A Monster from Another World

"It seems someone is a sore loser." Ayu glared at the cult leader.

Lesorugus growled, and his fists were clenched so tight they trembled. "Deep breaths. Deeeep breaths." He inhaled and exhaled as if doing yoga. "I will admit. You three are better than I was expecting. ...But it is frustrating when sacrificial lambs don't know when to quit!"

"Come on, man. You're one to talk," Kamiro said.

"Disgusting," Lesorugus muttered. "I didn't want to go through the trouble with vermin like you. Disgusting." He looked over at Fleur. "Disgusting! But... haha, now I will have to... Just to get rid of that disgusting, hopeful look in your eyes."

He grabbed the leather-bound book from under his arm and flipped through some pages. He chanted whatever incomprehensible language was inside, and all the cult members grasped their hands together and followed along.

The party stood hurt and exhausted, but they had no choice but to try and survive whatever was to come from the magic circle that began to glow in the middle of the ground.

With a chorus of chants, the dark purple magic circle grew more ferocious. Sparks emitted from it that crackled like firecrackers, and its force disturbed the surrounding air. One by one, cult members collapsed while the circle grew. It wasn't long before the party stared in disbelief at the creature that emerged.

Although all the world's creatures were foreign to Kamiro, even he knew this summoned monster wasn't normal. "A Demon" was the closest thing his mind could label what stood before them.

Its appearance was somewhat like those depictions of monstrous deities ancient civilizations had back in his world. The creature was black with green piercing eyes, a long pointed tail, and stood three meters tall with a pair of large bat-like wings.

According to Earla, what they faced was an Aberration. That was the name given to these types of creatures in this world; summoned monsters, not from this world, with strange abilities that didn't fit the magic system. Apparently, they hadn't been seen since the Demon Lord had disappeared from the public eye.

Fleur's eyes said what her mouth couldn't. But she remained determined to escape from her restraints.

"Haha, yes. That's it. That's the look you all should be showing!" Lesorugus said.

His book remained opened, and a dark purple aura surrounded it, but the chants seized. Most of the other cult members had collapsed, but a few still stood, with their hands clamped as if in prayer.

Kamiro's hairs stood on edge from the Aberration's piercing shriek. The sound was twisted, made of three tones in one. It froze the party in place, and even the cult leader backed off from the edge above and gulped.

The creature rushed forward with a heavy thrust of its wings, and it showed its intelligence by picking the most vulnerable target at that moment; Kamiro. With a swipe of its claw, it jetted Kamiro's body through the air before the stone wall brought his ragdoll figure to a crushing halt.

The impact completely knocked the wind out of him.

"Kamiro!" Ayu and Earla yelled in unison as they ran to him.

His vision blurred while he saw the girls call out to him. Is this it...? I knew from the start. I don't belong in this world either.

Earla activated her 'Barrier' just as the creature went for another strike. With only a single hit, it was on the verge of collapse.

Ayu... or whoever wanted me here, made a mistake. Ha-ha... Unless they just wanted to see me suffer. Kamiro watched as the two girls struggled to protect him.

"I'll have to try it," Ayu said. "Invocabo Glacies: Ice Tomb."

From head to toe, the creature was enclosed in glistening ice. It's piercing green eyes glowed within, and the ice began to crack.

"I'm not sure how long it will hold. This is a new spell I had just started practicing before the quest," Ayu said.

Why...? Why do they try so hard? They're always protecting me... But what about them?

Kamiro faded into darkness, along with the sounds of the battle. But he remained conscious. He found himself in a familiar scene of a void.

"A... light." His voice echoed in the void, and brightness from out in the distance attracted him like a moth. "This is..." He'd seen it once before, during his adventurer assessment. It was a being made of a myriad of colors combined that gave off a white, intense glow.

The being had a humanoid form, no taller than Kamiro. It didn't speak. "..."

"What... are you?" Kamiro stopped right in front of it. He shielded his eyes from the brightness, unable to get a clear view.

"..." After a moment, the being spoke in a deep, calm voice. Had it remained silent for dramatic effect? "I am known to be many things. Or, nothing."

Is now really the time to be speaking in riddles?

"Tell me, boy. What is your purpose with the power you seek?"

"Power? N-No, I'm not seeking—"

"If you find yourself here, it is only for the desire of power."

