Free Web NovelChapter 71: The Truth Of This Realm
Kyle raised an eyebrow when he saw the system screen, then opened his status.
[Name: Kyle]
[Class: Mind Controller]
[Strength: 32 | Intelligence: 60 | Endurance: 30 | Agility: 26 | Mana: 0]
[Unused Stat Points: 0]
[Skills: Mind Control - Thought Reading - Internal Mana Control]
`New skill?` He opened it without hesitation.
[Internal Mana Control - D]
[Description: Allows the user to control their inner energy (inner mana) and spread it throughout their entire body.]
Kyle stared at her for a moment, then closed the screen. He didn’t have the energy to think about anything right now.
He sat there for a long time. Long enough for the mist to thin. Long enough for the moons to shift across the sky.
Then he stood up, careful not to jostle Nightmare too much.
The bird hopped off its side and spread its wings. It flew up to a low branch and perched there, watching him.
Kyle walked over to the Wendigo’s corpse. He pulled his sword out of its neck and wiped the blade on its fur.
Then he looked around.
`Where am I?`
The run through the forest had been chaotic. He’d lost track of direction.
But Nightmare flew ahead, low and slow, leading him back.
Kyle followed with his sword in hand. Body aching, and heart still pounding.
He didn’t know what else was out there in the dark. And he didn’t want to find out.
Finally, the mansion appeared through the mist. freёwebnovel.com
Kyle felt relieved as he saw it.
He climbed the steps and pushed open the door. The children were gone. Asleep, probably.
But Lilian was waiting in the corridor.
She stood with her arms folded, blindfold facing toward him.
"You are bleeding," she said.
"Just a little."
"It does not seem a little."
Kyle shrugged. His shoulder screamed, but he tried not to show it. freewёbnoνel.com
"Killed a Wendigo," he said.
Lilian was silent for a moment.
"Alone?"
"Nightmare helped."
She tilted her head.
"You are still standing. It’s better than I expected."
Kyle didn’t know if that was a compliment or an insult.
"Go clean yourself up," she said. "We will not train tomorrow. You can rest."
She turned and walked away.
Kyle watched her go. Then he looked down at his hands. Bruised. Bloody. But steady.
He smiled. He has already done much more than he expected today.
***
Morning light filtered through the dining hall windows. The long table was crowded with children—plates clattering, cups tipping over, someone arguing about who got the last piece of bread.
Kyle sat on Lilian’s right side, at the head of the table.
He was eating like a man who hadn’t seen food in days.
Last night’s fight had drained everything out of him. Also, after healing himself. His body was screaming for fuel.
He tore into a piece of roasted meat. Then another. Then reached for bread.
Virgo stared at him from across the table.
"Slow down," she said. "You’re going to choke."
Kyle grunted. Kept eating.
Leo laughed. "Brother Kyle eats like a pig!"
"Shut up," Kyle said, mouth full.
The children giggled.
Lilian sat quietly at the head of the table. She wasn’t eating much—just a piece of bread and some water. But her blindfolded face was turned toward Kyle.
Watching him. Or whatever her version of watching was.
"You heal fast," she said.
Kyle swallowed. "What?"
"Your injuries. From last night." She tilted her head. "You should be barely moving. But you’re sitting here, eating like nothing happened."
Kyle shrugged with his good shoulder. The other one still ached a little.
"Told you. I heal fast."
Lilian didn’t respond. She watched him for a little while, then turned her head.
`She’s not stupid.`
Kyle had put on bandages last night, then commanded his body to speed up the healing. Same trick he used when he got here the first time. It worked — most of the wounds were closed by morning.
The downside? He woke up starved. Like he hadn’t eaten in a week.
`Worth it, though.`
He took another bite.
"So," he said, changing the subject. "About last night."
Lilian turned her head back to him.
"I went with Nightmare into the forest. Around midnight. That’s when the Wendigo attacked." He paused. "I thought there were no living creatures in the forest from what I saw during the day."
Lilian nodded slowly.
"That’s how this Realm works."
Kyle raised an eyebrow.
"The Wendigo only appears at night," she said. "When the three moons are high. At sunrise, they vanish. Back into the mist or wherever they come from."
Kyle stared at her.
`So they only spawn at night?`
He thought about it. Thought about the logic of it.
`Are we in Minecraft or something?!`
He kept the thought to himself. Barely.
"How many are there?" he said instead.
"I don’t know. I’ve never tried to count."
"Have you killed them before?"
Lilian was quiet for a moment.
"Yes," she said. "But not recently."
Kyle wanted to ask more. But something in her voice told him to stop.
He leaned back. "How did you even find this Realm in the first place?"
Lilian was silent for a moment. Her fingers tapped the edge of the table.
"I found a manuscript," she said. "A long time ago. Back when I still traveled."
"A manuscript?"
"Old parchment. It contained coordinates for this Realm. Instructions on how to enter. A description of what to expect."
Kyle frowned. "Who wrote it?"
Lilian’s expression didn’t change, but her voice got quieter.
"Nobody knows."
"That’s... not helpful."
"The manuscript had no name. No signature. No date." She folded her hands on the table. "But it wasn’t the only one. Similar manuscripts have been found all over the world. Different places. Different times. Some are thousands of years old. Others were written only decades ago."
Kyle’s frown deepened.
"Same handwriting?"
"They believe so. The scholars argued about it for centuries." She tilted her head. "Based on all the methods of analysis, all the manuscripts were written by the same person. Or the same thing."
"That’s impossible. No one lives that long."
"Exactly." Lilian’s voice was calm. "Which is why many theories exist. An immortal being that has lived for millennia. An ancient organization using a single identity. Something else entirely."
She slightly laughed. "He has even been entered in the Entities list. People started calling him The Chronicler."
`Entities? The Chronicler?` Kyle narrowed his eyes.
"Has anyone ever seen this person?" he said.
She turned her blindfolded face toward the window.
"No. No name, no face, no voice. Nothing. Only manuscripts scattered across the world, filled with knowledge about Realms." She paused. "Because of them, many Realms have been discovered. Many people have found refuge, treasure, or death."
Kyle stared at her.
`That’s... unsettling.`
He exhaled, then looked down at his hands.
Kyle thought about it.
`A mysterious being leaving clues about hidden Realms. Sounds like something out of a novel.`
But he was in a world that felt like a novel. So maybe it wasn’t that strange.
"Huh," he said instead. "Lucky find."
Lilian didn’t answer.
***
Meanwhile, deep in the misty forest.
A man walked through the trees.
He was tall. Broad-shouldered. His brown hair fell past his ears, messy and unkempt, like he hadn’t bothered to brush it in days. A faint stubble covered his jaw.
He wore a dark coat, worn at the edges, and carried a waterskin in one hand.
But instead of water, it contains wine.
He took a long drink as he walked. Then another.
He looked up at the sky. The three moons were gone — morning now. Pale light filtered through the trees.
"Still here," he muttered to himself. "Good."
He took another sip.
Ahead, through the thinning mist, he saw it. The mansion — old, crumbling in places, but standing.
He smiled.
"Took me long enough."
He walked faster.
