Chapter 41: Unknown Changes

The atmosphere around Insig cracked and a hint of nervousness was plastered on his face. He was flustered and his mind blanked out for a second.

'Does he know that I have an affinity for the death element? Is that why he's scared?'

Insig panicked and clusters of curious thoughts barraged his mind.

'Is that why he reacted that way? Why did he want to hide his emotions? So that I wouldn't suspect him?... But what if... what if he actually doesn't know anything at all? What if he was just... pretending?'

Insig questioned himself. He doubted the authenticity of his questions and tried to make the most correct decision.

'No! He won't pretend to be scared if he doesn't know it, right? Pretend? Did I say pretend? Did he even pretend? What is pretend? Pretend is to fake something. Wait! Insig, your thought is trailing off the track! Anyways, does he know my secret or not? What should I do? Should I kill him? Wait, that's too much, Insig, you need to calm down!'

Insig's reaction was all over the place; he looked as if he had a mental illness. He would sometimes look nervous and scared, then skeptic, then panicked, shocked, and repeat. This made Korban look worriedly at Insig.

"Is something wrong?"

Insig snapped out and shook his head and took a deep breath to calm down. His face turned expressionless as he tried to hide his emotions and stabilize his mind.

'Right now, it doesn't matter if he knows or not... I have to do something that can solve either cases... I have to shut his mouth... I need to at least make sure he won't get away even if he knows something...'

Insig can't risk getting his powers exposed. His power was so unique to the point that there's no telling what others might do to him if they knew about it.

Insig can already imagine malicious thoughts reaching out for him once the news of his power leaked out and spread, and he doesn't ever want that to happen.

Insig imagined that even though Korban might not expose him, once an enemy got hold of Korban, they would try to extract his memories and discover his powers. Although Insig was rather skeptical, he didn't want to risk his life. He was so scared, and so, he chose to kill Korban. That way, he'll be safe. Or at least he thinks so.

*Inhales*

Insig took a deep breath and smiled while closing his eyes. His smile was obviously faked, but he didn't care because this smile was not for others to see; it was for himself. It was to prepare his heart.

"Phew! It's nothing."

Insig said to Korban.

Insig doesn't like harming others; he feels like it's a sin to only think of yourself, it's a sin to be selfish. Every time someone does that, including himself, he feels incredibly disgusted by them. Thoughts like 'Ha! Do you really think that this world is yours alone? Are you that self-entitled?' enters his mind. And right now, he's really fucking disgusted at himself. He's disgusted at his selfishness. He hates himself so much.

But he's old enough to control his emotion and reaction, he doesn't mind bearing a little bit of uncomfort. He's matured enough to bear sadness and melancholy and wait for the time to move. He can make himself drown in his own mistakes, yet he won't do a single thing about it.

But to make bearing the pain easier, he gave himself a smile. He doesn't know where it came from... He was supposed to mourn, but a smile was the reaction that came from his face.

It was so ironic... he imagined crying so hard. He imagined crying and showing a little bit of humanity... but... somehow... a barrier was stopping his emotions from flooding out— it was fear. He felt so scared. He felt suffocated. He felt lonely. But it was also himself who locked his feelings. He wanted to protect his true self. He doesn't want to die.

Insig felt complicated, like there was a knot in his chest that he badly wanted to untie. Guilt and confusion subtly surfaced in his face.

Korban saw that Insig was smiling but his eyes weren't at all. If anything, they were actually looking quite vulnerable.... They were so dark and sad and when someone looked at it, they would feel like they were drowning in a deep ocean with no one around to support you. It felt suffocating and all around you was darkness only, without even a shred of light.

Korban subtly felt what Insig was feeling. He was slowly sinking and life was leaking out from him at every second, but he just let the darkness consume him. The freezing water covered every part of his skin cells and the coldness bit into his bones and invaded his marrows. His blood flow slowed down and his heart slowed down as well. His thoughts were frozen and he could only move on instinct.

*Burble*

Oxygen seeped out of his nostril and bursted out in the form of bubbles. He desperately took a breath and the cold water entered his trachea, making his chest and neck feel cold. It was like drinking water but it felt like the water was entering his brain instead. He felt light-headed and his eyes lost focus. Water entered his lungs and he felt that something was choking him. He wanted to breathe so bad but it only made water enter his nostril more and more.