What I desire? "I-I want to..." Kamiro hesitated. "I want to live. I want to go back to my world! I don't belong here!"

"..." The being was silent. It waited as if it knew there was more Kamiro had to say.

"...But, mostly... I want to protect those I care about."

The being took a moment to reply. "It is still premature. But very well, I will release a portion."

Kamiro felt a comforting warmth as the being stretched its arm.

"Uncover your gaze, boy, and grab my hand."

For a moment, Kamiro froze, but he did as instructed. As soon as he grasped the being's hand, the unbearable brightness became tolerable and his body filled with intense but pleasurable warmth. He peered at the being. Its face had no indistinguishable features, and he felt as if he saw a reflection of himself.

The scenery faded to white.

Kamiro's eyes snapped open. In front of him were Earla and Ayu, who appeared to be on their last legs. The barrier had long shattered three times over, and Earla struggled to form another to no avail.

Ayu panted heavily. Just how many times had she used her Ice Tomb spell? She no longer had the strength to enclose the creature's whole body. She continuously froze the Aberration's feet to the ground, but it had no trouble cracking it just as fast.

As Kamiro's vision cleared, he felt something surging inside him, and a disembodied voice in his head grounded him in reality.

<Limited access granted. Activating: SOPHOS...>

The voice reminded him of his smartphone's GPS lady, except its tone was a bit more natural. At the same time, his senses sharpened with every passing second. Touch, taste, smell, hearing, and sight; they became magnified.

<Analyzing environment...> The voice rang out once again within Kamiro's head.

What is this?

But what really stunned him was what he saw in his line of sight. There was no other way to describe it; some type of HUD appeared within his vision. When he looked at Ayu and Earla, it showed some RPG-like information, such as their HP, MP, along with their magic abilities. The girls had almost no magic left and were low on health.

"K-Kamiro?" The girls' surprise to see him up showed on their faces.

Kamiro's body was visibly battered, but whatever pain he felt before had disappeared.

"Earla, Ayu... Thank you. You guys can rest now," he said.

He didn't fully understand what was happening, but he could tell that he had gained the power he sought.

<Analysis complete. Danger level: High. Activating autonomous mode.>

Wait. Activating what now?

Kamiro felt his own arm point at the creature with his dagger. Like Earla and Ayu, some RPG-like information came up in his field of view when he observed it.

--------------

Enemy Type: Aberration Weakness: Divinus Magic

Threat Level: High Status: Paralyzed

HP: N/A

MP: N/A

Magic Type: Daemon

Unique Abilities: Screech, Flamon, Regeneration.

--------------

A chilling screech came from the black demon-like Aberration. It shattered the remaining ice that glued its feet to the ground and rushed forward. But it didn't get far; the creature struggled on the ground, its twitching muscles refused to cooperate.

Wait, did I paralyze it? ...But what is this feeling? Kamiro shook his head. I-It's like my body doesn't wanna listen to me.

Up above, the cult leader held his head while he watched the battle unfold. "Ha-ha, w-what's this?"

"No way... No, chants?" Fleur took a pause from chipping away at her restraints.

"Agh! K-Kamiro..." Ayu's voice crept up behind him.

Kamiro struggled to look back and was shocked to find Earla and Ayu paralyzed as well. "Did I...? Guys... something's wrong."

Kamiro's body acted on a will of its own and he rushed to attack the paralyzed Aberration. He moved like never before, with his speed and power now amplified, but the feeling of encroachment was distressful.

Devastating blows from Kamiro's twin-daggers made the creature shriek, but just as quickly as he slashed, the monster's wounds regenerated. Amidst its struggle, the creature unleashed a black flame-like blast, it's Flamon ability, which Kamiro narrowly avoided. The blast continued past him toward Ayu and Earla behind.

Kamiro forced his body to look back. "No!" The attack was just short of hitting the two girls helplessly on the ground, still unable to move.

In the HUD, it appeared the paralysis status of the girls had a countdown. But it was twice as long as what the creature's status showed, and its countdown also decreased in faster intervals the more it struggled.

<Re-evaluating... Suggested course of action... transcribed.>

Suddenly, it was as if instructions flooded Kamiro's mind. Though it was not in language, the instructions were clear; for him to survive the battle, he had to use his party as bait and leave them for dead.

