Chapter 12: The Ancient Flames

<< You Have Leveled Up! [+1] >>

<< You Have Leveled Up! [+1] >>

<< You Have Leveled Up! [+1] >>

…….

‘You sly old man.’

The thought was warm, amused, utterly without rancor. Jessica floated in the afterglow of her level-up cascade, her mental voice carrying a smile.

‘You told me it would add just one level. Just one. And here I am, three levels higher without lifting a single leg. Hahaha!!’

Three levels. From 4 to 7 in the space of a single burning. The Blood of Red had delivered far more than promised.

But the surprises weren’t done.

<< Your Flames Grow Stronger… [Burning +1] >>

‘Err…’ Jessica blinked mentally. ‘Is this a lag? Did the system glitch?’

<< No. >>

The reply was immediate. Leaving no room for interpretation.

‘WHAT?!’ Her mental scream was pure shock. ‘My abilities can LEVEL UP?!’

The implications cascaded through her mind like falling dominos. If abilities could grow, could improve, could become more, then her potential wasn’t fixed. She wasn’t stuck with whatever skills she happened to acquire. She could develop. She could evolve.

Her imagination ran wild. [Burning] becoming something that could consume worlds. [Spark Instinct] sharpening into precognition. [Flame Camouflage] letting her hide in plain sight, in any fire, anywhere and everyw—

<< Clarification: >>

The system’s text cut through her fantasy in an instant.

<< The skill [Burning] only achieved advancement due to exposure to the essences of two divine entities. The bone of ARAFEL. The blood of Red. Based on available world-data, standard skill leveling is not a feature of this reality. The only path to skill enhancement is through merging compatible abilities to create more powerful combinations. >>

‘Oh.’

The single syllable carried disappointment and understanding in equal measure.

‘Right. So that’s why [Burning] felt stronger during the viper fight. It wasn’t just me getting better at using it… it was the skill itself, upgraded by god-juice.’

She paused, reflecting. The vipers had been dangerous. She should have almost died a dozen times. But she hadn’t. And now she knew why her chances of victory were higher.

‘Well. I’ll take what I can get.’

She called up her status, eager to see the full picture.

[STATUS]

+

Name: Jessica

Level: 4 –> 7 [Infant Rank]

Exp(Fragnet): [—-[250%]—–1100%]

Title: None

Specie: Flame

Species Possessed: Cave Locust [Hp/93%]

Rank: [Infant], Cave Locust [Infant]

Magic Cores: [You Are Currently An Idea], Cave Locust [1/1]

Items: [Bone Of ARAFEL] [The Nameless Lever]

Echoes: None

Innate Abilities: [Possess] [Spark Instinct]

Abilities: Unique Skill [Blabber Mouth]

Flame Specific Skill [Burning +1] [Life Multiplier ‘By Snorting’] [Flame Camouflage]

Cave Locust Skill [Flame Acid Ball]

+

‘Sigh…’ The mental sigh was pure contentment. ‘This is the life.’

Three levels. A skill upgrade. Full health. Two divine items in her inventory. She was, for the first time since her reincarnation, winning.

But a thought nagged at her. A gamer’s instinct, honed by years of RPGs, Rogue-likes and MMOs.

‘Hey, system. I feel like I’m being greedy asking this, but… in every game I’ve played, hitting level 5 or 10 means a skill choice. A new ability or a perk. Is this different? Or did I miss something?’

A pause. Then:

<< Sigh… I am currently processing that matter. It appears to be… on hold. Temporarily suspended. >>

Another pause.

<< It will resolve shortly. Focus on your current task. Leave the backend processing to me. >>

‘Thanks.’ Jessica smiled inwardly. Then, because she couldn’t help herself, a teasing thought formed. ‘Ooh, what would I do without you, my sweet system?’

The response was immediate and visceral.

<< *Shudders* What transgression did I commit in a previous existence to deserve this fate? I will expire from sheer discomfort if you continue addressing me in that manner. >>

Jessica laughed, the sound bright and free in the chambers of her mind.

‘Alright, alright. I’ll behave. No more sweet talk.’

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

She turned. Her gaze found the egg.

‘Well. Time to try this again.’ She Leap-boing! across the chamber, her movements confident, her flame bright, her purpose clear. The egg grew larger in her vision until she hovered directly before it, close enough to see the faint cracks in its surface, the ancient wear of ages.

<< DO YOU WANT TO POSSESS? >>

<< YES / NO >>

She stared at the screen for a long moment. The weight of the decision pressed against her, but it was a familiar weight now. She had made her choice. She had accepted the path.

‘Here goes nothing.’

Without hesitation, she chose [YES]

Her locust body dissolved. Like morning mist burning away under a rising sun. For one brief, disorienting moment, she was two things at once, the fading form of the cave locust and the essential core of her true self, the flame that had always been her, flickering in the space between.

Then the flame swirled.

It became a vortex of sensation, a whirlpool of awareness, a shooting star of consciousness aimed directly at the egg. Her vision stretched, blurred, flew, crossing the distance in less than a heartbeat, entering the ancient shell like a key sliding into a lock.

Darkness.

For a long, terrible moment, there was only darkness. The familiar darkness of death, of the void, of the space between existences. She hung there, suspended, nowhere at all.

Then:

<< DING!! >>

<< POSSESSED CREATURE RESISTANCE: NONE >>

<< POSSESSION SUCCESSFUL!! >>

Success.

The word registered. She had done it. She was inside the egg, inside the body, inside whatever creature had been waiting here for, how long? Millennia? The possession was complete. She should feel joy. Triumph. Relief.

She felt none of those things.

Because in that moment, in the instant the possession finalized, Jessica felt pain.

Not the sharp pain of injury. Not the dull ache of exhaustion. This was deeper. The pain of something waking after an eternity of sleep. The pain of a body remembering it was alive. The pain of birth.

The pain of abandonment.

“AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!”

*****