He felt like his body was slowly sinking into the seafloor, yet he felt that he was also floating at the same time. He felt helpless and... lonely.

Korban was deeply entranced at Insig's lonely and melancholic, sentimental and vulnerable eyes. Korban envisioned Insig's image through the emotion in his eyes, and the Insig in his imagination looked so fragile and weak like a thin glass or a branch in a thunderstorm.

The darkness shrouded him and he looked so frail, sad, and lonely, like a wounded wolf in a cold winter. The unblemished white snow drifted in the wind and landed in his fur. The bright red blood leaked out from his wounds and dyed the world red and it bloomed in the snow and contrasted the snow white of the background.

The coldness of the wind and snow entered his body and he shivered intensely. The feeling of being deserted and coldness made him feel helpless and his golden-hazel eyes looked watery. The sadness in his heart was filled to the brim and flowed out in a form of a tear. The droplet of water escaped from his eyes, but it quickly froze in his face because of the coldness.

The blood in his body leaked out even more, as if they were drowning him. The blood turned red and beautiful flowers blossomed in the snow, as if they were enjoying his misery.

However, the wolf still desperately tries to live. He shakingly stood up and tried to find comfort. He wanted to feel warm and safe, but he could only see coldness all around him.

At this moment, Korban thought that he saw the REAL Insig and he finally understood the saying, 'Eyes are the window to the soul.'.

Korban felt his heart burning and he so badly wanted to help Insig. Insig was his savior so seeing him like this made him remorseful in guilt.

Insig's eyes were initially beautiful and bright; they looked like a pair of bright, golden, shining sun. And because of what happened last time at the library, his eyes have unknowingly transformed into something even more... beautiful. They looked more white and transparent now, but it expressed his emotion more obviously, as if they were literally a window to his soul. When you look at it, they seem to expand and suck you inside.

Insig didn't know that his ability to see through souls came with an effect of his soul also being more obvious. Meaning, once he felt an intense emotion, they would surface in his eyes and affect the emotion of the viewer. He also didn't know that this actually also had a function of subtle communication, like, he can send small thoughts and emotion through his eyes to its viewer. But this information will only be discovered in the far future.

'Anyways, enough talking to myself, I should go back to the present.'

Insig focused his thoughts at Korban and he saw that Korban was looking at him weirdly. His gaze was half-asleep and he looked intoxicated.

Seeing this, Insig somehow got embarrassed and coughed loudly to wake him up.

*Cough!*

Korban's half-closed eyes immediately opened up and he snapped out of his trance. He dumbfoundedly looked at Insig and exclaimed.

"Oh. Ahh."

'Huh? What was that about?'

Korban forgot what he was thinking, but the emotions he felt were still lingering. He felt a bit closer to Insig, but he didn't know why.

Insig ignored him, he recollected his emotions and thoughts and got back to work. He got serious once again and operated on Korban's legs.

*Minutes later*

"Nice! I have legs again! Oh man, I guess you eating hundreds of fishes was not for naught. I really wanted to complain that time, but thankfully, I didn't.

Korban complimented delightfully and joked for a bit. Anyways, right now, Korban got his legs back again, although they looked weird because they looked unblemished white with a hint of blue, and it didn't fit Korban's middle-aged look at all.

"It's great that my legs regenerated and all, but... Insig... How do... I move them?"

Korban embarrassingly asked. He tried to move his legs but he was not used to it yet.

Insig nonchalantly taught him the trick and Korban slowly got used to it. And now, he can stand up already, albeit with difficulty.

Insig looked at Korban who was smiling so happily. He looked like a kid and he was looking at Insig with grateful eyes.

Insig was reminded of his patients in the past. They were so happy when they recovered from their injuries and they wanted to meet their families and friends so badly. Back then, Insig was so happy whenever they were happy. He felt so proud and as if he found his calling, he wanted to live helping others. But now...

Insig shook his head and redirected his thoughts at Janine.

"What are you looking at?"

A youthful voice suddenly appeared behind her. Janine immediately looked behind in caution, only to see Insig looking at her curiously.

Janine partially let down her guard, but she still answered vaguely.

"Nothing..."

