Chapter 55: Who Are You?

Once again, hunger consumed him.

And, once again, he ignored it.

Not out of some calculated, pragmatic reason to settle his mind and plan his next moves, but out of... apathy.

He simply didn’t wish to eat at the moment, so he wouldn’t.

Sitting on the branch, he poked his head through the leaves and tilted it toward the starless sky above.

’Serene, if it was my wish that brought you here...’

Peace let out awkward, incoherent gurgles.

"Aum Surgdky."

She’d loved the stars, yet they were gone from this world.

Closing his tough lips, Peace lowered his gaze to his clawed hands, then sharply inhaled through his nostrils.

’The strength I desire...’

The purpose behind it...

’It’s become immutable. I won’t stop chasing strength until it leads me to you.’

He hadn’t been given definitive proof she was here, but he’d been given proof enough.

Peace clenched his claw.

’I’ve dethorned you once in the game, you nameless despot. Looks like I’ll have to do it again.’

Peace exhaled slowly.

’Serene. You’re strong. I know you are. You don’t need me. You’re probably doing just fine without me. You’ve already been through a hell way worse than this. But...’

Falling on all fours, Peace darted to the trunk and down to the lowest bough.

’As I always have... I’ll chase after your light. I vow to protect you, to stand by your side, even if, in the end, I’m nothing more than an overlooked testament to your existence — a shadow.’

Jumping from tree to tree, Peace scanned the area for humans or monster corpses.

’Remember, I will always be your anchor.’

Peace’s eyes caught a glimpse of movement. Upon closer inspection, he spotted two heavily deformed, unidentifiable monsters fighting.

He hid and waited for the fight to end, descending only after the victor had abandoned the scraps. Peace ate his fill.

[???] — (condition to unlock: 22/100)

Though he had settled his stomach, his heart roared for more.

***

Luck...

Fortune was on his side once again.

A few human parties had passed through his ’territory,’ but none seemed specialized in tracking, and all had failed to locate him.

He’d also managed to snag two more meals without putting himself in danger, further filling the counter and his stomach.

Lying along the thick branch of a dense tree, Peace waited.

’I need sleep...’

It was an odd thing to be thankful for in retrospect, but being sedated had at least given his mind a chance to rest. Without that, and with him unable to enter the dungeon, he had no breaks.

Every second of the day, he remained conscious.

Free to imagine horrid scenarios Serene might be in, to obsess over his chances of reaching her.

Before, he only had to endure two days of uninterrupted consciousness; now, an entire month awaited him before he’d be allowed to sleep again. Half of each day would be spent subjected to experimentation, the other half as a monster.

Though Peace intended to appreciate the monster side far more than the elf side.

’Oh, the irony...’

In his monster body in the Corrupted Lands, Peace was free to roam somewhat as he pleased. And he had time to himself.

In his elven body in the Immortal Citadel, he felt like some circus spectacle.

Still, having time to reflect eased his mind somewhat.

He’d not grown content by any means, but enough time had passed for the king’s note and the the other happenings of his kidnapped adventures to settle in.

Importantly...

’Vanishing presence...’

Peace had a few theories about why they’d said that, despite not thinking it was an effect of [???].

’Souls... seem to be a real force.’

Otherwise, it made no sense that a mind could be pulled from another world and transported into this one. It wasn’t as though Soul Stealers were replacing the brains of those they took over with their own.

If Peace was correct, then his single soul was being pulled between bodies.

Not that it made sense...

’Still...’

Perhaps, on some metaphysical, subconscious level, people possessed a natural affinity for sensing others through their souls. And when his soul vanished from a body, so too did his presence. As though he’d died, even while the body continued to live.

’That might also explain how I escaped detection.’

Actually...

’There’s a couple of power sources in the game, some locked behind classes...’

There were Spirit, Mana, Divine Power, and Fury.

Spirit was the only source for which everyone possessed a gauge, even if they couldn’t use it.

According to the descriptions of most tracking Resonances, they detected Spirit Level rather than any other source of power.

Perception-based boosts might allow someone to locate him by smell or sight, but if his soul truly vanished during the transition between bodies, then Spirit-attuned tracking would have nothing to detect.

At least, that was his theory.

Next, on his mind...

’Nameless King, what could you be...?’

If he considered possibilities beyond those available in the game, perhaps some diviner or seer Traits existed that allowed the king to peer into his life, learning about Serene and his identity as a Soul Stealer.

Because...

Even if the ’freak’ was a Soul Stealer, that didn’t explain how he knew anything about Peace.

Unless he was someone who knew Peace...

No, not Peace.

Unless he was someone who knew Pax Garnier.

But even that failed to explain how he could have known Pax would be pulled into this world, assuming the note Peace had woken up with was connected to him.

And Peace couldn’t even be certain the king had written that note. The only apparent connection was the phrase ’such is life.’

It was all illogical.

Then again, Earthly logic seemed unbidden in this world.

And...

’Why, Ghost Girl, Witch of Corruption... why did you take an interest in me? Why did you have Ixion’s diary?’

Furthermore...

’The Night Parade... You caused it and then disappeared...’

Why?

’You appeared when I asked for help...’

Why?

’You cried when you first saw me...’

Why?

’...’

Peace couldn’t overlook it much longer...

The strange space she’d taken him to. A place that seemed to exist outside the Skeletal Plains, like some glitch in the game itself.

’Who are you... really?’