It was already sunset outside, and the chilly night would be here soon.
The reason I was asking Celes about her skill out of the blue was just my curiosity.
She was someone with a super special <Skill>.
Just the thought of it being something amazing was making my insides tickle.
But, to my excited question, I felt a gloomy atmosphere around her.
[[ Master… it’s not something that special… ]]
Her voice inside my head was comfortable, as if I had always known this sweet, cheerful voice of a girl of the same age.
But this reaction of her didn’t go well with that voice at all.
I extended my hand, and she set on my finger.
“Don’t say that. Just tell me and I will decide if it’s useful or not.” I was talking with her like we were close friends who knew each other for a long time.
I could feel her special emotions, and I knew she was embarrassed right now.
[[It’s called <Perfect disguise>. I can change you into something but… it will use up your willpower and concentration to maintain it…]]
Her explanation was vague, but from what I understood, it was something like a ‘polymorph’ skill.
“Isn’t that cool! You’re outstanding Celes!”
It would be a godly skill in this hell-like place.
It was almost a cheat!
Think about two beasts fighting and one being injured. If I can become a small animal and close in on them…
I might take both of them by surprise!
Or… if some dangerous beast appears out of nowhere, I can become a small beast or better a plant by the side.
It was a skill with versatile uses!
A somewhat confused atmosphere appeared around her after seeing my bright expression.
[[ You think so, master? ]]
“Yes! You are awesome!”
[[ I’m glad to hear that. ]] I smiled and trickled her.
She was a butterfly, but she did not diverge from any normal creature, and her bright laughter proved that.
We talked about each other and told how we have lived in this dangerous forest and before that.
She was sad, angry, and sorry for what happened to me before I was here.
I strangely felt good when she was like that.
‘Having someone like her was one of the best things in this hell and even in the outside world.’
I was happily chuckling, and she could feel that happiness.
It had been a long time since I smiled and laughed with my heart.
I could feel it again… I wasn’t alone anymore.
It was a great time, and we were happy.
It was cute, seeing her fly around in the cave, but then my eyes stopped on the other side.
There was something inside those webs, and it was something that helped in the growth of these beasts.
“Celes, do you know what that is?” I asked her, thinking that she might know what that was.
She was stuck in this cave for a week without any energy to spare.
To other creatures, she might have looked the same as any dead tiny insect.
It was very devastating to hear about her experience and I could feel her every emotion.
It… was bad.
No one should suffer as we both did. I pray to God that no one is that miserable.
[[ Master, even I don’t know what that thing is. It’s red and shiny and looks like my wings but, I don’t know. ]]
It disappointed her to not know the answer, but what she said was enough to give me an idea of what it was.
“Don’t worry Celes. It’s good enough to know that much. I might know what that is but it’s not the good time to check that out,” creasing her tiny white head, I set down.
Something that increased a beast’s M.P. and helped them strengthen.
There weren’t many things that could do that, but there were some things that could do it.
Though they were some things that were very rarely found in dungeons and places like this forest.
I didn’t hesitate to consider the possibility that my guess was true.
And, if I was right, it would be a good thing to not get too much close to it.
“Ok… so for now, let’s take a nap. We will have to be awake at night, right Celes?”
I asked her with a smile on my face, but she hesitated to say anything.
I understood she was feeling very sad and angry about what happened to me back then, but it was in the past.
Even if the scars remained the same, it won’t bother me much.
It was only because of those things that I was able to meet her and get this much stronger in such a short time.
Giving her a warm smile, I called her on my palm.
[[ Don’t worry, master. We will get out of this place and meet your family! ]]
She was confident and excited but, something she said didn’t go well with all of that.
“Celestine. It will be ‘our’ family. You are also a part of this family.
Though I haven’t met anyone, I know everyone will be happy to meet you.
You aren’t just my familiar but also my friend, partner, and the only family I have in this place.”
She was silent for a moment but shook a bit, as if embarrassed.
I smiled and nodded, knowing that she understood what I was trying to say.
[[ Thank you, master… ]]
“Ok now, don’t cry about small things. Go get some rest. We will have a long night in this new house.”
Flapping her wings, she nodded and disappeared into the butterfly mark.
Looking at the other side with my [Mystic Eyes], I sighed.
‘Why do spiders wrap everything they are going to eat on a web?
It’s not like a solid crystal will melt, right?’
Thinking about those things was useless, so I just prepared a bed above the ground with some webs, ropes, and leaves.
It will be night in a few hours, and I will have to start my night training.
Just sitting in this cave was meaningless, and those long nights were always creepy and boring.
I was happy that there were glowing plants in this cave and it was much better to sleep here.
*
My eyes opened by themselves after almost four hours.
It was good, and I slept peacefully after such a long time.
Looking around, I spotted that big spider web and the blue glowing grass at the very back of the cave.
Getting up and stretching for a bit, I took out some jerky and ‘apple’ to fill my empty stomach.
My Mana was almost half and I could do some magic practicing with those things.
But, before that…
“Celes, let’s try using <Perfect Disguise>.”
Celes came out and danced in front of me. 𝘦𝘯.𝘰𝘳𝘨
Circling me for a bit, she set down on my head.
[[ Just think about what you want to change with your appearance.
We need a clear image to perfectly change it.
If it’s something small, like hair and eye color, it will be very easy, and maintaining it will also be easy.
But if you change into a different being, it will be much more difficult to maintain that form. ]]
Her explanation was simple, and I knew what I wanted to change first.
Closing my eyes, I thought of black hair and black eyes that would match the night of this forest correctly.
I had black armor cloths, so it was easy if I had the same appearance as well.
My gold-blond hair will stand out too much in the night and my eyes glowed in the night with low light.
It was normal for a unique eye color like mine.
If someone with sky blue or ocean blue or even yellow eyes walked in this glittering darkness, it would shine the same.
But black eyes cloak the light perfectly.
After finishing the imagination, I focused on my connection with Celes.
She might have felt it too, so… with a small blue light, my appearance started changing.