CHAPTER 44: SMALL WORLD

"What do you think?" Hadrian asked the Alia vessel.

Staring at the tiny spheres of fog with a contemplative look, Alia crossed her arms. "I don’t see why you would hesitate, it’s clear your authority is tied to this space."

They sat around a council-like round table. The majestic residence was good but in practicality, he preferred this. He still had to act like his vessels selves.

"It’s vast." Hadrian said. "I can’t be sure I’m the only one with access to it, or the only one who can affect it."

He leaned back into his seat and glanced at bearded man and groper mage. They didn’t have a seat on the table but stood close.

"If I stimulate these tiny spheres and something I can’t control happens.... "

"What if they are bound to affect you anyway? Start with one, try to understand what it is, exactly, they can do." said Alia.

Hadrian thought for a moment then shook his head.

"No." He said, "I’m still in the early stages of understanding my ability and authority. If they are meant to be trouble for me in the future, I can only handle it then. But to seek misfortune for myself?"

Alia didn’t respond. Hadrian forgot to make her to.

As the round table and walls dismantled into wisps of mists, the hazy space appeared In front of Hadrian, then that too blurred away and his consciousness returned back to the real world.

A mild headache ebbed away. He took a deep breath of the cold night air and tried summoning the sword.

He failed. But he did feel his ability "search" for it.

"Perhaps, if you’re powerful enough, you’ll be able to affect it." Said Alia.

Hadrian nodded at her. With his vessels reduced to this number, he did feel a lot more like himself.

Alia let out a heat wave to keep them warm. The vessels still needed to stabilize the new rank two cores, he’d found.

He achieved this through meditation and channeling the essence through his channels without really manifesting abilities.

At first, Alia was limited due to having to use rank one essence to "power" the abilities.

When the rank two cores’ essence regained their potency and Hadrian tried using them, he nearly lost the Alia vessel from the strain.

For him, who’d jumped in ranks rather than ascend naturally, his vessels needed an acclimation period.

He wasn’t sure how long it would last, but he was already getting better.

I suspect the higher the rank cores, the longer my acclimation period will be.

He gave the groper mage and bearded man a glance as they went back to sleep for the rest of them. He could substitute the state of tiredness and body fatigue to the vessels.

That bastard Haldon got away.

Right now, however, with the rank two cores. Hadrian didn’t feel too worried about Haldon.

I might not have the skills for it, but Bearded man and groper mage are good enough fighters. And I’ll also overwhelm him with numbers.

After that attack, however, he felt they would take the matter of his threat seriously.

I cannot blame myself. At the moment, I truly did everything I could. I can only prepare for next time, having learnt what I have now.

...

"I barely saw them." Haldon had been recounting the death of the random individuals at that inn.

"They must have been cleaners or regular workers.... " he said as he lay on a couch. Though his skin wasn’t showing it, he’d already begun healing. If a life path mage was here, his healing could have been fastened.

"To have connections like this.... Doesn’t make sense."

Bagdona nodded.

"You’ll go speak to the inn owner. Gently. I’ll see the witch." He said.

Haldon’s head rolled to face him. "I think I’ll need a few more days before I’m roaming outside."

"It’s a mess you started." Bagdona said.

"To what end?" Haldon asked. "They clearly have a goal to murder me. We can simply lure them in and murder all of them until they understand forgiveness is easier."

Bagdona let out a heavy sigh. The room they were in was warm and the smell of Haldon’s burnt skin was mild.

His fat fingers drummed the table.

"It can be used in the future. Right now, I have great interest in understanding this type of magic."

Haldon let a short moment of silence pass.

"The metal workshop?" He asked.

"Officials." Bagdona said, "matter of fact, we’ll tip them off. The more parties involved, the more likely they get shaken, make a wrong move and expose themselves."

"What of Gurov?" Haldon said with a cough.

"He’s been well aware of Truston’s situation and is surely plotting something. But we can only observe for now."

...

With the sun risen, and his vessels having obtained proper rest, Hadrian left the hiding space he’d been in.

Just to be safe, he had gone to the next district over.

With cloaks covering his faces, he found himself a hotel. After warm baths and tasty food he walked out into the buzz of early morning activities.

The cooked food was purely for the taste of it, otherwise he could just substitute his rat vessels for meals.

Actually, it’s rather disgusting that I’ve been practically eating rats and sleeping outside. Did I forget my goals?

He shook his head. At first, he did not wish to leave behind a trail for his enemies, but thinking about it he should be kinder to himself.

At a distance, his eyes rested on the visage of a person that brought him to a stop.

Her eyes were puffy and she seemed to have aged another five years but he recognised her on a first glance.

From somewhere, he felt what he imagined to be Alia’s emotions bubble.

"I imagine it still haunts her. But she seems to have improved her situation." Hadrian said to the Alia vessel.

The Alia vessel glanced at him and Hadrian felt a sharp pang of guilt.

"What was I supposed to do?" His eyes left Alia’s face and went to the woman, Alia’s mother.

He wasn’t lying, she wore new clothes and looked cleaner. The look on her face, however, was soulless.

"Tell me." The Alia vessel spoke. "How much wealth for one to forget their child?"

Hadrian closed his eyes for a moment, let out a sigh, and opened them once more.

"Let’s go." He said.