"*sigh* What happened now?" Grace droned as she watched Al and Markus dragging an unconscious Guy in by his shoulders, with Jean fanning the man's face with a spell.
"Master exhausted his mana," Markus explained with a bitter smile.
"I can see who you all learn it from - Marie and yourself, that is," Grace derided Markus sarcastically. "Leave him to me, I'll take him to his room."
"Master is quite heavy..." Markus muttered.
"I've carried heavier," Grace scoffed and strung Guy over her shoulders like a sack of rice and walked towards his room.
Al's eyes followed the stout woman carrying a man at most twice her size as though it were nothing, but his mind was preoccupied with something else. In a half-trance, he traced his steps back to his tent and slumped into a cross-legged lotus position.
"What happened back there?" He muttered to himself. When Guy used that attack on him, Al lost control of his body. Something from inside urged him to obey Guy's command as though it was the right thing to do. It was extremely unsettling and irksome. To feel helpless and weak was never a pleasant experience.
As Al pondered over the earlier events, a series of audible knocks interrupted his contemplation. Al frowned and extended his senses outwards, only to choke on his saliva upon realising who the guest was.
"*cough* Please come in!" Al exclaimed in a high-pitched voice.
The door at the tent's entrance swung open slowly and an elderly man limped in, with a walking stick leading the charge.
"It's been a while," Krish commented as he sat down near Al's initial seat. "Stop standing like a stooge. Sit!"
Al nodded vigorously and sat down on his knees in front of Krish.
"Friend," Krish sighed in defeat. "Can you please act comfortably? You're making it harder for me to hold a conversation."
Al nodded again and sat down in a tense cross-legged pose.
"H-How can I help, Mage Nara?" Al inquired cautiously.
"I'm here to talk about Guy's ability," Krish emphasised. "I saw what happened earlier. It was surprising. How did it go for you?"
Al frowned while recollecting the feeling of being played like a puppet, "I don't know how to describe it. I've never experienced anything like it before. My mind kept telling me that the only words I could say are 'meow' or 'hiss' or a 'purr' which I could not produce with my vocal cords. And for a few seconds, I believed it. I don't quite understand why though?"
Krish shook his head and tapped at Al's chest with his index finger, "It's because you're weak here!"
"My heart?"
"Your soul," Krish corrected. "I count two times prior, this being your third, suffering under an attack directed at your soul. Yet, even with all of your intelligence, you are unable to deduce the cause of your weakness? I thought you were supposed to be perceptive."
"My soul?" Al repeated in shock. "Are you implying that Guy's ability attack the soul? If so, then it's beyond powerful. It's unstoppable! No one in his realm bothers to cultivate their spirituality. It does make sense though - most of the benefits he derived from his inheritance revolve around the soul."
"Seriously, you need to get started on it right about now. Haven't you suffered enough?" Krish pointed out.
Al revealed a bitter smile and confessed, "It's difficult for me. I have many demons lurking within my heart that are waiting to swallow me whole."
"Is it to do with your Student?" Krish shot back and received a sorrowful nod from Al.
"Your destinies are tied together," Krish said while shaking his head thoughtfully. "It is unfortunate that I cannot untangle that web without incurring a massive debt with the universe. You see, while he is a monster birthed by your negligence, you won't be the one to slay him."
"You're saying that the boy will face retribution, correct?!" Al uttered in agitation.
"Depends on what you define retribution to be," Krish rebutted. "You must realise that he has nothing left to lose. Everything he held dear was taken from him. One after another, this world took and took, until what remained was a dry husk of a man in a state of arrested development. His heart had turned cold, and what he needed was someone to give him warmth. That was something you failed to do."
"I pushed him too hard," Al agreed. "I was selfish and indulgent. I knew there was a darkness lurking in his eyes. He had a grudge with the world, and in my fervour to cultivate a prodigy, I failed to soothe it."
"Although I cannot tell you if you will overcome that hurdle and break free of the shackles holding you in your current realm. I urge you to practice cultivating your spirituality. You will face more dangers of this nature in the future, and it would be a shame if you suffer a fatal injury due to your carelessness," Krish cautioned.
"May I ask why Mage Nara is so thoughtful of me all of a sudden?" Al responded with vigilance.
"If Guy ever has any problems, he will approach you first," Krish answered. "He is more open with you and treats you with respect due to your vast knowledge. He cannot approach me even though I have more experience because there are situations where my lips are bound by fate. Oftentimes, I know the answer the lad is seeking but I cannot divulge it lest it affects the preset sequence of events."
