Page 4034

The vault. His precious sanctuary from Ettol. The place deep within his psyche that he relied on in order to conceal his most important things. Everything he'd just retrieved from it needed to be returned there or discarded totally--along with everything new that he'd just learned, of course.

Above all, keeping Sermung's secrets was paramount. Not that the man needed his help with it. Tenebrach was more than capable enough. Jonah knew that even if he himself took no precautions to purge or protect his knowledge of the Crystal Titan, that reaper will have already done it for him.

Tenebrach was truly remarkable. Without a doubt, there was no psychic, living or dead, whom Jonah admired more. He could only hope to be of comparable mastery, one day.

But of course, that would also mean that Ettol...

Bah. He could agonize over it some other time. It was time to retreat. While he didn't necessarily want to leave the meeting with his old friends entirely in Ettol's hands, it was better to play it safe. Go dormant. Cover his tracks. Rely on old scars. Keep awareness to a minimum.

Yes.

Yes...

Mm.

Hmm.

Germal stirred.

Sitting on a stone bench by the wall.

Jonah had given up control, eh?

Naturally. The poor lad couldn't maintain himself for very long. Germal did indeed pity him, hateful though he was.

What had he gotten up to in this place all by himself?

Musings on the past, apparently. Sifting through more of Ettol's ancient memories, of course. Perhaps that should have been concerning, but there was so much go through that it hardly--

No.

Wait.

What was this feeling?

An unnamed anger.

That wasn't coming from Jonah. That was in Ettol's own heart.

Why?

Ettol wasn't like Jonah. This wasn't baseless. He didn't hold grudges for no reason.

There was something residual. A lingering trace. But of what? Too meager to tell with any certainty.

And yet just enough to know its essence.

Deception.

He'd lost something, just now. Had it taken from him. By Jonah?

Of course by him. Who else?

It never ended. It was never going to. Not until Ettol learned his lesson.

Sympathy? Pity?

Thrown in his face, every time. Used against him, every time.

What, then, was to be done? What, Jonah?

Nothing to say? No words of defense? Not even angry ones?

Silent treatment.

Or exhaustion?

Ettol burned.

Like never before, he felt it. True hatred for his other self.

Fine, Jonah.

Let us do things your way, then.

Page 4033

Jonah exhaled heavily. "This is why Parson thinks you're too soft."

"Parson..." Sermung removed his hand. "After your meeting with him today, I'd like you to prepare an assessment of him and Overra. Then deliver it to me when next we meet."

Jonah's brow tilted. An assessment, eh? There was no need for further clarification. There was only one type of assessment that Sermung would want from someone like him.

An evaluation of his friend's mental state. Both psychic and psychological.

"You could simply stay and assess him yourself," said Jonah.

"I want your opinion," said Sermung. "You know him better than I do."

"Is there something about him that has you worried?"

"...Radicalization."

"By most metrics, we are all radicals, are we not?"

Sermung simply leveled a stare at him.

Yes. Jonah knew what he meant. His impulses wanted to defend his friend, but the best way to accomplish that was to conduct the requested assessment honestly. After a moment, he returned a nod.

After that, their conversation didn't continue for much longer. Jonah searched through the vault in his head another time and ended up providing Sermung with two more potential hotspots, but then, as suddenly and strangely as he'd arrived, the Crystal Titan was gone.

Jonah hadn't even gotten to ask how the man had harnessed Ettol's domain to teleport in, though he did have some ideas about it. No doubt, Sermung's quest had been paying off in more ways than the man cared to share. Or perhaps Tenebrach was growing more powerful.

Or both.

Now there was an unsettling thought. And somewhat encouraging, too.

Sermung had always been virtually impossible to assess--psychically or otherwise. But on this particular occasion, he couldn't help feeling like Sermung had been particularly odd.

More tense than usual.

And more powerful, too.

Or maybe that was just Jonah's own senses heightening. As he grew older himself, perhaps he was beginning to glimpse some of the Titan's inestimable strength.

Ah, but he had to be careful now. Tenebrach's assistance would be wearing off soon. He needed to refortify himself for Ettol's reawakening.

Yes.

This was the delicate balance that had to be maintained. Jonah knew that he was not strong enough to overpower Ettol.

But that didn't mean he was weak.

Their struggle was, in some ways, a feedback loop. They were both growing stronger not just from age but from one another, as well. True, Ettol was outpacing him, but not by as much as the bastard seemed to think.

Next page on the 29th

Thanks for reading, everybody.