Seeing this, Insig didn't pursue the issue any further and told her what he bothered her for.

"Anyways, I have enough energy to fix your body now. If you don't mind. We can do it right now."

Insig explained. Hearing this, anticipation filled Janine's heart, but her expression didn't move one bit. She only blinked normally like she didn't hear anything.

Janine nodded and agreed and Insig operated on her. Using leaves as a bed, she lay down by the riverbed and started the operation.

The operation was rather excruciating because so much of her organs were out of shape. Her case was different and needed a different way of fixing.

And so, Insig fixed her skeleton first. Using the sharp scalpel, he cut her bones and healed them. Excruciating pain invaded Janine's brain when the scalpel cut the nerves on her bone marrow. Surprisingly, she was able to endure the pain and grinded her teeth while her face was all scrunched up in pain.

'What a monster! Her pain threshold is incredible! This is really a completely different world.'

Insig recommended for her to sleep but she rejected because of cautiousness, but she probably didn't regret it. She endured the pain until Insig was done.

She immediately went to the river to recharge her power.

Janine was still having a problem with her other organs, but now, Janine can somehow move her limbs. Although she probably will have a problem standing, because the gravity will affect the placement of her organs and cause an unknown effect and it will surely not be good.

They rested on the riverside for a bit and grouped together to talk about their plan. Insig and Korban were sitting on the ground while Janine was sitting on the wolf.

"So, should we continue moving far-away from the camp? But if we continue, we will have to cross the [Mountain of Wandering Souls]. And as a person who lived near that mountain, I tell you, we shouldn't cross that mountain. We should only detour on its foot.

Before they even got started, Korban was already serious and he voiced his opinion.

Insig was curious as to why, but Janine already agreed with him.

"Of course. That place is cursed. No Core states have ever escaped from that place. Anyways, I suggest that we should follow this river and escape from this Kingdom first."

"Escape from this Kingdom? Why? Can't we just go to the more central cities? That way, we wouldn't have to arduously cross the border and risk getting injured."

Insig asked. The more central a city was, the more secure it is. So, he expected that they were going to the capital, but it seems he was wrong.

"This time, the enemy used an airship to attack us. This would cost massive resources and this also has a weakness— they can't handle Integrated states. The kingdom could have taken this advantage. However, did you ever notice that not a single reinforcement, nor an Integrated had been dispatched?"

Janine suddenly asked.

Hearing this, Insig frowned and he was also doubtful.

"You're right!"

Korban loudly said.

Janine didn't respond, but she continued her speculation.

"If they dispatched a single Integrated, we would have dealt the enemy a massive amount of damage. However, as if they knew that there wouldn't be an Integrated, the enemy bravely sent an airship and attacked. This means that the Integrateds must be busy. This could only mean that something bad must have happened either at the capital, or the other border."

"What!?"

Hearing this, both Inside and Korban were shocked. If their kingdom was attacked on 2 sides, it means that the enemy was seriously considering destroying the capital, and they were confident that they could crush the kingdom.

Janine continued.

"If we went to the capital, there's an even higher chance of dying than crossing the border when war takes place there."

"But there are Integrated beasts outside the kingdom! And we might even meet a Sagely beast! How is that gonna increase our chance of survival?"

Korban retorted.

"First of all, Integrated beast and Sagely beast won't go anywhere outside their territory, so as long as we won't bother them, we won't attract their ire. Additionally, wanderers from outside the kingdom have maps that they use to cross the borders, which we can use to decrease the casualties even more."

Janine explained.

Insig was persuaded, but....

'To mend my broken soul, I can only search for a remedy in this place— the [Mountain of Wandering Souls]!'

Insig thought to himself.

He had once read that there's a tree in a soul energy rich environment that can promote the regeneration of the soul.

"I agree with you, but... I need to... stay."

Hearing this, Janine's heart burns in anger, but she knows that she needs the help of these two, so she bears it. Her expression didn't move one bit and she only calmly looked at them.

'These damn two! I already gave them reasons to live, but they didn't even reconsider their choices! This is why I hate kind people! They literally have no brains at all!'

Insig said and he looked at Korban.

"What about you?"

Korban looked directly at Insig.

"My family is living in a village on the outskirts of the [Mountain of the Wandering Souls]. I won't ever leave this kingdom while leaving them behind."

