Chapter 43 Maybe, just maybe

Chapter 43 Maybe, just maybe

At the entrance porch of the cabin, Rylan sat silently on the three step staircase while Maerik leaned against it's railing as he retold the events that had led up to this point. Rylan couldn't think of words to say that could properly communicate the feelings currently swirling inside him so he remained quiet and stared down the path that led back into the forest as he let thoughts of his own mortality overwhelm him.

His self tormenting thoughts continued. “I wasn't able to protect him….I promised to protect him but I left him to his own devices……What if Maerik hadn't come….what if—”

“Rylan.” The call from Maerik broke him out of his spiral, he took in a deep breath and made sure to relax his features before he slowly turned to Maerik.

“Yes.”

“You're nowhere near where I thought you'd be.” The words were controlled but held an undertone of judgement that couldn't be ignored.

“You expected me to be in another country?” Rylan asked knowing well that was not what he meant. Maerik looked at him, his gaze discerning, staring for a moment before he turned back to the view of the forest and said.

“You're weak.” Words blunt and tone harsh but his gaze remained on the cluster of trees ahead.

“I'm sorry I didn't live up to your expectation.” Rylan said curtly.

Maerik didn't seem bothered by his tone as he continued. “My expectations are irrelevant.”

Rylan turned to look at him, examining every line on his face before turning back and answering. “You don't judge me?”

“I do.”

“But my judgement remains irrelevant. It is your ability, it is your life. I do not have a say, but everyone has a right to an opinion, Do they not?”

“They do.”

“Can I ask a question?”

“I doubt I have a choice in that matter.” Rylan answered and a soft chuckle left Maerik.

“Who knows. Can I?”

“Shoot.”

“Why are you….weak?”

Rylan stood to his feet but kept his gaze on the trees. “That’s really big talk Maerik, but the thing is…I can feel your Arkana.” He turned. “You're not that far ahead of me.”

Maerik remained quiet but kept his eyes on Rylan as he let the silence stretch between them. “True. Also…” He took a step forward so that he was mere inches away from Rylan, the added height decrease of the step making Rylan small before him, His blue eyes staring down with a look absent of all human emotion as he completed his sentence. “...When the game ended I could feel yours, and you were on a completely different level, but now like you said, I'm ahead of you, so what you think is calling me out is actually just validating everything I worked for. In a month I closed that gap and look at you…” Maerik took another step that brought him dangerously close to Rylan. “You're still exactly where I left you. Weak.”

The pause lasted only a second before Rylan swung a fist straight at Maerik's head, He blocked it but the strength behind the attack pushed him back destabilizing him, He grinned for but masked the look before Rylan could see. As he jumped back and avoided Rylan's kick.

“Watch your fucking mouth.” Rylan said, the anger unmistakable in every word that left his mouth.

“Or? Have you forgotten what you just said, I am stronger than you.” Maerik said calmly as he watched Rylan seethe with rage unmoving from the position he stood with eyes tracking every move he made. He was thinking, thinking of a way to bring him down, The first attack was without thought but now Rylan was genuinely locked into the idea of bringing him down. It amused Maerik to watch Rylan's agitated form knowing fully well that he was the cause.

“If that's the kind of attacks you have, it's a miracle that you're still alive.” Maerik pushed, a vein popped onto Rylan's forehead but he remained where he stood.

Maerik had expected a honest answer from Rylan when he'd asked the first question but Rylan had twisted it and refused, he wasn't delusional enough to think that he knew who Rylan truly was, but he knew well enough that Rylan wouldn't shy away from the answer if it was something he couldn't have controlled, maybe he should have just let it go but something told him that Rylan needed this push, whether he cared to admit it or not.

“No wonder you had the kid protecting you.” Maerik utterd barely audibly but loud enough for Rylan to hear, there was a visible reaction but Rylan managed to hold himself. Maerik smiled inwardly, making sure his expression remained neutral, unbothered. He didn't know Rylan but he knew what Rylan was, he wasn't just talented, He was a pure prodigy, a person whose pride was built solely from their exceptional abilities and it was always a sight to see when said ability was called into question. Rylan was far behind where he was meant to be, it wasn't a skill cap, it was self imposed delay probably due to his relationship with that boy but there was more to it than that. Maerik thought back to the swirling tattoos around Rylan's body, they didn't look man made, too much detail and the pattern too intricate to be conceived by the minds of parlor tattoo artist, it most likely had something to do with the game and maybe the reason why he was delaying himself.

Maerik leaned against the porches wooden pillar and continued. “I really thought you were more, but maybe you didn't really do anything, Maybe it was all luck, maybe everything that happened in the game happened simply because you were lucky. Maybe you are—” Rylan closed the gap between them, Maerik shifted instinctively but he was a few seconds too late. Rylan knew in a fight based upon physical strength, his lose would be definite, so he'd waited until Maerik gave him an opening and the second Maerik leaned on that pillar he knew, That was it.