280 Swimming in Fear
"Wake up" an eerie voice called out and Valentine promptly arose, pulling her hair from the front of her face.
Her heart pounds rapidly as she scans her surroundings.
Rubbing her eyes, she finds herself in a dark compartment, with a hefty man standing beside her.
"Where am I?"
The man spread his arms. "Welcome to Arcadia"
Those words had her running down the memory lane.
With her mother's help, she'd arrived at the rendezvous location.
As protocol, she was then made unconscious-that was the only way she'd be allowed entry into Arcadia.
Now she's here.
Looking around, she commented. "My mother?"
"Not here"
Valentine nodded. "I came to see-
The man raised his palm, shutting her up. "I know why you're here. To see the Grandmaster isn't it?"
Valentine nodded vigorously.
"Alright, I'll take you to him"
A question mark floated above her head. "That easy?"
"Don't worry about that" he said. "Are you ready now?"
Valentine clenched his fist, steeling her nerves.
Fear threatened to cloud her resolve, but she wasn't backing out now.
'I have to grow stronger'
She nodded.
"Follow me"
Then she touched her side, her sword was gone.
"We searched you in your sleep" he said. "Your sword and the other daggers you brought have been taken away"
Valentine was dumbfounded, her cheeks growing red, "You searched me?'
He just stared. "The female squad leader did. So stop thinking stupid thoughts and lets go"
He turned and walked.
Quickly erasing her look of embarrassment, she followed after with haste.
________
'Dammit!'
Ezra groped his head, fuming.
'This should've been easy'
He stared at the braces on the floor.
During the time in the castle cell, he tinkered with the braces.
A breakthrough occurred; with tremendous difficulty, he was able to take the braces off without breaking them.
Doing that, the restrictions on his body faded, his demon part flared, healing him.
Over the past few weeks, he'd routinely take off the braces to reduce the restrictions and then use mana stones to cultivate.
With it, he could gradually put his meridians back in place, while compounding mana before going for another breakthrough in due time.
Alas, things were not going according to plan.
'Why?! Why isn't it working?!'
With immaculate precision, Ezra used his mana to shift his meridian pieces into place.
But it didn't budge.
Every time he placed the pieces in order, they would separate regardless, adamant on staying apart.
Having not reached Grandmaster rank in his past life, he also couldn't 'simply' infer the problem.
As a consequence, frustration was growing ever close to the peak as Ezra had very little to show for all the effort he put in for the past few weeks.
Though, one good thing was that he struck Fourteen in the past week.
Although looking over his current situation, he didn't feel good.
He didn't know the state of his mother or the siblings.
Right now, he was experimenting on himself, trying to pinpoint the problem.
Why exactly did his meridians refuse to take shape?
Finding the answer to this question was the first step towards getting an answer.
Among other things, he'd been talking with Fredrick the past few days.
As of the war plans the Emperor spoke of, things were going in the direction Ezra predicted.
Now a demon, he felt a surge of power leave his body hours ago.
Meaning the demons were also making moves of their own.
Regardless of the process, Ezra needed the apocalypse to come into being, and preferably sooner rather than later.
But what was this? He was recovering at a snail's speed. At this rate the apocalypse would meet him unprepared.
His cell was superbly constructed, the walls prevented mana particles from entering.
Normal space rings were inaccessible inside, if not for the ancient space ring and the mana stones inside, Ezra would've been truly hopeless-not that he was far from it.
Elements were still accessible, thankfully.
Yet melting the cage didn't seem possible, its hardness was beyond comprehension. It took Ezra two punches at full force to put a dent in it.
'That proves just how weak I am'
He couldn't get over the frustration.
He had tried, tried and tried, only to end with meagre results.
Moreover, he could feel his demon side becoming more active as time went by.
He didn't know what that meant because he was still in the dark about demonic powers.
Then, he couldn't say that his newly acquired powers weren't the reason for his current dilemma.
He'd ventured on this alone and hadn't asked help from Fredrick.
But it seemed this problem was beyond his ability to solve alone.
'Can I really not solve this on my own?'
This wasn't a matter of alchemy, runes or some other foreign topic. So, he didn't think he'd need the help, but clearly, as his body had now reminded him, the workings of a grandmaster's body was a whole slew of differences from master rank.
Speaking of runes, the one's on Ezra's body were functioning haphazardly.
Broken meridians directly destroyed the impact runes holding down the path for mana flow, disrupting mana converging.
In consequence, mana didn't flow as it was supposed to, some areas on his body neglected, while others reinforced to absurd degrees.
