A sense of emptiness appeared inside of her.
Evelyn didn't understand what had happened that made her Luna energy go rampant like that, and it was even more troubling that she could feel it decreasing in quantity almost as if a portion of them left her.
Like if there's some kind of magnet out there that attracted the Luna energy out of her.
"Did Rex do something to me...?" She uttered questioningly.
But it was at that moment, she saw Rex coming out of the castle from above.
Rex didn't make a rush anywhere and steadily walked through the bridge, heading towards the gate of the castle. In the process, he takes out some kind of carcass from thin air from his hunt and throws it down the bridge to feed the snake creature below.
Judging from his nonchalant movement, Evelyn doubts that he did something to her.
'It doesn't seem like he did anything significant to me, then what makes my Luna energy go crazy like earlier?' Evelyn pondered inside her head. She has never sensed something like that, and worst of all she also feels troubled by it despite wanting to think nothing of it.
She feels that if she ignores this, something bad is going to happen.
Almost as if he was also feeling the sensation, Rex's steps come to a halt nearing the exit.
Glancing over his shoulders and meeting Evelyn's gaze on the balcony above, Rex offered a wave and a smile. "I'll be going out for a short while," he informed her. "No need to wait up, I'll head directly to help Adhara afterward"
"Okay! Be safe!" Evelyn replied with a wave and also a smile back.
Upon bidding his farewell, Rex turns around to leave with Evelyn's eyes still stuck on him.
Hesitating for a bit on what to do about what had happened earlier, she eventually decided to be truthful later when he came back. "Maybe I should tell him about everything like I used to. Now that our relationship got better, I think that's the best way"
Meanwhile, on the other hand, Rex stopped right in front of the gate with a frown.
<Warning! The Luna's power has been weakened!>
<It's advised to keep a close bond to the pack members more than extraneous entities>
<Affection to other entities will have grievous consequences for the pack>
<The user's sanity stat has been decreased by 20%>
'What...? How did this happen?'
Rex was surprised by the sudden appearance of these notifications, he was also confused.
Back then, he remembered that when his pack member was stagnant, he lost sanity stat too which was a way for the System to beckon him to add more pack members. But affection has never been brought up before.
Even then, he was spending most of his time with the others.
Finding that the System has to advise him to keep a close bond with the others is weird.
Grabbing his throbbing head from the direct impact of the decrease in sanity stat, he tries pondering about the matter. Now, his sanity stat sits at 39%. Lately, it has been on the increase and almost reached 60%.
During his time outside the human territory, his sanity stat never went back above 60%.
It's a good development for him.
However, another problem struck as his sanity stat was hit by a nasty 20% decrease.
Rex also couldn't ignore this considering the decrease was quite harsh. Back then, the decrease was only 5% but now, it is 20% which is 4 times the usual amount. Due to that, he scans the notifications a couple of times trying to comprehend them.
A bit later, he tried asking the System for an answer but he didn't receive anything back.
Seems like the System wants him to figure this out on his own.
'Extraneous entities... If the System is talking about affection with extraneous entities, is it referring to Calidora? But I need her, she's essential for the plan. Even if I want to forget her, it's not going to be easy'
'But then again, what affection? My relationship with her is even less than platonic'
Rex was engrossed entirely inside his head.
Despite there being a towering figure standing beside him and having its eyes fixed on his, he doesn't seem to be aware. He remained oblivious to its presence until the figure extended a hand. Only then did Rex's reflexes kick in.
In a flash, he grabbed the approaching thing and quickly slammed it down to the ground.
Only when a grunt can be heard that he snap out of his daze.
Looking down at the figure that he slammed to the ground and put in an armlock out of instinct, Rex snapped out of his daze when he realized that it was Ugrok, "Ugrok...? Don't sneak up on me like that. Also, why are you still here?"
"Ugrok didn't sneak, you are too occupied and don't realize Ugrok is here!" Ugrok defended.
Rex smiled wryly and let him go when he heard this.
It was obvious that he was the one at fault here, he was too preoccupied by his thoughts that he didn't realize Ugrok was beside him. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he decided to change the subject.
"Why don't you come with me? I'll need your help with something"
"Where...?"
"Just come with me, you'll see later"
Since there's a fight lying ahead, Ugrok is definitely needed on the battlefield.
Gauging the strength of the Rastrikan Demons from their reputation, he needs to at least expect a couple of ninth-rank realm entities amongst them. If he wanted to defeat them then he would need to be wary of that.
Aside from her image, there must be another reason for Elder Tilrith to ask him for a favor.
One that he suspects is that the Rastrikan Demons are very strong.
Knowing that Rex is an expert in close-quarter combat from the fight with the Supernatural Elders as well as possessing the enhanced version of Red Force, she must believe that he would be a perfect match for the Rastrikan Demons who excel at a physical battle.
With his big body and strength, Ugrok will be a good distraction in a fight.
Rex would definitely need it then.
But instead of following him from behind, Ugrok didn't move from his spot. He then replied in his rough gravelly voice, "If Rex is asking Ugrok to fight, then Ugrok can't follow you. Ugrok can't fight, Ugrok doesn't want to fight"
"Hmm...?" Rex stopped and turned around with a frown.
