The silence that had settled between them felt heavy, almost palpable, punctuated only by the scuff of their boots on the broken ground and the distant, unsettling calls of the altered world. The raw ache of recently healed wounds throbbed beneath John's clothes, a constant reminder of the intense battle they had just survived. Beside him, Lucy, though equally battered, seemed restless, her gaze constantly flitting over their surroundings.
"I can call for a transport instead of walking," Lucy finally managed, her voice cutting through the quiet, a faint edge of weariness. "It could prove to be a lot faster."
John cast a sidelong glance at her, his expression unyielding. "Not interested. It's better to walk. We should reach our next objective by tomorrow morning and this pace gives us time to genuinely recover from the fight." He paused, his gaze fixed on the horizon, before turning back to her with a more direct question. "How did you get involved with this Lord of yours, by the way?"
Lucy sighed, a long, drawn-out sound that spoke volumes of suppressed memories. The question seemed to peel back layers she preferred to keep undisturbed. "When shit hit the fan that day, nothing was the same anymore," she began, her voice dropping, almost confessional. "With my change, it was like a film came over my eyes, a thick, distorting lens. I mean, I was aware of what was going on, what was happening around me, but I had no real control over myself. At most, I could nudge things slightly, a fleeting thought, a whisper of an urge, but no real control at all." She shivered, though the air was mild.
"The first thing I did when that initial fog lifted, when I felt a semblance of myself return, was find my fiancé. What was left of him was being… violated by his bitch of a secretary. Her throat I slit from behind." Lucy's words were delivered with a chilling flatness, a stark absence of emotion that made the casual brutality all the more potent. "The funny thing is, I felt nothing from it, John. Absolutely nothing." Her eyes, though focused on him, seemed to stare through him, into a past devoid of remorse. "From there, I just kept wandering and killing, growing numb with each passing day. Before I even realized it, I was back in control entirely. But the remorse… it never returned. Instead, I only felt these darker impulses that strike me often now. Oh and loud whispers in my head that I'm pretty sure belong to the thing that gave me these abilities, since it's like a guide." She finally met his gaze, a hint of challenge in her eyes. "And you don't seem surprised by any of it in the least."
John nodded slowly, his expression unchanging. "Yeah, no, I already got the full explanation and figured that part out. The gene allowing empathy is just gone in people after the change, well, other people." He saw her confused look, a flicker of surprise breaking through her hardened facade and sighed again, a different kind of weariness this time. "My class, well, I guess the blob thing felt it would be more interesting if I kept my emotions and empathy. A little experiment, perhaps. It's… a burden, knowing what I know, feeling what others can't." He left the thought hanging, a somber note in the air. "Anyway, what happened since then? How did these various groups sprout up so fast?"
"Well, that really sucks for you," Lucy retorted, a hint of something that might have been amusement in her voice, though it was quickly overshadowed by a return to her earlier grimness. "But things went further to hell. Creatures showed up, other people changed into literal monsters and everyone wanted to be top dog, with the rest under them as their personal bitches, or just going solo. There were so many blood baths, so much senseless slaughter. Few groups truly looked out for one another. And then my lord seemed to take charge one day, ruling with an iron fist. A mix of subjugation and coercion got us to work under him." A small, genuine laugh escaped her, a sound filled with undeniable pride. "I mean, three months and we're one of the big dogs around. Clearly, you've been holed up under a rock if you don't even realize any of this."
"I had shit happen that caused me to lose time," John stated flatly, his jaw tightening almost imperceptibly. The memory was clearly not one he wished to revisit.
"Like what? Did you get sent somewhere else? Frozen and only come out of it recently?" Lucy pressed, her curiosity undeterred as she asked jokingly hoping to find out something. The casual banter of old friends, twisted by new realities, still bubbled beneath her hardened exterior. "I mean, I seriously thought you got yourself killed early on. But instead, here you are, a hot badass and nothing like when we were in school or even how you were at the reunion. What the fuck happened to you?"
"Lots of things, lots of loss. And that's all you need to know," he told her, his tone firm, a clear attempt to draw a boundary line as he pulled away from the conversation, his eyes once more scanning their surroundings well effectively putting an end to her probing.
Lucy eyed him for a moment longer, a flash of frustration in her gaze, but she relented. "Okay, okay, I won't dig. But what's up with this group of yours and the weird machines and statues? Is the little girl a tamer or something?" She asked, trying to fish for some more information, shifting her focus to less personal, though equally intriguing and possibly useful topics.
"Angel? She's... Special, like my other companions. Sieg is a tank, Choi is my backup and I won't mention the others, I mean, you've also seen Z, after all."
"Speaking of which, how is it you have a damn merchant!" Lucy exclaimed, her voice rising in disbelief. "Even we only randomly encountered them and it took a substantial amount of bartering, begging and ass kissing to finally have them agree to come by once a week! Yet here you are with one following you like a fucken puppy!"
"Hey! Watch it, you succubus reject!" Z practically hissed, emerging from behind John with an indignant huff, her arms crossed, a fiery glint in her eyes. "Maybe I should talk with the one who visits you and see who was stupid enough to lower themselves enough to even bother working with your group."