Korban said resolutely, leaving Janine no choice but to follow.

"I see. Well then. We will follow the river and head towards the village Korban mentioned. However, we will not be crossing the mountain, so this trip will take weeks, or even months. Let's hurry up."

Janine reluctantly agreed and they have finally decided their destination and moved on. They followed the river while riding Guster.

*Swoosh* *Thud*⁴

"By the way, uncle Korban, you said that your family is living near the mountain. How come you didn't live elsewhere? I heard that no one ever comes near that mountain."

Insig suddenly asked because he was curious, but mostly, because he was feeling ... guilty. If he kills Korban, his innocent kids will probably die too.

Hearing his question, Korban answered amiably.

"Even though the [Mountain of Wandering Souls] is dangerous, it is still rich in exotic resources. This is also the reason why our kingdom has been attacked for years."

"Anyways, because of this, many people also thought that it might be a great idea to live near there, and it was."

"Thousands of hunters, adventurers, mercenaries, foreigners and treasure hunters traveled there to seek riches and power. And they become the source of income for these people."

Korban explained.

"Treasure hunters?"

Insig curiously asked.

'What kind of treasure is there that will make even people risk their lives?'

"Yes. There once was a legend that says, that, in the past era, this mountain was once home to our people. It was thriving with beauty and nature, and it was rumored that it was previously once the capital of a pillar of [Alizea]."

"What!? A pillar of [Alizea]!?"

Insig shockingly said.

"Yes. Shocking right? That was also my reaction when I was young."

Korban laughingly said.

However, Insig didn't hear him.

'It's a pillar of [Alizea]! It's most likely a Sovereignty!'

Insig thought to himself.

In Insig's memory, [Alizea] was the continent that he was living on, and it has an unknown number of sovereignty called Pillars. They were called Pillars because they can destroy the whole continent to smithereens.!

However, the history books that he had read only stored a small amount of information about these Pillars, and he doesn't know anything except that they were the strongest countries in this world.

'They might have secrets of Immortality!'

Upon thinking of this, Insig's eyes twinkled brightly. Korban seemed to sense this even though he was not looking.

"Hahaha, don't get too excited. A sage has also once gone inside this mountain, but she only came back despondently."

Hearing this, Insig's excited heart calmed down and he quickly lowered his expectations so that he wouldn't be disappointed.

'That's right... if there really was a treasure, the others must have taken them all. I shouldn't expect too much from it.'

"Anyways, my family lives in the village near that mountain. I have a really amazing wife and a daughter named Brisette and a weird son named Kalu! Hehe, I hope you get to meet them someday."

Korban proudly said. He seems to be really happy when he's talking about his family. There was also a hint of reminiscence in his eyes.

Hearing this, Insig got sentimental. He feels really bad for affecting them, when it was only him who was at fault.

"Shh!"

Korban was suddenly interrupted by Janine. She was looking in a certain direction cautiously.

"Someone's coming. Guster, go to the water!"

Janine commanded.

Guster heard his name being called and he stopped to look up at Janine who was pointing at the river. However, he didn't understand Janine at all and he only looked at Insig.

Seeing this, Insig helplessly pointed towards the river and commanded Guster.

"Guster, go."

At the same time, Insig also threw a cooked fish towards the river and Guster excitedly followed it.

Guster finally entered the river and Janine hurriedly conjured a water barrier to block the water from touching them.

Guster went into the river while a large bubble surrounded him, blocking all water from entering.

"Woah!"

Insig and Korban exclaimed in astonishment. The translucent blue water surrounded them and they can see the fishes and other aquatic beasts at its maximum beauty.

The sunlight passed through the waters and brightened up the surrounding, making the floor thoroughly visible.

Hundreds of fishes can be seen swimming happily, and some were scared to go near them. Most of the fishes were level 3 only, so they didn't pose any threat to them.

"Shh! Let's hide in here."

Janine was not bothered by the surroundings and she calmly looked for a spot to hide at. They went near a bush growing underwater and hid. They can see others in here and they will have a hard time finding them.

Using his magic, Korban reinforced the hiding place even more. The leaves of the bush grew and obscured the place even more.

Janine nodded in approval at his move.

Just like that, they hid underwater, waiting for the approaching enemy.