Chapter 80
Even though he had no idea what existed within the first level, Error, he intended to find out while gathering information about advancing to the second level of Prisoner.
'If I think back to what Zuhen said earlier, someone who has actually reached level two of the ability I possess can summon ten demonic horses from another realm? Yeah, that sounds impossible, but judging by how this world works, maybe I don't need to question it anymore.'
Zavi looked at them sitting on the terrace of an empty house.
Meanwhile, Aaron returned to his previous spot, leaning his body against the iron gate in front of the house where he sat.
Three other Prisoner abilities at its first level, Error.
First, Binding, with no fixed duration, and the stronger the user, the longer the binding lasts.
Second, Erroring Summoner, capable of summoning supernatural entities such as evil spirits and certain ghosts, turning them into temporary subordinates while the user remains within their territory.
Third, Terror, capable of creating replicas that can be easily destroyed and will cause a fairly large explosion by sacrificing nearly all of the user's spiritual energy. It could be said that this stands one level above the basic Prisoner ability.
In truth, Zavi hadn't even realized he had used other abilities at the first level. He got the idea after fighting Aaron that day and realized his abilities had many gaps that needed to be covered; even the smallest mistake could lead to death in the middle of battle.
And among the fifteen supernatural abilities, each belonged to its own type. For example, Prefence and Prisoner belonged to the same type, Suppression, while Exorcist fell under the Manifestation type.
There was no absolute peak among types and abilities, because among the four existing types, each had its own counter.
Meanwhile, each of them busied themselves with their own matters without paying attention to the others. Several tens of minutes passed, until the clock showed ten minutes past one in the morning.
The atmosphere, which had felt tense just moments ago, faded as the three of them saw Zuhen move away to smoke, not wanting to disturb them. Expecting others to share the same habit seemed like a foolish idea, and he hadn't thought about it until this crucial moment.
However, when the three of them saw Zuhen lighting his cigarette with a lighter and leaning beneath a streetlamp, they exchanged glances and eventually moved closer to him, though not as close as he stood.
'Looks like he's starting to respect others,' Felina thought as she sat gracefully on the edge of the cobblestone sidewalk a few meters away from Zuhen.
From across the street, Aaron approached with steady steps, speaking in his usual indifferent tone,
"It's about to begin. Get ready."
"Yeah, twenty minutes left," Zavi replied while raising his pocket watch toward his face.
Aaron let out a short breath, his gaze shifting toward Zuhen, who looked gloomy as he smoked, as if something weighed heavily on his mind.
'It seems he's wary of me when I'm around him. That's only natural, considering what I've done before, but staying with all of them benefits me from those who are chasing me. Besides, the three of us are fugitives, even though the man named Zuhen Mudelk has a higher bounty than the two of us.'
Aaron finished his thoughts as he stood motionless beneath the glow of a gas streetlamp.
At last, Zuhen finished his cigarette, and the turmoil that had been stirring in his mind gradually settled, calm as if he were sheltering from rain in a quiet village hut far from the city.
He crushed the cigarette butt under the tip of his brown boot, raised his hand, and spoke in his hoarse voice:
"May I begin?"
Seeing the three of them nod indifferently, Zuhen took a deep breath before continuing in a restrained voice;
"If we follow Aaron's plan, Felina and I will plant multiple interconnected triggers, and that will require a considerable amount of absorbed spiritual energy. Aaron will set it off. And Actitus will handle two roles at once, diversion and bait."
"This time, it looks like you've been taken advantage of by Aaron. I didn't expect this to happen to you," Felina said with blunt mockery.
Zavi only sighed upon hearing that. He knew how much Felina disliked him, but he wasn't foolish enough to take on two roles at once, even though he knew he would end up doing it anyway, and he was aware that his plan wouldn't go as smoothly in execution.
But to fulfill the requirement before advancing to level two, he had to do something crucial, he had to fully carry this out, which was to make an unintentional mistake that would nearly cost him his life without even realizing it.
