can be otherwise. So, make sure you don’t become a source of disaster with your emotions, keep them under control. In time, you may learn to project them on others, inducing, for example, fear. But don’t get too carried away. Fear, while being a natural thing for living beings, is still on the negative scale. You should not use it often, or your body and energy structure will start to deteriorate.” He made a pause to let me sort out this information.

This is an important piece of info, but it’s a bit too complicated for me yet. It’s just hard to understand it until you actually touch those matters, but I’ll keep this in mind.

“Do you remember my prank when we first met? When you were so frightened that your face turned white? When I laughed, it was exactly my passive projection of emotions. You calmed down quite fast, didn’t you?” Falda’ar had a smug face, probably very proud of himself for the fact he almost made me shit my pants.

I thought for a bit and replied, “Yes, I did. It was indeed a strange occurrence to me.” I paused, thinking about his idiotic joke, and finally added, “It was a moronic joke, mind you!”

“Ha! Whatever, at least you entertained me. It’s hard to stay alone for tens of years straight. Well, just keep emotions in mind and don’t make a mess in the future!” He touched his chin with his fingers, looking at me appraisingly while pondering. A predatory smile formed on his face.

“And now, we’ll begin our practice!” he said, staring at me, trying to see if I’m ready, then continued. “This practice will comprise energy control and manipulation, as well as some basic analysis techniques with the use of life essence. And, most importantly, combat practice! Physical one! I, as a Draconide warrior, cannot allow my apprentice to be a weakling and a pushover! I’ll shape you into a decent warrior! Not an elite one. This will waste too much time. I doubt your human body will be capable of that in the first place, at least at the beginning. A regular warrior training will do for now. At least you will not put a shame on me this way and will know from which side you should hold a weapon.” He looked at me with a serious face.

“For now, your combat training will comprise basic techniques with various weapon types, not too extravagant: swords, maces and axes of various types, spears, knives, hand-to-hand combat, a bit of practice with the shields and… Bow and crossbow techniques will do. No need for training with something like firearms or more advanced toys, I guess. If they have any by now, it would be a rudimentary tech. With this basic training, perhaps you will reach the level of a recruit over some years. A weak, green recruit, but a draconide recruit at that.” I had an awful premonition about the dangerous glint in his eyes and a smile full of sharp teeth.

At this moment, I felt the time speed up. Torrential flow of memories was flooding my mind. One day, three days, week, month, I lost count. There was no end to it. The memories came fast and were neatly ingrained into my memory, leaving structured layers of knowledge and images of my many mock battles with Falda’ar and other simulated opponents inside my mind. The sensation of time became twisted. I could no longer perceive its passing. In the end, the process ended, and I returned to my peaceful slumber.

“M-m-m-m-mh…” I stretched my arms. “Such a pleasant sleep I had… Looks like it’s time to wake up.” I muttered, still in the grip of sleepiness. I opened my eyes. The time of day was undeterminable inside the armory. I felt dizzy once more, like after the previous ‘flashback’, but at least this time my head does not ache. After focusing my eyes, I noticed I had waves of faint yellow light rolling along my whole body from time to time with a soft and warm sensation.

“So, now my ‘life essence’ is working on my body even without my interference? Good for me, but as a result, I’m hungry like a wolf now,” I said and thought about my third day in this damn jungle.

First, I need to have a meal. The remaining half of the chicken will do, lest it’ll get spoiled. I grabbed the chicken and went outside. The sun was already high in the sky. I spent some time eating, cleaning my place and washing my clothes. While at the lake, I looked at my reflection in the water again.

“Holy! I definitely like what I see now!” Now I looked like a man somewhere around forty with little wrinkles. My eyes are clear, with the same bright green, and my gaze is sharp. A stark contrast to even yesterday. I scratched my smooth head, the hair still had no signs or growing back. While I don’t look bad like this, I’m just too used to having it. The overall look was appealing, more or less, but I’m not an expert on men’s beauty. For this, I’ll need to ask some girls — who apparently do not exist here…

“What a disaster…” I sighed after giving out a hollow chuckle. “Now we’re talking! I finally remembered about the existence of women, and I’m not sure if it’s a blessing or a curse under my circumstances.”

Giving one last look at the water surface, a revelation dawned on me.

“Falda’ar! You old lizard! My face now has a similarity to yours!” I shouted. The similarities are fleeting, but they are still there. More narrow head, more angular face and sharper chin. I checked myself again. “I just hope I won’t grow scales!” But I didn’t find any of the sorts.

“Phew! False alarm, but, well, I won’t argue, his face has quite an imposing look. It can’t be too bad. I hope he won’t ask me to call him dad or brother now, huh?” I joked to myself to liven up my mood. Subsequent inspection showed that my physique was moving in the same direction, resembling this tough draconide warrior, but this is good, honestly, especially in this jungle. I have a feeling my height increased somewhat, but I’m not sure about that, although I still had my constitution on a thinner side. It will remain so for some time. I lack enough food and time for such drastic changes. Those constant flashes of hunger are getting bothersome, to be honest.

I left my clothes to dry and returned to my tree for ‘charging’. This time I decided to not experiment and do it with my old passive method. I felt my ‘life essence’ was low on reserves. It must have drained when I was sleeping, spending it on my healing. After the process was done, I had nothing to do, so I took a bath in the lake and waited for my clothes to dry and fruits to ripen. By the way, there were a whopping three of them this time. I’ll have some in store next time I return from the forest, so I left the remaining ones on the tree.

