The tunnel was cramped, but it led deeper into the cave. I laded on a rough stone surface, my wings trembling violently.
"I... I almost died... Again...."
My whole body felt weak. My mind was tired. And yet...
I was still alive, I looked at my panel again.
[Status Window]
Name: Ryo
Race: Lunar Moth (Infant)
Level: 1
Essence: 4
Mana: 18/20
Strenght: 1
Agility: 4
Endurance: 2
Magic: 3
Unique Skill:
-Eclipse Gluttony (lvl.1)
Skills:
-Flutter step (lvl2)
-Mana Sense (lvl1)
-Night Vision (lvl1)
-
"My stats really are growing."
Very slowly
Very painfully.
Though almost dying, but growth was growth. I curled my wings around myself and rested in the corner of the tunnel.
The Tower of Night was merciless, Everything here was hungry. Everything here wanted to survive.
I was just one more life struggling in the dark. But even so-
"I won't die here."
I looked down the tinnel, where faint blue light flickered.
"I'll survive. I'll evolve. And I'll climb out of this hellhole." A soft breeze drifted past me. Faint whisoer echoed thriugh the tunnel-like the walls themselves murmured secrets.
The tower was watching me.
Waiting.
Testing me.
-
The soft breeze drifted past me. The faint whispers in the tunnel still echoed as if the tower itself was breathing ebside my wings. I stared at the faint blue lught in the distance and repeated the same thought in my mind:
My second life just begun.
But the moment of calm didn't last long. A soft sound broke the silence.
Fss... Fss.... Fssss...
My antennae twitched. The sound was very small, like something brushing against stone. "Not another spider, right....?" I whispered, already ready to run.
I peeked over the small rock I was resting on. At first, I saw nothing. Then eyes adjusted.
A small shape fluttered weakly on the ground. A moth. A anormal sized moth. Smaller than me. Its wings were pale, almost white, with faint grey lines looked like cracks.
It crawled instead of flying, dragging one wing as if it was hurt. "Its, like me?" I whispered.
No. Not like me exactly. I was a Lunar Moth, glowing faintly with mana. This little moth was ordinary. No glow, no mana emanation no special features.
Just a tiny, fragile creature struggling to live in a place that didn't care.
And yet, something felt strange. My mana sense... Reacted. A faint ripple, weak but familiar. This moth had no mana core, no essence, nothing special, but the Tower... Was wacthing it.
I didn't know how I sensed that, but I did. That same strange whispering feeling touched the edge of my mind. The tower wanted me to find this moth.
Or protect it. Or maybe... This little creature was part of my tes. The moth lifted its head slowly. It antennae twitched as if noticed me. Instead of fleeing, it crawled toward me.
-
"Hey... Slow down. I;m not safe to approach," I muttered, backinh up a little.
It kept crawling, it was so tiny, so weak, so helpless. I didn't understabd how ut was still alive inside the undercity maze. Even I who had a system, barely survuved an hour.
"Why are here... Little guy?" It didn't answer, obviously. It only fluttered its broken wing sadly. Something deep in my chest squeezed.
"Were you chased? Hurt? Abandoned?" It crawled closer, bumping its head lightly on ly leg.
Almost like it was saying:
"Help."
Something stirred inside me, my wings trembled a little. "I'm... Not strong," I whispered. " I can barely protect myself."
The moth simply pressed itself against me again. I let out a long sigh. "Fine.. stay close, but something tries to eat us-run."
Its antennae bounced happily.
And then-
[System Alert]
New presence Detected
Class: Lesser Moth (Injured)
Status: Critical
Potential: Low...?
Note; system analysis incomplete. Unknown hidden trait detected.
-
"Unknown hidden trait/" I repeated softly. The system rarely spoke unless necessar. For it to say thus there had to be something unique about this normal moth.
"Alright... I'll call you flutter."
The little moth twitched as if pleased with them name.
"Leys survive together, Okay?"
It chirped sotly, a weak sound but warm.
A warmth i desperately needed in this nightmare.
-
With flutter riding on my bck-light enough that I barely noticed-I walked deeper into the tunnel. Yes, walked. Not flew.
I wanted to save stamina. The tunnel was narrow, jagged, and uneven, thin cracks on the walls leaked faint mana, glowing veins of light. As I walked, the towers whispered felt clearer.
Not words, more like a soft hum mied with pressure in the air.
Flutter clung to my back tightly, shaking every time a drop of water fell.
"You really are scared of everything, huh?" I whispered. It chirped weakly. "I get it. I'm scared too."
I kept moving slowly, trying to sense any danger ahead.
My mana sense flickered, once, twice
Not danger this time, something else. A smell reached me-a strange sweet scent driftig though the air. Flutter perkef up, antennae waving axcitedly.
"You smell it too?" We followed the scent until the tunnel oepened into a small chamber. And my tiny jaw dropped.
-
Before us was a small clearing filled with glowing flowers. Their petals were pale blu and soft, releasing sweet mana, rich pollen into the air.
Flutter chirped loudly-well, as loud as a tiny moth could.
"You want to eat some?" I asked.
It nodded instantly. 'Okay becareful. This is too... Perfect. A trap maybe." Still I couldn't ignore the huger gnawing inside me either. I fluttered forward cautiously. The flower pulsed fainlty with mana. Every few seconds, the petals curcled and reopened, releasing glowing spores. Like ting stars. I landed on apetal flutter landed beside me, sniffing,
"Alright... Lets try a little,"
I bit into the petal.
[Eclipse Gluttony Activated]
Mana Bloom (Low Rank) consumed
+6 Mana
+1 Essence
Absoprtion Complete.
Warm energy spread through me this was good, really good.
Flutter ate a piece too, but nothing happened to it-no glow, no reaction, no change, it was just food for him.
"We should gather more. This could help us later." I plucked several petals, storing them inside a small fold beaneath my wing. My body wasn't human, but I found that moths could hide small things under their wings like pockets.
To be continued...