Chapter 46 The world before us

Chapter 46 The world before us
“So, was that your recruitment speech?” Rylan asked jokingly.

“Nahh, my recruitment speech is a lot more hopeful.” Maerik replied with a chuckle, Rylan nodded with a smile as he walked down to the last step and sat down. Maerik kept his eyes on him, no words exchanged, just silent understanding as the wind howled and blew softly through their hair.

“I'm not one of your men.” Rylan stated without turning his gaze from the night sky, voice steady with certainty, Law.

“I never expected you to be.” Maerik replied calmly as he sat down a step higher, the aged wood of the steps creaking under his weight. “I know our goals are different but regardless of that we are taking the same path. So why not walk it together.”

Rylan turned to him, filled with gladness he couldn't explain, he couldn't see himself, but he bet the look in his eyes resembled that of a fan boy, he pretended to wipe something away from his eyes and turned back to face the trees. “What's your destination?” He asked calmly.

Maerik exhaled before answering. “I don't know yet. I want to try and set up a settlement like…” It took him a few seconds to recall the name. “Jakob.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Maerik confirmed but his voice held a faint hint of uncertainty, Rylan noticed.

“Do you think you can do it?”

He stared forward and let out a soft sigh. “I’ll never know until I try right.”

“True.” Rylan nodded. “It's gonna be hard.”

“Never thought it would be easy. I'm not just trying to create some village to keep my men safe, I wanna create something…”

“Great.” Rylan completed with a smile, he thought about it, a settlement built by someone like Maerik would definitely be a safe space for Peter. Right now Maerik had no idea how to even create a settlement like Jakob had, but he trusted him because if Jakob had done it, it meant it could be done and as far as it could be done, they would do it. But Rylan knew that a settlement wasn't Maerik's endgame, it was a step so he asked a question that would help him clarify. “You once told me you like being in control, I'm guessing that hasn't changed?”

“It hasn't.”

“How much, how much do you want to control?”

The answer wasn't given with words but with the look in Maerik's eyes that made it clear. Everything.

“People are gonna hate you.”

“That will happen regardless.”

“You're gonna have more enemies than you know what to do with.”

Maerik turned to him and with the most vacant look in his blue eyes said. “Let them come.”

Rylan smiled then said. “Good.” Silence settled in comfortably, there were a lot of questions on his mind he didn't want the answers to, not yet at least. So he focused on the only sounds audible, the muffled chatters of the players inside the cabin and the hollow sound of wind blowing through the trees.

“You know I agree with him.” Maerik abruptly said.

“What?” Rylan asked, confused by the sudden start.

“I agree with him.” Maerik repeated calmly.

“Who?”

“Jakob.” He clarified and subconsciously Rylan shifted a little but kept his expression neutral as he gave Maerik a chance to explain what exactly he meant. “Regardless of your current state, You are going to be one of the people who set the flow of this world. A pillar”

“That's an unnecessary amount of pressure.”

“Makes diamonds doesn't it?”

“Also crushes submarines. Pressure isn't always a good thing.”

“It can be…when we decide we wanna perceive it that way.”

“I don't think that way of thinking applies in this case.”

“Is that what you think?”

“Yes.”

Maerik nodded like he understood before he spoke again. “Can I ask you a question?” Sudden but Rylan allowed it. “Do you really think you can't do it or is this just the fear speaking through you?”

Short silence followed as Rylan thought deeply about the question before he answered softly.“I think it's a bit of both honestly. I mean doubting you can do something and still trying is exciting as fuck but now there's all this pressure, there are so many people whose lives hang on the thread of my competence. I keep trying to tell myself I won't fail, but no matter how many times I say it, no matter how many times I chant those words in my head, it always sounds like…bullshit.”

“I get that. When we were in the game and we found out about the resonance stat, you remained calm, unbothered, always ready to act, always ready to play the role, but that was when the only life on the line was yours. The burden of responsibility weighs you down, it makes you slow, makes you doubt yourself, so, let me help.”

“How?”

“Let us take on this fucked up world together, let me share that weight with you and in exchange, you'll get me to my finish line.”

A smile curled Rylan's lips as he turned to get a better look at Maerik.

“Can I assume your goal is to be the Throne of the new world?”

“You wouldn't be wrong to do so.”

Rylan stared at him for a long beat, analyzing every line etched across his face, every twitch of his mouth, every shifted gaze. He didn't know what exactly it was he was looking for but he knew when he saw it he'd know but the more he looked at Maerik the more he understood, This wasn't some kind of dream to him, it wasn't a fantasy he wanted to live out, This was his what he deemed his appointed purpose.

“Let us conquer it together.” Rylan said as a thought ruled over his mind. “If I am a pillar, Maerik is what that pillar supports.” Whatever role had been as
signed to Rylan by this world was less than the role Maerik had assigned to himself.