I was going to go explore other sides of the jungle around the lake today, not going too deep to avoid large predators. I ate one of three fruits and started my preparations for my little expedition.

I was out on the hunt, searching for those chickens inside the jungle not too far from the lake. Around an hour had passed, but I did not find any wildlife. Well, I’m glad I did not meet any predators, but it seems they avoid getting close to the pyramid and the lake, but lesser creatures seem to not mind walking in the surrounding forests.

Suddenly, my eyes detected some movement on the right; I turned around, but found nothing there. I stopped and changed my grip on the spear, readying myself for combat, my hands clenching the shaft. After surveying the surrounding forest with my eyes and not finding anything, I resumed my stride, staying on high alert. After some time I'd detected a shadow, which flashed between the trees, from the corner of my eyes. I heard a muffled, vibrating, rustling noise from that side. Snakes? Insects? This part of the forest is a bit too dense. I need to move to the area with bigger trees, then my vision will not be obstructed this much.

I ran to the right side where the older part of the jungle was. After a minute, dense bushes and vegetation around me were changed to towering ancient trees. It was very dark down there. The crowns of these enormous trees absorbed most of the sunlight, but I had a clear view and an open space, so surprise attacks won’t work. I stopped and listened to my surroundings. The sounds of foliage in the wind and my heartbeat were all the sounds I could hear, but then I detected the same vibrating rustle.

“Where? From above? Shit!” I panicked for a short time, but then composed myself. I need to do something to protect myself. I backed and stood in my improvised combat stance for defense from above, spear pointing upwards at an angle.

I saw three black creatures flying out from the branches and foliage of an ancient tree. The sight was weird, to say the least. It was their wings that produced this vibrating rustle. Semi-transparent insect-like wings. I could not discern their wings’ form while they were moving, but I think I’m not far from the truth. Their whole body was covered in some mix of thick skin and what looked like chitinous plates, colored in yellow. Their form was quadruped. If I had to compare them to something… I’d probably name them a mini version of nightmare horses from the myths, insect edition. Also, their size was much smaller and shorter. They will probably reach the height of my chest at most if they stand on the ground, excluding horns and fins.

As for their muzzles, those were short, with quite decent fangs protruding from their upper jaw, giving them a predatory look. These creatures should be capable of stereoscopic vision, judging by the eye placement, and those were yellow and seemingly compound, just like those insects have. They were still protected by eyelids, the ones mammals should have, which created a contrast with their insect-like eyes.

“What weird creatures!” I muttered to myself. “What are they up to?” We were looking at each other in this position, trying to understand what the hell we see before us. The creatures started a series of clicking and hissing noises, pointing their appendages at me and each other. While they were at it, I was inspecting them more thoroughly.

On their heads were single jagged horns, each with its own form, deformed, like something corroded them. Behind the horns, they’ve got a long leathery fin, going down the back of their necks, stretched on spikes protruding from the spine. Behind them, they had a rather short, black, fin-like tail of the same black color. On their backs was a pair of yellow plates, not unlike elytra, typical to insects. But that should not be the case. Their wings were out, but the plates were tightly pressed to their bodies. It must be armor of sorts. Their overall body was covered with matte black skin, and I doubt it’s made of chitin. It would’ve prevented them from such a free movement and it looks more like a thick skin without hair.

Their legs were another story. What seemed to be hooves on their ends were riddled with rather wide holes, some of which were going through the whole limb. The holes were concentrated on the lower parts of their legs, with some located a bit higher. What a strange anatomy! And the same holes could be seen in their fins.

“So, what happens now?” I said to myself and backed off, one step at a time. They don’t look friendly. Their constitution is on a slender side, so they will most likely lose in terms of physical strength to the current me, but they are flying creatures and probably agile. There are three of them versus a single me. I won’t take a gamble with my life. Better stay defensive and not provoke them unnecessarily.

At this moment, a horn of the one in the middle lit up. It was surrounded by some sort or muddy yellow aura. Its eyes also began to glow, and I felt a light sensation of wind around my head. The creature’s horn and eyes dimmed, and the creature produced several series of hissing and chirring noises, obviously agitated. Then the horns and eyes of all three of them did the same thing. A heavier tingling sensation came on top of my bald head, prompting me to scratch it. The eyes of the creatures narrowed, and they moved to surround me from three sides. I held my spear before me, turning it to the ones which were getting too close intermittently, shouting profanities in my native language at them, hoping to scare them off with my angry voice. After some time, the one that previously seemed to be in charge hissed and landed before me, out of range of my spear. It continued hissing. A thin and long yellow tongue, which was split into two at the ends, danced in the air before its muzzle. It made a step towards me.

“One more step and it will be your last, you insect bastard!” I roared at the end of my lungs, while my primal rage flared up along with adrenaline, readying me for a bloody struggle. I’ve made a quick thrust to show them I’m serious about that, while still trying to keep another two in my sight. Out of my new weird habit of mixing languages, thanks to Falda’ar, I shouted the first part in equestrian, but whatever. This had a drastic effect on the creature. It had abruptly jumped back and flew back into the air, rapidly ascending and hissing at its companions.

