The next morning, after Rain left for work, Fala and I went on our adventure with her riding on my shoulders so we could make good time. She seemed bright and cheery on the surface and she was genuinely happy I had returned, but I could sense she was a little sad that Sil was still AWOL.
As we made it to the gate guards, they quickly stood to attention, saluting me with and bidding me a good morning. "I trust you won't mistake me for a monster upon my return? Pointing spears at the little one would certainly earn you a lesson in what a monster really looks like." I grinned, fully joking regardless of how accurate the second part was, but making them tense at the idea of angering me in such a way and to such a degree.
"At ease gentlemen." Fala added, making everyone laugh with what she had clearly overheard from Leeson.
As we continued onward, I decided to rip the bandage off, telling her that I didn't know if or when Sil would return and promised her that I intended to stay for as long as possible. Which whilst still slightly sad for her, she took solace and trusted in my promise. I was still unsatisfied with her dampened spirits however, telling her to hold on tight and keep her mouth closed as I began to pick up the pace a little.
My warning was ignored however as she laughed with the jolt and bounce of every stride, she found it so enjoyable in fact, she hadn't even realised that we made the usual two hour journey to her favourite spot in only one. Continuing to laugh when I pretended to collapse into an exhausted heap, citing old age as my excuse for needing a break that meant I couldn't help her pick the plants.
I decided to enjoy some of the smoking leaf I had acquired, keeping my guard up but standing behind a tree as I wanted to avoid Fala seeing me enjoy the unhealthy habit. The reason I couldn't relax was simply because of what had happened the last time, I was waiting for Sil to make the mistake of putting my young ward in danger and had no intention of showing mercy a second time.
After a few hours though, no such attack had occurred and Fala's bags were full, which was not only her personal best but also worth a gold coin. She was ecstatic, when her father first injured himself, he told her they would need a gold coin to stay afloat. When she told Valo that was her goal, she handed over the five herb bags and said filling them would earn her that much. She hadn't managed it until then, because either monsters, beasts or other interruptions cut her gathering short and as a result it had become a slight obsession for her. Seeing the pure joy that filled her as we jogged back to the offkey melody she was singing a made up song to, was delightful regardless.
When we finally made it to the guild hall Valo was so happy for the precious little thing she picked her up and swung her around until I said it was enough. Even then it was begrudgingly, but she realised she had gone overboard when Fala couldn't stand up. Seeing that I would need to help her move about for a while I went to pick her up, but Valo intercepted me and nodded upstairs.
I knew it wasn't because Byurik wanted me, she would have said, which only left one option and it certainly wasn't suspicious at all that a certain runaway would reappear so soon after me. "Valo, I just remembered that I need to settle something with Byurik, can you take Fala home ready to take her dad some lunch. I should only be there in an hour or so." I added quickly before heading upstairs and slipping inside Byurik's office, holding a finger to shush him as I focused my hearing to know when Valo and Fala had left.
"Can you please tell me what you're doing or leave me be. I have had enough of Leeson's childishness, don't make me endure yours as well." He finally barked as I sighed with relief when I heard them exit.
"Sorry, forgot you were there. Valo said Sil returned, didn't want Fala getting entangled. I'm going to take Sil somewhere and try to get some answers, if she returns without me assume the worst." I rattled the speech off so quickly, he had scarcely absorbed it before I had left.
When I reached the room, which was basically now just Sil's, I entered without knocking. Catching her unaware and using magic to teleport us out to where we first arrived.
"Now, I suggest you tell me where you were, for my magic to not reach you and light you up… You were either very far away, or simply able to resist it, which would mean you are more skilled than I am at manipulating mana and that means you need to earn my trust very quickly." I smiled, already preparing to erase her then and there before she could grow into a threat.
"W-w-wait…" she stammered, trying to gather her wits.
"No, I have waited long enough. I truly don't care what motivates you, that is irrelevant to me, what I care about is the actions those motivations inspire. You tried to harm the girl, I won't forgive that, though you're scarcely more yourself so perhaps you simply need discipline." The fear in her eyes was plain, like she was expecting something horrific.