The pathway to the runes was damaged as well, so little mana reaches there.
It was irritating.
With the clarity run dysfunctional, he felt the range of his senses decrease a substantial amount.
So, Ezra contemplated his options.
'Do I have to seek help?'
While his pride didn't want him to ask for help, Ezra was more on the rational side.
'This level of progress is unsatisfactory. Stubbornly sticking to ignorance is stupid'
'Alright' He decided. 'I don't make any breakthroughs by the end of this week-I'll tell Fredrick'
'Now' he cracked his knuckles. 'Shall I destress a bit'
He was about to begin his favourite activity of the day when the door to his cell vibrated.
Ezra quickly put on his braces.
"Ezra" the head warden called in his tone devoid of emotion, surprising Ezra.
'Why is the head warden here?'
The one who brought food was someone else.
Ezra got his answer. "Someone's here to see you"
The door split open and light beyond that of mana stones shone into his cell for the second time since he arrived.
As a Grandmaster, it didn't sting at all.
_________
Coming down here, she was already scared out of her wits by the murderous intent engulfing the whole place, but she bared with it, swiping her hair to the side every few minutes.
The cell, extravagant in size and design, opened up to reveal pitch darkness.
"Get in"
Before she could rethink her options, a slap on her back sent her flying right into the cell, falling face first.
"Oh" she groaned, raising her head to land on a pair of crimson eyes.
In pitch darkness, she could not make out the being in front of her so she scrambled.
"Ah!"
In fright, she bounced on her feet, retreating till her back touched the door, barely holding back a shriek.
All the while, the red gaze followed.
And then…
"What are you doing here?"
A voice all too familiar called out.
While she thought that would have her less scared, it didn't.
The fear strengthened instead, threatening to squeeze her throat and she found herself trying to retreat with every passing minute.
"A-A-Ah-
She was about to start shrieking when…
"You smell"
She couldn't make out his facial expression, but she was certain he was smiling somehow.
Then, the eyes disappeared.
Immediately, her heart calmed, the ensuing fear reduced and she sighed in relief.
Before the silence could go on for any longer, Ezra spoke, "You should be able to think now, yes? So I'll ask again, why are you here?"
Panting, she stares, quiet as ever with her hands fidgeting incessantly.
'Why did I come here?! Am I crazy?!'
'I'm going to die!'
It may have reduced, but the fear was still there.
Voice swirling in her mind, sprinkling negativity everywhere.
She grit her teeth.
'I've come to far, I can't back out now'
Her resolve pulled through the fear.
"I'm here to see you"
"What for?"
"You're holding me back"
"Huh?"
"Since the last time I saw you-
"You couldn't stop thinking about me?"
"Yes" she replied. Then she realized. "Wait no, that's not what I meant"
"Ha, sure thing"
"That's not what I meant!" ????????????????????????????????.????????????
"I've heard you" he returned to his cold tone. "So?"
"It-It's like this…
Down the memory lane she went, narrating how his gaze was the catalyst for her nightmares.
"Slow down, you came to see me because you thought that would end your nightmares?"
"Yes?"
"Are those nightmares about me?" he inquired.
"No"
"Then what are they about?"
"I can't say"
"Then our conversation ends here"
"What? But it's nothing important"
"You came all the way here for something unimportant?"
Clearing her throat she replied. "Yes"
"Okay, then it should be easy to tell, no?"
"I don't want to"
"Then get out"
She popped a vein. "Why are you being difficult?"
"I'd ask the same"
"Ugh!"
A long silence followed as Ezra's eyes shut open.
This time, he'd reverted to the black colour she was familiar with.
Though in a pitch black room, that just meant she could make out his eyes anymore.
"Haha" he laughed. "You look cute"
"What?" she was taken aback.
"Ah…" Ezra realized his statement was inappropriate. "Forget what I just said…anyway, I'm done talking if you can't tell me what those nightmares are about"
After a fit of coughs she continues, "You're incorrigible"
"Suit yourself" Ezra tapped his chin, staring at her.
"I'm amazed" he suddenly said. "How are you doing that?"
"Doing what?"
"Demons smell fear" he said, "And you're swimming in it"
"I'm not afraid of you"
"You're lying"
"No, I'm-
Voom!
A gush slammed into her, disrupting her hair.
Shifting them back into place, she freezes.
A hand on her mouth prevents her from screaming.
Then crimson eyes peered into hers.
Slowly, Ezra mouthed, his breath touching her forehead.
"Say that again"
