After killing the liars who tried to hide information from me, I hid in the shadows to clean my clothes using a bit of water magic, making sure not to leave even the slightest trace of blood that could raise suspicions.
Once impeccable and with a calm countenance, I put on my hood and headed without a shred of remorse towards a large library in the city. My objective was clear: I needed a detailed map of the region and any information that would help us hide from the people who were looking for us.
Upon entering, luck seemed to be on my side. In a matter of minutes, I managed to find exactly the map I needed, but just before going to a table to analyze it, a spine on a shelf caught my attention.
'Mana and matter, two things that make up the world' What a strange name for a book. I thought, picking it up out of curiosity and taking it with me to a free table that was in the back, far from curious gazes.
After sitting down, I unfolded the map we had bought along with the one from the library. The first thing I did was trace a specific route, taking additional notes and comparing the geography with the memories of my vision. The hours passed quickly, and thanks to the artificial tranquility that intoxicated my body under the demonic core, I was able to find what I was looking for so much.
Yes... it must be one of those three. I said in my mind, observing three islands of different sizes that rose in the sea to the north of the country of Silan, neighbor of the Kingdom of Flok, the place where I grew up.
There is no doubt... one of those is it, of that I am sure. I thought with a smile full of confidence, to then reflect on the source of the security that was in my words. It was strange at first, and I didn't give it importance because of the situation I was in… but, since I changed core an hour ago, a strange but potent presentiment invaded my body… one that whispered and whispers softly to my senses, indicating to me the direction where theBernal Fragmentthat I saw in my dream is.
Analyzing the situation more deeply, I finally understood that between one mana core and another, my body changed more than what appeared at first glance, since different sensations invaded my mind depending on the core I was with; among them, a strange but clear connection between the Spark of the Dragon God and my Demonic Core.
According to Kadian's words and the story Zoe told me about our family, upon receiving the Spark of the Dragon God —or rather said the Bernal Fragment—, the evolution of a core slowed down enormously due to the immense load of power that this entails.
With that logic, I quickly deduced thanks to the precision and coldness I felt at that moment, that although my Dragonkin Core possessed the Bernal Fragment and suffered that restriction, my Demonic Core did not, which allowed my growth to be normal, or even accelerated for that core, since paradoxically I could feel with this core the divinity of the Fragment, even more than in my other Dragonkin core.
That explains everything... I thought, looking at my pale hand. That is why my Demonic Corewas advancing at an accelerated pace, despite training almost nothing with it.
This gave me the idea that, if I used this core more, I could increase my fighting level to something never seen before, surpassing my current limits... not to mention that this core had greater affinity to my Atlas rune and to more complex and cool techniques like Immaterial.
I would love to train more with this core from now on, but I doubt I can do it, since the mana I emit would make Zoe uncomfortable… and I don't want that. I concluded, before focusing on my current situation.
The main issue now was that thanks to that strange connection between my Demonic Core and the Bernal Fragment, I was able to know in the moment, as if it were a compass, the exact direction where the Second Bernal Fragment was located.
With the route traced, I took advantage of the time I had to read the book I had picked up, where I found interesting theories and articles about magic and its unification with physical matter, something that impressed me due to the way in which it was explained, making me wonder if there were more people from my world or if there were only geniuses in this one.
Buying the book and returning the map, I started going through different shops in the city in search of some type of weapon, since although I had Belarus, I didn't give it much use since I lost part of my mobility in my right hand, something that was going to make it difficult for me if I encountered powerful enemies.
Being already very late, I wanted to return to the camp after my investigations and null purchases upon not finding anything interesting. Walking through the city, I met Zoe by chance, who was sitting on a wooden bench in a large park.
What? But why is she still here? I thought a bit annoyed, knowing what my meeting with her meant.
Stopping in a dark alley near the park, I made sure no one saw me to change core quickly, deactivating the demonic one to return to my natural state and thus ensure not to scare or make her uncomfortable.
After changing core, I felt clearly what I wanted to avoid; the coldness and absolute calm that enveloped me were replaced suddenly by a torrent of more natural emotions, taking me on a roller coaster of discomfort, guilt and disgust, feeling now with all its weight the atrocity I had committed a few hours ago.
Shit… I-I must calm down…. I thought heavily, leaning on the cold wall while I felt how the nausea rose up my throat, forcing me to swallow saliva repeatedly so as not to vomit right there while my mind replayed the feelings and images of uncertainty, fear and hate I felt when I killed those demons.
Trying to distract my mind to recover composure, I activated Perception by instinct to secure the perimeter one last time before approaching Zoe... something that turned out to be a mistake, since it ended up completely freezing my blood upon discovering what was in the range of my spell.
What...? What are they doing here? Why are there so many?
Upon expanding my senses, I noticed with horror several monstrous mana signatures scattered in the city... dense and oppressive signatures that did not belong to simple guards or adventurers, but to beings of Legend Rank.
Shit… this is bad, very bad! A Legend Rank in itself is a rarity, but… several in the same commercial city? I thought, feeling a cold sweat run down my back. If they find us, or if those guys are related to the trackers and Boris... we are dead.
With real fear running through my body thanks to my Dragonkin core, I made sure I had the hood on to hide my pale face and the urgency in my eyes, before shooting out towards Zoe.
Arriving at her back, I grabbed her quickly by the shoulder to ask her with annoyance and urgency the reason why she was still here.
"Why didn't you go to where Mork and Ness were?" I said with a hoarse and accelerated voice, looking frantically around to make sure that none of those presences approached.
She, surprised and scared by my tone, tried to respond stammering: "I-I, I just…"
"Quick, we must leave as soon as possible." I interrupted clouded by fear, pulling her by the wrist with force while I focused on walking, ignoring her confusion and prioritizing our survival before the invisible threat that lurked in the city.
Luckily, we arrived at the camp without setbacks, something that relaxed me in part, making me sigh heavily before leaving for the route I had traced towards Silan.