They gathered together and disappeared in the foliage above. The sounds of their transparent wings have faded and the surrounding jungle turned tranquil again. I don’t know how dangerous they are, but I better keep guard and continue on my way. The last thing I want to see is an entire pack chasing after me, in case they have gone to call their friends, so I hurried away.

“These creatures do not look like those ‘locals’, albeit their actions seemed somewhat intelligent. I hope it is not them who I should ‘assimilate’ with! They somewhat creep me out with their behavior. And they don’t talk…” I pondered while on my way. “Should I go looking for more chickens in some other part of the jungle?” I said and changed course to the little river I saw yesterday. Haven’t explored that area, I was wandering along the river for some time, noticing some small fishes were living there.

“Where there are small fish, there will be bigger one. I should check the lake. Maybe I’d be able to hunt myself some fish with my spear.” I thought. “There is nothing of notice along this river. Should I turn back? Getting inside the territory of some predatory beast may spell a disaster for me.” I remembered that manticore and turned around, walking back to the lake. My return trip was uneventful.

I was resting at my place while cursing my bad luck in hunting. More animals should live farther in the forest, but predators are there too. I’d rather become vegan for a while and live off my tree than die from some manticore!

Having eaten my last two fruits, I was thinking about what to do in the second half of the day. Having decided to explore the forest to the right side of the lake, I began my preparations. But before that, I should experiment with my essence for a while. My gut feeling was telling me that my reserves were still far from low at the moment. I sat on the ground near my tree and concentrated, remembering the needed knowledge for manipulating ‘life essence’ in the right way. I’ve set my goal in a general empowerment of the body; it can assist me greatly in a hunt and an escape when needed. I should no longer neglect this procedure. This is already a second dangerous encounter in the jungle.

Finally, I’ve released the stored energy from inside my chest, feeling the main bulk of it was concentrated there, putting my still undeveloped energy channels under strain. The energy started flowing towards my muscles, lungs, and circulatory system, filling those with more ‘life essence’. My entire frame bulged a little, the result of an inflow of blood to my muscles, making my skin slightly redder. I stopped the process as soon as I felt the first signs of energy drain. My manipulations should provide my muscles with needed elements, make my lungs more efficient and also assist my movements in a form similar to local ‘magic’. It will last approximately till the sunset, I hope so, which is good. While I still had my thin frame, my looks must be somewhat imposing now, for a human.

I roared with laughter. “Well — that — feels good!” Joy filled my soul from the senses my body was giving me at this moment. Truly wonderful! Strong! Filled with explosive energy! I’ve never felt like this, even in my prime, when I used to work out a lot. I picked up a thick branch from the ground and snapped it in half with little effort.

“Damn! This is way beyond my expectations, but I still better avoid getting spotted by the manticore. It’s the real boss of this forest. Well, off we go!” With a spear on my shoulder, I resumed my little expedition in an energetic stride hoping to hunt something edible.

Charging the tree was postponed for later. My ‘life essence’ was already rather drained from my body, and I’d get weaker if I continued.

Circling around the lake, I found an outflow stream running out of it. The stream was around 10 meters wide and should be shallow enough to cross it, but I’m not fond of the idea of getting soaked at the moment, so I walked along it. Gradually, the stream became broader and broader, until finally, it turned to a natural swamp, with pools of different sizes along its flow.

“Damn! I swear I saw an alligator’s back on the surface of that pool.” A little more observation revealed that there were indeed alligators living in the area, some of them of exceptional size. “Well, there is nothing good waiting for me here, even if I’m strengthened with the essence. Fighting these creatures in their natural environment is very dangerous, and their meat is most likely bad, only their hides are of value.” I concluded, went back and turned in the last unexplored direction, to the right of the lake, approximately somewhere to the south.

The forest, in this part, was noticeably darker. The trees here were older, with lots of deadwood, fallen rotting trunks, mottled with fungi of acidic colors. Thick overbrush here and there was also complicating my navigation through the forest. Bird chirps were rare, and the buzz of insects almost disappeared. The forest ground had much less grassy vegetation, so the traces of animals on the ground were easier to spot. And, indeed, I found the tracks of some herbivore animals and, more importantly, chickens!

“Here comes Ray, angry little bastards.” I said with a grin on my face. It looks like there is more than one chicken around. I tried to follow seemingly more fresh traces, but the task was not easy. I was losing the trail frequently, but I persisted in my efforts. A distant sound of a snapping branch distracted me from my search.

“Hm-m-m-m, who could that be?” I mulled under my breath, readying my spear and going closer to one of the large trees to hide behind it should the need arise. A familiar rustling noise came from above the treetops.

“Those creatures again? Do they hunt someone on the ground?” One of those black creatures flew by at high speed just under the branches of these colossal trees. It did not notice me and flew along. After some time, the clamor continued not far away from my position. Curiosity got the better of me at this moment. I crept to the place where the noises were coming from. A strange picture awaited me. It seems it was the same three black bug-horses, but they had surrounded a — deer? So, they are hunting a deer. The deer was rather small, even smaller than these three. It was in panic, running from one side of the encirclement to another, but the agile movements of flying bastards did not allow it to escape. They were gradually cornering their prey.

An abrupt, high-pitched, laugh-like howl interrupted the whole action. Then was another one, and another one from the other side, until the entire forest from one of the sides was filled with a cacophony of laughing howls.

