The path through the incessant misted hills and away from Falling Grass was free and effortless. The long fingers of the sun stretched out of the few clouds, but thankfully, the climate wasn't blazing hot - at least not yet.
This sort of weather would have been considered as summer back in the Heaths. Even though the sun was out and bright, there was wind — a lot of it. Spheris let out a cold sigh at the thought of his homeland. It had been years since he last set foot on the place, but he was certain that there wasn't any kind of change to it.
He wondered what had happened to the thatched house him and his mother used to live in. He wondered about his mother...
Spheris's clenched fist tightened. No matter whatever happened in this realm, he had to return to her. Because of this, he'd spent their entire trek scheming his strategy to craft his Weapon.
The first strategy he came up with was to attack the obvious weak points of the beasts, which were the head or the chest. This was to make sure he finished the opponents off quickly, so he could harvest their Soul Fragments.
But at the same time, he had to be careful not to harvest any kind of beast's Soul Fragment. Just like Bearers and Mages, monsters also had their rankings. There were Basic monsters, Uncommon monsters, Rare monsters, Epic monsters, Legendary monsters and Mythical monsters.
Out of ten Soul Fragment spaces, Spheris had already filled two with Rare and Uncommon Soul Fragments. If he continued to harvest monsters with those rankings, his weapon was surely going to fall under an Uncommon or maybe a Rare Ranking. Which meant that it wouldn't be efficient to battle Epic or Legendary monsters, talk more of Mythical ones.
The solution was simple: He would avoid harvesting the Soul Fragments of Uncommon and Rare ranked monsters like Lavadrakes, Grimms and Queen Scorvulcans, and would only harvest the Fragments of Epic and Legendary ranks like Snipers, Moltenvipers and Gorgoliths, maybe one day even Mythicals like Gehennaracs.
However, that was easier said than done, because to harvest their Soul Fragments, Spheris would first have to kill them and he was certain that he had no Influence in his arsenal that could take down a domain-defending Gehennarac.
But that wasn't going to stop him, besides he was only going to get stronger. The more beasts he slayed — no matter their ranks —, the more adversities he survived, the more knowledge he got, they were only going to make him stronger.
And the stronger he gets, the stronger his Essence becomes. Which in turn would mean more powerful Influences would be unlocked, echoing the words of Meister Grengo; The stronger the Essence, the greater the Influence.
Seeing that she had stopped to take a quick look of the landscape, Spheris's gaze and his thoughts inevitably drifted to Cerene. She resumed forward, striding with determination in her demeanor. She seemed somehow different, at least Spheris thought so.
Her body language was much more purpose-driven, and most surprisingly, she was quiet. Spheris had two guesses:
The horrors she had encountered on her own after escaping her trap caves must have caused this change in her. She already had five Soul Fragments completed, which meant she'd slain at least five or more deadly beasts on her own. It was likely that she'd gained a few experience navigating The Abyss because of this, which would explain her directness.
Either that, or she was simply worried about Akemi.
"The wind is getting less," she said as she came to an abrupt stop.
"Does that mean stronger sun?" he asked, glancing at the spiky ball of heat in the sky.
"Yes." She turned to him, a skeptical frown on her face. "We've created a fair distance from Falling Grass, but it's still going to get very hot, very fast."
Spheris cocked an eyebrow. "Is there something you want to suggest?"
"By the west there's a river. It'll be cooler when the sun comes out in full. We can set up a little camp there and wait for the sun to go down again."
"Or?"
"We continue north. It's going to get hotter the deeper we go, but eventually we'll meet the cold." Cerene then turned her gaze forward. "The north is eventually always cold."
Spheris became even more curious, perhaps confused. Did she learn all about this in just five days? How could she know so much?
After contemplation, he reserved to ask. "And how are you so certain about this?"
"I unlocked a Variable after I escaped my trap cave. It's a Realm Articulating Map." Cerene withdrew her glyph and gazed down at the projection that only she could see. "It studies whatever world it finds itself in and gives an accurate blueprint of the land."
Spheris couldn't deny it, he was impressed. Or was it jealousy? He wasn't really sure. But if Cerene had unlocked a Variable, it meant that she was now an ADP. A full-on Adept Bearer.
A soft smile played on his lips. You know what? Good for her. He was only five Influence Points away from getting there anyway. There was nothing to be bitter about.
For another thought, unlocking a Variable was another exciting prospect to look forward to. The Realm Articulating Map seemed like a really useful one, but Spheris hoped that his first would be something more helpful in battle, like a power amplifier or something of sorts. Seeing that the direction of a fighter was where he was heading to.
