Chapter 85: New Clothes

"We were told that a long time ago, a very long time ago, that the Southern Continent purged our kind from their bloodline."

"We?"

"The Bloodless," Synthia clarified. "Though…"

I caught the hesitation in her voice.

"You still aren't treated the same as those with systems," I guessed. It wasn't that surprising. System users held an overwhelming advantage in power, and traditional cultivation methods were not really enough to close the gap.

Synthia nodded. "More or less. We're rare, too. In my entire family, even among the branch families, I'm the only one. And even then, only one person was ever kind to me."

"Okay." None of this was that much of a shock to me. How Bloodless were treated didn't really matter to me. But the fact that they didn't exist at all in the State of Stars... that worried me.

Synthia was proof that Bloodless could be born naturally, even if rarely. Presumably from parents with systems.

'So that means they have to be born where you're from, right?' Luna asked.

'Yes. And yet… I've never met a single one. None of my friends have ever heard the term Bloodless. At least I think.'

A cold realization started to creep in.

'Someone is eliminating your people.' Luna speculated.

The thought sent a chill through me. Maybe being separated from the State wasn't such a bad thing. I was strong enough to hold my own, probably even more so now. I seriously doubted anyone from the camp within the recruits could do much to me anymore.

But what about Trevor? How much time did he have before...

I set the thought aside and focused back on Synthia.

"So, you're treated poorly due to your weakness, but you're different. Explain your power," I pressed. "Even among cultivators, you're uniquely strong enough to have survived up to here in the trial."

She shifted on the couch, clearly uncomfortable with the prying.

"I need you to answer," I added. "Broadly, for now."

That seemed to ease her. Yet another sign that I'd gotten too comfortable sharing my own secrets.

"I was taught the basics of Force gathering at a young age, in preparation for various tasks in war," she said. "Everyone is in Voxter, though I don't know how it works in other kingdoms. But… the survival rate of Bloodless is not high. So, Gre—" she caught herself, "—my friend helped me escape."

I ignored her obvious attempt to hide her friend's name. He wasn't important anyway.

"The basics of cultivation in Voxter seem much stronger than in the State," I mused. If people there could summon spiritual weapons, learn techniques from statues, and cultivate even without systems… the State would have lost a long time ago.

'You remember Callum told his underlings to share their findings, too.' Luna reminded me, her hue shifting slightly.

'Which only makes this more confusing.'

Almost as if she had read my thoughts, Synthia responded. "Our basics probably aren't any better. Even I didn't know there was anything beyond Core Formation until coming to this place. But… are you so sure the nobility of your country isn't aware of the techniques you've seen?"

That stopped me for a moment.

"The Bal family?" I asked.

"Nobility," she confirmed. "And mine as well."

I frowned. Elrich didn't seem to know about any of this. Neither did Drake. If they did, they never shared it. But Elric was all but disowned and Drake was an outcast. Lyra was also a noble, but I had no idea of her situation. Either way, maybe they themselves weren't hiding anything, but higher up than them? No way to know... yet.

But for Synthia, why would a family that mostly hated her share any secrets?

She said she ran away, so how did she get this far? Where did she learn her techniques? What was her cultivation method?

Was it like mine? The circuit system? Or was it more like Kaz's?

Too many questions. A headache started forming from all the speculation. I've had enough of this for now.

"Let's take a break," I exhaled. "Want to check out the plaza from earlier?"

She looked relieved, standing up with a short breath. "Yeah, I'd like that."

I turned toward the door but was stopped by a voice that was no longer as quiet.

"You were told to wear something in here, right?" Synthia reminded me. "Probably don't want to break the rules on our first day out, right?" She smirked.

"Yeah, probably not," I chuckled then realized something. "What about your clothes?"

She glanced down at her outfit, something better suited for battle than for an ideally 'safe' sect. "I don't know," she admitted. "I'm not technically a member, so maybe just sticking with you is enough?"

"No idea."

"Helpful."

"I am the reason you're here. That makes me helpful." I justified.

Synthia scoffed. "Had you let me use my attack, we both could've been members." She laughed as she spoke, so I assumed she was half-joking, but it's not like I had any say in whether the fight happened or not.

