Marcus dragged an almost fuming Tristan outside of the warehouse and into the streets. His hands still shook and his mind replayed the scene of Tristan's offensive.
"Enough of this!" Tristan yanked his hand from Mark's grip. He ended up lifting the man about two feet above the ground, sending him tumbling after he returned from that short flight.
Mark straightened his figure to dust his clothes before throwing a slight frown at Tristan, even if he lowered his gaze to leave his presence.
Thankfully, they had left the street where the warehouse was located. He would have fallen into potholes filled with dirty water If not.
Understanding that he had hurt his new friend, Tristan chased after Mark who remained silent; having been reminded of the strength difference between him and the young man.
"Hey, I'm sorry," Tristan called out, matching his pace with Marcus's. He did not utter a word.
"Mark…" he halted his steps watching Mark continue his, even if he stopped a few steps later.
"What?"
"I thought you said I would be stronger than most of them. Which I was. Why do you fear then?" Words that revealed how Tristan felt rang out. His colorful gaze felt intense.
Mark opened his mouth a few times, but words refused to flow out. At least, until he heaved a deep sigh and placed his hands on his waist.
"You won't be with me forever. When that time arrives I'll be the one to suffer the Implications of your actions." He stated, somber.
"They don't know you. But they know me. I'll be the target for revenge against you."
The duo fell silent as Tristan could not find ways to counter that short explanation.
Mark was right. Even as they were, Tristan remained ready to leave if it meant finding out who he was and where he came from.
He was no more than a burden that appeared from the ocean.
Silence permeated their journey down the different streets. Tristan walked behind Mark; following him, but also because he didn't want to have to face him just yet.
"I'm sorry," he revealed at some point, and Mark stopped moving to glance over his shoulder.
"What?"
"I'm sorry for not considering the consequence of my actions," Tristan apologized even if it felt difficult.
For reasons unknown to him, he experienced a strange emotional hurt originating from his chest.
It felt familiar, but he had no memories concerning any similar situation.
"Your apology hardly solves my problem," Mark sighed. "But it's something." A slight smile appeared on his features, and Tristan could only feel relief at that sight.
"Come on… I have an idea of what we could have for dinner." Mark waved him forward, resuming his steps.
It had been a while since anyone had the decency to treat him with real respect, or remorse for their wrongdoings towards him.
Another aberration since such never happened.
It didn't take too long for them to arrive at the house. The streets were mostly scarce of people but also possessed an air that spoke of peace. The people would sleep well that night.
"We're back!" Mark let himself in thanks to the spare key he had on him. Surprisingly, no one was present in the building, but he didn't fret. He had Tristan with him.
Seeing as they had the whole building to themselves, Tristan immediately went around inspecting the various things that lower sitting room possessed.
It didn't take long for his curiosity to fade and eventually die off.
At that point, the aroma of the meal being prepared reached his nostrils, and he felt like he hadn't eaten in days!
He would later find that what he felt wasn't exactly far from the truth.
"I know you have no recollection of your past and how you got here. But I still wonder how you managed to reach this level at such a young age" Mark's eyes were filled with wonder whilst he watched Tristan dig into the plate of food served to him.
Due to his focus on the meal, Tristan had not seen the slight frown that appeared on Mark's features. The young man looked confused.
However, that expression vanished for an unknown power took care of it.
Furrowing his brows, Tristan paused for a moment.
"You said I'm maybe second class… meaning my attainable level will be higher. Right? The 'Inheritance' as you called it."
"Yes… but the weird thing is, I can't sense an ounce of Kaos from you. I've been trying to all this while. But not even a whiff!"
"Yet you possess attributes of someone who has advanced thanks to Kaos empowering their spirit."
"I see…" Tristan furrowed his brows. "My spirit... How do you even feel Kaos?"
"It's pretty easy as long as you have it flowing through your body. It's like the wind. Kaos is everywhere. It fills everything around us right now."
"But I can't feel it," Tristan stated blankly.
