His mouth was agape, eyes were wide in surprise, and his emotions ran wild. Veritas could not believe it.. such a large-scale storm that covered not just a wide area but hectares upon hectares of grassland!
'That's his Soul?!'
If it's compared to the Seraphim of Gold's physical manifestation of the Soul, it would be like comparing a cat to an elephant.
However, Veritas knew that even if the Seraphim's manifestation looked mild compared to Mr. Freedom's, it was still as potent and equally strong as the great storm.
'When will I get my own manifestation?'
Veritas couldn't wait, but it was not easy at all..
He needed to climb up the Soul Ranks, starting with Pure all the way to Hallowed.
It would take a really long time..
"I'm amazed... really."
If this really was the younger version of his father.. Veritas held the King of Elrod with more respect.
But.. something didn't make sense. If this was his younger version, then why is the older version of the King still ranked Beyond?
Was it the craziness due to the nature of the Paths, it was Guidance after all. It's theme, as Veritas understood, was about growth and prosperity.
Hence, the reason why he looked younger than his older self.
Veritas still had many questions such as why Mr. Freedom did not recognize him, how he ended up in Hell, and what is lying inside that honest mind of his.
Veritas opened his mouth to ask yet he was immediately interrupted by Mr. Freedom's words.
"You've been spacing out for a while."
"I have?"
"Yes, you were unmoved for 10 minutes now.."
Veritas was confused.
'What is he talking about? It hasn't even been a minute yet..'
"I see."
Mr. Freedom spoke somberly.
"It seems that our time is running out."
Veritas immediately responded:
"What do you mean?"
Everything was fine up until now, Veritas wondered about what was happening to Mr. Freedom.
"See. It took you 4 minutes and 33 seconds to respond to my statement. You're words are slow and you reply after spacing out."
"What's happening?"
"2 minutes and 2 seconds. Let me quickly brief you, your Soul is being sapped and because you're not supposed to be here, the Impure Soul that you have cannot handle the pressure of the unique nature of this place."
"In your perception, everything seems to be fine. But that is contrary to what I am seeing. To me, you are hollow, only responding once every couple of minutes."
Veritas replied after 3 minutes and 16 seconds.
"Is there some time dilation happening?"
Mr. Freedom sighed.
"Perhaps, but it is not too harmful for you. As a foreign existence, your Soul would immediately go back to your body once it had been sapped completely. You will feel your head hurt as if it were splitting apart, and you will feel great dizziness. Pay it no importance, these are signs that you are still alive."
Mr. Freedom waved his hands in the air, and stared at an illusory set of runes.
"There's still time. Remember these things when you get back!"
Veritas felt dizziness rising up in his head and his vision slowly turning black, becoming hazy and dreamlike.
"Trust Alice! Investigate the Student Council! Confide in Shin Morteza! and most importantly..."
Veritas felt everything turn black and darkness began to envelop his eyes.
Yet he could still hear the last words of the Empyrean.
"Never wake up!"
The white-haired Prince vanished from the small hut, leaving behind the lonely Mr. Freedom.
He muttered silently:
"It's inevitable."
The hut crumbled down and slowly turned back into a buried manor. Inside, a cold breeze emanated deep from within the heart. Darkness filled the halls and various rooms.
There was a faint presence of a person living inside yet... there was no one at all.
Mr. Freedom vanished into thin air.
*
Veritas basked in the soft radiance of twilight and its splendor of a purple night with shining stars above.
He woke up and was greeted by a splitting headache, Veritas held his temples to comfort his brain yet it was to no avail.
He wanted to puke, the nauseous feeling due to his headache caused his actions to be wobbled.
"I'm.. alive."
He remembered the words of the mysterious figure named Freedom. In it, Veritas felt some kind of comfort, making him sense relief in his heart.
Veritas was alone when he woke up, he was laying down a hospital bed that was manufactured for the great comforts of royalty. A special ward specifically made for him, it was private and big, looking like a suite from Diamond Borough.
'Is this even a clinic?'
It was not, it is a specially made ward that was made by the utility-type Wielders from Intelligence School of Knowledge.
It housed the highest quality of materials for resting, which includes physical therapy, sound therapy, sleep therapy, and many more..
Additionally, the technology inside was the most advanced that Veritas had ever seen. It was even better than the medical ward in the castle!
Veritas wanted to stand up but the splitting headache decided against him.
'Damned headache.. Ah!'
So, he laid down the comforts of the hospital bed, once he did.. Veritas felt a sort of remedy for headaches and body fatigue.
'This bed has healing properties!'
What a privilege it was to be one of the individuals that get to use the bed. Yet, Veritas hated that privilege.