“This is bad… I better get out of here fast.” But it might be a little too late already. From one of the tree branches, something jumped at one of the three bug-horses and tried to bite it in the neck, its attack off the mark by a bit. The trio quickly reacted by flying up and turned to flee with all their might, flying under the tree branches, not daring to fly higher, as they heard the howls from above their heads, coming from the treetops right above them. Active movements of numerous creatures were visible inside the foliage.

“Whatever shit this is, it can chase its prey even on treetops!” I thought to myself in panic and quickly rushed back in the direction of the lake, but the abundance of obstacles along the way was not playing in my favor. A few rips appeared on my jeans, along with bloody scratches in those spots. Seems my strengthening trick is not giving me much in terms of protection. I heard horrible howls, seemingly moving in the direction to where the trio flew; the pack was chasing them.

“It seems I’m safe for now.” I said and slightly reduced my speed, trying not to scratch myself again or stumble. Suddenly, the deer I had previously seen rolled out of the bushes before me, as it had tripped on the run. The deer landed right on my path, panic in its eyes. It looked battered and had its leg injured. It had two fangs protruding from its upper jaw. I thought it was cute fleetingly, but it’s not so special. We had similar animals back on Earth.

Immediately after I heard the same hellish howl right behind me, my hair would stand on end… if I still had it, that is. I twisted around, ready to swing my spear, just in time to see a freakish black creature the size of a medium dog jump at me from the tree trunk with its large maw opened. I continued my movement and made a horizontal sweep with my spear, but the hellish dog was too close already. It received a blunt hit from the shaft.

The hit had enough force to swing the damn thing aside by several steps. While it was on the ground I tried to finish it off with the stab, but the creature had insane agility and could get up and throw itself to the side, a glancing blow from the blade left a long cut on its hind leg, crippling its mobility. It retreated out of sight immediately, but how many of them are still around in hiding?

From the corner of my eye, I saw another one. It tried to attack the deer with a bite to the neck. Seems their favorite tactic is jumping on their prey, preferably from a blind spot. While I cared little for the deer’s life, it was still a splendid opportunity for an attack. I made a quick swipe at the sneaky bastard who was still in midair. The blow left a gash on its chest despite the low force of my blow.

“Those things are like roaches!” I snarled in anger at the fact that it still could move and got out of my reach. A few more of the creatures appeared nearby, three of them encircling me and the unfortunate deer. “There may be more in hiding… Shit! I’m in deep…” This time I had a good look at the black bastards. With crooked backs full of hard bristles, and a completely black body, resembling that of a thin dog, with a long muzzle, full of long sharp teeth. Their bodies were too flexible for a dog, their claws and paw structure allowed them to climb the trees and jump long distances easily.

At this moment, I had to go into defense. Those beasts started circling around me, with occasional attempts to bite me. One beast lost its patience and jumped from the front, trying to bite my feet. The damn thing was welcomed with a deep stab to its ribcage. “This one is done for!” I shouted, throwing it to the side and off the spear. But while I was at it, I felt a sharp pain in the back of my left leg. “Which fucker bit my leg?!” I roared in rage. Two more of the creatures appeared in my sight, a little farther. Loud rustle from the bushes told me that there were more around.

“You damn shitbags, I’ll murder you all!” I shouted with a growl. Adrenaline kicked in instantly, numbing the sense of pain, but my leg was now limping. Blood was dripping from my torn jeans, staining my boots and the ground below. Their teeth were made for inflicting heavy wounds, despite their modest size.

Rage surged inside my mind as the survival instinct kicked in. My essence started to work on stopping my blood loss, but the process was rather slow. I roared and lunged at the damned thing, no longer caring about other ‘dogs’, my anger clouding my rationality. The dog tried to retreat after a bite, but the spear was faster. I cut its neck by the blade of the spear, and I instantly felt more pain, this time in my right side. The damned creature instantly backed off after it bit me. The beasts were using hit-and-run tactics to weaken and slowly bleed out their prey. It played in my favor, as they didn’t cling to their victim like a vise, though the injuries were still heavy.

Another dog tried to bite from the left, but I knocked it off its legs with a blunt side of the shaft, and then kicked it in full force with my boot. The dog rolled away from the blow, whining along the way, and then disappeared in the bushes. My side was bleeding, but not that bad. The coat has helped me to dampen most of the bite.

To say I was enraged is not to say anything. This was an unfamiliar state of mind for me, but it was there nevertheless, and I could hardly control it. The ‘life essence’ inside my body unconsciously activated and started saturating my cells, quickly stopping my bleeding.

“Uo-o-o-oh!!!” I gave out an inhuman howl as I ruthlessly started my attack on the black dog, which bit my side. The dog just stood there, trembling, looking at me with a horror in its eyes, like it just saw a demon from the very depths of hell. My spear did not stop. It pierced the offender from the top and nailed it to the ground. The spear tip sunk deeply into the soil and, with a sharp snap, the old shaft of the spear gave in and snapped in half in a small burst of wooden chips. Other dogs were standing in place in the same shivering state and then abruptly turned to run away. Their loud whining and howls were getting farther by the second.

My body relaxed and dropped to one knee near the fallen dog. I was heavily breathing and huffing. The pain returned, and on top of that, my head had a splitting ache now. Pulling out what was left of my spear, I stood up, full of vengeful desire to kill and rip apart those who attacked me, but they were already gone. There was my blood all around the place mixed with the blood of the black dogs. My essence must have already stopped the blood loss, as I was no longer bleeding out.

