134 A Reckoning In the Making (1/2)

Anima swirled around the newly awoken Reed and shimmered in jubilation as if it had suddenly met an old friend. The grasslands shone with a golden hue reminiscent of the rising sun and the turbulent, ferocious squalls of rain turned into gentle showers of radiant light.

The thunderstorm itself, a byproduct of the Anima that'd be drawn to the phantoms' wills during the fight had shifted its allegiance to the person it'd considered the highest-ranking individual among the three of them: Reed.

Even though Reed's limit, the amount of Anima he could gather within himself, had shrunken considerably, his connection to it had not. If anything, it'd grown even stronger than before.

It was as if the somewhat faint and ambiguous connection had been cleared up.

”This feels pretty nice... Is this what you've been hogging to yourself?”

Reed felt like the Anima around had truly come alive if such a thing were even possible. Possibilities that hadn't been available to him before blossomed in front of his eyes.

He was being guided by Anima; it was whispering to Reed secrets that once been kept from him. Showing Reed the best methods to use it, a blessing that not even he had been granted by the Mark of Responsibility during his time as its owner.

The grand irony of it all would've caused him to laugh himself to death had he known what he'd unwittingly caused. For the Mark of Responsibility to have preferred Reed over him would've driven the miserable phantom to the edge of madness.

Reed coldly gazed at him and said, ”I don't need you anymore. Begone from my sight while I still pity you, wretch.”

”...They're going to die if you insist on continuing down this path, Reed. I hope you're ready to carry their deaths for the rest of your life. You, alone, can't stop what's about to happen. You need me!

The Eventide of Faith has already begun and you won't be able to stop it without my help!!”

Anima surged in seething waves around Reed in response to his emotions, but he hushed them with a gentle whisper. It wanted to attack the phantom of its own will, following its master's feelings akin to the word of God.

Even without shape, form, or meaning of its own, Anima still possessed something similar to... feelings. They were vague, faint, and disorderly, so only a few people had ever picked up on that hidden fact.

Contenders didn't know about them. Neither did Conquerors, well, most of them, anyway. To them, Anima was Anima. Ever-present, formless, and mindless. It was to be used. Nothing more.

But those with a deeper connection with Anima knew better. Although imperceptibly minuscule, they noticed subtle fluctuations in the ambient Anima around them.

The mysterious sign of Anima liking an individual was referred to as a blessing, hence those were beloved by it were called Blessed. Only a few such Blessed existed though, the most famous of them were known... as the Four Sovereigns.

Other notable Blessed existed as well, but none of them possessed the same level of affinity with Anima as the four founding rulers of the continent. It was that connection that allowed the Four Sovereigns to progress as fast as they did back when they were nothing but piddling contenders more than four thousand years ago...

”What are you talking about?” said Reed with a skeptical expression, ”I've already done what you said I needed to do to stop—”

”No, you fool... Wait, did you think that—” He cackled loudly and said, ”Ohh, you poor idiot. You thought that your troubles are over because you've activated the Mark of Responsibility? I really do love your boundless optimism, Reed.”

”But if you don't believe me, why don't ask her instead?” he said.

Reed turned toward the phantom who'd been silently observing them and said, ”...Is it true?”

She did not respond.

”...Lacrima, tell me the truth. Is he right or not?”

”He's telling the truth. This world is in grave danger, boy. A dark cloud is looming over the future of this entire world and if you don't act...”

Here we go, again... Pulled in by the world and its goddamned problems... but that was what I signed for when I took up this power.

Reed stroked his chest and let out a deep sigh. He had to face this head-on.

No more running. Do it for her. Do it for them. Get it over with and be the hero they need.