"You have to help me find the legendary figure, Maya. He's going to be beneficial to not only me, but you as well." Kuzon spoke, his voice calm and clear.
He intently gazed into Maya's red eyes, showing as much seriousness as he could.
"What? What do you mean?!"
"If we could meet him, he can teach you and your people Magic. With Magic, you'll be able to stand up for yourselves and fight for your world. You could also convince him to help liberate this world."
Once Kuzon said this, Maya halted her protests and remained dazed by his words.
"Y-yeah. I guess you're right about that."
It turned out she was the one being close-minded about the benefits of helping Kuzon.
If he wouldn't assist in liberating this world, she just needed to find someone who would.
"Besides, how can you say I'm being heartless? Am I not sheltering your people in my special dimension?" Kuzon added, feigning hurt feelings.
He clutched his chest and looked immensely pained.
"Well... we wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for you." Maya responded instantly. "Don't push it."
Kuzon nodded instantly. "Yeah. Good point. Sorry about that."
Maya laughed slightly at Kuzon's straight-laced response, and seeing her innocent chuckles brought at least some measure of ease to him.
Enough to make him break into a genuine smile.
'Something still bothers me, though...' His thoughts trailed.
It concerned the mythical figure that Maya was talking about. If he truly was so powerful and impressive, why hadn't he helped out this world already?
'Even though I told Maya that this guy would help them if we find him, I highly doubt it. If he wanted to save these people, he would have done so already.'
There was also the problem he had to face when dealing with this person.
'Will I be able to get the approval of this person? Will he even be willing to help me?'
The only thing he had to go on was an abstract hope that an unknown man existed, and that he had to gain his approval.
He didn't even know how correct Neron's voice was.
'Unfortunately, I don't have any other alternative.'
Whether this was ideal or not, he just had to follow Neron's instructions and hoped things ended up working out.
'You have a lot to explain when we meet again, Neron.'
*
*
*
[Two Weeks Later]
"Damnit!" Kuzon banged his hand on the rocky ground that served as their seats for the night.
Frustration swirled on his face as the bright embers of the campfire caused it to glow.
Opposite him was Maya, and she remained silent as he went through his fit of stifled rage and annoyance.
She knew why he was acting out like this, but after all they had been through together, she considered it best to simply watch in silence.
As for Kuzon, he couldn't properly articulate the full extent of his frustration into words.
That didn't stop him from trying, though
"Two weeks. It's been two weeks now, and nothing!"
Kuzon and Maya had wandered around the world for two weeks, going through both cities and slums in order to find their mythical figure, all to no avail.
They had also gone to remote areas, like mountainsides or forests, yet found absolutely nothing.
'I've tried using Resonance and Mana/Aether Search, yet nothing...'
The use of Magic would cause the Midas Empire to detect him, so he had been avoiding it's use for some time now.
Rather than leak out his energy, he simply used it within himself to try to detect anyone who fit Maya's description.
So far, nothing!
'I'm severely limited in ability thanks to those pesky bastards.'
Even searching for alternatives like Arcanas was pointless! He had asked Maya, but based on her answer and the little research he had done in the world so far, it seemed like those didn't exist in this world.
'I guess that explains why this body, which is supposed to be reinforced by my two Arcanas isn't responding as it should.'
The rules of the world had to have something to do with it since his world operated on a slightly different set of tenets.
'Since the people here are different, the same should also go for the flow of Mana, and the nature of Spells. I'm pretty fortunate I have Aether.'
But what if it?
So far he hadn't made a single progress in his search for a man who might not even exist.
'Let's not give up. Not yet.'
Setbacks were always a part of research and searches.
As long as he kept moving forward, while using his head, Kuzon was determined about finding his answers.
'It won't be long now. I'm certain.'
*
*
*
[One More Week Later]
"I've had enough of this!" Kuzon fumed, walking into a clearing in the forest.
"W-wait, you can't be serious. Surely, you know the risks!" Maya protested, moving behind in a hurry.
Concern was etched on her face, but also a slight hint of fear.
For the past week, she had seen Kuzon's agitation slowly grow. And now, it had reached the climax.
"You're about to do something stupid!"
Why was she even bothering? She couldn't stop him, or change his mind.
She could only trail behind him and powerlessly tell him to stop.
"I'll be fine, Maya. I've thought this through. If we keep going on like this, we may never find him." Kuzon paused in his tracks and turned to look at her.
"I know it's dangerous. However, it's the best bet I have. If you want, I can out you in the Emperor's Do—"
"No! I want to stay with you."
A small smile formed on Kuzon's face. It seemed both sad and happy at the same time.
"Thanks, Maya. It's been three weeks, and I haven't actively used Magic in order to avoid detection." Kuzon finally returned his face forward. "It's most likely that they've registered my Magic signature as a top class enemy, so if I use it now, I can expect powerful opponents to come my way."
Maya understood why he planned on doing this regardless of the danger involved.
'We've not found the man he's searching for yet, so rather than simply looking for him blindly, Kuzon wants to get his attention.'
Whether or not the would work was arbitrary. However, she had faith in Kuzon.
'Please work!' Maya cried as she looked at the desperation on Kuzon's face.
'Please work for his sake!'
>VWUUUUSSSHHH<
The brilliant flow of Kuzon's bountiful energy began to rush forth, causing the very environment to tremble in his presence.
Slowly, the light ascended upward, illuminating the dark skies much brighter than the sun or moon.
It was almost like daytime once again.
"Alright, then! Let's see what we'll fish!" Kuzon grinned with anticipation. "Please don't let me down!"
After moments of flashing his bright golden energy, he finally quelled it.
At this point, there was only one expression left on his face.
"Haaa... damn it."
Disappointment.
*
*
*
[A/N]
Looks like things are going tough for our young Midas and his new friend.
Here's the link.
