Chapter 211: Starlit Seal

Moon decided that he would remain wary, but would proceed normally.

There wasn't a way for him to know what would happen in the future; being cautious was all he could afford.

Soon, everyone gathered; it was about time they had dinner together for the first time as one faction.

Surprisingly, Roran came. Still, Moon never missed a chance to glare death threats at him, getting Roran to squirm in his seat the entire time everyone spent together.

New ascenders who joined their faction came to introduce themselves.

Moon enjoyed the night. It was peaceful and dynamic, something he was experiencing for the first time.

So peaceful that he was anxious.

"Can life really go on as smoothly as this forever?" he whispered to the night while making his way back to his room.

They had agreed on eating together for whatever time was left, to get everyone to know each other.

Moon agreed, though he wasn't very enthusiastic about the idea.

"I'd rather know less of you, as little as possible." Moon shook his head while pushing his door open.

Going to war meant that there was a possibility of death, a very high possibility. Knowing them would only be a burden he wasn't willing to carry.

Regardless of his willingness, he was now leading the faction, and he was the center. Getting to meet and know them was something he could no longer choose.

If anything—

"I'll try to get as many as possible to survive," Moon made up his mind before finally lying on his bed, closing his eyes and allowing his consciousness to drift.

Days passed in a blur, and Moon found himself a few hours away from the countdown. It was the day he could no longer stay in the facility.

Moon sat alone in his room, staring ahead with a blank gaze.

Knock~Knock~

Someone was at his door. Focus returned to Moon's eyes. "Come in," he said.

The door opened, but it wasn't someone he expected.

It was Samuel.

Walking in, Samuel approached the desk and pulled out the chair. Facing Moon, he placed it and sat down.

"There are a few things that I thought I should tell you myself before we're out of time," he said slowly, his choice of words rather heavy.

"The seals we share came from an ancient site." Samuel went straight to whatever he wanted to say and came for. "They weren't meant for people," he added.

Moon frowned. 'Not for people - what does that mean?' he exclaimed inwardly without voicing his thoughts.

"These seals were used to preserve thousands-of-years-old sites from damage and destruction," Samuel explained. "We found a site where a few of these seals survived perfectly; the site was so old that we suspected it was older than the Tower itself."

"OLDER THAN THE TOWER?" Moon jumped to his feet. His mind was momentarily paralyzed. The Tower was the world. Something older than the Tower... how could something older than the world exist when there wasn't a world to hold it?

Samuel looked at him. "Sit down," he said sternly.

"A written language that we didn't recognize was there; it was only thanks to the system that we happened to find out what these seals were called."

Moon sat down and listened. It was indeed problematic to use something that didn't have a name.

"Starlit Preventive Seal," Samuel said. "The term 'Starlit', we couldn't find any reference or meaning for."

Moon involuntarily nodded.

"Over the years, I readjusted the size of the seal and tried to balance it over the body to capture the aftermath of forces applied instead of simply reflecting it," Samuel slowly added. "In the end, I was left with what we both have now: Starlit Resonance Seals. And these seals are made into the Starlit Resonance Matrix."

Moon made a mental note of the name; it sounded as cool as it looked, even if he couldn't use it or show it off yet.

Yet, Samuel wasn't done talking.

"These seals work in a dependent ratio to the distance system; not a single seal was placed randomly on your body. Always remember that," Samuel said before—

"I don't know if we will ever meet again, or what the future has for both of us," he suddenly said, extending his hand; it held a box. "From this day on, you will have to figure out the rest on your own."

Moon extended his hand, accepting the box.

He opened it, and inside there was a set of black needles of different sizes, lengths, and thicknesses, along with a small black-rimmed lens.

Underneath the box, there was a large book. Moon opened it, turning one page after the other; it held diagrams of the seals, the process, and the creation.

Not only Starlit Seals, but many other types as well.

"Ed crafted these," Samuel added. "The book will blow up with whoever touches it if they don't have my Starlit Seals on them."

Moon swallowed hard.

"The plan was to store as much Shockwave in your body with systematic damage to force an inferior healing trait to awaken, but we didn't make it with the time we had."

"From now on, the more you get hit, the more Shockwave you store, the higher the strain on your body, and the slower your natural healing becomes."

"You can't use healing potions or abilities either; they will only make you feel better or heal your current damage, but the damage the Shockwaves apply to your body can only be resolved by a healing trait."

With that said, Samuel stood and left the room without another word. No goodbye, no "survive well," no "let's meet again."

Unlike Ed, who could express himself, Samuel never expressed his feelings or made the feelings of others relevant. Moon couldn't understand Samuel. He was a man who never expressed himself, as still as a statue.

He had been beaten badly by him many times and held many grudges against him.

Still, Moon was grateful for many things. It was more that he was conflicted, unable to decide what to feel about him.

Moon watched Samuel leave; neither of them said a word until the end.

As soon as he left, Moon looked at the box and book in his hands, placing them on the bed next to him.

Moon took a look around the room, shaking his head miserably.

He realized a problem, a very big one that he had no idea what to do about.

Colten's helmet and sword, the coat, the knife, Liquid Mountain, the ominous signature helmet of Ed's old gang.

There was also the emblem, the Universal Armor, and the Instant Orb.

Not to mention the notebook he used for his lectures.

As well as his Book of Grudges.

Now Samuel had given him a delicate box and an explosive book.

"How am I going to bring all of that with me, dammit?" Moon cursed at the problematic situation.

Smack~

The door suddenly opened. "Brat, are you going to tell the truth or will you keep playing stupid?" Ed suddenly broke into his room.

Moon, tired, found his eyes darting around the room. "What're you doing here?" He decided to play stupid first and see how it went.

Ed, on the other hand, had a different plan in mind.

He sat down where Samuel was. "Just tell me the truth; did you come here with a disabled inventory, or did it get disabled after cursing that guy?"