Chapter 146: "Who Are You?" (1/2)

”It's been a while since I've been out. I really should get out more.” The young man remarked as he glanced down at the breadth of the woodlands below him. He was so high up that all was easy to view beneath his gaze. He took in the sight, one that was therapeutic to him, before smiling broadly and descending from the sky.

He landed neatly, despite the rate at which he fell from the sky, causing a gentle rush of air pressure to radiate outwards from the place of his descent. The cloaked man then placed his hands behind his back and began to walk -- as if he didn't have anywhere in particular to be.

He seemed keenly aware of everything as he moved. The sunlight against his skin, the sound of various creatures in the distance even the building of energy which caused the veil to ripple--

”What. The. Fuck. Is. That?” He blurted out loud as he gazed upwards into the distance. For anyone else there would be nothing but a clear blue sky present -- but for him a visible ripple rolled across the sky.

He sighed deeply, before muttering.

”Fuck me.”

The man then stepped forth--just a single step and he was gone. Rather than transported he'd moved several hundreds of steps in a split second. This he repeated dozens of times as he passed the city of Gardenia and quickly proceeded towards the cause of the disturbance.

”Hmm. I can't see inside here since she's not using it anymore. Oh well. When in Rome..” He said as he placed his hand against the fused shard. The crystals on the outside seemed incredibly fragile. The entire left half of the fused opening was beginning to crumble away. He inspected this for the briefest of moments before he was gone again.

He stepped inside of the shard world and gazed around. With a wave of his hand the dense miasma receded and he moved once more, his steps like a flash as he traversed the interior of the shard realm.

”This is such a fucking bother.” He whispered to himself as he drew nearer to the disturbance. The sight before him was quite dire, even he had to admit. An Imp, a Dragon-kin and a Spirit Mage.

*This sounds like the start of a bad joke.* He thought, and the idea pleased him. Causing him to smile. Further along were several downed people, a Scribe, a Succubus and --

”Oh. There she is.” He remarked as his senses lingered across a half dead Runemaster.

”But...what the heck is this supposed to be?” He said as he lifted his hand up to his chin in thought. He'd already slowed time, it took but a quarter step to draw closer. A kitsune desperately trying to defeat a foe that would outclass even her.

He inhaled sharply as he inspected the monstrosity just several centimeters away from her.

”No. Seriously...what the fuck is this?” He remarked. He used his sight to view the unseen, realizing that the creature had a highly unusual composition. Inside of it was a core. A shard core.

”That's..definitely cheating. Just… wow.” He remarked.

After a moment of thought he glanced around, as if looking for something. In the distance he noticed someone -- perhaps? He got closer to find it was a dragon. And he chuckled.

”You're supposed to be a Behemoth. How did you even get into this sorry state?” He bent over and pressed his fingertip against the injured demon's head. The demon-kin's wounds immediately mended themselves, broken bones, internal injuries and all.

”Let's see. What else? Hmm. Well since I'm getting a little crazy--might as well help her out too.”