Even so, he appreciated the advanced attributes of the bed.
Veritas noticed the twilight outside the window. It was.. a spectacle to behold.
To see such gleaming night stars in the sky, Veritas could not help but admire the view.
'This is one of the therapeutic aspects of this room!' He immediately deduced.
It worked though.. so Veritas did not complain about that.
"Just how long have I been out?"
Massaging his temples once more, Veritas thought out loud.
Suddenly! A figure wearing a tightly buttoned orange blazer along with a white undershirt and black tie, casually paired with black slacks, suddenly arrived at Veritas' side.
"About 8 hours or so.."
Professor Shin arrived! The words of Mr. Freedom suddenly rang in his head.
"Confide in Shin Morteza!"
Veritas felt unsure whether the words of the mysterious Freedom was true or not.
'This guy is the definition of sketchy! It seems like he's about to do something sinister when everyone is not looking.."
It is true though, his eyes were always closed as if they were resting, he had a dubious smile on his face, and he liked to joke around with his students.
Maybe that last part was not that sinister but still!
"Professor.." Veritas said weakly.
"How are you, your majesty? Quite the mystery of what happened back there, we've never had someone get 100% before. Especially when that Aptitude suddenly turned to 0%! There is no one in recorded history to really get a 0% Aptitude. Even mundane humans get like 1%!"
He continued:
"So tell me.. what happened?"
The Professor's resting eyes slight shifted open, revealing an orange glow that emanated nihility.
Veritas felt mortified.
"I.. really don't know myself. It felt familiar though - that state of zero where everything was completely black. I can't quite discern when it happened or how, it's just.. there.. in my mind."
Veritas explained while massaging his fingertips at his temples. Then, he shook his head.. as if he was trying to remember something but could not quite know what it is.
"I see. You should get some rest then, your majesty. The King has heard of this already, he said to take some of the concoctions that the Queen has made for you."
"A-alright. Thank you, Professor."
With that, Professor Shin excused himself.
"I shall leave, please rest.. your majesty."
Veritas responded with a somber tone.
"I will."
Professor Shin bowed lightly and tapped his chest on the left, immediately vanishing on the spot.
Veritas contemplated.
"So Mother even thought of my condition this far.. She really is scary.."
Veritas smiled with a warm radiance pulsing through the room.
'I should get some rest..'
He laid down the comforts of the hospital bed and closed his eyes.
Veritas couldn't sleep anymore but closing his eyes helped him think more thoroughly.
'That man.. Mr. Freedom, he looked too much like my Father, its.. weird.'
Veritas even felt the Path of Guidance seeping through the man's Soul!
It was too peculiar to have been a coincidence.
Still, even though Veritas felt familiarity when met with Freedom, he still sensed the great distance between them. As if there was a wall blocking the two of them from understanding one another.
Yet, even with that wall, Veritas felt that he understood the man greatly. It seemed like the man was someone that Veritas had already been acquainted with many times!
That was the weird thing though, it was the very first time that Veritas met Mr. Freedom, but the uncanny resemblance of the man to his Father made him realize that something was off.
'Should I trust him?'
His warnings seemed genuine too!
And mildly accurate.. how did Mr. Freedom know about Alice, Professor Shin, and the student council? Also, what was that about never waking up?
'Wake up from what exactly?'
Veritas placed a finger on his chin, recalling the times when the runes told him to wake up.
'If I trusted, Mr. Freedom. Then would the runes that gave me the Path and helped me unlock the Soul, be lying?! What did it want me to wake up from!?'
Veritas shook his head agressively and messed his hair up.
'Aarrgh- all this thinking is making my headache get worse.. Ow!'
Veritas calmed down.
'I'll sleep it off.'
Immediately, Veritas came to regret that thought.
'How exactly do I sleep this off?!'
He sighed and felt powerless because he could not do anything but lay on the bed.
Veritas laid down straight, and stretched his body. He controlled his breathing and regulated the intervals in which he inhaled and exhaled.
'No option left '
Veritas gazed upon his Soul and opened his runes.
He activated Windsong, and commanded it to..
"Knock me out!"
The Winds collectively gathered at one spot and struck Veritas' forehead with a heavy impact.
"Aggh!"
Of course, it didn't work.
Veritas is a fully fledged Impure Pathbearer with physical capabilities that surpassed the human limits.
He was a master in swordplay and is an imposing figure that has infinite charisma, a bit exaggerated but true.
A mere compressed air strike to his forehead is not enough for him to faint.
Veritas realized the dire situation that he was in.
'This night's gonna be very long..'