A slight tremor shook the land, shaking Asher in his sleep.

His eyes opened as he stood up abruptly.

But then everything fell silent.

'No, laughter.'

Asher visibly sighed and again slumped on the ground with a blanket wrapped on his knees. He closed his eyes and leaned his head on the wall. Then quickly started to calculate the time.

A week…

That's the amount of time he has been here.

At first he thought he had been thrown out of kalista but the thought was quickly shut down after night came. The day and night cycle here worked differently every day. Sometimes the day lasted for more than 24 hours, while at other times night reigned supreme.

Even then the sun, which seemed so close, was instantly gone. That's what happened four hours ago. The night didn't last long. However, they were immensely cold and freezing as well, just like how warm the outside was during the day.

Asher briefly turned his head to the side. Where little to no light was visible even though, from the small cracks and openings, rays of light had entered this small place.

There the shadow of something stirred. Two eyes remained there unblinking, watching over him.

The creature of dream, a stalking friend. The Acosador has still remained by Asher's side.

Though, Asher knew it was not due to the creature's fondness for him but due to some other reasons that he was unaware of.

When he had arrived in this place, he was alone, in a way broken as well. He didn't think much of Sion—the false human. Rather, he couldn't; the word she—the plague avatar—had left had shaken him to the core. He would shudder just at the thought of her and his face would go pale.

The most jarring thought even then was the way the plague has moved.

While Asher wasn't certain whether the Plague had truly caught on to his plan, a faint suspicion gnawed at him. Somewhere deep down, he knew she must have sensed it—a creature like her wouldn't fall so easily. No, she had stepped into the snare willingly, weaving her own web of deceit within his, a trap within a trap.

Asher clicked his tongue as he rubbed his cheeks, still feeling the chilly air that has yet to go.

For weeks he had thoughts about what 'her' true goal could have been. What kind of twisting enjoyment did 'she' receive from playing him like a fool?

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Asher pursed his lips as he leaned forward, pulling his knees closer and holding them tightly. A frown soon appeared on his face as his brows came together. He clenched his fist tightly and remained still, his gaze locked on the ground.

However, he did reach a conclusion, two, even.

Sion let herself fall into his plan to get closer to him, even at the expense of losing many of her avatars. Though Asher still remained ignorant of why she was willing to go this far. What will she even gain from getting closer to him? She went through tremendous efforts to help him secure a spot in the legion, helped him save soldiers from monsters, and clung to him till the very end.

Asher sighed.

Even saving him several times.

It was to gain Asher's fondness; at least that's what 'she' had said indirectly and enjoy 'her' time with him.

If her other avatars had been destroyed alongside the crowned head, Asher feared it might have opened two new paths for her. One—drawing ever closer to him, probing his defenses. The other—slipping unnoticed into humanity's safe zones. He knew that, had his plan succeeded, both he and the temple would have relaxed their guard—though never completely—even if the Plague were weakened. That window of false security would have been all she needed.

It wasn't a perfect conclusion, and it certainly wasn't a measure of her moving closer—it was her thought, not his own. Yet, try as he might, Asher could think of nothing else.

Asher gripped himself tightly and tilted his head.

His gaze again matched with acosador, as if challenging him to do something, anything at all. In the end it remained silent with its usual grin.

"Good morning."

Asher muttered dryly and stored the blanket away as the cold finally started to settle a little bit. His roommate didn't reply, which he was actually grateful for.

'Seems like it's not dangerous outside right now.'

Asher stood and lazily stretched his hands as far as the cramped space allowed. His throat was dry, parched from the day's strain, so he summoned a pouch from his bracelet. It was half full of water. He licked his lips and took a long sip—each gulp tasting like gold.

The pouch had held plenty at the start, but even with careful rationing, it was nearly empty. His other containers were all gone, including the ones he had stored for emergencies. Even the food and spices he carried were barely touched; water was his greatest necessity, the one thing he couldn't do without.

Asher walked toward the wall at his right, where some places had been carved carefully. Though it didn't look like much, this small map was created after days of efforts.

Asher picked up a rock and crossed one of the areas.

Then inhaled a deep breath as, surrounding him in a circle, most of the places had been crossed.

Most of the regions contained monsters, avengers at that. Even yesterday, the crimson worm he had run away from was an avenger and this place, this endless desert, was filled to the brim with them.

The only reason Asher could survive till now was due to his silent watcher, the acosador itself.

Asher cast a brief glance back at the deep corner where two embers still burned, but he tore his gaze away instinctively.

Acosador's mocking laughter echoed in his memory—sometimes erupting at the exact moment of danger, other times before it even arrived. Asher had long suspected that the acosador could either see the future or sense it well enough to laugh at his despair. That insight had saved his life more times than he could count, to the point where he now trusted the acosador's instincts more than his own.

'The others will be dumbfounded when they find this out.'

Asher paused, shaking his head before finally moving on. He was likely the first to realize just how useful a monster like this could be—though he couldn't be certain. Perhaps others had encountered it before, only to perish too quickly to tell their story.

Outside the sun pressed closely to the land, with waves of heat washing over the sand. Asher squinted his eyes before getting used to the light. Asher looked at the clear blue sky with no sign of clouds and then in the west. This was the only area he could currently move toward. And he suspected many lower-rank creatures would too. After all, the cold wind came from here. Asher suspected at least a small water source to be present there.

He looked back to look at the acosador after feeling a strong gaze on his back.

The acosador didn't laugh but his grin widened.

Asher matched its gaze without flinching or retracting them back. Then, as if smiling back, he even said.

"So, what do you think? Should we go venture to the west?"

Of course he didn't expect any reply. However, any hint on what would happen next or what danger will come his way could change everything.

In any case, Asher didn't keep the fake smile for long and simply turned his gaze away from the burning embers.

Wearing his hood, he again started to move forward after closing the rock, hiding nothing inside.

He continued to walk with steady steps; in some moments when a chuckle entered his ears, he would strain his legs to run, though not wasting too much of his essence. At other times he would don the faceless mask to thin his presence and escape. After hours of escape, something struck from above, like an arrow piercing through the winds.

Asher leaped back instantly as the sand scattered around; the dust again split open as another strike came his way.

Asher hit the pincer-like tail as a metallic sound rang in the air, making Asher's eyes widen.

When the dust settled, the creature's visage became clear.

A tall figure with two large spear-like arms and a towering head with spikes trailing from its back.

Asher licked his lips, feeling them go dry and took a fighting stance without making a sound. His heart pounded, and then his crystal sword shimmered with darkness.

And then—

Cling!

The song of steel clashing filled the air.

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