Chương 215: B3 - Chapter 47: Days

Marcus sighed and stepped closer.

"You're saying this as if it were a good thing."

"I know it isn't," Seth answered. Some of the building tension left his shoulders.

"I should have been more careful." The Alchemist shrugged, stopping a few paces away.

"This was inevitable with all the attention you've attracted over the last two months." Silence settled between them. Normally the distant sounds of Veretia would have filled the gap: the chatter of soldiers, the rumble of carts, the calls of merchants hawking their wares. But the dome of the Isolating Crystal smothered every noise. Marcus studied Seth for a moment before speaking again"How are you doing?" Seth blinked. The question caught him off guard.

"I'm fine. I didn't take any serious injuries during the last battle."

"No." Marcus's gaze locked with Seth's.

"I mean, how are you?" Seth paused. His breathing hitched as the faces of Errin and the other fallen squad members flashed vividly behind his eyes.

"I've… been better."

"You cannot save every single person, boy," Marcus said, as if reading through his mind.

"There is a limit to what any single person can accomplish out there." Seth pressed his lips together, a familiar frustration sparking in his chest. There was that word again. Limit. He thoroughly hated the very concept of it. The Alchemist seemed to notice the shift in his demeanor.

"I am truly sorry for the comrades you lost."

"It was to be expected." Seth's voice dropped into a cold, hollow tone.

"As long as I remain weak, I'll continue to lose people I care about. That is simply how it is." Marcus grimaced, and his mouth opened to argue against the dark stance, but his shoulders sagged; deep down, the man knew it was true.

"What exactly did the King say to you?" he asked at last.

"I couldn't hear the conversation through the dome of his Isolating Crystal."

"He threatened to kill everyone close to me if I hand over the Legacy I'm going to win through my contribution points to the marshal instead of him," Seth answered.

"On top of calling my father a coward and openly insulting him." A suffocating wave of pure bloodlust erupted from Marcus. The sheer pressure surged through the alleyway and pressed down onto Seth's shoulders. The aura carried an overwhelming command to submit, as if the world itself wanted him to kneel. But something inside Seth refused. The strange, unyielding energy of Will of the Defiers bellowed in protest and pushed his body to resist. Seth forced his spine straight despite the crushing weight.

His heart hammered fiercely against his ribs, each beat echoing through his chest like a war drum. Dark aether stirred beneath his gauntlets. The runic grooves of Dusk Scythes throbbed and strained, eager to surge into existence at any moment on their own, unbidden. Every part of him was ready to fight. Then he noticed Marcus. The old Alchemist's eyes had widened while his breath had visibly caught in his throat. For the first time since Seth had met him, genuine shock had spread across the man's face.

Lips trembling, Marcus muttered something beneath his breath. The blood pounding in Seth's ears drowned out the sound, but he caught the movement of the man's mouth. Clarissa. Seeing the old Alchemist mouth his mother's name hit Seth harder than the bloodlust itself had. Marcus's face twisted awkwardly, and the crushing pressure vanished, disappearing so abruptly that it felt as if it had never truly been there... nor been his in the first place. Seth let out a long breath, and his shoulders dropped.

"I understand the anger, but there wasn't much I could do. Believe me, if I had the strength, I would have taken the King's head on the spot for badmouthing him." A bitter smile touched his lips.

"Though if you truly want to kill him yourself, be my guest. I certainly won't shed any tears." Marcus adjusted his cloak.

"Killing him right now would waste two full months of preparation."

"From the Champions of Chaos?" Seth asked. Marcus nodded.

"All their efforts and sacrifices would be for nothing. The NEVAK won't recognize Kastal as a new republic if they find out someone like me have intervened." Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"I might be dead before they're ready to make their move." The old Alchemist shook his head.

"No. They're close."

"How close?"

"A day or two more. That's it." Seth froze. Marcus continued before he could interrupt, "The operation itself is ready. They're simply making sure they can contain the political fallout afterward and control what happens next."

"Then why haven't I heard anything from them?" Seth asked, taking a step forward. Frustration bled into his voice.

"If things are so close, why am I still kept in the dark?"

"Because this isn't your fight," Marcus said flatly.

"And they have yet to return to Veretia." Seth's mouth flattened into a hard line. The answer irritated him, yet he knew the Alchemist was right. No matter how much stronger he was with his unlocked Talents, he was still an Iron.

"But whether their plan succeeds or fails," Marcus continued, "we need to be ready to leave Kastal very soon." Seth's expression darkened.

"Because of Draeria." Marcus nodded again.

"Word of your existence will soon reach their ears—if it hasn't already."

"And where exactly will we go?" Seth asked.

"I am still evaluating our options," Marcus answered.

"There are a few places where we could settle. None of them are perfect." Seth fell silent for a moment, mulling over Marcus's words. Then a thought surfaced, causing him to stiffen.

"And... would it be possible to bring someone along if things turn terrible?" Marcus frowned and hesitated before finally giving a reluctant nod.

"We could manage that. One person."' There is absolutely no way she'd accept leaving her dear nation behind, Seth,' Nightmare said through Link.

