In the early morning, after doing my new daily routine, went to visit The Great One. I found him in the usual spot, reading from a book, with the silver light passing through walls. I still couldn't go past how weird it looked.
- What brings you, Peter?
- I'm not gonna beat around the bush. I want to fight another one.
- I will notify you when I find a suitable one in a suitable location.
- I'm not looking for weak ones, like the two I killed before. I want something like from yesterday.
- Peter... - he put down the book and looked at me. - This is a bad idea.
- I'm stronger now. So as long the one from yesterday is the ceiling, I will manage.
- You don't even have your weapon anymore. Not to mention your enchanted clothes.
That got me. I completely forgot about that.
- Shit... You are right.
He sighed and moved his hand. The reality next to me spat a long polearm. It was kinda like my pudao, but more like glaive. Not to mention a very long-ass one. Definitely not for my height. It was levitating right in front of me.
- This is from the armory, here in the city. It's more or less the same thing you were using. Maybe a bit better - he explained. - I will let you know if I have something, but please, be patient. And, for the record, as your people say, I'm against this idea. It's all you.
I grabbed it, and put it in the vault, to test later.
- Yeah. It's all me. Hey... Can I ask you about something else?
- Please. Ask away.
- I've been wondering about this for a while now. What did you exactly make Xuvi do, to the tree in Aaraam'soturi?
- I told you already.
- Partially, yes, but I still have questions. For example why there are monsters appearing, and killing each other in the wastelands?
- Killing Yashasvee'mies was a big setback, and I didn't know how soon I will find a suitable replacement. I didn't want to lose the momentum. I wanted, as your people say, to jump back on a horse. So I made some adjustments to the tree in Aaraam'soturi. It was connected to other trees and saplings in the whole empire, so I just needed to do it there, and it would work everywhere.
- Yeah, but exactly what did you do?
- I manipulated the system. I made the monsters created by the device kill each other, and by consuming crystals left, grow in strength. It created an ecosystem where the amount of energy is always increasing and stored in the form of monsters roaming around. When the time comes I was gonna place the right people to overtake this ecosystem and get to the top of the food chain, like the whole project never stopped.
- Yes. To tell you the truth, Peter, I thought that the first hunter I will bring here would be weaker, but then you showed up, exceeding my expectation.
- So... Why am I alone here, why the whole theater with me finding this place?
- I wanted to test you because I believe you are the one I've been looking for all along.
- I'm the second Yashasvee'mies?
- No. You are the first you. You have the drive he used to have before he enslaved Xuvi. The difference is, I believe, you won't ever stop. The problem with you is, you might die before that, because of your greed to be stronger, and stronger, and stronger...
- Yeah... I have that...
- That's why I'm asking you to be patient, Peter. Don't rush things.
- I want... No, I need to open the path back to earth. I need to do this as soon as possible. I want Will to reunite with his family. I want them to know what he has been through. I want the world to know what we all have been through. Right now to them, we are trash, that miraculously was removed, but we became so much more here. They need to see it.
- No, Peter. What you truly want is to make your mother proud. You want everybody around you to see, who you became. You want them to forget what you were.
I became silent for a while, thinking of what he said. At first, I just wanted to tell him that it's not true. Tell him he speaks nonsense, but then it hit me. He was right. I wanted to redeem myself in the eyes of people who knew me as a piece of trash. Worthless waste of space.
- Yes. You are right. You are telling me this because you are afraid that I will stop getting stronger? That I will stop fighting?
- No. I know you won't, Peter. You had an opportunity for that here, but you kept going. The only thing that would stop you is... Love. I've looked through your memories...
- What?! Hey! You had no fucking right to do that!
- I know, and I'm sorry for that, but I couldn't take any risks. I know how much Nadia did mean to you.
- Did you...
- No - he interrupted me. - If you wanted to ask me if I made the monsters attack your city to kill her, then the answer is no. All I ever told you was the truth. I learned about you two later, when you started impressing me. I needed to know more about you, so I peeked inside your head. I know you wanted to kill me, and I know I'm still not of the hook. That's why I'm honest with you.
I sighed, still angry at him.
- So, what will happen now? - I asked.
- I will look for the right ghosts or monsters, and you will wait. Let's open that path for you.
I nodded, and stood there for a few more seconds, then turned around and left. The rest of the day I spent writing in my notebook. I discovered the process was calming me down.
Another day in Loistavadvaar came to an end with 176 358 846 060 regular points and 1 350 class ones.