"Phantom Thrust!"
Lena looked at the spear art performance with disbelief.
There were no mistakes in the movement at all. There had been instances of misplaced strength, but those were minor.
It's crazy to think the young man could replicate the art. And he had only seen it twice?
The young man brushed his clothes, clearing the sand from them. He turned his head to look at her.
"Now that I think about it, I believe you." He calmly stated his opinion. "I believed you learned the other clan's art by observing during your travel visit."
He grinned with a devilish but charming smile.
"There were still some instances where I didn't apply the right force." Brand calmly assessed his performance. "Or maybe I'm not so suitable with staff-like weapons after all."
"No… I think that was good enough…" Lena replied to him. "This was your first time using it…"
Lena mumbled for a while. Brand let her be, as she seemed to always be obsessed with her thoughts.
"GHOST didn't register it as an art, likely because it was not compatible with you," Seraphine told him.
"I could gain skills even though I didn't level up?" Brand whispered in a very soft voice, almost as if he was mumbling to himself, like Lena did.
"Yeah, these will be skills or arts that you earned yourself, and not granted by GHOST." She explained.
"If so, it'll only work if the skills or arts were accustomed to my affinity?" Brand was thinking of the clunky movement of Lena's during her performance of the Phantom Thrust.
This was most likely not her affinity, as they lack true strength.
This reaffirmed his thought that Lena was not a part of Decay Tribe, and she was just using an imitation of combat arts during their fight.
After all, they had a huge level gap. Even if she concealed her strength, considering Brand had a Dragon's potential, she fought too sloppily.
He'll likely be in deep trouble if she uses her full power and her actual affinity skills.
He believed he could escape if she decided to kill him, but he decided to not push her any further.
He closed his eyes in a meditation posture.
Lena snapped out of her thoughts as she saw Brand's sudden shift in demeanor. She stayed quiet, observing him.
Meanwhile, Brand took control of the beetle's point of view. He was in the driver's seat now.
***
Flying over the sky and digging through the sands was a whole new experience.
When flying, he couldn't feel the wind with his diluted sense of touch. But now, he could feel the sand brushing against the beetle's shell while driving through the sands.
"The beetle scout has enhanced tremorsense." Seraphine reminded him.
Seraphine was ethereal and could phase through anything. She was now accompanying Brand through the beetle.
"You just left your body there?" She was impressed with Brand's boldness. Or perhaps it was recklessness?
He couldn't reply to Seraphine, but he would explain when he returned his consciousness to his body later.
He had morphed another finger of his into a beetle as a lookout for his body. The beetles have a great sense of motion, so he would activate GHOST Mode quickly for stealth if things go south.
He would now search for the goat skull. He needed to know what it was and what it would be used for.
***
Lena had grown impatient. The young man had been sitting there, meditating for hours.
She still had her mission. But this man was pulling her leg now.
She seemed to be thinking deeply. As if she could only choose between two.
Should she wait for him or kill him?
Just as she lifted her hand, Brand spoke.
"Were you stretching?" Brand asked, his eyes still closed.
"Her hand was filled with aura!" Seraphine exclaimed.
One of the two beetles reattached to Brand's hand. The one that Lena was unaware of.
The other was left at the station in the oasis. It'll play a role later, when the time comes.
But the problem to address now is Lena.
"She was still deciding!" Seraphine enjoyed this scene. "Poor girl, thinking this hard as if she were picking what to eat."
Brand stood up and held her hands, with his eyes still closed.
"I understand your fear, girl." He speaks in a low, solemn voice.
"But I assure you, if you lay a hand on this kid, you will die." Brand's face turned black suddenly.
Lena was surprised and quickly retrieved her hand. She likely feared the unknown.
'Does this man have eyes on top of his head?'
There was a sudden shift in demeanor and his transformation. The young man could perceive her movement, while his face had turned black.
These were all too sudden and mysterious.
***
"She was probably thinking if you're possessed." Seraphine was excited about this development.
'I hope so."
Brand thought that if she was not intimidated, he would need to prioritize escape. He would need to hide himself instead and cancel his plan of going to the Emas Tribe village.
Brand's body collapsed to the ground while undoing his Scarab Shell transformation. He stayed down for a moment before supporting himself up.
This all happened in a short time frame, while Lena was still wary of him. Or more precisely, the nonexistent possession.
"Where am I?" He pressed his hand against his temple. "I felt like I was asleep for a long time."
Lena had goosebumps on her hand. What had she just witnessed?