Chapter 726 (2/2)

Randidly pressed his lips together. He didn’t mind the strange reference to Lucretia’s strength, but what was worrying was Alta’s philosophy. Could his image really warp the mindset of people in the Soulskill?

Finally, Randidly said, “You seem to think… this world is dying.”

“Isn’t it? Living beings consume to live. They build some things, yes, but they are not as efficient as the World Tree. Every bit they take means a little more waste. There is a finite amount of energy in the world. To have strength is to claim for yourself a larger share of the world’s energy. By holding strength, you hasten the world’s end.”

Randidly’s expression turned contemplative. “So the world is not dying, it is being inefficiently recycled. Interesting. And yet, I do not hear any fear in your voice. In fact, it seems… you are looking forward toward this end for the world. Do you hold no fear toward death?”

Alta laughed and it was a hollow sound. “Perhaps. To me, death… feels like kin. It seems like every person I touch is eventually overcome by that same inevitable end. To be surrounded by death… that is my lot in life.”

As she spoke, Randidly sensed the mood abruptly changed. It seemed like the whole of the Soulskill around him shifted. The light around him felt filmly and false. Alta was staring at the ground, but Randidly felt the karma between them shifting. Something was changing in Alta’s heart as they spoke.

“Everything…” Alta whispered. Her eyes glazed over. Even in the Soulskill, Randidly could feel that his chest was beginning to burn. “To consume it all… to let it all end… that-”

Grimly, Randidly said, “Your life has been touched by death, I am sure that is true. But before me… do you really dare wallow in self-pity?”

With Randidly as the epicenter, a wave of the heat that formed the unwilling core of his Ashen Image blasted outward. It struck Alta like a physical force, and she cried out in pain as her skin began to blister and pop. In order to control the force of it, Randidly’s crown of Cataclysm and Gloom formed above his head. He eased back on the strength, but color swiftly drained out of Alta’s face.

Then he cut it off, careful to keep the damage he inflicted to a minimum. The simmering heat in his chest faded. But even with that, Randidly’s mood turned abruptly sour.

Alta stumbled backward and fell on her ass. She stared up at him, something akin to wonder in her eyes. “You… what are you…?”

“Someone trying to protect his home. To have strength in the face of the impossible. To walk toward darkness with my head held high,” Randidly said with a sigh.

“...so a fool,” Alta said with a small grin. Randidly rolled his eyes as Alta brushed herself off and stood back up. It certainly showed that this was someone who spent a long time with Lucretia. Similarly, Randidly could do little to intimidate her.

“A dreamer, some of said,” Randidly said dryly. He thought about Helen and her desperate desire to keep him from fighting against beings like the Propagators. And so far, it seemed like she had a very good point.

“Have you and Creta ever fought?” Alta asked suddenly. Randidly chuckled. It seemed that Alta was going to let that brush with Randidly’s true image pass without comment? Perhaps that was for the best. At least in the short term. Randidly was beginning to suspect that the trouble in his Soulskill was tied directly to the this Alta. Was that why Lucretia was with her? It certainly made sense.

Not that Randidly believed that she was the cause, but it seemed that somehow, this girl had become the crux of the issue. She seemed so twisted and confused... but Randidly was too tired to figure out how to unwind this knot. Besides, he had his own troubles...

“...not directly no,” Randidly said, looking up at the sky. There were low clouds moving back into their area. They had been blown away when Randidly released that image of heat. “We were certainly at odds at one point. But she… didn’t take me seriously. I was was a part of a side game to her. So when it came to blows, I lost the first two battles… but then I took the third and won the war.”

“War? You certainly make it seem dramatic,” A light voice cut in. Randidly grinned up at Lucretia, who looked from him to Alta with an exasperated expression on her face. “And I leave for an hour and you have already fought. I suppose I should have expected as much. You two have a lot in common.”

“Do we?” Both Randidly and Alta said at the same time. Then they stared at each other for several seconds.

After a pause, Alta snorted and twisted around. “I’ll be back. I need to change.”

Inwardly, Randidly felt pity for the figure of the girl walking back toward her manor. Her clothes were burnt and falling away from her slender shoulders. The gauntlets she had worn were probably melted into lumps of slag. Alta was clearly accomplished and talented. But compared to Randidly, she was hopelessly out of her depth.

Randidly shivered. Truly, he hoped that Lucretia was incorrect about how much they had in common.