“So, today, I will still live.” I said through gritted teeth, while trying to steady my breath. “Good…” I exhaled and slowly surveyed the battlefield. The deer have caught my attention. I slowly walked to it. It was shivering, like those dogs did. When I got closer, the shivering only intensified. It even tried to cover its head with its front hooves.

“Aren’t you acting too humanlike, deer?” I said in my native, mostly to myself, my voice seething with anger. Who in the right mind will talk to a deer, after all? My rage was still dissipating, but this sight quickened the process. “Should I just kill you and have some deer steak today?” I raised what was left of my spear above the deer. At this moment, it was looking me in the eye, and a strong unpleasant feeling formed inside my heart. “So?” I sighed slowly, noticing a stream of tears flowing down the deer’s eyes. “You will still die from all those injuries you have, anyway…” the deer had a horrible bleeding gash going through the hind leg. Its artery must have been torn.

I stood there for a minute or two already, in hesitation, while life was slowly leaving the unfortunate deer. I made a deep sigh and filled my lungs with air.

“Fuck it! Just… Fuck it!” I threw my spear to the side with substantial force and put my hand on the deer’s injuries, stopping its bleeding, at least for now. “That’s all just excuses! I don’t wanna do it… Can’t make myself kill it... Never again will I try to force myself to do something I would hate myself for later. No need to lie to myself, I can go without a steak, I guess…” I’ve transferred a bit of my raw essence to the deer to keep its life. This action calmed down the poor thing and put it into a deep sleep.

“Well, alright, I’ve saved the critter… Now what? A pet deer?” I criticized myself for being impulsive, but I really did not feel bad about my decision nevertheless. It was… not the same as with that strange chicken, and I always had a soft spot for cute animals. “Then a pet deer it is! But before that, I have to do another thing.” I walked to the corpse of one dog and tried to sniff its meat. My sense of smell was boosted to some degree, too, and this meat was — bad. Terrible.

“Blegrh!” I almost retched. These things must have carrion in their diet for sure. I threw the corpse away, grabbed the deer, and started walking back home. My trip was peaceful, but took much time because of the rough terrain of this forest, and my still aching injuries.

“Damn! This jungle is insane. I barely survived and need to find a way out, or I’m finished. It’ll happen sooner or later if I stay here…” With these unoptimistic thoughts, I made my trip back.

I rested at the tree, cleaned the deer’s injury and treated it with life essence. I had almost collapsed there from draining most of my reserves, but, by now, I was already restored slightly. At least not feeling sick.

“Why did all this weird shit happen? I did not move ‘life essence’ by my will at that moment in combat.” I was pondering the strange state I was in that fight.

“Was it rage? Was it this strange effect of emotions Falda’ar warned me about? One unfortunate mistake and I’d be dead.” I thought about those things while I was walking up to grab the helmet with pure water from uphill.

Yes, this must be the case. There are no miracles in this world and everything follows the laws of this world. Falda’ar taught me that rage and aggression are tools of nature, that my ‘Life’ attribute is easily susceptible to it, and while it can give me strength, the price can be high too. Carelessness and clouded mind are this price, and then, if you cannot stop, there comes the hate. And something is telling me I will have to face it one day. It’s a little frightening when I remember how much the rage affected me. The hate can do it too. It will give me great power at the price of my life-force, at the price of my sanity, like a narcotic. “This little deer… it actually helped me unknowingly. It helped me to wash away my rage, and at least for that, I’ll help it in return.” I made my decision.

I’ve checked the condition of the deer. It seemed stable, so let’s make a minor break to ‘charge’ the tree first. This time I made it by directly infusing the essence. Light green mist condensed around my hand and descended onto the tree. It seems the color is mainly green when I’m working with plants, and light yellow for living beings. Interesting. Three flowers bloomed this time, with little effort from my side, showing how much I’ve improved. I smiled at this. This simple event now can brighten my mood. What a stark contrast with my old life. Living on the edge really can change perception.

I switched my attention to the deer. The gash was made with a claw. It was moderately deep, but long. The deer would have already died of blood loss if not for my field treatment. Having washed away the dirt which got into the gash, I did not care about the possible germs. The essence will effectively kill all of them later, but the dirt and all foreign bodies have to be removed. I had to check inside the gash with my finger and wash it all away, opening the wound again, but that had to be done.

After that, I stopped the bleeding again and searched my mind for the right technique for usage of ‘life essence’. Yes, search. The memories obtained from Falda’ar are eidetic. I just need some time to remember all the details and it’s impossible to forget anything. Will I ever have this powerful memorizing ability in real life? That’s a pointless question, for I don’t know.

I extended my hand towards the little deer. Wisps of glittering bright yellow sparks started to flow out of my hand in a smooth and slow manner, descending onto its body. I went with full-scale restoration in case there were inner injuries present. The deer has many bruises along with the wound. The process was slow, and I was getting tired. The wound was fully closed by now, but its body was still accepting my essence for some reason. That’s weird, it’s not supposed to happen. Were its injuries worse than I thought? Well, I’ll just continue and see what happens. After another fifteen minutes or so, the flow showed signs of saturation. The body of the deer began to glow faintly in the same mild yellow light. After another five minutes, the transfer stopped, leaving me panting for breath.

