Kaelen walked beside Veylith and they led a group of eight Homunculi who were a part of his decadon.
He could feel their awe-filled gazes tug at his back with warmth as he continued dragging his feet forward, his every muscle screaming at him for respite, but he did not let his strain reflect on his facial expression.
Especially with all the cold glares he would occasionally receive from the other Captains of the decadons and their subordinates.
[Ugh... This is so uncomfortable, why do they keep staring?]
[What's wrong with them, is there something on my face?]
He naturally grew impatient and returned their glares, a part of him wondering what emotion could have possibly caused their glares, or perhaps it was something he had done?
It was, in truth, both...
Firstly, they had become envious of Kaelen, not only had he curried the favour of their Master, Charymos, but he also had a named Homunculus as a subordinate.
Secondly, the display of raw power he continues to show. Not only was he the first to awaken to Mana, but he clearly also has more of it than all of them.
And lastly, he, a mere Homonculus just like the rest of them, dared to not only reject their Master's Mana, but he also inflicted harm on him in the process — however miniscule.
To them, who at the very fibres of their beings, want nothing more than to serve, please, and receive praise from Charymos, Kaelen was an existence they were slowly coming to detest.
Tap...
"... Don't worry... About them."
Said Veylith, with her lips perked up as she made a crude attempt at a warm smile, but it resulted in an expression that was honestly horrifying, she looked like a serial killer about to claim her victim.
"..."
"Haha... Yeah, you're right."
Kaelen relaxed his brows and softened his gaze as he feigned a warm smile and brushed his disheveled scalp of snow-white hair.
[This girl... Why is she so attached to me?]
[Now that I think about it, wasn't she trying to save me from Charymos earlier on?]
[Should that even be possible...?]
He pondered deeply, his chin rested on his thumb and index finger as they continued walking.
[Knowing that damn NPC, there's no way he didn't make them absolutely loyal to him...]
[No, rather than that... It's exactly as I wrote it when I set Charymos as a mad alchemist.]
[So how is it possible that she defied his will?]
As he continued trying to make sense of the situation, he felt a slight migraine befall him and his head became heavy, enhancing his fatigue.
[Ugh... I'll just think about it later.]
He pinched his eyebrows and raised his gaze, finally noticing that they had left the long tunnel and were now standing in a wide-open space whose walls were painted white.
[Hm? This is a different place no?]
[Did we take a turn when I wasn't paying attention?]
The area was new in Kaelen's eyes and he curiously glanced around, but it didn't take long for the decadons to disperse, each walking toward a specific exit — there were five in total.
"Follow me."
Said Veylith, knowing that it was the first time her captain had entered this place since he was hospitalized when the rest of them were led here by the bipedal Roach.
[These exits must lead to our respective sleeping quarters...]
He deduced, and quietly followed Veylith and the others.
[I'm so exhausted... I need to rest.]
His eyes became blurry and he felt his muscles slowly stiffen, even his Low-level Regeneration skill would not remedy his intense exhaustion.
"Ugh..."
He staggered like a drunkard, his breathing slow and heavy.
Why was his body shutting down all of a sudden when it had been holding on so well, for so long?
What he experienced was akin to the 'Latchkey Incontinence' phenomenon, so due to the fact that he was near a place of rest, his body instinctively relaxed as adrenaline waned from his bloodstream.
[Come on... Just a bit longer...]
His vision became extremely blurry, in fact, he began to see double.
But stubborn as he is, Kaelen refused to let another grunt escape his lips and he continued staggering forward.
"..."
Veylith and the others turned and watched him in silence, none of them daring to even lend him a hand.
An unspoken act that was unanimously agreed upon, so as to protect the dignity and pride of the one Homunculus who they all looked up to, their Captain.
"Shit..."
His head felt like it weighed a ton of bricks and his vision darkened. At that moment, gravity, to him, felt as though it had been multiplied a dozen times over.
But before his stiffened body could hit the floor...
Thud.
...Veylith was already standing in the path of his fall, allowing his limp frame to fall on her back.
"Don't look."
She warned, her crimson eyes almost ablaze, prompting the others to quickly look forward and continue on their path.
"..."
Veylith tucked her arms behind his knees and carried him on her back.
//
After Veylith gently placed her Captain on his bed, she stood by his side, looming over him for an astonishing thirty minutes or so.
And surprisingly enough, she thought of nothing during that time, her mind was as blank as her facial expression as she stood there motionless like a doll.
"..."
Her body suddenly twitched when the gears of her mind finally began turning, it was as though whatever trance that she'd been caught in had finally been lifted.
