Side Story 34: Saori in the Forest of Garms and Fenrirs.

Side Story 34: Saori in the Forest of Garms and Fenrirs.

What is happening?

We will be meeting with Belzac soon, at least according to the kids. Funnily enough, the location of his shrine is below where I was born.

Oh really? Oh shit! Sorry! Now that I think about it, I think I remember your garm mother mentioning something like speaking with her ancestor or something! I should have told you that sooner!

Hmm? Do not worry about it. You know I have not cared about my garm family until the kids got into trouble with Belzac. At least you kept your promise to my garm mother by protecting me up until now, right?

Those were the last things I spoke with Hestia before my group departed from the subspace and into the area beneath the Belzac garms ancestral grounds. There, I found the stone statue depicting the S rank [Three-Eyed Fenrir] Belzac.

The voice of a growly old man entered my mind, addressing Hanazawa and Tatsuya first, thanking them for their help in bringing me here. The four onnikai garms in Hanazawas possession then left her and returned to the statue, orbiting him like moons. He then said something to me, though I couldnt seem to recall what he said right now.

Argh, my head.

My memory was still swimming from the encounter, and the next thing I could remember properly was the sight of a darkened forest, dark to the point it would be impossible for a normal person to see. I couldnt find the sun or the moon. There was just no light. Thank goodness, [True Wolven Instincts] and [Nights Caress] were working. My night vision was working well for me.

But even with night vision, the lack of light is making it very hard to navigate. I cant look too far away.

I couldnt find my students. Tatsuya, Kyouya, and Hanazawa werent around when I woke up. I have been wandering around this place, not only for my own safety, but to find my students. Anxiousness and trepidation. The fear of the unknown. I couldnt sense any living beings inside this place outside of myself.

In addition, I couldnt transform back into my wolfkin form. I remembered being in my wolfkin form when I met Belzac, but I woke up here in my original fenrir body. [Humanize] wasnt working even though my other skills and spells were.

I could generate stygian electricity, my dark elemental spells were working, and my bodys flexibility and function were working well enough. Oh, its seems that I couldnt summon my [Storage Magic] at all either. What was this place? Where was I?

How long have I been in this place? My sense of time was completely ruined by the lack of sun and this dark maze.

I looked over at one of the trees, suddenly noticing some smoke coming from its roots. I went closer and covered my right paw with [Shadow Armament], reaching out to grab it. The sensation was similar to touching a shadow formless and fragile like pudding, but as soft and smooth as water. I pulled on it, ripping the whole tree out of the ground and throwing it away. I looked down, only to see a hole.

These are shadows. Belzac did something. I just dont know what.

Without [Shadow Armament], I couldnt pull any of these trees out of the ground, confirming my thoughts even more. If I were to put this clue and the whole night and darkness aspect of this place into question, then Belzac had to have done this. Considering I couldnt [Humanize] oruse [Storage Magic], this couldnt be reality.

Well, at least, that was what I believed. This was all probably an illusion, but how was I supposed to break it? Looking at it objectively, and with how Ive been wandering this place for a while now, it was obviously to trap me. Searching for an exit was making me restless and impatient, so I had to calm down a bit.

In a situation like this, I had to think of my next move thoroughly.

Belzac invited me through Hanazawa and Tatsuya, and even welcomed us, according to my memories. Was he antagonistic? I questioned using my fenrir instinct, or in other words, my gut feeling. No, I dont dislike him, nor do I feel any hostility towards him. At least, it doesnt feel right to think of him like that. Apprehensive, maybe, but only because I was a bit afraid of meeting him. Or, to be more specific, confront my fenrir heritage.

A whole year had passed since I was reborn into this world. My memories and thoughts of my mother were slowly becoming less and less important to me, as hard as it was to admit. Being with Hestia and Aurora has eased my mind a lot. Suffice to say, I had stopped worrying so much about something I couldnt influence.

