The Evernon Saga - The Journey Of Ascension, A Struggle For Godhood.

(Day 2 - late morning)

William was as stiff as a board after hearing those words, his expression one of abject horror.

He...he knows?!

Aiden's stare was unbroken, the grey of his eyes akin to a fog that William was unable to see through.

The sight of those eyes briefly reminded William of an old wives' tale in Birkstead.

"If you ever spot a small, moving patch of fog that you cannot see through, flee with all the speed you can muster. Though you cannot see what lies within the fog, what is within can most likely see you."

It was a short and simple, yet chilling myth for the young children of Birkstead to hear, frightening them and dispelling any notions of wandering too far away from the village whilst playing.

"How did you-," began Willam in a panic, as Aiden silenced his frantic lips with a finger.

"Shh, let's eat, shall we? After all, warm food is much more effective at filling our bellies than answers are," advised Aiden.

The two then proceeded to eat their meals, in two very different fashions.

William was despondent, occupied with battling a hurricane of worries and doubts in his mind. The food was delicious, and should have been an enjoyable experience for William, yet he tasted nothing. The food may as well have been warm mush, as the pit of dread in his stomach ate at him, and the wild pounding of his heart sounded in his ears. William ate stiffly and robotically, incapable of any fine movements.

Aiden, on the other hand, was enjoying his meal in an absolutely carefree manner, eating slowly and merrily. 'Mmm's and 'Aaah's of p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e could be heard as he savoured the rich flavour of the meat sauce, and the firm, al dente texture of what we know as penne. He rubbed his cheeks with glee and patted his belly, basking in the warmth it brought to his insides.

He ate so peacefully, it was almost as if he had not just uttered words that shattered someone else's world and sense of safety.

"Thank you owner! I shall return eventually!" yelled Aiden as he waved goodbye at the owner.

"Ah, quit your shouting! You come here once a month, at most!" growled the owner.

"G-goodbye owner, till next time," managed William to say, his robotic state slowly wearing off.

"Good lad! Till next time, eh? I'll have a fifth sweetroot pie ready for ya when you come with the girls!"

***

They exited the inn, as they entered the busy street, bustling with people.

"My my, what a difference in treatment. I simply cannot decipher the reason for his coldness towards me," wondered Aiden out loud.

The blinding sunlight, and the unexpected warmth of the weather, thrusted William out of his despondent state. He seemed to remember something, thrusting his hands into his pockets, a wave of panic assaulting him.

He had forgotten the pouch of silver that Roxanne had given him!

"Aiden, wait! I've forgotten something," shouted William, grabbing Aiden's arm before he could walk any farther.

"Ah, you mean the pouch? I have it, here," said Aiden casually, as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the pouch, coins jangling inside.

William placed a hand over his heart, sighing with relief.

"You know, I could hold it if you'd like. All you have are the pockets of your shorts, whereas I have secret pockets close to my body. You're a much easier target for pickpockets, you know," suggested Aiden, reminding William of the dangers of big crowds and cities.

"Yes...it would probably be best if you hold it then, thank you," said William reluctantly.

"Worry not, William, I wouldn't even think of stealing it. Even the vases in my room are worth more than 10 silver, so be at ease."

William nodded, though he wondered why Aiden would boast of his wealth simply to reassure him. He took a moment to observe Aiden closely, who then looked back at him questioningly, tilting his head to one side.

Physical traits aside, Aiden was undeniably well-dressed. He wore a grey shirt whose neckline exceeded the height of his collarbone. Its fabric had a smooth, sleek appearance, as it hugged his body and fit him very well. Aiden also sported pair of sleek, well-fitting black pants, accompanied by a pair of finely crafted, brown leather boots. William assumed that the pants were also woven from some kind of expensive fabric.

To William, what stood out the most was Aiden's long, black coat. The gloss and texture of its appearance was akin to that of leather, yet it looked and felt much softer than the rough, heavy, and dull leather William was used to.

The coat lacked any buttons, having an open front, with the front corners of its collars being high and prominent. It was long enough to reach his knees, and trailed behind him as he walked, complementing the elegant and graceful air that Aiden already possessed.

Though Aiden stood slightly shorter than he did, the refined air that he gave off was honed and well developed in the life of a noble. His air of nobility was at its grandest when he was not talking.

