Aya dipped his finger in the pool of purple blood collected by his round shield. He placed the shield beneath the carcass of a layroin which he hung by its hind legs tied to two sturdy logs placed across two stacks of boulders. He sliced the neck of the beast, allowing the blood to drain. Its blood slid off the skull-like mask on its face down to its golden antlers.

“Gross,” he said after he tasted it.

He hated this part of collecting blood. But he didn’t have a choice. It was how his power worked. He counted himself as fortunate. There were Bloodlines with stupid rules like you could only use it after stabbing yourself.

Not that his power came from a Bloodline.

“I’ll just drink this all up in one go just like I used to.”

He took out his precious cup, the one he "borrowed" from a store in Krysperium and conveniently forgot to return, and scooped blood out of the shield. Holding his breath, he downed the contents of the cup in a couple of seconds. Another cup, and then another. Then he quickly opened his waterskin and drunk the water to wash away the thick blood inside his mouth and his throat. Unfortunately, the steely taste remained. This was something he hasn’t gotten used to even after he having done it countless of times before.

“Let’s see if this will work,” he said. The blood of the layroin hasn’t finished draining anyway. Might as well try out his plan in finding the void mages.

Layroins were incredibly sensitive to elemental essences. While they couldn’t cast spells on their own, they could agitate elemental essence around them to create random magical effects. While they couldn’t stack essences in such a way as to make them do a specific thing, a disturbance would still be created, enough to escape from predators.

Obviously, this one wasn't able to escape from Aya.

It sounded like some trivial skill but not even Archmages have such sensitivity to elemental essences. And Aya needed this special and rare trait of the layroins to use the orb he...retrieved...from the Church of the Dragon. Yep, retrieved is the right word.

During Aya’s time, layroins were nearly hunted to extinction. Their beaststones were very much in demand. They were ground to dust and ingested by mages to momentarily increase their spell casting prowess.

Five hundred years ago, when they were preparing to make a last stand against the Blighted Multitude in the city on top of the mana node, they stockpiled dozens of kegs of layroin beaststone powder for the mages to use. He thought that they probably wiped out all of the layroins in gathering that much powder. So, yes, they were the ones who nearly hunted them to extinction.

It was a good thing they weren’t able to kill all the layroins in the past. He needed them now.

“Five, where’s the orb?”

“Here, my master,” a chorus of voices answered.

Something rustled in Aya’s tent. Thin multi-jointed limbs ending in claws poked out of the tent flap, holding the orb. The limbs were colored black, no, rather, they sucked the light around them. Five receded back in the tent as Aya picked up the orb.

“You’re fine in there?” Aya said.

“I am protecting master’s possessions,” Five said.

“Some clothes and bottles count as possessions, I guess. Perhaps I should have left you in the inn where I keep the mana parchments.”

“Five obeys as master wills.”

“It’s just so annoying lugging that chest around.” Aya sighed. He held up the orb and said, “Let’s try this then.”

He channeled his mana into the orb. His mana pool might only be a pittance compared to the mana pool of even a normal human, but his mana has reached levels of purity unimaginable for even the most elderly of mages. And he could quickly regenerate it so he didn’t faint when continuously using all of his mana.

The orb pulsated as he fed it with mana. He controlled his breathing. A steady stream of mana should do it, not bursts of it. He settled in balancing the amount of mana he discharges with the amount he regenerates. As the orb began to glow brighter and brighter, he looked around to check if something was happening.

Nothing.

He really needed to use the orb while using the power of the layroin.

He concentrated on the image of the layroin, feeling its blood flow through him. His veins burned inside him.

I can feel something…

Something…

Everything around him seemed to calm down. The wind blew in predictable streams. The leaves on the trees rustled in a rhythm. The dust beneath his feet shifted in the way he expected them to do, settling on top of each other as if arranged by an invisible hand. He could feel everything and nothing at the same time. It was hard to explain but it was as if the world fell into order but in chaos and randomness at the same time.

The shock of connecting to the elemental plane momentarily froze him.

And it was gone. He inhaled again. His heart was beating fast, cold sweat running down the back of his neck.

