Laguna - South-west-end - evening

The gray-haired swordsman, wearing light samurai armor strapped to his chest and legs. His sword hanging by his waist, swaying from the slightest of movement. He’s staring at me like I’m some sort of idiot, continuing to eat the jerky in his mouth.

“Whats sup, kid.”

Instinct takes over, making my body jump back to get as much distance as possible.

“Woah, nice jump,” he spews from his mouth, spitting out some of the jerky.

“W-what the hell are you doing here…!? Umm… What’s your name again?”

He spits out the jerky, almost gagging on it. “How the hell did you forget my name, huh!?”

“Sorry, but it slipped from my mind.”

He taps his scabbard against his armor. “The name is Grey Ocean! Don’t forget it, brat!”

“Sure, sure, old man.”

His hand flashes over my head. He squeezes my skull with his fingers digging into my skin. “Wanna repeat that?”

“Ow, get the hell off me, old man!”

“Blame yourself for callin’ me old!”

“Okay, okay, I get it, I get it!”

His old man talons release me. Damn old man, he should cut those nails!

“Why are you here? I ain’t giving you that book.”

“Nah, it ain’t like that.” He crunches down on the last bit of jerky and swallows the remains. “I got bored, so I thought you’d have somethin’ interestin’ to say.”

“Well, I don’t, and I’m not in the mood for you, so leave me alone.”

“You ‘bout to cry or somethin’?”

“No! How about you piss off!?”

“Whoa! I was only jokin’. Sheesh, kids nowadays…”

This clown is giving me a headache. Talking to him is a waste of time, not to mention that it might piss me off more than it should.

“See ya, old man. I’d say it was nice seeing you, but I don’t like lying.”

“Come on, I’m seriously bored over. Can’t we talk for a few minutes? I don’t care what it is, I need to kill a bit of my boredom.”

He’s persistent, I’ll give him that… Well, even if I go back now, it’s not like Chip or Gil are gonna be up any time soon, so I don’t know. Maybe talking to the old man might get my mind off things?

“Fine, I’ll talk with you, but nothing weird, got it?”

“Sure, I promise…”

We take a seat inside a busted-down building next to us. The rubble inside is good enough to serve as a seat.

“So, you’ve been following us, haven’t you, ol– I mean, Ocean?”

“Yeah, though, I've just been keepin’ my distance, nothing more.”

Keeping his distance, huh? Then that means…

“Did you see our fight with that Source-user?” I ask him, my finger tense, waiting for his answer.

“Yep, saw the whole thing.”

I grab him by the armor, yanking at him. “Why didn’t you help us then!?”

This guy is strong. I can tell from how he fought me, and he has Source, so maybe he could’ve beaten that guy and saved Marie!

“Why should I have?” His neutral expression, casting no anger, confusion, or even guilt, tells me everything I need to know.

“What!?”

“Like I said, why should I have helped you?”

“Because Marie was–”

“I don’t know all the details, but that woman who attacked, I can tell she was important to you. But there’s something you’re missing here: we aren’t friends, and I certainly don’t have to help you…”

“But, you–”

“And say I did, what makes you think I’d fight to save her?” An icy sensation crawls across my spine. “...If me and that Source-user fought, it would have been to the death.”

“T…to the death?”

“...When it comes to a fight, I like havin’ fun, hell, I like cracking jokes… But when it comes down to a fight with someone like that, whose Source emanates like that, then a fight to the death is gonna happen.”

So intense… I felt bloodlust from crazy people that just wanted to gut me for fun, but this… This isn’t some guy who wants to kill, but someone who will if he has to. I can’t call this bloodlust; it’s killer intent! An intent that holds no excitement, just the will that would let him go through with slicing someone like me to pieces!

“...Besides, would you have wanted me to?”

“What? Why wouldn’t I?”

“So you’re saying you need me to solve your problems?”

“N-no! That’s not–”

“But isn’t it? You’re basically saying, ‘I’m too weak to protect my own friends’. Ain’t that right?”

Shit! This guy…! He’s…he’s…right. That is what I’m saying. And he’s right about us not being friends. This man still tried to kill me right out the gate, so if anything, I can’t trust him with my friends.

“Listen, I ain’t trying to come off like a dick, I’m just tellin’ you how it is. If you want to protect somethin’, you do it with your own hands. Expectin'; someone to swoop in and save you whenever you need it, that’s a good way to stagnate.”

Expecting someone to save us… Never really wished or hoped for that, but I can’t say we haven’t survived because someone came in and saved us. Garrick is one of those people. So maybe this guy has a point.

“...Though bein’ an edgy loner isn’t any better. All I’m sayin’ is that you shouldn’t go and rely on me to pick up your slack, ‘kay?”

