As some time passed, the events that had just happened started to settle.
Mori could've let it go, but he didn't care enough to worry about Maël's feelings.
"Who was that?" he asked.
Jax.
"Yeah, you did mention that earlier. So what, did I steal you from him?"
"To steal me, you would have to voluntarily choose to take me from someone, but I'm the one who got into you by force. You tell me who stole who. Poor Aura."
"At least Aura won't act like this guy. You have weird taste, but I guess your choices are limited down here. By the way, what's the name of this place?"
Everyone calls it differently depending where they're from. It doesn't matter much, call it whatever you want.
"Alright."
Time was weird. The sun wasn't moving in the sky, and there was no clouds.
The perpetual eclipse made it hard to know how much time passed, sometimes tricking Mori's brain subconsciously.
It felt like he still just arrived, but it must've been hours, now.
He got up, and got his hand through the hole in the ground, between the rocks.
"Get me out?" he asked.
Quickly, a stormy brand took over his body, getting him through this hole she got him into.
Nothing changed, the same old plains.
He got his hand up, in front of him, and chains pierced through the ground going up.
He grabbed them and swirled them around his body, dissimulating them under his clothes.
Why don't you use those chains on me, huh?
"Why don't you ask Jax to do it?"
Mori couldn't hear her thoughts, but could feel the coldness coming from them, which drew a faint smile on his face.
He was walking in a random direction, the scenery forever repetitive.
"Why is there so many bodies lying around? Some of them barely even look human anymore."
Some of them aren't human. Anyone can end up in here. But most of those you see mostly just gave up.
Those 'corpses' were lying around, sometimes easy to miss and at other times watching him walk by.
Their bodies oftentimes deformed. One of them almost looked fused into the dead tree it was resting against.
Body parts were missing, and looked different from what they should have. They were turning into those eldritch creatures Mori harvested.
"Time is slower in here than out there, isn't it?"
There was a brief pause before Maël answered.
Indeed. How did you know?
Mori chuckled.
"Of course it is. This place is perfect for harvesting, it would take me less time than it ever would outside. Especially since I'm already in here.
Fast? No. Around the same time. But it will yield better results.
"If time is slower I can spend more time harvesting while not much time has passed outside." Find more chapters on m_v l|e-novelhall.net
She chuckled. He could hear it. She was laughing.
He hated that laugh, but it's not like he could've shut her up.
Ah. Okay. Whether I spend 5 minutes out here or the equivalent of 5 minutes outside, but here, it will be the same thing. Makes sense.
Mori had a small laugh at himself for going over something this basic.
Better results sounded like a good enough incentive to start harvesting.
Mori was surprised, but nodded. The old man was right.
This place wasn't for 'good' people.
"So this is where I'll end up? Like Jax?" asked Mori.
"The chances are high, yes. People like you tend to end up here."
"People like me?"
The old man's tone was friendly, calm and serene, yet the words he spoke were sharp and pointy.
"Don't take it personally. Sovereigns that get their strength from this place don't usually end up anywhere else. I'm only going on a wild run, here, but I would guess by now you've already caused your load of pain out there."
The old man raised both hands up, still smiling.
"Nobody in here is better than anyone else. Don't worry. However, if there's still a chance for you, maybe you should change your ways."
Mori's surprised look turned into a cold stare.
"I don't plan on changing anything. I'll kill every last human."
"Ah. Suicide?"
"What?"
"At the end, you'll be the last remaining human. Will you kill yourself then?" he asked.
Mori was surprised by the question, before the man made another comment.
"That must be why Maël seems to like you."
"I'd rather you keep my name out of your mouth," said Maël through Mori's mouth.
The old man raised both arms again.
"There there, it was just a guess, didn't know it would strike close to the target."
"What did you mean? Why do you think she likes me?" asked Mori, ignoring Maël.
"Her motivations have been the same as yours. That's most likely why she isn't hostile to you. Good for your mind and your body," he said.
Maël's brand started taking over Mori's body, as the man slowly got up with his palms facing Mori again, seemingly backing up.
"There there, I'm going. Good meeting you, young man. No need to get so worked up, Maël."
The old man started walking away, stopped by Mori's words.
"What's your name?" he asked.
The old man turned around, smiling.
"Heh. Just call me anything you want. That's what everyone does. Was good meeting you, Mori."
The man turned around, leaving without saying another word.
Mori lied on his back again, staring at the eclipse.
"I should've asked him to help me find that hex on Aura's neck."
"He's not as nice as you think. Regardless of nice, he wouldn't be able to help, anyway."
"Do you know anyone who could?" asked Mori.
"Yeah, I know someone who would most likely be able to make this happen," replied Maël through his voice.
"Great. I guess I'll rest some more, and whenever I come back to, we could find that person."
Mori could feel his energy replenishing, it didn't require intense concentration.
He felt it through his body. He had gotten so used to having no cursed energy, that now that it was there the contrast struck him like day and night.
Resting only meant accumulating more cursed energy, which wasn't a bad thing.
"So, who will we be looking for?" asked Mori.
"Jax."