They stepped through the fields, and Eddie's instincts became alert. With a flick of his fingers, a purple flame sparked to life, burning softly on the tip of his fingers.
'Wow, what kind of ability is that?. How many classes do they have apart from beast tamers?' Clyde asked inwardly as he stared at the flickering purple flame.
"I'm guessing you're curious about my strange flame and why I'm using it despite the sun being out, right?." He asked, smirking while fixing the corner of his glasses.
Clyde nodded in response, glancing around them to remain focused on their surrounding.
"Well, it's simple. This flame is like a fire alarm. It burns bright when we're close to an enemy, like a detector, informing me of the enemy's whereabouts and sometimes their skill." He answered with a knowing smile while adjusting the frame of his glasses.
"Wow, but how can you know their class when it only burns bright closer to enemies?" Clyde asked confusedly, staring past him to the vines up ahead.
"Skill, not class, by the way. And it's actually very easy, though at first I didn't understand it at all, which made me study almost every skill and class, making me knowledgeable about my abilities." He started, casting Clyde a glance.
"Watch what happens when I bring the flame closer to you."
He directed the flame toward Clyde through the air without any support, leaving Clyde astonished for a while before he started noticing the colour change.
The once purple flame slowly turned to a bright orange colour, then slowly to a green colour.
'Wait! If he knows my skill, then he'll know I have the Mireling in my Beast Codex!' He startled, drawing back before the flame could come closer.
The flame stopped between orange and green, giving it a beautiful glow before it suddenly vanished.
Eddie stared at Clyde for a while, as if studying hìm and his features before he reached for Clyde's stomach and punched him hard, leaving him stumbling to the floor.
"What the hell was that?!" Clyde barked, using his left hand to wedge himself from fully hitting the ground.
"My bad, I thought you were a Parody. What's with the green flame? What beast did you tame?" Eddie asked with a raised eyebrow.
Clyde coughed heavily as he sat on the ground rubbing his stomach for the pain to subside, then he raised his head at Eddie with a frown.
"What's with the reaction? What exactly was that act for?" Clyde asked without first answering Eddie's questions.
Eddie sighed, offering a helping hand, which Clyde rejected by standing up by himself.
"It's not that deep, really. I just thought you were a parody, you know. Beasts that copy a person's looks and behaviour, and if evolved, some can copy their skills. Especially because of the colour of your flame, it was unusual."
'Probably because of the Mireling skill, according to Jonathan, it brings badluck'
"So, I had to make sure you weren't one by hitting you hard, from heavy damage, they normally turn back to their usual selves, especially the weak ones." He explained, flicking the purple flame back to life.
Clyde sighed because he wasn't in the wrong. It was just a survival reflex. Not that he had to make the hit so strong, though. A normal touch would have done the job, at least.
"Sorry about that, how do you feel?" Eddie asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I just need some time to recover afterwards, I'll be fine, I think." He murmured, placing a hand on his stomach while speaking.
'Damn, now I feel like I want to take a dump.' He frowned while massaging his stomach.
He stood upright, glancing around him for a while before he glared at Eddie.
He had words to say, but he kept it to himself to avoid getting into an argument with Eddie since it wasn't anything serious to begin with.
"Let's go on," Clyde muffled, placing a hand on his stomach as he moved.
They moved through the vined fields, with Eddie's purple flame, they avoid each beast without having to encounter any to save their energy for the rest of the road ahead.
"Your ability is quite nice. You almost don't have to come in contact with a beast. You can just easily avoid them. I see how you got here safely and uninjured even after going through here." Clyde remarked as they both emerged from the haze of the vine fields.
"Hmm," Eddie nodded, staying focused on the long road in front of them.
"After that turn is the station, we get there fast or we miss the train and we'll have to wait another hour before another arrives." Eddie said, hurrying his footsteps toward the station.
Clyde understood and followed suit, moving along as fast as he could without complaint.
It wasn't long until they reached the station where the train was, although it was a station there were very few people waiting by it.
It was unusual for Clyde because the rare times he saw any train stations, it was usually packed with individuals who wanted to travel.
He glanced back at the long road they walked and recalled the vines field, then turned to Eddie and asked.
"Is there another route from here?, one you can use to head back to Zengchan?." He dropped his bag down briefly, pulling out a bottle of water while he waited for the answered.
"Hmm," Eddie nodded, fixing his glasses and cleaning his eyes.
"Yes, there is, but it's way longer and more stressful, though it is advised to use it if you haven't awakened your soul core to avoid getting killed." He answered, fixing his glasses properly.
"So it's only for civilian use then?," Clyde set down the water beside his bag, cleaning off his sweaty forehead before raising his head.
"Indeed, gate keepers stay there, and some of them are greedy enough to collect valuables in exchange. That's why most people don't come here," Eddie murmured, fixing his glasses while watching the crowd in front of him.
'As an awakened, aren't you expected to do something about it?,' Clyde sighed.
"Everyone gather inside, for the train is about to leave." The guard announced loudly, waving an orange flag around.
"Come on kid, get yourself ready. This is going to be a bumpy ride." He smirked, fixing his glasses.