" Dear, it's about time you woke." A weak old voice rang out.
" Hnnn?" Adam drowsily opened his eyes.
" 'Morning. Could you pour your husband a cup of tea, dear wife?" Adam yawned.
" Who's your wife?" Levi smiled.
" I will be leaving this town today, so I won't be paying for this room any longer." Levi got up.
" You should leave before you're thrown out on your ass." Levi chuckled.
' You found joy in that, didn't you.' The demon saint said.
' Yes. Great joy.' Levi smiled happily.
...
Cloud Continent.
In a large, bright hall.
" And how long are you people planning to stay here for?" A man with long black hair sat atop a raised stone platform.
" Our people will be working in rotation shifts. While some will be in the imperial city, some will be here. There will always be some here and in the city." A female voice rang out.
" Hmm? And what of our disciples who frequent these places?" A vein bulged on the man's face.
" Our master ordered that we not cause trouble. So long as no one agitates us, we will quietly do what we need to." Aria said.
" Your master? Humph. Where is this master of yours? Does he think that he is so high above us that he sends mere servants to converse with the master of a sect?" The man spoke angrily.
" And your last line, is that supposed to be a threat?" He gripped the armrests of his chair.
" As I have said, our master ordered that we do not start trouble. I would not dare to threaten the master of a sect." Aria said without a change in expression.
" Humph! Get lost! I'm tired of looking at you, ugly woman." The sect master scowled.
" Thank you for cooperating. I shall take my leave." Aria bowed slightly before turning around.
"..." Nerezza looked at the man before following behind Aria.
Outside.
" Haa! Haa!"
" Haha, got you!"
Boys fought with wooden swords.
Stalls made of sizable tree branches tied together were scattered all over the area.
Some were filled with fruits and others, vegetables.
There were even some which housed different meats.
As Aria walked, she couldn't help but compare the sect to a small city.
"...Are you ok with what he said?" Nerezza asked.
" It doesn't matter." Aria said.
" But-" Nerezza was interrupted.
" The young master said not to get into trouble, so when here, casts your personal feelings aside. If you can't do that, then go back to the city." Aria turned to face Nerezza.
"..." Nerezza's eyes widened as she looked at Aria.
There was no light in her expression.
She resembled Levi in that she now looked at the world and the people in it as if they didn't matter.
' Why are you like this?' Nerezza bit her lip.
" Are you sure that this has nothing to do with that day?" Nerezza asked.
'...Stop! If you continue like this...' Nerezza thought.
" Enough." Aria turned around and walked away.
" Wai-" Nerezza reached out but stopped halfway.
' If you continue like this, you will become like him...like levi...and it would have been my fault...' A pained expression appeared on Nerezza's face.
'...A closed heart is much easier to live with.' Aria thought in the distance.
...
In a dark hall.
Multiple decorative cloths hung in this hall.
" Yes. Unfortunately, my master had an urgent matter to take care of and couldn't meet with your esteemed self on this day." Ling bowed.
Before him, sitting on an elevated platform was a woman wrapped in pink silk.
It was quite a strange sight.
Cloth stretched down from the ceiling, while some spread out on either side of her.
" Is that the case." An extremely clear voice rang out.
" As long as you be good boys and keep your distance from my little girls, then we shan't have any problem. However..." The woman said from behind her pink veil.
" If something happens..." She paused.
" Rest assured my lady, our only focus is the capture and transport of mutated beasts." Goosebumps lined Ling's skin as he said.
"...Very well then." She said.
" Thank you for your allowance." Ling turned around.
" Hmm? What's the matter, boss?" A man asked as he followed behind.
" You guys better keep your hands to yourselves."
" If you're horny, play with each other or something, I don't really care, but don't touch, don't even get close enough to breath the same air as the girls from this sect." Ling said as they walked through the dark hall.
...
" So? What do you think?" Don's gaze was sharp.
"...What do I think?" A man lined in jewelry sat atop an elevated platform.
His spiky gray hair stood tall, reminiscent of a cluster of chives.
Slurp!
" Hmmm." He swirled the wine in the glass.
"..." Don stood silently.
' C'mon! C'mon! C'mon!' His inner voice shouted without composure.
" Get out of my damn hall! Furthermore, if any of you are seen close to our property, I will have you killed! Do you understand?! Get the fuck out!" He exploded.
The wine glass shattered as it hit the ground, while the liquid splashed.
" Hii! Right away!" A startled Don turned around before legging it, leaving his man behind.
" SCRAM!" The man shouted.
" Right away!" The man shouted as his figure vanished.
...
" Hmm! I am feeling lucky today! Like a promotion is about to drop on me!" A man shouted.
Splat!
