(A/n First of all, happy new year to everyone from the bottom of vile, degenerate heart.
Secondly thanks to harvier_ for suggesting this idea. Man's a genius.)
// Arthur Leywin //
Walking on the pavement littered with dried leaves, I walked beside Jasmine.
The sun was rising from the horizon, illuminating the murky dark of the vicious night. Arisu had taken a different route from us saying that she had some other tasks to do.
Sylvie sat atop my head, taking a quick nap after all the hard work from last night.
"It's strange," Jasmine suddenly said.
"Hmm?"
"The sudden disappearance of all beasts. Not even a single sign of life just a day after the remorseless assault by Spriggans."
"Maybe those were the only beasts that lived there," I replied.
"Beasts respawn after a specific time. They just disappeared. Even if the Spriggans took over, those shouldn't be the only ones there."
I stayed quiet, walking silently. The cold autumn winds bloomed, carrying the foetid stench of multiple premonitions.
Mutated beasts.
Curses that prevent people from speaking.
And most of all... people with a magic system much more potent than our own---runes, etched on their spine like a brand.
All of this led to just one scenario---My life devoid of foreign interruptions being heckled.
It meant only one thing. The suspicions of another continent were true. And they are already here while the people of this continent are not even aware of their existence.
"You're thinking too much. There are all kinds of dungeons. Maybe this was a type no one had discovered before." I replied, slightly kicking a pebble in my way.
It landed in Jasmine's way as she kicked it back to me. The small, round pebble came down. Before it could land, I placed my feet in front of it and let it land on my shoes. Balancing it, I kicked it back to her.
An unrestrained giggle tore through her throat as she ran and stumbled and fell on the dense foliage. Waiting for her to get up, I stood there with a blank expression looking at her. She let out an awkward cough, "You might be right. Maybe it's just me overthinking everything."
Standing on her feet she dusted off the dirt that had clung onto her clothes as she interlinked her fingers and stretched it above her head— like a cat, "Come on. Let's go."
(***)
After selling the beast cores that we had acquired during our dungeon dive in Adventurer's Guild, we made our way towards the DragonSpine pub. The report we had presented was half-baked and left a lot of holes and room for questioning. However, the coverup following our little detour while Jasmine was asleep would do its work.
The smell of alcohol and sounds of mugs clashing against each other, followed by hearty laughs and low-pitched grumbles echoed as we entered.
Jasmine took a look around and walked to the counter. Following her, I passed amidst the envious gazes of multiple drunk people.
A sudden curiosity rose in my heart.
Why do people do this to themselves?
Trauma and envy that stems from your failures and inadequacy should be dealt with a never-ending conviction. That conviction can use anything as its foundation—an instinct or a desire to stay alive, to be at the top or... to crush everyone—not thinking of what the ramifications could be. As long as one could be at the top, this was all that mattered.
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COTE x TBATE | A Masterpiece
Fanfiction"You may come to regret trying to manipulate me." "You may have invaded my mind and my body, but if one thing an asura always keeps, is his pri-" "Pride? What use is that when you don't even have your own life in your hands?" ...