"Please don't, I just got jealous and made a mistake." I snapped and dashed forward, grabbing her on the way. I didn't need to actually hurt her when I could simply weaponise things such as inertia. Using magic to enhance my physicality to an insane amount before leaving a crater as I jumped high into the air.
Between the sudden acceleration and ascent, her sense of direction, balance and lack of reaction would have been fatal to a normal person. With the enhanced durability she possessed however made it non-lethal, indescribably unpleasant but nothing that would kill her and I wasn't done showing her how creative I was with punishments.
The next thing I did was use a redirection spell to invert the forces we were subjected to instantly, which meant we were now hurtling towards the ground. I then set up a stasis bubble to stop us when we hit it.
The experience was enough to overwhelm her leaving her a vomiting wreck until she finally passed out, or at least tried to but our bodies were resistant to unconsciousness as well. Of course when your mind has enough experience as mine had long since achieved, such things were a simple matter to handle, but the the first few times I tried I was subjected to the same torturous condition she was suffering body lurching between between brief dips of unconsciousness and thrown back into a violent sense of vertigo.
After forty minutes it began to pass, and as she groaned I realised I would soon be running late to catch up with Fala. I walked over and rolled her onto her back with my foot, nudging her and snapping until she focused on me. "From now on you can do whatever, go wherever and meet whoever you want. That said, if you bring harm to the town, or any resident of it, I will make you suffer unimaginably." I spoke as I leant down toward her, my head began to throb though and cut my warning short. "I will stop by the room, if you are there I will drag you to the garrison by force and train you harder than ever, if you truly want to be around me I hope you are ready to suffer for the honour." With those final words I teleported back to the room.
After I had enjoyed a few days with Fala, I made good on my promise to stop by the room every day and to my surprise, Sil let me train her but remained distant and grew increasingly erratic, so much so that others noticed and aired their concerns.
One night I found myself sharing a drink with Lord Halna, Leeson, and Byurik. "Any improvement?" The question came from all three, though the one who aired it escaped me.
I shook my head, and they sipped in silent support, then Halna made a statement. "Not to add pressure, but I intend to declare independence in two months, the capital's latest demands were unfathomable. I would feel better if your head was straight and focused."
I thought for a moment, then grinned, glad to have a catalyst of change.
"Then we leave for one tomorrow. Either you get two timeless able to fight or one. Maybe we were never meant to travel together?" I rambled off into a question directed at myself, which I had been doing a lot by that time.
Leeson made to say something, but a glare revealed more of my hidden strength than he'd seen up to then and he bit his tongue, instead Byurik interjected with a proposal. "I have a proposal."
"You're not my type."
The jest, simple and childish, lifted the weighty atmosphere, then Byurik continued. He mentioned a guild job that would offer solitude, distance and opportunity with the benefit of unanimous approval from our group.
I excused myself from those I had grown to call friends, then returned to the guild.
Valo greeted me, asking me to take Sil some food, which I agreed to do before informing her we would be leaving on a long job the next day.
Sil was meditating when I entered, then stood to leave when I sat. "Sit down before I rob you of your ability to stand." I was clearly far angrier than I thought, though it was hardly surprising either.
"I'm sorry, but this has gone on long enough, we leave tomorrow, what happens then is your choice. I will be completing a quest for the guild."
She stayed standing, facing the door with a hand on the knob, then asked if it meant we would be alone.
I thought myself wise and cunning, but the woman had me clueless, her mind completely unknown to me. With no point in prolonging things, I just confirmed. "About time." She turned and flashed me a thin smile, then skipped off, leaving as a pain flared through my skull and my ears rang with such ferocity I drank some of the anaesthesia, to which I had become increasingly dependent on throughout the month.
Before I knew it, I was numb, head foggy. I felt like any thought that popped into my head was being deflected and as much as I hated the feeling it was keeping me from the madness the agony would have driven me to.
It wasn't long before the remnants of the pain crept in though, the highly regenerative body I possessed was quick to neutralise it.
Sil was sobbing next to me. "I didn't think it was this bad, but he mentioned to us he had been suffering with severe headaches lately."
"He will tell what he wishes to be known. Sil, get ready to leave then go to sleep. Valo, I'd appreciate your discretion, I'm fine." With that I left, walking out of town, back to where I had so harshly punished her a mere month ago.