Aya said, “Grak. That felt awful.” How long did it last? About five seconds?

Too short.

He would need to hunt more layroins and drink their blood. He didn’t know how long his search for the void mages would take so he needed lots of blood. Maybe he also needed to store them in containers since he couldn’t absorb that amount of blood in such a short time.

It looked like he got his work cut out for him.

Void mages suck at sensing elemental essences. Normal people could sense really powerful disturbances in essence structures but void mages wouldn’t feel anything. They were more like sink holes of elemental essences. This was very pronounced during their childhood before their void gate opened. They would just feel very off. People would get uneasy when they were near.

At least, that was what other people told Aya in the past.

It wasn’t uncommon for children who had void potential to be abandoned by their parents because of the feeling of detachment. It wasn’t as if their families didn’t love their void-touched child; in a sense, they wouldn’t even consider the child their family. Even their mothers wouldn’t think they that they gave birth to their own child. Those children would just feel like strangers.

It wasn't uncommon for normal parents to abandon their void children. Or maybe even just forget about them.

And it was all natural. Aya himself didn’t know who his parents were, and he didn’t blame them for abandoning him. How could you love someone who was a stranger? He was lucky he was adopted by a sealcrafter with his mercenary squad who were used to working with void mages.

Other void children were not as fortunate.

Because of this, Void families who accepted outsiders into their City-fortresses would scour orphanages in search for such children.

That was the case then. Now…void children were killed if found. And possibly even used as bait to draw out the void mages trying to save them.

“I wonder how they will try to find void children now that I have this,” Aya said, holding the orb against the sunlight.

He could sort of guess how the whole operation of the Church worked.

The status of being void-touched could be confirmed through body examinations. But the empire couldn’t exactly test all kids, right? Even if they narrowed it down, what would the criteria be? Children with no friends? Abandoned children? Orphans?

From the fragmented memories of the Church assassins Five ate, Aya reckoned that the bishop would travel all over Krysperia, which wasn’t that hard given their vast resources, and also quite normal to spread their religion.

The bishop, or maybe some other powerful high-priest who could also use the orb, could detect the presence of a void-touched child as they pass through a city or gather the people for a sermon. It would then be up to the assassins to zero in on the specific child once that happened.

Way easier than testing every kid in the empire.

The orb increased the perception of elemental essence structures. It was as if you could understand the world in its base form. And, before void gates could stabilize them, void children stuck out like sore thumbs to someone who could use this orb. This was because the orb was the by-product of the flow of mana from the node. So, that would make it a scab then? Since the mana from the node was sort of like the lifeblood of the earth.

“Hehe, so I have the scab of the world. WorldScab!”

“Is anything wrong, master?”

“We have to find more layroins. Grak it. It’s not like I could expect to find layroins roaming around as I travel across Krysperia.”

Maybe he could kidnap or trick someone into helping him? Someone who could use the orb?

Not everyone could use the orb. It needed a certain sensitivity to elemental essences. When Rebecca used to carry the WorldHeart, the much larger orb from whence the piece he currently has had broken off, she could manipulate all elemental essences around her at the same time.

Rebecca was an exception to the rule, anyway. A prodigy who appeared once every thousand years.

Aya tossed the orb back towards his tent. Five caught it with its weird arms.

“Ah, I’m bored,” Aya said. “Toss the orb back to me.”

“As master wills,” Five said.

The two of them played catch to pass time while waiting for the layroin’s blood to drain.

Such a nice way to pass time. Playing catch with your corrupted spirit pet.

“Time, to get back to drinking blood,” he said after some time passed. Aya, resigned to his fate of drinking the rest of the layroin blood all afternoon, slumped by a rock near his shield. He dipped his cup once again and pinched his nose as he drunk all of the blood.

A funny thought occurred to him.

Which would be more shocking to a citizen of Krysperia, that the royal family didn't descend from him, or that normal people could have a void kid?

“Oho, it’s the mask guy,” Nrakael, the stout balding guard said.

“Elow!” Aya said, raising his hand in salute. They called him the “mask guy” because he had a mask covering his eyes and cheeks. He also dyed his hair a brownish red color. Maintaining a transformation all the time would use up too much blood, and he didn’t have any idea where to hunt monsters who could transform.

