Chapter 177: A different Evin

There was always this feeling inside Rith, that the World Sprites weren't completely real. Probably a horrible feeling to have on her part, but that was what her instincts always told her. That World Sprites weren't actually alive, that they weren't a proper part of life, like they were lacking something crucial. Even Enri had that feel to her sometimes. 

Obviously, her mind wosiuld say otherwise: 'What do you mean they're not real? They're right there! Living! Would you deny a newborn's existence just because they didn't act like adults?'

Such thoughts would counter what her instincts were telling her. 

But today, Rith's brains and instincts were finally in agreement on what the World Sprites were. The World Sprites inside Evin's shadow were proper living beings from now on.

'What the fuck am I thinking about?' Rith shook her head.

[Runa, do you know what happened to Evin?] she asked, noticing that the skinshifter had calmed down slightly.

[I don't know… eight hours ago, mother turned completely still. Even his stray thoughts disappeared from inside the shadow. Usually, we're able to hear his thoughts in our heads, see?] Runa explained in a small voice, sniffling all the while. Rith didn't know how one could sniffle through telepathy, but that was probably not so important now.

[Enri said that even though his body was okay, something really crucial from him was missing… and we were wondering what to do… until that really strong girl came and told us that it was going to be okay]

[She came inside here?] Rith asked curiously.

[No... she seemed to know when we looked at her. She just said it to the shadow,] Runa explained.

[Then what's happening to everyone around us?]

[I-I don't know… It just started happening after an hour or so. Everyone just started groaning in pain, the only thoughts they emitted were 'Sharp', or 'Strong'. Even Enri turned like that eventually. I looked at the strong girl outside, and she just told me it was going to be okay… But I was really, really scared,] Runa started sniffling again.

[There, there… I'm sorry for not coming sooner,] Rith said, trying to piece together what happened just now. 

'It's mostly the same as what Nasst said… There's really not much I can do here, except wait and hope that he's alright… And besides, the Authority of Time promised his safety, so I should trust her a bit more,' Rith reassured herself.

She heard many wonderful stories about the World of Time. Most of them were obviously exaggerations and hyperbole, but Rith was fairly confident that the World could achieve some miraculous things at the right hands. And who was a better person for that, if not the Authority of Time?

'She can probably turn time for Evin and make it so that he's okay, even if he turns out to be not so okay,' Rith felt like she was deluding herself, but there really wasn't much she could do here, except simply be there for Runa. 

Being an adult was trying your best to deal with the shit that was thrown at you, but more often than not, you would be silently enduring them until you find a solution. And more often than not, the solution would be inactivity. Not all problems could be solved, after all. Trying to solve all of them would be like bashing one's head against a wall, hoping that the humor inside it would die out.

Rith couldn't help but sigh silently as she watched the World Sprites and the fox-head groveling about painfully. Even though they looked to be in pain, the problem they were facing was simply too foreign to Rith. She couldn't help them. 

But, she could be there for them… although it was painfully meaningless half the time. Well, at least this time, she was here to calm Runa down, so she wasn't too disheartened.

…

An hour and a half passed, with Rith and Runa spending some time together, eventually getting used to the changes that were happening around them. The World Sprites and Enri stopped groaning and growling at some point, but they were still irresponsive. But since their expressions were peaceful, Rith didn't feel so worried anymore. 

[I wonder when mother's going to come back? It's been more than an hour, right?] Runa asked worriedly. But the panic in her voice from before was gone, as she was much calmer now.

[Hmm, Lady Twelve Jokes only said maybe an hour. She could've been wrong. Maybe we should go out and ask her?] suggested Rith, looking at the teenage girl, silently standing guard next to Evin from inside the shadows.

[Mmm… No. She's very scary,] Runa didn't seem so excited about facing the Authority.

[Oh, it seems like something's happening,] Rith said, as she tried to understand the faint ripple that her body was feeling.

[I think mother's come back!] Runa said happily and started directing her thoughts towards Evin. 

[Mother!]

[You're back!] 

Stray thoughts echoed inside Evin's shadow. Rith looked around herself expectantly, and sure enough, the boy briefly materialized in front of her, before falling down to the ground. A sigh of relief came out of her maw, and she looked at the boy properly once more.

She could notice that he was also holding a new spear in his hands, one that was very similar to his favorite one, but made of a different material. Also its blade was glowing bright-blue, with another dark-blue tube glowing at the handle.

One more thing she noticed was that there was a simple, almost featureless mask hanging from his side, one that gave her an awfully unnerving feeling. Now that she thought about it, the spear had an uncanny feeling to it as well.

'He also looks different,' Rith couldn't help but think.

Runa, on the other hand, didn't mind any of these details and skidded towards Evin after dislodging herself from Rith's body.

"Hey, how have you been?" Evin said with an unusually smooth voice. 

[Mother! Mother!] Runa's excited telepathic shouts reverberated through the surroundings, making Rith smile unconsciously.

"Hey, what did I tell you to call me? Big brother. That's right, say it again," Evin replied and smiled in a very unusual way. He didn't frown and look mildly irritated like he usually did when either Runa or Enri called him 'mother', instead he looked weirdly… regretful and nostalgic.

'What happened to him?' Rith couldn't help but wonder. 

Now that she noticed this, Rith couldn't help but see the small and inconsequential new details that appeared on his behavior. First, his head seemed much livelier compared to before, with the way he tilted it slightly when he spoke and nodded slightly more often than before. He also laughed a bit strangely, in an almost charming way. 

Obviously, he wasn't a complete different person. He was just very slightly different. Rith could see these changes because it was her job to notice Evin's body language and subconscious movements. And all her training about a humanoid's body language told her one thing.

'Is he more feminine now? What's up with that? What happened when he was out?'

Questions popped up inside her head one after another.

She never felt that Evin was in danger, except for a bit of worry, so she didn't act like Runa. He was gone for only eight hours or so, after all. She was much more interested in the changed that happened to Evin. She walked towards him with some wariness.

"How long have I been out? Uhh, what's happening to the World Sprites, and Enri?" Evin asked, looking around curiously. But right after he voiced it, understanding seemed to flash past his eyes and he smiled expectantly. 

Rith could see that a blue line appeared around his pupils, etched into the white of his eyes.

"We're not sure. Runa said that they became like that after an hour or so… uhh, after you've stopped moving," Rith explained.

"Ah, I see, then it should be alright. They'll wake up eventually," Evin answered.

"More importantly, what happened to you?"

Evin scratched his head and smiled ambiguously. 

"Well, I can't really go into details, but I went through a trial to learn Soul magic," he said unsurely.

"A what magic?"

"It's a form of magic you can perform using your soul. Supposedly, it was pretty popular before the Worlds became a thing. But, please don't tell it to Nasst, or anyone else. I'm only telling you because I trust you. I'm not sure how people will react when they see it, yet," Evin said.

Rith didn't mind keeping the secret for Evin, and she didn't need to report everything to the Group anymore, so privacy wasn't a problem. And moreover, she didn't wish to put Evin in a dangerous spot.

"That's fine for me, but isn't it kinda useless, then?" Rith asked.

"Well, I'm sure I'll find a method to use it. For now, let's get out of here," Evin said and shook his head with a slight smile.

…