I decided that sleep was out of the question and that maybe a hunt and a meal would be therapeutic, which it was, though the flames I used to cook drew unwanted attention.
"I'm not in the mood, so I'll only say this once, I will kill you all." It was wrong, I knew that, but the pain was making it easier for my old temperament to bleed through.
"You don't need to suffer, they don't need to suffer, embrace oblivion." The original me would whisper from the depths of my consciousness again and again and again.
An arrow shot towards me. "Oblivion…" My voice was hollow, sombre and ghostly, infused with enough stray mana to make the word a spell.
The word seemed to twist itself into a cocoon of nothingness around me, robbing my body of warmth, then spreading out thirty feet in every direction and simply erasing everything above ground in its path.
Three of the individuals got caught in the impromptu spell, leaving those remaining to shift in terror after watching their men simply cease to exist. "I think you should all turn yourselves in, anyone runs or makes a move, and I will erase the rest."
I led the terrified band of men to the gate, which luckily Doran was back to guarding, and from a distance I explained the situation asking him to fetch Byurik and more men. Whilst I'm sure in reality I only waited ten or fifteen minutes, events reduced time to a crawl, and when Byurik finally appeared he was breathing heavily.
Approaching as he asked what was wrong, I halted him with a gesture, asking him if his memories told him what happens when a member of the seraph line are overcome with negative emotion and pain."
He took a step back. "The falling… How far and how many died?"
"Thirty feet, three of these bandits who tried to ambush me, full erasure." My words brought him such deep and sincere pain it made my lies even fouler; he even went so far as to club one of them with the side of a heavy scaled fist.
He asked if he could do anything, and I asked him to fetch Sil, our belongings and inform the others. I also advised they quarantine the area since some magic leaves traces as deadly as radiation.
He disappeared, stopping only to admit his wrongdoing, reappearing after the bandits had been collected, but with far more than I asked for.
Fala, Doran, Rein, Halan, Valo, Byurik and Leeson. I cherished all the faces before me and wished I could bid farewell to them properly.
I asked if Sil had the information on the job and she nodded, and I gestured for her to lead the way, then bowed and promised to see them again in a month.
Fala shouted after us, demanding we take care of ourselves, wanting to chase after us but held in place by the others.
When we had travelled for an hour, I closed the distance to Sil, who was sobbing to herself. she asked if it was her fault and I spoke honestly.
"Yes and no. the real blame lies in the curse of one long dead."
She seemed confused by my answer, making me realise she had yet to learn anything about magic since it seemed to trigger her tantrums more than anything else.
I gave the same exasperated sigh that I had become known for, then explained that magic is just consciousness given form by mana. I detailed my explanation further by reminding her of my first life and admitting how that me still lives in my mind, gone but not forgotten.
"My will back then was unwavering, focused on one thing, add mana to that you get death. Plain, simple, terrifying and absolute. Prolonged anger or distress has been known to bring it out, and that is why it is partially your fault."
Blood dripped from the clenched fists hanging at her sides, then she moved ahead slightly mumbling to herself.
We marched through the day and set up camp, where Sil insisted she cook for us, and I dozed off as I waited, waking to falling tears and her saying sorry repeatedly.
"Saying sorry is meaningless, prove it and start talking to me, even if you were nineteen, I'd expect more maturity than you have shown lately. At ninety thousand odd years old, I'm too old for childishness."
She asked if that was really my age, and I shrugged, admitting I'm probably much older and typically spent a hundred years deciding the fate of each world, sometimes more, sometimes less and I never tracked how long the genocides took.
She caught me completely unexpecting when she hugged me and apologised again. I didn't understand, was it sympathy, empathy, pity. Whatever it was, it brought a tear to my eye, further baffling me.
Complete emotional ineptitude is the only excuse I have for asking if tears were part of the recipe, or just a bad omen for it, drowsiness just a fuel fed to the fire, that lit the fuse of the girl shaped bomb that then exploded out of melancholy and into what could only be described as aggressive domesticity.
