Taken Horizon Origin, volume 2, Descension

Episode 23 : scintilla hunt

As lady Inoue approached the bath wearing nothing but a towel to hide her body, i noticed four red dots had appeared on her cheeks and fangs had grown out of her lips.

[aspect: frost willow spider, eyes a mate]

"Dammit, her aspect has gone out of control again." Sounding unfazed Tatsuo reached to his hip to try and find a weapon but when he realized he was defenseless he started to sweat. "Oh no..."

Having to step in i got up from the bath standing in Lady Inoue's path to Tatsuo, covering myself in droves of pale amber scales for protection. I didn't say a word and only looked at lady Inoue with my silver eyes but she was already trembling with fear to my presence as aether leaked out of my body filled with deathly intent

[aspect: frost willow spider, fears an apex predator]

Giving in, lady Inoue's legs buckled and she fell onto her knees on the floor, almost ready to start crying until i reigned in my intent and aether back into my body. Even after the painful experiences through the first 5 floors of hell it's still difficult to manipulate aether to my will.

The red dots and fangs that had sprouted on lady Inoue's face faded and she returned to normal. "W-what are you?" Through a trembling voice the frightened girl asked me.

Thinking this was the part where i would have to run i lifted my leg to step out of the bath but an arm came wrapping around my shoulder's pulling me into a muscular man's chest. "He's my friend is who!" Tatsuo was beaming as he used me like a shield from the lady. "Now scram!"

Scampering off the floor the lady bolted out of the bath area and back into the house to hide.

"Thank the divine flames, your here. If it were just me, I'm not sure my aspect could hold her off. How'd you do it that by the way? No message saying an aspect was activated came up." Tatsuo released me after pushing me back into the water and he returned back to his corner

Looking at my own hand beneath the baths surface i questioned it myself. Throughout all the floors' experience in hell, i have somehow gained this 'spell' of aether i use whenever i attempt to act domineering, activating it as if by instinct. The spell is growing stronger with each century that passes. When i created it, i don't know, nor how to control it. All i am aware to is that it's linked to my mental strength and willpower.

Seeing my lack of an answer and how i was drowning in my own thoughts Tatsuo simply smiled and left me be, content that i was still staying here instead of running away. Catching on that i was not fully aware myself.

After six months of living atop the mountain i had been with Tatsuo almost the entire time excluding when he was sleeping. At that time i would often sit atop his house's roof and stare into the stars of the night sky trying to gather aether.

I questioned repeatedly why i was staying here.

If anything, Tatsuo has only been getting in the way of my mission to resurrect Cayde. He has sneakily stolen my clothes to clean them, tried to challenge me to duels several times, and forced me to eat with him at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

There was no conceivable reason for me to stay here as long as i have.

At first i only followed him to this monastery in hopes of finding Ghum and finally escaping the ring of Heresy and completing the sixth stage of my quest to escape this hell and fulfill my purpose, but now that I've learned Ghum isn't among the monks i should of left by now.

I feel no attachment to this place nor any empathy for it's people. The only possible reason i can think of is that... it's nice to have company that isn't my own shadow. Sometimes i question if Thorn is real and not just an hallucination i made to keep myself talking throughout the centuries.