The journey was long; they crossed the forest and reached a rocky region. Creatures avoided them due to André's presence, as they followed along a mountain range.
Lara was visibly tired, struggling to keep up with the two superhuman beings. The owl would always turn towards her, its eyes questioning why she was so weak and why she was with them, with a faint murderous intent lingering in the air. Light, with his sharp gaze, stared back, and the owl would then ignore the matter.
"What is the mission?" he broke the silence after days of walking.
"There is no need to be restless about it; you'll find out when the time is right." His words carried a unique, elegant air as he analyzed Light once more.
"You still have very little aura for a fallen one." In response, Light frowned.
"Until recently, I didn't even know it existed. What the hell is aura anyway? Besides being useful for intimidation, what else does it do?" The owl began contemplating the question as if it were a deep philosophical matter. Shaking his head, he shared what he knew.
"Aura is a force that accumulates; it comes from your deeds. Being recognized by powerful people or entities, killing someone powerful enough, or achieving something never done before, like discovering a new magic—these all increase your aura..."
"Aura is excellent for intimidation, but not just in the classic sense, or rather, not only for people and animals. Its main quality, the most coveted among the fallen, is to reduce the resistance of energies; they become powerless in the face of aura and are forced to obey…"
"At least, that's all I've been told about it…" The tone of his voice, his expression, and body language all suggested there was more to it than just that.
"But all of this requires a significant accumulation of it. Even though it rarely 'leaks,' it is still possible, and of course, it is marvelous for weakening opponents. An Initiate could potentially kill a Disciple…" Disagreeing with himself, he quickly corrected,
"No, even an Apostle, without difficulties, as long as there is enough aura."
"And how much would be enough?"
"It depends on the Apostle, but you would certainly need several times more aura than him. Normally, it's impossible for anyone below an Apostle to have more aura, but some are in special circumstances that allow this to happen."
"While we're on the subject, what is Nether?" He ignored the question and kept walking.
'I'll make a barbecue out of this beast one day!'
They were on a mountain in the range when André began walking toward one of the caves carved into the rocks, moving slowly and rhythmically. The cave seemed small and short. Light found it strange that André was entering it but did not question it. Upon reaching its end, André simply passed through the wall.
Light followed behind, perplexed, passing through to the other side. The cave continued but was now much brighter and larger, and at the end of the tunnel, there was light. Reaching the other side, a small booth awaited them. Two men? They had an animalistic appearance; one seemed like a bear with six eyes and four arms, his eyes covered by dark glasses while wearing a coat.
***
Name: Rister
Title: [None]
Status: Toll Collector
Rank: Initiate
Race: Hexaclaw Grizzly (Mutant)
Aura: 25
Strength: 5
Agility: 3
Endurance: 5
Skills: Sprint, Bite, Heavy Blow, Mana Manipulation, Bestial Manipulation…
Characteristics: Aggressive, Intimidating, Intelligent
Observation: A common bear illuminated with wisdom, capable of learning more than expected.
***
The other man resembled a gray wolf. Observing their statuses again, Light quickly noticed that both were mutants, and also capable of using mana and beast skills.
"Welcome back, Envoy!" They both greeted him in unison, as if they had rehearsed it many times, like soldiers saluting a lieutenant or general.
"Relax, these two are with me, don't charge them."
"Yes, sir!"
Following André, a large city soon appeared, built among the mountain ranges. A grand staircase extended from the cave to its entrance.
As they descended, Light couldn't help but notice that many of the inhabitants were mutants, some of them demons who, at first glance, were indistinguishable from the others. As he walked, he encountered another Murkait, one of those wildcats he had killed a few days ago.
This one was selling skewers that tempted the owl; there were all kinds of skewers, the small rodent ones being the most suited to the owl's taste. He offered them to the two travelers, who gladly accepted.
Everywhere he looked, there was meat; none of these mutants seemed to be herbivores… Light dismissed this notion after seeing some mutant rabbits eating a parmesan steak. Other similar examples were everywhere.
The buildings here were made of wood, and in Light's view, they greatly resembled a ninja village he had seen in cartoons as a child. Soon, they reached a large building in the city center, which seemed to be a government building due to the high flow of people entering and exiting.
They got in line, and whenever he questioned where they were, the owl told him to wait. Soon, it was their turn.
'Strange…' The person in front of him was a fox, but unlike the others, she had an almost human face, no visible fur, golden eyes with slit pupils, and the only distinct features were her ears and a wagging tail.
"Oh, what do I owe your presence to, André?" The gentle public official seemed delighted to see him.
"Naga assigned me to take care of these two; I need to make their civil registrations." Nodding briefly, she pulled out a registration form.
"Can you read and write in the common language?" she asked in a gentle voice. Both nodded. Light, of course, did not know and had just learned thanks to the system. Whenever he had difficulty, he relied on it.
The form was simple, only asking for a name, gender, rank, family status, occupation?
"André, do I have an occupation?"
"Of course you do, just put that you are a federal employee." Light couldn't help but whistle; now he was a federal employee,where it came from, people killed each other to become one.
After completing the formalities, she handed them a common identification for use in the city. Just as they were about to leave, she called them again.
"Light, isn't it?"
"Yes, do you need anything else?"
"I just remembered that a letter addressed to a foreigner with the same name was left here; it must be for you." She quickly retrieved a letter from a nearby drawer.
"Here."
Light took the letter and glanced at it briefly, thinking it was from Naga or some other troublesome Apostle. He opened it briefly to look at the contents and was in shock for a moment, quickly tucking it away like a precious treasure.