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Thanks for reading, everybody.

Page 4123

It was tough. Certainly, there were plenty of other questions that Hector wanted to ask, particularly about the Vanguard's conduct as a whole, but it wasn't the time for that. For two different reasons, in fact. The first being that he still wasn't convinced that the situation here was truly secure now, even with Sermung's arrival. And the second being that the turmoil he sensed within Sermung was its own problem to be worrying about.

After everything he'd come to learn about the Rainlord's circumstances and the recent battle in the Luthic Ocean that caused Hurricane Deva, Hector was honestly quite tempted to just lay all of that at the feet of the Vanguardian emperor here and demand some explanations.

But how would that help the current situation? It might provide a nice feeling of catharsis, but that was just selfish thinking when so much was still up in the air. And selfishness could wait a bit longer.

Sermung's aura, however, must have been able to pick up on some aspect of those feelings, because Hector was sensing some related inquiries from the mounting irritation therein.

You are holding back quite a bit, the man's aura was saying. You have some bone to pick with me, I take it? Like countless others, no doubt.

A tempting provocation, but Hector didn't bite. He kept his own annoyance at bay. Don't change the subject. We were focusing on destiny. What's your obsession with it?

I am not obsessed. I just find it difficult to continue denying. It is hard to articulate to one so young. You may understand much of me that others do not, but that does not mean everything is easily clarified.

Well, please try, anyway. Because it seems like that idea sits near the root of your struggle.

The hope of free will may indeed be beautiful, and I do still admire it, but what say you when you see people with these supposedly free wills making the same mistakes ad nauseum? When great problems that you sacrifice much in order to solve keep returning again and again? Does that speak nothing of predestination to you? Of a pointless struggle against the endless march of entropy?

Not especially. Young people make young mistakes. I know it must be frustrating to watch happen, but the path forward isn't a straight line, you know. People learn and grow through all sorts of messy and backwards ways.

Hmph. And what of reapers? They do not have such an excuse.

Okay, well, reapers are... ah... hmm.

Page 4122

But even as they conducted a conversation between auras alone, they also kept up a completely different discussion with their physical voices in the normal world. There were pressing questions that Hector wanted answers to, after all, including the one that Garovel had asked him to bring up.

"Have you already neutralized all the Yigorosks in the entire city?" said Hector.

"Yes. No need to worry. How much do you know about the current state of Andeyal? I've only just arrived and could use any information you might possess."

"If you only just arrived, then how can you be so sure that you got them all?"

"The Idkin are a familiar foe to me. I've learned their tactics and how to sense their various presences, even the ones that employ stealth. Truthfully, this incursion wasn't that bad. It could have been far worse, believe me."

"Well, I've heard Jercash is responsible for most of the recent issues in the city. Your people are keeping it under a psychic lockdown, in case you didn't already know."

"Aha. Jercash, yes. He will not be a problem, either."

Hector wanted to doubt the man's certitude, but given who he was dealing with here, it was kind of difficult to do so. "Er--there are Yigorosks that employ stealth? Or--eh--Idkin, you said?"

"Oh, yes. Idkin is the term for the larger group to which Yigorosks belong. They are as diverse as we humans--or perhaps even moreso. And their abilities can be quite strange. Camouflage and psychic concealment being among them. I advise you to be wary of that, should you have to deal with them again in the future. Some are quite intelligent, as well, making it possible to reason with them, even." The emperor paused to bob his head. "Or be deceived by them. Again, I advise caution."

That was all rather unpleasant news. "But the ones you just boxed in..."

"None of the cunning ones, no. Just their mindless hordes, driven by pure instinct and simple orders. I'm sure you would be able to tell if you assessed one up close."

The man sounded so casual and matter-of-fact, despite the roiling emotions that Hector knew to be underneath. It really did feel like this guy was existing in two different worlds at once. Hell, maybe even more than two. Given how new to this he still was, there were probably still things that he couldn't yet sense, depths that he couldn't yet reach.