“You little bastard. Drained me dry.” I said with a smile, but still was bewildered by the strange glow which only intensified, and then, with a flash, a flame-like wave of greenish color rolled slowly on the surface of its body, transforming the deer into something else entirely along its way.

“The fuck?!” I shouted in surprise. What lay before me is a form of that — bug-horse. Its armor color is, surprisingly, electric blue, a rare color in nature, but not uncommon for some insects. Its size is noticeably smaller and its body much thinner, like it starved for a long time. Also, its hooves and even lower parts of its legs resemble a thick net more than actual appendages. Its horn looks so corroded it can be called a thick gnarled wire.

“M-m-m-m-mh.” I had nothing more intelligent to say and just scratched my head, sitting in place while observing this strange creature. “What have I got myself into? But there is no going back.”

I was just sitting there, watching the sun go down, waiting for my supper to ripen. I was in a relaxed mood despite this strange event, but not sleepy yet. And now I remembered I was still stained by all the blood. The jeans were in an awful shape, a T-shirt had a row of holes from the teeth, the coat had it worse and my boots will need washing too. I didn't have time for it today, so I moved the bloodied clothes to the storage and went to the lake to wash away the blood from my body.

“My wounds are almost gone, but the blood loss will hinder the process of restoration tonight for sure. I even feel weak now because of it and also because my essence is drained. Now I’m going half-naked again, great… If this continues, I’ll have nothing to wear soon.” I lamented my ripped clothes and returned to the tree where the bug-horse was still sleeping.

“Ah-h-h…” a content sigh escaped from my chest as I lay on my back with hands behind my head looking at the setting sun, “Such a refreshing evening. Some music here would be nice, and an armchair, with a glass of something which is not just water…” I closed my eyes, thinking about those nice little things. Time passed by in a slow pace while I was having my moment of peace. The tension from today’s fight slowly disappeared. I was lucky today, the main part of the pack was distracted by those three, otherwise it would be my end. When twilight finally descended, the fruits were already ripe, but one of the three looked different.

“Is it — for this creature? Yes, it must be. These two white ones are what I usually eat, and this purple… I think it’s for my new… pet?” I was not pressed for time, so I ate my white ones without hurry. The weight of each exceeded a kilo by now. That’s — impressive, but not as impressive as my new appetite. I’ve eaten both and am still feeling alright. Feeling great, actually. If I compare it with the living corpse I was at the moment of arrival, the contrast is astounding. By this time, the effects of my strengthening were wearing off. I did not feel any negative effects, it’s just… feeling weaker was now weird. It’s easy to get used to being strong. Going back creates some psychological discomfort.

With a thoughtful tone I proclaimed: “Power corrupts,” — and chuckled a little. “Well, it’s time to get inside and take this being with me.” I carefully grabbed this bug-horse and walked uphill. Its weight did not change. Around fifty kilos, I suppose. I’ll spend some time at the bonfire in the altar room.

I left the strange being on the floor and pulled my bed from the storage room, then left it near the bonfire and moved this bug-horse onto the bed. The fire was ignited with some trouble, but finally I sat on the other side of the bed, looking at the dancing flames. There was no fear of the being lying by my side. It was weakened and most likely feared me to death, because I was — a bit inadequate back there. Alright, alright. Very — inadequate. And bloodthirsty. Also, I broke my spear like an idiot while raging, not that I don’t have a spare.

Time flew by, sounds of even breathing of the creature by my side and crackling of the burning wood was filling the room, soothing my mind.

After some time, I felt a movement from the side. I turned my head. The being began to wake up, it seems. It slowly opened its compound eyes. Their color was even brighter than its back armor, very beautiful. Wait a second… It’s fake! The facets are fake. It’s a regular eye with a pattern of facets on its surface. The pupil is there, with a slightly different color, but it’s clearly visible up close. How unusual. The creature finally registered my presence in its mind, and abruptly rolled onto its belly, still lying on my bed. It covered its eyes with its hooves, but that action didn’t help much, as there were just too many holes in them. The little bug-horse started shivering while still looking into my eyes.

“Please don’t kill me!” I heard a very quiet and weak female voice…

…

…

…

… my mind returned a critical error at this moment. I was just staring into — her — eyes for a few minutes straight. The voice was feminine. It talked in equestrian. Yes. It... She. She talked. Damn it! I have almost killed a sentient being for no good reason… And a female at that… For a fucking steak no less! My redefined mind and soul was rejecting this possible event. Should have understood it earlier and not raised my spear at that moment, but my state prevented me from seeing it. All subtle signs of her being intelligent were there. I’ll be smarter next time, or I better hope there will be no next time.

“So, you can talk, after all?” I finally said with a sigh, stopping my galloping thoughts forcefully, but she continued to shiver. I sighed again and, as I was sitting just next to her, and lightly stroked her head between her ears, avoiding the fin. She twitched at my actions a little. “Why are you so afraid of me? Well, I can guess… But I don’t mean any harm to you. As you can see, we’re in a safe place, and I even healed your wounds.”

“... Y… Yes, I can talk…” she said timidly. “I… I don’t know what to say… You saved me… Thank you. I thought my end had come when shadow hounds appeared.” Her speech was getting better.

“Shadows hounds? That’s how those accursed things are called?”

