XENO'S POV

  The rapid scratching of a pencil upon paper was all I could hear as I turned in the thin blankets I’d been provided with for what seemed like the thousandth time, trying to find the sweet release of sleep. The mattress didn’t help– it felt like sandpaper to the touch, yet was still better than the one I’d had previously. Slowly but surely, I began to drift off into the calming embrace of slumber, until–

  “I’ve got it!”

  The abrupt outburst of the one holding the pencil caused me to let out a disgruntled snort, sitting up abruptly and turning to face him, a rather annoyed expression on my face. He looked back to me, holding up a piece of paper with a large grin on his face. It was Arwan, the one I liked to call my closest friend and ally.

  “Wadahell….?” I said, yawning, trying to rub the sleep from my eyes, blinking profusely as I did so. “Wazzat…?”

  Arwan came closer as I pushed myself to the side of the bed, legs hanging off the edge as I leaned in, squinting as I attempted to read his handwriting, or what I liked to call ‘hieroglyphics’.

  “I’ve finished working on it. I’ve worked out the final component for the Amplifier!”

  Ah. The Amplifier was a project Arwan had been working on for a while, even before we’d had our sparring match in front of the group. It drew out the power of the gemstone ‘chryrrite’ and used it to amplify soul abilities. However, chryyrite could only be found in Arekos, the land of the humans. And Sophia forbid we were actually allowed to go down there. But Arwan had.. other ways of getting it, but he had never managed to properly draw out the power of the gem.

  Yet here we were– and he had done it. If the generals got a hold of this and mass-produced it, it would be more than enough to curb the uprising in the east and the west, which was what we were all training for. That, and to fight against the Creator, Sophia. However…

  I glanced towards him.

  “...I can’t.”

  “...You can’t.”

  We both spoke at the exact same time, and it appeared we had been thinking the same thing. The Amplifier… the generals– we couldn’t allow them to find it. If they did… people would die. Far more people than we could ever predict as of that moment– it was too many people.

  For what had been a great achievement moments ago to have become so… sour wasn’t enjoyable to see. I patted Arwan’s back gently, smiling softly to him.

  “You did well, friend. Though… it’s important that nobody ever gets a hold of this. Not any of the instructors, not the general– no one.”

  The piece of paper was slowly folded over in Arwan's arms as we took one last look over at it, the information contained within our minds and nowhere else. Taking up a lamp that burned in the corner of the room, I removed the candle from it, raising the folded paper up to the flame, watching as it crackled, loud in comparison to the heavy silence that suffocated us two.

  The Amplifier would have helped me greatly. That was why he had created it after all– to amplify my soul output to what was considered a normal level for an aeon, as I was lacking in that category greatly, which was why I was so low-ranked. The only reason we had been granted a better space, in fact, was because of Arwan’s achievements.

  Sometimes, I hated my inability to help him. I was so weak, held back by the fact I had so little soul.

  It felt like a curse. No, I felt like a curse.

  Laying back on the bed, I rolled back over onto my side, the position I had been in originally. At times like these, when the thoughts surged through my head and I couldn’t push them away, it was at times like these when I wanted to disappear, never to be seen again.

  “...It’s fine.” Arwan said. He seemed to always know when I was distressed– and for that, I was grateful. “...I can always come up with something new. You know I always do– you’ll be fine. No, we’ll be fine.”

  —

  ATLAS’ POV

  ‘We’ll be fine.’

  My license as an adventurer had been given to me quite quickly, and I had said goodbye to Aaliyah and met up with the Lizards– however, I couldn't shake those words. It was a line from a book I had read once as Xeno– and despite all the other memories I had stolen from me, that sentence remained vividly ingrained into the core of my mind.

  What a lie. We hadn’t been fine, we weren’t from the start– pawns in the game of a higher being that no doubt laughed at our every failure, at our unending grit and will to get back up. Continuously breaking us down until there was nothing left but despair.

  After a look from Isabella, I shook my head, pushing the thoughts away. I was in the here and now, and it was this life I had to focus on. Sometimes, I felt immensely guilty for being granted a second chance at life– as though it was something I didn't deserve. I wondered why out of everybody, Isabella had given me the opportunity. Yet no matter the reason, I was going to live this life to the fullest, just as I had promised Atlas I would.

  He was gone. I lived in his place. And that was a fact I hadn't accepted yet, but one day I would come to terms with.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  ‘Y'know, Isabella, there's something I've been wondering about.’ I said silently, transmitting my thoughts over.

  ‘Oh? What might that be?’

  ‘Don't you have a human form? I mean, all of Xi?o's other puppets had one– I understand that Diana was defective, but you aren't Diana.’

  ‘Well… I haven't really thought about it much. I suppose it would be possible once reaching the required threshold of soul core and soul amount level, however, due to the fact I am constantly expending my soul healing someone, it is taking longer than it should.’

  I shrugged, smiling at her softly. It was possible, not that I wished for it per se. Rather, it was merely a thought I had, considering all of Xiao’s other puppets were capable of achieving such a feat. My mind wandered back to Diana, as it tended to do when I had nothing to think about, but I shrugged it off.

  Nessa’s voice shattered my thoughts like a single arrow of pure light.

  “We watched your match. Well done, kid. Not bad, not bad!” She patted my back with a grin on her face.

