The boundary between the city realm and the wilderness was like a gate to another world. Each ti soone enteredawakened or notthey felt a faint sensation of change, similar to the feeling of finally returning ho after a long day. Now that Dallion had passed the third gate, he could see the actual difference.
There was a giant bubble of control surrounding the city, forming a literal line in the sand. Beyond that line was the wildernessthe place where the citys rules ended.
Youll get a headache if you look too hard, Eury joked, then took a sip from her flask. Want so?
Sure, Dallion said, even if it was a lie.
The two of them had been in the wilderness for a while now, sitting on a large rock outside of the city silently. Once Eury finished drinking, she tossed him the flask. Dallion wiped it, then took a gulp. The water was bitter, almost tasting like alcohol. Considering the gorgons level of perception, the only explanation was that she liked that taste.
I never fit in, Eury said all of a sudden. There are both too many rules and too few. So many people are obsessed with keeping secrets, and at the sa ti, they accept that every pebble is watching them. They co to you when you have skills, only to tell you not to use them.
Dallion nodded. At tis, he had gotten that impression as well.
Sotis they tell you what to do in the hopes that you will. In other tis, they want to be obeyed to the letter, and at the sa ti feel insulted if you point that out. Its just the gorgons snakes waved about.
This was the first ti Dallion had heard her ranting. In a way, she reminded him of himself. He, too, had those problems. Just when he thought that he knew what was going on, sothing would happen, rendering him completely clueless again.
Is it about the Overseer? he asked, moving closer to her.
Not the Overseer. Everything else. Eury turned to face Dallion. You, of all people, should know what I an. In this world I cant even look at people without turning them to stone.
Dallion was about to say that he could empathize when the realization suddenly hit him. Thinking back, he tried to rember the exact words, wondering if he had misheard.
Thats right, Eury said. Im not from this world either.
There was nothing left to say. Dallion knew that there were other awakened that had appeared in this world from Earth, but he had never considered that the sa could be true for non-humans.
Soul-lost? he asked, just to confirm.
I hate that word. Soul-lost, soul confused, everything to replace the truthsoone plucked out of their own world and brought here.
I never knew
Dont worry about it. I was the sa at first until I t Jiroh.
Jiroh is one as well?
There arent many of us, that's why we look out for one another. There are a few more in Nerosal, but they prefer to keep to themselves. So even left the city.
What were the chances? One of the first people Dallion had t had turned out to co from another world. That would explain why Jiroh had been so intent on helping him, regardless of the ss he got himself into.
Is Hannah one as well?
No. The gorgon laughed. The old witch is just annoying. She does have a soft spot for strays, though. Never could turn down soone in trouble. I dont know how she does it, but sohow she always knows. I dont ask either. As they say, everyone has a secret.
Dallion kept staring forward, trying to gather his thoughts.
Why didnt you tell sooner?
I couldnt. Not before you passed the third gate. You havent noticed because its still all shiny for you, but in ti you will.
What do you an?
Look at for a minute.
A weird request, though Dallion didnt mind. He had spent quite a long ti looking at Euryale under various circumstances. He had always found her beautiful, beyond her appearance. Initially he had found her grey skin and braid-like snakes unusual, though had quickly gotten used to them to the point he considered them a normal day of everyday life in this world. Now, though, there was sothing differenta barely noticeable shimring surrounded the gorgon, as if soone had laminated her.
Once he had spotted the effect, Dallion looked down at his hands. The shimring was there. Slowly, he slid the fingers of one hand over the palm of his hand. His skin felt the sa as it always had.
Cutouts, Euryale said. Thats what we are. Things that were added here even if they werent supposed to.
Can anyone see us? He turned his hands around.
Yes, and no. They dont see us shimr, but they instinctively feel that were different, although they dont know why. In my case, its easier. People here arent used to gorgons. It was a nightmare back ho this worlds ho. Perception being the gorgons great strength, they were onto minutes after my awakening. One day I was there, trying to figure out what was going on, shifting through two sets of mories, and the next my parents gave a travelling emblem and a sack of food and told I had to leave I was seven.
Dallion swallowed. That was harsh. If the sa had been done to him in Dherma, he wasnt sure he would have survived.
A gorgon guide took to the nearest town. After that I was pretty much on my own.
Eury Dallion put his arm around her shoulder. I
Thanks. Sotis even I need to vent. This whole thing with the Overseer reminded of back then. Thats why I hate her so much. She throws people in the deep and never looks back. And then she behaves as if nothing had happened. The gorgon slamd the rock she was sitting on with her fist. I went back to see them a few years later. I had beco an apprentice to the towns only awakened blacksmith and had managed to earn a bit. I foolishly thought that my parents would be happy to see . Instead, they greeted like a stranger, politely registering that I had survived. No one even asked what I was doing. Ive never gone to see them since.
