NOVEL NEXT Chapter 387: Return Of The Blurred
When the figures emerged from the veil of pine trees ahead, they remained just outside the reach of Death's aura.
Birds still chirped behind them, and grass bent gently beneath their feet instead of blackening.
The one at the front shimmered. Not like light on water, but more like heat over flame.
His features blurred with each step he took, never quite settling.
If Death stared too long, he saw a dozen different faces. Men and women. Old and young.
It was someone he knew.
A god walking among men.
The Blurred Man.
But it was the figure beside the Blurred Man that made Death take a half-step forward, head angling in quiet curiosity.
The man walked with a heavy gait, his boots soaked, leaving puddles on dry earth. His tattered cloak dripped with an endless stream of saltwater, though it wasn't raining.
His skin looked pale beneath his soaked hair, and one of his eyes, just one, glowed a sickly, rippling gold like oil slicking over a still lake.
Death said nothing.
The Blurred Man smiled. "It's been a long time, Tom."
The name struck like a stone against glass.
Tom.
No one had called him that since before the mountain range. Since before the aura. Before death followed in his wake.
"I don't go by that name anymore," he said calmly, his voice low and dry like old wind over tombstones.
"Of course not," the god said lightly, his face shifting as he spoke. "But I thought it was fitting. Nostalgia's a nice touch, isn't it?"
"What are you doing here?" Death asked. "You never come here."
The Blurred Man shrugged, his gaze never staying still. "There are things worth breaking habits for."
He stepped forward just a little. The air between them shimmered, but still, he did not enter the aura. "You still feel it, don't you? The itch. Even now."
Death didn't answer, but his eye twitched.
The Blurred Man continued. "The Primordial Flame. A spark of the powerful force that created this reality, buried beneath layers of dirt, stone, politics, and power. And because of the interference of what you would call a god, you feel it like an itch under the skin. A splinter in the soul."
Death's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.
"I can tell you where it is," the Blurred Man said, almost singing the words. "And I can tell you what to do to get it. To make that itch go away forever."
Death was quiet for a long moment, his thoughts a distant rumble. "You want something."
"Of course I do," the Blurred Man chuckled. "But what I want and what you want happen to align. Isn't that nice?"
"What do you want me to do?" Death asked.
The Blurred Man stopped smiling.
"I want you to go to the 27th Peak, and take the mountain apart. Stone by stone. Layer by layer. Burn down the fortress of Carthage. Reduce its people to bones and ash. Because only then will you reach the Flame."
Death didn't flinch. He wasn't surprised. He was many things, cold, cruel, lost, but not naive.
The Blurred Man always moved in concentric spirals, dragging the world inward with every move he made.
"Fine," Death said.
The Blurred Man raised an eyebrow. "No resistance? No questions?"
"I don't care what your game is," Death said. "I only care about the Flame."
The Blurred Man smiled again, broader this time. "Then you'll need help."
He gestured to the man beside him, the man with the dripping cloak and that awful golden eye.
"This is Tam," the god said. "You, Tom, will be working with Tam. Isn't that delightful? Tom and Tam."
Death's eyes flicked to the man. He had just a hint of that same... presence that Death had come to attribute to gods.
Tam said nothing. His eye just gleamed, and water dripped from his fingertips into the dirt, hissing faintly as if even it rejected him.
The Blurred Man leaned closer, his whisper somehow heard through the quiet of the pine forest.
"He's a weapon. A key. When the time comes, he'll destroy the biggest obstacle between you and your Flame."
Death looked at Tam.
Tam looked back.
And though Death had walked beside annihilation itself, something about the man made even his aura hesitate.
"Try not to lose him," the Blurred Man added, already vanishing into the trees. "The mountain's going to burn, Tom. I'll be watching."
Then he was gone.
And Death… was no longer alone.
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The scent of sizzling meat and warm bread filled the inn's dining room as Ren, Thorn, and Lilith dug into their breakfast.
The room was quiet now, the tension from the night before nothing but a memory.
Thorn let out a low, satisfied groan as he tore into another piece of spiced sausage.
"You know," he said between bites, "I think this might be the best thing I've eaten since we got to Carthage. No offense, Lilith."
Lilith glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "None taken. My cooking is mostly for survival. This actually tastes like… joy."
Thorn nodded enthusiastically, mouth full. "Tell the innkeeper I said he's got the hands of a saint and the skills of a god."
"Aren't that the same thing?" Lilith frowned. "Doesn't having the skills of a god means they also have the hands of a saint."
"I can tell you're not a great fan of food." Thorn sighed theatrically, acting disappointed.
Ren chuckled quietly as he sipped his tea. "I'm sure the innkeeper will appreciate your praise. He nearly cried when we knocked that knight into the floor yesterday."
Thorn snorted. "That guy needed it."
The table fell into a moment of peaceful silence as they continued eating. Then Ren leaned forward slightly, setting his cup down with a quiet clink. "We should talk about our next steps."
Lilith wiped her mouth and nodded. Thorn slowed his chewing.
Ren continued. "We've got the money. We've got our upgraded badges. Now it's time to start establishing a base of operations."
"Somewhere quiet, but central enough to move around quickly. Ideally, a place in a trade-heavy district with lots of merchant traffic."
Thorn raised a brow. "We going into business now?"
"In a way." Ren said. "Transportation. Deliveries. A courier service like none they've ever seen. We offer to transport goods to merchants, from their warehouses to their stores or clients. We'll charge less than the current services, and deliver faster than anyone else in the city."
Lilith's eyes sparkled with understanding. "Because of your teleportation coins."
Ren nodded. "Exactly. We start small. Seed the coins with business owners who agree to use our service. One store, then five, then twenty. When they realize their stock is being delivered across the city in minutes, they'll come to us."
"And once the coins are scattered in all the right places…" Thorn grinned slowly, setting his fork down. "We'll have a network that runs through Carthage."
Ren smiled faintly. "That's when we begin the real plan. With enough connections, we'll gain access to the higher districts, maybe even the restricted ones. The kind where the elders and their families live."
Lilith leaned back in her chair, folding her arms. "And the closer we get to the restricted layers, the closer we get to what we're here for."
Ren gave a small nod. "Exactly."
Thorn raised his cup. "Then let's eat up. We've got a business to build."