A warm, putrid-smelling liquid dropped on his face.
" OIIIII!" He screamed with anger at a bird.
" Gyahahah!"
" Promotion?! To 'the lord of bird shit'?!"
Men laughed.
" Humph! Laugh while you can!" The man wiped it off with a piece of cloth.
" Hey, you! You were one of the first to start working for that redhead young master, right?!" The man turned.
Sitting on a large rock was a man with spiky black hair.
His expression didn't change as he glanced to the side.
" Oh! Now that I look at you, your hair...That's some amazing volume..." The man's mouth widened.
"..." Larck kept silent.
"...I am leaving." He said as he got up.
" Leaving? Where are you going? Work hasn't even begun, you know!" The man shouted.
"..." Larck silently walked down the dirt trail.
" Haa, well, not me who's going to get into trouble..." The man mumbled.
...
" You're leaving, red kid?" A burly man asked.
'...How many of them will ask the same question?' Levi thought.
" Yes! I got all of the information I needed, so I will be leaving now." He smiled.
" Oh! There is a trail up behind the village if that helps!" The man pointed.
" Oh, thank you very much! I was just wondering which direction to go." Levi lifted his hand before continuing.
He walked toward the suggested direction, up the hill to the higher part of the village.
" Woah!" He gasped after reaching the top.
In the distance, trees of different colors and mountains of different sizes and shapes created a beautiful image.
" Hmm?" The white tiles stopped there, while a dirt path lined the other side of the hill.
" And thus began our travels!" Adam said with a smile.
" ?!" Levi's head snapped to the side.
"...What the hell are you doing?" Levi asked.
" Hmm? You are so forgetful! I am going to the city too, remember?" Adam walked down the path without a care in the world.
' You never told me anything about that, you fool!' Levi thought.
" Just when I thought I would have some peace and quiet...Wait, if I let him go on, then I can." Levi mumbled.
" Hey! Move your feet! Before you get left behind!" Adam shouted from the distance.
" No, that's the point...you know what..." Levi mumbled.
' I have a feeling things will just get more annoying if I stay here...' He thought.
He walked down the path.
...
A while later.
" Kekk!" Levi grabbed his chest as he panted.
" You've got no stamina, huh. Just running a little reduced you to this state!" Adam dragged a stick through the dirt as he walked.
" Humph." Levi snorted weakly.
' The hypnotizing steps is a good, body-based skill...My problem with it, the reason I am trying to alter it...is the afterimages left behind when using it.' He thought.
' If for some reason I end up running for my life, I don't want afterimages leading my pursuers straight to me.' He thought.
' Another problem, though, is the fact that the cloud commandment is a qi based skill and I am trying to alter the hypnotizing steps based on it, while leaving out the qi based aspect...' Levi's brows furrowed.
" Fuuu." He breathed out as he started walking.
' They are not that different. One uses footwork, while the other uses many different things, including footwork.' Levi thought.
' The cloud commandment utilizes muscles of the abdomen, chest, arms, back, and legs, along with qi.'
' The hypnotizing steps uses only the legs.'
' Then...' Levi paused.
" I got it! I just have to use all of the muscles that would be used with the cloud commandment while using the hypnotizing steps!" Light shined in Levi's eyes as he shouted.
" For the hypnotizing steps, you lower your center of gravity slightly..." Levi mumbled.
" Hmm?" Adam looked back.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Shockwaves rippled with Levi's every step.
Before he knew it, he had crashed into a tree after rolling on the ground.
" Baby steps." Levi mumbled with a grin, as he grasped some dirt.
" You ok?" Adam extended his hand.
" Humph! Never better." Levi pushed himself up from the ground.
' This time there weren't any afterimages, but firstly, I couldn't control it.'
'And secondly, I feel like my legs would be rendered useless if I did that all the time, even with my body the way it is now.' He dusted his robe.
' So, I need to either learn how to control the power going into it or alter it so that it's not as powerful, allowing me to be able to fully maneuver my body as I please when using it.'
' And, reduce the strain on my legs and the rest of my body, my legs in particular.' Levi looked back.
Deep footprints lined the wooden trail.
' They are so spaced...how far did I go with every step?' Levi thought.
" Stop lagging! We have a city to get to!" Levi shouted to Adam.
' I will practice on the way.' Levi thought with a grin.
"...'Kay." Adam yawned.
...
Night.
Boom! Crack!
" And that's number 7! The seventh tree destroyed today!" Adam shouted.
" Agh." Levi grabbed his head.
He sat between the shattered trunk of a tree with bruises from head to toe.
'...This isn't as easy as I thought it would have been.'
' Controlling the power is hard and altering it entirely is even harder.' He thought.