Of course, there was a part of me feeling guilty about dying before my Mother, and how my death probably would have affected her. Regardless, thinking about it rationally, was use was it? I died; end of the story. Outside of Hestia getting Aurena to also send me back to Earth, what else was there for me to do?

Get stronger.

That was all I could do. To protect my new family and friends, and also make sure Hestias Quest ends well, all so I could get that chance. Whether my Mother was alive or not wasnt my problem, at least not for now. I had to think forward, towards my future, and what I had to do.

And one of those things was to find a way to become stronger. Find a way to overcome my limitations as I did in the past. Just as Hestia and Tasianna grew, so must I. And, for that reason, I agreed to come with Hanazawa and Tatsuya to meet Belzac. Not only to help my students and act responsibly, but also to learn from an S rank in my bloodline. Just as Hestia did.

I came in front of Belzac to finally learn what [Belzacs Successor] actually meant.

Thats right. What did Ilsaphone say again?

The reward for the Divine Quest Ilsaphone issued to me was three things. First, a single level up. Very kind and needed. Second, a blessing from Edna, the Goddess of Monsters and Fertility as well as the wife of the God of Darkness. If I remembered correctly, I had lost the two Watched titles and gained a new one a blessing.

By the divine System, individual [Young Stygian-Scaled Fenrir, Saori Segawa] has lost these titles: [Watched by Edna] [Watched by Ilsaphone]

By the divine System, individual [Young Stygian-Scaled Fenrir, Saori Segawa] is granted the title: [Ambassador of Grim]

Right. That was the System message I remembered. Curiously, my new title was pretty close to Belzacs nickname, the Harbinger of Grim.

Hold on, when did I learn that information? From a book? No, I wasnt that interested in Belzac, even before I came here. Did I learn that from the kids or from the wolf himself?

There apparently were some holes in my memories. It felt like a hangover with how hard it was to recall events.

Nevertheless, that wasnt important. Back to topic, the last reward was information on Belzacs intentions from Ilsaphones mouth. She was as truthful as you could get with something like this. At least, I didnt think she would want to trick me considering what her goal was supposed to be. Or, maybe I was just naive.

Now, what did she say again?

Belzac wants you to become the first of his descendants to unlock the full power of [Belzacs Successor]. If you dont know yet, titles arent exactly easy to receive without specific conditions. The easiest method is to get them from a god. And, upon his death, Belzac made a deal with my mother, Edna. Essentially, [Belzacs Successor] is the first, still juvenile, form of my mothers blessing on the Belzac bloodline.

Belzac became Ednas Champion in his last moments, when he asked her to keep his soul from reincarnating before his wish for revenge was fulfilled. Through his service to Marsven when he fought and resealed KleaHatma when she broke out from the dwarven ruins, it was easy for the Night Goddess to accept his plea.

Instead of being the one to receive the blessing, it was his descendants who did. It was essentially a similar situation to Hestia and her Kargryxmor bloodline. That was also the reason why [Belzacs Successor] had such an incredible bonus in the form of increased experience and skill proficiency gain.The original appearance of this chapter can be found at Ñøv€lß1n.

Belzac's Successor

A title given to a descendant of Belzac that is destined to be the next Belzac. Boosts experience gain and skill proficiency gain. Increases Dark Elemental resistance and proficiency, while also improving the effectiveness of Dark Elemental spells. As a descendant of the mystical three-eyed Fenrir, Belzac, the possessor gains heightened parameters, when fighting with other of its pack

It was to make us stronger so we could do what Belzac and Edna wanted.

Belzac wants revenge on the people who killed him after he was weakened by his fight with KleaHatma. The humans and elves at that time. Like an angered onnikai, he cursed their leaders with his dying breath. Humans die quite easily, but the elves are more resilient to the passage of time. Two of three have died already during battles, but the last is currently still alive.

How funny that KleaHatma was once again involved in all of this. Close to Rashan village in the Greenveil duchy was a set of dwarven ruins we, Aurora, had to delve into in order to solve an onnikai problem. There, we found a mural displaying Belzacs fight against KleaHatma, and was also the place where we found the latter imprisoned in a catalyst.

