Snaking around the enemy

Keeping up his disguise, Seth kept teleporting from empty tent to empty tent, his destination the tent of Ascended Tarquin of Death.

Since he was unfamiliar with space energy, Seth had no issue using it while still a distance away, but after getting a bit closer to Tarquin, he walked out of a tent and walked the rest of the way.

After four hours of making his way through the soldiers gathered at the army camp, Seth finally arrived close to the tent where General Tarquin was sleeping.

There, he started slowly moving destruction energy out of the atmosphere, making it gravitate around his body while walking around his tent. To not attract too much attention, he joined the other soldiers in gossiping and chatting.

Just as he already knew, most soldiers were only informed they would attack Oath, and only the generals knew of their actual target, Endora. This was all planned by Ronald not to attract Seth’s attention.

The days went by, and Seth kept frequenting the same area, but the general didn’t seem to have any intention of approaching him. Eventually, Seth was even starting to doubt the plan.

Knowing his time was limited, he knew he had to find another way to attract his attention. As he was gossiping with the soldiers, Seth decided to make a risky play and started using his perception discretely on one of them.

After using his new abilities to fuel that soldier’s anger and anxiety, Seth started picking up a fight with him. Fights were not uncommon in the army camp, but they usually won’t amount to anything other than a few swollen eyes or broken teeth.

This time, the soldier Seth had influenced suddenly went crazy during their argument and drew his sword. To fend off an ‘unexpected’ attack, Seth raised his hand to block the sword aiming for his head, the sword cutting halfway through his flesh before stopping.

“Aaaaa.” The next moment, Seth screamed as hard as his lungs let him.

The argument had long attracted the attention of all soldiers around since it was happening not that far from a general’s tent, but Seth’s scream spread throughout the entire area.

Moments later, General Tarquin rushed out of his tent with a dark face. His hand was covered in ink, and Seth could feel unactivated energy moving around his body.

Looking at the scene of a soldier attacking another, his rage exploded, and he bellowed: “STOP.”

Seth retracted his perception energy from the rabid soldier at that moment, and the soldier finally came to his senses. Seeing Seth under his sword with a bloodied hand and the general looking at him with a rage-filled face, he immediately dropped to his knees and lowered his head.

“What is the meaning of this?” asked Tarquin, slowly walking towards Seth and the other soldier.

The soldier started explaining in tears that he didn’t know what came over him and kept apologizing, but the general didn’t seem to care as he drew his sword.

Midway through his explanation, the general mercilessly decapitated the soldier before turning towards Seth. He raised his sword as he was about to do the same to Seth when something attracted his attention, and one of his brows raised in surprise.

Swinging his sword to the side to get rid of the blood on its blade, he put it back in its sheath and turned around: “Clean up this mess. Also, someone tie his wound and bring him to my tent.”

The other soldiers were all confused as to why Seth was spared, even more so considering his right hand was now wholly mangled, but they didn’t dare say anything as one rushed to help Seth.

After roughly cutting a piece of cloth and tying his wound tightly, he carried the ashen-faced Seth toward the general’s tent.

After entering the tent, the soldier carrying Seth saw the general sitting behind his desk, watching them with a frown.

“Put him in that chair and leave.” Said Tarquin.

The soldier did as he was told and quickly left the tent. Once only Seth and Tarquin were left in the tent, Tarquin continued staring at Seth with a frown.

Seth looked like he was about to pass out, his eyes moving between clarity and unconsciousness. Eventually, Tarquin said: “Where are you from?”

Seth looked up and opened his mouth briefly before his eyes clouded over, and he fell from the chair.

General Tarquin watched him fall to the floor indifferently for a few minutes until he finally picked up a knife from the office and started heating it on a small candle.

Seth kept bleeding on the ground while receiving reports from the system.

The general finally walked up to Seth when the knife’s blade was bright red. He grabbed his arm and used his destruction energy to cut it off right above the cut before using the knife to burn off the wound.

Seth’ woke up’ and started yelling loudly in pain, struggling continuously and giving the general no choice but to hold him down. At the same time, Seth’s perception energy flowed through every point of contact, entering Tarquin’s body.

Seth kept struggling, making it harder for Tarquin and giving himself the time needed to fuel more perception energy inside his body. He knew it wouldn’t do much for now, but he needed to mess up his mind as much as possible.

After the cut was cauterized, the general stood up and returned to his seat, yelling for someone to pick up the unconscious Seth and take care of him.

After Seth was carried back to his tent, he continued feigning ill while watching Tarquin for two days.

