Chapter 248
How many?
Minutes later, IAM and Yohan were once more jogging next to each other, their pace steady as they moved through the forest, but Yohan had a blank expression on his face, as if he was still stuck in a state of shock and disbelief, his mind clearly not catching up to what he had just experienced.
Whatever concept that she had… it was unbelievably potent, far beyond anything they had encountered so far, to the point that if one didn't actively think of her name or her existence for more than a minute… they would completely forget about her.
This had already been shown when Natsuki suddenly paused mid-run, her steps slowing as she looked around with a slight frown, confusion settling onto her face as she stared at the boys. "I have forgotten something." she spoke plainly, as if stating a simple fact.
IAM slowed down as well, glancing behind him briefly before answering without hesitation, "it is Lethe… she is beside you."
A faint crease appeared on her brow before it smoothed out almost instantly, as if something had clicked back into place. She glanced next to her, her eyes landing on Lethe as recognition slowly returned, faint but present, as she could now remember that a girl was running beside her.
She spoke again, her tone measured. "how do you remain unaffected?"
IAM didn't answer immediately, his gaze shifting forward again as if he was thinking about how to respond before he finally said, "I am affected…" he trailed off, leaving their curiosity without any explanation.
Natsuki turned to the girl, her decision immediate and practical. "hold my hand, so I don't forget as often." To remember Lethe, one had to constantly be thinking about her or staring at her with intense focus, otherwise she would slip away from their awareness as if she had never been there to begin with.
Yohan and Natsuki both had questions—far too many—but neither of them voiced them. They wanted to ask why she was constantly using her path method to cause this effect, but it wasn't the time. Not only could it be sensitive information, but like IAM had said, they had a trial to complete.
After they began jogging once more, their formation slightly tighter now, every once in a while they would encounter spawnlings, with three mid spawnlings actually appearing during their path.
But it was safe to say that with Yohan and Natsuki present, they were dealt with using only a small amount of effort, their coordination smooth as they cut through them and continued moving without slowing down too much.
They soon arrived near a particularly battle-damaged area, the surroundings showing clear signs of recent conflict, and not too far away, they spotted two other students resting next to each other, their bodies slightly worn from whatever they had faced.
They noticed each other at around the same time.
…
Several minutes later, they had joined the group after Yohan took the role of explaining IAM's theory, his words coming out more naturally and convincingly as he was actively using his avien.
The two were actually twins, both descendants of the Giant, and they looked very similar at a glance. Their hair was braided, but each of them had a tuft left out that formed a mohawk, giving them a slightly distinct appearance despite their similarities.
They were called Zayn and Zayna. The sister carried a sword, while the brother held a shield, their roles clear just from a glance. They were both easy-going in nature and didn't seem too opposed to joining the group, accepting the situation without much resistance.
Zayna was currently speaking, her tone casual but curious. "so what's up with you? why are you not using your avien?"
It was the same question that IAM was honestly getting sick and tired of hearing.
Zayn spoke right after, his voice more thoughtful. "is it to do with your concept?"
Indeed.
This was the other conclusion one might come up with. In order to understand more about their concept or path, some might actively practice its ideals, shaping their actions around it in an attempt to deepen their comprehension.
For example, someone from the justice path might focus on becoming a judge, placing themselves in situations where they constantly had to weigh right and wrong just to stimulate their understanding.
Or someone from the war path might engage in violent battles often, throwing themselves into conflict again and again. This, and many other approaches, were ways ascenders attempted to embody their path to gain more understanding—and it did produce significant results.
So one might assume that not using one's avien for no particular reason could be part of them attempting to follow their concept.
This was another possibility that held a lot of people who were suspicious of IAM back, as ascenders didn't share their secrets so easily with each other, and sometimes what looked like madness to another might simply be something completely natural to them.
IAM said, "yes… you are right." He lied easily, as Zayn seemed satisfied with the answer, accepting it without further doubt as they continued asking questions. They were more outspoken than the rest that was here, as Natsuki naturally carried an intimidating presence, Yohan was quiet unless spoken to, IAM himself rarely spoke, and it was unknown if they even realised that another girl was there.
Just like that, two more hours passed, the group steadily growing until there were now fourteen people moving together. The power of a crowd was undeniable, just as IAM had predicted—the more people that seemed to follow something, the more others would naturally fall in line, even among geniuses.
Of course, there were a few they met who remained doubtful and chose to go their own way.
It didn't matter.
As long as they didn't interfere with IAM's group.
At this point, this group was beginning to work better together as they started taking down spawnlings alongside each other, their movements becoming more coordinated as their understanding of one another deepened, and with that, their teamwork naturally improved.
The others were also exposed to the anomalies that were Natsuki and Yohan, often finding their gazes drifting towards them, looking at them with a mix of emotions—envy, fear, respect, and curiosity—as their abilities and composure stood out far too clearly compared to the rest.
It was also because of this that even though IAM received a few looks from the others, as he wasn't engaging in any battles and instead stood back, calmly ordering them around, they didn't cause too much trouble. Seeing Natsuki and Yohan heed his words without question was more than enough to keep any complaints buried.
They were now resting together as a group, the tension easing slightly as chatter and laughter began to fill the space, small conversations forming here and there as people tried to relax.
"what do you use to get your hair so nice? It's so pretty!" a few girls asked as they attempted to get closer with Natsuki, who was sitting slightly apart from the main group, her presence naturally creating distance.
"water."
"oh… wow… that's… that's nice…" the response threw them off slightly, their enthusiasm faltering for a moment.
"what make up do you use? I use that new foundation from hi-glow, it's pretty expensive." another girl spoke, a faint sneer slipping through as jealousy lingered subtly in her eyes.
"my face." Natsuki replied plainly, her expression unchanged, her tone flat as she was like a dam, causing a few of the girls' expressions to turn sour.
"oh come on! you need to loosen up and smile more, you are going to waste that pretty face if you keep acting… so… so… what's the word?"
"intimidating?" another girl added.
"exactly! You are going to scare away all the boys if you keep that up!"
Jokes and words were thrown around, some lighthearted, others carrying faint traces of something more, but Natsuki seemed completely unaffected and unbothered, even as some of the girls hid snarky remarks beneath their smiles.
The boys, who were indeed too scared to approach, could only look on from a distance, their eyes lingering on her figure as one of them leaned in and whispered, his voice low as if afraid of being heard, "girls are kind of scary…"
Some nodded in quiet agreement, their expressions uneasy yet captivated, as IAM and Yohan sat next to each other a short distance away, separated slightly from the noise. IAM stared into the growing darkness as night began to approach, his gaze fixed ahead as if he could already see what lurked within it—hidden, waiting, terrifying creatures concealed by the lack of light.
He spoke to Yohan, "there's no new flags. Everyone we have met so far haven't found one."
"and we haven't found the others yet… I wonder how they're doing…" Yohan added, his voice softer now, a hint of concern slipping through.
"you mean Zara?"
"w-what—no! I'm obviously talking about Reuel and Henry." His face turned slightly red as he scratched his head.