A Wanderer's Lies

Chapter 59: Aftermath [1]

Darkness.

That was all Isaac could comprehend in the space he was in.

Endless darkness.

He was conscious, his eyelids barely open, yet he felt as though his mind was clouded.

He couldn't formulate a thought.

His body was free, floating in the darkness, yet his limbs felt as though they rejected every single one of his thoughts.

He couldn't move.

His senses, touch, sight, smell and sound all eluded him, the only sense of movement he could manage was his breath.

He was no better than a vegetable.

He didn't know when he had arrived here, or how long he'd been floating in this darkness, but despite his clouded thoughts, one thing was clear.

The absence of something that had been a nuisance to him for some time.

He wasn't hungry.

The churning feeling that felt like his guts were turning, or the constant craving for his own skin when his hunger grew, was gone.

'W-Wait a minute…I can feel.'

Isaac mumbled slowly in his mind.

He'd realised his feeling was somewhat retuning.

'I can think.'

He'd realised the fog in his mind was lessening.

'L-Light?'

He'd realised his sight was returning as a blinding light appeared in the distance.

Slowly but surely, Isaac was returning to himself, and it was because of this he was able to notice the shadowy silhouette standing between him and the light.

The two stood opposite each other.

The silhouette formed an outline that was eerily similar to Isaac's height and frame.

Though Isaac was still not fully conscious, he didn't need to be to recognise the figure before him.

Despite never seeing it, never meeting it before or hearing anything about a shadowy figure standing before a light, there was something else that stood out to Isaac.

The feeling.

The feeling he got from the figure before him. The dark, empty and devouring feeling.

'Thing…'

As Isaac thought this, the light grew exponentially, as he squinted his eyes, the void of darkness disappearing by the second, and with it, so did Isaac.

***

A boy with amber eyes flickered his eyes open as he woke to the dirt pressing against the corner of his mouth.

The bitter and foul taste tainted his taste buds as he slowly got up from the ground.

'Where am I?'

As Isaac took a seat on the dirt, he paused, noticing his bracelet was under his sleeping body, and most notably…

'Why the hell am I naked?!'

Isaac yelled inwardly, quickly dashing to his Dimensional Space and summoning some clothes.

As he forced himself into some pants, his eyes couldn't help but catch the scene he was in.

Upon looking around, Isaac's eyes were left widened as he froze.

"W-What the hell happened here?"

Isaac currently stood in a space devoid of any tree or plant life, the landscape around him a mess and the dirt warm for some reason.

However, that wasn't what made Isaac shudder.

No, it was the demon-like being with crossed pupils, completely severed in half, lying a few metres away from him.

Additionally, countless other creatures lay sliced in half or decapitated.

The small area was littered with monsters from hell, all dead.

In the next second, Isaac kicked off the ground, dashing toward the forest for some cover.

Being out in the open was less than ideal.

However, before he could, he paused, staring at the demon-like creature that stood out from the rest.

With its cross-eyed pupils, Isaac recognised it.

'This…is that lady.'

Tracing her body over, Isaac was also able to notice the ring on one of her four fingers.

'Serves you right.'

Isaac's mind was still foggy, however, he felt a small rage upon seeing her. He didn't know why, but his feelings for her were enough.

'Robbery!' Isaac sang inwardly.

Without thinking, he snatched the ring from her finger, quickly summoning it into his space as he dashed for the forest.

Upon re-entering the dense forest, Isaac swung a cloak around himself, entering Zetsu and hiding the dense plant life.

'Think! What happened? What's the last thing you remember?'

Isaac closed his eyes, breathing rhythmically as he calmed himself.

Soon, the events before his unconsciousness flooded into his mind.

'Wayne! He killed me!'

At least, that's what Isaac thought. However, upon pondering for a second, he couldn't help but rethink it.

The last thing he remembered was Wayne thrusting his Greatsword into his chest, whispering the words, "Stay hidden…"

'Something along those lines. Was he trying to pretend like he killed me, knowing I'd heal? Well, that worked out great, didn't it.'

