The strange impressions that Randidly had seen after completing the Perfect Soul Bond Path lingered in his mind That vast crystal The mountains covered in light devouring engravings The being that stirred at the core of the crystal
IÆve finally found you Yystrix My one and only love
Wait for me
Even now the memory of those words set Randidly to shivering After that the attention had shifted to Randidly himself That brief moment of examination by that being was enough to shatter his Class The weight of that thingÆs attention had reached the point that it could kill someone Just as casually the attention had caught the scent of its true quarry and followed that trail off into the universe
Frowning at the table Randidly considered the sinking feeling of dread that the encounter had left in his heart Yystrix that is the name that Lyra used for the Creature And I did find out from the CreatureÆs memories that it very carefully was taking all these actions in order to avoid detection from the System
Did I spill the beans early Will this have consequences
thatÆs probably a dumb question
Very likely he did expose the Creature to danger Which would lead to unpredictable consequences It would be bad if the Creature came back to Earth seeking retribution but it would also be bad if whatever monster was living in that crystal could not find the Creature and therefore returned to Earth in order to look for clues within RandidlyÆs Soulspace
In addition there were two small facts that truly filled Randidly with fear
The first was the way that the notifications appeared It was very clear that the overlay System knew something was going wrong midway through the Path completion message Very quickly it reported an error But then the overlay seemed to have been seized by something and thereafter used to speak directly to Randidly
What sort of entity could speak directly through the System
Perhaps even more worrisome
Why had completing the Perfect Soul Bond Path triggered that sort of result A result which had included a list of his exact name and Class Was that a part of the original Path or something that was just a warning of the deviation that was about to come
Was it triggered by Randidly himself Had Octavius Shrike put some limit on the things that he could accomplish and this Path had somehow transgressed that boundary
But at RandidlyÆs core he had a single worry And that was that it wasnÆt him at all that triggered the strange change in the Path completion No his secret fear was that what caused the strange being to move was what he was now connected to
Did the System know that Neveah had an Aether Crossroad
Chapter 963
So many questions but not an answer in sight Randidly muttered to himself He exchanged a few quick messages with a worried Neveah who had felt the damage to his Class without knowing how extensive it was
After assuring her that he was fine Neveah demanded that he produce their new doppelganger so she could possess it briefly and get a good look at him in the aftermath of what he went through Exasperated but understanding that this came from a place of worry Randidly did as she asked
The doppelganger took the form of NeveahÆs human version an androgynous faced young woman that looked to be RandidlyÆs sister For several seconds the doppelganger was still Then as though a light was switched on behind her eyes she looked sharply up at Randidly After inspecting him critically for several seconds Neveah shook her head Dangerous Very dangerous
Yea that response has occurred to me Randidly said with a sigh Considering what he just experienced Randidly could finally understand that distinct dread that he had felt in the CreatureÆs memories If the System was run by beings like this Randidly could understand wanting to hide from them at all costs
Do you feel it Some of that energy still lingers Neveah lowered her head to next to RandidlyÆs shoulder and sniffed Powerful Very rigid Aether Barely any flexibility remains
But powerful Randidly sighed He leaned back in his wooden chair and allowed his body to go boneless Even now the same helpless feeling he had acquired the moment that thingÆs attention came on him hadnÆt fully departed
mm Æ Neveah continued to sniff around as though seeking more information As Randidly sat with his eyes closed he could distantly feel understanding of NeveahÆs extremely acute Aether sense that was flowing through their connection Well there is also good news
Oh Randidly didnÆt bother to move more than his mouth as he answered Hell how long had it been since he had taken a breath
I do not sense any marks This is not a subtle power just a brutal one So as long as we produce enough Aether to wash these traces away
How long with that take Randidly asked And are you saying that it is possible to hide from something like that
Perhaps a week It is certainly slow to leave Raw energy barely sways it Only prolonged exposure will work Neveah leaned back and shrugged And not hide But make it inconvenient to locate us again It isnÆt a kind truth but the fact the attention hit you so hard is a good sign it meant that being had to make a concerted effort in order to reach you
RandidlyÆs mouth crinkled into an unwilling smile I like to play hard to get
Neveah just gave him a look I understand human humor enough to notice that you are no longer speaking literally But who knows perhaps to rid yourself of these traces will be enough In the future it might be for the best that we undertake no Paths relating to my special gift I was born inside It seems those might be a lightning rod for trouble
Shaking his head Randidly said I donÆt think either of us believes that just getting rid of those traces of Aether will be enough Which is why
Which is why you are scared Neveah said You have grown strong Here on Earth you have grown into the whole of your strength Slowly you realize the value of the Crown you bear But we do not fight against our peers Randidly We have always been fighting against the whole of the System itself and the heartless tests it insists upon
Did you truly think your enemies would be any less than this
IÆm not Randidly began but he begrudgingly shut his mouth His hands were still trembling as they were clasped loosely in his lap Showing his teeth to the air Randidly forced his focus to turn itself inward
Neveah was right He was scared For the first time in a long time Randidly had encountered something that was so far beyond his own personal ability that he could not see any way to close that gap
So he was afraid So he panicked So he briefly lost his grip
So Neveah was worried enough that she wanted to speak with him in person
Randidly released a breath Even four years later the depths of the System is still enough to scare the shit out of me NeveahÆs right through This doesnÆt change anything This isnÆt any new information
His emerald eyes refocused The trembling in his hands slowly ceased This was always the caliber of foe I needed to overcome to accomplish my goal This is just the first time we encountered one another And although it cannot be denied this one was my tragic loss
that doesnÆt mean the same will be true for the next time we meet
which will hopefully be later rather than sooner
Ah the connection is fading Neveah muttered It seems we much increase the proficiency of this ability slowly so we can communicate more effectively For now do not forget to release a large amount of Aether at all times only through constant pushing can you get rid of those traces Good luck
Then the Neveah next to him was just a puppet with a fraction of her real Skills and abilities Randidly dismissed it immediately There was no point in keeping it around at the moment Instead Randidly took several more breaths and enjoyed the quiet of the testing room Here finally he had the chance to reset himself
The shock of being under the gaze of that thing had given him a wake up call Perhaps the equivalent of the wakeup call that he had spent so much time and effort giving Donnyton Although the threat that was nearest to arriving was his Judgement that was never the foe that would make or break RandidlyÆs struggle