A clump had formed in my throat, impossible to swallow. My lower jaw was left trembling.
Veylan... that's my name...
"T-these weren't the same techniques you showed me bef—" I forced my body to swallow it all.
"Only the third technique was new, the rest were something you had already experienced."
"Or actually it was the second technique I used... who cares," he muttered to himself.
"I realized that as well..."
"So tell me—what did I do?"
"With the first technique, you deflected its attack."
"The second technique was that strike, charged with the deflection and your own essence." I pointed at the wound he left on the road.
"The third one was when the second you appeared—right?"
"You watched me well, good job. And indeed that is the third technique, or at least almost."
"It wasn't me that appeared, it was my intent."
"Intent?"
"Yes, by manipulating the surrounding essence into a fake out."
"It has no physical body, so it's unable to damage anything."
My head felt heavy, tilting as I asked him,
"Surrounding essence...?"
"Yes Tjer—" He lifted his arms up along with his closed eyes.
"Everything has its essence—never forget it."
"Wait—everything?" One of of my eyebrows were raised as I heard him ramble.
His head lowered, his eyes met mine.
"Yes everything... but that understanding comes with time."
"You will understand it when you are ready for it," he said, smiling.
I lowered my eyes, staring at the road.
He passed me, and held the door's edge, making me turn around as he said,
"Let's go on our wa—"
He flew past me, leaving a crater as he landed onto the mountainside.
"Where do you think you are going?" The female voice said from within the carriage.
"I-I want to continue our journey..." He trembled worse than he did before.
"In the state you are in? You are dirty." It was Katherine that lectured Edward in a cold tone—a first for her.
"Here take this..." She said, as something appeared above Edward...
Is that essence—
Something incomprehensible came out of her mouth—the spirit's language.
Out of nowhere Edward was soaking wet.
It was Katherine who made a volley of water appear.
"Now dry yourself," she said from inside the carriage.
"...I don't want to use my essence for it..." Edward said, his eyes shifting away from her.
"Really~?" She smiled as she turned to me,
"Albert let's leave—Tjer enter please."
I looked over at Edward, and lowered my head to him.
I feel bad for him.
I thought as I sat back down.
"Wait, wait—I don't want to walk." Light appeared right around him, as he ran after the carriage.
"Albert, you can stop," she said, showing me a smile.
A shiver ran down my spine,
I should never defy her...
"Sorry... what did you do just now—was that spirit's blessing?" My head had lowered itself.
"Uhm..." A small tremble sounded in her voice, making me look up.
"Yes, that is this one—" She showed me the sapphire bracelet I couldn't see the previous time.
"But using it for something so small... isn't that waste?"
"No, no—don't worry about it—" She smiled as she took her bracelet off,
"I can." And she spun it around her finger.
Is everybody here insane...
"But you said that it's a contract—exchanging something for its use..."
She tapped her finger against her lips.
"Yes—but that is only the case when you don't control it."
"Control?"
"Or rather... be attuned with the spirit—I guess?" Her eyes had shifted slightly away from me.
"H-how can I do it?!" I smiled and launched my face closer to hers.
"I can't, and won't tell you—you shouldn't do it for that reason." She started ruffling my hair with both hands, making me escape her.
"Let's return to our previous conversation." Edward chimed in, after he sat down intertwining his fingers as he looked at me.
"Tell me, how did you get these artifacts."
I looked over to my left and saw that Mim was still asleep.
"Sigh... let me tell you all of it from the start."
They were both silent, the domineering feeling they exuded couldn't be felt, it was a different feeling.
One of utmost attention, it wasn't the pressure I felt from their strength, no—a different pressure.
One I wasn't able to place—at least a pleasant one.
I told them everything, from the mission with the Kludd and their transformation, to Wode's death, and the aftermath.
I told them about the guildhouse I visited, about the young man I met, and the strange feeling he gave me—able to read every step I made. And that he gave me the clothing I was wearing because my previous one was cut apart.
They kept silent, with an unchanging gaze they cast upon me as I told them of my last few days in Kage.
I told them about the state my parents were in, and that only Mim was in her right mind.
I finished it off with Eden who had picked us up, and took us outside of Kage—knowing that I could heal with my essence—and the state Mim was in when I woke up, with it subsiding after a few hours of wearing the bracelet.
I brought my hand to my mouth, and felt the expression I held.
Good...
As I was telling them the story, it dawned upon me how much Eden had done for us, making it seem it was just for Mim, and not for me.
He had no reason to help us, it may seem ungrateful to say, but he was untrustworthy.
"He also convinced the frontier guards to let us through to Antoria, whispering something. And remember after the Caleb fight I ran towards Mim... she was completely safe, not even knowing that an attack happened."
"The strange thing was that he spoke to her and said that we won't see him for a while—a message meant for me. And he simply left, and he didn't ask for anything." My legs bounced faster with each moment, until I realized that it wasn't my conscious doing any longer.
"...I understand it Tjer."
"It is suspicious... but have you not been helped throughout your journey by others as well?" Edward held a softened face as he spoke in a soothing tone, making a shiver travel up my spine.
"Keep that in mind as well, let go of some of your suspicion..." He showed me a tilted smile as he finished.
He switched back to his tensed, expressionless face.
"But still... the amount of help he offered is abnormal."
I silently lowered my gaze.
"You haven't told us one thing yet..."
"What is his name?"
"Eden... Eden is his name."
"Eden? Are you sure it's Eden?"
The tone made me lift my head, meeting both eyes.
"Yes I am."
He looked over at Katherine, both of them narrowed their eyes as they nodded to each other.
"Eden... it's an uncommon name, or rather it's a name I have never heard—aside from one person—" Edward took a deep breath,
"One of The First Hero's companions—a lost name."
"Eden the wise."