Two weeks had passed, one returning to Candra and another spent in training, at least for Valeriana. Edward had not been himself. The first few days after were the worst. He would gaze at nothing absentmindedly. Whatever inquiry she made was met with a one-syllable mumble. She even had to order him to eat; otherwise, he would have starved himself.

Undeniably, things were better now, though not by much. By the time they reached the city, his eyes were brighter. He would talk again but speak no more than the conversation entailed.

Valeriana expected him to be mad; she wanted him to be, but that was not the case, and it only made her feel worse. He wished to return to the village, and she saw no reason to object. She couldn’t understand what he was feeling, and any attempt at breaching the subject was met with cold silence. So, she stopped, and he did not hesitate to pull away and hole himself up.

With nimble steps, she trotted around the broken houses. The children were attentive, some even extraordinarily so. One wrong move and she would not hear the end of it. That damned dwarven woman was loud. Goddess, she could feel her head pounding already, lass this lass that.

She understood their frustrations, stranded in a rundown village for weeks, but she was just as lost as they were. And Edward made it very clear he did not want any visitors as they told her how their last attempt was met with large earthen spikes rising and missing by a hairsbreadth.

Only now did she understand the magnitude of her request. Food alone was a challenge; feeding twenty, now twenty-four, mouths was proving onerous. Since she did not have the funds for their daily intake, living off the land was the only choice. Every morning she would go hunting, a task that took significantly more time without her partner.

Valeriana released a sigh. The infiltration was successful – no short woman was screaming in her ears. “Is he still inside?” Valeriana asked.

“Yes,” The Wyvern replied.

Valeriana was not fond of the unknown beast, but she did not condemn her for hanging around this spot. The woman refused to wear any form of clothing, arguing about how dragons were proud of their bodies and unwilling to hide them. The newly declared no-go zone was ideal for keeping her out of sight, at least until she convinced her to cover up or got rid of her altogether.

A thin sheet of dirt blocked the entrance to the stone-walled cabin. Fortunately, the window was not – a quick glance inside showed Edward surrounded by a small library. Stacks of books occupied almost every portion of the one-room building. He sat on a makeshift couch made entirely from piles of books. He was much thinner now, his attention solely focused on the pages he held as his eyes would roam, inattentive to the outside world, and underneath them – hung a series of dark circles.

Valeriana retreated, her heart aching. He was wasting away, and it was all her undoing.

The wyvern regarded the beastkin with a calm gaze. She allowed her a few silent minutes to stew as the girl bit her lips in frustration. Finally, she quietly asked, “Would you like to help him?”

Two furred ears pointed upwards, tempted by her devil-like whispers. She had her full attention as the beastkin waited for her to continue. The wyvern flicked her wings, slowly walking away as the girl trailed behind her.

Standing a fair distance away, the wyvern crossed her arms, lifting her naked ample bosom. “I know of a way to help him. All you have to do what I tell you.”

“And what do you get out of this?” Valeriana asked with narrowed eyes.

The wyvern spoke, uninterested, “Curiosity. I have lived for long and seen many men swallowed by despair. Whether he conquers the demons troubling his heart or succumbs – the choice will be his to make. I only wish to see how he fares.”

Valeriana was not fully convinced; however, she did not refute her. She was desperate, willing to hear her out, but at the first sign of danger, she was prepared to put an end to it.

The wyvern spread her wings, grinning, she spoke, “Now, listen well, child.”

----------------------------------------

A sigh escaped me as I leaned back against the wall. It was mindboggling how worthless some of these books were. Learning anything magic-related was not only difficult but nigh impossible. To give an example of how convoluted they were, the phrase ‘Plead to the spirits and deemed worthy, they shall answer thy call.’ referred to the formation of the link – the one I regularly established.

I suspected it was the mage's guild doing, hoarding their knowledge. There had to be some kind of code, a password, I was missing to decrypt the words written. Other than the few ideas I managed to pick up, not much was to be gained from the cryptic books at the moment.

The collections I bought were not only limited to the ways of the arcane. I had a variety of subjects to choose from. What intrigued me the most was this world’s unique crafts. Enchanting was fascinating to read about, though I doubt I could make any use of it, relying heavily on concepts of chemistry, or alchemy, if you will, which I knew nothing about either. It resembled engraving for the most part; however, instead of carving words and phrases, specially prepared items were used.

Now, what truly blew my mind was the concept of Runes and its counterpart, Wards; both were a combination of engraving and enchanting, a set of commands carved onto a specially concocted medium. For instance, if I wanted to sharpen my spear, I could buy a rune of sharpness and apply it. And if my weapon were to chip or break, I would remove the rune and reapply it onto another.

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Wards were the opposite. If a rune allowed you to increase the weight of an object, a ward would decrease it – reducing and constricting instead of enhancing and amplifying.

The possibilities were seemingly endless, but they were not infinite. Laws of physics might bend with magic; however, laws of conservation still applied. A sharpened weapon constantly eroded by mana was doomed to shatter at some point.

The final subject I sought out was seals. In hindsight, I should have probably looked this up a long time ago. I could always blame the one I wore for my negligence, but truthfully, I did not know anymore. I started questioning everything I had experienced thus far and asking myself how much was of my own choice. I was losing my mind. So, I dealt with it the same way I always did – I locked it up and threw it to the deepest parts of my mind.

Either way, there was little to no information about how seals were made. A few exotic variants were mentioned; the Blood seal was not among them, but the Soul seal was. I did not know if that was the one the demon had used, but it mattered little. They were rare, and according to the books, still a mystery. I had to wonder how Valeriana managed to get her hands on not one but two of them.

