Chapter 459 – Naless Host
"Maybe you don’t enjoy the dinner, dear guest?" The strange being spoke, a smile tugging at the corner of its chanting lips, looking directly at Kaden.
He offered no answer, still bewildered by all that was happening.
He was inside the house, and despite the eeriness within him, the house was a pleasant place to be.
There was a tranquil perfu soaking it, coupled with gentle, smooth background music that was strangely perfect for that mont.
Rea was sitting on the chair at his left, her eyes closed unconsciously and body limp. Kaden needed to use blood manipulation in order for her to not fall.
He lowered slowly his head, looking at the delicious food that made his stomach let out a shaless cry of hunger.
Kaden truly could no longer rember the last ti he properly ate. Well, he could, in fact. But it seed so long ago, despite the fact it was not even a month ago.
Yet during this little ti, so many things happened that his mories were becoming fuzzy, flooded by too many things.
He hissed a sigh, trying to keep himself from devouring his plate, and returned his attention back to the strange being.
’I still cannot tell.’ Kaden mused restlessly.
Not only could he not sense the power level of the being, he could neither tell if he had in front of him a male or a female.
It was strange.
The appearance looked like the mix of both — as if a god was indecisive about what gender to make it — the sa with the voice and any other mannerisms. Mannerisms that looked like they were in perpetual rhythm with whatever it was listening to.
"Why are you not eating~?" It asked, tilting its head slightly, while eating a piece of at dripping with sauce.
"My mother taught to not eat the food of strangers."
"Oh, a wise advice." The being laughed like a crow, then put delicately the fork down with a soft sound. "Then I shall try to introduce myself, dear guest."
Fingers locked together, settled on the table just before the plate of food, its mouth parted open.
"I have no na," it began, "for no one has ever granted one. And I do not wish — or rather, I cannot — give myself a na."
"That ans you will always stay a stranger to ." Kaden interjected.
"A na does not define soone, don’t you think?"
"A na anchors your identity." Kaden said. "Without it, how can you know that you are you?"
"Na or mories?" The being smirked.
Kaden paused. "Huh?"
"You said a na anchors your identity," it repeated. "But are you sure?"
Kaden didn’t get to answer as the male-woman continued smoothly, his-her voice so lodious and in rhythm that he was compelled to listen.
"Let strip you from your na," it said, playing with the knife. "Will you still be who you are? Most probably, yes. A na is just a label, not who you are. Sotis those labels are powerful enough to dictate how you act, but only because they co with one thing..."
It lifted a finger, smile wide.
"...because they co with a history behind. In other words, with mories."
It winked playfully, looking at the strangely bewildered yet focused face of Kaden.
"Now let’s do the opposite." The creature laughed cheerfully. "What would happen if I take away your mories? The mories of your childhood, of the events that marked you, of everything you have ever lived, and leave you nothing but one thing: your na."
It paused, taking a light exhale, then—
"Tell then, Kaden Warborn—"
Kaden’s heart skipped a beat.
"—will you still be Kaden Warborn?"
He didn’t answer. Or rather, he couldn’t. The words of the strange creature were oddly true, making him aware of things he didn’t truly consider until now.
He had always lived and grown up in an environnt where nas ant a lot. And he had gone through events that reaffird that sa notion.
Aurora, for instance. Or even Sora.
He always believed it was the na. Yet it was never truly the na...it was the mories that ca with that na.
His eyes brightened. He lifted his head next, looking at the creature’s strange smile.
"I," Kaden said, "probably would not be the sa one as I am today. But,"
Here, his eyebrows knitted tightly together.
"How do you know my na? I never told you."
"I have no na," the creature said, playing with the fork now, "but I can know all nas. And if I know a na, I know the mories behind that na. And if I know the mories behind that na, I will know the being in a way even himself doesn’t."
Kaden’s throat tightened, his stomach knotting into a ball at the words.
"Why...why are you telling this?"
The air at his back felt like frozen spikes.
"It won’t change anything." The creature answered leisurely.
"What do you want from ?"
"A na."
Kaden froze, frowning, tilting his head perplexedly.
"A na?" He echoed. "Didn’t you—!"
"I never said a na is useless. I said mories make you who you are, not a na. However," it paused, smiling thinly, "you need a na to be rembered, so that your mories could go from within you and extend to the world outside you. That’s how legends are born. That’s how myths are created."
"And you want to be among them."
"I do not have that high of a dream. Or rather, not any longer. I have been those once. And it’s nothing glorious like mortals would believe." Its smile stiffened. "Now all I want is a na to be rembered as sothing new."
"Sotis it’s better to be naless." Kaden said, not even knowing why he uttered such words.
The creature nodded lightly. "But sothing needs to be nad to evolve, to reach a higher state of existence."
"Will that be your case?"
"I certainly hope so."
"How can I na you?"
"Oh, that’s one of the interesting questions." The creature chuckled, leaning against the chair, relaxed before answering. "I said I can see the mories of the nas I know."
"Yes."
"Yet I couldn’t see all of yours, Kaden." The being said, then looked at the unconscious Rea. "Nor can I see everything of this beautiful little girl. Rea you call her? A beautiful na, but a false na."
"What do you an?" Kaden inquired, sitting straighter.
"What else?" The being shrugged lazily. "You have sothing empty in you. So empty that my power doesn’t dare to look deeper at you. Which makes you qualified to na . I have been waiting since I t that talented man."
’Emptiness?’ Kaden thought. ’Talented man?’
"As for the girl," it pointed to Rea next, "I have seen nothing, because her na is existentially false. And my current existence cannot bear her true na. How weak have I beco?"
It said the last words with sadness, then let its lips pull out enthusiastically.
"Now that’s an interesting duo. Who might you truly be?" It shook its head. "I do not quite care. All I care about is a na."
"Why would I na you?" Kaden retorted, not liking at all whatever was happening. "What if by doing that I create sothing I shouldn’t? Or even inflict sothing on myself that I shouldn’t?"
"Because you have no other choice."
"Huh?"
"If you wish to live and save this girl, that is." It specified. "You can’t see it, Kaden, but there are two rhythms fighting outstandingly hard to control the dance, the body of this girl. One is slowly losing. I do not need to tell you who."
Kaden hissed angrily. "You know how to get out of here?"
The creature looked at him strangely, as if Kaden was the dumbest man it ever t.
"Of course I can. I am the master of this...hm, how should I call this current state? Ah, let’s use the word of that talented man..."
It clapped its hands. Kaden’s eyes were cold.
"Ah yes, I am the master of this Echo of Warren."
—End of Chapter 459—
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