A Journey Unwanted

Chapter 536 - 524: Progress for the former princess

[Realm: Uhorus]

[Location: Verdantis]

[Western Outskirts]

Alyssia’s gaze never left Aerinon, even after the violent pillar of Abyssal Energy had vanished and after the earth had stopped trembling beneath her feet. She continued staring, trying to understand what she had just witnessed; she couldn’t.

His expression had not changed, not before, during, or even after. There hadn’t been the slightest shift in his features despite unleashing something so overwhelmingly foul that even now she could still feel its lingering presence pressing against her mind.

A cold sweat clung to the back of her neck, her shoulders remained tense, and every instinct within her body still insisted there was an enemy standing directly before her.

She had experienced powerful presences before.

She had experienced Death itself before.

None of that explained the unsettling calm standing in front of her now. He had released all of that, and yet his face remained as blank as ever. There was not a shred of emotion there.

Nothing.

Lucinda looked much the same.

Though she hid it better, Alyssia could still see the lingering tension in the younger spawn’s posture.

Could a human truly possess something like that?

Could someone wield such a malevolent force...

And remain so utterly unaffected?

Alyssia unconsciously swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat before finally breaking the silence.

"So..." Her voice was noticeably quieter than usual. "...where exactly is this Abyssal posse of yours?"

Aerinon answered without so much as a pause.

"They’re already traveling toward our location." He slipped both hands into his coat pockets as a stronger winter wind swept across the clearing, tugging gently at the hem of his black coat and stirring his neatly kept hair.

His lone eye calmly settled upon the two spawns.

"It shouldn’t take much longer." His voice remained perfectly the same. "So, if you’re still unsettled..." He glanced briefly between them. "...compose yourselves while you have the opportunity."

"As though I require advice from you." Alyssia folded her arms with a light huff. Her usual bite was present, though noticeably dulled. "I was caught off guard once." She lifted her chin slightly. "That won’t happen again."

Her red eyes remained fixed on him.

"I’ve already begun putting the necessary precautions in place."

Aerinon gave a single nod.

"Good." That was all; his attention drifted elsewhere almost immediately.

The brevity of the response somehow irritated Alyssia far more than it should have.

("Honestly...") She narrowed her eyes at him. ("This boy...") She continued studying him in silence; no ordinary person should look so unconcerned. Not after wielding a power like that and after deliberately releasing it into the world simply to draw countless horrors toward himself.

There wasn’t even the faintest trace of hesitation in the action. It seemed as simple as breathing to him. Could someone like that truly be called normal?

("When I first met him...") Her thoughts slowed. ("...I thought he might simply be another Dante.") She remembered the knight.

Dante was reserved, sometimes quiet, his face always hidden from view. It was hard to get a grasp on him most of the time, but he was never empty.

("Dante always had emotion beneath that exterior.") Her gaze lingered on Aerinon’s lone eye. ("You could always tell.") She frowned as the thoughts settled in her mind. ("This is different.") The realization unsettled her. ("He’s not hiding his emotions.")

A small breath escaped her.

("It’s as though they simply aren’t reaching his surface at all.") She found herself clicking her tongue softly. ("Damn it...")

For reasons she couldn’t quite explain that bothered her far more than his bluntness ever had.

Meanwhile, Lucinda’s thoughts had taken an entirely different direction.

She continued looking at Aerinon; however, it was not suspicion that filled her gaze. No, those red eyes held concern.

"Aerinon," Lucinda started as he turned toward her. "...Are you actually alright?"

The question caught him slightly off guard, not outwardly.

"I am." He answered with the same short nod as before.

His lone eye met hers.

Lucinda didn’t look convinced.

"It’s just..." She hesitated for only a moment. "...that was an incredible amount of power." Her gaze remained fixed on him. "And it wasn’t mana." She quietly shook her head. "It was pure Abyssal Energy."

There was genuine concern in her voice now.

"Everything we’ve learned suggests it’s considerably more dangerous than mana." She searched his expression for any indication he might be hiding discomfort.

Finding none somehow worried her even more.

Aerinon quietly regarded her.

("Truthfully...") His thoughts drifted. ("I’d rather avoid using Abyssal Energy whenever possible.") There was no self-pity in the observation, only simple honesty. ("It’s taxing.") His gaze briefly wandered toward the broken sky. ("And it feels removed from anything I’d call ordinary.")

