The walk toward the nearest entrance gate of Westside Watch didn't take long, just like Darius promised. A pair of guards—both of the same species as the alien who had attacked Leo earlier—stopped them before they could get too close. He tried to Identify them, but like always, the skill failed.

"Halt!" one of them shouted, approaching their small group. "Identifications now, or you can turn back. Your choice!"

Darius, the ever-excited creature, spoke up first. "We mean no harm and come in peace, honored guard. Kirej here has all the identifications we need." He turned to the lion-man. "If you will?"

Kirej, who had rejoined them not that long ago, nodded and took out the same tiny device Leo had seen before. The guard's eyes lit up as he stepped forward and grabbed the offered item.

"Very well, everything seems to be in order," he said, echoing the words of another Seklarian. "Let me be the first to welcome you to Westside Watch. May your stay be fruitful. Now, please assume your Sealed Forms if you haven't already."

At that, Leo looked at his companions, but to his surprise, their bodies remained the same. Were they really using sealed form all this time? Just how powerful were they if that was the case?

"Thank you for the welcome, honored guard. We're ready to enter," Darius announced.

The Seklarian nodded in response and signaled to his partner, who moved to the gate and placed a hand on the massive ice doors. They groaned at the action before slowly sliding open.

Nice, Leo commented as the bustling city came into view. More guards waited there, standing on the sides, but they didn't even move as his group strode forward, ready to leave the wilderness behind.

A powerful shiver ran down his spine as he passed through the gate. A familiar phantom weight settled on his shoulders—something he had felt many times before but never this strongly. His sealed form was already weak, yet now, he doubted he was any stronger than his old human self.

It also didn't help that he felt like he was being watched by some invisible gaze all the time. He almost shivered again but pushed this sensation away, deciding to ignore it for the time being. He could ask Darius about it later.

'This is… weird,' Nyx muttered through their bond. Her tiny head peeked out from his cloak, violet-red eyes scanning the street ahead. 'I think I got too used to humans.'

You're telling me. Leo frowned, his gaze also on the crowd of aliens around them.

Once they passed the gate and entered the city, the locals shot their unique group a quick glance, but nothing more than that. Everyone just went on with their own business, uncaring of the new arrivals. It was refreshing, to say the least.

Guess that's what happens when your world isn't limited to a single species, he reasoned, continuing to observe the creatures passing by.

Just as Darius mentioned, most of Sazim's population appeared to be Saklarians, but there were also plenty of different creatures. Not Voidborns, though—he barely managed to spot a few. Either he was in the wrong part of the city, or Naz'Tor had been exaggerating about this faction being so accepting.

Hopefully, it isn't the latter, Leo thought with a grimace. The last thing they needed was more problems, especially now that he couldn't even defend himself. Oddly enough, not even being trapped in ice, seconds away from death, had made him feel as powerless as at this moment.

'I don't like this either,' Nyx commented, returning her head under his cloak. 'Even if everybody around us should be as weak as we are, it's still…'

Scary, he finished for her.

'Exactly.'

Yeah, I feel the same, he tried to reassure the feline. It probably didn't help much, but before he could dwell on it, a certain figure within the crowd caught his attention. Is that… a human?

The obvious female build hidden underneath a light armor seemed unmistakable, same went for the facial features and the bright blonde hair framing the woman's face. Leo quickly activated Identify, but like with most of the locals, the skill failed once more.

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Dammit. I mean, after meeting the Lone Travel, I figured humans existed outside of Earth, but to meet one on my first visit to a random planet in the Void. He shook his head. Or maybe it's just a species similar to humans? What I would give for Identify to work…

Seeing no other way to gather information, Leo quickened his pace to catch up with Darius. "Got another question, if you don't mind," he muttered, trying not to be overheard.

The ancient flame chuckled. "Is it about mine and Kirej's sealed form?"

He blinked. "No… Well, now that you mentioned it, yes, but that can wait. It's about the locals."

