CHAPTER 59: DOUBT

It was early morning, and Baruch sat in a carriage with five other individuals. Lucky to get the right window seat, the warm sun would at times shine on his face, causing the tan to glisten as he observed the buildings and few people move past him.

He was clean and in his mage robes, smelling of flowery perfume, his black hair well cut and styled. Opposite him, Haldon, Bagdona and a young woman sat.

She was one of the three bench sitters he’d met in that small room, her name Shey. She was timid with a round chubby face, and was of the soul path.

The other two, sitting to the left of him, were Ja; who was also of the soul path, and Euruch who was of the flesh path.

Shey’s eyes rose to meet his studying her, and Baruch instantly looked away.

Good, she’ll now think I want her or something.

He turned back to the window, watching the pristine buildings pass him by. The grace period had ended and they were headed to the new Baron’s keep, who was to give the mage divisions an official ceremony.

Hadrian, still in that dark expanse, observed every detail through Baruch with great focus.

He’d actually gotten used to his perception being split over multiple vessels, now that the real world was funneled through one, it made him appreciate it more.

Either that, or the central district was beautiful enough to be appreciated.

It wasn’t the only thing he perceived. Deep in Baruch’s heart, seeds of doubts were growing.

Before, Baruch had been the type of person to go where the wind would blow. Even after his encounter with Hadrian, fundamentally, he had not changed as a person. He chased that ecstatic feeling, the same way he chased his other indulgences.

For that, he had taken the stance of not really questioning what he was involving himself in.

At his uncle’s property he’d welcomed the existence to take over his body, at the Episcopal palace, however, he’d realized how powerless he truly was when he was possessed to do something against his will.

Of course, back when he’d first encountered the existence, he had gotten a momentary scare of this. Maybe because of the shock, the ecstatic and unrealness of such an encounter, he had not really registered it.

Baruch leaned back into his carriage seat, closing his eyes and letting out a sigh.

I suppose I can’t live life like a game anymore.

He thought.

Hadrian shook his head. These seeds of doubt were one of the reasons he’d not pressured Baruch when it came to dealing with the old witch.

He could sense Baruch suspecting that for whatever reason, the existence could not take control over him at the moment especially since the abrupt cut of control, and he did not wish to reinforce such suspicion by breaking the illusion of his power, constantly begging him about an old witch.

While Hadrian was in an anxious state, the world had not yet come to an end.

Whatever "they" wanted from him, they would still have to get him out of the mystical artifact, and when they do, he would latch on to the closest living being.

As he had seen, magic suppressors could not suppress his main authority of taking vessels.

He could also always let go of the main Hadrian and Alia vessels. Of course, it wasn’t quite that easy, especially when it came to the main Hadrian vessel.

One of the reasons baby Hadrian worked was because, back when he turned Alia and baby Hadrian into vessels, Alia’s son’s soul had never truly been formed.

It was one of the unique aspects of the baby Hadrian vessel. No other vessel of his, up to that point, had been created like that.

It’s why he could age baby Hadrian to his own former age and not lose his sense of self, unlike with the Alia vessel and his other vessels that he had to keep close to their previous forms, if not completely.

Another reason was, if he were to lose the three vessels, he would have no other vessels to jump into.

He could retreat to that dull white space, but he couldn’t stay there for long stretches of time as it put a strain on him.

He could also descend into Baruch and maybe that would fix his "range" issue, allowing him to regain control over Baruch, but Baruch could never become his main vessel.

It would mean he would be stuck to Baruch’s growth and the power he currently had, which was the rank two and rank one elemental path cores, the two rank one space path cores, the force path core and the mystical artifact sword.

Luckily for him, if he were to give up his main vessel and live through Baruch, he could still use all these cores without conflict with Baruch’s own core.

Maybe it isn’t too bad, I could enter pandemonium realms and cultivate the power I currently have to higher ranks.

Of course, the assumption was that he could endlessly control Baruch. If he had a time limit, he imagined the seeds of resentment in Baruch would only grow, and their relationship would become one of sabotaging each other.

I change my mind, if I do get out of this situation the witch and Bagdona have to pay.

He had started to think that if he didn’t have to, then he wouldn’t, after all, his goal had only ever been revenge on Haldon. Now, however....

Someone clearly wants something with me, I cannot allow myself to have such a Blindspot again.

I cannot allow myself to be weak that they can take me like the woman did. And for that, I cannot rely on external factors like Baruch or pandemonium realms.

Ever since I first gained this power, I had decided to not let others decide my life. How could I forget that? They’ll pay, they have to.

Just then, his brow slightly pinched and a smile formed on his face. He sensed Baruch had gotten back into his range!