Anomalies.
The word circled in Treiton's mind as he seized Luca by the collar, not even bothering to speak, simply dragging him along the cliffside.
"We're alive?" Luca repeated exactly as before, but Trei ignored him.
What was that?Even in Hale's memories, nothing could explain Luca's behavior… Wait. A faint flicker in his thoughts triggered a notification.
[No anomalies detected.]
So it wouldn't detect him unless that power was active. Just like with the Boss. Some kind of unique ability? Could the Boss have been a Warrior? Trei shook his head sharply, refusing to let speculation harden into certainty.
"Hey. Stop pulling me, Trei," Luca said, planting his feet so firmly that Trei was forced to halt. "I don't know what happened, but we can't go back," he insisted.
Trei only nodded, still taken aback by how casually this servant addressed his lord—not that he had an issue with it. Then again, that was likely why they had become close so quickly. "This is the Forest of Beast. We need to leave. Now."
Just like before, something struck a chord in Luca, and he resumed the trek without further prompting.
Trei's eyes narrowed, his fist tightening with frustration. He didn't enjoy self-pity, but he felt undeniably foolish. Not only for his earlier blunder, but for setting his goals on nothing more than impulse. We need something to work toward first. There's no way I can repay Treiton Hale or Luca if I don't get stronger. And relying on others seems… dangerous.
Breathing hard, he voiced the question forming in his mind. "Is a guard a difficult job to get?" he asked, glancing sideways.
Luca hesitated briefly, more from shock than uncertainty. "Uh—no. It shouldn't be. Most towns are understaffed. As long as you're able-bodied…"
Guards might know something about these insane powers. The Boss was too terrified not to understand at least a little. If we become one, perhaps I could learn more about Luca's ability… and these anomalies.
"Good," Trei said, solidifying the thought into a plan. "We could do that to survive for a while, don't you think?"
Luca grimaced. "Yeah… Look, Trei—Lord—"
Trei waved him off. "We're already considered dead. I'm no longer a lord. Just consider us equals." Repeating the exchange felt strange, and a faint sense of loss edged in. Is this how it'll be every time? All connections wiped clean?
"You're sure? I guess that's not much different from before," Luca muttered, pushing a bit faster up the slope as a distant roar echoed through the forest. He didn't wait for Trei's response. "You're not really… uh—able-bodied," he eventually added.
Trei didn't argue, only forced himself to climb harder. He knew the truth as well as anyone. Soon enough, the moment repeated itself. It was less humiliating, yet still slightly embarrassing. Luca ended up carrying him for most of the remaining distance, and they reached the road just as before.
"Stay in the trees," Trei said, hopping out of Luca's arms. "I don't want anyone recognizing me."
Luca, panting hard, nodded. "Yeah. Good idea."
Trei caught his breath before speaking again. "Is there anywhere in town that won't recognize me? Or my father's territory?"
Luca's eyes widened. "I thought we weren't go back!"
The weaker of the two exhaled heavily. "Don't think I explicitly said that. Plus, we—or at least I—don't know enough to head out alone. We need to gather some information and a good amount of funds first. Then we can leave… On a passenger cart."
Luca gave him a complicated look. "It's… not like everyone knows us. We have our usual places, but…"
Trei nodded, running his fingers through his hair. The bright blond caught against the dimming light, a feature too striking to ignore. He hadn't yet seen his full reflection, but he knew enough. "Let's head back home. Stay on the outskirts and become guards if we can."
Luca hesitated. "I don't think—"
"First we need a knife to cut all this off," Trei interrupted, gesturing to his hair. "I don't think we have much of a choice here." And he meant it. This would also be a chance to uncover more about Treiton's death.
Luca waited a moment, then nodded slowly. "Alright. If we stay outside the high-district, it shouldn't be bad."
Should I do it now? Would that seem too strange? Treiton wondered, knowing full well that strengthening himself was essential, and that it would take time before any town considered him "able-bodied." As the two of them sat, he formed an explanation.
"There's a technique my family passed down," he said, rubbing the back of his head in a sheepish gesture. "I'm not strong right now, but it should help. And since you've saved me…"
Luca paused, eyes widening as realization dawned. "Something to help make you stronger?"
Trei nodded. "It's an old breathing technique. Nothing special, but apparently some ancestor was a Warrior and passed it down. It's degraded, though."
"You'd teach me?" Luca asked, confusion thinning his voice. "I didn't really save you. It's not like I don't carry you home any other day. Plus—"
Trei shook his head, cutting him off again. "Just watch me first. My breathing. Pay close attention to it. Father only showed me once, so I'll try my best to do it properly." And sorry for showing you what you already know, he added silently.
Still, it wasn't as if there was nothing new to teach. The foundation of the technique remained, but the control and rhythm had evolved. His breathing now formed a more active, deliberate pump, drawing energy inward rather than operating through the half-diffusion Luca used.
He closed his eyes, feeling a genuine flicker of happiness. Treiton wasn't sure whether his Aether senses would reset, but they didn't. What disappointed him was the loss of his earlier progress. His ability to detect Aether remained, but none of the increases carried over.
