[You have obtained the skill: Phantom Step.]
The message blinked at the corner of my vision the moment I stumbled out of the tunnel, breath ragged and limbs aching. A soft chime followed, oddly calming in the dead silence of the forest. I squinted against the brightness of the translucent panel.
[Skill: Phantom Step]
[Type: Movement]
[Grade: C]
[Description: Allows the user to phase a single step ahead, avoiding physical damage and momentarily slipping between spatial threads.]
I stared.
"Why did I obtain it, System?" I asked.
However, it didn't respond.
And now I was left to myself to think about.
'What did I do to obtain this Skill?'
I have the Falsifying Mirror but this relic doesn't have anything that could make me have this skill.
Then... is it because of that... worldline collapse eminent?
Does the system rewards me whenever future is changed?
"But why, System."
It didn't answer. Of course it doesn't. It never answers.
***
The journey from the Falsifying Tree to Akrion Village wasn't heroic. It was cold, wet, and brutal.
Thorns tore through my coat. My boots sank into bog water more than once, and I'd long given up trying to keep my clothes dry, I also had no food.
Eventually, the thick forest broke into a narrow path framed by moss-covered stones. My legs moved faster before my brain caught up.
A sing of civilization!
I almost cried.
But the joy didn't last.
When I saw Akrion Village for the first time, I stopped.
Not out of awe.
Out of horror.
Smoke curled lazily from the broken remains of several homes. Stone foundations were blackened with soot. Half the village had been gutted—burned or collapsed. Scorched wood. Shattered windows. Torn roofs.
Children played near the ruins with sticks, wearing oversized tunics. A woman with hollow eyes sat on a broken bench, rocking back and forth with nothing in her arms.
The only building still standing whole was a large, worn-down house at the center—likely the village chief's residence.
Everyone was packed into it.
I walked forward slowly, my steps hesitant.
Whispers began as soon as I crossed the outer path.
"Who is that?"
"Outsider?"
An older man stepped forward from the group. His gray beard was stained with ash. His eyes were sunken, but sharp.
"Kill him," he ordered.
What?
"Wait!"
Hurriedly I reached out for token and raise them for all of them to see.
The Akrion Village Token.
It shimmered faintly, carved with the emblem of an old sun and spire.
"You have our token...Not many of them are given out. Who gave it to you, boy?"
Obviously I was not going to tell the truth.
Instead I made up a lie, but I am sure they would believe it.
"My master gave it to me. The white haired man with a silver sword, h arrived in this village ten years ago, I hope you remember him and your promise too."
The old man's eyes widened.
Immediately, he took a step forward. Others behind him gasped, whispered, retreated.
"Bring him inside," he said at last.
'He didn't ask further question? Is it because of Fab-'
Before I knew, someone struck me from behind and the last thing I saw was ground, very, very close to me.