Concepts. Maybe humanity's greatest ingenuity.
The ability to materialize, the immaterial. From their first ancestors, humans have been intricately linked to the ability to [Create], and [Reform].
All other races simply performed imitations of what humanity could do. But despite their ingenuity humanity was known as the weakest race.
So when humanity was at its weakest point, the [Grands] no longer enough to repel the other races, An ancestor, Green, proposed a [Concept], which opened up a path for all humanity to follow, embodying Concepts of their own Creation.
So one could only imagine Baron's shock when time and time again, someone who didn't even seem to possess a concept easily kept up with the speed they were moving at.
While it was true his Concept wasn't active, just having one increased his physical capacity by a noticeable margin.
'I'll have to be careful moving forward.' He thought to himself.
…
Hours passed without much sign of anything. It was fast approaching the dead of night, and they were unsure at what point the sun had gone down.
At this point, even Reaper was frowning. Since he joined, he was naturally the one leading the group.
But to the rest of the members, it was unclear whether he was still following the same tracks, or was leading them off path so they wouldn't be able to corner him.
[Author's Note: Please, though he is referred to as Reaper or Camin, neither of them is his real name.]
Of course, Baron ensured to memorize every twist and turn they took, so if things came down to it, they would have a way back.
"Quiet. it's up ahead." Reaper whispered into his ears, causing the man to come to a halt.
His back was covered in sweat and he couldn't help but ask himself, 'Wasn't he in front? When did he move?'
But before he could further his questioning he saw it. Or maybe it was more accurate to say he saw 'it'
Up ahead there was considerable damage to the trees in the surroundings.
it was already out dark by this point in time and the group was rather tired already having planned to start heading back, but with such a conclusive lead how could they turn back now?
Before any of them could react though, an arrow flew through the trees, hitting Baron on the shoulder.
"ARGHHH!!! FUCK!" Baron screamed but he was already moving into a defensive position, analysing their surroundings, meanwhile Reaper frowned.
Were they surrounded?
"Follow me!" Reaper shouted, having already started moving. As for whether they actually chose to follow him, that was none of his concern. What he was focused on now was survival.
There was only one possibility, they should be one of the groups that were attracted by the rumors.
'Was that a person?' As he chased in the direction of the shooter, using the trees as cover in case of any other ambush, his thoughts sparked. There wasn't anyone here when he scouted last time.
Not to mention... Something felt off. It seems there was a variable he hadn't accounted for.
And almost immediately he was proven right when he was forced into a grinding halt looking at the mess of bloodied mess strewn across the snow.
There were countless bodies covered in blood, or rather, it was more blood than body. Their bodies having been mangled into the most twisted scene imaginable.
Not much of them was left, and of the few faces that did remain, despair was baked unto their countenance. It felt like they had already given up the ghost before they physically died.
"Hehehe…" Reaper stood there blankly. He stood there blankly as suppressed memories began to bubble up, memories he had hidden within himself for much too long.
He saw the dying body of his father, and those who had spent their lives by his side. His jaw was ripped off his head leaving a scene that was too eerie for a smile but couldn't be described any way else.
The man for maybe the first time in his life shed tears, sad tears as he was forced to watch what remained of his people drag his son to safety.
It was his fault. He chuckled.
He seemed to forget the pending danger and just stood there. His eyes which had started to gain hints of life were snuffed out as he remembered the last words of that man.
"Remember. I was strong. It was not weakness that killed me but you."
"Yes. That was it." Reaper laughed heartily, but there was deep sadness to the cadence of his voice that would draw pity from anyone with a heart.
Tears streamed down his face, but beyond that there was not much change to his expression.
He wasn't sure because of the ongoing blizzard but he saw a strange figure walking towards him, but truthfully he couldn't gather up enough willpower to care.
But almost as soon as he had this thought he dispelled it. He couldn't afford to die here. He had to prove him wrong. He would live. To prove that, that man's life wasn't wasted on him.
Unfortunately he couldn't do much before he was quickly subdued from behind.
'There's more than one of them?' he grit his teeth. He had let his emotions cloud his judgement and now he would most likely pay for it. All factors were spiraling out of control.
Finally he looked up to try to catch the face of these individuals.
"Spirituals!" When he saw the pointy ears and oddly colored skin, his eyes widened. What were Spirituals doing here?
"What should we do with them, Khan?" One of the two individuals that had pinned him from the back spoke in a respectful tone towards the one in front.
It was only after he spoke out that Reaper realized that the others had also been captured. Maybe there were even more captives. Just how many of them were there?