[Name: Treiton. Strength: 0.5, Agility: 0.6, Stamina: 0.5]
He began.
As minutes passed, small blips of information surfaced in his mind, carried by the previously quiet, insectile buzzing.
[Aether Integration: 0 → 15 → 20/100%.]
[Strength: 0.5 (0.003), Agility: 0.6 (0.003), Stamina: 0.5 (0.006)]
The numbers rose quickly, yet something nagged at him. The efficiency. It hadn't moved past 49 percent. Remembering that the creature seemed actively responsive, Trei addressed it directly.
Why isn't the efficiency rising?
It answered at once.
[Inefficiency causes: Breathing, Sensitivity, Suitability. Recommendation: Perfect breathing.]
He exhaled sharply, unsatisfied with the shallow response, though he appreciated the quickness of it. Still, it felt too hollow considering the way it reacted before he revived. Is something wrong with you?
Silence.
He didn't push further. The guidance for breath still lingered in his mind, but he didn't feel any difference in practice. What could it be? Depth of breath? No—the timing feels perfect. Then the only thing left…Strength. My lung capacity, he reasoned.
[Refining recommendation. Considering input… Analysis… Host suitability too low for Breathing. Recommendation: Increase suitability. Refine the body.]
Trei couldn't help but smirk. Guess a bug still can't match a person's intellect.
[BZZZZZZZ!]
A furious vibration tore through his skull, a harsh, angry buzzing that drove a spike of pain straight into his temples and dragged a groan from his throat.
It hurt, but he smiled anyway, his provocation rewarded. He now knew three things for certain: the creature could understand him; it was intelligent enough to comprehend and react; and it absolutely wasn't perfect, failing to account for how unsuitable this body was for pushing another attribute.
Let's treat each other well, he thought.
[…Aether Integration: 100/100%.]
[Temporary adjustment: Strength: 0.51 (0.015), Agility: 0.61 (0.015), Stamina: 0.53 (0.03)]
[Recommendation: Train to increase suitability.]
The progress was far faster than before, and he could only wonder what the results might be if his efficiency ever reached its maximum. At this rate, the growth felt less additive and more logarithmic. But even if the gains were partially locked in, physical movement was necessary. Regardless, it was undeniably a shortcut to strength.
When Trei opened his eyes, he was startled by the sight before him. Luca was already training—not surprising in itself, since Luca knew the breathing technique—but it was the precision that stunned him.
"Is it that easy to adjust your breathing?" he muttered, rubbing his temples. Luca's rhythm mirrored Treiton's near-perfectly. Treiton watched the boy's skin redden with exertion before he finally opened his eyes a few minutes later.
"You got it pretty quick," Treiton said, raising a brow.
Luca rubbed the back of his head, cheeks still flushed. "Yeah, I guess—" He stopped mid-sentence, lips pressing into a tight, awkward line.
He exhaled. "Right. My father…" He repeated the same story as before, revealing exactly as much as he had last time.
Trei hid the familiarity behind a small smile. "We're in this together now. That's why I shared my method. It's fine to have secrets, but if I can help, I will."
Luca blinked, then nodded. "Yeah. Thanks. I… think my training is faster this time thanks to you."
"Good," Trei said, giving him a firm pat on the back.
They resumed walking, both boys keenly aware of the warm burn still lingering beneath their skin. Treiton lowered his gaze to the forest floor, scanning, and spotted what he was searching for. Cinderleaf.
He plucked a stalk without hesitation and popped it straight into his mouth.
[BZZZ! Hunter's Instinct activated.]
Dozens of faint, pale clusters brightened across the forest undergrowth, glowing in his sight like muted sparks. Treiton bent down and snapped another stalk free before passing it to Luca.
"We should take some. We'll need food anyway."
Luca cocked his head. "You can eat it, but not too much. Cinderleaf'll give you a stomachache if you go wild."
Trei blinked. "You know about Cinderleaf?"
"Uh… yeah?" Luca said. "Everyone does. It's everywhere."
Treiton hummed, thoughtful. Was Treiton Hale really that ignorant? Even basic common sense must have been drowned under drink. He filed the thought away as they continued gathering stalks.
Then he stopped.
A small, plain-brown mushroom poked out from a patch of moss. Utterly unremarkable, yet something tugged at him.
Hunter's instinct, huh? he thought, crouching to pluck it free. What kind of nutrients do we even need?
He remembered the merchant's soup laced with drugs. How the old man was surprised at him waking far earlier than expected. Why? There was no way his current body was strong enough to resist something like that on its own.
As if sensing his curiosity—
[BZZZ. Preservation Instinct: 22/100%. Recommendation: Test sample.]
"Preservation Instinct? Why would…" he muttered, but decided to trust it… mostly. He took the tiniest nibble from the mushroom's edge.
Nothing happened.
He swallowed and went back to picking herbs, but a minute later?
[Aether Integration: 98 → 85 / 100%. Preservation Instinct: 22 → 10 / 100%. Recommendation: Difficult. Caution.]
Treiton froze. It dropped?! Both…
Before he could process the implications, Luca spun toward him, tension sharp in his voice.
"Don't pick those. Just one Medter will drop us for days. If no one's around to help, we're dead."