366 Talk
In a corner of the ruined city, walls had broken down into piles of small and large stones. The further one walked from the main shelter, the intenser the destruction got and fewer people could be found.
Reynold led Kairen to one of the many destroyed buildings far from the main shelter. No one talked until they reached their destination. Kairen sat down on a stone and folded his arms, silently waiting for Reynold to talk.
"Something went wrong in my calculations and I... ended up sending you to this place."
Kairen didn't respond for a few seconds before suddenly snorting.
"That's it? Something went wrong and I was sent to a whole other world? No more explanations? No deeper meanings? No hidden intentions?"
Reynold looked away from Kairen and stared at a random spot on the ground.
"Yeah..."
To say that Kairen wasn't pissed would be a lie. He had at least hoped that Reynold had done it on purpose and that he wanted Kairen to do something in this world. What if, due to miscalculation, Kairen was sent to a place where he couldn't survive even a single day? What if Kairen landed in a world too far away that even Reynold couldn't find him? What if he went to a place where time passed too slowly compared to the world where his family is, and by the time he went back home, everyone was already old and gone?
"And I thought you were some undying, immortal genius who was a professional in these aspects!"
He snorted again and rolled his eyes. Reynold answered in a low voice without looking at Kairen.
"Even if my body is immortal, I still get old..."
Reynold stole a glance at Kairen and continued.
"The universe and the chain have been tainted too much recently. They are not how they were before. This influences both the various world and me, who has a deep connection to the chain... And it takes time for me to adapt to these changes. It affects my calculations and power more than it might seem, and it also has negative effects on my mind and emotions. I've also recently come back from another place and my powers are quite exhausted. Plus-"
"Stop listing up your excuses!"
Reynold shut his mouth. Silence descended in the area as no one said anything. After a while, Kairen opened his mouth to a question.
"What's wrong with this place?"
Upon hearing the question, Reynold raised his head to look up at the distant purple-black gate.
"The chains here won't be able to withstand the chaos for too long."
He then glanced at the ruined city.
"Neither will these people."
Kairen could understand the hidden meaning behind the redhead's words to some extent.
"The gates are the result of the chain's final resistance against destruction?"
"That's also one way to say it." Reynold paused. "They're mainly made out of irregularity."
Kairen nodded his head.
"So this world... This world will be destroyed soon?"
His voice was heavy and slightly shaky.
"Yes."
Reynold nodded his head.
"Do you want to save it?"
Kairen snapped his head up, his brows frowning.
"What makes you think that?"
"Why else would you defeat that chaos creature? Or why would you try consuming the gate?"
Instead of answering Reynold's question, Kairen asked something else.
"Consume the gate? What do you mean by that?"
He didn't point out the word 'Chaos creature' as he could understand that it referred to the 'dragon' that came out of the gate.
"What were you trying to do with the gate back then?"
"I just... reached out my hand to it... The gate seemed strangely close to me." Kairen recalled what he'd done a few minutes ago. "Wait, how do you know about the gate and the chaos creature? Were you there the whole time?"
"Sigh!"
The redhead took a few steps back and sat down on another boulder, right in front of Kairen.
"I don't need to see it to understand what's going on in a nearby part of the chain. I can sense it from far away. In fact, that's actually how I found you. If you hadn't fought that chaos creature, I wouldn't have detected your location yet. The gate is the same. I could sense its condition from far away, and I could clearly understand what you were trying to do before I came."
Kairen's brows frowned once again, but he said nothing and quietly listened to the man who was surprisingly talking in a way that Kairen could understand.
"You didn't answer me. Do you want to save this place?"
"...Can I?"
The edges of Reynold's lips curled into a smile.
"I can teach you, but it might be risky, and you have to make sure first."
The young man didn't respond immediately. He was staring at the piles in the ground, deep in thought. The same thoughts as before were swirling in his head, the idea of saving others and the actual meaning of it. Kairen's mind hasn't changed yet. He didn't care about this place and these people so much that he'd go out of his way to save them. Yet, he had no reason to not help them if he had the power. This was a world where he and his family had lived for years, the world that held very dear memories of his young years.
He didn't want to lose the place that used to be his home. Kairen was the kind of person who couldn't throw away a small toy that belonged to his childhood because of the good and bad memories that the toy brought to his mind. He was the kind who liked to collect old pictures, write diaries, and keep all the small and large gifts that the others have given to him. He never liked to forget his past memories.
So, would he want to lose his original world?
The answer was: No.
Previously, he was only considering whether or not he should save the lives of a few people he didn't know. He was hesitant and unwilling. But now, the situation was more serious.
Here was also the place where his brother had fought to save for so many years. Even if it was only for Aaron, Kairen was more than willing to take the risk.
After considering the question for a few seconds, Kairen finally nodded his head.
"What exactly should I do?"
Reynold chuckled gently.
"Devour the gates."
Without waiting for Kairen to ask anything, the man began explaining.
"It's just as it seems. The gates are a product of the clash between the chain and the chaos, and most parts of them are created out of irregularity. I've explained before, you have a power similar to that. Your power is much stronger than any chaos creature, as a result, you can attract any creature related to irregularity, you can scare them off, and you can absorb them. The gate isn't also different. It's just a compressed form of irregularity, which after being mixed with other elements, has taken the shape of a gate that attracts chaos creatures over. And now, you are here, someone who has the same kind of power but a more powerful form of it. The gate is attracted to the power and will want to move towards the source of it, you. And you can absorb it, as a whole or as small bits, and force the irregularity in it to your soul. The gate will fall apart and disappear."
Kairen listened attentively with high focus, trying to understand everything that Reynold said.
"How should I devour it?"
"Just do what you were doing before."
After thinking for a second, Kairen nodded his head.
"However, you need to take it slowly. Don't rush, or your soul would be the one that's devoured instead of the gate."
Kairen once again nodded.
"You'll start with one gate. If you succeed, you can keep targeting the other gates scattered all over the planet."
"...Should I travel to all those places?"
"There is no need. They'll be attracted to you on their own."
"Oh..."
There was a brief silence.
"There is also a chance that adding extra power might make your soul unstable. If you sense anything amiss, stop your actions immediately."
"...Will it hurt?"
"It might hurt."
"..."
Kairen took a deep breath and nodded again. He then raised his head to glance at the redhead.
"But... Why do you want me to devour those gates?"
It was evident that Reynold also had an inclination towards Kairen destroying those gates, but he was at the same time, worried that Kairen might fail. If he didn't want Kairen to do so, he'd never bring up the topic from the start. Plus, Reynold has always told Kairen not to use his power if it wasn't necessary as it might cause his soul to fracture again. However now, he was guiding him in doing something that might very well destroy his soul.
"It's a good chance for you to grow... And your growth will help everyone."
Reynold went silent, lowered his head, and clasped his hands.
"And I'm sure you'll regret it later if you don't help save this place."
Hi hi hi guys.
I'm still alive and breathing, and no, the novel is not dropped.
I really liked to say that "I'm too busy with my life that I don't have the time to write!", but the fact is that, I'm not that busy, I'm just... lazy.
Yeah. I'd also lost motivation for a long time. I really wanted to drop this and begin writing my new novel, but my guilt won't let me do that... Kairen comes to my dreams and curses me at night for not finishing his story T-T
Anyway, I'm trying to write the rest of the novel, though I might not update it too often.
I see how you guys are still following the updates and sending me power stones. I really appreciate that. You are one of the reasons I can never drop this novel. You're so kind T-T
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