His words are harsh, but he isn’t coming off like an asshole. It’d be easy to tell with a guy like this. And it isn’t like I can say he’s wrong.

“But you know, it still surprises me.”

“You just want me to take the bait on that, don’t you?”

Ocean looks away, not quick enough for me not to see that cunning look on his face. “...Nah, don’t be ridiculous.” Real smooth, old man. “...But seriously, I meant to say: that girl you have with you is a Source-user, and a dangerous one at that.”

“She isn’t.”

“You kidding me? With her Source and how she flaunted it, how do you explain it?”

“Well, I don’t know all the details, but…”

I explained what happened when Marie was possessed, and how she was being controlled by some dude in a sword.

“...Well, shit me, who would’ve thunk it.”

“Sounds crazy, right?”

“Yeah, but not entirely.”

“Really?”

“The way you describe it, and the fact she was using a Source technique like that, I’d say the sword was housing a Source-user.”

“Is that some special ability you Source-users have?”

“No, in fact, it shouldn’t be possible.”

“Seemed pretty possible to me.”

“You’re right, but what I’m saying is something like that is downright unlikely.”

“How come?”

“Well, hmm, maybe I can explain it like this…” Ocean points to the center of his chest. “You know what a Soul is, right?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Okay, that makes this easier. You know how the brain stores everything about us, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then think of the soul as the main engine for your body. Without it, you might as well be a human being without any gas.”

“Does that mean I’d be dead without one?”

“Nah, you wouldn’t, but you’d be like an empty shell. Sure, your body would still be ‘alive’, but you’d be just a vegetable at that point.” The thought pops into my head, scaring me a little. “...Of course, you need your brain as well, or else, well, you get the picture.”

“So wait, how was that guy able to live without a brain?”

“The soul records everything about us, including the most important features: our thoughts, emotions, and memories. Everything that makes up the core of your being is your soul.”

“So, it’s like a record keeper on yourself?”

“That’s one way of looking at it, yeah. However, the soul is also the reason we can use Source. See where I’m going with this?”

“So, the guy we fought put his own soul inside that sword, and that’s how he possessed Marie?”

“It might be a bit more complicated than that. You can’t outright possess someone with your Source or Soul, it doesn’t have that inherent ability, and even if you tried to, it would fail.”

“Umm…huh?”

“Oh, well… Oh, I got it! You know what happens when you mix blood types?”

“Nope.”

His excited expression shifts to an astonished look, one that’s practically saying, “what the hell is wrong with you”. “...You stupid or something, or did you never pay attention in school?”

“Oh, shut up! You smelly old fart!”

His hands stretch out my face. “I ain’t smelly, you brat!”

“Up yours, old man!”

We fought for a solid minute, pulling at the other’s hair and face until we both got tired of it

“...Okay, let…me get back to my lesson. If you mix a different blood type in your body, you’ll die. Think of Source like that; everyone’s different from the other, sure they might share some similarities from person to person, but they’re all fundamentally.”

“I think I’m getting this. But that doesn’t explain how Marie got her body possessed by that sword. And I’m pretty sure Marie has a soul, so shouldn’t she have Source?”

Flicking his finger at me, he mimics a bell from some game show. “Give this kid a prize. You’re even if a person isn’t aware of it, everyone has Source flowing around them. Even if they have a low percentage of it. So him trying to inject his Source into her should have killed her. But I think I have an idea on how it did.” Ocean leans forward, running his hand through his beard. “...From how the Source was flowing around that girl, I could tell that it was odd.”

“You mean that Source flow, thingy?”

“How do you know about that? Actually, that doesn’t matter right now. You’re right. Her flow was strange. Typically, your Source flows from your head to your feet. But in that girl's case, it was flowing from her sword to her body, which is strange.”

“I remember my friend saying she was being possessed because of the sword she was holding.”

From that, Ocean’s eyelids shoot open, pushing him further into thought. “If that’s true, then… I think I get it!”

“What, what is it?”

“He might’ve been doing something else, something like possession, but not by the means of interjecting his own soul into that girly.”

“Hey, I don’t what you’re saying, go slower!”

“You can use a little exercise up there.” This guy sure knows how to piss me off, that’s for sure. “What I mean is, he could’ve been doing something similar to it, though, I don’t know what it could’ve been… The girly, she’s alive, right?”

“Yeah, she is… All we had to do was to get that sword away from here, and that’s it.”

“Then that proves, he didn’t put his soul in her or anything. If he did, she would be dead.”

So much information all at once. I barely have a grasp on it since I don’t know too much about Source. But at least I know Marie is really out of danger.

