20 A Goal of Humanity
When Aaron turned around with surprise to look into Edmond's eyes, it was as if he was seeing two burning embers, defiantly combusting themselves to drive back the darkness.
This was definitely a moment he would remember throughout his life. He had never before seen such undefeatable determination before, and it was even more shocking when he remembered that it was from someone whom he had considered to be pathetic just a day ago.
He couldn't comprehend how someone could have changed that much in such a short span of time. In the forest, he had seen both types of creatures: valiant like the Edmond now, and pathetic like the Edmond before.
Yet, he had never seen, nor heard of a creature that was like the former turning into the latter in the span of a day.
Steady growth was possible, but such a polar shift…was unseen and unheard of.
Even Woof was stunned. It kept staring into those eyes, wondering whether this was the same guy who had been about to become its snack the day before.
Either he had been very wrong about Edmond before…or, there really was something special about humans.
Aaron touched Wood's fur to take its opinion, but when he saw that it, too, was pretty shocked, he shook his head.
This was…interesting.
Another puzzle?
Maybe.
Edmond's hand was holding onto Aaron's like a vice, and when he tried to shake it off, it didn't let go.
It seemed as if Edmond wasn't willing to let go unless Aaron agreed that he wasn't pathetic.
However, before he could say anything, Edmond closed his eyes and went back to sleep.
It looked like that was all he was capable of in this state, and even though he wasn't staring at Aaron and demanding an acknowledgment anymore, Aaron decided to speak anyway.
"I agree. You're not that pathetic."
"Ooowwooowwow."
Woof echoed this thought, and that was when a small smile spread across Edmond's face.
Shaking his head, Aaron kept thinking about those eyes while he left the room and headed to Mrs. Ernst to get some buns.
By the time he came back, Edmond was sitting up on his bed with a weak smile on his face.
He was looking down and constantly caressing that spot between his knuckles where the Core always appeared from, but when he heard Aaron enter, he looked up and shouted, "We did it! You held up your end of the bargain!"
He didn't look like he was too unhappy about almost dying, which was something Aaron had expected.
It seemed that the excitement over obtaining a Tera with Rare-grade potential was blocking out all other feelings right now.
For now, Aaron pushed aside all the thoughts about what he had seen in Edmond and what the Chief had said.
His conclusion after his ruminations had been this: he would just have to wait and see more before making any kind of judgment.
Right now, he was most interested in the Bewitching Fox that he had thrown toward Edmond.
Was that really it? Was that all that was needed to bind a Tera?
According to the booklet and what the Chief had said, this relationship was one-sided: a Tera Master could kill the Tera if he wished by causing the Energy that was sent during the Binding to implode, but the Tera wasn't capable of anything like that.
Wasn't that too one-sided? Wasn't that like slavery, almost?
Woof was his friend, and when he looked at the husky, he couldn't imagine ever having it agree to such a Bond.
The Chief had also come to check on Edmond after finding that he had woken up, so Aaron decided to ask.
"Chief, isn't the Tera Bond like slavery? Isn't it unfair to Teras?"
This was something that had been bothering him slightly ever since he had heard the explanation about Tera Masters from the Chief.
Yet, he had been waiting to see whether he could figure out the answer himself.
Hearing his question, all three- Edmond, the Healer, and the Chief shot him a weird look.
When Aaron was witness to this look, he realized that it was the same one that he had seen when he had asked Edmond about why Teras were required to go outside to relieve themselves, instead of using the bathroom stalls like humans.
The Healer looked at Chief, and even Edmond did the same, as if deciding that he wasn't capable of answering this question.
Seeing this, the Chief sighed and folded his hands.
"Yes, Aaron. It is unfair. But Teras aren't completely left without a way to escape, you know. You need to understand something which is not written in the booklet. Most times, it is best to entice a Tera into entering a Bond on its own volition, but tempting it with the increased rate of growth and other benefits. This results in an equal relationship, where the Tera would be willing and happy to coordinate with the Tera Master."
Hearing this, Aaron nodded. This was how he had imagined Tera Masters, too, initially, but that had changed after he saw how Aaron Bound that Bewitching Fox.
"However, the problem is communication. No matter how much humanity has tried, we haven't been able to form a language with which we can communicate with Teras effectively. The only thing we can do is use common gestures such as pointing. It is different after a Bond has been made, but even then, only the simplest commands can be sent. That is why those like you are so special. As you've spent a lot of time with the Tera, you must have built some sort of system to communicate with each other. Many say that the true dream of humanity is to find a way to speak to Teras, as, then, we would be able to easily understand their thoughts and needs instead of having to guess, which would make the profession of Tera Masters so much easier. Yes, I know its pretty shocking."
The Chief said the last sentence on seeing the shock that had appeared on Aaron's face, but he didn't know that that shock had a different reason.
Aaron…had always been able to send his thoughts and images to Woof through touch. He had always thought that it was something that all humans could do.
Yet, now, he had found out that that was supposed to be impossible.
What was he even supposed to think?
Was he special, or was the Chief just not aware that this was possible?
Either way, Aaron felt lucky that he had never spoken about this to any human yet.
He knew that certain things about a person should be kept secret, just like certain attacks of a Tera were hidden by that Tera to ensure the success of a surprise attack.
Also, for some reason, he felt as if this was something that might place him in danger if others found out about it.
He didn't know why, but this feeling was very strong.
Meanwhile, the Chief was continuing.
"So, the true test of a Tera Master is to see how good he is in figuring out the needs of Teras. It is something that requires practice, knowledge and a whole lot of hard work. Anyway, I'll get back to your question. It is one-sided, but not as much as you think. For instance, a Tera, if fast enough, can simply kill its master before the attack is triggered. You should be careful of that, Edmond. In fact, let's see your Fox now. If it needs to be constrained, my Viper will help."
Saying so, the Chief turned toward Edmond, who nodded after he saw the Viper appear in the room.
He had been looking forward to this ever since he woke up, so he didn't hesitate any more.
Punching the air, he made the Core appear and flash, following which a small Fox appeared on the bed.
Everyone looked at it as if waiting to pounce and stop it in case it started attacking, but no one could have expected that this was what it would do.
It looked around at everyone, and after it saw Edmond beside it, it raised one leg and started to pee on him.
