Chapter 963 (1/2)

“So many questions, but not an answer in sight,” Randidly muttered to himself. He exchanged a few quick messages with a worried Neveah, who had felt the damage to his Class without knowing how extensive it was.

After assuring her that he was fine, Neveah demanded that he produce their new doppelganger so she could possess it briefly and get a good look at him in the aftermath of what he went through. Exasperated but understanding that this came from a place of worry, Randidly did as she asked.

The doppelganger took the form of Neveah’s human version, an androgynous faced young woman that looked to be Randidly’s sister. For several seconds, the doppelganger was still. Then, as though a light was switched on behind her eyes, she looked sharply up at Randidly. After inspecting him critically for several seconds, Neveah shook her head. “Dangerous. Very dangerous.”

“Yea, that response has occurred to me,” Randidly said with a sigh. Considering what he just experienced, Randidly could finally understand that distinct dread that he had felt in the Creature’s memories. If the System was run by beings like this, Randidly could understand wanting to hide from them at all costs.

“Do you feel it? Some of that energy still lingers.” Neveah lowered her head to next to Randidly’s shoulder and sniffed. “Powerful. Very rigid Aether. Barely any flexibility remains.

“But powerful,” Randidly sighed. He leaned back in his wooden chair and allowed his body to go boneless. Even now, the same helpless feeling he had acquired the moment that thing’s attention came on him hadn’t fully departed.

“Mmm.’” Neveah continued to sniff around, as though seeking more information. As Randidly sat with his eyes closed, he could distantly feel understanding of Neveah’s extremely acute Aether sense that was flowing through their connection. “Well, there is also good news.”

“Oh?” Randidly didn’t bother to move more than his mouth as he answered. Hell, how long had it been since he had taken a breath?

“I do not sense any marks. This is not a subtle power… just a brutal one. So as long as we produce enough Aether to wash these traces away-”

“How long with that take?” Randidly asked. “And are you saying that it is possible to hide from something like that?”

“Perhaps a week. It is certainly slow to leave. Raw energy barely sways it. Only prolonged exposure will work.” Neveah leaned back and shrugged. “And not hide. But make it inconvenient to locate us again. It isn’t a kind truth, but the fact the attention hit you so hard is a good sign; it meant that being had to make a concerted effort in order to reach you.”

Randidly’s mouth crinkled into an unwilling smile. “I like to play hard to get.”

Neveah just gave him a look. “I understand human humor enough to notice that you are no longer speaking literally. But who knows, perhaps to rid yourself of these traces will be enough. In the future, it might be for the best that we undertake no Paths relating to my… special gift I was born inside. It seems those might be a lightning rod for trouble.”

Shaking his head, Randidly said. “I don’t think either of us believes that just getting rid of those traces of Aether will be enough. Which is why-”

“Which is why you are scared,” Neveah said. “You have grown strong. Here on Earth, you have grown into the whole of your strength. Slowly you realize the value of the Crown you bear. But we do not fight against our peers, Randidly. We have always been fighting against the whole of the System itself and the heartless tests it insists upon.

“Did you truly think your enemies would be any less than this?”

“I’m not-” Randidly began, but he begrudgingly shut his mouth. His hands were still trembling as they were clasped loosely in his lap. Showing his teeth to the air, Randidly forced his focus to turn itself inward.

Neveah was right. He was scared. For the first time in a long time, Randidly had encountered something that was so far beyond his own personal ability that he could not see any way to close that gap.

So he was afraid. So he panicked. So he briefly lost his grip.

So Neveah was worried enough that she wanted to speak with him in person.

Randidly released a breath. Even four years later, the depths of the System is still enough to scare the shit out of me…Neveah’s right through. This doesn’t change anything. This isn’t any new information.

His emerald eyes refocused. The trembling in his hands slowly ceased. This was always the caliber of foe I needed to overcome to accomplish my goal. This is just the first time we encountered one another. And although it cannot be denied this one was my tragic loss...

... that doesn’t mean the same will be true for the next time we meet.

…...which will hopefully be later rather than sooner...

“Ah, the connection is fading,” Neveah muttered. “It seems we much increase the proficiency of this ability slowly so we can communicate more effectively. For now, do not forget to release a large amount of Aether at all times; only through constant pushing can you get rid of those traces. Good luck.”

Then the Neveah next to him was just a puppet with a fraction of her real Skills and abilities. Randidly dismissed it immediately. There was no point in keeping it around at the moment. Instead, Randidly took several more breaths and enjoyed the quiet of the testing room. Here, finally, he had the chance to reset himself.

The shock of being under the gaze of that… thing had given him a wake-up call. Perhaps the equivalent of the wakeup call that he had spent so much time and effort giving Donnyton. Although the threat that was nearest to arriving was his Judgement, that was never the foe that would make or break Randidly’s struggle.