My Devourer System: Rise of the Bastard Son

They traveled the whole day after that. Buckmount had incredible stamina and even seemed restless to keep going when they stopped.

Lucen lay on the grass some distance from the camp, watching the stars pass over them. This world was strange but beautiful sometimes.

The dull body of the Halo was silvery at night, and a sprawling constellation of stars spread over the dark sky.

Lucen rested against the soft grass, the chilly wind of the night ruffled his hair and made him shiver. His comfortable linen clothes were a bit light for this.

Voices cut through the silence—the Squires excitedly recounting the first day of their journey, doing their best to ignore the fact that they had to fight a Fiend already.

Lucen felt terribly tired, and it was made worse by the fact he had a night shift for watch today.

The events of the day left him tired to his bones. The Red Snappers, Kibara and Aya, and his strange dreams.

He was feeling lost again, like things were about to go horribly wrong.

Dreams. Lucen had heard the Void could send dreams to anyone too close. The Grey Keep was shielded from its influence, but Lucen wondered if it was the Void tormenting him.

Maybe it had put a seed in his mind. A long dream that would eventually break down his spirit and take his body.

"Hahh, everyone seems to be after me."

If he knew there would be this much trouble, then he would have run the first day he could walk.

But would people like Lost Wind know that he had escaped?

Maybe fate was like a rubber harness. The farther you tried pulling away from it, the harder it snapped when you let go.

"Windy. I wonder if she's still alive."

The things Kedral said about killing seers made him worried. Did he know that Lost Wind had been helping him?

He could imagine the cheerful man asking the boring seer for help and killing her when she was annoying.

But he doubted it.

Kedral was strong. There was no denying that, but Lucen wasn't sure what rank he was.

Lost Wind was a Sage. Someone who was told that they couldn't advance because the people above did not approve. But she pushed ahead despite that opposition.

Lucen wasn't sure what spot Sages even were on the totem pole. But someone who made it by themselves was infinitely stronger than a dog blessed by their masters.

"These people, every single one of these fools, are slaves." Lucen muttered, growing a bit irritated.

"They let someone else control every aspect of their lives. What name you give your child, what time you choose to marry, what things you're allowed to know."

Lucen couldn't understand such a life. He had never been independent in his past life—his parents even coddled him too much, to be fair.

But he always wanted to be free of them. To live his own life and make his own choices.

He thought of Liam, of Aya, and even Kibara. He certainly had an effect here. He pushed them to make their own choices.

Lucen sat up and turned to the camp they built around a huge fire.

Garin was lifting a giant stone rod with a huge strip of seasoned Red Snapper meat on it. The sweet smell wafted over their camp on the roadside. Lot was beside him, speaking in a low voice.

Servants shuffled between Set and the others, serving them food quickly. Duran was telling a story, capturing the attention of all the Squires.

Kibara was also there listening, Helie beside her, both sitting on tree logs that they had cut up. They whispered to each other, occasionally saying something back at Duran.

Duran finished his story and walked over to her. Lucen wondered if he should feel anything at the sight of them talking.

But his mind was overrun with more important things. Why bother with what other people were doing?

He had one foot in the grave everytime he started walking.

Set stood up and started walking towards him. Lucen resisted the urge to crawl into the bush.

Set climbed the little incline in the earth and sat with him. Set glanced at him twice, silence lingered, until he said, "Divine magic?"

"Got a minor channeling technique and a spell from Kedral," Lucen explained. "I've been building up stores of Divine mana slowly."

"He made you swear to not give it out, right?"

Lucen's forehead wrinkled. Kedral actually never made him swear an oath not to teach anyone the channeling technique. Maybe it was just something your mind couldn't comprehend if you weren't permitted to.

"Yes," Lucen lied.

Set nodded, staring into the night sky somberly. "Have you ever seen anything quite like this at the Keep?"

The glittering stars and colors of the cosmos above them, the clean, fresh air. You couldn't get that on Earth unless you strayed far from the cities.

But that didn't really matter. Why was Set still here?

The quiet between them ran on. Lucen kept his gaze on the bonfire but still felt awkward this close to another person.

He had grown a lot since his rebirth, especially when he was forced to be a baby for six years.

Lucen wasn't as scared of people as he once was.

"Set, what are you waiting for?"

"Courage. Maybe enlightenment."

Both things you could find in yourself if you looked hard enough.

"What you want to say can't be that scary? "

Set rubbed his cold hand together.

"What am I supposed to do with you? You flaunt everything I believe in, but you're still undoubtedly blessed."

"No such thing as a blessing."

Blessings were done out of pure kindness, requiring nothing in return. The blessings Set was talking about came with expectations, both by man and god.

Set scoffed. "If you can't see what Kal is preparing for you, then you might be blind. Or scared."

Eyes still locked on the red flames, Lucen shrugged. He let the silence take its course. Set would have to leave eventually.

Set rose to his feet, staring at Lucen. "Even if you don't think so, I believe you've been blessed, and I pray you'll do nothing to waste it."

Lucen watched him go, then shrunk deeper into himself.