Ocean gets up, stretching his arms and legs. “Welp, that killed a bit of my boredom. Thanks for that, kid.”

“You’re leaving already?”

“You bet. Can’t say I was supposed to talk to you, so I better make myself scarce.”

As he walks for the exit, he waves goodbye. I can’t let him leave, not until he answers my last question.

“Wait!”

“Huh, what is it? Feelin’ lonely already, kid?”

“It’s not that! I just… I don’t know what to do.”

“Okay, mind tellin’ me what you mean?”

“The girl, Marie, she’s emotionally shut down ever since she got possessed, and her brother is pushing himself to fight more and more because he couldn’t save her by himself. I don’t know how to help her, and I didn’t even know how her brother, my friend, felt.”

My blood boils, and each muscle in my hands tenses up with anger. All of this pent-up anger is at the demented son of a bitch that caused all this, and myself, for how useless I am. If I can’t help my friends when they need it, then what good am I?

“Why are you asking me? Do you think I have your magical answer to fix all your problems?”

My attention draws back to the swordsman, casting me an annoyed glare.

“No! I…I don’t know! I’m not too smart, so I’m not quick to pick up on stuff, so I don’t know.”

He rushes over to me, knocking on my forehead with the flat of his knuckle. “Idiot! That’s why you use this!”

“Ow, ow, ow! Stop that!”

“Then stop sayin’ stupid shit like, ‘it’s too hard’!” The onslaught ends, flicking me on the forehead with a mild expression. “...I don’t have any answers for you, I don’t know anything about your situation, or your friends, so I can’t help you. But instead of whining, why don’t you start using that thing in your skull? Cause you can’t always rely on someone to give you all the answers, certainly not me. So think for yourself.”

I…never had to think too hard about this stuff before, so can I even do that? But the old man’s words aren’t patronizing. They’re friendly, in an odd way. His voice is calm, but his tone is down-to-earth. I can’t help but latch onto every word that comes out of his mouth.

“...So do some thinkin’ so you can stop soundin’ like a wimp, ‘kay!?”

And like that, he’s broken my image of him.

Once again, he begins to walk off, lifting his sword over his shoulder.

“Wait!”

My voice, desperate to make him stay, suddenly blurts out those words, stopping him in his tracks.

“What now? Can’t you see that I’m–”

“How do I get stronger?”

Curious, he raises an eyebrow as he faces me with one eye. “Why ask me? Didn’t I say you gotta think for your–”

“You did, and you’re right. But I want to know, from your point of view, how can I get stronger?”

Rubbing his beard, his eyes narrow, putting me under a sharp gaze. “Well…okay, since you asked so nicely, I’ll throw you a bone. But I’m gonna make you really think about this one; gotta make sure the little guy up there is in workin’ order, after all.” Don’t blow up on him, don’t blow up! “Source, you think it’s magic or what?”

Hmm, I think that witch told me it isn’t; I think.

“To be honest, I don’t see the difference.”

“Can’t blame you, but it is different.” Placing a hand on his chest, he snaps his fingers with his other hand. “...Magic is usually making something from nothing in movies and books, but Source isn’t that. Haven’t you ever thought this: Why it’s called Source?”

“Does it matter?”

“Source isn’t just about making fire appear from nowhere, or turning your fist as hard as iron because you want it to be. All of these things are born from something: a concept.”

“A concept?”

“Yeah. We Source-users don’t just make these abilities out of nowhere, we hold these concepts and mold them, but ‌we have to have a deep understandin’ of them. You can’t make fire come out if you don’t understand it, and you can’t harden your body if you can’t understand the concept.” Ocean waves his hands, shifting them around, flowing like water. “Source refers to the conception of all these abilities, tracing them back to their origins, and from that comes a vast understandin’ of them. But, before all that comes the understandin’ of the self.

Understanding the self…understanding an idea… I think I kinda understand, though it ain’t clicking together right away.

“...That’s all the advice I’m givin’ you. Try to think on all that stuff, m’kay?” Taking half a step, he turns to me, squinting his eyes at me. “...You ain’t got any more question, right?” I shake my head. “Good. Be seeing you around, kid. Remember,” he taps his head. “...think about all this. Even if you don’t get a big answer, you might get a clue or two towards that answer.”

With that, the old man disappears from sight, leaving me with those words of wisdom, embedding them inside my mind. Ocean sharing wisdom like that was unexpected, and I thought he was gonna totally shut me down since, but he gave me his time, even if I was getting on his nerves. Even if we can call each other enemies, I can’t really see him as someone I have to be on guard against.

Besides that, I’ve gotta think about how to help Alex and Marie. Mopping around ain’t gonna cut it. Even if my brain is small, I’m gonna rack my brain and come up with some solutions, baby…! Wait, did I just say my brain was small?

