After teleporting out of the camp and reappearing in the shadow of a tree somewhere, Alex and Mai spent the rest of the afternoon alternating between walking and teleporting short distances. Apparently, some members of the Inquisition could track people through different forms of magical travel.
"I still do not know how they found me in Pynthos; I only rested there for the night," Mai complained. There was nothing to do while they walked, with both of them injured, so they talked.
Alex considered her situation for a second. "I'm going to assume you were on some important mission that this Inquisition wanted to stop." He said, watching as she looked carefully at him before nodding.
"Well, I can think of two reasons: either whoever gave you the mission sold you out, or someone on their side has powers related to information gathering that you didn't know about." That attack on the village was too well organized to be anything else, and Alex had some experience with rigged missions.
Mai glared at him. "I trust Lady Kiyoshi with my life." Alex raised his hand in surrender, and Mai seemed to calm down and consider what he had said. "Though our movements have been curtailed recently by the enemy possessing information they couldn't possibly deduce. The worst case scenario would be that Athena has decided to involve herself directly."
Athena? Like the Greek goddess Athena?
"Remember how I said I wasn't from around here?" Mai looked at him incredulously, and he gave a sheepish smile. "Who is Athena?"
She studied him fiercely, looking for any signs of deceit before sighing. "Athena is a goddess of wisdom, war, and crafts of the most powerful Pantheon in the known world," Mai stated with certainty. "I do not know how you could find yourself in this country without knowing her name."
Shaking her head, she looked up into the sky and realized it was almost night. "We shall continue this conversation later; I would feel safer if we shadow-traveled one more time before making camp."
Alex deferred to her expertise on the matter. He had never really survived in the wilderness before, and his arm was still broken, so Mai ended up doing most of the work setting up camp. He focused on finding a decent stick to bind to his arm with the hoodie like a makeshift splint.
Alex could've helped with the firewood, but a fire would give their position away; fortunately for them, the weather didn't seem like it would get cold.
That just left them sitting in a pile of leaves, with water gathered from the nearby stream for their camp. And a small amount of food that Mai somehow pulled out of her shadow. Alex considered maybe finding some game with his powers, but Mai seemed exhausted after all those jumps and didn't have confidence in his ability to catch something in his state.
"There should be a village half a day's walk north. Word shouldn't have got to them about our escape yet. It should be a decent place to hide." Mai started while they both chewed on some sort of jerky. "I will continue south toward the border with Carthago; I can use magic a few times on the trip to draw the Inquisition's attention." She finished, looking Alex in the eyes.
Her words caused him to finally consider his actions. The whole day had been so fraught with danger that he hadn't really begun to process his situation. There was a chance that he would never get home…
He did not actually care about the place but had unfinished business there. The Empire needed to fall for what it did to his family, and he wanted… answers. Even if he already knew deep in his heart that his brother was gone, he wanted to know what happened to him after that one night five years ago.
"The reason I don't know Athena's name or how things work around here is that I didn't arrive here in a very normal way." Alex started, getting the girl's attention. "I was transported here in a sort of magical accident, and seeing as I haven't even heard of this place, I assume I'm very far from home."
"That… makes a certain amount of sense." She responded carefully, and Alex was actually kind of surprised she believed him. She realized this and moved to explain. "Your clothing, your accent, even your magic seems different from anything I have seen before."
Alex smiled. "Well, that's good because I need to get home." And the best way to do that was probably. "Which means I'll need someone with powerful enough magic to help me. Considering this country's view on magic, I don't think I will get any help here." He pointed out. "What I'm trying to ask is if this Carthago place is any better, and if it is, could I come with you?"
"Carthago… would probably be better for finding mages." She conceded, though she seemed hesitant. "But the place has been a warzone ever since its chief deities died. The entire country is hazardous."
Their deities died? Alex shook his head. That didn't matter right now.
"All I'm asking is to extend our little alliance we made in the Inquisition camp." Alex countered. "You have much more information on the area than me, and if Athena is really giving the Inquisition information, it sounds like we could both use the help." He tried to frame her helping him as a way to better complete whatever mission she was on. "And when we get to Carthago, I can care for myself."