Gazing at Ugrok's eyes, it seemed that he was serious about what he just said.
If he's not willing to fight, it's going to be a huge loss.
Rex and the city would lose a crucial asset if he didn't want to fight, and that's not good.
During the time Elder Tilrith paid a visit, he told the guards on the wall to report her reaction towards Ugrok. And sure enough, she was surprised by the sight of Ugrok and seemed to be quite wary of him.
Indeed, her reaction solidified the Cyclops' dominant presence in the ancient era.
Rex decided to groom Ugrok because of that.
Ugrok will be a very crucial asset to his forces, but his unwillingness is going to be trouble.
Fixing his unwavering gaze, Ugrok then replied, his tone seeming determined to keep the words he was about to say, "Ugrok swore to not join the war between Humans and Supernaturals. Fighting never resolves anything, it only creates more fighting"
Listening to this, Rex pauses for a second before he sighs dejectedly.
'I heard that Dyrmir also got hurt during the fight in Emham Forest, that might insinuate him to become like this again' Rex scratches the back of his head, forgetting that Ugrok has a different view on this.
Although he could try to convince Ugrok, it would need a bit of finesse.
Since he sounds serious, it's not going to be easy to convince him otherwise. But then again, the Cyclops race was also said to be exterminated due to their barbaric fighting thirst that runs in their blood.
It makes sense for him to be determined to not join the war again.
"Okay then, I'll respect your decision" Rex waved his hand.
Turning around once more to face away, he then continues, "You have your own reasons for not wanting to join the war, so it's fine. But someone close to me once said that those with power can't just stop and hide, I want you to know that, Ugrok"
Upon hearing this, Ugrok remained silent.
"At the very least, if the city gets attacked, you need to defend it. Can you do that?"
"Ugrok will fight if that happens"
Rex nodded his head in affirmation before he waved his hand, he started descending the hill and left Ugrok behind, "I'll convert him later, he needs to at least serve my cause. I couldn't afford to lose him..."
A moment later, he takes a deserted street across the city.
In the momentary silence, his mind was brought back to earlier when Evelyn surprised him.
Due to realizing her mistake, she changes completely, and she even surprises him with a cooked meal that she made herself. A pleasant surprise and Rex was thankful for what she did for him.
Now that he thought about it, that act makes his sanity stat jump.
"I should've known that such gestures mean the most to me. Even back in Faraday University, with all the enemies I had back then that wanted to kill me, I think my sanity stat hasn't been as worse as now" Rex mused to himself, his steps echoed through the empty street.
But upon pondering about this, he gazes up into the broken night sky with a serene gaze.
Many cues of the World Awakening are still decorating the sky.
However, it's still as beautiful as ever, the view of the night sky has never ceased to amaze the eyes of the wake people who couldn't dwell in the dream world. It was the best time to ponder about most things in life.
One such thing that came to mind in Rex's mind is a single person, "Mother..."
Despite the hectic days that seemed unending, his mother was always present inside his mind. Mrs. Greene has always been the kind mother who would cook and adore him with motherly affection.
It was because of her that Evelyn's surprise became effective.
Her surprise makes him remember Mrs. Greene, the only light he has in his dark times.
Rex keeps on striding onward while his mind travels back to that unforgettable night when his real parents died, and yet, he clenched his fists tightly. Not that he still has a hatred for that night, but he couldn't remember his real parents' faces.
Thanks to his hectic life, he succumbs to the passage of time and forgets.
Gripping his fists with intensity, he strained to recall their faces, but his efforts proved futile. Rex longed to conjure even a hint of their smiles or the glimmer in their eyes, but alas, it remained beyond his reach, leaving him increasingly frustrated.
<Treaty of Infernal Physique side effect has been inflicted!>
<The user has been weakened temporarily until the requirement has been met!>
<All stats have been reduced greatly!>
<Infernal Weakening of the Abaddon has been inflicted on the user! The user will suffer an amplified effect of all attacks from wicked entities!>
<In order to revert the weakening effect, the user must consume 2,000 wicked entities within three to four days. Only then will the user revert to normal again, and gain a Pseudo-Infernal Physique>
<Warning! The user's sanity stat is nearing 20%!>
<Falling below 20% sanity stat will result in a berserk state>
Thud!
Upon seeing the notifications, Rex stopped and tried to steady his breathing.
Consumed by overwhelming guilt for his inability to recall his real parents' faces, his sanity stat began to plummet at an alarming rate, with ominous consequences should it deteriorate past the threshold.
Additionally, he was also surprised by the weakening that he received from the backlash.
'I forgot about that item that I used. Eurghh... I feel dizzy...'
Rex takes a break, trying to clear his mind of the thoughts of his parents and his situation.
It has been five minutes, but he still has his eyes closed.
Oblivious to him, there was someone behind him who saw him standing idly like this with his trembling body. Worried, the person approaches him and holds his shoulder before Rex turns to look at the person.
But the person gasped when she saw his red eyes were glaring and sharp.
He tries to forget about his parents for a moment knowing that it would've been bad, however, it's easier said than done as he got consumed with intense blood thirst. His mind was devoured by the lethal presence of bloodlust.
"Rex...?"
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel