"For the longest time since I came to this world, I've always known what I wanted."
Rey and Esme sat on chairs as they remained in Alicia's room. The former was staring at the girl's sleeping body, while the latter only looked at him in silence.
"I initially wanted to gain the recognition of my classmates. But, after seeing their reactions toward me, I decided to grow stronger than all of them without showing my strength."
Slowly, his motivations and goals had changed over time. However, through them all, he still had some measure of clarity.
His goals were always achievable; with a clear path he had to tread.
To get strong, all he had to do was kill Monsters in the Dungeon. Stopping the Criminal Empire just meant taking out everyone on the board.
Even helping his classmates out, or conquering the Grand Calamity Class Dungeon had clear objectives and methods to achieve them.
"But… right now, I have no idea what to do."
He was the savior of humanity, so he had to help them defeat the Dragons. He also had to protect everyone close to him in the process.
Then, there was Alicia.
He had to figure out a way to cure her, but he didn't even know where to start.
"I… have these goals and ambitions, but how do I achieve them? I've messed up so many times already. I no longer have any confidence in my plans, and even if i did… what exactly am I supposed to do about all of this?"
Rey knew he sounded pathetic, but these were words he couldn't utter in front of anyone else.
He felt stuck somehow.
"I'm supposed to be the strong and smart one—the one who has come up with so many plans and led so many people…"
As Ralyks, he was revered as such.
And now, the same was expected of him. But Rey was nothing like that.
He was just, in principle, a 16 year old boy who was blessed with enough power and information to act accordingly.
But, when faced with a situation where both his power and information failed him—like in the case of Alicia's curse—he had to cave in.
"What should I do?" Rey whispered, turning his eyes to Esme.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})It was clear he was lost at the moment. All the ideas he had either couldn't be trusted, or wouldn't work regardless.
What he needed now was certainty.
But—
"I… I don't know…"
—Asking for such an answer from someone equally powerless and ignorant, if not more, was unfair.
Esme could not give him the answer he desired.
"What about you, Emil?" Rey muttered, already desperate for an answer—any answer—that would solve everything.
However…
~I apologize, Master. I have no idea what to do…~
… Even the Symbiote was unable to help.
For the first time ever, she fell silent and let Rey brood in peace.
The solemn air of the room remained like this for a while as Rey closed his eyes and breathed a consistent strep breath.
After some time, as he opened his eyes, his voice echoed softly.
"What about you, Ater?"
~VWUSH~
The black suited man presented himself before Rey, bowing his head slightly as he appeared from the darkness.
"What should I do?" The boy murmured, still on his seat.
A smile formed on Ater's face as he raised his head, stood upright, placed a hand in his pocket, and responded casually.
"Depart from this place and go to the land of the Elves."
As Rey heard this, something flickered within his eyes.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})He instantly raised his head and saw Ater's confident smile showering him with nothing short of certainty.
"What will I find there?"
"A cure for your friend. Resources for your business. Allies for humanity. And some answers to the questions that you ask."
The sad, mopey expression on Rey's face instantly vanished as he hardened his eyes and straightened his expression.
"Elaborate."
"There is someone who goes by the Oracle there who could solve your problems. The Elves revere them as the mouthpiece of nature, and I suspect they can reverse the curse inflicted by the world."
"R-really…?"
"They should also possess some answers that we seek. And since the Elves revere them, bringing them to your side means that humanity will be able to count on the Elves as allies. Finally, the land of the Elves is rich in the kind of materials that the Reaper Group desperately needs." Ater stepped forward, his confidence unwavering.
"There is no place you ought to be at the moment more than the Land of the Elves."
As Rey heard this, his eyes widened considerably.
Ater was right!
"Did you find all of this out just recently? Is that why you've been missing for a while?"
The smile of the Familiar only broadened as he heard this.
"Not exactly. I learned a considerable deal during the investigative task that you entrusted me with all those months ago. However—"
"Then why didn't you say anything sooner?" Rey felt himself get agitated, but lost all the pent-up emotions almost instantly.
Whether it was correct to be annoyed at Ater at the moment, Rey couldn't help but feel that way once he heard what he was saying.
'If you knew, why wait until now?'
"—My investigations were cut short due to the incident at the Capital, when you nearly lost your life. I ceased my investigation efforts and returned to your side as soon as possible."
During Rey's comatose period, he was busy protecting the Capital and also rebuilding it—following the struct orders of his Master.
As such, he never got to completing his investigation.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})"Upon your return, and the Capital's near reconstruction, I reckoned it was time to conclude the investigation and sufficiently complete all my data."
After hearing Ater's rationale, Rey felt stupid for getting annoyed.
He of all people had to know how dangerous incomplete information could be. Ater was most likely trying to protect him by not spilling the beans too early.
'If he got my hopes up without completely verifying his findings or concluding his investigation, it could have ended dangerously.'
Once again, Ater was right.
"Currently, I possess sufficient information to properly inform you of the details of my mission in the Land of the Elves as well as all my findings."
Rey could see Esme fidget a little anytime the Elves were mentioned, and he understood why.
He turned to her side, intending to suggest that she should leave the room for the both of them to discuss.
Or perhaps he and Ater could leave the room to discuss somewhere else.
But—
"Don't worry about me, Rey. I would like to listen to this, if you don't mind."
Rey nodded slowly and glanced at Ater, who also nodded in agreement.
"Alright. Just tell me once you get uncomfortable." He whispered.
Esme affirmed this and clenched both her fist, remembering her rather unsavory experience with the Elves, but still unable to shrug off her curiosity about them.
Ater smiled at her, noticing all of this, though she didn't notice.
He swiftly turned his focus back to his Master, who was now paying rapt attention to any word that would be uttered.
"Go on, Ater." Rey spoke up, locking his fingers with one another as he sat upright on his chair.
"Tell me everything."
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Thanks for reading!