Laguna - south-west end - evening

Sitting on a slab of stone in a room on the second floor of a building we’re inhabiting, I’m loading my weapon. This thing is supposed to be a prototype or whatever. Cade gave it to me a while back, saying it suits me. It…I couldn’t go to sleep that day.

Cade is always like that with me, always looking after me. Even when he says “Puck”, it feels warm, extending his kindness toward me, even on the worst of days; like when Proxy betrayed us… So why does it feel different? The way he says it is the same, his tone is gentle, and his cadence is the same. But his eyes, his deep black eyes, seem almost void of that light he once had. Maybe it’s just me, but his presence puts me on edge.

“Puck! You here!? Puck!” That loud ass voice belongs only to one idiot. Wedge pokes his head into the room, wagging his finger at me. “There you are! Couldn’t you hear me!?”

“Stop yelling! I can hear you”

“Okay.” He could at least act like he’s sorry. “We are about to leave. Are you done loading your gun?”

“I’m not loading it, just making sure the bullet is in the right shape. If it’s not, then it might have ramifications on this thing.”

The bullets need to be 3 inches wide and 4 inches long, any less, and it won’t fit the chamber. At first, it was a piece of junk thrown in a trash heap full of vehicle parts and other machinery parts that the kingdom threw out.

For the longest time, my village was one of crafters, like the ones from Borghulda, good at metalwork and constructing just about anything. And our greatest treasures depicted magnificent constructions, ones that we wanted to make, just like the ones from the papers. However, after my village got attacked by bandits, only one page survived the attack: the one depicting this weapon. At first, making it was a matter of trial and error, but after so much time, I got it done. It wasn’t until this year that I finished the first one of its kind… But…carrying this thing; it horrifies me.

“Puck, are you sure about using that?” Wedge asks, sharing a concerned glance with me.

“Not really, but I need to keep it with me… It’s my burden.” I load the bullet into the weapon, picking myself up soon after. “Let’s go. Cade and everyone else must be waiting.”

“Oh, right! I forgot about that!”

“How did you forget that?”

Speaking of Cade… Maybe now’s a good time to see if he’s noticed as well.

“Wedge, about Cade… Did you notice anything different about him?”

The inside of my throat dries up. A hard gulp runs its way down, stopping for a second at the end of my throat before it flowed down into the rest of my body.

“No! I have not!” His boisterous voice destroys all the tension, easing my nerves. “Cade looks the same. Why? Did he say something to you?”

“No, I just thought he looked different. You know what I mean?”

“Because you love him?”

Blood rushes to my forehead, my brain instantly heats up from the comment. “Did you need to say that!?”

“I thought that was the case?”

“It is, I do! Not because he looks handsome, but it is also because of that, but, I…”

Huh? Huh…? What the… Why did I just say all of that!? Ah! This is so embarrassing, too humiliating!

“Come on, we’re leaving!”

“Puck, come on…”

I leave before he could finish his apology. Honestly, he can be such a moron…! But I’m glad he put my worries to rest. If Wedge says Cade is fine, then I’m not gonna doubt him. He’s never lied to me once, even if it got him his ass kicked. I don’t want to doubt any of them. I wanna be with them, forever, and Cade as well. It just scares me, Cade’s obsession with beating the bandits. I just hope he doesn’t go too far from us, otherwise, we all might not be together…

…

Puck sped out of the room, blushing from head to toe with an angered expression about her. I’m glad I could divert her away from Cade’s sudden mood shift; the last thing I would want is for her to be afraid of him. However, I do not know for how long I can distract her from this pressure coming from him.

At first, it took all I had not to wince from the creepy presence he’s emitting now. It’s as if something is hanging over him, peering into the depths of my soul as I look onto him, wary of me.

“Perhaps I should dissuade Cade from coming?”

No, that would not work. He has always been persistent, but now, I feel his persistence has turned to something else, something worse. And even if I talk to him, getting my words out is a difficult task…

However, I do not get the same feeling that Jed fears Cade, or even notices this change. He continues to wear that smile, even in the face of such monstrous pressure… What am I thinking? I doubt Jed had much to do with this change in Cade. And even if Cade’s appearance changes or the air around him does as well, he’s still my best friend! So I will stick to his side, no matter the cost! Me, Puck, Cade, and everyone else, no matter how long, I want to keep them smiling, even if I am unable to see them.

“Okay! I am ready!”

Brother, my thunderous voice is to you, and for the dear friends we lost along the way. It might kill me, but our battle with the bandits will end in our victory, no matter what! And then, they will all smile! I just know it…!