Three days had passed since I left Freya behind. Veyra and I have travelled to the last place she could remember. The place where she was abducted by the masked man.

  Sandy plains vanished on the horizon as we crossed through the border and landed directly between Jeddan and Horinn territories. It wasn’t exactly clear where we were, but either way, I continued to add it to my perfect memory in hopes that I’d find my way back eventually.

  It came out of the blue, but I felt a mental tug against my silent thoughts, “We…arriving soon… Trees…familiar.” Veyra’s voice penetrated my mind with a glitching tone that was hard to keep track of.

  Conversations weren’t exactly easy, but they were a lot more reliable than trying to mime everything out. Based on what she’d shared with me, whoever kidnapped her and put her in that dungeon stone must have also taken away her ability to speak.

  Because of that, she gained a strange telepathic skill that she didn’t have before. Even though she didn’t know too much about it. We were both sort of in the dark about all of this.

  Are you really able to tell?

  After establishing the mental bridge, I figured out that I could force my thoughts back onto her. It didn’t come as easily as magic does, but we tried talking in between our trip, so I had a few moments to practice.

  She nodded back in agreement, and I offered a skeptical gaze forward. Strange… All these trees look the same to me. Does she have a better memory than I do?

  Thanks to my bulky body and now, even lower agility stats, our pace was a level below leisurely. I felt bad at first, but Veyra wasn’t exactly in the perfect condition for an expedition either, so it gave her the time to recover.

  Her slender body was already quite frail, but adding her mysterious condition into the mix and it was understandable why we took our time. Still, we had been travelling for almost our fourth day, and I still couldn’t help stealing glances at the pointed tips of her ears that barely peeked beyond her ocean blue hair. Admittedly, elves were a HUGE interest of mine in my previous life. Seeing one for real was a feeling that the word ‘happy’ couldn’t completely capture.

  I wonder how many other species this world has~

  As the path curved over a cliff, we passed a massive moss-covered stone structure in the far off distance that nearly tripled our height. It was another material I had no recollection of, and couldn’t guess to save my life. Its rich grey colour looked rough and brittle, buried half into the ground and in more layers of moss than anything.

  {Ancient Azarium Stone}

  {This material made up most civilizations at the beginning of mankind, but has long since been forgotten. In its current state, it is barely able to support the weight of a grown human}

  The further we went, the more of those strange stones I saw scattered around the place. From what I could tell, the area beyond the broken chunks of stone was filled with similar structures, but the dense fog that surrounded it was too much to see through.

  Wait, where did this fog come from?! I stepped further away to examine it.

  The path ahead was clear as day, but the same couldn’t be said for the layered scenery to our right. The open forest we saw seconds ago was covered in heavy fog before we had the chance to react. It seriously came out of nowhere.

  Something didn’t sit right with me, so I activated my Perception skill just in case, but… nothing came of it. According to the skill, the area beyond that fog didn’t contain any life, or structures or even the trees I had just seen. Nothing existed beyond the fog.

  I’m a bit interested, but… My attention shifted to Veyra, who stared blankly at me. I have other things to worry about. I’ll have to pass on exploring you, strange foggy ruins. I waved goodbye and begrudgingly walked away.

  Veyra offered a worried look, “You…alright?”

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Never better! Now, let’s keep going. I want us to get there before nightfall. I wasn’t sure how convincing my inner thoughts sounded, but not even I was convinced by them.

  Not long after, we managed to find a small village just on the outskirts of the forests. It seemed far enough from that strange fog that we didn’t have to worry about it.

  I had to keep my priorities straight, especially with Veyra around. The chances of us finding clues about her kidnapping were slim to none. Even so, we had nothing else to go off of, so it was worth a shot asking around.

  The dirt trail siphoned into a single path that cut through the close settlement of wooden houses and structures lined up in parallel rows. A man sat at the small pitched fence that stretched around the property, his head hung forward, almost limp in front of his chest.

