Primal.
It was the only 'ability' one could say even humans benefitted from.
It was essentially in simple words a battle sense. Or as some scholars would call it. Battle Affinity.
"You can, let go now?" Tristan looked down at Olivia from what could only be described as a forcibly awkward angle.
Seeing her misunderstanding, he tactfully chose to keep mum. In truth he didn't have a primal, but she didn't need to know that.
The more highly she thought of him, the better it was for him.
She had been following him because Lilia asked her to show him around, but what was she doing instead?
Not that he minded. The view up here was quite nice.
The curves were truly emphasized as they pressed against his chest.
He suddenly had the inspiration to paint. He had to capture this moment in time! The world had to see this!
Olivia was at first confused but once she realized where he was staring at, her face flushed red.
She suddenly felt lost and flustered, not knowing where to hide, she could only bury her head in his chest, but this only earned her an earful of laughter.
To think she had this side to her. He could only lament he didn't meet her sooner.
Anytime he was caught looking he would usually receive a kick, a punch or some object to the face.
'Ah, good times.' How could he possibly hate the way they chose to show their love?
He knew one thing about women and that was that he knew nothing. How could he?
Lost in his thoughts he could only nod his head as if he had finally come to a conclusion.
Maybe that too was a part of their beauty to admire. What kind of man would he be if his woman didn't feel comfortable enough flash- I mean kicking his face.
All the women of Diagram felt a shiver down their spine in a moment. They could feel it, a degenerate had been born.
"Anyways. I don't need your help I know where my room is." Tristan let out a chuckle as he separated himself from her.
He didn't take Lilia's words to heart. As pretty as she was he didn't feel that connection.
He didn't understand emotions the same way, there was always a certain disconnect whenever he associated with others.
It was as if he had turned player and the rest were no more than NPCs.
But it wasn't just that, he understood why Lilia asked her to follow him. It could only mean one thing...
Something was coming. And there was no guarantee she could stop it.
So it was her way of asking her to protect the girl. It truly was a game wasn't it? Not even 10 chapters in and already forced to play Prince Charming.
"Hmm? Chapters?" He shook his head, what the hell was he saying. Now he was even assigning chapters...
Sigh so young yet already showing signs of madness.
"Huh?" Lilia looked up in confusion.
"Forget it. You know what?"
He looked at her once again and tapped on her forehead. His lips moving but no words spilled out. A light fog escaping with the tongues he spoke.
"There now I'll be able to find you whenever I want." Tristan nodded to himself, one could almost see him patting his own back. Or at least that would be their thought process till they saw how pale he had become.
"Your..." But before Lilia could say more he had somehow vanished causing her gaze to narrow.
That was by no means 'normal.'
She saw it. He hadn't formed a link with Neutrality, and yet his every action seemed to imply otherwise.
"Tristan..."
...
"Sigh wh...at a both... er..." Tristan spoke softly through his coughs and wheezes.
Streaks of blood flowing from his nose. The technique he had used to tag her was by no means simple.
It was known as the 'Bound Form'. It was a strange Form that was not common by any stretch of the word.
And the requirements to use it were even higher, not to mention the fact that he hadn't made contact with Neutrality.
'Why is everything so difficult.' He lamented.
The Stream of Neutrality.
Or as it was more commonly known, 'Arc'. An intangible force but also tangible, taking as it pleased and giving breathe to all there was.
Its origins were unknown, and it was not so easily described.
Every breathe ever taken, every lake ever formed, every tree that ever waved it's branches as the wind passed by.
This stream of neutrality was present. Diagram's Past Future and Now, anchored to it.
It was what made life persist. No one knew where it came from nor exactly what it represented but one thing was understood.
Those who could connect to it, made a connection with the source of life.
And there was only one way to form that connection. For humans at least.
Tristan grabbed ahold of himself. "Sigh I guess there really is no shortcut to healing."
He let his body fall against the wall and just sat there... staring at nothing in particular.
It was funny this room appeared to be the very same one he grew up in. The White Room he called it.
The brain in a jar, the sharp objects that were used to dissect bodies, the sample of all and any creatures he could find. The masochistic machinary and strange training equipment.
And finally the white walls.
Nothing on them. In fact none of the tables, objects or even the bed touched them. Blank and unblemished.
It was probably the last thing one would expect from a kids room but it made him feel at peace. At home.
The truth was that his body was in shambles. There wasn't a single part of him that wasn't in pain, but luckily his father had left him with pain suppression pills.
Or at least a recipe for it. It truly was amusing. So many maps, so many locations and yet the only rewards were books, recipes and more maps.
He looked down at the amulet around his neck. There was this too... He remembered the words his father had written in the tombs.
'If you want to know your mother's face open it.'
He felt the weight of it... He stared at it and played with it for a while. But he didn't open it. He didn't want to.
He slowly felt his consciousness slipping away.
'Of what use is a dead woman?' He whispered to himself... And there and then he fell asleep, the pendant clutched within his palm.
...
"Ms. Lilia."
"I know." Lilia looked at the shadowy figure that had appeared in her office.
It had to be remembered that there had been multiple of them that day. And she wasn't nessasarily the highest ranking.
"He came back sooner than I anticipated. We'll have to move the plans forward." Lilia's expression had long since lost all playfulness, going back to the jaded face Olivia had grown used to.
"You have no such jurisdiction ####."
Lilia's pupils constricted and the atmosphere quaked. It was as if someone sought to destroy everything but forcedly stabilized it.
"What did you call me?" As she spoke the world followed enchanted. The harrowing of souls and wraiths from beyond followed the words of her lips.
It was raspy, sweet, lustful, ugly, all strange emotions to be felt in what amounted to a whisper and yet it was.
One could here cries for help, screeches, moans and manical laughter in the undertones.
"You have half a year child. Don't mess it up or your fate won't be too dissimilar to ####."
With his piece having been said, he vanished. All and any marker of his presense having been erased.
"... Christian, this is what you wanted right?" Lilia took a deep breath.
When had the sun gone down...