Avahni thought that she was getting along with the human known as Jon. While there was still a distinct sense of awkwardness between the pair, she did not feel as though there was any hidden aggression within in his demeanour or mannerisms.

When she saw that Jon had managed to find a set of clothing, she was surprised, and somewhat envious that Jon managed to bring in some of his belongings into the System Introduction. When she realized that human civilization had progressed far enough for them to develop clothing, her initial estimate of the human races technological advancement was quite a bit behind what Jon's belongings suggested.

While she considered the possibility that Jon merely belonged to a higher caste within human society, she also did not discount the possibility of him being a wanderer, a nomad of sorts.

There were still plenty of lutin's that did the same, rejecting the philosophy of the Mother and Father, travelling around the surface of the planet, foraging, trading and coming together every decade to celebrate their spiritual festivals. Avahni remembered visiting once such festival several years ago with her mother, and even then, the memories of the event caused brought the faintest traces of a smile to her lips.

The past one hundred and ten years had been the greatest length of peace throughout lutin history. With the exception of a few minor conflicts in a few city states to the north, the vast majority of the lutin population lived in peace and without fear of war or conflict.

It was through the belief in the Mother and Father, that brought prosperity and harmony to the people of Svarlfin. Celebrating family, and the joyous flourishing of love and happiness towards all people.

Everyone. Regardless of your birth, heritage or ideology.

It was why Avahni had been so interested in the System Introduction. Finding out that the lutin race was not alone within the universe had been an incredible surprise, and that she, along with many others throughout the 37th universe would be forced to participate in this "System Introduction" was perhaps the greatest thing to ever happen in her life.

The System was even pushing the individuals chosen to represent their Races to work together in order to complete a series of challenges and tasks. It was as if the stars had aligned, and Avahni had finally found her calling in life.

To spread the flourishing of happiness throughout the universe. To bring a smile to the distraught, to extend a hand towards the lost.

She firmly believed that every living being in this world, deep in their heart, wanted to be happy. That at the very source of an individual, a desire to be happy, and content existed deep within them.

And as such, she considered only one method suitable in order to complete her goal.

To make friends with every single Race throughout her universe! And beyond!

It would start with this strange, somewhat lonely looking human. One that was strong but guarded. One that was fearless but strangely paranoid. One, that would one day, take her hand and allow her to show them into the light!

Seeing the small fragment in the palm of Jon's hand, Avahni felt both her hearts skip a beat, knowing that she had achieved her first step towards her goal.

"I shall reach my hands towards the stars, and grasp them", Avahni said, causing Jon to tilt his head to the side, not understanding her words.

'Today, Jon, and tomorrow, the universe! Hahaha!' the lutin practically beamed at the gesture, taking the fragment, which she now knew was a Fragment Of Mouth holding it up to the sky as if it were the most powerful and sort after fragment in the universe.

The human beside her, tilting his head to the side, showing a wry smile at the childish gestures of his new alien friend.

Break

'I reckon, that even compared to other lutin's, Avahni might be considered weird. It's a compliment, I swear', the young human adult thought as he watched his lutin friend integrate the Fragment Of Mouth into her Wood Mana Core.

It had been quite difficult to communicate a question, especially one so specific, but Avahni merely pointed to the imaginary Wood Mana Core in his own chest, before pointing back at her own. Jon was somewhat surprised that she chose to immediately integrate such a fragment but could only watch as her eyebrows slowly raised upwards, reading the effect description of her newest ability.

Considering that there was no outward change to her appearance, Jon assumed that it was perhaps a Spell that she had acquired. Despite having gotten used to her presence, and the effects of her mutated hair ability, Jon found it hard to imagine a method of enhancing her appearance further, at least according to a human standard.

His eyes moved towards the fat plant creature clinging to Avahni's leg, watching it move what Jon thought was a head towards him, gazing at him with an expressionless face.

'Does it actually have a face though? I mean, how can it see without any sort of eye or organ capable of perceiving light? Or does it perceive heat or something?' Jon let out a small sigh, throwing such thoughts to the back of his mind. These questions weren't important, but rather, just an expression of his own healthy curiosity.

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Watching Avahni slowly lift her head, a grin stretching from one corner of her face to the other.

Just estimating off her initial reactions, Jon knew that Avahni's newest ability would be something interesting. While Jon couldn't even imagine what type of ability the integration of a Fragment Of Mouth into a Wood Mana Core would produce, Jon suspected that at the very least, Avahni found it useful.

Watching as Avahni took a few steps away from his campfire, Jon heard her mutter something in her native language, while gesturing for her fat plant creature to move towards the side. Jon unknowingly showed a strange expression as he watched it roll lazily down the sandbank.

'I wonder if she will get upset if I give that summon of hers a nickname?' Jon thought to himself.

Closing her eyes, Jon watched as Avahni clasped her both of her hands together, resting her forehead on them as if indicating the beginning of a prayer. Despite the sensory enhancement of Jon's [Monstrous Intuition] only affecting his five natural senses, almost immediately, Jon could feel the stirring of spiritual energy around himself.

The flow of wind shifted, flowing outward from Avahni rather than around her. The sand beneath her feet rippled and swelled like waves across the ocean's surface. Minute sand particles remained suspended in the air, as if trapped by some unknown force or intention.