  “Yeah, you really put the guy on his ass,” Makko continued, “I almost felt bad for him! Almost.”

  Anthony remained silent, simply patting my back as well. Ever since our fight all those years ago, he had seemed more withdrawn when it came to interacting with me, almost like he was afraid of me. He didn’t say why, and I didn’t ask. Yet we had a kind of mutual understanding of each other, even if we rarely talked.

  Mari gave me a small smile of acknowledgement, which was about as much as I expected from her, considering her more reserved nature. She cared, and this was merely her way of showing it.

  Finally, I had become a real adventurer. After writing a quick note to my parents and sending it off with a carrier pigeon, I turned to the Lizards. There was so much of the world to explore… and now, I finally held it all in the palm of my hand. The strength I needed to gain… and the person I needed to become before entering Yggdrasil. This was how I would change everything.

  After a good ten minutes of walking (with Isabella occasionally complaining about how much her feet hurt), we had left the city’s outskirts, now being fully in the forests and wildland beyond the capital, without another town to be seen for miles. It reminded me of far more simpler times, the days with Hua without a care in the world.

  Hua… every thought of her reminded me of the argument we’d had. Maybe I did need to apologise for choosing to leave without telling her– but that didn’t condone the things she said. But as I thought about her, I realised how bad she was likely feeling as well…

  However, that wasn’t my problem. That was hers to figure out, hers to fix. Perhaps the years apart I was spending adventuring would be good for our relationship after all.

  —

  The sun had slowly begun to set up, and we had chanced upon a quiet spot, choosing to set up camp there. Lower-ranked Elysian beasts roamed the forests in the distance, and I took note of Isabella running off to chase them.

  ‘Where are you going?’

  ‘A lady’s gotta have her secrets…’

  ‘Whatever. Just come back safe, alright? I’m trusting you.’

  ‘You’ll know if something happens to me anyway, Atlas. We’re bonded, remember?’

  And with that, she ran into the distance. Makko watched her, pointing before looking to me, slightly confused.

  “You’re just gonna let your bond run away like that?” He asked me rather inquisitively.

  “She’ll be fine,” I responded, “If anything happens, we’re bonded. To be honest, I feel more worried about whatever she’s decided to hunt..”

  “Anonymous.” Nessa’s voice rang out above all others. She couldn’t risk using my actual name, not even out here, since we couldn’t know who was listening at all times. “I am formally requesting a spar with you.”

  I raised an eyebrow, now visible as I placed the mask beside me on a log I had been sitting on, fire crackling nearby as Anthony and Mari cooked the meal for the night, considering they were the best cooks we had.

  “What for, Nessa? I’m not declining… I just want to see where you’re headed with this one.”

  “Nothing serious. I just noticed something in your battle with the instructor– and I wanted to test it for myself. But one condition: no magic. Merely reinforcement and weaponry. Does that sound good to you?”

  I nodded along, unsure where she was taking this, placing Genesis down as I chose to go with Requiem alone for this fight. Genesis was tough to dual wield with, and it was more suitable to be a longsword. Requiem, however… was a perfect fit for my height and weight.

  Hopping silently in the place I stood in order to warm myself up, the battle began without a second thought. Nessa charged in, sparks immediately flying from the clash of blades. A dagger? From what I knew, Nessa had always used a bow. So, she’d changed in our time apart…

  …Well, she wasn’t the only one. I had too.

  Blocking her flurry of attacks, I was noticeably being pushed back by her onslaught. Slipping to one side, I kicked at her leg, hitting her square in the shin, which caused her balance to shake as I followed up with a soul-reinforced back kick to the ribcage.

  My bladework felt sloppy. At occasional moments during the fight, I would overestimate my reach and swing into nothing but air, or trip over my own feet. Was I really this bad without magic? Just how far had I fallen in such a short space of time?

  My blade was once again blocked by one of her daggers as she stepped in, knee shooting up towards my jaw, blocked by my hand as I pulled her closer to me, kicking out her other leg.

  She tumbled to the floor, but got back up just as quickly, pushing herself to her feet. Raising a hand, she signalled the end of the fight.

  “So, it seemed my suspicions were correct. You rely too heavily on your magical prowess– and as a result, your close combat skills are heavily lacking. Not only that, but your physical body lags behind as well.”

  She was right, and deep down, I knew it. In my old life, I wouldn’t have missed my strikes– I wouldn’t have been so weak. I had been so fascinated at the fact I was finally capable of using magic, the one thing I hadn’t been able to do in my old life, that I had forgotten the thing I was best at– weapon-based combat.

  I had allowed complacency to get the better of me– but I could no longer allow that, not any more. If I wanted to get stronger… I had to grow. And to grow, I couldn’t rely on magic as much as I had been.

  Mari and Anthony were quick to call us over for food, and we shared a hearty meal over the fire as I occasionally checked in on Isabella to ensure she was alright. And from the looks of it, she was enjoying her dinner too… whatever that was.

  Settling into our bedrolls as the sun fully set, stars glittering above our heads, I couldn’t help but feel some kind of excitement for what lay ahead. This was where it truly began, in there here and now. And with that brought worry. The threat of the New World Order… and the war Isabella had spoke of so long ago. But for now… I was enjoying the moment, as I slowly but surely drifted off to sleep.