When she finally settled down so we could eat, she reverted to the placid, agreeable girl she was when we arrived, then asked me how long the headaches had been going on for.
I shrugged my shoulders. "I can't be sure, I think it was the day we observed mages, something was dragged to the surface and has been eating away at me. The strange thing is the fact your behaviour lately seems to be excavating it further from depths better left untouched." She tried to blame herself, but I could sense the manipulative ploy, she was trying to guilt me into leaving it be.
I told her it wouldn't work, the only one cruel enough to do something like this was the one who orchestrated this whole affair. I acknowledged that she seemed so sincerely distraught, I could only guess she is forbidden from divulging details and agreed to let things play out.
She nodded as her head drooped, and she ate sluggishly. I told her I wouldn't pry, wouldn't even ask for honesty, but she needed to talk to me, Valo, even Fala if it was easier and not throw wordless tantrums or fall into bouts of sorrowful mutism.
"If you promise to stay away from that mage woman. I can't tell you why, but if you see her, you walk the other way." My head began to hurt again, and as I grimaced, she apologised again.
I was desperate to try and put this deep rage that was slowly growing to consume me, so I agreed with the exception of the inevitable war council she would doubtlessly be a part of but promised she could be present at the very least. In addition I added that I'd avoid direct communication, under the guise of heartache I had a vague recollection of establishing, though my memories were becoming noticeably distant.
After a brief moment I added that meant she would need to be friendly with her, the woman was a valuable source of information after all.
My companion found herself agreeing despite the clear repulsion the prospect of befriending the woman instilled.
Strange, since from what little I recall she was quite gracious, most would likely take issue with a stranger touching their face after all.
"I'm serious, if you can't, you may as well leave. Someone broke a promise to me a long time ago which left me broken, I won't damn these people to the same fate."
"Who was it?" She seemed desperate for the answer. "And who were they to you?"
"Who? A dear friend and that's all I'll say. In terms of what they were to me, everything, and losing them cost the world just that."
With that she turned in for the night, apparently satisfied for a change.
The next day we kept walking, and I outlined her training going forward, her days would be long, formulating a spell reel from the time she woke up to the time we stopped to rest.
Spell reels were my own invention, but with a few steps one could simplify the use of magic to an almost disenchanting extent.
Step one was to learn the base spell.
Step two was to cast it until you can visualise it perfectly.
Step three was to master the art of pouring mana into that mental image, and how much each spell took
Step four was to master pouring that exact amount into an image instantly
I explained that misfires and injuries were inevitable, so healing magic is the first thing to learn, but she should never use it openly without knowing how a world views it.
When we stopped to rest for the night, we ate then swapped to physical combat training until she couldn't move.
We kept that routine for the four days it took to reach the location of the job, a mine had been attacked by some kind of monster, which I was beginning to think didn't exist in this world, which would be a first for one with magic.
Our arrival revealed the reports were lacking diligence however, not only was a monster present but the mine was surrounded by some kind of camp.
I warned Sil that there was a strong chance there would be killing involved, but she should follow my lead and if she couldn't handle it she should stay back.
"I don't want to kill any people, but I'm ready to fight the monster." Her reluctance to kill was admirable, but I couldn't help but comment on the potential outcome of the world.
We managed to get as far as the outer ring of tents before we were noticed and found ourselves surrounded by a visually diverse group. Some with animal features, others generally human but with fangs or strange skin tones.
I didn't have enough knowledge, in some worlds they would be considered demihumans and others demons, to me they were just people.
I asked if we might speak to their leader, that we were here to make the mine safe, but when one drew his weapon and I asked if they were the leader they said "no".
Desperate to find the path of least bloodshed I steeled myself and crushed his hand, repeating the request to speak with their leader.
The leader finally showed himself in response to the screams of his man, swaggering with all the arrogance of a spoiled brat.
"I can hardly talk about peaceful resolutions when you have injured my good friend." I healed the individual as far as any average healer could, before asking if we could talk now his friend was unharmed.
I always struggled to read people as foolish as that, but when he tried to imply I owed compensation, I was utterly dumbfounded though short lived when he suggested Sil.