Jon thought that he heard the wind whisper to him, but realized it was only Avahni, her voice projected all around him, all at once. There was a strange quality to the words she spoke. While Jon was unable to discern their meanings or implications, his intuition was pushing him towards the conclusion that she was calling out to something.

Or someone.

Feeling the wind pick up all around him, Jon thought he caught the faintest traces of blood in the air. The young adult human took a few steps away from Avahni, narrowing his eyes as her form began to ripple, or rather, as the space in front of her began to crack.

The light around the riverbank dimmed, as colour was drained into this spatial crack. Jon could feel the direction of the wind shift dramatically, everything all around himself flowing in reverse directly towards Avahni's figure.

Jon reached towards his spear, the chant for his physical enhancement of the tip of his tongue. The rational part of him wanted to activate it, but feeling a slight tug on his leg pant, Jon looked down, seeing the fat plant creature wrap its strand-like roots around his calf.

It shook its head. Or at least, what Jon thought was its head before lifting one of its limbs and pointing towards Avahni.

She had extended her hand into the spatial fracture before her, causing Jon's breath to hitch as her screams echoed throughout the beachfront.

Jon could see traces of blood dripping down the length of her arm, Avahni's voice growing distorted through whatever strange power she was channelling throughout her form, giving off the impression that she was possessed by a demon.

The rational and emotional parts of Jon's psyche clashed, somewhat urging him to retreat away from Avahni, while simultaneously pushing him to help her.

'Shit… I can't just leave her to die out here!' Jon gritted his teeth, ignoring the logical sections of his personality.

Jon wanted to take a step forward and put a stop to whatever the effects of this horrifying ability were but felt the grip the fat plant creature had on his leg tighten. Frowning, Jon tried to push the creature away, but instead lifted his head in shock, the instincts born from his [Monstrous Intuition] urging him to back way.

Jon felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise, as a horrid, inhuman scream emanated from beyond the spatial crack. For a moment, Jon thought he saw the image of a jungle which stretched beyond infinity.

A world of endless green and scorching humidity. Ruled by vines, moss and mangroves so old that it made the entirety of human history appear a little more than a single ring within their enormous trunks. Where poisonous flowers bloomed towards the moon, and hungry flesh-eating fruits gnashed their rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth towards the sun and moon.

Trees that stretched towards the sea of stars.

Flowers that blossomed with colours that Jon had no name for, releasing scents that were incomprehensible to the human mind.

Mushrooms that consumed biomass, spreading their seemingly infinite spores beyond the horizon.

Forests of kelp which dyed the rivers and lakes green, enormous lily pads and strange-coloured algae dotting the surface of its myriad water sources.

Jon thought that he saw the faintest traces of a war being fought in this realm, but merely watched as Avahni gritted her teeth, finishing the final words of her incantation. One last pulse of spiritual energy rippling out from with her, as the ability which mutated her hair manifested itself.

Jon could only stand there in awe, watching as Avahni's hair extended towards her feet, the lustrous, verdant green strands glowing with a faint golden light. Jon thought he saw words written on each individual strand of hair, but ignored it, focusing solely on Avahni's arm, still within the spatial crack.

With an astounding amount of force, Jon watched as the lutin pulled their hand back from beyond that strange alien realm. Her figure, no drenched in blood immediately hit the hands, her hands grasping onto some strange, glowing alien fruit.

Jon wanted to step forward and try and help her but noticed the fat plant creature swiftly roll towards his master. Jon did not regret choosing his Fragment Of Regeneration as his task reward but almost wanted to use his spare task reward to ask for another Fragment Of Regeneration, or even a Fragment Of Healing.

Hitching his breath, Jon watched as the plant creature snapped off one of its appendages, placing it in front of Avahni's mouth, directly upon her lips.

'What is this thing trying to do?' Jon thought to himself.

He could clearly see that Avahni's arm had been horribly bitten into, chunks of flesh hanging loosely off her bones as if a pack of wild dogs had viciously chewed on it. Avahni gritted her teeth, raising her uninjured arm towards the root-like appendage and then swiftly biting down on it.

The lutin chewed and swallowed every bite. Juices dripping down her chin and cheeks, giving her a somewhat savage appearance. Her ravenous methods of devouring the limb, caused Jon to somewhat real back in disgust, but continued to watch, wondering what the purpose of eating her own summon was.

Despite the size of the limb, Avahni managed to finish eating it within the span of a minute, swallowing every bite, grinning as she spread her limbs wide. Her appearance no longer possessing any trace of inhuman beauty that Jon had once seen it possess.

'She is actually crazy. There isn't a doubt in my mind that Avahni might be a little bit insane,' Jon still gave her a smile, holding up both of his thumbs, causing her to laugh, wincing as a sharp bout of pain shot up her arm.

With the assistance of her fat plant creature, Avahni managed to lift her head, giving Jon a tearstained thumbs up. Her finger pointing towards his burned limb while holding up her own as if to say, "we're matching".

Jon could only laugh along with her, dispelling the feeling of awkwardness between them.

Avahni truly did feel as though she had become friends with Jon in that moment.

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