He wasn’t sure if he would be hunted down after he escaped from Krysperia, so he just got a mask. Hmmm, maybe a mask made me more suspicious?

“I see you’re lugging your big shield again.”

“I see you see me lugging my big shield again.”

“Hoho, good one. But it makes me feel uncomfortable just looking at you with your shield which could be your house.”

“I’m just fond of pretending I’m a turtle,” Aya said with a grin.

“Looks like you have a bunch of stuff to sell in the market,” Nigel, Nrakael’s brother said. Nigel was the opposite of his brother, tall and had a wild growth of beard and mane.

“Yep. Got really busy for the past three days up in the mountains.”

“It’s good that you’re still alive,” Nigel said.

“Yeah, we were betting on whether you’ll get back alive or not,” Nrakael said.

“I was the one who bet on you getting back alive.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Nigel said. “It was me who bet on you surviving.”

“It’s comforting that people are half-expecting me to die,” Aya said.

“On a serious note. You should take extra care up the mountains. With the upsurge, the mana lines in these parts were thrown into disarray.”

“The beasts are going nuts,” Nrakael added. “But things should calm down after a couple of months. For now, some of the more dangerous ones have been roused out of their hibernation.”

“Don’t worry,” Aya said. “I’m the most dangerous beast up there.” All of them laughed. “Hey, I’m serious,” he continued. “I’m the top predator around these parts. People should be hunting me. Wait. That doesn’t make sense.”

“Careful, the Hunter’s Guild might hear you and think you’re making fun of them.”

“I have to get to the market now. Buyers from Berkindale should arrive by now.”

Merkindale Komonsday Market. It was only open during the morning until noon of Komonsday every week. Hunters would return from their hunting trips in the mountains and forests near the town of Merkindale. They would sell beaststones, horns, hides, bones, innards, every useful part of the beasts they hunted. The buyers would rush to Merkindale on Komonsday to snap up the raw materials for the magical items industry of Berkindale, the nearest city.

Row upon row of tents covered the wide grassy plain beside Merkindale. The tents were provided by the mayor of the small town. Quite generous of him. Or maybe not, since hunters who come to sell were required to fork out some money for a permit of sorts.

Aya arranged the hard, skeletal mask of the layroin on the table along with parts of its actual skull. A layroin’s skull was made of several interlocking pieces held together by cartilage. Which was stupid. Why didn’t they just have a proper skull?

He had rolls of fur from the layroin, leaning them against the side of the table. The beaststone went on the center of the table, the hoofs from its hind legs beside it. He also extracted the claws from its front arms. The large bones of the layroin were piled on one side. Several jars containing the inside of the layroin completed his display. He smoked some of its meat for his own food while Five ate the rest of the body.

“Interesting,” a soft female voice said.

“It’s good that you find it interesting,” Aya said, looking up from arranging the body parts of the layroin. “It would be better if you find it interesting enough to buy.” The woman chuckled. She covered her mouth demurely with her hand adorned with several golden rings. Her jewel-encrusted bracelets clinked together. Aya continued, “A man’s gotta eat, Lady Fainsalla.”

Lady Fainsalla lowered her hand, showing her pink lips curved in a prim smile. She removed the silk veil on her head, revealing her intricately braided hair. An exotic hairstyle without a hair out of place. If there was, Aya was sure she would have her hairstylist thrown in jail with trumped up charges. Despite having an innocent face with wide blue eyes, Lady Fainsalla was the head of the alchemist guild of Berkindale that supplied the military and the Noble Martial House of Hasta. She was also the daughter of the governor of the region, or something, which included Berkindale.

She had bought some items from him before so he was familiar with her.

She really liked to act prim and proper and then surprise anyone foolish enough to cross her with her tyranny. Aya have heard stories about her throwing everyone she disliked in jail. Her muscular bodyguards wearing extravagant armor crowded the open space in front of Aya’s tent.

“You always have the most interesting wares, Mr. Mask,” Lady Fainsalla said. “A mysterious man who wouldn’t tell me his name hiding behind a perplexing mask. I wonder who you really are…”

“Please don’t wonder too much, Lady Fainsalla,” Aya said.