"Compensation? Funny, since you only breathe as I can't get the compensation you owe the town for their trouble off of dead men." I moved fast after that, drawing antithesis, getting behind him and cutting his heels, knees and shoulders before anyone could react, then slowly pushing the blade through the centre of his forehead after he fell.
Cracking my neck and taking a breath to keep the old me at bay, I then stood and asked who was next in command, asking if we could perhaps revisit peaceful resolutions.
Luckily for everyone their new leader was at least more aware of his weakness. Opting for total surrender I told them to gather in front of the mine and kneel whilst Sil looked for any proof of crimes.
When she returned she stated she found no evidence of crimes as such but they did have a woman prisoner, the look in her eye suggested she shared my fear at the potential implication.
After Sil demonstrated her own prowess, I went to retrieve the prisoner, who was most certainly this world's brand of demon.
A pair of black flightless wings sprouted from her hips, legs not human covered in fur, practically human from the waist up barring the deep purple skin and crooked horn sprouting from one side of her head.
When she stood before her captors she lunged, but I drove her to the ground and told her not to act rashly. Laughing when she said a human wouldn't be a fair judge.
"Depending on how this goes, you may see I'm not quite as human as you think." Gesturing to the corpse acting as a sheath for my sword.
The first thing I did was ask if anyone beat her whilst she was captive, and she said they all did, I didn't have time to reply before one of them tried to argue that beating demons isn't a crime.
I sighed heavily before stating that if hurting captives of other races was no crime in his eyes then I will be happy to follow his principles before crushing his hands like I had done to the other earlier, knocking him out to silence the screams this time.
"I just said I'm happy to follow the principles of others." My eyes turned to the demoness, pulling her jubilation at his pain out at the root.
I then knelt before her and apologised for any offence or duress my next questions caused.
"Did any of them threaten or act to violate you? I suggest you do not lie about this." I touched her wrist and made a glyph appear.
"They would have died if they did, but those two threatened it and even planned for it." She gestured to two men as I apologised that they would get to see the inhuman side after all.
I walked toward the men, who tried to escape into the mine, stopped as Sil dashed in and blocked their path with one of the basic barriers she had practiced.
As they begged me for mercy I told them I'd consider it if they laid down, and when they did, I touched the sole of their boots and placed a rot curse on them then told them they were free to leave.
Whilst confused they joyfully sprinted away as I quietly assured the demoness their suffering would redefine the word and that I only let them go so as not to harm Sil's delicate sensibilities.
Of course she didn't believe me, not until their screams started to echo through the air, but I paid them no mind and passed sentence on those who remained.
"You are guilty of banditry, assault and many other crimes I'm sure. I am no bloodthirsty killer however, so your punishment shall be relatively light."
I explained that I would brand them with a stigmata, if they failed to obey my sentence they would surely die, albeit quick and painless. The duration of the sentence would be set by Halan, and I would remove the brand when it was served.
In short they had hard labour in the mine, they also had to remain within one hundred feet of it.
The demoness then introduced herself as Sinfree, and to this day I do not know how I resisted the urge to laugh. (The amount of clichés was staggering.)
Sinfree was understandably eager to learn her own fate, as a demon in human territory, I shrugged and told her it would ultimately be up to the lord and whilst I wouldn't allow an unjust punishment, she was part of an invading force.
She was about to make an excuse but the glyph ignited on her wrist and racked her body with powerful electric shocks.
"If I had my way, we would welcome you as a refugee and that seal would be proof of your law-abiding nature, the fact remains though we are foreigners and guests in this land ourselves from across the Farwater."
She dropped to her knees, bowing so violently she split her forehead on the ground, and making me realise I made a mistake saying what I had. She eased my concern though by immediately divulging the demons have long sworn an oath of non aggression to the timeless ones, stating she had been wondering since Sil introduced herself upon finding her.
"Well, I'm the second and also knew all that as a seraph. Oh, and Sil is still only nineteen so I would appreciate you teaching her about demons. Maybe I can negotiate that as part of house arrest for you."
Suggesting that we rested there for a bit, I asked if anyone knew what kind of monster was in the area.
One of the bandits explained it was something called a "depth snake", which they had trapped in the mine, but they didn't expect it to be the best news I had heard since we arrived.