Armaros sighed to himself as he looked at the night sky and the stars and the moon. Time has passed since he had last felt the surge of divine power before and he couldn't help but wonder why such a surge of energy was released. He didn't know if it had come from his clan, as while he did feel that it felt familiar, he isn't particularly sure about that fact, especially since he doesn't have his own divine power anymore so he isn't able to actually compare the two energies.
He was able to differentiate between divine energies because we was born with it and while that sense is still there, due to the fact that he has now lost his divine power, he is unable to fully differentiate between the divine energies, not as naturally as before anyway.
But even so, he had also became aware of an intriguing thing about himself, which was that his mana levels have increased and his mana capacity was greater than before, something which he found surprising as it was something that shouldn't have happened. He ruminated over it for sometime before he realised that this happened after he was stripped of his divine powers.
He had thought that it might have been because of the demonic scabbard inside of him, but he quickly learned that it has been staying silent and docile inside of him, probably because he had managed to subjugate it and his mana didn't seem to have been affected by the demonic energy of the scabbard.
He had also used his Mana to create a cocoon around the scabbard, to keep an check on the scabbard using his own Mana. He knew that despite the fact that the scabbard is now docile, he needed to be careful and make sure that it wouldn't be dangerous for him. So he used his mana to create a cocoon around it, as he didn't possess his divine energy which had naturally worked keep it in check.
He would also check up on the scabbard from regular intervals to ensure that it was not being a danger to him. And it was also a surprise for him when he realised that his mana capacity had increased, and that it was because of him losing his divine power due to the man.
He also remembered the words of the mysterious witch that he had met at Xerxia and how she had said that he was shackled by Fate itself. He didn't understand why she had said something like that and vanished without even explaining herself, but after realising the fact that his own powers had increased due to losing the divine powers, he was shocked.
It wasn't like he was not happy about having more mana and power, the fact that he has more power at his disposal is an advantage for him, but this also proved the fact that his divine powers were in fact shackling him as well.
He was also aware of the fact that his identity as Armaros is now one he can't use since he is dead, officially anyway. And there is also the fact that the guy who had taken his divine powers is also thinking that he had died, and if he were to learn that he is in fact alive, he might try to finish the job which is not something that will be good for him.
Not only does the guy have access to magic that he does not have, he also has resources he does not possess. Revealing his survival is a fools choice, that is something that he is aware of. Of course, the fact that he is now lost his divine powers will help in masking his survival, at least that's what he hoped.
'And to think I had only recently seperated myself from the Dawnbringers, and now I'm also dead as well.' Armaros thought to himself as he couldn't help but chuckle at his situation.
He understood that he would have to use a different identity ever since he realised that he had survive and is alive, but it doesn't change the fact that he cannot use his identity anymore due to his death. It's a bitter pill to swallow for him, as even if he was reincarnated, the identity that he has as Armaros is something that he has lived as for all these years, and now he is unable to use his identity anymore.
That was a discomforting thought for him, no matter how practical it might be, as Armaros is just as much a part of his whole identity as his previous life and he has to use another identity to live, temporarily at the very least anyway.
He also has to make sure that the demonic scabbard inside of him can never be discovered by others, especially since he now lacks the divine energy which naturally masked the demonic energy of the scabbard, something which he now has to do on his own if he doesn't want to be hunted down for possessing the thing.
Another matter was that he needed a companion, someone that he can work with so that it would be easier for him to do things. While it is possible for him to just continue on his own, having another person to work with would be helpful for him, and they could also act as his proxy and appear in public places to minimize risks to himself.
Then there was also the fact that he needed companions who would actually stay with him and won't betray him, as he remembered how the girl he had took under his wing had been a subordinate of the man and had set him up for an ambush, and if it weren't for the fact that the scabbard decided to act, he didn't know if he would've came out of the situation without him suffering damage from it due to how he had been affected by the forbidden magic used on him.
That also ruled out getting companions from the guild and other groups, cause there is no guarantee that they won't turn on him or betray him for their own gains, and since he does want to keep a low profile currently and not draw too much attention on himself, he can't find companions from there, as the risk is too high for him.
There was however another option for him to get a companion, one that will never be able to betray him even if they wanted to. While he doesn't like the method of it all, he will confess that for his situation, that is the kind of companion he has need of, as right now he needs someone with him who will follow his orders and don't have any risks of turning against him.
And what better companion would be for him than a slave. As much as he doesn't like the practice, it is quite normal for this world for slaves to exist and a slave is the only one who fit the bill for a companion for him. And he also knew that he can buy slaves from this town after he had scouted the place for a bit.
"I do have the money I made. But, I can't go out there with how my face looks. My hair, face is something that stands out, and I don't want to reveal it to others. I have no idea who is watching." Armaros muttered to himself as he touched his face.
He might be paranoid due to his experience but he knew that he couldn't go out with his normal face, as people might talk about him, and if it somehow reached the ears of the bastard who has attacked him, even if the information is about a blonde guy around his age, he might be targeted just to be safe, no matter how unlikely it might seem.
And if he spied on him using his subordinates and recognised his face, then it would be really bad for him, as his face might be recognised and the guy will try to kill him to make sure that he don't be a problem for him.
"I have to change how I look before I go and buy a slave... Can't believe I actually said that." Armaros said to himself as he sighed.
He didn't have the sword he had used as it was destroyed when the scabbard took over his body temporarily and so he had bought a cheap sword when he entered the town. He grabbed it and looked at the reflection of his face on the blade as he narrowed his eyes and touched the surface.
A/N: Had been dealing with problems IRL and my account was also not working properly so I wasn't able to write. I tried on inkstone but due to problems I stopped. Anyways, I have recovered somewhat and I hope that you liked this chapter.