"N-No... I won't..." He fought his body from moving.

Countless thoughts ran through Kamiro's mind, but the one he most needed at that moment finally stood out. He remembered the parting words Di Reids gave him before leaving on the quest...

"One last thing before you go," Di Reids said.

"What is it?"

"Nothing to worry about, just some advice if you ever need it. There is untapped potential within your Liber magic, but using too much of it, mostly when you're inexperienced, might not be such a good thing... It can consume you."

"..." Kamiro focused on Di Reids' words.

"And that doesn't just pertain to magic. Trust me, I know from experience, too much of anything can be bad for you. In my younger days, I was the best drinker around!" Di Reids laughed before his expression turned sullen. "But... once it consumed me..."

"I... see." I don't personally know much about alcoholism, but I can kinda get an idea of what he's trying to tell me.

"Well, I'm sure you're bored with hearing an old man ramble on about a bunch of nonsense. I'll just leave you with this; always remember what you're fighting for and what is important to you."

"...." Kamiro stood silent, trying to find the right words to say. He settled for a simple, "Thank you."

It didn't seem like much, but just him remembering that simple interaction gave Kamiro the last bit of will power he needed so that his controlled body wouldn't hurt his friends.

Kamiro clutched his head. "I don't know who or what you are, but... you need to stop. Let me control my body!"

<...Would you like to change default settings?> The voice spoke within his mind in the same calm tone as always.

Wait... what? Y-Yes..."

Within the HUD, the menus changed as if being navigated by someone. Kamiro watched in awe. That's it? That's all I needed to do? Just tell it to stop?

<Affirmative.>

Wait. So... you can understand me and hear my thoughts?

<Affirmative.>

That's... kinda creepy.

Before Kamiro's view appeared a menu with settings. Most of it was grayed out, but there were some checkboxes. "Autonomous Mode Activated on High-Level Threats," was one that was checked.

Why... Why is all this like a game? Is any of this even real?

Kamiro unchecked the box, and in that instant, his body returned to his full control.

"Huh, what's this?" Another checkbox was selected when the other was unchecked, "Autonomous Mode Activated When Health Level Is Critical." Kamiro didn't think much of it. He was just glad his body listened to his will again.

The people overlooking him must've thought he was crazy while he talked to himself and gestured with his hand to thin air. Even the paralyzed Aberration seemed confused.

Looks like we're out of time.

The paralysis status timer on the creature had reached zero. It sprung to the attack.

Kamiro's body felt better than ever now under his control, and he did his best to make use of his newfound powers. He repeatedly clashed with the creature, neither getting the upper hand on the other.

Ayu and Earla's paralysis faded, and they watched with a jaw-dropped expression. They wanted to help but barely had the energy to stand. Those watching from above also stood in silence, and if their hoods weren't covering their faces, their shock would've probably been evident.

"T-This can't be happening..." Lesorugus hyperventilated. "Why would that nobody be blessed by our goddess?"

Fleur was intent on escaping. Nobody had yet noticed that she was almost free from her restraints, and the cult leader's glowing book was what caught her eye the most.

There's still a lot of things I need to ask you, but... It's hard to talk when I gotta concentrate on the battle.

<Would you like to activate autonomous mode?>

Haha, funny. No.

<Re-evaluating... Limited spell pool to choose from... Suggested course of action: Paralysis. Spell available in 30 seconds.>

So it has some kinda cooldown, huh? It really is just like a video game. By the way, do you hear all my thoughts, no matter what?

<I am capable of perceiving your inner voice, as well as thoughts not in the form of a language.>

That's comforting to know. Can't a guy get some privacy in his own mind?

<...But, I am able to differentiate when you are speaking to me or thinking to yourself ...The latter of which you appear to do quite often.>

Did I just hear some sarcasm?

<...>

No reply. Guess she really can tell when I'm speaking to her or not. Not that it matters anyway if she can perceive everything. ...Wait, why did I decide it was a 'she' just cause of its voice? Do disembodied voices even have genders?

An air-breaking swipe from the creature's claw attack managed to graze Kamiro. "Why does it feel like you're getting faster?"

<Paralysis spell now available.>

"Perfect timing." Kamiro activated his 'Paralysis' ability, and the creature was soon on the ground again, unable to move.