And speak of the devil. The curtain of dirt was knocked down. I squinted as the sun glared through the now open door. Valeriana stepped inside with a slight falter in her steps, and surprisingly the wyvern followed behind, much more confident.

Valeriana piled a few stacks of books on top of each other and took a seat opposite to me; the wyvern stood behind her.

“How are you doing, Edward?” She asked. Her gaze was steady, but I could see the pity and concern hidden behind.

“I’m fine,” I replied. Silence greeted my curt reply. I wasn’t trying to make this awkward, but I really did want to go back to my books.

“You know, Luna asked about you,” Valeriana said. “I didn’t tell her about your injuries, but once she knew you were living someplace else now, she kept bugging Hana for a visit. I think she just misses your food,” She added with a chuckle.

“I don’t think we can welcome any guests yet,” I replied.

Her smile wavered. “How about we get something to eat? I doubt you’ve had any real food in a while.”

“Thanks, Val, but I’m not hungry,” I said. “What can I help you with?”

Her lips quivered; however, taking a deep breath, she spoke, “I don’t want you to help me. I want you to be yourself again.”

I shrugged, “I don’t mind going back to quests. Just stay the word, and I’ll go fetch us one.”

She said nothing, only stared at me. “When was the last time you slept?” She asked, derailing the conversation.

“A couple of hours ago,” I replied.

“And how long did you sleep for?”

“A few minutes, I think.” I broke the staring contest first. “If I sleep for any longer, I find myself back there.”

She paused for a second and hesitatingly asked. “Do you… want to talk about it?”

I shrugged again. “It’s not as bad as it sounds. I don’t even remember most of it.” I do not know what compelled me to speak, but I did. “I was trapped. I thought you were kidding when you said we were there for two days only; it felt much, much longer.”

I relaxed my shoulders, hanging my head as the memories resurfaced. “At first, it was easy to resist. There was a… voice compelling me to surrender, to lie down. It was not pleased with my refusal and started taking everything away; my sight, my hearing, my limbs. I could not see. I could not hear, smell, feel, or move.”

I swallowed, my throat feeling dry. “When nothing was left to take, it stopped. Again, it asked, and I refused. And contrary to what I feared, my stubbornness was met with leniency. My sense of touch returned; I could feel, again. However, what it gave, it took; starting with a finger, and another, and another...” I clenched my fist. “I don’t remember much of it, though. I can’t really recall any of the pain, only the feeling of loss. That’s the gist of it.” I cracked my knuckles, continuing, “I stopped resisting afterward. So, it took and took, and no matter – was not satisfied. I was worried. I thought if I had nothing left, I would be discarded. so, I held my ground again.”

I paused. “Thinking back now, I wish I had just given up – especially since my Mind Resist skill leveled up.”

“What does that mean?” She asked, speaking for the first time since I started my rant.

“It advanced? Improved? I don’t know the correct phrasing. I still can’t resist any orders, but before, I could sort of tell when I was being influenced, at least when I thought hard about it. But now? I know exactly how and when.” I raised my head, gazing back at two widened eyes. “I never truly had a purpose, not here, nor back on my world. To some degree, everything I had done was for you, and now that I know, I can't bring myself to continue.”

She opened her mouth, yet no words came out. I anticipated an order; I wanted one. Anything that would put a stop to this – allow my mind to rest. I waited for her to speak, and when a voice finally rose, it was not her own.

“So you desire to be a puppet, dancing to your master’s tune.” The wyvern spoke. “If that is your wish, then it can easily be granted.” She placed a hand on Valeriana’s shoulder, who wordlessly stood. “The goddess bestowed gifts onto all her children, even allowing them the freedom to deny them. All you need to do is forgo yours.” She placed each hand on Valeriana’s chest and grasped, hard enough to make her wince. “I will gladly take everything you have, everything you're trying to build.” Her claws dug into Valeriana’s breasts, drawing blood as she continued, “I will-”

I didn’t fully comprehend what happened next. It was like a dam was broken, and water came gushing out. The one thing I vividly recognized was the crunch between my teeth. Surges of mana invaded my body, the crushed candy releasing its contents, and judging by how good I felt, I was far past the limited amount.

The ground melted, a pool of stone swallowing both girls; however, only one had the luxury of having a bubble of air around her. Moments later, a shaken girl appeared above while the other struggled, gasping for breath and gulping a mouthful of mud each time. Wings spread as she tried to escape, but it was to no avail. Thick arms of earth rose, gabbing each one and snapping it.

I could easily end her suffering, send her a few feet below, and suffocate her, but I did not feel merciful. It was an odd feeling. I was in control, toying with her. I let her raise her head, and she took every chance to draw air, prolonging the inevitable. Yet each time she did, her eyes never showed despair, only resolution, and reverence.

My attention was whisked away as a weight landed on my back, Valeriana latching onto me. “P-please,” She whispered, tears running down her face, “This is my fault. We agreed to this. Let her go, please.”

It was not an order. Only a pleading, one I decided to oblige, at least for now. Two horns stuck out from the ground as only the wyvern’s head was visible, her body submerged in stone. As I calm down, I felt the strain on my face; my lips had parted on their own – twisting into a grin. Even the burning in my chest failed to dampen the maniacal smile. My eyelids felt heavy, unseen weights pulling them down. I relaxed, listening to the panicked cries growing more distant.