“Yes, how can you not know if you are here, in the Forbidden Jungle?” She asked quietly, still nervous about the whole situation.

“I’m new around here, actually, but I’d be really happy to get out of here. It was not my will to get stuck in this horrible forest.” I stretched.

“So that’s why…” she drawled. “I… I still can’t calm down, those vile hounds…” Tears appeared in her eyes, quiet sobs filled the room. What should I do now? Damn! Was it too much for her psyche? Well, she may be of a weird species, but I know from Falda’ar, she must be not much different from us humans in terms of intelligence and feelings, so I don’t need to hesitate too much. She needs support.

I carefully took her in my hands. She did not show a negative reaction to such actions. The bed was low and my posture was not very comfortable, so I just put her beside me so she could lean on me. She hugged my waist and closed her eyes, her head pressed down to my chest. She continued to sob quietly. I was lightly stroking her head to help her calm down. What weird things I’m doing lately, but I should no longer judge everything from my old human perspective, I guess.

“Those things ran away, and this place is safe. We’re alive and healthy. There is no need to cry.” I said while stroking her back, looking at her transparent wings, which lost their form and looked battered from all the holes riddling them. They were vibrating slightly with every soft stroke I made, and her body had noticeably relaxed. She could not fly with such damage to her wings, most likely.

“I know”, she quietly answered with a mild sobbing voice. “You killed those vile hounds. Serves them right…” She said with a grudge. This phrase of hers elicited a smile from me.

I thought about how we should rest here tonight. I don’t want to sleep on the cold stones again, nor do I want to force my new acquaintance to do so… Well, the bed is large enough. It’s just…

“Well, we should rest for today. We both are exhausted and still recovering from injuries. My bed is a little bigger than needed for me alone, so you can sleep there too, if you don’t mind my presence. I don’t have any other conveniences here. I won’t hold you if you want to leave, though.”

“No!” she replied rather loudly and in a hurry, which puzzled me. “I’ll stay! With you. O-on your b-bed…” Her voice has gone rather quiet at the end of her sudden outburst.

“Huh? Lady, why do you have such a strong reaction? Aren’t you afraid of me?” I was a little puzzled.

“Do you even need to ask? I’m a changeling! And you are literally giving me a feast of your own will right now. Naturally, I’m not afraid anymore. I was just too scared when I woke up and was in a panic, and… And I did not notice your…” She did not finish her sentence. Her sobbing had long gone from her voice. Her eyes were glistening with a bright blue sheen.

“Care to explain in more detail?” I raised my brow. “I don’t even know what a changeling is.” We were still hugging one another, and she seemed very content with this fact.

“Changelings feed on emotions, partially. We need common food for our bodies, but our magic nature is twisted. We cannot draw magic from the surrounding flow. We can only do so with the help of emotions we — procure — from others.” She looked into my eyes, seemingly awaiting some negative reaction, but could not see any, to her surprise. “You don’t hate me?”

“Any good reason I should?” It was a very unexpected question for me.

“Everyone hates changelings because of that. They fear us and they even make up various nonsense about us! Like our blood is green and some things even worse than that, like that we eat ponies…” She told me, her voice indignant. She fell silent for a while, and then continued: “But, overall, our reputation is well deserved. We, changelings, often capture other beings to drain them of emotions forcefully, weakening them greatly. In our hive we never kill them. Other hives should not do that either. We’re just dropping them off near some settlements while they are unconscious.” She thought for a while before continuing. “I’m actually on the run from my hive. They found me just before those hounds attacked. I’m sure I’m considered dead by now. This will put me out of trouble for now.”

“Why did you run away?” I was surprised at this revelation.

“It’s a long story. I’m a drone, the lowest member of the hive, made for hard work. Our minds are suppressed by the queen. Drones rarely talk, using signals like this for communication,” — She produced several series of various hissing and chitterling noises, “Along with rudimentary telepathy. We are forbidden from learning the language from the hive mind.”

“Hive mind? But you seem to talk without any trouble.” This is getting more and more interesting by the minute.

“Yes. The memories of the past generations of changelings. They are incomplete, but vast. True changelings can access these memories freely, but drones are restricted by the queen’s will. True changelings are the queen’s entourage and personal guards. Our hive is small, so there are just seventeen of them there.” She started pondering. “Drones can evolve into true changelings, adults, which can have their own children, after they reach 20 years and meet some strict conditions. If the queen allows them, that is. Most drones stay suppressed and forbidden to have any offspring all their lives, but I’m an anomaly. The queen’s influence on me is weak, somehow, and my color is not yellow, but blue. I’ve long had access to most hive memories, but I got discovered and forbidden to leave the hive ever since.”

“So, what will happen if you leave your hive for good?” I asked her in curiosity.

“Nothing bad should happen to me now. I was always starving in my hive. Emotions, I mean. Those I managed to get there were barely sustaining my existence.” She said in a sad voice. “I should try to sever my connection with the hive completely, so they will never find me again.”

“And what happens if changeling can’t get enough emotions?”

“This happens!” She held out her hoof before my eyes. Numerous holes created a net there. “The lack of emotions depletes our magical structure in our bodies, and it starts to consume our physical bodies from within, burning them as fuel for our magic system. Until we die...”

“That’s cruel. Seems you were starving for a long time, were you?” I said with concern.