"I am a little intrigued, though. Do you think Guy's Sect will proliferate?" Al asked.
"As I said, the Sect will push this world to heights you have never seen before!" Krish responded enthusiastically.
"But I still don't see Guy acting the way you predicted. Would he really be able to do all those... unpleasant things?" Al questioned, voicing his uncertainty.
"If you're asking me if he's capable," Krish said with a dubious tone. "I'd like you to remember what it felt like to completely lose control of your body. To be forced to accept a reality that contradicted your personal beliefs. Now, amplify that to encompass a large crowd - maybe even the population of an entire city?"
The more Krish talked, the more drenched Al's back became. If Guy made a wrong turn and his personality changed for the worse, he could wreak havoc beyond comprehension. Not even Ziva could compare to the potential carnage Guy could leave in his wake, if his hands were forced. He could, quite literally, convince people to fight each other by just saying a few words.
"At this point, you will try to convince yourself that Guy isn't that kind of person. Your interaction with him till now would support that claim. However, a seed has been planted in his heart. A very powerful and destructive seed of revenge. Anger and hatred have sprouted in his tranquil soul and it will barrel out of control," Krish added.
"Revenge? Against whom?"
"Someone you know," Krish answered with an ominous smirk. "There is no benefit in knowing their identity. Not now anyways - it will be revealed in due time. Suffice to say that they will die a very painful death in Guy's hands."
"I... don't believe it," Al muttered.
"You must have heard of erumpents?"
"Do you mean the single-horned, herbivorous beast endemic to the Boreas Plains?" Al clarified.
"That's right. Did you know that they are known to be one of the calmest and friendliest creatures in the world?"
"I do remember hearing that."
"There is nothing beneficial gained from killing erumpents. Their meat is inedible due to its high acidity and toughness. On the other hand, there is everything to gain from having them alive. Their hair can be used to make clothes. They shed their horns at the end of every mating season which can be used to make weapons. Their milk is nutritious and lasts for many months before spoiling. Heck, even the bull erumpent's semen has use as a... performance enhancer."
"I do know this," Al affirmed.
"Then you must know that humans don't attack these beasts, not because there is no benefit from doing so, but because of what these erumpents do when they face uncalled aggression? Erumpents are known to gore their aggressors with their horns and eviscerate them alive. An erumpent is naturally learned in healing magic. They will constantly heal their victims as they work on them. And once the victim can no longer hold on and dies, they impale their bodies through the anus and carry the carcass on their horns until the body starts to decay, at which point they dispose of it. All of this just to send a message to future aggressors of what fate they will suffer if they attempt doing something so idiotic."
"Why are you telling me all this?"
Krish stared meaningfully at Al until the message clicked in his mind. Al's mouth widened in shock.
"You don't mean-"
"Erumpents are herbivorous. They don't revel in uncalled murder. But they will do it if they have to all the while being mindful of their limits - they know how to not lose themselves to anger. But humans aren't born with such inhibitors," Krish highlighted.
"That is to say, erumpents behave this way for a reason. However, they know when to stop. Humans, when walking down such a destructive path, can often lack the self-control to stop. Guy exudes an aura of a centred and mature person, however, there will come a time when he will lose all reason. At that moment, just like an erumpent, he will have the potential to unleash hell at an unprecedented scale," Krish added. "When Guy reaches the precipice - the edge of the cliff beyond which he will lose all sense of right and wrong - someone must stop him. And that someone will be you. Guy's future is in flux and I'm finding it difficult to narrow the exact sequence. Therefore, I need someone to keep an eye on him. I can only do so with limited capacity. Which leaves only you."
"What do you need me to do?"
"You have experience with one mage gone astray. Catch Guy before he trudges the same path. To that end, I must once again remind you to practice cultivating your spirituality. If you even have to go toe-to-toe with Guy, I fear you will fail miserably," Krish advised. Once he was finished, he stood up and said, "That is all I have to say for today. Don't ask me any more questions, I cannot answer them," and left.
Al hummed by himself while contemplating Krish's warning. The conversation was disconcerting and brought up a long of unpleasant points that, unfortunately, were of great concern.
"Nonetheless, Mage Nara is right. I cannot let another mage with promise lose themselves to their inner demons. Although I cannot stop Guy from seeking whatever revenge he is after, I can do everything within my power to stop him from sacrificing his humanity in its pursuit. That is something I must do at all costs!" He promised to himself with a firm expression.
