1165 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

In a shadowy forest, somewhere dark and secluded. A sizzling presence permeates the air, thick with tension. Ssszzz. As the sound of burning flesh and the stench of scorched skin fill the air. “Ptooey.” Spitting on the ground, I gave a gentle wave of my hand. As soon as the air shifted slightly, the foul odor dissipated. Raising a breeze, I looked ahead. “…….” The figure was already lifeless. Once a formidable pyromancer, now charred black and motionless. “Hmmm.” I glanced at him and gave a light stomp. Crack. With a slight pressure from my foot, the corpse crumbled away completely. “Was that too much?” It was my first attempt at torture since my powers had grown stronger. As expected, controlling it was not as easy as I'd hoped. “I suppose I need to practice.” I needed to relearn control. If I wasn’t careful, I might end up killing someone before they could speak, just like now. ‘Just like now.’ With a hint of regret, I narrowed my eyes. There was much to ask, yet he couldn’t hold up long enough. The pyromancer perished too soon. ‘Perhaps it would have been better to transform him into a demon.’ Yes, turning him into a demon to extract information could have been a better choice. Trying out torture had been a pointless endeavor. “Click.” I clicked my tongue, brushing off my hands. Still, not all was lost. ‘At least I learned why he was here.’ Pyromancer of the deadly Samaa Oje faction, known for his violent tendencies. He was, at least. ‘Because when I’m here, he’s already dead.’ Not even Samaa Oje is what it used to be. From what I know, the man known as Pyromancer… ‘Was reported to have been chased down and killed by the Martial Alliance in the battlefields.’ After violating the daughter of a famous merchant family. He hid in the warzones, only to be uncovered and executed by the Martial Alliance. A notoriously disgraceful death, widely known and despised. Yet here I was, directly encountering the anomaly. ‘It doesn’t seem like he was just here to hide.’ It wasn’t just about hiding in the front lines. ‘Were you here to retrieve something…? Could it be that you’re the contact…?’ The pyromancer came to acquire something. Though it was partly about hiding, his true goal seemed to be acquiring something here. ‘What could it be?’ What was he hoping to find? And also. ‘Where did he get that information?’ If he acted on intel, where did he hear it from? Something smells fishy here. ‘Something’s amiss.’ I sensed that there was more to this chain of events. ‘Plus, there’s a contact involved.’ The pyromancer was supposed to meet someone here. “Hmm.” I rolled my eyes, waving my hand slightly. Woosh—!!! Flames erupted, engulfing the corpses on the ground, the remnants of the pyromancer’s victims. Simultaneously, I perched on a nearby rock. ‘Then there’s only one thing left to do.’ Even if I didn’t know what it was, there was a contact due to arrive. With that realization, I knew what needed doing. ‘Should I wait?’ I decided to wait, even if only for a little while, and spend my time accordingly. * * * Sitting on the rock, time began to drift by. Not too long, less than half an hour perhaps. The night was still young, with the moon shining brightly. As boredom set in and I pondered leaving, a feeling nudged at the edge of my senses. ‘Hmm?’ Something tingled on the edge of my awareness. ‘Someone’s approaching.’ A human, not a monster. ‘Lucky me.’ They didn’t seem to be from the Alliance. Likely the contact the pyromancer mentioned. Now was the time. Buzz. I focused power in my heart. Then, Crack—!!! Bones creaked and shifted as my body transformed. Before long, my appearance morphed into that of the pyromancer. “Aaah—.” I checked my voice. It wasn’t perfect, but close enough. My physique too, though not entirely matching, was sufficient. ‘This should suffice.’ Imitating merely the appearance was enough. The voice, although not perfect, was similar enough to pass. As I waited for the adversary, “Are you the Pyromancer?” My enemy appeared. “Indeed.” Speaking, I scrutinized him. His face was hidden behind a mask. All I could discern was that he was a man. ‘If I focus my senses, I might be able to see beyond the mask.’ But using the art of gaseous translation made it difficult. The unfamiliar physique hindered deeper concentration. ‘Hmmm.’ I needed to extract more information. “Pleasure to meet someone as mighty as they say.” “It’s not uncommon to hear. Now, tell me, why did you seek me out?” “……Hmm?” His reaction was rather intriguing. Oh dear. This wasn’t what he foresaw. ‘Did he want to see me?’ A fleeting moment of contemplation passed. I missed the timing for a reply. Then, “You already know why.” Fortunately, it seemed he indeed came looking for me. “Though I know, I wished to hear it once more.” “……Diligent, as I’ve heard.” I managed to steer the conversation. Not readily displaying expressions due to the art of gaseous translation turned out in my favor. “The terms of the request remain unchanged.” Swish. The man produced a letter from within his robes. “……Escort me to the vault within the forest. In return, I'll grant you your freedom.” “…….” A vault? That caught my attention. ‘Is there a vault?’ I had never heard of a vault existing within the front lines. Does such a thing exist here? “Freedom…? What do you mean?” Before asking about the vault, I aimed to understand how he intended to entice the pyromancer. There lies no room for unnecessary doubts. “I’ll forge you a new identity, making it appear as though the pyromancer perished here. The Martial Alliance will claim your corpse, allegedly slain by monsters. During this, they’ll report to the main temple that they vanquished the pyromancer.” "……." “Afterwards, you’ll take on the identity we’ve prepared for you. No longer will the Martial Alliance chase you. What do you think?” I let out a silent chuckle at his suggestion. ‘…If that’s the case.’ The tale of the pyromancer dying in the front lines might change completely. ‘There’s a possibility he may have survived after all.’ He could have faked his death and disappeared, just as this guy suggested. “Hmm. Not a bad proposal.” I nodded in agreement. What should I do next? Should I capture him and get answers? After a moment of deliberation, “Alright.” I replied to him. “Let’s do it.” For now, I’d keep a close watch on the situation. * * * After our discussion, I moved alongside the man. Since I had no knowledge of the location, I simply followed his lead. ‘Who could he be?’ Walking alongside, I pondered. Who exactly is this man? Who in the world would propose something like this to the pyromancer of the Samaa Oje clan? Moreover, ‘Is there really a vault?’ If such a thing existed within the front lines, ‘How did I not know?’ Why hadn’t I known? While heavily monitored by the Alliance, it was also under the jurisdiction of the Nine Families. ‘…I don’t know everything.’ Perhaps my father knew? That a vault existed in the front lines? ‘Who knows.’ The information about a potential vault might be false, so there’s no point in readily believing anything. Right now, one thing was certain. ‘There’s definitely something happening in the front lines.’ The warning to verify anomalies, too. Something was definitely unfolding here. Slowly, I advanced, keeping my eyes and ears open. “This way.” “Alright.” Following the man’s guidance, I continued to walk. There were occasional monster appearances, but dealing with them wasn't difficult. Mostly greens and blues. Aside from that, ‘Some martial artists appeared.’ There were a few patrolling martial artists from the orthodox factions. Even excluding them, ‘There were also heretics.’ The front lines being a lawless area, in this era, heretics roamed wilder than in the days I knew. Thus, heretics appeared more frequently in the front lines than before. ‘There are more of them than expected.’ Indeed, there were more than I anticipated. ‘Moreover.’ They seemed steeped in killing intent, perhaps having clashed continuously with both monsters and martial artists. “Dieee—!” “Argh—!” I handled the approaching threats with ease. Killed the heretics while merely incapacitating the orthodox martial artists. It was a challenge not to cause a scene. ‘This is a mess.’ It was unlike the front lines I remembered. Originally, it wasn’t a place where people could roam so freely. ‘There’s a lack of order.’ Whether it’s the Martial Alliance personnel or even those from the Peng Family assisting them. Their operations, including patrols, lacked organizational integrity. Even a haphazard person like me wondered if this level of carelessness was alright. ‘It’s utter chaos.’ Suppressing a sigh, I continued moving little by little. “We’ve arrived.” Finally, the man and I reached our destination. ‘Hmm?’ Something felt off. ‘Who are they?’ We arrived at a small clearing in the front lines. There, I saw two more individuals. One was a woman. The other was an old man… “What’s happening here?” After assessing their state, I turned to the man for explanations. ‘The killing intent is palpable.’ The murderous aura from the two was nothing ordinary. They were by no means weak. As I spoke, the man approached the others. “Pyromancer.” “Yes.” “You claimed to know the vault’s location, promising to guide us there. In exchange, you asked for help with your identity cleansing.” “…….” “So, why are you asking me for directions?” Ah. I hesitated at his words. I see now... “I made a mistake.” Starting off with a blunder. This is why acting is difficult. “Who are you? You’re not the Pyromancer.” The man questioned. I gave an awkward smile and responded. “Who knows.” As soon as I spoke, the experts beside the man lunged at me. “Guess you’ll have to find out.” I lightly stomped the ground, summoning black flames into my hands.