From Human to Skeleton: Revived with Infinite System Crystals

Throwing the corpse to the side, Sanguina sighed. "A weird forest for sure," she muttered as the huffs of more wolves echoed around them.

Nana stood closer to Sanguina, her eyes wide. "I don't remember there being this many the last time I was here?!"

Sanguina chuckled. "No big deal, though this world sure is strange, along with the Demon King."

Swiping her hand, four red bats shot out of the air around her hand, zipping around and cutting down the wolf-like creatures devoid of any life in their eyes.

Nana, confused, asked, "What do you mean by weird? You'll have to forgive me, I don't make it a regular occurrence to be, uh, what's the word... 'world hopping,' I guess you could say. What would you consider a normal planet?"

Sanguina smirked, watching the bats tear through the wolves. "A normal planet? Well, one without soulless creatures roaming forests, for starters. A place where the sun doesn't feel like it's trying to kill me every second."

Nana raised an eyebrow, curiosity piqued. "Sounds like a vampire's paradise. But seriously, what else? You seem to have seen more than your fair share of worlds."

"It's a bit more than that, though," Sanguina continued. "You see, us vampires, once we reach a certain point, we adopt the ability to realm hop. Even though it's highly frowned upon because, well, after the war and even before, each species stayed in their own universe."

Nana, confused as they continued to walk through the forest, asked, "You say realms and then you say universes. Is there a difference?"

Sanguina nodded. "While us vampires are strong individuals, we lack the innate ability to create crystals. In that regard, we lack the ability to create worlds as quickly as others. We have a few dozen planets that all serve a strict purpose. With its size adding up to a small realm, there are a few other differences, but size is a huge one."

As they came into an open patch with a perfect circle, Nana looked around, intrigued. "So, these realms are like contained ecosystems, each with its own rules and limitations?"

"Exactly," Sanguina replied. "Realms are more contained and limited in scope. Universes, on the other hand, are vast and expansive, capable of housing countless worlds and civilizations. Vampires, with our few dozen planets, can only create a small realm. Other species, with their ability to create crystals, can generate entire universes."

Nana pondered this as they continued walking. "That explains why there's so much conflict. Each species has its own territory and capabilities, and crossing those boundaries is seen as a threat."

Sanguina nodded. "Precisely. That's why realm or universe hopping is frowned upon. It disrupts the natural order and can lead to conflicts.

"But I guess my main point was that—"

The ground beneath them shook and stirred as a massive ten-foot white wolf with pristine fur emerged, its eyes blazing with rage.

"This world and other worlds I visit outside of our own are always bathed in chaos to some degree," Sanguina finished, her voice calm despite the imminent danger.

The wolf lunged toward them both, its jaws wide open. Sanguina reacted swiftly, her eyes narrowing with determination. "Nana, stay back!" she commanded, stepping forward to confront the beast.

Nana stepped back, her eyes wide with shock. "What is that thing?" she exclaimed.

"It's an alpha," Sanguina replied, her voice steady. "Much stronger than the others."

As the wolf charged, Sanguina didn't flinch. She waited until the last possible moment before sidestepping with supernatural speed, her blade a blur of motion. She slashed at the wolf's leg, the cut deep and precise. The beast howled in pain but quickly turned to strike again.

Sanguina smiled, a fierce glint in her eyes. "Come on, you can do better than that," she taunted, her voice dripping with confidence.

The wolf lunged once more, but Sanguina was ready. She ducked under its massive paw and, with a swift motion, drove her blade into its side. The creature roared, thrashing in agony, but Sanguina held firm, her strength unyielding.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

In one fluid motion, she leapt onto the wolf's back, her blade gleaming in the dim light. With a powerful strike, she pierced its neck, her precision lethal. The wolf collapsed, its life force drained rapidly.

Breathing steadily, Sanguina stepped off the beast, her posture relaxed yet alert. "Like I said, chaos," she muttered, glancing at Nana.

Hopping off the wolf, Sanguina stated, "Looks like I can smell the scent of salt up ahead. It's likely there is a water hole or pond."

The sounds of whimpers came as the wolf continued to bleed, struggling to stand and slipping on its own blood. Sanguina, a bit confused, walked over to the creature and put her hand on its head. "You aren't like those other wolves, are you?"

Its breathing was heavy and harsh as it collapsed back onto the ground, blood dripping. The wolf stared at Sanguina with pain and pity in its eyes.

"I must say, you sure do have a nice coat on you," she mused, her voice softer. "How about you become my pet for a while until I find you a better place to sleep in?"

Sanguina looked at the creature, her hand still on its head, feeling a strange connection. The wolf's eyes, once filled with rage, now showed a flicker of understanding. She concentrated, her fingers gently brushing through its fur as a faint glow emanated from her hand, healing the worst of its wounds.

The wolf's breathing steadied, and it managed to lift its head slightly, looking at Sanguina with a mix of gratitude and curiosity. Nana watched in awe, witnessing the bond forming between them.

"Looks like you're going to be alright," Sanguina said, smiling. "But you need a name. How about... Ghost?"

"But you are also way too big to be traveling places," Sanguina said thoughtfully. "So how about we work some magic and bring you down to a pup's size for now?"