On the night of the third day, Seth finally decided to act, and his eyes snapped open. Moving his left hand, he grabbed the soldiers who had cared for him for the past few days, instantly breaking his mind.

After swapping places and looks, Seth walked out towards the general’s tent. When he was close enough to see the two guards placed at the entrance, Seth hid behind a tent and changed his looks again.

This time, he resembled a tall, middle-aged man with sharp eyes and amethyst-colored hair. Taking a deep breath, he walked out of the shadow of that tent and started approaching General Tarquin’s.

“Stop.” Said one of the two guards, but Seth continued walking forward indifferently, his eyes locked on the tent’s entrance. Since he didn’t want his energy to be spotted for being at the fourth shell, Seth didn’t attack and instead spoke loud enough that Tarquin could hear him: “If you don’t want to die, you better move away.”

As Seth walked forward and was almost at the entrance, the two guards were about to strike when Tarquin’s voice came from inside: “Stand down. Let him enter.”

Seth smiled and passed right by the two guards, entering the tent. There, General Tarquin was already waiting with his head lowered.

“Master.” He said softly as soon as Seth walked in.

Seth ignored his words, walking further in and moving right past Tarquin to sit on his chair. Putting his legs on the desk, he said: “Oh, Tarquin, Tarquin. What should I do with you now?”

Tarquin shook and said: “Master, this is not what it looks like. I was planning on getting that knowledge for our kingdom and delivering it to master as a gift.”

“Were you now?” asked Seth, tapping his fingers on the office: “Refresh my memory Tarquin; What were my words when this war started?”

Tarquin froze again: “Let Soren’s troops deal with this, and for no reason must our destruction ascended get involved.”

Seth nodded and looked at Tarquin, who was almost crying by now: “And what did you do?”

“I broke master’s command.” Replied Tarquin with a shaking voice.

“And what happens to everyone that disobeys me?”

“They must be killed on the spot.”

Seth nodded and said: “Then I will ask you again. What should I do with you now?”

Tarquin finally fell to his knees: “Master, I beg you, spare me. I was wrong.”

Seth nodded again indifferently and said: “Stand up and come closer.”

Tarquin shook again and did as he was told. Seth then grabbed his neck and brought his face closer to his: “Do you think I didn’t know about your little games? Do you think I lived all these years stumbling around blind and deaf? I loved you as one loves his own son, you know?”

Tarquin started crying, but Seth’s eyes remained as indifferent as he said: “It seems I was too blind. Will you kill yourself, or do I have to do it?”

Tarquin’s eyes shook as he could feel Seth’s grasp tighten around his neck, but he didn’t dare to fight back, snot and tears flowing down his face as he said: “I… beg you. Reconsider. You can even enslave me. Master…”

“Will you kill yourself, or do I have to do it?”

Hopelessness appeared in Tarquin’s eyes. He considered fighting back, but he knew there were even worse fates than death when dealing with his master. At such a close range, he stood no choice of fighting back.

“I - I’ll do it.” He whispered, but just as he got ready to activate his energy and kill himself, Seth’s perception energy exploded, flooding his troubled mind.

Looking into his master’s eyes as they turn golden and black, he only got to mutter a single “You’re not - “before his eyes blanked out, and he lost consciousness.

Seth continued feeding his energy inside Tarquin, flooding his soul as a mark started getting crafted on his forehead.

Feeling his consciousness starting to fade as well, he knew he couldn’t remain there, so Seth created a hole in the ground about 30 feet down before teleporting along with Tarquin, where they both fell unconscious.

When Seth finally returned to his senses, two days had already passed. Tarquin was still unconscious, the perception mark on his forehead only halfway complete.

‘What is going on?’

< Host’s energy was not enough to convert his will completely. He’s been slowly eroding the mark for the past two days.>

‘Makes sense. Tarquin’s tempered his soul for twice the time Iris did….’

Closing his eyes, Seth tried to feel the connection between him and Tarquin, but it didn’t work. He checked his perception source and noticed it was only half full, even after recovering for two days.

With no other idea coming to mind, Seth started feeding his perception energy into Tarquin again. As his energy started draining, Seth was relieved to find out the mark appeared to be slowly getting completed, so he remained inside that hole for three more days, finally completing the mark.

When it was finally done, Tarquin opened his eyes and looked at Seth. Confusion was evident in his eyes as he asked: “Who are you?”

The question was unexpected for Seth since he could finally see Tarquin’s memories and even sense his feelings. Still, there was no trace of the usual awe and adoration his brainwashed targets had. All he could feel from Tarquin was simple confusion.

‘This looks like trouble.’