Mark watched Tristan lose consciousness and was at a loss for what to do. At that exact moment, his housemates arrived through the entrance only to find Tristan laying on the ground.
He looked like he had been sweating buckets since his hair and clothes stuck to his body.
"Is he dead?" One of the three gasped, taking a step back.
"No, no!… something happened and he passed out," Mark explained frowning deeply. During the seconds that Tristan fell into the trance, he felt a strange presence fill that room.
Even now that he merely recalled the incident, he felt the chill of fear sweep his being and made his breathing slightly out of rhythm. His curiosity concerning who Tristan was burned with strong intensity, but he also decided to remain careful.
"Please, help me catty him up," Mark suggested, losing most of his confidence now that Tristan wasn't there to scare his annoying housemates.
"Uh…" The trio hesitated, even if they eventually decided to help out. If he wasn't dead, it meant he would awaken anytime soon. They wanted Mark to put in a good word for them.
They took Tristan upstairs to lay him on the bed he had woken up from that day. He had been in the town for about three days but had spent more time unconscious than not.
"What happened to him?" One of the three asked. He was Jerr. A young man at the age of 26, he had short black hair and looked to be the calmest among them. His black eyes radiated the presence of a thoughtful mind. Tristan still scared him, however.
"I tried teaching him how to feel Kaos, but he suddenly went into shock and said he saw a… monster," Mark explained listening to his own words. There was too little detail to draw a conclusion.
He would need Tristan to be up to gain those answers. Still, that was the first time someone had ever said they saw a monster on their way to connecting with their spirit. At least not that he knew of.
"A monster?" Another of the three that arrived chipped in. "The fuck does he mean by that… and how come he doesn't feel Kaos!"
"Eh…. That's what he said right before you guys entered, I'm sorry if it's not much. He also claims to not have a recollection of his past… and can't access Kaos"
"Okay damn." The third guy exclaimed. "How is that even possible…"
"Yeah, how is that possible, are you messing with us, Mark?" The second guy stepped forward, ready to grab Mark, when they heard grunts and all four men flinched. Their eyes widened and they scrambled away from the top floor, leaving Mark by himself.
Heaving a deep sigh, Marcus crossed the sitting room to enter the bedroom. The door was still broken.
His eyes fell on an already awakened Tristan, but he did not move a muscle from his position.
Tristan rubbed his forehead, sensing a slight headache. He grunted, already having noticed Marcus's presence.
"How long was I out?" He asked.
"Less than ten minutes," Mark revealed, folding his arm whilst he rested his shoulder on the doorpost.
Tristan heaved a sigh of relief, standing up.
"I heard the others from my sleep. You guy's are pretty loud. Or I can hear too well." Tristan focused his gaze on the man before him as thoughts flowed through his eyes.
"They don't sound nice to you. I don't like that."
Mark understood but shook his head.
"Don't forget you'll leave and I'd have to suffer extra in their hands if you do anything that hurts them."
"In short do not worry. Besides, why are you concerned about me? We've only just met today." Mark giggled leaving the room to take a seat in the sitting room.
Tristan stood and joined Mark in there.
"What did you say you saw-" Marcus tried to speak, but Tristan cut him off.
"I don't wanna talk about it."
Furrowing his brows, Mark scratched his head.
"I can't help you if you don't at least share the issue."
Tristan opened his mouth multiple times but no words came out. Mark had hit the nail on the head.
"I saw a giant eyeball… I can only call it monstrous." Tristan admitted frowning. A tremor ran through his body for merely recalling the event.
"I see… Is that all?"
"Yes. I woke up after the vision of the monster. You might have been the one to shake me out. But it was terrifying. I don't want to ever do that again."
Marcus stroked his beardless chin. He made sure to shave it frequently since he hated the detail.
"I've really never heard that anyone saw anything so specific on their path to connecting with the spirit. The best that can be said are colors." Mark explained, truly having no answer for the issue. It bothered Tristan too. The young man even shook visibly.
"I understand." Tristan sighed. The issue of not knowing the answers at that moment did not bother him as much as recalling the vision.
"I hate to admit it, but only custodians of the great crystals can tell you anything about what happened to you. But to get to them you'll have to go through the enforcers." Mark revealed, frowning deeply at the idea.
"The enforcers… then through them I might also gain answers concerning the other subjects? The place named Medrial." Tristan suggested, rubbing his right arm with his palm.
"Yes… city libraries should do you good on that part, but that requires money. And you obviously don't have any of that."
Once again furrowing his brows, Tristan considered the words that had been spoken, but he only picked one thing up. "Money?"
"Yes… ah, I think I left that out earlier." Marcus's face lit up in slight astonishment. How could he forget about the greatest detail that both the powerful and powerless needed?
The order of the world gave importance to the power of inheritors, as their usefulness never ran out as long as monsters still roamed the world. But to live in society, even those powerful men and women had to bow to the grandeur of money.
Some weaker men and women possessed mighty companies, and with that bought themselves access to those powerful men and women.
"The six continents all utilize different currencies. But that's not what you want. We use 'Rubble' as our currency." Mark announced pulling out from his pocket a rectangular paper. Its color was simply deep purple with weird shapes and patterns.
"This is a two-Rubble bill. You can't use it to get much, but you get the point." He stated, putting it back in his pocket. Mark's memory of the bill in his pocket vanished as well as the bill.
"Nevertheless, 'Rubble' isn't the only way you can get things, we most times trade based on the resources we possess. But when you get to large cities you'll have to get a 'Rubble' card which allows you to withdraw whatever amount you possess in your account."
"Account?" Tristan asked, and Mark facepalmed himself even if he went on to explain how things worked.