Mai looked like she was considering the logistics of taking him with her. "Your magic was impressive; I still do not know how it worked so well within the isolation circle. Is it a gift from a deity? Or does it drain your Spirit? Because I noticed your arm has yet to start healing."
Ah. "I wouldn't know; I was born with the ability." Many had speculated that the powers were given as gifts from different gods or goddesses, but Alex thought those people were trying to ascribe meaning to things outside their knowledge. He enjoyed exploring his power's mechanics, which didn't require knowing where it came from. "Though I don't know what Spirit is."
"Then I doubt you are Awakened to it. Spirit is the ability to use one's own life force for more than just keeping your body alive. It is the reason those knights were strong; I'm even using it now to heal my wounds. Meaning I should be fine to run for most of my journey." Interesting, she was basically trying to say that because he didn't have Spirit, he wouldn't be able to keep up with her.
It was well known on Earth that many people with powers were just human. The Empire liked to call them Nobles, as if getting lucky made them somehow better than everyone else. Alex didn't subscribe to that philosophy mainly because he had seen the fragility of even the most powerful people.
Alex's older brother was born with a relatively weak, if practical, power. His name was Ben, and he could passively copy the skills of those around him. It might sound helpful, but in practice, he was just a very skilled human being. Sometimes, he would joke that he was Batman if Batman wasn't a rich psychopath.
But that didn't matter to Ben; when the Empire came to take them away, Alex watched him kill plenty of the more powerful so-called Nobles with just a sidearm and what amounted to a kitchen knife.
He was trying to say that most people on Earth didn't have enhanced physical stats or durability. The Empire liked to hide this behind advanced armor, but a well-placed bullet could kill most A-Rank Nobles. If Alex didn't have that weakness…
"Could you Awaken me to it?" He asked, hoping he was right.
She looked hesitant. "It is not a process I would recommend for the uninitiated. The human body has a limited amount of life force, and the block exists for a reason. It is very easy to kill yourself through overuse, even when you do not intend to."
Which meant she probably could. "Is there another way to learn it?" He asked, just to make sure.
"Yes, in many ways, but all methods that sacrifice time eschew safety." So there was only a real safe way of learning it with training for long periods.
"I want to do it." This was an opportunity he couldn't pass up. The power was there, and all he needed to face was a little risk. "If you'll do it, of course."
The silence was deafening, but that probably had to do with Alex passively absorbing some of the sounds around him to try and fill back up his stores.
"...Very well." Mai conceded, and Alex would have jumped with joy if he wasn't injured. "Though I do feel somewhat manipulative. To make you go through this to help me with your magic."
"It's hardly manipulation, and not all manipulation is bad." Alex countered. "It's a fair exchange. You help me get power, and I'll help with your mission." It was where he needed to go anyway.
"Hah, very well. Though I do not have the needle traditionally used in the ceremony." Mai pulled another small knife from her boot. Did she just keep a collection of knives on her body? "Keep in mind after I puncture the block between your lifeforce and body, you will need to reign the power in. This is especially dangerous because it will automatically try and heal your broken arm."
"Got it, so don't let my body heal itself to death." Alex struggled to get his shirt off and eventually succeeded. Once he looked back at Mai, she looked at him with an odd expression on her face. "What, like what you see?" He teased.
She rolled her eyes. "I have trained with disciples in much better shape than you." Alex wondered if he should be hurt by that, though he didn't know how his training routine compared to whatever superpowered ninjas this girl had trained with. "Plus, I much prefer looking at the fairer sex; the look you saw was me wondering if this is the last time I will see you alive."
Alex shook his head, way to bring down the mood. "So, how is this going to work?" He asked.
"I am going to pierce your heart with this knife infused with my spirit." She said stoically. "You will then use your Spirit to heal only the damage I have done. You should survive the process with minimal damage if you do everything correctly."
…
"What?"
Alex's eyes widened as he watched Mai plunge the glowing purple knife into his chest.
"It hurts less if you aren't expecting it."