"We trade in bulk items and even people," Lucy fired back, her own eyes narrowing, a dangerous edge in her voice as she smiled a bit to widely. "Yet here you are picking up his scraps."
"That's enough," John interjected, his voice firm, cutting through the escalating tension. He turned slightly towards Z. "And don't let her bait you. We both know you're a far higher-class merchant than what they're probably dealing with and let's face it, the fact she admitted they had to kiss a lot of ass just to have a weekly visit should say it all." A smug, satisfied smirk from Z were his immediate reward as he saw his words had exactly the effect he wanted.
"Yep, yep! Their merchant would probably beg for these so-called scraps!" Z declared triumphantly, puffing out their chest.
Turning back to Lucy, John asked about anything else of note, like the government, people in power, the military and so on. He needed to understand the current political landscape to plan his next moves.
"Not much, really. Some in power seemed to make their own shelters and settlements but there mostly quiet." Lucy explained, her initial annoyance fading into a more pragmatic recounting of facts. "We have dealings with the largest one we know of. There's a huge barrier, though if you go far out enough. So, they built it roughly in the middle of the various powers that formed. The government is also oddly the top dogs there, I think and the military is still working for them since they're allowed 'benefits' and considered first-class citizens. The average person is second class. Everyone still gathers there, though, if they can't join a group—safety in numbers, even if it's a shithole. Pretty basic information really, easily obtained and honestly common knowledge."
At hearing this, he went silent, his thoughts churning. It answered a few of his immediate questions, confirming that everyone had indeed gathered and formed their own groups and the like but it also deeply unsettled him. It meant that to take over, to bring about the change he envisioned to press things forward he would need to clash with them and no doubt cause death to innocents who would inevitably be caught up in it. The weight of that potential future actions pressed down on him.
A shrewd glint entered her eyes as she observed his silent contemplation. "It's clear you also know things we don't, so spill. Tell me what you can, oh wise master of secrets."
Thinking it over for a bit, weighing the risks and the potential advantages of sharing a crumb of information, he decided to throw her a bone. "That barrier separates areas. No real idea how large our 'area' is, but the world isn't as big as it used to be, regardless of what people have been told or think. There are different countries or area's or something beyond those barriers, which will fall eventually once conditions are met." His voice was low, laced with a certainty that hinted at deeper knowledge.
"That's it? That's really all you're going to share?" Lucy's disappointment was palpable, her shoulders slumping slightly yet she couldn't help but file what he told her away in her mind, it was definably more than she expected and something she had only suspected before.
"For now. Maybe I will tell your lord more but that's all I'm going to say for now," he replied with a shrug, wincing slightly as his stiff muscles protested. He still felt phantom pains from the burn, a constant echo of his recent ordeal along with the pangs of pain, still hating his body.
All the while, the rest of his group spoke among themselves, a quiet murmur of conversation that served as a comforting backdrop to the more tense exchange between John and Lucy. Occasionally, one of them would subtly adjust their posture or send a warning glare, sniping anyone who seemed to come too close with ill intent in their own way, be it a strike of magic or a weapon thrown.
"Our master is certainly a great one, is he not? That was a great battle and I have no doubt many more are still to come! Surely, we shall grow strong under his leadership and truly feel the might of battle." Sieg said happily, his sturdy frame radiating a simple, earnest enthusiasm that was infectious. He earned a thoughtful nod from Choi, who stood a little apart, observing.
"He certainly is unique," Choi eventually said, after a moment of careful consideration, his voice calm and steady. "He leads not from the back, but rather fights along with us, putting himself at risk rather than risking others. That willingness to share the burden, to face the dangers firsthand, is rare, I cannot agree to it though and will attempt to break him of it but I do feel it's a rather admirable trait, he treats us as equals and even values our input."
"This one is glad master is master," Angel murmured softly, her small hands clasped together, her unique connection to John evident in her quiet conviction. "It is still too early, but this one does feel… relief that he would take such care towards us and acts how he does."
"He could be worse," Ivy interjected, crossing her arms over her chest, a wary glint in her eyes. "And I mean, he didn't make advances on me or my sister, has been respectful and even been going out his way to keep it that way, actually respecting our ability than judging us for being women, so I suppose he's okay." Her tone was still a little guarded but lacked genuine hostility and even seemed to hold a level of respect and warmth.
"He's a good person," Saya said softly, her voice carrying a depth of understanding that surprised the others. She offered a comforting, knowing smile. "Give it some time and you will see far more of it, he actually accepts people for who they are. But either way, he's trying his best. A lot happened to him after all and I am rather impressed that his managed to handle it this well so far." She took a deep breath, receiving curious looks from the others but refusing to say more, a silent promise in her eyes. "When he's ready, he will talk about it. Just you should know he's been through a lot and is still dealing with everything, even if he isn't showing it, or he might be with how his been acting? I, it's hard to properly explain it but just know his a good person." The group fell into a comfortable silence, each member pondering Saya's words, the unspoken weight of John's past settling gently among them as they continued their journey under the watchful gaze of the setting sun.