By the time Torin and Elara entered Thornveil, Nero and Gareth had already emerged from the opposite side of the forest.
The two walked along the road leading back toward the capital.
After several minutes of silence, Gareth spoke casually.
"I have a question."
Nero answered without looking over. "Hit me."
Gareth raised an eyebrow.
Then shrugged.
And slapped the back of Nero's head.
SMACK.
Nero stumbled forward and quickly regained his footing.
"WHAT THE FUCK!?"
He spun around and rubbed the back of his head.
"Why did you hit me?!"
Now Gareth looked confused.
"You told me to."
Nero stared at him.
"I didn't mean it literally."
A pause.
"When someone says 'hit me' after you ask if you can ask a question, it means you can go ahead and ask."
He continued rubbing his head.
"And why the hell are you this strong?"
Gareth looked genuinely apologetic.
"I didn't know that."
He scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Here, we just tell the other person to ask their question."
Then he paused.
"Is that something from wherever you came from?"
Nero let out a long sigh.
"Yeah."
A pause.
"I should probably stop using phrases like that here."
He lowered his hand.
"Anyway, what was your question?"
They resumed walking.
Gareth glanced at him.
"Where are you actually from?"
The question caught Nero slightly off guard.
But none of it showed on his face.
"I already told you this morning."
He kept his eyes forward.
"I stepped through a portal—not a Worldbridge—and ended up here."
A pause.
"I don't know what this place is."
"Which means I don't really know where I came from compared to here."
Gareth listened quietly.
Nero continued.
"But I can tell you one thing."
His tone became more serious.
"I'm not planning to stay here for long."
Gareth looked at him.
"Trying to get somewhere?"
Nero glanced sideways.
"You could say that."
A brief pause.
"It's complicated."
Gareth nodded slowly.
"I see."
The conversation died there.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Then Nero finally broke the silence.
"Alright."
He pointed at Gareth.
"Now it's my turn."
Gareth chuckled.
"Fair enough."
Nero thought back to their battle.
"When we fought earlier, you, that hot-headed guy, and that flame-throwing arsonist had this green glow around you."
He gestured vaguely.
"It looked like it was increasing your physical abilities."
"What exactly was that?"
Gareth frowned. "You mean Zeak and Sten?"
Gareth nodded.
"Yeah, you figured that part out correctly."
He lifted a hand.
"That glow boosts our physical abilities through mana."
Nero frowned slightly.
"Mana?"
Gareth blinked.
"You don't know what mana is?"
"No."
Nero's confusion was obvious now.
"That's the first time I've ever heard that word."
Gareth looked equally confused.
"But you can use magic."
A pause.
"How do you not know what mana is?"
Nero stopped walking.
"Can you explain it?"
Gareth stopped as well.
He folded his arms and tilted his head thoughtfully.
"I'm not exactly great at explaining things."
A pause.
"But I can give you the basics."
Nero nodded.
The two started walking again.
Gareth gathered his thoughts.
"Mana."
He looked toward the road ahead.
"It's the energy that makes magic possible."
Nero frowned.
"Energy?"
"More accurately..."
Gareth searched for the right words.
"It's what spells are made from."
He gestured around them.
"Every living creature carries mana inside its body."
"And the world itself is filled with it."
Nero listened carefully.
"The mana inside your body is what allows you to cast spells."
Gareth lowered one hand toward the ground.
A gentle breeze flowed across the grass.
The blades swayed softly.
Then Gareth continued.
"The mana in the world around you strengthens those spells."
The breeze immediately intensified.
Wind exploded outward.
Dirt and loose pebbles scattered across the road.
Nero raised an arm to shield his face.
After a moment, Gareth closed his hand.
The wind vanished instantly.
Silence returned.
Gareth lowered his arm.
"That's all you really need to understand for now."
Nero lowered his arm.
"Interesting."
He thought for a moment.
"But how exactly does mana enhance your physical abilities?"
Gareth scratched the back of his head.
"How do I explain it...?"
He thought for a few seconds.
"Instead of using the mana inside your body to cast spells, you use it to strengthen your body itself."
A faint green glow began to appear around him once more.
This time, however, it was much dimmer than before.
Nero immediately noticed.
"Why is it weaker?"
Gareth let the enhancement fade.
The glow disappeared.
"I kept it that way."
He pointed toward the distant walls of the capital.
"We're getting close."
"I don't want people noticing a bright green glow from this far away."
A pause.
"Besides, maintaining it burns through mana pretty quickly."
Nero fell silent.
His mind was already racing.
So… there are two types of mana.
Internal mana.
External mana.
Internal mana acts as the catalyst.
External mana amplifies the spell.
He frowned.
Then another question surfaced.
"You said internal mana can be used to enhance the body."
He glanced at Gareth.
"What about the mana outside your body?"
"Can you use that too?"
Gareth tilted his head.
"That's actually a good question."
He thought for a moment.
"Not that I know of."
"I've never heard of anyone using environmental mana to strengthen their body."
Nero covered his mouth with one hand as he continued walking.
Could that be what happened against the Watchers?
Angelo's voice echoed inside his head.
"Maybe."
A pause.
"Maybe not."
"I don't remember much from back then."
"It felt like I blacked out the whole time."
Nero thought back to the footage General Mordane had shown them.
"No."
His eyes narrowed.
"It didn't look the same."
"I didn't have a green glow around me."
A pause.
"Fire covered my body."
"But it wasn't burning me."
Angelo immediately added,
"And don't forget the part where I went completely berserk."
Nero chuckled internally. "More like a psycho."
"Yeah." Angelo sounded oddly pleased. "That's more accurate."
The two fell silent.
Gareth had been watching Nero the entire time.
Eventually he asked,
"What are you thinking about?"
Nero blinked.
"Huh?"
He waved a hand dismissively.
"Nothing."
"Don't worry about it."
Gareth frowned.
"I wasn't worried before."
A pause.
"But hearing you say that makes me worry."
Nero smiled.
"Relax."
"I'm not planning to do anything."
Gareth stared at him.
"Somehow that makes it worse."
Nero sighed.
"Anyway."
He looked back at Gareth.
"Can you teach me how to use mana to strengthen my body?"
Gareth nearly stumbled.
"What?"
His eyes widened.
"Teach you?"
"You were already doing it back in the forest."
Nero tilted his head.
"No, I wasn't."
"I don't know how to do that."
Gareth looked even more shocked.
"But you punched through Bren's stone wall with your bare hands."
"Oh."
Nero stopped walking.
He picked up a palm-sized rock from the side of the road.
Then casually closed his hand.
CRACK.
The stone crumbled into dust.
Nero brushed the fragments from his palm.
"That's just how strong I normally am."
Gareth stared.
"What do they feed you?"
Nero resumed walking.
"Yeah."
"I get that reaction a lot."
Gareth shook his head and followed after him.
After a few moments, Nero asked again,
"So?"
"Can you teach me?"
Gareth released a long sigh.
"I don't know if I should."
He glanced toward the capital ahead.
"But that discussion can wait."
"We need to get back first."
Nero nodded.
The two continued down the road.
With every step, the gates of the capital drew closer.