Slap!
“Is this place a bug nest?!” I swatted at my arm, already feeling like I was being devoured alive. The worst part? I could see and hear every single pest with excruciating clarity. Well—if I focused, but it was hard not to.
Seriously. No blood suckers except , Luna vowed. I’m not sharing.
“Maybe cultivation makes our blood sweeter or sothing,” Elric said, lazily waving a hand through the air. “It’s starting to get dark. Anyone wanna rest?”
“My butt is killing ,” Sia groaned. “These things have to be the most uncomfortable mounts ever.”
I nudged Elric’s shoulder. “Bet that’s not the—”
My foot caught sothing and I went straight down, face-first into the damp dirt. “SERIOUSLY?!”
“Don’t act like you didn’t deserve that,” Thea called back from the front.
“You’re defending the jerk who tripped ?” I asked, spitting out a leaf. Sotis I really didn’t get her.
“Hmph. Stop saying weird things and I’ll defend you.”
“Let’s camp. Pleeease,” Velea whined, dragging her voice. “I think Lyra’s done too.”
Trying to rope her in for backup clearly didn’t work. “No. Totally fine if you're here,” Lyra replied, voice cool and content.
“Alright,” Griffith barked. “Here’s fine.”
I collapsed back imdiately, letting gravity take . Then turned and locked eyes with Marcus.
He dismounted, squinting. “What?”
“House.”
“What?” He blinked. “What do you an, house?”
“Build one. Like before. Or use one of those… cube thingies.” I made a vague circle motion with my hand.
“Peter… you’re not serious, right?” Miss Star asked, gently skeptical.
“...No.” The silence dragged. “NO! It was a joke.”
Only one soul comforted , bounding over and hopping onto my chest. I scratched him behind the ears with full commitnt. “You’ll believe , right?”
“Peter. Get to training,” Drake ordered flatly. “You take the longest. We’ll handle the setup.”
I wasn't going to argue, but glanced over to my student first. “Vel, you good? Need anything?”
She shook her head. “Just need to keep forming my foundation.”
Good enough.
I shut my eyes.
Everything was as before, blackened channels, squirming tentacles, cracks that spread like shattered porcelain.
I let habit take over. Breathe steady, and let the rhythm sink in.
World Force flowed in, my core spun, and eventually, I hit full. I split the energy into two strands and burned another scar into my left foot. Created then anchored the connections.
This ti, to my suprise, a full branch pushed out from the Voidseed again. But unlike before, this one offered up no resistance, no visions, no backlash. It just… went. I guided it down, slowly, carefully, through to my pelvis. When it stopped, so did I.
I was moving faster as the process beca routine, but it was still impossible to tell how much ti had passed. And that was starting to scare more and more.
If this pace changed again, if the other essences slowed things down even more, how long would cultivation take?
I let the thoughts flow away, focusing on absorbing more World Force to refine my muscles, and when I was done, I opened my eyes.
A quiet fire flickered at the center of camp. Around it, so were deep in ditation. Others curled up in sleeping bags. Velea lay in the center of a full fluff ring.
Probably nice and warm in there.
One lump of loyalty stayed in my lap, at least. I ran a hand through his fur, debating who to bother for a spar.
Hmm. Where’s Miss Star? If Marcus had wandered off, fine. I wouldn’t go interrupt whatever that might an. But he was still there, sitting still, with eyes closed.
Drake, too. Actually… Everyone was in focus.
“That’s not very safe,” I mumbled. “Sooo… she’s on watch?”
It was the only explanation that made sense to . I an, it wasn’t exactly dangerous, not with how strong we all were now, but leaving an open fire like that, with everyone passed out?
I shifted, trying to push myself up—What the…
*Luna? *No answer. Wyrem?!
Still nothing.
“HELLO? WAKE UP, GUYS!” I shouted as loud as I could, but nothing changed. Even Bristle stayed curled up, dead asleep.
“There is no need to scream,” a foreign voice said, calm and unbothered. “You are in no danger.”
I tried to turn toward it, but my body wouldn’t respond. Still locked in place. “Who are you?!”
“A traveler,” she said. “But please, be at ease. You’re not in danger. I only ca to see what’s been causing such a stir in my territory.”
Her presence closed in behind , sothing formless, like a shadow or a dream that hadn't decided what shape it should take.
“The forest?” I asked. “We’re just passing through.” I spoke carefully, trying to choose every word with caution. Soone like this was not soone I wanted to offend. “We’ll leave. All of us. If you want.”
She chuckled softly. “Yes, the forest too.”
Sothing brushed around , moving, gazing. I could feel the awareness, but there was still nothing to see.