“Yes, I was,” she said, her face sad. “Emotions which my hive specializes in are not very suitable for me, and I couldn’t find much in my hive, as those are produced by intelligent beings only, and most of them exude only fear, sadness and despair instead, when caught. That’s what my hive ‘eats’, but it’s unsuitable for me, I can’t absorb those. My hive is located too far from any settlements, so there are almost no intelligent ‘prey’ to catch on my own, like other changelings do in other hives.” She sighed. “Animals can be a decent substitute for my hive, but not for me. The entire jungle is filled with emotions of struggle and fear, so my kin feel good living there.”

“Oh, that’s — complicated… Another question I really want to know the answer to…” I asked quickly, “Why were you looking like some wild deer and why didn't you just fly away? Are your wings damaged?”

She blinked her eyes several times. “You really do not know about changelings, don’t you?” She smiled for the first time. Her mimics… It’s too humanlike. “Well, that’s our magic specialty — mimicry, elevated to the absolute by the strongest of our kind. They can even copy an aura of their target. But mine… is not so good, I was easily recognized by my hive. And wings… Well, you can see for yourself.” She lifted her sorry wings to better show them.

“I see. Well, I’ve seen no changelings around my place, and beasts don’t show up here either. So, no one will find you here by chance.” I said reassuringly. “What was that about the feast I’m giving out to you?” I inquired. I just could not understand what she meant exactly.

She giggled at this question. “Silly you! You are like a furnace of emotions which I like at the moment. I can’t even think about draining them from you by force, nor would I dare… There are so many of them around you. I’ll just pop if I try to absorb all of them. That’s why I said so.”

I laughed in realization. It seems I lose nothing by ‘feeding’ her. “Then Bon Appetite! You can eat however much you want if you mean the emotional aura around me. I should be fine.” Isn’t it the thing Falda’ar was teaching me about? This aura will be created by itself, by converting the surrounding magic flow, and the flow is endless as long as there is magic around. That means she likes my current emotions, but I can’t say what emotions I emit currently, at least no negative ones. Then she must like the positive. I need to be careful of those ‘hives’, lest I become their food source for years to come.

“Thank you. Can I… ask you something?” Her voice turned shy again.

“Go ahead.”

“What’s your name? And who… what are you? I’ve never seen the likes of you, and I do not know of your kind either,” she asked me with a mild voice. By the time she calmed down, her voice returned some liveliness and volume to it, no longer raspy and quiet. It seemed a little deep, not that of a young girl.

“My name is Ray. Life Ray is the full name”, I said my name in my native language, Falda’ar said it was alright for me to introduce in this manner. His name is similar in this regard, meaning something in his own language. He came up with the ‘Life’ part after explaining that in magic worlds, the name can alter your state, making you stronger or weaker, and this one, ‘Life Ray’, was suitable for Equis. I was more than okay with just ‘Ray’, but ‘Life’? He knew that it sounded stupid and that I didn’t like it one bit, but he said the folks around here will never know the meaning if I don’t tell them myself, excempting me from feeling myself like an idiot.

“Oh, how unusual, but it sounds nice.” She commented in a somewhat cheerful voice.

“Huh… nice, she said, well, whatever, it’s good she likes it,” I thought. “And as for who I am, I’ll tell you another time. It’s a complicated and long story,” I said, after some hesitation. “And your name?” I returned the question back. Her face suddenly saddened.

“I don’t have a real one yet, just an alias, like other drones, and the hive will no longer provide me one, as I will never go back there, hmph!” Her sadness was replaced by a bit of anger and stubbornness.

“Even so, what should I call you?” I insisted.

“I was called just ‘Blue’, I guess you can see why…” she said with a wry smile.

After thinking for a while, she added, “I never liked it! Just imagine someone will call you ‘Pink’, or ‘Beige’. You get me, right?”

“I guess.” I smiled and pondered. “Despite that, is there any name you would like to use? I still have to address you somehow. Well, don’t be hasty with choosing your name. You can think about it later.” I said my thoughts. She turned silent for a time until finally opening her mouth.

“Alright. Then call me Blue, for now… I’d like a name which would emphasize my special color, but not simply Blue.” She gazed at me.

“Changing topic, you must be hungry.” I gave her the fruit. “Here, take it, it’s a fruit, very nutritious, but be careful about the big seed inside. It is very dense.”

“What is this?” She took it with her hoof; the fruit somehow remained stuck to the surface of it. Seems this is the reason they can live without fingers. Interesting. She sniffed the fruit and took a bite. “M-m-m-m-m… Yummy, thanks!” She ate the fruit rather quickly with a smile on her face.

I was shamelessly looking at her while she ate. What? It’s time to leave those human superstitions, in the name of survival, and science, yes, science, I say. Her mouth had fangs, but overall, her teeth structure was closer to omnivorous, so we might like similar foods. This will simplify things in case we decide to escape this jungle together. She was throwing me glances while smiling.

By now I had no fear of falling asleep in her presence. The same applied to ‘Blue’ too. I moved her to the side gently and lied down on my back on the other side of the bed.

“Good night, Blue!” My tiredness hit me like a rock. She quietly lay down on her side.

“Good night to you too, Ray!”

It was not long before she pressed her body against mine, but my mind was already in a haze of a coming slumber. Ray out!

Author's Note

Revamped on 02 Sep 2022, bringing it in line with the ovehauled chapter 1 and 2.