That explained why Eury didnt want to talk about her past: one belonged to another world and the other wasnt sothing she liked to be reminded about. Back on Earth, a psychiatrist would have made a dissertation on the topic. Here, the only choice Eury had was to push on. It didnt help that gorgon society was a lot different from a human one.
Interesting what Jiroh had gone through. If she had co from another world, her experiences should have been different as well. From what Dallion had learned from Hannah, the fury had gone to Nerosal on her own accord, even if the reason wasnt perfectly clear or so the innkeeper claid. As far as he was aware, Jiroh wasn't an outcast, and she had sotis shared that she had a lot of fond mories of her tribe and family. Still, there was no guarantee she was talking about her family in this world.
What are you thinking about? Eury asked.
Just trying to wrap my head around it all. I didnt know I was so unique a mont ago.
Youre unique, alright. The gorgon ruffled Dallions hair. You dont have a predetermined limit.
Is this another complex fate thing I dont know about?
Sort of. It ans that your potential is unlimited. Everyone is born with limits on skills and attributes. So can only reach level fifteen on body, while others can push it up to a hundred. Those rules dont apply to us. With enough persistence, you reach any level you want.
Unlimited potential June had said sothing similar during Dallions house cleaning job. Now he understood what that really ant. He also felt sowhat sad about the people of this world. There was no telling how many people had reached their limit, realizing they couldnt go further than this. Dallion had been an awakened for less than half a year and had already reached the top four percent.
So, what happens now? he asked.
Aside from being able to discuss things that no one can understand? Nothing much. The gorgon shrugged. When Im done being pissed at the Overseer, Ill get back to doing her bidding as usual. Eury sighed. There was quite a lot of resentnt coming from her. And try to keep you alive, which youre making extrely difficult.
Yeah The mont of revelation over, the normal everyday problems ca crashing back in. In Dallions case, normal problems included the unusual interest the Star had towards him. Eury, theres sothing I need to tell you. Dallion removed his hand from her shoulder.
Dallions tone of voice alone was enough to make the gorgons expression beco deadly serious.
The Star appeared in front of . It was just for a few monts, Dallion preemptively added. You were gone to get a box, and he just appeared in your workshop out of nowhere. Now, once Dallion knew more about attributes, he could assu the Star had moved at a far greater speed that he could follow with the perception he had at the ti. He asked to kill the copyette.
Youre sure?
He gave so sli bolts and told to use them.
Sli bolts the gorgon repeated. Thats the third ti hes helped you out. Quite the coincidence. Is there anything else you havent told about?
Just one more thing hes from my world.
Shit! The gorgon stood up briskly. That ans he can pretty much see you anywhere. Youre not in trouble with the Moons, right?
No, Dallion lied. As much as he wanted to share everything with Eury, there were so things he couldnt. The mark on his chest was a reminder of that. What does this have to do with the copyette?
Im not sure. But nearly all the people the Star has shown interest in have ended up like the creature you saw an hour ago. Most of them die before they get to do anything, but every now and again The gorgon didnt finish the phrase. Thats why I think the Overseers wrong. Artefacts alone cant cause this. Its not smugglers or the pool, or any of the dozens of fake reasons she cos up with. A Star cult has ford in the city and everyone is pretending everything is business as usual.
Wont the Order get involved?
Despite what theyd like to think, the Order isnt everywhere. Things fall through the cracks, especially with the pissing match between the nobles and clerics. If it wasnt for the Overseer, Id tell you to keep a low profile until after the festival. As things stand, dont go hunting alone. This will seriously ss up my schedule, but let know when you set out. Ill be there.
Dallion was just about to say that there would be no argunts there, when Eury planted a deep kiss on his lips. Given the ti theyd spent together, Dallion was supposed to get used to this by now, but even so, the gorgon always managed to catch him off guard. It had beco her thinga subtle way to check his perception and reactions.
Im really lucky, Dallion said once the kiss was over. If I hadnt chosen Hannahs inn, Id never have t you or Jiroh.
You still would have. Thats the thing about soul-lost. When were in the sa domain, we always are drawn to one another. Doesnt matter what level you are or what your perception is, we would have still bumped into each other. Why do you think so many are drawn to the capital?
This was the point at which Dallion had prepared a wisecrack as a remark. However, sothing else crossed his mind. If people from other worlds had limitless potential, that might explain why the copyette guarded by Vermilion had managed to escape. Ti was not a factor here, and neither was race. One of the greatest generals the copyettes had seen could well be a shopkeeper transported to this world ages ago. The lack of limit would have ensured he rose to the top, as well as acquired the skills to escape any realm prison. Even more alarming, the copyettes presence would act as a magnet for any other soul-lost that erged.
Euryale had said that a lot of them had been drawn to the Imperial capital. However, there was one other place Dallion knew of that had drawn a fair number in Nerosal itselfthe inn that had offered work and shelter to Jiroh, Euryale, and Dallion.
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