I leaned against the Boulder, legs propped up. Forearms placed on top of the knees.
Now that I sat down. I could feel it. The unbearable tiredness, as if sleep were an entity. And it was forcing me to fall into it.
I shook my head, deciding to check up on my runes, or rather, the fragments count.
Nightmare fragments: [42/2000].
I breathed out a sigh. I went a little over the goal today. Good. The quicker, the better.
I stashed the three awakened and two dormant shards I collected into the backpack memory.
My fingers were wobbling from tiredness.
Perhaps not good. I used too much energy.
With that, I collapsed. Entering a slumber.
My last thought was hoping nothing would kill me while asleep.
***
I woke up, my eyes snapping open. Not a single star in sight.
I raised my arm, smacking it on my forehead.
I had become foolish. What kind of moron would fall asleep in such a place?
I rose, leaning against the giant boulder once again.
I stayed silent and unmoving for several moments.
Before summoning the backpack memory once again.
I crushed the Dormant soul shards. Keeping the awakened ones for Sunless.
Next, I grabbed one of the many water bottles I had, gulping down half of it in a mere few seconds.
I closed up the bottle, letting out a relieved sigh.
Water indeed tasted perfect.
Sunless said he would introduce me to a drink when I hit sixteen.
Speaking of which.
Just as a month would end, it would be my birthday.
I haven't celebrated a single one before.
But now? I had people to do it with.
And I would try to save a few soul shards if I had some left over, to buy snacks and whatnot.
At least I hoped it changed into money.
If not, I'm sure Sunless would be happy to do another trade.
Brushing away the thoughts, I got up.
I stretched the entirety of my body, pops and satisfying cracks ringing out.
Then, my gaze narrowed.
The time to hunt had arrived.
***
If you had told me I would be taking care of a brat, and teaching another one two years ago.
I would have laughed at your face. Then probably stab you.
Now? I was quite content doing so.
Of course, Rain was my sister. And I felt proud teaching her, knowing she would be able to protect herself if the need ever arose.
And then there was Apex. An outskirts rat. A Divine aspect holder like myself. A single ability enabling him to keep up with Morgan, even if she was holding back.
A tactical genius, merciless, a prodigy.
Prodigies didn't exist in the outskirts.
Only cursed or gifted ones.
It all depended on the aspect.
But Apex seemed different. He ralied on his memories, rather than abusing his no doubt strong awakened ability.
Sure, he told me of him warping dozens of times against Morgan, playing around, and stalling.
But it wasn't combat-oriented; it only seemed such because Apex used it in various ways.
Like warping his dagger around, or inside of an enemy.
I almost shuddered at the thought. Nothing could block that.
You couldn't dodge it either, it was instantaneous.
You had to predict, or see the future to have a chance of dodging that.
Speaking of the Awakened ability. Each time I mentioned it, each time Apex tensed.
I only grew more certain that it was powerful. Perhaps even more powerful than his teleportation.
Which in itself, was ridiculously strong.
Yet I had not managed to gain a glimpse of Apex testing it. Not a word of it either.
It's as if the boy was scared to admit what it was.
I let out a soft chuckle, my mind wandering to a more pressing matter.
That being, the Antarctica campaign.
Which would be happening, or rather. The travel to the frozen continent would start in six days.
Then approximately a week to sail there.
And then, hopefully. Two weeks to find a gate.
Of course, I knew it would be nearly impossible to find one at such speed.
But having someone like Apex, a last resort, a backup that is always on time, would be a Godsend.
And so, I would not sit around, I would search.
If the boy even reached his third core by then.
He should. He told me his schedule. An insane time, to hunt to rest ratio that would leave some weaker Masters ragged.
Sixteen to eight hours ratio. No free time.
Any eating or breaks would be taken from the hunting time of course.
And the number of creatures? Insane.
Especially the ranks of them. Especially for an awakened.
Who had no echoes, no large-scale attacks.
He would need to run to each creature, or teleport.
Fight it, collect the shards. And repeat.
I sometimes even wondered if he was truly human. To have so much energy, even for an Awakened.
To barely need to eat.
And... enjoy water out of all things?!
***
"You cannot see anything about him?"
The question was uttered by a woman with long silver hair and equally white armor.
It was none other than Nephis of the immortal flame clan.
And the question is directed to?
It was Cassie of course. The song of the fallen.
"Indeed. His attributes, aspect, everything is hidden."
Cassie sat quietly, a cup of tea cupped in both hands, fingers slightly tense.
Her clothes were also obviously ruffled, as if she hadn't taken care of them for a while.
Nephis sat across from her, coffee rather than tea in her grasp.
Taking a sip from time to time.
She hummed softly, intrigued by the boy.
Her mind flashed back to an incident not too long ago.
When Sunless first questioned her, then decided on infiltrating Valor itself, only to jump on her.. and demand questions.
He had mentioned white flames, just like her own.
Nephi's eyes narrowed, focusing on her companion once again.
"Did he perhaps, have burn injuries?"
There was a long pause, Cassie's fingers stopping their fidgeting.
She looked up, and without her blindfold. You could see the horror in her eyes, the raw, horrifying image that formed in her mind pushing past her usually unflappable facade.
"He did.."
She finally answered, but the emotions did not vanish or change.
"Horrendous ones."
***
[Six hours later].
I gasped for breath, my nose dripping blood.
Never again. Never fucking again.
I lay against the same boulder as yesterday, sweat running down my face like a river.
My eyes were still widened at the horror I felt.
What happened?
A Tyrant fucking happened.
I still have no idea where it came from. It just appeared right in front of me.
An illusory, transparent, terrifying combination of essence. With the five cores glowing brightly, visible through even the body.
Or rather, the lack of one.
I learned quickly that it did not care for physical attacks.
Thankfully, I managed to activate [Fear] just in time to stagger it. And after that, I warped as far as I could.
My fingers twitched, my eyes flickering every which way.
I didn't want to admit it.
But I am fucking terrified.
And the worst thing? I didn't challenge it, it challenged me.
It did not care for my actual race. It wanted blood.
After a few more moments of deliberation, I finally came to the conclusion of: "Yeah, the soul shards aren't worth it."
And so I decided to leave this hellhole.
I'm sure there is a slightly quieter place around, with fewer Tyrants and Terrors around.
***
[14 hours later].
"What the hell is this?"
I asked out loud, because I had nothing else to say.
I was met only by darkness and of course, emptiness.
As if the land itself was dead.
I summoned the backpack memory, taking out a single, old-fashioned coin.
"Heads I walk in. Tails I run the other way."
I flicked the coin into the sky, crossing my fingers for good luck.
But it seemed, fate had other plans.
I tracked the coin by sound, catching it mid-air.
Blood sense extended from the dagger on my hip, and of course.
It was fucking heads.
I sighed, dropping the coin into the backpack once again.
I then sipped some water, to calm my nerves rather than from actual thirst.
Then, I stepped forward.
And as if the dead land was a being, I felt it.
A deathly silent presence.
I shuddered, but continued walking nonetheless.
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