'Could you have even survived the attack?' Luna teased.

…Actually, good point.

"With all that power, the result would've been the same. Only one of us would have been accepted, right? Except there wouldn't have been any servants." I gave her a knowing smile.

She froze completely, eyes widening.

…What? Is there something wrong with my smile? People always react weirdly to it.

'Maybe you're just weird-looking. Can't tell, though. You're all giant monsters to me.' Luna oh-so-helpfully added.

'I don't think she froze because she thinks I'm a giant monster.'

Synthia swallowed, her voice quieter than before. "I—I wouldn't have killed you."

I let out a brief laugh. "With all the elements in your att—"

"YOU DO KNOW!"

'Oooooh. She froze because yo—'

'I know, Luna!' I grumbled at my mishap.

But Synthia wasn't letting this drop. "Can you sense… or can you see Force? Different types?"

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I could really use a break. Rather than just telling you, let's exchange information. You tell me how you absorb energy, and I'll tell you how I see it."

"Fine, I ca—"

"Later, though." I cut her off, already heading for the bedroom. "I'm tired of all this."

'Are you sure you don't want to figure this out now?' Luna asked.

'I am. Either way, I'm starting to think this has to do with the Essences. The goal might not be to absorb the energy, but to figure out how to form elemental essence... without relying on these realms.'

The bedroom was simple. Apparently, even as a Core Disciple, extravagance wasn't on the menu. Unless… This was their idea of extravagance. In that case, I wasn't eager to see what the lower-ranked disciples' quarters looked like.

I walked to the obvious closet and pulled it open. Black... just black. Pants, shirts, a coat, each piece dark and uniform, with a glimmering yellow sash, dangerously close to gold.

I wasn't exactly a fashion expert, but the sect's wardrobe choices didn't seem to be making any bold statements.

At the bottom of the closet, however, I spotted something else. A brown variation of the same clothes, and a smile found its way onto my lips.

"Synthiaaaa?"

"What?" she called back. "What's taking so long?"

…Was I taking that long? "I think I found the servant's clothes." I grabbed a set of the glamorous dirt-colored apparel and made my way to the door.

As I reached for the handle, a warning came from the other side. "You better be wearing clothes."

I huffed. "What kind of person do you think I am?"

Then, with perfect aim, I chucked the outfit at her.

Bullseye. 

The fabric smacked right into her face before she could react.

I slammed the door shut before she could retaliate. "Feel free to use any room in MY HOUSE to get dressed," I called back smugly.

'You are trying to be friends with her, right?' Luna asked, her tone filled with genuine confusion.

'Hey, nothing says friendship like being mildly annoying.'

'I'm starting to see why you don't have many friends.' Luna shimmered in amusement, her version of a chuckle.

I ignored her and rummaged through my own clothes. The pants stretched at the seams, definitely one of those one-size-fits-all situations, and the shirt was both wide and long, almost oversized.

Honestly, it was a bit uncomfortable. I had to tuck in a fair bit of the fabric just to avoid looking like I was wearing a tent.

The robe was long, reaching down to my ankles, but cinched shorter when I fastened the sash around my waist. I gave myself one final adjustment before turning toward the full-length mirror near the bed.

"Alright. Moment of truth."

'What?'

I took a deep breath and stepped in front of it.

The mirror's polished surface reflected my full height perfectly, ready to judge my majesty.

And man, was I majestic.

It had been a while since I'd really looked at myself. For the most part, I hadn't changed.

This was still my body… though, technically, I should be missing my right arm.

There were some differences, though. Compared to my time at home, I was definitely more muscular. My hair had grown past my ears, though it didn't seem any easier to tame than usual.

All in all? Not bad.

Could definitely use a warm shower and a bath, though. That's for sure.

This place had to have one, right? I mean, if I was allowed servants, they had to have something to do. Menial tasks like preparing meals or drawing baths… though, somehow, I doubted Synthia would be interested in either.

But, of course, I wasn't allowed to have an ego for more than a couple of moments.

'You still look like a monster.'