"What's the matter, William? Have I enchanted you by accident?" asked Aiden.

"No, I was just thinking about how well your clothes suited you," admitted William.

"Hmm? Was that a compliment? William, do save your attempts at wooing me for when we're alone."

"Then let's go somewhere, where we can be alone."

"H-huh? William, what do you mean by that?"

The colour of Aiden's cheeks seemed to redden ever so slightly, only perceptible if one looked extremely closely.

"We need to talk. How much do you know about me?"

Aiden's eyes seemed to flicker, switching between darker and lighter shades of grey as his gaze hovered over several areas in the air around William.

"A fair amount," conceded Aiden, grabbing William's hand, "Come then, let us be off!"

Aiden broke into a sprint, with William being pulled along behind him. Of course, with William being Level 17, his speed was more than enough to reach and match Aiden's pace. They dashed through the crowded street, dodging and weaving their way through the crowd, hand in hand.

William was too focused to be bothered by their holding hands, though he did make a mental note of how deft and agilely Aiden moved.

He was in slight awe of him, truth be told.

He did not expect a noble to be so adept at movement and quick on their feet. After a few hundred meters, Aiden's gaze began to wander, as if he was waiting for something.

All of a sudden, Aiden turned to the left. They entered a narrow alleyway, running to its end, where six large cubic crates were stacked up like a staircase. Each crate was just under a meter in height, as Aiden tightened his grip on William's hand and shouted,

"Jump with me!"

Nodding in acknowledgement, William used his senses of sight and touch to see and feel Aiden's movements, predicting when he would jump. After just a few jumps, they had reached the highest crate, and were catching their breath.

"Come, we're not done yet!" shouted Aiden, as he released William's hand, jumping onto a low roof next to them.

William followed suit, as they ran along that roof, climbing higher, jumping onto other buildings, eventually reaching the highest roof in their immediate area. As they stood at the top, approximately 8 storeys off the ground, William looked back and down, to where they had come from.

"That was quite the route we took, do you do this often?" inquired William.

"Was it that obvious?" chuckled Aiden, as he seated himself, leaning back with his arms extended behind him.

"This place is quite the pleasant spot to relax, I find," answered Aiden, turning his gaze up into the open air.

The grey of Aiden's eyes seemed to shift, fade, darken, and thin. It was ever-changing, confounding William, who was still standing.

Seating himself next to Aiden, he looked to his left, watching Aiden as he stared silently at the sky. He looked around constantly, even though all William saw was the unchanging blue sky, with some patches of clouds scattered about.

It was as if Aiden was seeing a sky that was completely different from what William was seeing, as if that view was something exclusive to him. As if his gaze was tracking something that William's could not.

"Say, William, do you believe in destiny?" asked Aiden, his gaze now fixed on a certain location in the sky, high above them.

"Hmm, I think that what is supposed to happen, will most likely happen. I've also heard that everything happens for a reason," replied William, "But, I'd like to think that what destiny has planned for us can be changed or fought against. I wouldn't be very comfortable with the idea that my entire life was predetermined for me from the moment I was born. It doesn't sound very fun."

"It really doesn't, does it?"

A moment of tranquil silence ensued.

"I have special eyes, William. They possess a very special ability, which is due to my Natural Passive. Do you know what that is?"

"It's my first time hearing that term," confessed William, shaking his head.

"From what I've been told, Natural Passives are rare, so only a few people know of them, and even less have them. Even then, they are usually only discovered and active when one ascends to Tier 1.

Furthermore, I've heard from my father that they could be anything at all!

You could either have a Natural Passive that lets you be completely immune to fire, or one that enables you to taste with your feet. Essentially, they're abilities that you're born with, and only you have it. No one else will have the same Natural Passive, unless they have one that is very similar to, or happens to be better than yours."

William nodded, listening with rapt attention.

"However, I was born with mine already awakened and active. Its ability is...quite odd, to say the least. Sometimes, it's a boon, but...for as long as I can remember, it's been a curse far more often."

Although William's eyes widened in shock, he stayed silent.

"This ability is always active, so it's quite exhausting for me. Do you think I could ask you to tolerate it for a short while? I can share this ability with people, so if you would be open to the idea, we could try it."

William swallowed his saliva nervously, before gathering his resolve.

"Alright, I can try it out for a while. What is it called, and what does it do?"