“Hmm.” She sounded almost playful. “Why would you refuse?”
“W—what?”
“Nothing. Just... so young.” Her tone shifted, surprise mixing in. “Oh! You completed it? Huh. There’s only one place I know of where you can get a Voidseed. Nice job, those trials are tough.”
My pulse spiked. I felt my heartbeat in my neck, my ears.
“Gosh, it’s been so long. Have you started to grow it yet?” she asked, giddy now, like she was talking about a favorite pasti.
“Um. Yeah. I think so,” I managed. How the hell was she seeing into ? Through ? Only the old man from the trial had ever made feel this exposed.
“Great! See? Gifts should be taken, not refused.” Sothing fluttered across my vision. A veil. Thin, silken, and nearly transparent. “I was hesitant at first too, you know?”
“I don’t understand.” My voice was tight. Then my heart nearly stopped.
I’d read descriptions before, in books and stuff. The other worldly beauty, but none of it compared to seeing sothing like her in front of .
A flowing dress of layered blue and purple silk, each fold catching the light like water. She crouched to et my eye level, grinning like she’d just pulled off the perfect prank.
Then she sat, just plopped down like we were old friends.
“You’re amazing, really,” she said. “Not too bright, I think, but still outpacing people with real talent. That’s not just luck.”
Her skin shimred under the moonlight, crystalline and surreal, the firelight flickering along its edges.
This… this wasn’t so prince’s pet noble girl. No way she was involved with the State or Voxter. She was sothing else.
“You—Do you know that monster?” I asked, the words slipping out before I could stop them. Her perfectly golden eyes made it impossible to look away.
“Pfft.” She covered her mouth, laughing gently. “He can be, but I never saw him that way.”
“He destroyed my world… I think,” I said, heat rising in my voice. “Maybe you’d see it differently if it happened to you.”
She tilted her head, glancing around theatrically. “Doesn’t look so bad to . Right?”
“What?”
“You think this world was always full of beasts? Please. We were engineers. Magical—” She waved a hand, dismissing the past. “Not important. We grew. Now I can do so much more. We all can.”
She sighed, almost wistful. “You’re just too young. Do you really think there’s only one threat out there? One calamity?”
She leaned in closer. “What if monsters found another way to your ho? Less controlled. Would they survive, if no one was given a way to stop them?”
“And you?” I asked. “What did you face after he destroyed this place?”
She leaned back, arms stretching high. “I like it here. Not destroyed.” Then, softer, “And to answer? Plenty.”
“And who’s to say he wasn’t responsible for all of it?!” I snapped, louder than I ant to. “You’re standing there, trying to convince to submit to soone who wants dead for taking sothing that apparently belongs to him! I’m just trying to survive!”
“You’re mistaking power for omniscience,” she said coolly, but her tone had hardened. “I didn’t co here on anyone’s behalf. But with so many others whispering about you, I got curious. No need to get rude.”
“...You’re not trying to tell to take his blood?” I asked, warily.
She shook her head. “It would be smart, but what do I care?”
“He wants to kill anyway,” I muttered. “Or just rip this thing out of . Either way, that creature doesn’t strike as the forgiving type.”
“No. Probably not,” she agreed, almost cheerfully.
“Can I tell the others?” I asked, holding onto a shred of hope.
“About this?” She tilted her head and pursed her lips. “Not even sure I want you to rember.”
What kind of power—
She cut into my thoughts with a snap of her fingers. “I don’t like outsiders interfering too much in my domain. Sooo—” Snap. “There. Just progress without worry... at least while you’re in my territory. The current is the last one.”
I was still trying to wrap my head around what she ant when she followed it up.
“No more conversations with the Great Ancestor, okay? Too bad for you, I guess. And for everyone you ruined it for.” She sighed, like soone mildly annoyed. “Oh well.”
My eyes widened. “You can stand up to him?”
“Don’t be stupid.” Her tone cut through the air, sharp for the first ti. “There are limits to influence. That’s all. Maybe you won't trust , but you have no choice but to keep going.”
But just as quickly, the brightness returned. She smiled, lifted a finger to her lips.
“Maybe I’ll check in another ti,” she said, playful again. “Keep this a secret, okay? Bye!”
And with a blink, she was gone.
The hum of insects returned. The soft crackle of fire. The weight in the air vanished like mist. I didn't even notice they were gone until now.
Then ca the voice.
Miss Star’s shout split the night. “What are you all doing?! Do you know how dangerous that is?!”
She burst out from behind , charging toward the geniuses clustered around the unattended fire.
Reviews
All reviews (0)