“I am still a bit miffed that you wouldn’t tell me your name. I usually get what I want.”

“There’s nothing interesting with my real name, Lady Fainsalla,” he replied with an apologetic bow. “Your Ladyship would only be disappointed with upon hearing how normal and boring it is.”

“Oh, so it is best not to tell me to keep it interesting? Brave man you are.”

I just don’t have time to think of another name right now. Aya gestured to his table. “I’m sure your Ladyship would have more interest on this layroin I hunted.”

Lady Fainsalla picked up the layroin beaststone. “In the past, mages used to take in a powdered form of this beaststone. Unfortunately, ingesting too much would cause hallucinations and even addiction. But the main reason synthetic elemental sensory enhancers were produced was because it is very difficult to mass produce layroin beaststone.

“Still, layroin beaststone powder is more effective than synthetic ones. Give this masked man five times the going rate of a layroin beaststone.”

One of the soldiers of Lady Fainsalla placed a large pouch of coins in front of Aya.

Aya said, “You’re very generous, Lady Fainsalla.”

Although Lady Fainsalla had a fearsome reputation, merchants and hunters would eagerly wait for her visits because she would pay several times the original price as a show of wealth. She could just order her subordinates to get supplies for the alchemist guild, but she always wanted to tour the towns surrounding Berkindale as a show of power, perhaps.

“Of course, I am,” she said in a haughty tone. “Maybe you can me your face next time we meet.” She turned her back and walked away. Her soldiers followed her and unclogged the streets.

What am I doing here?

Aya munched on a sandwich as he went up the stairs to his room. The juices from the smoked layroin meat oozed from the sides of his mouth. With one hand, he held the sandwich while his other hand held a large bag containing his tent, spare clothes and utensils. He left his large shield with the nice innkeeper because it was such a hassle to bring it upstairs.

That is a very good question. What am I doing here?

He inserted his key into the lock on his door and turned it. Then he grasped the doorknob and sent his void energy into it, dispelling the security enchantments he put in place.

“What am I doing here,” he said out loud.

He took out the orb from inside his jacket and tossed it on his unmade bed. Five’s hands grew out of the orb and scampered for Aya’s wooden chest containing his precious mana parchments. Five moved the basket on top of the chest to the table. Then it opened the chest and hid inside it.

Aya walked towards the window. With a wave of his hand, the protection on the window also disappeared. He opened the window and gazed down below on the street. Partying hunters and merchants set up tables and chairs on the street itself, blocking the people who wanted to pass. It seemed Lady Fainsalla bought a lot of stuff today.

Aya went back to his bed. He didn’t close the window, letting the raucous from the outside filter in.

He closed his eyes.

What am I doing here? I only needed layroins' blood so that I could use the orb and find children who are possibly touched by the void. Then I could try to find the void mages who were apparently trying to smuggle them out of Krysperia. Find the void mages…find Clement…find out what happened, why was the countdown for the explosion of the mana node stopped.

And then…setup up the trigger again.

I’m not sure if those people ruling Krysperia tampered with it or anything but I’m sure I can set it up again.

The loud voice of a hunter bragging about his hunt distracted Aya. The listeners laughed at the drunk hunter trying to finish his story. And then it was another hunter’s turn to tell his tale. Aya wasn’t bothered by the noise. The innkeeper has offered him for a room on the other side of the inn, away from the noise, but he didn’t accept it.

What am I doing here? Am I trying to find a new perspective? I could just hunt for my food and live in the mountains hunting for layroins. I didn’t need to rent a room in this town and sell stuff in the market. I didn’t need to interact with people.

“Should I give them a choice?” Aya blurted out. Only the laughter of the drunk men outside the inn answered him.

He stood up and closed the window. Then the coughing started. Five gingerly opened the chest he was hiding in and asked, “May I be of any assistance, master?”

Aya wiped his mouth and said, “I’m fine, I’m fine.” He looked out of the window again.

Should I tell them? Should I give them a choice?

He could almost hear them ask him.

Who gave you the right to choose for us? Who to sacrifice and who to save...