The cause of her sudden reaction?
She remembered the frightened face Kaelen made when he woke up and saw her standing beside his bed when he was at the infirmary.
"Sigh..."
She slumped her shoulders in disappointment, she honestly wanted to stay by his side for a tad bit longer.
But she didn't want to frighten him either, so leaving was the best course of action.
And so, she reluctantly turned her back and left the room, her chains slightly chiming to her motion.
/
Veylith rested her back against the door to Kaelen's room, her left fist clenched and trembling as she grappled with something known only to her — Something which she also couldn't quite understand.
"Haaa..."
She tilted her scalp and it too now rested againts his door, and slowly, she shut her crimson eyes.
[I wonder...]
She opened her eyes again, her left hand reaching into thin air, or rather, a separate space.
Her pocket dimension to be exact.
She lowered her gaze to the object that was small enough to be concealed by her hand, and she slowly opened her palm.
[... Will I ever...]
A concave glass shard was the object wobbling on her palm like a seesaw, and she lowered her face towards it.
She sniffed expectantly, but the sweet scent that once marked it was no more.
"..."
Disappointed, she opted to stick out the tip of her tongue and press it against the shard.
But...
Her taste buds would not leap for joy as they usually would have, and were instead met by the blandness of glass.
"Sigh..."
[... Taste it again?]
She let out a sigh heavier than the last one before making her way to her own room.
//
[Damnit! I thought she'd never leave!]
[She's so damn scary!]
[... Not to mention creepy!]
It had been ten minutes since Kaelen had awoken from his fatigue-induced slumber, and he'd been playing possum for that duration.
That was the longest ten minutes of his life to say the least, not even 21:50 dragged on for that long back in his old office.
And he honestly should have been asleep for much longer than that, but perhaps his Low-level Regeneration had a part to play?
But this was not to say he was fully-rested, it was one of those things, you know?... Randomly waking up in the middle of the night because you felt like someone was watching you, only to hallucinate a shadow at the corner of your room.
Well... Unfortunately for him, Veylith was no figment of his imagination.
"Tch..."
[Let's forget about her for now...]
He cleared his throat, and his pink eyes regained their intensity, even if only by a small margain.
[Open Status Window!]
[...]
[This is good... I leveled up much quicker than I expected.]
[There's a good balance between my stats too.]
He couldn't help but smile, but he quickly scanned through his improved stats and scrolled down to what he was truly interested in seeing...
[Monarch's Aegis.]
... The skill he gained as one of the rewards for naming himself.
His smile grew wider, it almost seemed malevolent even, but that was not the case, his smile was of pure joy.
[With this skill...]
"... Maybe I can escape this Tower much sooner than I expected?"
He placed his palm on his chest as though attempting to calm his racing heart.
Yes... His goal was to leave this Tower as soon as possible.
After all, why would he want to stay in a place full of evil Monsters, knowing fully well what they were capable of?
Especially with the Archfiend that stood at the very pinnacle of this Tower.
All the others aside, that being alone gave him nightmares whenever he remembered that he existed beneath his feet.
He knew that the longer he stayed, he would either die, or worse...
... Become a Monster much more evil than all of them in order to survive.
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Monarch's Aegis.
Skill Type: Defensive/Authorative| Active/Passive.
Rank: A.
>Description:
A barrier of supreme authority, symbolizing both protection and dominion. Weaker foes are compelled to bow before the Monarch's might.
>Active Effect:
-Summons a radiant shield that absorbs damage equal to 150% of the user's Max Mana for 10 seconds.
-While active, enemies striking the shield take 10% reflected damage and are afflicted with [Falter], reducing their Accuracy by 20%.
>Passive Effect:
-Permanently reduces incoming damage by 5% and grants +15% Status Effect Resistance.
>Effect on Weaker Monsters:
-Monsters with a level lower than the user's by 5 or more are affected by [Sovereign's Will] within the shield's radius:
Monsters have a 50% chance to fall under the user's command for 10 seconds, until the shield dissipates, or however long the caster wills, depending on the disparity of strength.
Subjugated monsters fight for the user, prioritizing nearby enemies.
>Resistance Effect:
- Monsters immune to subjugation instead suffer a 30% reduction in Attack Power and Defense.
>Special Trait:
-[Regal Empowerment]: For every ally within the shield's radius, increase in their ATK by 10%, the shield's durability by 10% and the CRIT chance by 5%.
>Cooldown: 60 seconds.
>Mana Cost: 25% of Max Mana.
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