The wolf gave a confused tilt of the head as Sanguina pulled a crystal from her bag. She flowed red energy into it, and the crystal began to glow with an eerie light. "Hold still," she instructed, before placing the crystal onto the wolf's forehead.

"Restringo Lupus," Sanguina incanted, her voice steady and commanding. The crystal pulsed, and a red aura enveloped the wolf. Slowly, the massive creature began to shrink, its form compressing until it was the size of a pup. The transformation complete, the now tiny wolf looked up at Sanguina, bewildered but unharmed.

"There, much better," Sanguina said with a satisfied smile. She picked up the small wolf and cradled it gently. "You'll be easier to carry around like this. Once we find a safer place, I'll reverse the spell."

Nana watched the transformation in awe. "That was incredible, Sanguina. I didn't know you could do that."

"Well, I personally didn't do it all," Sanguina admitted. "I stole some of the crystals I found since getting here, and they really are small fragments of an entire crystal. That's part of my confusion with this world. But I carry a few small pieces myself for any small effects."

Nana raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so you just command the crystal to do something, and it does?"

Sanguina placed a finger under her chin, thinking. "Well, sort of. It takes a lot of energy, and your energy itself has to link with the crystal properly to make what you request happen. Like, I couldn't tell it to kill someone and it would just do it. The command has to align with the crystal's properties and your own innate abilities."

"I see, I wonder why the Demon King never fully explained this?" Nana mused aloud.

Sanguina shrugged. "It's likely it didn't seem prevalent. It's not common to divulge how these work to anyone, I suppose. But let's get going so we don't burn any more time."

"Right," Nana agreed as she felt something brush along her legs. She looked down to see the wolf creature now at her ankles, big and fluffy with red lines passing through his fur. Bending down to pet the wolf, she said, "I see, I have so much more to learn that I hadn't at the Demon King's Castle… I'm sure Ty will think it's the coolest thing when we find him."

Sanguina nodded, leading the way as they came upon a set of rocks. The sun beamed into the open field, revealing a giant pond stretching before them.

Nana clutched her chest for a moment, a mix of embarrassment and nostalgia in her voice. "Yep, this is the spot where I was dumb enough to try and tell a skeleton I had fallen in love with them." Enjoy more content from empire

It was a great spot, though," Nana continued, reminiscing. "His skeleton was covered in blood, the moonlight carried over, and the lake had a perfect image of the moon. I believe he rejected me in such a kind way before the fairy, which is what Ty called it, appeared and got all upset at him for shooting my request down."

Sanguina responded with a chuckle, "So some random fairy came from the pond and got mad at a skeleton for not returning the feelings of some small-looking lady? Don't hear that every day."

Nana nodded, a smile playing on her lips. "Yes, I guess so." They both stood over the water, the calm surface reflecting their faces. "She was a unique personality for sure. Can't say I ever saw one before, but yeah, this is where I found her.

She said she had been sleeping for a very long time and saw the rise and fall of many civilizations and the capture of curses throughout time, if I recall correctly."

Sanguina raised an eyebrow. "That's quite a story. Fairies with that kind of knowledge and experience are rare. No wonder she was upset. Still, finding another one like her won't be easy."

Nana sighed, her gaze drifting over the water. "No idea how we would find another one. It was pure luck we stumbled upon her the first time."

Sanguina placed a hand on Nana's shoulder. "We'll figure it out. The fact that you found one here before means this place has some significance. Maybe we can uncover more clues."

Pulling a crystal from her bag, Sanguina said, "Watch this trick."

The dog sat behind Nana, curled up and sleeping, as Sanguina held up the crystal. "Reveal to me the origins of every creature in this vicinity that has ever existed in this time."

Sanguina began pouring energy into the crystal, taking a sigh of relief before dropping the crystal, which was twice the size of the previous one, into the lake. It created a shimmer in the water before turning the entire pond bright red, heating and burning away.

Moments later, a projection emerged, showing dozens of fish, creatures, and random monsters in front of both Nana and Sanguina. They flashed around in quick succession, confusing Nana as Sanguina looked on intently.

After a few minutes, Nana rubbed her temples, clearly overwhelmed. "I think I've got a headache from watching all of that."

Sanguina put a finger under her chin, deep in thought. "Things just got a bit more complicated."

Nana looked at Sanguina, trying to make sense of the vision. "What do you mean? What did you see?"

"It's what I didn't see that is the issue… There are no fairy descendants on this—"

Her words were cut off as a massive explosion shook the ground around them, blowing hot air in their direction and shaking the trees. Nana and Sanguina covered their faces as Ghost dug its claws into the ground to prevent being blown away.

"What the hell is that?" Nana exclaimed.

"No idea," Sanguina replied, her eyes scanning the surroundings. Shortly after, everything went back to being calm.

"My point is that there is no trace of a fairy ever being here… which leads me to think whatever that was that came out was something else," Sanguina continued, her voice tinged with concern.

Nana looked puzzled. "But you said this world has some sealed curses, right? And I told you that the 'fairy' claimed to have seen it all before going into a long sleep."

Sanguina nodded. "Exactly. That's what worries me. If there are no fairies here, it means whatever we encountered might be related to those curses instead."