'I know that,' Seth answered mentally.' But I need to know all my available options in case she also winds up in danger.' Seth focused back on the old Alchemist.

"Can you be near the neutral zone when I finish my next battle?" he asked.

"The King will likely be displeased with me the moment I step back onto the plain." Marcus raised an eyebrow.

"Am I your personal lapdog now?" The sour look beneath his white beard almost made Seth smile. He rolled his eyes.

"If you don't show up, there's a very real chance I end up dead." Marcus crossed his arms.

"How can you be so sure?"

"The bastard ordered me to both kill someone during my next battle and protect his grandson, who's also a prick," Seth answered.

"I have no intention of doing either." The Alchemist stared at him before releasing a gravelly sigh.

"Fine. I'll be there." Conversation seemingly at its end, both of them shifted their weight and prepared to head in opposite directions. Marcus reached into his cloak and pulled out the Isolating Crystal. The old man turned the artifact over in his palm, then he paused.

"Oh, and one more thing, Seth," he said, looking over his shoulder to lock eyes with Seth.

"If your mother were still among us, she might prefer to hear her son being called the People's Champion, rather than the Maddened Beast." Seth stopped dead in his tracks. Though before he could say a word, the Alchemist disappeared into the connecting alleyway, and the silencing barrier surrounding them dissolved. Seth found himself staring at the spot where the man had vanished while the distant murmur of the city rushed back in. Always making an entrance and an exit, Seth thought.

Shaking his head, he resumed his walk toward the Surani outpost. Since Marcus had just told him the Champions of Chaos still hadn't returned to the border town, there was little reason to seek them out.' What's so terrible about being called the Maddened Beast?

'Nightmare asked through Link.' Wasn't your mother a Barbarian?'' Yes, she was,' Seth answered. Talking about her triggered sudden waves of memories from his childhood, transporting him back to the days before his mother's illness had stolen the brightness from her face. He vividly recalled the effortless way she used to smile and laugh while helping the other citizens of Sunatown who routinely sought her help.

Even after his father's sudden death, her resolve had never once faltered; she'd kept pushing forward through every hardship as if nothing in the world could break her spirit. She'd carried herself with that unyielding strength despite knowing she would die in the following years from her shattered aether channels.' She seemed to be someone truly exceptional,' Colossus said with a heavy voice.' She was,' Seth answered, a tight knot forming in his throat.

Just as Seth prepared to step into the main square housing the Surani outpost, a frantic yell cut through the ambient city hum from around the corner.

"We have to do something! The King is going to have him executed just because he's outshining Jaxar and the other nobles. And if it's true that he isn't even a real citizen of Kastal, that only makes things worse."

"No, no, he can't just kill him," a second voice argued.

"This is the worst possible time to make enemies of the Champions of Chaos—" Seth walked out of the mouth of the alley and found Elena, Jenna, Devus, and Selena gathered in a circle right in front of the entrance of the Surani outpost. Wooden splints still supported Jenna's right leg, but the rest of her injuries seemed well on their way to recovery. Beside her, Devus looked even better.

The horrific wounds that had covered his torso, neck, and arms weeks earlier had completely healed, leaving behind only thick scars as evidence they had ever existed.

"Seth!" Devus shouted, eyes widening in relief. The Guardian lunged forward without a second of hesitation and wrapped his large arms around Seth's chest in a crushing hug. Seth lifted his gauntleted hands, gently tapping the broad back of his friend. The embrace stretched into a long moment before Devus finally released his grip and stepped back.

"Man, we honestly thought you were done for."

"No, I'm fine," Seth replied, adjusting his cloak and pulling down his hood. Selena gave Seth a tight smile, and her posture seemed to relax. Jenna shifted her position and limped closer before punching Seth's shoulder.

"Dumbass." Seth's brow furrowed, and he robbed the spot she just hit.

"What exactly did I do wrong this time?"

"Fighting nineteen battles in a row?" Jenna retorted, throwing her hands into the air.

"Not sending a single message? Taking no breaks? And then not even stopping by to say hello the moment you do step out? Do you have any idea how worried we were?"

"You were both seriously injured," Seth argued.

"I wanted to make sure you could rest."

"Oh, stop giving excuses." Jenna crossed her arms over her chest.

"That wasn't the real reason you avoided us, right, Nightmare?"

"I prefer to remain silent on this matter," the direwolf's voice rumbled out from the teardrop necklace.

"See?" Jenna exclaimed, gesturing toward Seth's chest.

"That says absolutely everything!"

"I'm sorry," Seth answered. There were far too many reasons swirling in his head to articulate to them clearly. And even if he managed to put them into words, none of them would make his friends any less angry with him. Elena stepped into the middle of the group. Her emerald eyes lingered on Seth's face as she gestured toward the iron-reinforced doors behind her.

"We should probably head inside," she said.

"To relax a little and... talk." Seth, Devus, Jenna, and Selena exchanged a series of silent glances, then they all nodded in agreement. Without further discussion, the group turned and stepped into the Surani outpost, leaving behind the curious stares and constant noise of the town square behind.