Blessed

"Blessed?"

To call him a blessed... Was beyond ridiculous. Dumbfounded at first, Ian then chuckled.

"I'm anything but blessed."

Maybe his Aether could be considered a blessing, or maybe not. Counting the troubles he'd faced solely because of this power was impossible. His holy power had always been a hassle for him and a hindrance in achieving a normal life. Yet at the same time, he couldn't bring himself to hate this power. His Aether was very dear to him. Ian couldn't live without it. He could never.

But still, to call him a blessed...

"Yet I do know of such a phrase, yes? The Blessed of Light?"

The most curious entity mentioned in the ruins of the shrine of Nature he found long ago. Someone whom Ian never ever got a single clue about, yet he seemed to hold a great position in the events of history. There were either nothing about him or everything was erased. Why, he might be totally unrelated, or maybe a complete opposite to that.

How very interesting, really.

"Yes. Yes, a very unique existence indeed... But not as much as you."

As he said, he circled around Ian, his eyes never leaving what seemed to be the unseeable depth of Ian's soul. This made Ian realize something. The man was capable of reading the flow of mana in one person, just as he was able to sense the presence of Aether in others. 

"The same mana lingers around you."

Mana and Aether were the two ends of a scale. If he could identify Ian's mana, he could also speak about his Aether.

"So?" Stopping Zal's curious peering, Ian turned around to face him. The feeling of being closely observed was incredibly disgusting. "Where is that guy now?"

The Blessed of Light. Since knowing him, Ian craved to learn more about that existence.

"Who knows?" Zal shrugged his shoulders. "Their visit to the jungle was short, and I was a powerless child."

So he couldn't get to know the man much, yet he remembered him to this day. 

"So tell me, what are you?"

That question again. What was Ian? It was such a nice question to ask. Ian too, wanted to know the answer. 

"Why would I tell you?"

Ian had no obligation to answer the man, just as Zal kept avoiding proper answers. He didn't explain things much, and neither did he give him any helpful information. 

'Keeping your mouth shut for your own good, yet asking me to reveal my secrets?'

Either he wasn't allowed to speak any further because of that bird or whatever, or he kept things to himself as bait. Hinting on Ian and then refraining from explaining much, changing the topic, and leaving the answers unspoken. He was asking Ian to try and dig down deeper into his secrets, so that he too, could get to know more. 

'What can he gain from this?'

A few answers and some secrets that probably served him no good, yet he was playing tricks on Ian.

'Out of boredom.'

Ian could understand him well enough. 

"Of course, I'll offer you something of great value in exchange." 

Having observed Ian enough, the man pulled himself back. A gust of wind blew around his body and his figure once again floated up. Leaves scattered in the magically created breeze, and tiny water droplets splattered around. It was starting to rain. 

"Maybe a way to improve the life of that little thing over there?"

His fingers flicked, pointed at Alaric, then moved up to his shoulder. A tiny wolf was sitting there, attentively listening to their conversation.

-Uh...?

Noticing his name being mentioned, Lior shrank back, ears perked up out of surprise. Alaric too, flinched and pulled himself back, but the one to react the most was Ian.

"What did you-"

Ian's body moved out of reflex. Before he even noticed it, he was standing in between the child and the white-haired mage. A spark lit in his pupils, all sounds erased from the surroundings. As his hands clenched to fists, a breeze of gold pushed out of his body. 

"Slow down. I don't hold any hostility."

Taken aback, Zal raised his hands up. It was a gesture that held no meaning to a mage. He then dragged his body further back.

The saint, however, didn't lower his stance. Instead, the Aether around him intensified. The previous relaxed glint in his eyes was replaced with unconcealed hostility. Those pupils, colored after the night sky, bore down on his opponent, as if he would eat the person with his gaze alone. An immense pressure pushed down on Zal, something that a mere human saint sholdn't be able to immitate.

'...A truly frightening expression, even for me.'

Zal struggled to look away from the man. His back was drenched in sweat.

"There is a... lump of something with you all the time, moving around and living a life, though it doesn't have a breathing body nor a single drop of mana. Of course I'd take notice of it, even if I can't see anything."

A life born out of pure Aether and nothing more. How could he not notice such a bizarre phenomenon? 

"The odd thing is how that nobody over there, that little mage, can not only sense but see that creature. Don't you also find it strange?"

"...."

Alaric was a weird one indeed. Ian couldn't agree less. 

"And lower your guard. You can't win a fight against me."

"...."

Again, Ian couldn't deny his words.

-Master...

Tap. The wolf pup jumped from one shoulder to the other. Lior puffed his fur before sticking to Ian's neck, rubbing his head against the human's chin. 

"You don't have to decide now. Think about it carefully."

This wasn't something one could decide on in a whim, so he was given enough time to think things through. 

"There are also a lot of things you can learn from me."

If his offer wasn't enough, he was willing to give more. Watching the silent Ian, Zal elegantly landed in a distance spot, silently waiting for a response. 

"How can I find you?"

It only took a few seconds. The fierce glow in Ian's eyes subsided, and his face gradually returned to that of his previous relaxed expression. Once his mind cooled down, Ian began to consider the man's offer, also arranging for them to meet again later. 

"Just like tonight." Zal spread out his arms. A gust of wind whirled around his body. "I'll keep following you for now. Then."

Swosh

Just as the last word was spoken, as if a candle light being extinguished, the man's figure vanished from sight, leaving only a trail of floating leaves behind.

"Wait..."

Ian called out, but Zal was already gone.

"...."

He circled around himself, scanned the surroundings, spread out his Aether, but couldn't locate the man. Stumping his feet, Ian grinded his teeth in frustration.

"I don't want you to follow us!"

Follow us. Follow us. Us. Us. 

His voice echoed in the woods for a few seconds before gradually dispersing. 

The jungle returned to its previous quiet. 

Tat. Tat. Tat. Tat. Tat.

No, it wasn't quiet. Rain was softly pouring down.