‘Leo…’ a voice echoed in his mind. ‘Leo… it’s time to wake up. The hour is up.’
He opened his eyes slowly, blinking away the blurriness. He propped himself up with his arm, wincing as pain flared across his entire body. It was far from what he felt before going to sleep, but obviously, an hour wasn’t enough to heal him.
“I’m up,” he muttered, moving to stand up.
“You look a bit better, young one,” Darius said when he flew almost right into his face. “How are you feeling?”
Leo stretched, hearing his joints pop. “Like a horde of Collectors ran over me. But I can move now.”
The ancient flame laughed. “That’s all that matters. From what I observed, it will take a few days for you to heal fully. It’s not everyday a Glacierborn Guardian falls on your head. And let’s not forget our short encounter with the Saklarian.”
Leo glanced at Nyx, a question written across his face. She nodded. ‘I told him what happened. I didn’t see any harm in it.’
Right… He looked back at the ancient flame. “Glacierborn? Saklarian? Is that what they are called?”
Darius nodded. “Those are the natives that evolved from this planet’s original inhabitants. Glacierborns are rare and usually live in seclusion, while Saklarians make up the majority of Sazim’s survivors. You will see for yourself once we reach the safe zone.”
“And when is that?”
“If you two are good to go, then we can move out even now,” the ancient flame declared. “We still have some time before the night comes, and even then, we can easily protect you from the Nightmares.”
“Then let’s go,” Leo said before taking a look around the area. “Where’s Kirej?”
“Around,” came the simple answer. “Stealth is his specialty. If you could see him, he wouldn’t be doing his job right.”
Interesting, he mused and saved that information for later. Maybe if he got a chance, he could ask the lion-man for some advice. Stealth Shroud was good but far from perfect. Worse, he didn’t have many ideas on how to improve it further.
“All right, children!” Darius exclaimed, his fiery form expanding ever so slightly. “A couple of rules. One, stick close to me! Two, don’t attack anything. Three, if you notice anything concerning, don’t act on it and just tell me. The odds are that I have already seen it and decided it’s not a threat. Is that understood?”
Nyx and Leo nodded. It wasn’t anything they wouldn’t ask themselves if they were escorting someone. Hell, he would have probably added a few more rules just to be extra safe.
“Very well! Let’s move out then. After me! Tell me if I’m going too fast. It’s been a while since I dealt with survivors under C rank.”
With that, they ran after Darius, the protective barrier fading the moment they stepped outside. Kirej remained unseen, but going by the Voidling corpses they found on the way, the lion-man was there, silently watching over them.
And so their journey continued, passing through open valleys, over tall hills, and across frozen forests. Hordes of Voidlings tried to stand in their path a few times, but a single glance at the tiny floating ball of fire had them running in the opposite direction. It was quite amusing to watch.
“I got a question if you don’t mind,” Leo spoke up, falling into step next to Darius.
The ancient flame slowed down a bit. “Go ahead, young one. If I can, I will answer.”
Great. Leo smiled. “It’s about experience sharing. Say, if you weakened any of the Voidlings around here and I finished them, would I get the full reward?”
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“Unfortunately, no. You would definitely get some experience, but no more than from killing a Voidling that is close to your level,” Darius explained.
“Now, if you were to do that with a group of survivors of similar rank to you, that’s a completely different story. The System simply hates when higher-ranked users try to boost those much weaker than them. We’re meant to progress naturally and grow at our own pace while developing our abilities. After all, level isn’t everything. You have to know how to use your power.”
Leo clicked his tongue. “There goes my genius plan,” he joked.
Darius chuckled. “I don’t think you need anyone boosting you, child. Your level is likely higher than your companion’s, so believe me, you are doing well. No, scratch that, better than well. I wouldn’t be surprised that if given some time, you could become stronger than me.”
Leo frowned at that, remembering his conversation with Naz’Tor. “That shouldn’t be possible if you also keep growing stronger. Did you… did you reach your peak? Hit a wall?”
“Peak?” the ancient flame repeated. “Ah, you are talking about the soul’s processing power. No, that’s not it. Although, you could say I hit a wall, just not one you think of.”
Leo hesitated. This didn’t sound like a conversation for two people who had just met. Still, he was curious. “Would you mind…”
“Elaborating?” Darius finished for him. “No, not at all. It’s only fair. I know your secret, you can know mine… You see, after endless cycles of fighting against the Void, trying to become the strongest you can, you eventually get tired and realize that maybe the life of constant fighting is just not for you. That’s exactly what happened to me. I had enough of that life, so I quit. I have barely leveled up twice during the last three Outbreaks.”
Leo almost stumbled. Two levels in how long? He couldn’t imagine going without a level-up for longer than a few days, much less an entire Outbreak. Just how old was the being next to him?
“But you are still here,” he countered, his curiosity rising. “You said it yourself—you are the one the Merchant faction sends out if they need their dirty work dealt with.”
Darius laughed again. “I might have quit that life, but it never quit me. Even if I don’t pursue growth like a maniac any longer, I still enjoy the thrill of battle occasionally. Working for the Merchants gives me just that, though, as you can see, not every job is that exciting.”
“Yeah,” Leo muttered, spotting another group of Voidlings running away. “Thanks for sharing all that.”
“It’s nothing. I don’t often get to share my wisdom… Remember, power is important, especially for someone like you, but there is more to life than that. Sometimes, you just have to take a break, child. Relax and don’t burn out. The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long.”
“I will keep it in mind.”
Darius beamed. “That’s all I ask for. Now, let’s speed up a bit. Our destination is close!”
----------------------------------------
“There it is,” the ancient flame announced. “Westside Watch. It’s nothing compared to Sazim’s capital, but it will get us where we need to go.”
Leo blinked, making sure he heard the alien right. If the sprawling village—no, city—in the distance was ‘nothing’, then he had no idea what counted as ‘something’ in Darius’ eyes. The settlement before him stretched across the frozen landscape, easily as vast as half of London.
Sure, the buildings were modest—no taller than two stories and constructed entirely out of ice—but they still looked impressive. The village’s frozen protective walls were massive, towering over the surrounding plains, sparkling in the evening light. The streets beyond the gates were also nothing to scoff at—dotted with glowing, floating lamps and bustling with movement of the city’s population.
Then, at the heart of the city, a towering, futuristic tower shot into the sky like a spear of glass and ice. It looked completely out of place, yet still added a certain charm to the entire settlement.
“What’s that?” Leo pointed toward the huge construct.
“Your way home,” Darius answered. “That’s where the Caged Gate is set up. We probably won’t get to use it today, but we can always spend a night in one of the many taverns around here.”
“Got it. So what now? We just walk to the gates and enter?”
“Indeed. But first, Sealed Forms. We’re close enough that you can walk using them the rest of the way. We will keep you safe, trust me. And at least this way, you won’t have to change in front of the guards.”
Leo and Nyx shared a glance before shifting into their respective sealed forms. The feline finished a bit faster than him, but with the skill in his repertoire, he also changed within a minute.
“That should do,” Darius muttered once he finished scrutinizing them. “You are leaking a bit of power, though. Work on that in the future, or keeping this form will become uncomfortable very fast. You don’t want that. I’m speaking from experience.”
Leo nodded, accepting the lesson. Meanwhile, Nyx climbed onto his shoulder and flicked him with her tail.
‘Five days, and you still haven’t got it right.’ She snickered.
He silenced the voice in his mind telling him to throw her off.