Blight awoke with a gasp, sweat dripping down his face.
'Just what was that?'
He immediately concluded that it was a vision of the future. But how far into the future?
Resonances: [Bound] [Concealed]
Resonance: [Bound]
Resonance Description: [You are bound by a great force. Its effect is unknown.]
'No change, huh?'
He felt that he was surprisingly calm. He was definitely starting to build up a tolerance from all the recent shenanigans.
Blight leaned his head back onto the chair and relaxed his face, taking in a deep breath.
The air in the room was too musty for his liking. He got up to get some fresh air.
It was another cold winter night. There was a light breeze in the air, carrying the smell of rain.
Normally, he had to be covered up with fabrics within his cabin for warmth, but ever since his awakening, he'd become more resistant to the cold.
In many ways, he lacked perspective on what life was really like for most people until only a few weeks ago.
It seemed like every day, something new and shocking would occur. His life had turned into a sick, dramatic play!
He scrunched up his face with both hands.
'Where do I even start?'
Firstly, what were the chances that it was just a nightmare and not really a vision of the future?
He thought it was unlikely. This vision seemed to be related to his first resonance. It wanted to reveal this future to him.
But why? And how?
What constantly annoyed him in the back of his mind was that the guide given by the gods did not know what it was. How was that even possible?
'Aren't the gods supposed to be all knowing?'
The second thing he thought of was: could he tell anybody?
Absolutely not. Blight did not think he could.
Even if he could convince anybody, what would happen then? He was an outsider in this clan.
What would happen to him once they learned of his strange existence and his ability to foresee the future?
Blight laid down on the frozen grass and looked up to the sky. He enjoyed the feeling of the frozen crisp blades of grass against his clothes and neck.
How much time did he have?
He noticed that in that vision, it could only have been in the summer.
There were none of the distinct signs of winter, spring, or autumn that would have been noticeable on Nameless Peak.
It was currently near the beginning of the winter solstice. This meant that in the worst-case scenario, it would be at a minimum, five months away.
This at least gave him some time, but what could he realistically achieve in these five months?
He thought of himself running away, but was it that easy to escape unnoticed? And would he even survive in the world outside?
One had to know that even the uninhabited territory between the different settlements in the human zone of influence was not safe to traverse.
He wasn't really sure what to do. This is why he hated knowing too much, there were many things he would rather not know.
It felt like he found out about his inevitable, unavoidable death, but surely he was overreacting now.
He felt compelled to use 'Astral Projection to look at the clan settlement within the fortress from above.
After rectiting the signs and channeling his ether, his astral form detached from his physical body and he willed it to start rising into the sky.
However, he soon noticed that he was being watched.
He could see the outline of a shadowy figure silently looking towards him from a dark corner of the courtyard without any lighting.
Blight spoke loudly.
"I can see you, you know? Why are you stalking me?"
He heard the sound of a girl gasping.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to spy on you. I was going out for a walk when I saw you sleeping out here and thought it was strange."
Blight chuckled, "Who's strange? It's you for taking a walk at this time!"
She began to approach and said, "Well, that's a fair point. I guess we're both strange."
"But why are you sleeping in the courtyard in the middle of the night?"
Blight sighed.
"Bad dream."
He thought that he could sense the other party's judgmental gaze.
"Ah, you wouldn't understand."
Blight made a shooing motion with his hand.
He had no desire to deal with them. "Take a walk, kid."
When she approached close enough for enough light to reflect on her face, he noticed it was actually Flonecia, the one with the legendary ranked lineage, and from his sorcery class.
Blight felt a bit regretful about his... unkind words. The old man would not be pleased if she went complaining to him.
He had recently guessed that they must be related in some way, but their relationship was definitely not simple.
How did he not recognise her voice? He guessed it was because he had only heard her a few times and didn't remember it.
"You're pretty rude."
She sat down next to him and leaned back too.
But she still asked:
"What did you dream about?"
He didn't know why he told her.
Maybe it was because he felt it was normal for kids their age to have such nightmares, or maybe because it would make him feel better to tell somebody else.
Blight stared at the shimmering canopy. "The destruction of the clan by innumerable besieging horrors."
She turned to look at the same place as him and sighed. "I had a nightmare, too."
Blight furrowed his eyebrows and turned to look at her, but she avoided his gaze.
'Where was she going with this?'
"In my dream, I was a brain-dead empty shell of my former self, rotting to death alone in a dark forest."
He was silent for some time. "Why are you telling me this?"
She shrugged, and her gaze became distant. "It feels good to tell somebody else about your troubles."
"I see." He nodded.
She continued:
"Besides, you seem like the last person who would go around announcing my business to everybody."
"What does that mean?"
She shook her head.
"Nothing, but you also like to keep to yourself and be alone, don't you?"
Blight thought he understood. Did she feel a sense of familiarity with him because she thought he was also a loner like herself?
He could understand this, he'd never seen her have any friends. If he was a solitary animal, then Flonecia was solitary pro max!
Everyone saw her as cold and distant. She would sit alone in her classes and even in the daily morning training practices alone, away from all the others, rarely ever interacting with anybody.
"I suppose you're right."
He extended his hand toward her.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Blight."
"Nice to meet you, too, Blight. You can call me Flone."
Despite his kind words, he could not help but cringe internally every time he did this. It was hard to undo the changes in his thinking after spending twelve years mostly alone.
Sometimes he thought it was all one big act, was he sincere in any of the words he said or in bonds he made with others, or was he just pretending?
The lines were too blurred. He honestly couldn't tell. He wouldn't know. It was all too unfamiliar to him.
They sat in silence for a few minutes.
But there wasn't any awkwardness, it was just quiet and peaceful.
Blight did not know what to say next. He often let others take the lead in such obscure situations. He didn't want to get personal so instead he extended an olive branch.
"Do you want to spar with us tomorrow? We are practicing for the competition."
He was also curious about her strength, it surely wouldnt do him any bad to gain some experience fighting against her.
But like he should have expected, she shook her head and declined.
"Thank you, but I prefer to train alone."
He thought she wasn't being entirely truthful to him, but he didn't want to look into her eyes to find out.
Flone got up to leave. "I'll see you around, Blight, stay safe."
He watched her leave silently, her steps were slow, and she eventually dissipated into the darkness she came from.
'Interesting.'
From the way she carried herself, he could gauge that there was a heavy weight on her shoulders.
It was the same kind of feeling he would get from Marsuu, but different.
Everybody had their own circumstances. There were so many interesting people with their own unique stories to tell.
What a strange thing. He felt they were interesting, yet at the same time, he felt repulsed by the idea of having to learn more about them.
Blight laughed at himself. He was also a walking contradiction.