Chapter Twenty-Three: Embrace of Death
Dusken scowled darkly. The entity swiftly approaching him was fast, too fast for him to decipher whether it was human or creature by its footsteps alone.
Before he could react further, the figure halted a short distance behind him, the sound of rushing feet coming to a sudden stop.
Without turning his head, Dusken closed his eyes and extended his perception through the shadow of the dead beastman he had slain earlier.
His senses sank into an entirely different realm - a painful and slightly dizzying experience. He was beginning to understand the extent of his Darkshadow manipulation.
He could manipulate shadows, but only those of beings he had slain. He could sense through shadows as well, but the same limitation applied.
Shadows of the living or objects likewise, would not respond to him, no matter how hard he tried.
As for the darkness aspect, Dusken was waiting for nightfall before investigating further. However, he still held onto the hope that no additional limitations would hinder that ability.
The breeze whispered through the trees, carrying the faint scent of greenery. The forest was unnervingly quiet with no animals, no birds, just the sway of lonely trees, their leaves moving lightly as though singing a mournful song to the horizon.
Through the shadow of the fallen beastman, Dusken perceived it all, including the human figure standing ahead.
A girl stood calmly under the soft breeze, her dark brown eyes fixed on Dusken's back with an unshaken gaze. His heart skipped a beat as he recognized her.
'What is she doing here?' he wondered silently.
She was the same girl who had been watching him during the battle of the beastmen.
Her flawless white skin glowed under the sun, untouched by the aftermath of the fight - except for her hands. She held bloodied claws, evidently taken from beastmen she had slain.
Snapping out of the shadow's perception, Dusken jolted slightly and turned to face the girl. Her emotionless stare met his cold gaze.
"What do you want?" he asked, his raspy voice revealed the exhaustion of the day's battles.
Her presence in this location made Dusken wary. She stood motionless for a moment, then finally spoke, her tone even and devoid of emotion.
"Let's journey together."
Stunned, Dusken blinked, confusion and curiosity mixing in his expression.
'This is interesting,' he thought, shaking his head.
"Why should I travel with you? I don't need a companion, and killing you right now wouldn't be impossible." His lips curved into a cold smile as he slowly shook his head.
The girl showed no fear. Instead, her grip tightened visibly around the claws in her hands.
"Let me see you try. Overconfidence is nothing but a stepping stone to death," she said coolly. Tilting her head slightly, she added, "Anyway, I'm Lillian, and my offer still stands. So, what do you say?"
A smirk played on Lilian's lips as she regarded Dusken with a confidence that unsettled him.
'She's not to be underestimated,' Dusken thought, clicking his tongue in frustration before replying.
"What you said is true, but there's a difference between overconfidence and certainty. Even if I'm weak, escaping would still be possible." He shook his head dismissively.
"Oh, and your name? Lovely. But I don't care about that. As for your offer… I'll think about it."
Though he spoke with a calm expression, his thoughts raced.
She's a level-one Awakened with the ability to kill beastmen and other creatures. High battle prowess… check. But why does she want to travel with me?
He considered the possibility that Lilian's arrival here was coincidental and that she simply sought to pair up for survival.
But he wouldn't gamble his life on such groundless assumptions.
His condition was dire. His feet were bleeding from countless collisions, and every step sent jolts of pain through his protesting muscles.
If he encountered two more beastmen, death seemed inevitable.
His furrowed gaze landed on Lilian. A companion would improve his odds of survival, but trust was another matter entirely.
'She's at the Awakened rank, which means she has a talent ability and possibly side abilities,' he mused inwardly.
However, he had to say that curiosity was welling up within him. How exactly does people in the trial advance their ranks?
They didn't have the Codex like Dusken and the other candidates, so… how? Even so, Dusken shook his head and focused on the main point right now.
A crooked smile twisted his lips. If Lilian turned on him, so be it. A blade could harm its wielder as easily as it could strike a foe.
He planned to wield her like a weapon, paving his way to escape. If she betrayed him, it would be his responsibility to dispose of her.
If he died by her hands, then it was his fault for not controlling his weapon properly.
He let out a slow breath, his eyes locking on hers for a moment before speaking:
"I agree with your proposal. Let's travel together. My name is Dusken, but you can call me Dusk." His words carried through the breeze, reaching Lillian.
She nodded curtly. "Like I said before, I'm Lillian."
As she approached, Dusken turned his gaze away, subtly calling the shadows of the beastmen he had slain.
They moved quickly, gliding through the shadows of trees until they merged seamlessly with his own.
'So, it's just once,' he thought with slight disappointment, realizing his energy hadn't evolved further as he had subconsciously hoped.
Turning toward the corpse of the pig-headed beastman, Dusken bent down and pulled his sword free from its chest before tearing into it.
Lillian arrived beside him, her figure casting a shadow over his hunched form. Without looking at her, he continued his task.
Soon, he extracted a golden, jagged crystal inscribed with runes from the beastman's chest.
Though stained with blood, its golden radiance shone through, giving it a radiant view.
'My second core shard,' he thought, holding it up to the light. 'I'll absorb it to grow stronger, but not now.'
Something about the core shard and his energy made him suspicious, and he intended to confirm his doubts later.
He rose to his feet, turning his gaze to Lilian with an expressionless face.
"Lilian, what's this?" he asked, his voice tinged with subtle intent as he held up the shard.
She tilted her head slightly, her expression reflecting her confusion at his sudden question.
"It's a core shard, the fragment of a runic core," she replied coldly after a brief pause.
A smile twisted Dusken's lips as he ignored her tone. Raising the shard for her to see, he spoke again.
"This is the circle of life. This beastman was once a proud existence, but now he is reduced to a corpse, leaving behind only this shard.
"All his hopes, aspirations, and plans - whether righteous or evil - are now nothing but smoke, buried in the boundless embrace of death.
"Trust me when I say... he won't be the only one to sail to that realm soon. Not everyone gets to see their plans come to pass."
His voice echoed through the forest, mixing with the rustle of leaves as a soft breeze drifted in the surroundings.
Lilian's expression shifted subtly as she grasped the weight of his words.