  Slight panic rose in my movements as I rushed over.

  Is he dead or just... asleep?

  As we got closer, his shoulders suddenly jerked, and he stumbled to his feet with half-open eyes that widened in surprise at our direction. From the look in his eyes, he probably found himself lost for words and forced out the first thing that came to his mind,

  “M–monster…! There’s a monster and a– woman?” His hands immediately searched for the pitchfork that rested against his chair.

  His eyes remained glued on me until he noticed the taller, slender figure beside me. Suddenly, some colour returned to his ghastly expression and went three shades redder. “U-uh, what are you doing here?”

  Poor guy, he’s not used to seeing monsters this close to the village, huh? I guess there’s nothing really dangerous around here, then. I turned my attention to Veyra with a deep concentration.

  I discovered not long into our telepathic talks that if I focus hard on projecting my thoughts or shuttering them from her, I could control what she’s able to hear or not.

  “M-missy... what are you waiting for? Run away from that thing!”

  That thing? Ouch... is the idea of a familiar so foreign to villagers, I thought something like that would be widespread in this world?

  Veyra seemed a bit lost for words. She worriedly glanced between the pitchfork and me.

  Tell him we’re friendly and mean no harm. I nodded for reassurance.

  Verya offered a disheartened smirk, almost unsure of it all. She faced the man and turned silent, projecting her thoughts onto him. I read the shifting expressions of his face, and suddenly Veyra tightened her grip on the sides of her robe. She tried, but couldn’t shake the look of nerves that dictated her facial expressions.

  The man jerked out of fright and nearly dropped his pitchfork. His nervous eyes shot between Veyra and me, no doubt trying to figure out where the voice in his head was coming from. Once he seemed a bit more used to it, an eerie silence fell over the situation.

  Veyra turned to my direction, eyes lowered in shame.

  “He…say…too dangerous…” The words struggled to leave her mind, almost like she was reluctant to say them. “We…no…enter.”

  Is he denying us from entering the village? I can understand being a bit cautious, but did you tell him we’re adventurers? Maybe if you mention why we’re here, he’ll hear us out?

  Before the words fully left my own mind, I noticed the stolen glances the man took at me. His grip on his pitchfork leaned closer to my side than Veyra's. Not to mention, his status hadn’t settled down since we arrived.

  {Human Male Lv3}

  {Status: Extremely Frightened}

  {Although not fully trained, this human is prepared to fight if put in any more danger}

  My eyes clung to those words like a record on repeat. ‘If put in any more danger.’

  Even to the system, I was objectively a threat to the human race in this form. No, since I awoke in this world. I’m no longer a human anymore, I’m a Golem, and I have to accept that and move on.

  I stared at my claw with an absent stare, then let out a subtle groan.

  My floating torso shifted back, and the man immediately hopped in place, terrified by even the slightest motion. I faced away and hovered back towards the forest we passed on our way there. I expected things to go this way, being a monster and all, but a part of me was hoping for a different reaction once we actually arrived.

  Before getting too far, I extended my thoughts in hopes that Veyra would pick up on them.

  Veyra, rest in the village tonight and meet me outside the village here again tomorrow. It’s probably best if we aren’t seen together, but see what you can find out from here.

  “I…go…you…!” A lot more emotion seeped through the mental link there. It caught me by surprise.

  I get how you feel, but unlike me, you can’t go without rest. At least here, you’ll be protected. I promise, we’ll meet back again tomorrow and try something else. Goodnight, Veyra.

  I left without another glance, but from what I could tell, she was taken in without any issues. My Perception skill seemed to work just fine, and with it, I could pick up on her signature and keep tabs from a distance.

  At least that way, I wouldn’t have to worry about her through the night, and I could focus on myself.

  That villager didn’t seem like much of a fighter. Are there no guards around here? I’m guessing there aren’t many monsters in this area, are there? Sigh! I guess that’s what I’ll do tonight.