Chapter 1393 (2/2)

Still…

Randidly glanced sideways at Neveah. The first two attributes of the arm were simple enough to understand, but the third one… the fact that it reached rank VI was a testament to its power. The only problem was that there were no current effects. And the fact that he was carrying the dreams of the Aether-Well Orphan…

Perhaps it was some remnant of that clarity toward the futures Randidly had seen while forging, but Neveah’s face looked so lined and tired as Randidly glanced at it. He could see the hint of a darkness in her, reminding him of the darkness that had broken Decklan Hyde. And considering this was only an illusion she projected, her actual condition must be much worse.

Before Randidly could speak, however, the corner of Neveah’s lips turned upward. “We should get some rest. I know you want to draw out Kaan Swacc as soon as possible-”

“No,” Randidly instantly countered. The vehemence of his response made Neveah’s face flicker in surprise. Perhaps any other time he would have put this issue off, but not today. Not after so viscerally feeling how his actions would affect, the future, he couldn’t turn away from the sadness in Neveah’s face or the vulnerability in that attribute his arm received. “What’s going on Neveah? You said you had a surprise for me with the Engraving, but this…”

For a second, Neveah was silent. Then she sighed. “...alright then. Honestly, I didn’t expect this either. Normally, I would say it is a failure, but the attribute being given the designation of VI… well, I just want to know… what I am. That’s what this represents. I mean, no one would say I’m not special, so I figured the gift would be...”

When Randidly tilted his head to the side, Neveah continued. “You found me in that Aether Crossroads, living but… without any memories. Now that we will soon head to the Nexus… I hope that means we will someday be able to understand what I am. Why am I different like this? Am I truly a member of the same race as Yystrix and Elhume? And what does that mean?”

Through their mental connections, Randidly felt all the powerful emotions contained in that statement physically swirling around Neveah. He bit his lip. How could he have missed something so obvious? “You are lonely. If it’s because I’ve been so busy-”

“Randidly, trust me, this isn’t about you.” Neveah rolled her eyes. Then she put her hands on her waist. “But truly, this can wait. Rest up; let’s get this fight over with.”

It took Randidly a few seconds of staring at Neveah to find the strength in himself to nod and let the issue go. His fear wasn’t called for; Neveah wasn’t Decklan. Sitting down, he partially expected it to be difficult to clear his mind. After that strange moment of clarity regarding his power to affect the future and now Neveah’s inner emotional turmoil… Randidly expected his thoughts to spin round for at least an hour.

But as soon as he settled down his brain winked off like a candle thrust into a snowdrift. Perhaps even he had underestimated how drained he was after the forging. But considering the positive result they received, it was definitely worth it.

Hopefully, it would be enough.

When Randidly snapped back to wakefulness, he signaled Neveah and she gratefully collapsed on the ground and took her turn with resting. Because she had only handled the Engraving and not the whole process of submerging the surrounding area in images, her mental consumption was somewhat more modest. But Randidly knew from experienced that Engraving was one of the most exhausting activities.

Leaving Neveah to recover, Randidly stood and stretched. It was now evening, with the air growing cold around them. Absolute Timing informed Randidly that he had been asleep for three and a half hours.

Although he hadn’t seen a reply from his first message, Randidly sent another message to Sydney. At the end of it, he asked whether she would be interested in meeting for dinner once everything else was dealt with. It was an olive branch, and the first of many steps toward addressing his past Randidly planned on making before he left the Earth again.

Congratulations! Your Fatepiece Dreamcatcher of the Long Night has grown to Level 62!

Congratulations! Your Fatepiece Dreamcatcher of the Long Night has grown to Level 63!

For a second, Randidly did nothing. Then he simply shook his head. Of course the stalled out growth of his Fatepiece would be triggered by a random thought. Still, Randidly didn’t let that derail him for long. But he simply made a mental note that thinking about addressing his past had triggered a Level.

Then, because Neveah would likely take some time to recover, Randidly allowed himself the break of thinking about Kharon Academy’s development. Not the details of the mechanisms, he would need to wait until he could talk with Wendy again before he pushed forward on that front. Instead, he focused on the values he would want to emphasize. More specifically, Randidly wanted to give Kharon Academy a motto that would sum everything about it up.

It was an interesting diversion if one into which Randidly could make very little headway. No obvious answer manifested itself as Randidly cast his mind around. Yet it was the break Randidly needed.

Because as soon as Neveah woke up, they would begin their plot to catch Kaan Swacc.