The condition was simple, but if done intentionally, he had no idea what would happen to him before he figured out how to advance his Prisoner ability to the second level.
And Zavi had done something similar before, back in Hava District.
"Don't think too much about it," Zavi said calmly, "I'll do it, and this can also help the three of you resolve the burdens you've been carrying until now."
Aaron's hands trembled violently, his pupils shrinking as he heard that statement. He didn't know whether the agreement he had made with Zavi when he told him to join him in this search would truly come to pass.
"I... I'll be waiting for it." Aaron said, his expression almost showing happiness.
"But before that, where's the talisman I asked for earlier?" Zavi said, a slight frown forming on his face.
"I haven't had the chance to make it yet," Aaron replied, unaware of his own mistake.
Zavi let out a breath, hiding his disappointment.
"Pathetic, not what I expected." He paused briefly, then continued, "So how long will it take you to make it?" he asked, hopeful.
"Thirty minutes. If I'm unlucky, maybe around an hour," Aaron answered, raising both hands with a slight shrug.
"Isn't there any way to speed it up?"
Zavi hoped that what he had in mind might be possible.
"No, and..."
Before Aaron could finish, Zuhen calmly interrupted, "If you want, I'll give you a level 5 fear manipulation incantation."
Zavi fell silent for a moment before immediately asking, curiosity stirring within him.
"An incantation? Is it easy to recite?"
Zuhen nodded lightly.
"Use any language you want, but make sure to read it to the end. If you don't, the activation won't proceed smoothly, and instead, it might turn on you. And one more thing, it's only a single verse."
'Will that even be useful?' Zavi thought, doubtful.
"Alright, I'll take it." Zavi finally decided to accept the level 5 fear manipulation incantation as a precaution.
Zuhen stepped toward him with steady strides, slipping his hand into the left pocket of his coat and pulling out a thick, rough piece of paper before handing it to Zavi.
The moment Zavi held the paper with the tips of his fingers, a cold sensation quickly seeped into his nails, spreading upward.
His body froze for a moment, his mind stopped functioning, and without realizing it, his hand trembled violently for several seconds before he snapped out of what felt like a nightmare.
'What was that just now? It felt like I relived the very first second I entered this body, and every strange and terrifying day that followed, all compressed into mere seconds? That's insane.'
He was stunned, realizing just how important this incantation might be, something that could help him in a critical moment when he was cornered.
Finally, he gripped the paper firmly, then swiftly slipped it into the right pocket of his coat alongside his small knife.
Zuhen pressed down on his round hat as he noticed Zavi's reaction, even though he had no idea what he had seen. Still, he chose not to ask and remained silent, believing it was the best course of action.
Meanwhile, Felina and Aaron remained unaware of it, standing still as they observed the two.
"What time is it now?" Felina asked, just to be sure.
A faint vibration ran through Zavi's hand as he took out his pocket watch and opened it slightly, lowering his gaze to check the hands.
"Twenty past one," Zavi replied as he slipped the watch back.
"Ten minutes left." Aaron nodded while touching his chin. "Then I'll get going first."
He turned after saying that, each of his steps carrying a depth and weight that seemed to sink into the ground.
'I don't know if this will work as easily as it sounds, and I don't know how strong the group they're after really is,' Aaron thought, filled with doubt.
He clicked his tongue, trying to dispel the tension in his mind.
Meanwhile, Zavi had already moved, separating from the others, heading east back toward Syrp Street No. 2 to carry out the diversion and bait on the main road.
Dozens of minutes passed quickly as he reached the boundary and continued moving toward a spot he believed would draw the attention of those still there, including the group he was searching for, even if it meant reaching the very edge of everything.
As he ran, he avoided the main road frequently used by others, choosing instead narrow branching alleys cloaked in darkness that would benefit his movement.
At last, he arrived, standing at the corner of a narrow, dark alley, from where he could see the houses and the people passing by.
'I'll be a little more ruthless this time,' he thought, a sharp grin curling across his face.