Aiden opened his eyes to the crackling embers of their campsite. Night had turned to day while he was asleep — sothing he tried hard to resist.
He knew that Genevieve would not harm him in his sleep, and even protect him until their mission was over. Aiden was too valuable with his looting ability, but he didn't think he was valuable enough.
She was gone when he rose from the makeshift bed he had created. There were no signs of her ever being here, leading him to think she was a fignt of imagination.
"Where is she?" he asked Bamba, who opened an eye to look at him before falling asleep again.
Aiden knew she had to be close, so he gathered his things and began looking around. After a while, he found a lake. On its edge sat a celestial beauty wearing silk clothes.
Genevieve was holding a blue comb, which she dipped into the water, and then ran through her hair. Her long black hair flowed like a river before cascading down. She wore a white shirt and black leather pants, with her black coat and armor discarded beside her.
She stopped and turned in his direction.
"Good morning, Aiden," she said with a smile. "Are you enjoying the show?"
"I wouldn't even dream of spying on a Glimr," he said with a smile as he approached. "You didn't sleep?"
"Seekers overco their need to sleep after becoming Glimrs," she said with a smile. "Of course, it wouldn't hurt to take a break from living every few days."
"That's why sleep is a favorite of mine," he said. "Do we ever overco the need to eat?"
"After becoming Radiant, you can live on Desire Shards," she said while looking down at her hair. "After becoming an Aetherial, you no longer need to breathe."
"And an Apex or higher?"
"I wouldn't know," she said with a shrug. "Records of them are few, and each one guards their secrets well. Knowledge is power."
"Not the only power, otherwise Lun would be the strongest god."
"Many consider her to be the strongest," Genevieve said as she finished combing and began braiding her hair. "I personally like her."
"How co?"
"She told that my fiancé was not the one I had been waiting for," Genevieve said. "Otherwise, I would have been stuck in the Inner Sanctums until now."
"That doesn't sound bad."
"It is, when you didn't earn the right to be there," she said, tying each braid to the other and then pushing a hairpin to hold them together. "You beco a puppet of the powers there — either to bend or break."
"Or leave, like you did," Aiden said as he sat next to the lake's edge and began washing his face. "Lun also told sothing, but I don't know if I should believe it."
"She cannot lie."
"That's easy for you to believe," Aiden said with a smile. "From where I co from, gods don't show themselves to humans and offer guidance."
"How do they obtain their power then?" she asked.
"Gods obtain their power from being worshiped?"
"Not worshiped, but believed in," Genevieve said. "They embody an idea — and that idea grows stronger the more people believe and practice it."
"That explains why she wanted to follow her," Aiden said as he shook his hands. "In any case, what are we training today?"
"There is not much to do," she said. "We need to get you appropriate Awakening Shards, depending on your desired path. You can buy so of them from The Grand Arcanum."
"What is the strongest path to choose?" Aiden asked.
"That's a foolish question," she said with a smirk as she rose and began putting on her armor. Aiden saw that she had lean muscles tucked underneath her slender form. "All paths are strong in certain circumstances."
"How about a jack of all trades?" he asked.
"Instead of that, you should build on what you already have," Genevieve said as she threw on her coat. "My first ability was called the Mirage Step. It allowed to fool my enemies in combat and have the weight of a feather when falling."
"That sounds perfect."
"It was, but anyone with an ability to counter it made look like a fool," she said as she passed Aiden and walked back toward their camp.
Aiden followed.
"And how did you build on that?"
"I obtained another ability that made faster and more elusive," she said. "I worked with what I already had and tried to hide its flaws."
"That makes sense," Aiden muttered with a nod. "I do have one Awakening Shard."
"You do?" she asked, turning toward him with a raised brow. "And you haven't used it yet?"
"It won't give any battle powers," he said. "It's a crafting ability that lets craft items, but nothing more."
"You sound unconvinced."
"Because I am," Aiden said. "I expected my first ability to be laser beams or sothing."
"Laser beams?" Genevieve questioned. "Never mind. I think you have a habit of spouting nonsense. Back to the topic, you shouldn't underestimate a crafting ability."
"Craftsn are rare, I know."
"Craftsn survive," she corrected. "A well-prepared seeker is one I would choose over any offense-centered one. If you have the items to save your life and others, then you would live longer."
"Is that what my goal should be? To live longer?"
"Seekers who survive the longest are also the ones to be the strongest," she said with a smirk as she stopped near their camp and turned toward him. "I think you should use the Awakening Shard."
"I have one more question," he said with embarrassnt. "Uh, can these shards bind to any desire, or is it pre-assigned?"
"There are rare shards that change depending on the desire," Genevieve said while looking at him with interest. "You have one of those?"
"I do?"
"You sound worried that I would kill you for it," she said with a smirk. "My shards have mostly been like that, and I chose what I liked. You should do that too. Otherwise, it would be aningless if soone else chose for you."
"It would craft different items based on the desire I assign it to," he said. "I personally want to assign the ability to the Void Desire."
"Why?"
"It would let craft stealth and damage-negating items."
Genevieve stared at him with widened eyes.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Uh… let's go with 'yes' and pretend I didn't just see your eyebrows try to escape your face."
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