' I'm also falling more often now that it is night, even with the light of the moon.
" I will stop here for today, then." He mumbled as he got up.
" Oh, 'that so. Where's the food, then?" Adam held his growling stomach.
" What food?" Levi glanced up at him.
" Dinner." Adam said deadpan.
" None." Levi swiftly replied.
" S'That so? Guess I'll sleep. SNOREEEEEE!" Adam fell asleep.
"..." Levi kept silent.
' I'll cultivate for a while before sleeping.' Levi thought.
' Oi.' The demon saint called out.
' What is it?' Levi asked.
' You seem to be having fun.' The demon saint said.
' If you don't have anything important to say, shut up.' Levi said.
' I should try 'that' today.' He thought as a red, water-like qi seeped out, before enveloping his body.
' Now to cultivate.' A bead of sweat appeared on his forehead.
' You've broken character for a few times now.' The demon saint said.
'...' A glowing spiral slowly appeared above Levi.
' Do you know what happens when you put on an act for a long time?' The demon saint asked.
"..."
' The act becomes part of you. If you wake every day acting a certain way, it will eventually become part of you.' The demon saint said.
"..." Beads of sweat appeared on Levi's forehead.
'...' The demon saint kept silent.
" Bah! Huff! Huff!" Levi opened his eyes as he gasped for air.
" And so? Huff!" He asked.
'...A person like you, can't handle change. You have walked around with your heart sealed off for most of your life.' The demon saint said.
"...Is there a point to this?" Levi asked as he glared.
' The seal on your heart has become a shield that protects you, essentially.' The demon saint said.
"..." Veins bulged on Levi's forehead.
' My point is, if this act goes on for longer than you expect, it could be bad for you. This is your weakness.' The demon saint said.
" You-" Levi was interrupted.
' I made a certain skill years ago to deal with this problem. It's a simple skill, there is also a version that erases all memories of your time acting.' The demon saint said.
"...What are you trying to do?" Levi asked.
' Me? You, brat, seem to be forgetting that you tethered this demon's life to yours. In this place, you can't screw up.' The demon saint harshly.
"..." Levi kept silent.
" I don't want my memories erased." Levi said.
' That's the spirit! The skill is called ' Memory road', it's a mental energy skill that works on its own after activation.'
' Everything is still the same while using it, it's when you stop it that you will see the change.' The demon saint explained.
" Memory road? I said I want my memories." Levi said.
' Ugh, ' Memory road' does not erase memories, that version of the skill is called ' Lost memory'. Have a little faith, huh?' The demon saint explained.
"...Stop wasting time and teach me the skill, I don't want to be sleepy tomorrow." Levi said.
' Ungrateful little! Sigh...' The demon saint sighed.
...
Morning.
" Snore..."
"..." Levi turned in his sleep.
" SNORE!"
"..." His bloodshot eyes cracked open.
" 'Snore' your grandpa!" He shouted as he shoved a fist-sized rock into Adam's mouth.
" Kekke! Wah ah u uoing!" Adam coughed as he woke.
" Putting an end to sound pollution." Levi continued to push the rock.
" Wahs sound ollution?" Adam asked.
'!'
" Wait..." He suddenly paused.
' Last night...'
An image flashed through his head.
' After doing what the demon saint said...'
'...My head pulsed and became so dizzy that I lost consciousness...'
" Oi..." Levi said.
' Wake your ass up, demon saint! What the hell did you make me do?!' Levi thought.
' Ahhh! Ahh! Wha-What happened?!' The demon saint screamed in fright.
' 'Ahh' my ass! Why did I lose consciousness last night?!' Levi asked.
' Ah?...Sigh, phew! I thought something important had happened!' The demon saint sighed in relief.
' Ah?!' Levi thought.
' It's normal for you to pass out! The skill records your memories and compresses them deep in your mind so that your new memories won't get mixed up with them!' The demon saint explained.
' It also does that for your state of mind and other feelings and emotions, I explained this already!' The demon saint said.
' You never said-' Levi was interrupted.
' Hah? Use your head! All of this is being done with your mental energy! Obviously you would pass out after such expenditure!' The demon saint said.
'...' Levi's eyes widened in realization.
' Sheesh! I should have told you ' I now have control over your mind' or something! At least then, I would have some entertainment after getting woken up!' The demon saint said with irritation.
"..." Levi was embarrassed at the fact that he missed such a simple detail.
" Um-pitue!- When are you going to get off? I gotta pee." Adam spat the dirt and stuff from his mouth before asking.
"..." Only then did Levi remember what he was doing.
He swiftly got off of Adam.
If anyone saw that scene, his pride would not allow him to continue living.