Chapter 114: Aliens & Monsters

Aurelius had never felt so weak compared to others his age. He was a natural-born genius who had been extensively trained in the martial arts.

And while he acknowledged that the vines were powerful, he believed he could have handled them.

How wrong he was.

The only thing he had proven was that Adam was a lot more talented than he was, which stung a lot more than he cared to admit. Aurelius glanced at Adam and silently made a vow.

’I will not be made to look helpless ever again.’

He would do everything in his power to get stronger. Perhaps his relaxed attitude to problems and powerful family had made him arrogant.

Feeling an intense gaze on himself, Adam turned to Aurelius, his brows slightly raised. He sensed the conflicting emotions within the boy, picking up feelings of shame, anger, envy and determination.

’That got to him, huh.’ Adam thought to himself, looking away. He could not blame the boy for feeling that way.

Adam took a moment to appreciate how his flame arc had scorched the ground in a line towards where they stood. He turned his back to the Lianas field, looking at the mountain and taking in its magnitude and varied vegetation growing on its side.

The same aura they had felt before was present, only far more intense.

Adam narrowed his eyes, his heart slightly racing from the heaviness in the air. That sense of danger was still there. But he was also curious. It was nothing like the various beasts they had encountered; it felt like something far more interesting.

Looking to the left and right, he sensed no beasts in the vicinity. He then looked at his partner and proposed, pretending not to have noticed the beast master’s emotional turmoil.

"We should rest here before we continue."

Saying that, he approached a small boulder sticking out of the ground. He sat on it facing Aurelius, who was still staring at the Lianas field with a determined look in his eyes.

"You alright?" He asked, unable to keep pretending.

"Hah." Aurelius sighed and looked away from the Lianas field. "Yeah, I’m good."

He sheathed his sword and looked up the mountain. For several long moments, the beast master stared at the mountain, lost in thought.

Adam continued observing the boy, occasionally looking at the mountain himself. Aurelius’ emotions had pretty much settled, but his determination burned bright. It was as though he was looking at a new person who had awakened to a new reality.

"What do you think we’ll find?" Aurelius asked, glancing at Adam.

"It’s hard to say," Adam replied, staring at the mountain again. "The feeling is unlike anything I’ve sensed or felt before."

"It could be an alien or some kind of monster never seen before?" Aurelius made a wild guess, though his expression remained serious.

Adam raised a brow. "You did not just say that."

"We live in a world where people can do the impossible; a world that was changed by a force no one understands. Aliens and monsters can’t possibly be where you draw the line, John." Aurelius stated matter-of-factly.

"Touche."

Hearing Adam’s reply, Aurelius could not help but look at his partner. For a moment, there was silence, until they both burst out laughing.

"That was a good one, John. That was a good one."

The smile on Aurelius’ face was genuine. That comeback had pushed his earlier depressive thoughts aside. He needed to laugh to cool off.

"Let’s have some snacks while we rest," Adam suggested as he took out the snacks he brought along. "Only God knows what we’ll find once we start searching."

"Yeah."

Aurelius found another boulder and sat down, taking out his own snacks. The two ate in silence while keeping their vigilance high.

"J-Adam," The beast master asked at some point, looking at his partner. "Where did you learn to move like that?"

Adam paused at his bite, going thoughtful for a moment before responding. He glanced at the Lianas field again and said, "My father thought many things before I went to the academy."

He stared at the blue skies for a moment and then looked at Aurelius. "I didn’t understand most of it until I awakened. My movements have everything to do with taking advantage of vector forces and learning how to use them to my advantage."

"That’s it?"

Aurelius could not believe that was all there was to it. Naturally, he did not completely believe his friend, but what he had seen pointed to what Adam had just explained.

"You’d be surprised," Adam muttered with a knowing smile, taking another bite of his snack. He took a moment to chew before swallowing. "Vector forces can be surprisingly cooperative if you know how to feel and sense them like an extension of your body."

The beast master absorbed Adam’s explanation with a thoughtful look on his face. While he knew about how vector forces affected movements and their surroundings, he had never heard of anyone using them without actually having an affinity related to them.

But when he recalled what Adam’s father’s ability was, he began to realise Adam was not just bullshitting him. There could be some truth to what Adam was saying. After all, they live in a world where the impossible could be made possible.

Half an hour later, the duo stood up, prepared to continue their mission. They stood side by side and stared at the mountain.

"Searching for our supposed alien or monster without direction could take hours. And we can’t afford to be here when it gets dark." Adam pointed out the obvious.

"We might not have to. Whatever is generating this aura and causing the raids must be somewhere inside the mountain." Aurelius added his take. "We should look for something like an entrance to a cave system."

"A cave system..."

Adam muttered to himself, looking around. He furrowed his brows for a moment before his eyes brightened. With a soft grin, he glanced at his partner and said, "That makes things easier."

Aurelius looked at Adam, who proceeded to take several steps back. The beast boy looked at his partner in curiosity, wondering what he was up to.

[Flow Sight: Visualise air currents for reaction and tracking.]

This was a skill he hadn’t used much since he began dabbling in vector forces. But it was the perfect skill for the moment. Activating the skill, Adam’s perception seemed to slow down, the world deceptively going silent.

He began to see how the air currents flowed around the mountain and the surrounding area; he observed how the currents flowed around his partner and even himself, their direction of unusual flow and activity.

Aurelius watched as Adam looked around with an inquisitive look. He realised Adam was using that eye technique or skill again. The beast master would not deny it. He was getting really curious about that skill.

"That way." Adam pointed to the side of the mountain to his right.

Aurelius followed the direction but only saw dense vegetation and trees. But he did not doubt that Adam found something. The question now was... what would they find?