He noticed Cerene cock her head at him, and he realized that he hadn't answered her earlier question.
"Let's continue north," he said. "We can cover up enough ground rather than sitting around. Akemi and the rest could be anywhere."
"Okay." Cerene said with a nod. She turned forward and continued down the dry terrain while Spheris followed.
—
"You are quite worried about her." Cerene pointed out, a few walks into their journey. "Akemi, I mean." She glanced at him shortly.
Spheris regarded the question with a furrowed brow, unsure of the purpose why it was asked. After a moment's contemplation, he simply shrugged and said:
"I'm worried about everyone."
Cerene smiled knowingly. "You're not really." She turned around to face him but continued walking with her back facing forwards. "You don't like Nero and you only entertain Thorin's friendship because he's nice to you."
"I see." Spheris uttered, wondering where this was leading to.
"But Akemi... I have not been certain of your opinion of her. Seeing now that she's the name you mentioned first, it is clear." She finally turned around and continued to walk.
"What is clear?" he asked.
Cerene only glanced at him with untelling eyes and sighed. "Don't let Akemi's quietness fool you, she's the best fighter amongst us. She will be fine. It's Nero I'm quite worried about."
"Nero?" Spheris's eyebrow twitched in surprise. "If Akemi will be fine then so will the Dullard of Ice."
A glint of humor danced around her expression for a fair bit and she turned to regard him. "Nero looks all tough and all. But you shouldn't judge him based on his looks."
"I don't judge him based on his looks, I judge him based on the fact that he's a braggart dickhead."
Again, Cerene tried not to smile. "Yes, he has been unkind to you. But trust me, Nero is not as strong as he looks. When he was younger, his father, the Fifth Wing Duke used to lock him inside a tiny labyrinth chamber as punishment. Hours will pass yet he wouldn't let him out until Nero finds a way out himself. Each time he locked Nero in the chamber, he would change the escape route. Nero grew a fear of small enclosed places because of that, which is why I worry for him."
Spheris gaped at her, guilt dragging down his throat as he tried to swallow what he had just heard. It was difficult for him to believe that a father could be that cruel to his son, but to be fair, the only example he had to set a standard was his own father — who had been nothing but loving to him.
Perhaps the life of a Royal wasn't as sunshine-y and rainbow-ny as he thought.
He began to wonder if he would exchange a loving father for an abusive one as long as he got plentiful food, good clothes and a soft bed. Hmm, he wasn't sure...
"What are you thinking?" Cerene asked him.
"You're worried he might be traumatized?" Spheris replied with his own question.
"He is traumatized." she confirmed. "I'm worried he might not be able to hold it together."
Spheris looked at her with a slightly pitiful yet scrutinizing gaze. Friends. He barely ever had one, and seeing the way Cerene genuinely cared about Nero, he began to realize what he was missing.
"But I'm sure he will be fine." she said, clearly assuring her own self. "The Celestials are with him... same way as they are with us."
Spheris smiled bitterly. "The Celestials..." His voice rolled out in a hateful snarl rather than his usual reserved tone and this made Cerene shoot him a questioning glance.
"What about them?"
Looking away from Talon, he scoffed. "Do you really believe they give a damn about any of us?" He squeezed his lips after the question left his mouth, regretting saying it. He did not want to fight with her.
"Yes I do," she replied firmly, her face straight and her eyes waiting for an argument. "The Celestials bless and protect us. As Avatars, we are only doing our duties to our Gods."
'As Avatars? You're simply entertainment! All of us! No one cares what happens to us here, not even the bloody Celestials themselves. We're going to die and in the next twenty years, they'll have another Ceremony and it will be like we never even existed.'
But he did not say this to her. Rather, he let out a deep breath and said:
"I don't know if you are naive or blind. It's annoying to watch to be honest, but for you, it is bliss."
He watched anger slowly take over her expression as he walked past her, continuing their journey. But then her voice brought him to a halt.
"Did you just call me naive?" she demanded. When Spheris turned back to her, he could see that she was very much offended. Her cottony yellow cheeks had turned red and her brows were squeezed so tightly, glaring at him with accusation. "All because I do not hate the Celestials the same way you do for whatever reason."
Spheris raised a brow. "For whatever reason? Do you truly mean that?"
She opened her mouth to respond, but before the words left her mouth, they were shattered by a heart-wrenching cry. It was a desperate cry of fear, a call for help.
Forgetting their argument, Spheris and Cerene exchanged a quick glance. Then, they both conjured their respective Influences and sprinted towards the source of the anguished plea.