Then again, if he hadnt fought KleaHatma in the first place, he probably could have continued living and become an SS rank, maybe even stronger. So, Marsven was also at fault for leaving KleaHatma alive. Ilsaphone even agreed with my point.

Nevertheless, concerning Ednas side of the story, Ilsaphone refused to say anything about that, as the reward only involved information on Belzac. A shame.

Hold on, wasnt there something else?

Of course, Belzac has more things he wants you to do, but you can hear it from the spirit himself. They arent too important, really. Just know that Belzac will welcome you with open arms, so be nice. Oh right, he also told me something about how you had to procreate to make sure his bloodline doesnt go extinct.Well, the onnikai-possessed garms do have his blood, so its not like everything rests on your shoulders. However, since you are the strongest living Belzac wolf, he will try to ask you to have a lot of sex

Yeah, okay! Okay! Lets forget that part! Not like I needed to remember something as silly as that. Goodness, gracious!

To conclude from that, I was doubly blessed by Edna at this point, although [Belzacs Successor] wasnt that important to talk about. And second, Belzac actually wasnt the enemy here. In other words, this had to be a test.

Should have figured this out sooner, then again, maybe that is the reason for my foggy memory?

However, even after calming my mind down to the point I felt nothing but annoyance at how this test was constructed, I still had no clear way to solve this puzzle. Logically, the best way to find the exit was to hang onto any clues I could find. The one I found the most intriguing was the black mist coming from that one tree from before.

Got it.

I broke apart a sizable chunk of the shadow tree I pulled out and channeled lightning through it, before sticking it into the earth, right next to the hole. With [Shadow Armament], I could manipulate any shadows I wanted, so, I turned this piece of wood into a lightning conductor. It would endlessly channel my lightning, giving me a landmark to return to. Sound was the best sense to use in this place, as seeing in this abyss was too hard.

I began exploring the forest once again, this time with a more realizable objective. At first, I couldn't find any more smoking trees, so I began tearing off two from the ground to see if the first was a fluke or not. Strangely, none of them had a hole underneath them.

So, to make sure, I returned to the landmark, following the sizzling and crackling of the electricity. I placed my leg into the hole, testing if there was some other clue or not. I used [Shadow Dash], sinking my paw directly into it like a shadow. Having made sure there was nothing there, I delved my head into the shadow and began looking around in this shadow world.

Once again nothing.

This wasnt the actual shadow world. It had the same interior like the usual, which was just blackness, really. However, the real one would always have a light showing through a hole, showing you where the shadow you wanted to teleport to was. Even if the other side was inside the darkest room of the world, there would always be this one indicator!

However, I could not see one. It was similar to the many other tries I performed before. Without a light, it was impossible to use [Shadow Dash] effectively. I would just go lost in the shadow world. It was discouraging to see this hole didnt have any further answers, but at the very least I knew these smokey trees had something important.

Sighing once more, I began my search anew. There was no reason to give up. I just have to trust in what Ilsaphone told me. There was a way out of this, and I would find it. Still, even if my will was strong to start with, the more I wandered around fruitless, the more my motivation wavered.

Eventually, the sound of my electric landmark vanished. Did I go too far, or did it just stop streaming the lightning? I wasnt sure. I didnt care, honestly. I was just getting more and more mentally fatigued. If this was a test, then what was Belzac even testing me for, huh? My walking ability?

[Uno! Song! Sarasa! Quatre! Varya! Shere! Ajay! Shoyi! Can any of you hear me?!] I tried calling for my shadow pack. I could feel they were alive, I knew they werent dead, but I couldnt feel them in my shadow nor close by.

This was infuriating. Was that smoke actually a fluke? If so, then I was back to square one! No, even worse! I got my hopes up and landed on a get fucked square!

Fuck!

