"...?!"
Uriel’s words were so outlandish and seemingly random that even the duo sitting not far behind, who’d been not-so-subtly listening in, snapped their heads in their direction.
Korynth looked into Uriel’s eyes, shocked to her core and unable to utter a single word as her pupils trembled and her breaths cycled laboriously.
But Uriel didn’t budge.
And the longer he stared at her, the calr Korynth seed to beco, the false facade of her shock lting away to reveal an expression as cold as ice.
"..."
Uriel didn’t understand why she even tried to act shocked.
She knew that he was a Pioneer of Ithuril. And she knew that he knew that she knew.
If she’d been from Ithuril, he’d easily have been able to sense it. He didn’t know much about his Pioneer perks beyond his Pioneer scale, but he knew that much.
He could tell when soone was from his world, and when soone wasn’t.
But there were also two reasons that easily betrayed Korynth.
The first was that Uriel could see the fabrics of the world seed to reject her, almost as if she were a Horror and the world didn’t recognise or approve of her existence.
Almost as if she were a stranger to it.
The second was even simpler.
Crownless Seekers.
Uriel had only heard of those through his mage tool while in the cave, right after he’d forged it, and supposedly they were beings from high races, in other worlds, who were talented enough to beco Pioneers, but were born too late.
His mage tool’s exact words had been—
...
[There are three types of Pioneers. Primordial Pioneers, like you. Acquired Pioneers, those who had the title handed down through bloodline. And Chaos Pioneers.]
[Chaos Pioneers evolve from what are known as Crownless Seekers. Those are people with paths grand enough to open a Primordial Fate Path, yet born too late to do so due to their world having already birthed all its Pioneers.]
[Crownless Seekers are extrely common in worlds owned by High Races, both because their racial advantage increases the chance of geniuses being born, but also because the ancestors of these races are almost always Pioneers.]
[Crownless Seekers are then often sent to lesser worlds in the midst of their awakening to kill young Pioneers.]
[If they do so, they can steal their Crowns and thus beco Pioneers.]
{"And after that, they force the world to collapse, absorb it, then rapidly beco Gods in their world, yes?"}
[Yes.]
...
The mont Korynth realised that Uriel was a Pioneer, Uriel received what he could only call a ping from the world, an echo of Will that told him Korynth had found him out.
That, in part, had been what led him down the path that made him realise the Wildlands were part of Ithuril, but it also instantly told Uriel that she was a Crownless Seeker.
No normal ascendant would’ve even had the thought.
Or maybe they would have, but in Korynth’s case, Uriel doubted she was just a regular ascendant. There were too many coincidences.
And judging from her reaction, it seed he’d been right.
"So?" Uriel pressed.
Korynth’s frosty expression remained unchanged as she shook her head. "You’re lucky we’re in the Spire. Saying this outside would’ve had you killed."
"Would it?" Uriel smiled. "You think my cute, kind, and lovely little world would kill ?"
Korynth scoffed. "As if. A Royal Guard would’ve had your head before the world even realised it."
"A royal guard killing a royal...?" Uriel feigned confusion.
"That sounds rather circular, but who am I to judge? I’m new to all this royal stuff."
Korynth’s gaze sharpened at his words. She couldn’t possibly understand why Uriel would reveal such a thing to her.
Beyond the fact that she couldn’t even begin to guess what royal family he was from—which was just as shocking as the fact that he claid to belong to one—she found it odd that he revealed it given his relation to...the others.
She clearly knew him, Ariel, and Samael were related. If Uriel was a royal...then so were they.
’Either he doesn’t know what Ariel is to the royals or...’
"It was a political alliance. That is all I’m able to say," she said suddenly. "As for why he crippled , as I can guess you’ll ask next, you can guess."
Uriel lifted a brow at her words. He could guess?
"What? No, I really can’t, ma’am," Uriel said plainly. "But it can’t have been that bad since you’re alive. I’m surprised you weren’t in chains based on your origins."
Korynth looked at him as if he were an idiot. "My origins are why I live today."
Uriel smiled. "I am to believe your origins are so mighty the entire coalition of royal families feared them? If that’s the case, then knowing the usual crass royal etiquette, they would’ve sent soone to marry into your family."
"The fact that you ca is a sign of weakness."
"Or it is a sign of disregard," she answered, her voice devoid of rage or frustration. "If they sent a re , a nobody, to marry one of your royals, then what does that say about what my people think of yours?"
"It says you’re idiots who had your hands forced," Uriel laughed. "If you were so unhappy about this alliance, then it wouldn’t have happened. And if you were truly so mighty, then there would’ve been no alliance at all, just slavery."
"Sending you, a nobody as you say, is your people’s way of throwing a temper tantrum while knowing they wouldn’t be able to do more."
Uriel slicked his hair back and sighed. "Plus, as great as Kael may be, surely you don’t think he’s the best the royal families have to offer, hm?"
His smile widened. "Have you seen ?"
Korynth suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. Deep down, though, she couldn’t help but agree.
The fact that Kael, a royal, was used as an experint and guard dog for the Spire said enough. But the fact that Uriel, sohow while half dead, could outsmart and defeat him...was even more telling.
"But I digress. We’re going in circles. Now tell why he crippled you. We don’t have much ti."
Feeling the weight behind his words, Korynth exhaled before answering.
"He didn’t cripple . I crippled myself. His father simply made him believe that he did."
"And why did you do that?"
Korynth looked straight into his eyes.
"To fake my death."
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