Aiden moved to sit very close to William, as he turned to look at him for the first time since they had climbed up here.

"It's called 'Eyes of the Dead', it allows you to see things that you will either find terrifying, or fascinating, based on your tastes."

"What does it let you see?"

Aiden bit the tip of the glove where his middle finger was, removing his right glove with his teeth. He placed his hand on William's left, who then began to worry for him.

Aiden's hand trembled terribly, and was clammy with cold sweat.

"Ghosts," replied Aiden, as he closed his eyes, his Natural Passive invading William's body and mind through the touch of their hands.

William's body jerked once in surprise, in reflexive response to this foreign sensation invading him. His vision began to blur, as his eyelids began to feel extremely heavy, drooping shut regardless of how hard he tried to keep them open. As soon as his eyes closed, a warmth bloomed in both of his eyes. The warmth rose in intensity, before becoming hot, and finally, searing.

William's eyes seemed to be glued shut, as the horrible sensation of burning plagued his eyes, and he was unable to open them. He chose to bear with it silently, biting down on his tongue, as the metallic taste of warm blood filled his mouth. His blood.

All of a sudden, the pain vanished, as William sensed that something about him had changed. He opened his eyes, and if he were to see himself right at that moment, he would realize that the color of his eyes had changed. They were no longer the colour of bright amber.

They were now the same as Aiden's eyes, murky pools of ever-changing shades of grey. The shades of grey writhed in his eyes, rolling around his iris, coiling themselves around his pupils. William's vision was incredibly blurry, but began to focus, as his surroundings gradually became clearer, and identifiable.

However, there were many things now present in his vision, that were not there before.

In fact, 'many' was nowhere near enough to describe them.

Thousands, hundreds of thousands, even millions would not do them justice.

They were everywhere, doing everything. He could see them now, even though he was not capable of doing so before.

Now, he saw it all.

Wandering souls crowded the air around them. The ground, the buildings, even the very sky itself.

Looking around frantically, William could see ghosts everywhere, even sitting right next to them on the roof they were on. He turned to Aiden, who was currently overcome with emotion, unable to suppress his tears.

"Ah, the blue sky...how many years has it been since I last saw it?" asked Aiden out loud, to the sky and himself, as he buried his face in his hands, weeping softly.

A feeling of pressure began mounting on William, as he felt his body becoming increasingly heavy. It mounted and mounted, climbing higher and higher, like he and Aiden had, until William's mind began to tremble from the mental exertion it forced out of him.

He looked up, seemingly the source of the pressure, only to freeze up entirely.

If the atmosphere itself was an ocean, and the ground they stood on was on the seafloor, then the ghosts that he could see, made up the seawater.

Truly, more ghosts than William's mind was capable of processing, filled the sky up to the very highest points that he could see. Millions, if not billions of souls wandered the very atmosphere itself, contained by some kind of invisible barrier, higher up than he could imagine.

William closed his eyes, in an attempt to calm himself, but the pressure was unrelenting, staying constant regardless of whether his eyes were open or closed.

The eternally blue sky that was normally present overhead, was now a desolate shade of grey. There was only one other color present in his vision that he could see.

Pitch-black clouds, a pitch-black Sun, and the pitch-black souls that roamed the land and sky.

The pressure and weight that William felt, grew with seemingly no signs of stopping. Thus, within a mere few seconds, William's body buckled under the weight he was experiencing. This was a unique sensation, unlike any weight or pressure he had ever felt before.

It felt as if the weight affected his very soul itself.

Aiden caught William as he collapsed, turning his body and pulling William toward him. He used his l.a.p as a pillow for William, as he gently laid his hand on the latter's head, in an attempt to comfort him. He was unsure of how to go about comforting someone who was suffering like he was.

Since no one had ever comforted him in the first place.

In this position, William was lying on his back, facing the endless horde of souls, coming from every direction, heading to everywhere, all at once. Even if he closed his eyes and faced away from the souls, the pressure remained undiminished, only further increasing to what felt akin to an entire planet bearing down on his c.h.e.s.t.

"A-Aiden...this is...you've been bearing this the entire time?" g.r.o.a.n.e.d William, forcing the words out of his mouth.

"Mhmm," replied Aiden, nodding as tears fell from his eyes and cheeks, onto William's face.

