Rebirth

Chapter 6: Glimpse of the New World

I jolted up at the feeling of cold water splashing in my face. "Ah! Who-" Zhaniah stood over me, staff on her back. She wore a black armor on her torso, with a short sleeve bodysuit underneath. Her two wolves sniffed me, and gently licked the water from my face. Now I smell like wolf spit.

"Couldn't you have woken me up without the water?"

"I tried," She said, dropping the grey pale, "You sleep like a rock. Get up, we're going."

"This is so sudden.. I'm not ready for-"

She cut me off, "If you say date, I'm gonna kick your head in the tree."

"So harsh." I got to my feet, brushing the dirt from my pants. "Where are we going anyway? What time is it?"

"Shush. We're going into the mountains. I got a request last night to look for some special crystal for value, but thanks to a certain someone..." She said jabbing me in the chest, "... I had to wait. So as compensation, you're coming with me." I smirked, walking past her and stretching. "Good. I need to stretch my legs. Besides, I wanna check out the world, see what's out there."

"And look for everyone else, is that right?" She asked. I nodded. "If we're here, they've gotta be somewhere. I wanna look for them." A moment of silence passed. "I know it's a long shot, but I'd rather look than sit here and wonder. I know you're thinking the same thing, somewhere in that tiny brain."

She punched my arm, walking past me. "Just make sure you keep up. Wouldn't want a slowpoke like you to fall flat on his face and get any more messed up." I smirked. Yeah, nothing changed, aside from how we look.

The journey took us further north than I expected. The cold had gotten noticeable after the 3rd hour of running. Zhaniah had talked big about me falling behind, but because she started full speed to intimidate me, I wound up passing her out later on. Not by much, I thought I would need the spare energy for fighting, but I was ahead by a few feet, enough to make sure the path is clear, but to make sure nothing happens to her. The snow picked up slightly, and we had to make camp that night in a cave. I stood by the entrance, one of Zhaniah's wolves walking next to me and dropping a small piece of meat.

"Thank you," I said, taking the meat and petting the wolf. It yipped happily, then went back to it's master. I turned towards the outside, watching the gentle snow fall. Cold as it was, I managed to keep myself warm enough just by moving around. I could never really sit still in school, or anywhere really. I always hated having to, especially when I didn't want to be somewhere in the first place. The meat was slightly blood, but a quick flame from me cooked it up just right. I wanted to avoid using my powers here. The cave itself was actually lined up with stalactites and stalagmites, and any form of loud noise or heat would most likely weaken them.

As I ate, things began flashing in my mind. Firstly, it was my powers. How they suddenly just appeared. No explanation, not one single idea as to how they came about. They just did, and that's something that scares me a little. If they just show up, and I potentially could best the strongest and smartest of Zhaniah's pack, what would happen if my abilities matured? Would it be a wise thing to keep using them, without any sort of knowledge and training about how powerful they are, versus the limits I have with them? Obviously not, and as things are right now, I could at least tell any burst of emotion can send them out of control. At some point, I'm gonna need to learn complete control over my abilities.

Secondly, I wasn't sure what to expect out here. Neither of us did, and how could we? We both have, realistically, only been here a day. The fact we can even come this far without issues is surprising enough. Of course nothing is always as it seems. Sooner or later we'd run into some type of issue, I knew that for sure. If we could avoid it, that'd be the better course of action, but life is never that easy.

Thought after thought entered my mind, to the point I actually sat down to think clearly about them all. Without realizing it, I had passed out in a dreamless sleep.

My eyes fluttered open. I couldn't tell how long I had been asleep. Zhaniah's wolves lay at my sides, and Zhaniah herself lay on the left. I blinked at the trio, shaking them all awake. Her wolves yawned and rose quickly, then woke their master. "Morning..." She said tiredly. "You all crowded around me in my sleep? I feel special."

"It was only because you're the source of heat in this damned place.. Seriously, I almost froze my ass off last night.."

"Wasn't aware pancakes could be frozen that quick..."
"Bite me." She growled, then stood. "The sun is up. If we hurry out now, we should get closer to the center of the mountain before the evening." She paused. "If we're lucky, we'll find some crystals before we reach that high." She walked out the cave, her wolves right behind her. I followed shortly after, staring up at the sky. In the distant, I could see a shiny mountain, one with a sort of elegant glow, and to be honest, it was very beautiful to look at. A smile started to form on my face, then something strange happened. My vision changed, sort of like the entire world went grey for a moment. There was a strange glow coming from the mountain, like a gas. It was flowing wildly, then calmed and thickened. Whatever it was, it gave me a bad feeling, one I knew I wouldn't be able to ignore.