Lacking

They had gotten through the night without anything major happening. June was up, staring out into the light of day, while Gemm herself was idly caressing the blade of her elegant sword with her petite thumb.

Although they had agreed to take turns keeping watch, Gemm looked like she hadn't gotten much sleep. Of course, no one could get a good night's sleep after what had happened last night, but June felt Gemm's lack of sleep was due to something else.

See, even when her watch was over, she kept an eye open the entire time she rested.

He could tell because she was quite restless throughout the night, keeping her blade close to her at all times. She also fidgeted in place constantly, looking over her shoulder every few minutes. Which was ultimately why June felt his lack of skill and experience played a more significant role in her paranoia. 

The fact that he never attended the Academy, or had experience in any form of battle made her doubt his capabilities. She didn't fully trust him to keep watch — or at all, as a matter of fact. 

She also likely found him unreliable.

Sadly, there was nothing he could do to refute that idea which stung quite a bit. He'd have to prove he could be trusted through his own actions, and for someone like June, that was going to be difficult.

Clearing his throat, June asked:

"Where are we headed anyway? And how does one travel through a place where several Dimensions reside?"

It was time for them to head back to where Gemm had come from. She explained it was quite far, but she couldn't calculate just how far given the nature of the place.

"At the ends of each Dimension there are Gates. There always are. We will traverse to the very north-east… and eventually, we'll encounter one of these Gates. From there, we'll continue pushing toward the same direction through every other Dimension."

Sounded simple enough. Still, though, the idea itself was hard to fathom.

'Traveling through Dimensions… my life sure is unusual now.'

June thought living inside the belly of a Great Serpent was abnormal, but traveling through Dimensions was beyond that of abnormality — it was just crazy.

With a sigh, June leaned his back against the wall, watching the dark waters in the distance occasionally grace past the shore.

"So, apart from your lack of skill and knowledge… you at least brought a weapon with you, right? Or even an earned Relic from your Awakening Trial?"

Gemm asked, looking at him.

Lingering for a small moment, June brought up his forearm and summoned the Skewering Twig.

Seeing a lengthy yet thick twig appear in June's hand, Gemm seemed to lose it.

"You've… got to be kidding me."

June just shrugged, replying:

"I'm sure it looks pathetic, but this twig is indestructible. Which means nothing can break it."

He wasn't lying. Although Gemm looked like he was simply spewing nonsense, he, in fact, wasn't.

The description specifically said the twig was unbreakable.

Sure, it wasn't the most conventional weapon to wield when it came to defending your life — rather, it wasn't even considered a weapon to begin with, it was an Item. But June had nothing else to work with.

The Legacy Blade could not be wielded for any other purpose besides the Passing and it was the only thing in his Runic Web that was a Relic.

"Please…"

She scoffed, walking over to him with her beautiful katana.

Without any doubt in her mind, she said:

"Hold it out for me."

She planned on testing the faith of June's words. And June didn't hesitate either; he wanted to see if it really was unbreakable.

Extending it out in front of him, he watched as Gemm brought up her katana, gripping it with both her hands before slashing downward.

Immediately, the pristine edge of her sword met the surface of the twig. 

'Ha…'

As June thought, it didn't break. In fact, it didn't even crack under the pressure of Gemm's strike. 

However, June soon felt a wave of pain coarse through his body as he buckled.

"A-agh…"

His grin immediately turned to a frown, wincing as his body experienced an unpleasant chill.

"Looks like you're right."

Gemm simply sheathed her sword, her dark scabbard attached to her hip before walking away.

Standing up with a groan, June dismissed the Skewering Twig and took a long look at Gemm.

'That hurt…'

The pain reminded him just how lacking he really was — not just in skill, but in protection as well. Unlike him, Gemm wore a silver breastplate over a tunic, fitting her figure perfectly and providing her with a coat of safety. 

June… meanwhile, wore a pair of dark military clothing, devoid of armor at all.

"Alright, let's get going. Remember, stick close to me, do not meddle with things that you do not understand, and if we hear the whispers again — ignore them."

With that, Gemm was the first to walk out of the alcove, adjusting her scabbard that paired perfectly with her black and silver attire.

Giving her one last glance, June soon followed.

He understood just how dire things were, and if anything he was grateful. If he hadn't met Gemm, he likely wouldn't have survived — not a chance. Not just that, but he wouldn't even know where to start when it came to understanding the Infinite Purgatory itself.

The Idols, Shifts, Breaches, all of it. He wouldn't have known he was immune either.

Nevertheless, steadying himself, June looked around as he walked out of the shadowy alcove.

'Alright…'

Not much was visible due to the atmospheric fog that surrounded them, but in the distance he could somewhat make out a few things. 

There were piles of fallen structures that jutted out of the depths of the dark waters, swaying. Bodies of small land — like portions of an island — hovered on the surface of the lake as well, appearing in the distance while several rocky sea stacks surrounded it all, peeking through the fog occasionally.

"We are to head… that way. That's the north-east."

Gemm announced, seemingly peaking into her Runic Web. June guessed she likely had an Item of sorts that allowed her to navigate through the Dimensions without problem.

Regardless, it looked like they needed to find a way to cross the water.

June looked over to his west, in hopes of spotting something that'd help them do just that.

Unfortunately, the dense fog made it hard for him to see much of anything unless it was great in size.

'What now…'