Guilt tore at Aiden, ruthless aches tormenting his conflicted heart as he saw William being eroded by the suffering that he was supposed to bear. Yet at the same time, it gave him a selfish sense of solace, for he was no longer the only one who knew of this pain of his.

He had found someone else with a secret, like him, who simultaneously happened to be brave enough to face him and his ability head-on.

Someone to confide in.

"This really is quite terrifying, I've never once thought that in my entire life, I could feel this horrible."

Aiden nodded once again, gazing up at the sky as he futilely attempted to wipe away the unceasing tears. For these few short minutes, he could see the world for its deceptively peaceful self, as it had always been for everyone else.

Except for him.

William, amongst all the visual and sensory chaos he was experiencing, noticed something else.

Voices.

Crazed, cackling laughs. Wretched wails of sorrow.

Screaming. For death, for life, for something.

For anything and everything. For the stalemate to end.

For their existence to end.

Coming from everything, everywhere.

William craned his neck, looking at the ghosts who had gathered around them, who laughed at his predicament, mocking his plight.

The ghosts in their immediate surroundings drew nearer, as some unleashed their spectral claws and began raking and tearing at his flesh, lightning bolts of pain shooting through and around his mind. He suffered no physical wounds, but his psyche writhed in agony underneath their claws. Excruciating pain plagued his brain like a fearsome headache, as he felt and heard his weakening, slowing heartbeat in his head.

There were other ghosts that sat on his shoulders, next to his head, and on his c.h.e.s.t, whispering slithering lies and sweet, deadly deceit deep into his consciousness itself. They attempted to tempt him, coax him.

Into death.

You should let go, you should end it all.

Jump, jump, jump.

Come to us. Be one of us.

Join us in our eternal loneliness.

The weight that William experienced continued to grow, as if it was in a never-ending phase of waxing, with no sign of waning. He wanted to lash out at these ghosts, even if he couldn't touch them. Being unable to move in the face of agony like this, led to a constant eruption of emotion within William.

The despair, the frustration, the helplessness. All of it piled up endlessly, emotionally crushing William more and more with every moment that passed. Tears welled up in his eyes, as his voice turned hoarse, weak, and desperate.

The volume of the voices that ravaged his ears, and the ferocity of the claws that ravaged his flesh, reached an unholy climax.

Give up, give up, give up.

"Aiden..." whimpered William weakly, on the brink of tears, as he truly began to cry for the first time in his life, which had been peaceful, and full of bliss thus far.

"I'm trying, but I can't take my ability back! I'm sorry William, I didn't consider the possibility of you lasting this long!" howled Aiden, hunched over William's c.h.e.s.t, biting his lip in frustration and despair.

A crimson line trickled down Aiden's chin, as he fought to suppress the panic inside him, constantly trying to probe into William's mind with his, to find and extract the Eyes of the Dead. To no avail.

William's body was racked with all-encompassing sobs, irregular, frantic breathing, and an overwhelming d.e.s.i.r.e to curl up into as tight of a ball as he could.

And disappear.

From the pain, the suffering, the agony that was his very existence in these brief minutes. Regardless of how short this period of time was, every second felt like an eternity of torment as his mind sank into a darkness that he had never experienced before.

"Even the weight of the air is torture, Aiden. And the voices...there are too many voices! How do I silence them? How?!" howled William in agony.

"You don't," revealed Aiden, the flow of his tears now unstoppable, as they wept together on a roof, in the middle of the day.

An ordinary day for everyone else, yet an extraordinary one for them.

As William felt his mind fall to a certain depth in the darkness he was consumed in, his eyes glazing over and becoming unfocused, a thought sounded out from the depths of his soul, echoing around his mind.

"You don't need to tolerate this any longer. Just burn them."

William gritted his teeth, as the Personal Mana inside him began to heat up and glow, like embers. With all the strength that he could muster, he reached up and grabbed the hand on his head.

William did not care enough in that moment, to wonder about the origins of that voice.

Aiden seemed to be shocked, yet said nothing against it.

Control it...don't burn Aiden...

All at once, blinding, golden light erupted from William's body,.

The expressions of the ghosts around them, or what few facial features they had, changed for the worse.

