With a deep exhalation, along with a nudging faint sense of unease, I summoned forth the runes.
Flick!
The shimmering runes flickered into existence. And it was then that I saw it:
Name: Dean
Origin name: UNKNOWN
Dark Core: Dormant
Dark Fragments: [7/1000]
Soul/ Arcane Relics: [Forgotten Blade]
Traits: [Contingency], [Scion Of Divinity And Profanity]
Aspects: [Scion Of Emotions]
Innate Ability: [Foresight.]
"One fragment."
It was just like I suspected.
I frowned.
The reward gotten from absorbing soul shards wasn't going to be equal to that gotten from… killing.
The realization sent a cold chill through me.
My hands twitched as my heart thundered in the tense silence.
Thump! Thump!
The longer I thought about it, the more the scowl on my face deepened.
It was as though, something, someone, or perhaps, fate itself was trying to force me onto this cold, brutal and merciless path.
My body tensed at the thought. However, with a shaky exhalation:
"...On the bright side of things, there's now a way to avoid arousing suspicion."
I told myself. Even if that did little to quench the plethora of dark emotions seething within.
Because, at the end of the day, no matter how hard I tried to convince myself, I knew I had still end up giving in to the darkness within.
The thought darkened my features and sent a weird feeling through me.
...However, on the bright side of things.
"With this method of absorbing soul shards, I now have one more trick up my sleeves, in face of the grim future."
Step. Step.
It was then that I heard approaching footsteps.
"..."
I raised my head up to face the approaching figure.
"Morning."
The words escaped her pale lips.
'Weird.'
I tilted my head a little.
Something about the crimson haired lady, felt… off. However, I couldn't find out what it was. So,
"Morning."
I also said,
She paused for a few seconds, as though finding the right words before eventually stretching forth her hands.
"...?"
"You want me to hold them?"
I inquired with a frown.
"No!" She glared at me.
'Then what?!—'
It was then that I caught a glimpse of three glistening shards wrapped in her hands.
"Oh."
"Yeah."
She nodded.
"Here is your share of the soul shards."
The crimson haired lady handed over to me, the three soul shards. At that moment, however, a frown crept onto my features.
"I—"
I considered telling her, "I didn't really need the soul shards," and probably even give it to her. After all, the stronger she was, the better our chances of surviving if we were to ever become a true cohort, or anything of remotely close design. But, on second thought, upon considering the dire circumstances surrounding the way I levelled up, I decided against it.
Mia raised a brow.
"You said something?"
"Um- No."
"...Oh- Alright."
She nodded with the same blank expression before walking away.
"Huh…"
I let out a deep breath. Though, I felt a little bit disappointed. After all...
'I could have helped out. But, unfortunately, for my own safety, I couldn't afford to.'
"Perhaps a day will come when I will be able to trust you."
I muttered under my breath as I stared at her walk away.
"Until then, I had better keep these damn shards."
Especially when considering the fact that the more soul shards I had for the upcoming crisis we might encounter, the better our chances of surviving. Even if only barely.
With a tense expression,
Creak! Creak!
I walked towards the broken window. Staring down at the barren landscape, its ruined surface teemed with nightmarish creatures of all kinds.
A dark expression slowly crept up my features.
However, considering the fact that not all dark creatures could enter a dune structure. I allowed myself to calm down. Even if it took every little ounce of willpower within me to do so.
At this point — even if such never really occured in this cursed and wretched land — I could only hope for the best.
"How ironic..."
***
...Before long, Aezel also woke up.
Calmly leaning the blind girl against the wall, he stared at her for a few minutes or so, and then, with a light exhalation, he walked towards us, joining in the small circle I and Mia had created earlier on.
Flick!
...By making use of her strange, incandescent flame, even if I found it a little bit extravagant to do so, and indeed it was. Mia was able to roast a large portion of the nightmarish creatures.
As she did so, however, a dark corrosive energy crept out of the carcasses before being burnt into nothingness.
"...Oh?"
My eyes widened at the scene before me.
'...So apart from healing, her flame also has a purifying effect.'
"Interesting..."
I muttered under my breath, eyes squinted in amusement. However, more than that, I was filled with every little bit of joy. After all...
'With her by our side, or rather, her flame, we no longer had to worry about food poisoning, or in worst case scenarios: being corrupted.'
"Hah..."
The thought brought a smile to my face.
The faint smile lingered as I took a small bite out of the portion of meat that had been handed over to me.
"So... good!"
My eyes lit up at the taste. And as though I hadn't eaten for weeks, which was honestly quite close to it, I hurriedly muched on the barbeque until nothing was left.
...Nothing but bones, anyway.
With a satisfied expression, I shifted my gaze towards the blind girl. And it was then that I realized that she was still asleep.
"Weird."
I mused under my breath, brows arched upward.
Tilting my head a little, I glimpsed at Mia and Aezel. However, judging by their calm expression, it seemed to be a normal thing.
'So... it could be said that I was worried for nothing.'
I shook my head.
"Wait... why am I even worried about her?"
A light frown marred my features. However...
With a dark expression, I rose to my feet and walked to the edge of the dune structure, sitting down there and calmly enjoying the silent comfort while it still lasted.
For some time, no one said anything, and we all sat in a tense, suffocating silence. Which was quite okay to me.
However, after a while, we had to come together in order to discuss the plan for the next few days. And, the crimson haired lady seemed to have her fair share of words to say:
"...With what you said about nightmarish scavengers crowding the north. The most logical step would be to move south as soon as we can. Of course, west and east are also acceptable."
Aezel nodded.
"I also explored the east a little. But, I wasn't confident enough to make it to the next dune structure before the dark mist made its next appearance. Hence, I had no choice but to change direction."
He paused, as though finding the right words:
"That's why I think the next best course of action would be to spend today scouting a path to the nearest dune structure, and move there tomorrow at the very least."
And once again, I had to give it to Aezel.
Compared to the first thoughts I had of him being an arrogant and overconfident kind of person, he was actually quite the opposite.
He was shrewd, cautious, and, even if I hated admitting to it, he was actually quite… smart.
It was then that Aezel turned to face Mia, the scowl on his face deepening.
"Do you have any idea where we are?"
He paused, as though contemplating. "Would there be a Human Acropolis to the east?"
Mia shook her head with a grim expression.
"I've never heard of a region that fits the characteristics of this place. In any case, we have to continue moving forward to find out."
It was then that her expression darkened. If only barely.
"We'll either find an Acropolis or well… die. Hence, the east is quite a logical path to explore. Plus, it's probably the safest. At the very least, it doesn't have a horde of nightmarish scavengers crowding it."
"Makes sense."
I nodded. Though, I was confused about the term: Human Acropolis.
However, if I had to guess, it was probably a safe zone of sorts.
As for what kind of safe zone? That, I had no idea of.
'...Being ignorant in this wretched land is really as damned as it can get.'
I sighed in exasperation.
…It was then, however, that the blind girl rose to her feet, or rather, her knees.
Flick!
Creak!
Her face paled, while her body shivered violently, as though she had been thrown into the depths of a frozen region.
"..."
Sccrrch...!
As she shivered and gnashed her teeth together, she looked as though she had seen a ghost, or rather, something far... worse?