Chapter 22:Watcher and the Watched
Peter stood completely still, his gaze fixed on the direction where the three unfamiliar creatures had appeared. He hoped they would pass the camp without noticing it—he had no intention of risking a confrontation. Especially since he had no idea what rank those beings might be.
Since both Peter and Selene were now of the Awakened rank, the best-case scenario was that the three nearby creatures were of equal rank. The worst-case scenario? One or two ranks higher.
He doubted that three creatures ranked higher than Mad would travel together, especially in an area said to be relatively safe.
Gripping the hilt of his sword tightly, he waited in tense silence, hoping the threat—or rather, the threats would pass the camp without incident.
The next several seconds stretched out endlessly, broken only by the sound of bark being scraped and the occasional crack of branches.
Peter tracked the Ether creatures with his eyes as they moved southwest. Then he remembered—some beings native to this realm possessed senses entirely foreign to humans. For example, they could sense when someone was watching them.
He silently cursed himself for being careless and immediately shifted his gaze to avoid directly staring at the strangers, though he kept them within his field of vision.
It was most likely pointless, if this particular species had such abilities, they would've already noticed him. Still, Peter thought it was best to start developing good habits.
After another tense moment, the group moved past the camp and the noises began to fade. Peter could still see them briefly through Seeker's Sight, but soon they disappeared behind a hill and out of view.
He waited another minute or two before allowing himself to stretch the muscles he'd forced into stillness. Then he stood and circled the camp.
Knowing that the encounter had shaken his focus, Peter figured there was no point trying to test or study anything for the time being.
He decided instead to explore the surrounding area.
He spotted the raven still perched on a nearby branch and chose a taller tree on the opposite side of the clearing to climb.
The ascent was easy—the tree was full of sturdy branches. As he climbed, memories of childhood came to mind: the days he and his siblings would scale trees back home with their friends.
Reaching one of the uppermost branches, Peter sat and reflected on the memory for a brief moment before pushing it away. He'd been feeling strangely nostalgic lately—ever since he'd encountered that odd raven, in fact.
'Could it be one of its abilities?'
Peter wondered. Oddly enough, he kept forgetting about the bird despite having an sharp memory.
'Maybe its attribute is memory manipulation, making its victims forget it even exists?'
He pondered the idea. So far, he couldn't rule it out—and the thought alone was unsettling.
Tucking the suspicion into the back of his mind, Peter scanned the area for signs of the creatures that had passed through earlier.
The view from the tree wasn't ideal. Although he was elevated, the tree itself wasn't the tallest, and some parts of the horizon remained obscured by others.
The earlier Ether creatures were nowhere to be seen, but Peter did notice something else. Roughly two kilometers west, another group of Ether beings was moving—these were significantly smaller than the previous ones, but far more numerous. About ten of them.
They were headed west at a brisk pace, toward a denser area of forest—likely a patch left untouched by the deforestation Lio had mentioned.
Yet another, possibly more important, discovery caught Peter's attention: a faint glow of light to the south, not far from their camp.
'A city... Looks bigger than I expected.'
Peter thought. The buildings weren't yet visible, but the glow stretching across the night sky suggested it was far more than just a small outpost or campfire.
He sat on the branch for a while, eyes fixed on the distant city. He wondered what awaited them beyond its gates—if they even made it there. Then he glanced around the area once more to make sure no creatures were approaching before climbing down.
Once back on the ground, he looked up at the sky. With no moon, he had to rely on instinct to estimate how much time was left until dawn. After a moment, he guessed he had about half an hour left in his shift.
With nothing better to do, he returned to the tree where he'd started his watch and sat down beneath it, keeping an eye on the raven and listening for any signs of danger.
The raven stared back, its jet-black eyes locked onto Peter. He found himself wondering how this particular bird compared to others of its kind—especially in terms of age.
Peter assumed that the lack of scars or battle damage meant it was a young or newly mature individual. For some reason, he imagined that older members of the species would carry more visible signs of survival.
Roughly thirty uneventful minutes passed. Then Peter rose and went to wake Selene. Pulling back the cloth covering the tent entrance, he shook her shoulder and said.
"Get up. Your turn."
Then he sat beside the entrance, waiting as a drowsy Selene crawled out. After a few moments, she emerged, rubbing her arms against the cold. Peter spoke again.
"Pick a spot and stand watch. If you have time, try to train or learn something about your aspect or attributes. And try not to fall asleep and stay alert. I heard a group of Ether creatures passing nearby earlier."
Selene snapped fully awake and looked at him in disbelief.
"Ether creatures? Here? How didn't they see us? Did you actually see them?"
Peter calmly answered the barrage of questions she threw at him.
"Yes, they were Ether creatures. I don't know why they didn't notice us. And no, I didn't see them—only heard them. Now, I'm going to get some rest."
He said, then crawled into the low tent and lay down on the bedding. It smelled faintly of Selene's hair. Peter ignored it and tried to fall asleep, but sleep didn't come right away.
He lay there, listening. At first, he heard only Selene walking a little further off to sit beneath a tree. Then, for a long while, nothing happened—until, finally, sleep found him.