Aiden felt William's body becoming very warm, for in the real world, he saw nothing more than a faint glow being emitted from William, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

On the other hand, the ghosts who were a few meters away from them wailed in fright. They fleed as the radiant rays of golden light riddled their black, spectral bodies with holes, smoke trailing from each and every one. Although they could regenerate their immaterial forms within mere seconds, it was the first time that they had felt pain in hundreds of years. For some, even thousands of years or more.

However, the fates of those that were touching William and Aiden were much worse.

The apparitions that were in 'physical' contact with him, as well as those within two meters of him and Aiden, were set alight with golden flames. Ten ghosts were currently burning, as the flames crept and spread out across their spiritual bodies, eventually engulfing them completely.

The ghosts that were aflame, released the most agonizing, horrifying screams and shrieks that William had ever heard. They writhed and squirmed within the flames, the pain rendering them unable to do anything else.

Suddenly, William noticed that the weight on his body had vanished entirely!

He released Aiden's hand, as he immediately performed a kick up, a trick he had striven to master in his childhood, swiftly landing on his feet.

Aiden looked at William in complete shock, his eyes wide, mouth hanging open. He had no idea how William, who was not used to his ability, could be so agile whilst under the weight of it!

William looked down at his hands, clenching them a few times before visually giving himself a brief once-over. He then directed his attention to the screaming ghosts, who had now shrunken to half their previous sizes.

Without warning, the ghosts halted their screams, and began to laugh madly. Triumphantly.

"Yesss...I can feel it...I'm finally dying!" exclaimed one of the apparitions with crazed excitement.

"Me too, I'm disappearing!" agreed another.

"Finally! We can pass on!" the rest shouted in unison.

The one closest to William looked him straight in the eye, the few facial features he had settling into what seemed to be a gentle smile. By that point, the golden flames had disintegrated everything but its head, neck, and shoulders. Just before fully disappearing, it bowed its head towards William.

"Thank you..." it sighed, its ephemeral voice drifting away like scattered dust in the wind.

The rest of the burning ghosts disappeared as well within the moments that followed, each giving their thanks to him, before truly dying. The rest of the ghosts within a 50 meter radius of William fleed with all the swiftness their smoky bodies could muster. The air around William had cleared of any and every apparition.

Aiden stood up, having seen neither what had just transpired, nor the current situation.

William was confused, and frankly, quite disturbed.

He had not the slightest idea why his Aura let him withstand the mysterious weight, and even less of a clue as to why his flames could even affect souls in the first place. How did this mysterious world have anything to do with him, or vice versa?

"William!"

William turned around to face Aiden, his face as blank as an untouched patch of snow. He did not know how he should have felt about the entire ordeal, let alone what expression he should make.

"What happened? Are you okay?" cried Aiden, grabbing William's shoulders, concern scribbled all over his face.

William nodded once, in a silent response, as his grey eyes now ceased to flicker and change colours.

After all, there were no more ghosts lingering around William for the Eyes of the Dead to reflect.

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry...I couldn't take it back, no matter how hard or often I tried! I really wanted to save you, William! Please, forgive me!" bawled Aiden, as he sank to his knees in front of William, his hands trailing from the latter's shoulders, down to the bottom of his shirt.

"It's alright, Aiden. I can control my Aura and Personal Mana just fine when I'm by myself, but when another person is involved, it takes a lot of effort," reasoned William, crouching down to face Aiden eye to eye, "It's not your fault."

"William...," breathed Aiden, as he enveloped William in a passionate hug, overcome with relief.

William cringed slightly, allowing the hug to continue for a few seconds, before pushing Aiden off.

William couldn't be physically comfortable with Aiden like he was with Magnar, for they had met less than 2 hours ago, and Aiden's appearance was still a paradox in itself

"Ahh! Don't be so rough, William! Unless, that's what you like..." complained Aiden, before whispering the last sentence to himself.

"I heard that," announced William, a grin on his face.

"Huh?!" shouted Aiden in surprise, before looking away in embarrassment.

William could only smile.

He's trying to cheer me up, in his own way...

William laid a hand on Aiden's hand, patting him gently.

"You don't need to force yourself so much. I'm alright now, thanks to you," reassured William.

Aiden's expression fell, before changing into a teary smile.

"I have some good news...I think," began William with slight uncertainty.

Aiden looked up at William expectantly.

"You'll have 10 fewer ghosts to deal with."

Aiden's body froze, his facial expression turning serious. Even his breathing paused.

"What...do you mean?"