I slammed the ground, accidentally letting a jolt of electricity escape as I lost my temper. Catharsis. A very needed one, honestly. Losing my sense of time and direction while putting me into this weird place was making me scratch my head. I could not understand Belzacs motives.

Maybe its best if I just destroy this place, better than just standing around and Huh?

The sound of electricity, and it was near. No, it was even closer than this, it came from underneath my belly. Was it my fur? No, I wasnt letting my mana go wild after the slam I did before. I havent heard the lightning landmark for a while now, and I was sure the sound couldnt just appear out of nowhere like this.

So where was that sound coming from exactly? In this darkness, it was hard to see, but I saw a few bolts of lightning surging on the ground.

That couldnt be right. Even if my stygian lightning wasnt like normal electrical energy, that didnt mean it could continue acting around on the ground the earth. Insulators and conductors were still a thing, and basic physics rules still applied to it, with a few new additions.

My weak voice reached my mothers ears. Yes, my dear?

Huek! I love you! Huek, kuek And I miss you! I forced my words out through a torrent of snot and emotions. Im sorry I left you! Im sorry for dying before you! I want to see you again Huek! I want to see Otou-san, again! I want us all to be happy!

My mother to the right, and my father to the left. All together in a hug. Little wishes. Little prayers. Never to reach the proper ears.

My sweet child I felt her hand stroking my hair and back. Her warmth was comforting. I love you, too. Well always be there for you. In your hearts.

I hope I released myself from our hug and looked directly into my Mothers own weary face. Thank you for giving me closure. But, you're not my mother. I cant stay here forever.

A wry smile formed on her face. Mothers knew best.

This wasnt an illusion. This was a dream. No System messages, a memory full of holes as if I had a hangover, and a comforting place for me to find peace at. However, all Mother did was listen to me, never talk about herself. I also did not forget about Unos voice. I wouldnt forget about my garms as I almost did Goma-kun!

You could be at peace here, Saori-chan. No more of the woes of the outside, no more heartbreaks. An illusion to keep you safe. Mother tried to argue back, but I shook my head and wiped away my tears.

Enough. I know this place is all made from shadows. My shadow crept up my leg and began covering my arm like a black gauntlet. Enough tricks. Stop this. You arent my mother.

She is not. But I am.

Mother dissipated into the air, flying away like a storm of sakura petals. The walls of our apartment broke down, revealing a translucent figure coming closer to me. I couldnt guess its figure at first, but with every step it took, it became larger and more detailed.

Eventually, the creature towered over me like an elephant. It was see-through like a ghost or spirit, but I could at least make it out as a wolf. A giant monster wolf a garm.

[And you are my pup.]

I recognize that face. It was the first person I met when I was reborn.

Hello Mother.

A note from AbyssRaven

Hope you guys enjoyed a more Saori focused chapter resolving around her past and helping her overcome some of it.

P.S. My patrons asked me why this chapter isn't a main chapter, well, the reason is because while Saori is the deuteragonist of the story, Hestia is still the main story. As such, because this chapter currently has nothing to do with Hestia's plot line, it is considered a side story. Hope that explains it. And hopefully I didn't scare people away with the Side Chapter title.

If you guys want to support me, Hestia and "A Dragon Idol's Reincarnation Tale" (or just read up to 20 advance chapters + any Patreon-only chapters) please check out my Patreon: Rawr!

For two dollars, for the cost of a coffee, you can read up to four chapters for the whole month! You will have my eternal gratitude for any support you can give me! Please.

Thank you for reading this chapter.

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Sunday, June 19, 2022 2:06:10 AM Germany [Member of Zard Skwad]

Bio: Hey there, AbyssRaven here. I'm just an avid Light Novel and Fantasy story reader who randomly thought of a story and began writing about it.

I eventually found out that I've been spending a bit too much time with building, planning, and researching for the story, that I've decided to just share it with others.

Writing is mostly a hobby for me, but I would still love any kind of criticism to improve on it.

I'm also german, so please excuse anything that sounds a bit weird...I wouldn't mind you pointing it out though.

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