Inside his room.
Anas stood there, seeing nothing—only feeling something slowly changing within him.
"Tch… ah."
A faint groan slipped from Anas's mouth.
The sensation had begun to intensify and boil, as if something monstrous was trying to erupt from the mouth of a destroyed volcano.
Anas clenched his teeth.
Pain tore through his mind like a rushing flood trying to escape through a narrow crack.
Then… everything slowly eased.
Not as if it disappeared, but as if he was simply getting used to it.
"Alright, you can open your eyes now."
When Anas finally heard the familiar female voice, he slowly opened his eyes to see Priscilla, her face distorted in a failed attempt at a smile.
Anas raised an eyebrow.
"What's wrong with you?"
Priscilla hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"My head hurts a little."
Anas stared at her for a moment, then a delayed realization rose in his mind.
Her previous words floated back like a key connecting everything: "My existence means you are not struggling alone… there is someone who feels all of it with you."
He then looked at Priscilla as if seeing her for the first time—or perhaps he had simply been too foolish to notice.
"You're a good liar. But you're part of me, remember?"
Priscilla lifted her head and stared at Anas.
"What are you implying? Do you hate me? Are you going to get rid of me? I'll die if you reject me, you know…"
Her expression darkened as she spoke, as if she wasn't just throwing words into the air… but placing her life directly in Anas's hands.
"No. I won't hate you."
Priscilla's eyes widened.
She had expected an attack, anger, contempt, or even exploitation.
But… not this.
"I just wanted to remind you that I know you as much as you know me. Maybe at times I'll insult you, but that doesn't mean I hate you. How could I hate someone who chooses to stay with me… even while feeling the same pain I feel?"
At the last sentence, Anas lowered his voice slightly, and Priscilla realized he had discovered her secret.
Yes. She felt his pain.
From the suffering in the sewers to obtain his enhanced eye, to the pain of acquiring the black sword, and every wound he endured during battle… all of it was transferred to Priscilla, even though she never asked for it.
And yet…
She stayed with him.
Even though he was the source of her pain, she remained.
If he hated her, even though she was part of him, then he was truly foolish.
"Thank you."
Priscilla whispered softly—just enough for someone close to hear.
Unfortunately for her, Anas was close.
crack crack crack.
A faint cracking sound came from Anas's spine as he stretched.
"Damn it. Can I rest a bit now?"
When Priscilla saw Anas acting as if nothing had happened, she felt relieved that he wasn't disturbing her.
She remembered why she had wanted him to see her all those years ago, and realized it was worth it.
And she returned to acting normally as well.
In the end, they understood each other deeply because they were one.
And that was enough…
"Hmmm, rest? You can, if you want to die. As you know, unlike Naivy, you are not protected."
Anas frowned.
"What?"
He paused for a moment, then continued.
"So I was in danger the entire time while fighting some idiot trash trying to kill me?"
Naivy interrupted and continued.
"But because I am generous, I slightly concealed your presence. So you can rest. Sleep now since you can."
Anas sighed tiredly, then threw himself onto his bed.
The bed creaked under his weight as he stared at the dull gray ceiling of his room.
He hadn't had this kind of peace in a long time. Even his sleep had been poor.
Who would want to be eaten in their sleep? Not sleeping properly was better than that.
He closed his eyes for a moment, ready to sleep—then remembered.
"What abou—"
Priscilla interrupted him as if she had been waiting for the question.
"Your gift? You'll know when you use it. In fact, even I don't know."
Anas stared at her for a while, then exhaled softly and closed his eyes.
He knew this flaw was absurd. But part of the blame was on him.
He felt like he could understand what he had gained, but he didn't know how to translate that feeling into information.
The sensation inside him felt like something hungry. Hungry and wanting to eat something.
If anything, that meant what he gained was related to… eating?
Well, thinking about it was pointless. All his thoughts were just unproven hypotheses. He had to discover it himself and develop his ability to understand his own evolution.
He finally decided this was his only chance to sleep. He should use it, and figure things out later.
At first, he thought sleep would be difficult. But soon he sank into darkness and drifted off.
Inside him was only one thought: hunger.
Maybe it was because he was inside his mind? It didn't matter. What mattered was that he finally slept.
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
Far from Anas's location.
The two men finally reached the gate of the wall.
haaah.
The young man yawned as he looked at his older companion.
"Do you really think there are survivors? Let's just go back and say we found nothing."
The older man stared down at the ruins below the wall.
"If it were that easy, they wouldn't have sent us. Even if there are no survivors, our mission is to determine the cause of the wall's collapse."
He started walking again along the wall, and his companion followed him, then—
Both of them froze mid-step and straightened their posture.
"We are listening."
The older man spoke seriously.
Silence filled the line for a moment, then a sharp female voice entered their minds.
"How are things on your side? Any updates?"
The older man replied quickly.
"No. We are now above the colony gate. There is still no sign of life."
"Huh? But a group of survivors just arrived here. Three girls and a boy. One of the girls insisted there might still be survivors there."
The young man raised an eyebrow.
"Survivors? That's impossible. How did they not die?"
"We don't know. But they are not an ordinary group anyway. Two of them are nobles."
The young man blinked, about to speak, but the older man interrupted him.
"That explains some things. Thank you, Vice Captain. We will report any updates."
The young man looked at his companion and frowned slightly.
"Who was that voice? And why did you cut me off?"
The older man sighed and rubbed his face.
"That is the vice captain. An incarnate. Her ability allows her to communicate with anyone she has seen once and who wears something carrying her blood."
The young man looked at his white clothes and noticed a small red stain near the collar.
"As for cutting you off… you know nobles are strong. Don't dig further unless you want trouble. As a noble yourself, you should know that."
The young man cursed under his breath.
"So what. Being nobles doesn't mean we are heroes."
Then he continued walking to follow his senior...