As the lake reflected the rays of sun like a mirror, Asher squinted his silver eyes.

  The reflection, while bright, was only half clear; the other half was muddy. Asher couldn’t tell if the lake had been polluted or if it was something else.

  Maybe it was just sand; then it was alright, Asher could simply filter it. But if it was anything even remotely similar to the sealed swamp of Kalista, then Asher's only choice left would be to leave.

  Asher pursed his lips.

  This was troublesome in several ways. While he had never expected to get things easily done to begin with, reality still seems to slap him hard on the face. Asher's eyes darted around, counting the abominations crawling around the lake like bugs scattered around fallen food.

  Asher looked at the place for a little longer, finding his situation incredibly amusing yet inexplicably futile.

  Really, he had just recently escaped from the joint grasp of a creature of dreams and a creature who cast illusions like a tale.

  They both were a terrible match for Asher, who had a will that was like an unmovable shield protecting his mind.

  But that was only the case when they came at him individually. When together, it was a different story altogether.

  While Asher was not arrogant enough to say he could have thwarted the illusions of the avenger, he could have resisted at the very least. He had done the same with the Plague, Sion, after all. Even if she had held back, he had fought the caster of a mind domain.

  The Acosador made him tired; its laughter gave him a sense of unease so at the critical moment it didn’t laugh, leading to his mind falling into slumber. Even then Asher was aware that a creature of dream would be dangerous; he had tried to always stay alert. But he wasn’t sure why he couldn’t at that time.

  The synergy then displayed by the illusory avenger and the Acosador together forged a tale that blinded him.

  The poison, the sweetest thing he had ever tasted in this place… That's what they gave to Asher.

  They gave him hope.

  They gave him a moment of repose.

  Asher finally closed his eyes and took several steps back till he slid off the dune.

  One part of his mind, a single thread, continued to live in nostalgia. If it could even be called that. While the other thread from the yarn, his mind, continued to devise a plan and looked at his situation.

  Asher knew he could have let both threads of his thought work together, but he for a moment, wanted to reflect.

  Reflect on his carelessness.

  Reflect that even if he was tired and his mind rattled to the brink of collapse, he could not let his guard down.

  As his thoughts started to settle for a moment, Asher started to walk away.

  The spirit looked at him in confusion.

  It left a trail of darkness behind as it moved closer to his head. Asher looked at it in surprise as it suddenly rested its body over his head, hiding inside his cloak.

  His lips started to twitch as he controlled the urge to throw the spirit of shadow off his head.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Suddenly the air around him hummed, then the spirit spoke, this time its voice coming off much softer, though still painful to the ears.

  “N-ot goi-ng?”

  Asher frowned and shook his head, making the spirit cling to his cloak harder.

  “No, I won’t be going there. It's too dangerous.”

  Asher said evenly.

  Then he felt his hair tangle, a small tug happening on his head.

  “What?”

  With a shivering voice the spirit continued to speak.

  “Th-en wate-r?”

  “I will get it, one way or another.”

  “H-ow?”

  “Patience, little one. Patience is the key. And let me tell you, I am a very patient person.”

  The spirit of shadow gave Asher a dubious look, as if not trusting his words.

  Asher grinned and chose to ignore the spirit for now.

  He had many things to do.

  One was to decide on his next course of action.

  There were a myriad of creatures surrounding the lake. Some were small, while others were tall enough to dwarf them. Some looked weak but seemed to move together in a pack.

  “Why do they even need to stay near water bodies? I mean, they can just drink of their prey. Sigh, it wouldn’t be a surprise if an Avenger rank was also wandering there.”

  As he spoke, he went far away from the lake. The path this time was much clearer; even the enormous trench he had seen before was nowhere to be seen. Asher didn’t go too far; he still needed to scout the place. Even the thirst going down his throat felt weak compared to the determination he had found just now.

  The spirit watched with interest as Asher found a place to rest.

  He leaned his head on a rocky stone, his cloak falling around like water. The spirit then came out of his cloak, and the shadows stretched. They came far till they covered Asher's body from above, making the lights go dim to his surprise.

  Asher's eyes widened briefly before returning to normal. His lips curled up as he was finally under shade.

  “Thanks, but are you not wasting your essence? I know it’s not easy for spirits to recover their origin pool.”

  Asher said with a curious look.

  “It’s… Ok-ay.”

  The spirit said meekly, as its word got better and better as time passed.

  Asher remained silent.

  This guy is getting better at speaking too fast!

  Asher drew a cold breath, hiding his surprise.

  The spirit of shadow, unaware of his inner turmoil, continued to speak with an even voice.

  “Esse-nce is abu-n-dant h-ere.”

  ‘The essence of shadow is abundant here?’

  Asher's nose prickled up as he couldn't grasp the spirit's words. No, maybe he could, but understanding and feeling it firsthand were different sensations.

  ‘Whatever, I will know when I reach next rank.’

  Asher sighed.

  “Well, suit yourself. It’s not like I can give you essence. Even then, it’s not like you would take any from me.”

  Asher joked, his mind meanwhile continued jumping from one thought to another.

  He kept his eyes closed and senses open.

  If he continued like this, life would surely reach a dead end one way or another.

  Too many dreadful creatures were roaming these lands. Each more horrific than the last. While he had managed to run away from some Avengers and even survived direct confrontation, all of them were just him getting lucky.

  There was no next time.

  And in case he were to meet a calamity—death was the only possible ending he could reach.

  And he surely doesn’t want that!

  Just like falling sand, time was slipping out of his hand.

  The spirit stayed coiled like a crowbar against the rocks, its shadow blanket thickening as Asher's breaths deepened. He didn’t sleep—sleep was suicide here—but he let his thoughts drift like sediment settling in murky water. The lake shimmered in his mind’s eye, half pure, half polluted. Sand? Possible. Kalista’s swamp? Worse. Either way, brute force wouldn’t work. Those clustered abominations weren't just guards; they were a breathing minefield. One wrong step would shred him faster than a calamity's whispers.

  He needed to be patient—wait for the right moment.

  The time when the crowd would thin, when gaps would finally appear among the shifting figures around the lake. He knew the creatures that guarded it wouldn’t simply leave; this was their domain, their claimed territory. Expecting otherwise was foolish.

  But if he waited long enough—if he endured just a little more—he could at least find a sliver of calm, a breath of space to move without being torn apart.

  However, all of this was just a way to escape the biggest issue at hand.

  To solve all the problems, he only needed more strength.

  Asher needs to grow stronger.

  But how?

  He could feel himself hitting a wall.

  Even the threads of thought, he could not pull anymore from the yarn. He knew that; it was instinctive after all. His mind had sent a warning that anything more would be something hard to achieve, if not impossible.

  Even his abilities, both [Static] and [Kairosflow], have gone as far as he could take them.

  Thats why he needed to reach far… To survive.

  “Wut? Ar-e you thin-ki-ng?”

  The spirit of shadow shook beside him gently. Its voice… while not pleasant, wasn’t as disturbing as before.

  Asher opened his eyes and gazed at it for a moment before speaking with a small laugh.

  “Preparations… on how to become a monster to kill other monsters.”