"Even children who have not come in contact with the great crystals can sense Kaos… so I can sort of teach you even if you don't remember," Mark suggested, shrugging his shoulders.
Tristan stopped eating altogether at the mention of being taught to feel the spectacular energy that permeated the world around them.
"That's a great idea." He admitted, straightening his back on the brown one-sitter couch he sat on.
"When should we start?" Mark asked, interested in seeing what would happen.
"No better time than now." Tristan nodded, excited to tap into power.
Soon Mark cleared the small table separating the two of them and they both sat on the ground, slightly crossing their legs.
"Kaos can only be felt thanks to the presence of the spirit, and every man has one. Thanks to the evolution of our ancestors over the past generations, we don't even need to touch the crystals to feel our spirits and Kaos itself." Mark started explaining.
"As I explained earlier today, the crystals only expand that pathway that was once like a small crack. Turning it into a big hole."
"I don't know why you don't feel it, but I believe you've cultivated your spirit in the past. Maybe our memories are also important to access Kaos. I don't know… but I'll direct you on a method that gets everyone sensing Kaos."
Tristan nodded, understanding his words perfectly. They were only a summary after all.
"I want you to close your eyes and focus on emptying your mind of thoughts. Tranquility is necessary for beginners. When you become adept you won't need to go through this process." Mark explained, closing his eyes. Tristan did the same.
"If you find that task difficult, then try slowing down your breathing and focusing on that rhythm. That should bring you into a meditative state quickly enough."
He allowed a minute to pass then he opened his eyes to see if his audience was doing as he directed.
Sure enough, Tristan seemed to have fallen asleep. But he knew that wasn't the case.
'He's a natural… or at least it seems like that. I guess the body still possesses a memory of certain exercises. Proof that he's done this before." Mark articulated inwardly. He felt his conclusion was right. Even if it wasn't.
"I feel strange," Tristan revealed, pulling Marcus out of his thoughts.
"It feels like I'm falling… but I know I'm not… is this my spirit?"
A wide smile appeared on Marcus's features and he closed his eyes again.
"No… that's only the space between your body, your mind, and finally your spirit. You're close to it, however. Just maintain your focus. You should fall into a trance soon. That is where your mind connects to your spirit and you gain awareness."
Tristan did not reply since he remained focused on that falling sensation. He felt at peace with himself. The calmness that the meditative state brought remained astonishing. It wouldn't last for long, however.
With a swiftness that made no sense. Tristan felt his chest tighten intensely, as he gasped in shock; arcing his neck backward, thereby raising his head with his mouth open.
Multicolored lights flickered in Tristan's eyes when he snapped them open, and he sensed his consciousness waver and felt his body plunge into a body of water.
Amazed and terrified, he concluded that this was the trance Mark spoke about.
'How does it feel so real?' He wondered, moving his hands in a steady motion to keep himself from sinking into the depths of that dark ocean.
Inspecting the insides of the water, he made a move to ascend; believing that was the right thing to do.
Suddenly, however, he felt a gaze land on his body, and a level of fear he did not think was possible swept his mind and body.
Tristan lowered his gaze instinctively and his eyes dilated when he caught sight of two massive eyeballs blazing with azure radiance.
He gasped and swallowed water as terror blinded reason and he tried to swim away.
Tristan screamed while he beat his hands against the water, but his position wouldn't change. Instead, he felt himself sink!!
Words could not explain how he felt, but this was taken to a whole new level when the world around him spun and his position warped, only to realize that he had appeared right before the massive blue eyeball.
Tristan regained consciousness when his eyes snapped open and he began to cough violently.
It took him a while to realize that he was back in the room. Now Mark was all over him trying to help.
"Hey-hey-hey-hey, are you okay?!" The young man yelled seeing and feeling Tristan tremble with heart-shaking intensity.
"What did you see?"
"M-mo-mon-monster!" Tristan revealed; eyes widened with an expression of petrified horror.
He ended up passing out seconds later.