A pause sat in his thoughts before they continued.

("Though perhaps ordinary ceased existing the day the calamities began.") His thoughts remained detached. ("Regardless...") He looked back toward Lucinda. ("I’d rather not have a spawn of Octavia fussing over me.") The thought felt strangely awkward. ("There’s nothing particularly normal about that.")

A nearly imperceptible sigh escaped him.

("Still, there’s little point allowing unnecessary concern to linger.")

He answered.

"Abyssal Energy is ordinarily harmful to humans." His explanation was calm despite what he was talking about. "Those descended from Xylohr possess a degree of resistance. So its effects are somewhat diminished."

"Somewhat?" Alyssia immediately echoed, her brow rising as Aerinon nodded again.

"Prolonged exposure can still prove harmful." The words left his mouth almost absentmindedly, and then he noticed Lucinda’s expression.

Her brows had drawn together; she looked significantly less reassured than before. He quietly realized perhaps complete honesty hadn’t been the wisest choice.

Lucinda continued watching him.

"But you released all of that..." Her eyes briefly drifted toward the cracked landscape surrounding them. "...simply to attract Abyssal Creatures."

Her concern became increasingly obvious.

"It’s not a pro—"

"It is." Lucinda interrupted him before he could finish. Her voice remained gentle, yet unexpectedly firm. "If there’s even a small risk to you..." She slowly shook her head. "...then I don’t think you should dismiss it so easily." She held his gaze as she continued. "Even if the damage is minor and even if you believe you can endure it. Please don’t use your power so recklessly."

There was no animosity in her tone, but there was sincerity.

"This is only training." Her voice softened. "There isn’t any reason for you to place yourself in harm’s way simply to help Alyssia improve."

A brief silence followed as the aforementioned girl spoke up spoke up next.

"I actually agree." Her eyes remained on Aerinon. "I’m still not particularly fond of you." She said it with complete honesty. "Nor am I especially fond of the way you speak to people." A small shrug followed. "But none of this requires you to shoulder that sort of burden."

The clearing fell quiet, and Aerinon found himself unexpectedly perplexed.

("...Curious.") His visible eye narrowed ever so slightly; he kept the thought to himself, as always. ("At first...") He regarded Lucinda. ("I assumed this concern simply came from the passage of time. People change; circumstances change. Perhaps she had simply become softer.")

A pause sat in his thoughts.

("But...") His gaze briefly shifted toward Alyssia before returning. ("That doesn’t explain everything.")

The concern directed toward him felt unforced and natural. He couldn’t quite understand it, and eventually he exhaled the smallest sigh.

The answer no longer interested him enough to pursue.

He simply looked at the two girls once more.

"Alright." Nothing more followed, no argument or justification.

Alyssia blinked.

("Seriously?") She stared at him. ("That’s it?") She had expected resistance, at least a brief disagreement.

Some attempt to defend himself.

Instead...

He accepted their request almost immediately; the exchange reminded her, strangely enough, of Archbishop Percival. The man had seemed willing to abandon certain discussions without insisting upon having the final word.

Yet Aerinon felt fundamentally different; Percival stepped away because he seemed patient. Aerinon stepped away because...

("...he simply can’t be bothered.") She became increasingly convinced that was the only explanation.

Her gaze shifted toward Lucinda; the younger spawn remained noticeably thoughtful. Still concerned and watching Aerinon.

Alyssia understood why.

Anyone witnessing someone wield such a dangerous power so casually would naturally feel uneasy. Yet she found herself questioning something else entirely. She liked Lucinda, far more than she’d expected after such a short time together.

The younger spawn possessed a sincerity that was difficult to dislike. But this concern seemed deeper than ordinary kindness. It didn’t feel like simple altruism before she could dwell on the thought any longer—

"The Abyssal Creatures have arrived."

Aerinon’s voice cut cleanly through the silence and both spawns immediately turned toward the direction he was facing.

The sight before them caused each to fall silent.

The brilliant white snow stretching across the distant hills had all but disappeared. It was as though an immense tide of darkness had rolled across the landscape, swallowing the frozen earth beneath countless shifting forms until the horizon seemed painted black.