"Oh?" Darius sounded intrigued now. "I assume this isn't about the Saklarians?"

"No, at least I don't think so," Leo answered, unsure. "It's about someone I saw in the crowd—a human, or at least I think it was a human. My Identify doesn't really work here too well."

He now understood how most humans back on Earth felt when looking at him. The System gave him nothing, but thankfully, not everyone in Westside Watch was at such a high level. If they were, he would have gone mad.

"Curious about your old species, are you?" Darius teased, pulling him back to the moment.

Leo nodded. "A bit. I honestly didn't expect to find a human here. No, scratch that—I didn't expect anyone so high-leveled to stay human."

"Then prepare to be surprised, child." The ancient flame laughed. "Human evolution paths might not be among the strongest, but they are nothing to scoff at. Power and strength can be found anywhere if you know where to look. And humans… they are a stubborn bunch."

That's one way to put it, he thought, almost snorting. "Does that mean humans are common in the Void?"

"Common? No, I wouldn't say that. They are around, just like many other races. You can find them here and there, but they've never been a major force within the Void."

"Oh…" Leo mumbled. "Is there a human faction?"

The ancient flame gave what seemed like a shrug. "I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to. There's definitely no major human faction, but something smaller? Tribes? Clans? Maybe, it's possible… You should ask Naz'Tor. He has access to much more information than I do."

"Maybe I will," he answered quietly. In truth, it was more curiosity than anything else. He didn't care much for the humans from other universes, and if he were being honest, he didn't care much for most of the ones back on Earth either—with a few exceptions, of course.

Doesn't matter now anyway, Leo thought and decided to switch the subject. "So, your sealed forms…"

Darius chuckled again. "Of course… But tell me first, what do you think?"

He furrowed his brow. "Honestly, I have no idea. But If I had to guess… you've been in your sealed forms this whole time?"

"No," Darius said, sounding a bit disappointed. "If Kirej or I were to step outside as we are now, we would become meat for the Voidlings. Just like everybody else…"

Leo clicked his tongue. "Then that means there is no difference between your true and sealed forms, right? You simply sealed your power at the gate, and that's all."

"Again, no, but that's a much better guess. It's true I sealed my power at the gate," Darius explained, the disappointment gone from his voice. "However, our true forms are much different than what you see now. I can show you the next time we meet."

"Then I have no idea…"

"It's called Compression-Transfer—a skill," Kirej's gruff voice suddenly joined their conversation.

Leo almost jumped when the lion-man appeared at his side but quickly calmed his racing heart. He then waited for the alien to elaborate. It didn't happen.

"Kirej speaks the truth," Darius said, most likely taking pity on him. "It's a skill that follows principles similar to Sealed Form but with different results. Where the latter takes your entire power away, Compression-Transfer allows you to move a part of yourself and channel it into a different attribute. That's why it also involves the change of your appearance."

"I don't think I get it," Leo admitted, frowning. He had a vague idea, but it wasn't enough.

"Hmmm," the ancient flame hummed. "Let me put it this way. You can compress the strength of your body and temporarily turn it into speed or use it to empower your soul. Of course, the transfer isn't one-to-one—that's impossible. But the more experience you have with the skill, the better the exchange ratio gets."

"So it's like taking a part of your Might attribute and transferring it into Grace, for example?" Leo summed up.

Darius nodded. "Exactly like that. It is, however, much harder to transfer power from Mind and Soul than from the other three. For most, it's even impossible, given how difficult the skill is to learn in the first place. There's a reason why it's classified as a Divine ability."

Divine? He mouthed the word, his eyes growing wide.

The ancient flame must have noticed that, as he spoke again. "You shouldn't worry about it for now, child. Compression-Transfer cannot be learned by anyone without all tier V attributes anyway. You still have a long road ahead of you."

"It sure seems so." Leo chuckled, offering the alien a smile. "Thanks for humoring me again."

Darius beamed, his fire brightening. "Think nothing of it. Now, let us find a tavern for the night. You simply must try some of the local cuisine."