After we made it back to the center of the settlent, Ysor and I were asked to stay with Ayesha due to the fact that there was no extra apartnt to accommodate the two of us. If they were going to arrange sothing, it would take a while, but that wasn’t the only reason. After all, Marcel wasn’t so sure we would be deciding to stay co tomorrow.
Over the night, I thought about it. I had a feeling Ysor was thinking about it too. She knew what my goal was, and staying behind with Marcel was going to hinder . However, that was the exact thing she needed. She needed to halt her Undefinition. I could ask him to teach , and even if he was generous enough to agree, what were the chances that I would be able to pull it off the way Marcel could? He had years of experience with this. I had days.
Ysor’s damned fate of becoming an Undefinition could be halted right now. Right here, with soone who actually understood how.
’Ysor has beco important to as much as the people I wish to find...’
I also didn’t want my relationship with her to beco a chain around my ankle. The most sensible thing to do was to leave her with Marcel and find my own way.
But before I could do that, I had to make sure this Marcel was capable of protecting her. Words were easy. Anyone could claim strength in a place where no one challenged them.
I inhaled and exhaled, rembering what he had said to .
It was true. Marcel had been protecting these people all on his own for the past five years. Five years of keeping a settlent alive when the world outside was trying to eat it. That told more than any demonstration could. He was a much better person to protect her than I could possibly be right now. What I needed to do was get stronger and co back for her.
I inhaled deeply as this truth settled into my bones. It didn’t sit comfortably. Truths that mattered rarely did.
Then I turned sideways and tucked my hand beneath my head, improvising a pillow before drifting off to sleep.
Even though the mattress was stuffed with straw and sat so close to the floor, it was far better than having to wake up three tis on cold, hard stones. Plus, Ysor was beside , clinging to like glue, fast asleep and snoring already. Her breath ca in small, ragged pulls that she would have been embarrassed about if she knew.
Despite the night having barely settled when I fell asleep, my eye was the first to open. The other remained closed, sealed by the wound that had never properly healed. I gently removed myself from the bed and slipped outside.
The surrounding valley was as silent as one would expect, with faint lights drifting through the darkness like insects that couldn’t decide where to land. I turned my head to scan the ridgeline and saw no one.
’How do they keep watch?’
I had expected to find at least two or three people stationed through the night, but the whole valley sat empty and still, almost as if there was no one here at all. For a settlent this size, that was either confidence or negligence.
I walked forward and leaped onto the rock, running across it and sweeping through the air with a flip to land on the surface. My foot caught sothing slick and I lost my balance, tipping backward, but a hand shot out and caught mine before I could fall.
"These rocks have traits of the Flesh horror Undefinition, so so parts can be less like rocks. Everything is just a deception to the eyes."
Marcel tapped his temple after I managed to right myself.
"But once you train your perception to be aware of Undefinition Essence, you can always tell them apart without having to touch them. Simply looking and you will know which part of the terrain is more affected by the affliction and which is not."
I nodded as I glanced around, then returned my gaze to his face.
"And that works for all the affliction horrors?"
Marcel was silent for a mont, settling into a lotus position. It seed that was how he had been sitting before I arrived. His dark skin almost rged with the faint darkness, and it made his pale green eyes stand out in a way that was almost unsettling. Like two points of calm light in an otherwise formless shape.
"Yes, I believe so. It also depends on the actual ranks of the Undefined, not just the affliction horrors. Flesh Horrors for example are sort of easier to figure out. They are also the most common in our dinsion, so over the years, we have discovered a lot about them." He paused. "But you know there are more types, right?"
I nodded. The academy taught us of two affliction horrors, which were known thanks to the encounters of so renowned Defined who had reached other dinsions and returned. Even the ranks of Undefined that we knew had only recently been updated after Sake Wintertide conquered a new Sanctuary.
"I know of the Flesh Horror and Cognitive Horror..."
Marcel nodded with a small smile.
"The Cognitive Horror can deceive the eyes, because it’s a passage to your perception. So the sa techniques don’t always work and yet... it still does. It just all depends on how you employ them."
I gave him a dubious look.
"Based on what you said alone, even the Flesh Horror deceives the perception through the eyes, yet you claim that training the perception will help?"
Marcel shrugged.
"I have seen soone who didn’t have to blink at these things. Who didn’t have to close their eyes. What do you think that would be?"
"Difference in ranks?"
He looked at and laughed. The sound was quiet, genuine, and completely at ease in the surrounding dark.
"Of course, of course. That one is a brutal boundary that confines us each to our own fate..." He tilted his head, still smiling. "But dedication is not always useless, you know."
I exhaled and looked around again.
’How am I here talking about perception training with this guy when I simply ca out to have a silent mont, see if I can find a suitable weapon for a good price on the Axiom Dinsional Store, and test out my skills.’
I looked down at Marcel, who was seated and gazing up at with that disarming smile. His eyes scanned the valley after mine did, mirroring the motion like it was second nature. Watchful even while relaxed.
"Do you wish to have a mont for yourself? I can excuse you if you want."
"Yes..."
He nodded politely and stood up, dusting his clothes. As he turned to leave, I observed him from behind. The way he moved was quiet in a way that ant his body had learned long ago that noise was a liability.
"Why aren’t you sleeping?"
He stopped and turned back, tilting his head.
"I am sleeping... it’s easier to wake up here should sothing alarming happen."
I narrowed my gaze at him.
"You can just select night watchers."
Marcel shook his head with clear disapproval.
"That will be pointless. It will only put the people in more jeopardy."
"You can’t do it all on your own. You do know that."
He chuckled.
"I have been... for a while now, and I’ve been doing exceptionally well."
He smiled again, gave a polite nod and turned away. My voice reached him before he made it three steps.
"You wouldn’t happen to know how to fight, right?"
Marcel slowly turned towards , and sothing shifted behind his eyes. A spark of interest he didn’t bother hiding.
"Know how to fight is a broad question... I have survived encounters with Undefined that will kill many my rank. I have also learnt the truth of combat through experience. So..."
I cut in.
"Are you interested in a spar?"
"Oh..." He paused. "A spar. I have never fought a Defined before, and I suppose it’s a different experience from fighting Undefined. I can’t promise you I’ll match up to your expectations."
I grinned.
"Don’t worry... I’ll go easy on you."
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