Chapter 1358 (1/2)

The closer they got to the floating island above them, the more nervous Mareen became. It manifested in the tapping of her foot and the almost obsessive way she rubbed her hands together. Her eyes were round with alarm as she looked upward. They kept moving, but the island kept getting larger and larger.

Part of the source of the nervousness was the silver mist that shrouded the entire island and part of it was the cobalt bolts of electricity that periodically illuminated the silvery shroud, but what really made Mareen’s blood run cold was the stifling sense of powerlessness that she felt as they approached. Mareen wasn’t extremely talented when it came to images, but she was dedicated to that effort. She had made it a part of her routine.

Every morning she practiced visualizing without activating her Skills, trying to use pure force of will to achieve the same effect. It was a slow process, but especially recently, Mareen had started to see some tangible results. She was slowly developing her image.

Especially since being woken up in the middle of the night by a piercing cry of hunger from the image of the Ghosthound. That had certainly spurred her to extra dedication.

Their platform floated upward into the mists around the island, the sounds of the industrial district below fading rapidly away as the silver shroud slithered around them. And Mareen practically jumped when she realized that the mist was moving. It seemed like this island above possessed strange spirits of silver whereas Kharon was covered with the emerald moss spirits. They swirled curiously around the new arrivals, some even brushing up against Tatiana’s hands that she offered to the spirits.

“The color is different, but they are essentially the same as the spirits of Kharon as far as I can tell,” Tatiana confirmed. The platform shuddered slightly and Mareen abruptly realized that the had reached the edge of the floating island. “Come on, I can sense Randidly. He should be ready to talk to us soon.”

Mareen drifted after Tatiana through the silver mists, abruptly feeling like she hadn’t quite understood the decision that she was making when she had decided that she wanted to help build his house. It abruptly hit her again that Randidly Ghosthound was the most powerful man on Earth and she was waltzing onto his floating island in order to talk about the home he wanted to build.

It didn’t help her nerves that Ed was currently trying to figure out if he had a high enough Skill Level to work with the materials that the Ghosthound provided for the construction. He was rushing to consult with the experts of Kharon. Donnyton had certainly dealt with powerful materials, but few were willing to build entire homes out of them.

They were mainly processed on a smaller scale to form armor, weapons, or other equipment. To create a manor out of them… Mareen suspected that no one but Randidly Ghosthound could accomplish such a feat.

The found Randidly at what Mareen believed to be the center of the island. Truthfully, she didn’t know how much longer she could wander behind Tatiana through the seething mists without having a panic attack when she spotted the Ghosthound’s figure.

A flat circle had been cleared out, and Randidly was standing at the center in a fighting stance. His shoulders rose and fell with the expansion and contraction of his lungs, releasing long breaths that Mareen could practically see streaming out of his nostrils. His hair wasn’t exactly matted, but it was definitely damp with sweat and ruffled by his fingers. Based on the feeling in the air around him, Mareen sensed that he had just finished with some physical training.

Rather than a man, Randidly Ghosthound seemed to be a steam locomotive, releasing pressure and slowly cooling down after traveling a long distance. His eyes were pressed tightly closed and Tatiana gestured at Mareen to keep silent and wait until he spoke to them.

Not that Mareen needed any encouragement; she was already terrified by the fact that she could literally feel the beats of the Ghosthound’s heart. The whole surrounding area seethed with his vitality and power.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The heartbeat felt like an image, but that also didn’t feel entirely correct. It just seemed like the Ghosthound was a natural force of such primal ferocity that it could no longer be contained within his body. Yet all Mareen could think as she looked at Randidly Ghosthound was how young he seemed. Sure, he was definitely quite a few years older than her, but he was nowhere close to thirty. Yet he had crossed some invisible gap in significance and now stood at the apex of the world.

This is the man that Naffur chose to follow… well, he certainly is good at choosing capable subordinates… Mareen thought, trying to keep the anxiety from bubbling up and overwhelming her.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

It felt like an eternity, but even Mareen could admit that it was only about five minutes of enduring that horrible resonance of the Ghosthound’s heart before he opened his eyes and turned to face them with a wry smile on his face as he looked at Tatiana. “A taste of my own medicine?”

Tatiana bowed. “I wouldn’t dream of it. I had some news, and also didn’t you inquire about building a house? All the preparations for the contract have been made to your specifications. You just need to discuss what sort of house you will want for your mysterious island…”

The Ghosthound released a bark of a laugh. He flicked his wrist and a towel appeared in his hand. “You are enjoying this, aren’t you? Well fine, I could use a short break anyway. And you must be… Mareen.”

Mareen straightened, trying not to think too deeply about the fact that he had known her name just by looking at her. His emerald eyes studied her. “Yes, I am.”

“Then let’s get down to business.” The Ghosthound’s expression brooked no argument. With a second flick, he had stored his towel away. With a third, roots began winding up out of the ground and forming a rather basic table and chairs. Seeing both Tatiana and the Ghosthound taking a seat, Mareen sat down and was surprised by how comfortable it was. “Let me just tell you a little bit about what I have planned…”

*****

After Mareen left, Tatiana smiled at Randidly. “You actually seemed to take that very seriously. I appreciate that. And also… either she’s much stronger than she looks, or your aura isn’t so much of an issue anymore.”

Randidly’s smile in return was crooked. “While it’s true I can control it a little better, it’s still a problem; she has a stronger image than her face reveals. There’s iron in that woman. You said she and Naffur are an item?”