Isaac commented sarcastically.

Upon thinking this, he looked back to the area that looked as though a meteor had dropped.

'You're telling me, the Zobae…the Thing did all that?'

Isaac didn't know whether to be frightened something like that was inside him, or to be glad those Terrors and Jayne got what they deserved.

'Things worked out this time, but if I lose control in Spawn or Aurelius…'

Isaac shook his head. He'd rather not think about it.

After all this, Isaac had one more question, how did he awake once again?

Did the Zobae taking over have a time limit?

No, he doubted that.

After all, it wouldn't explain the handful of Vitaflow pills missing from his dimensional space.

He needn't check, seeing as the magic that made the dimensional space came with a feature that allowed you to know everything inside.

'If I had to guess, the Thing swallowed the Vitaflow, and because it wouldn't purposefully use the Nen to suppress itself as I do, I guess that my body naturally acted on its own, leading the Nen to the hunger in my abdomen.'

Like breathing, this act had become natural to Isaac.

Leading the river of Nen entering his body, straight to his abdomen was now second nature.

After all, if it wasn't, he wouldn't be able to do it in his sleep or when unfocused.

'So who fed it to me? The Thing certainly didn't. Was it perhaps him?'

Wayne.

Isaac knew nothing about the mysterious man who he'd met in the forest.

He'd saved Isaac from death, yet put him at death's door all within the span of 24 hours.

And potentially, he was the one to save him again.

'Who are you? And whose side are you on?'

Isaac had questions, but they would have to wait.

At the moment, he was still stuck in the Red Zone with no way out.

And although a good number of the Terrors in this zone were now dead, Isaac could feel the presence of a fair amount still lingering.

-STOMP

Most notably, a tall and thick figure with deformed skin, no clothes and no eyes, only carrying a sword that looked as though it was a cane.

[Name: Blind Boogeyman]

[Inherited Character: Fugitora]

[Verse: One Piece]

'This is a Terror of the Red Zone? These are what the Thing was dropping like flies?'

Simply being in the presence of the Terror had Isaac sweating.

Without a doubt, Isaac knew. If that creature were to notice him despite his Zetsu, he wouldn't stand a chance.

'Calm down.'

Panicking wouldn't get him anywhere, and he knew this.

'Think, how can you escape?'

Isaac ran countless scenarios in his head, but nothing worked.

He couldn't make a run for it, as the Blind Boogeyman and countless other Terrors would instantly notice him.

He couldn't activate his Scarlet Eyes at the moment, therefore he couldn't rely on the boost in Nen and speed.

Isaac sighed.

'There is one way.'

The technique Isaac had been learning. The same one he'd witnessed Zigg perform. The same one he needed to call himself an Assassin.

He needed to master it now.

He needed to truly become invisible.

Not just with Zetsu. Everything about him. To sight, to smell, to sound, even to touch. Everything. He needed to disappear.

Isaac's heartbeat quickened.

He was nervous.

'It's do or die. My brains won't help me now, so I need to be stupid.'

Isaac breathed rhythmically. In the next few seconds, he would either die or buy himself enough time to survive.

'Zoldyck Genes. If Zigg can do it, so can I.'

Isaac rose to his feet, still staying hidden so as not to alert anything around him.

'Come on, Isaac. Grow some balls. Dark Continent, Silver, Zobae. Ravenwood, who? You've survived far worse.'

Isaac breathed in.

'Come on!'

And so, closing his eyes, Isaac took his first step.

The Red Zone.

Isaac knew where he was going. He'd memorised the map from the guild.

As he walked, Isaac shut off his brain, focusing completely on his body.

He controlled his feet. The second it touched the ground, he placed his foot in the most optimal position so as not to produce any noise.

His footsteps were completely quiet.

The only thing that could be heard in the atmosphere was his heartbeat and the breeze whooshing as they came in contact with the trees.

Isaac breathed, and with it, his heartbeat slowed, until it was practically paused.

The breeze brushed against him as they passed the trees, making contact with him.

He noticed the interaction he had with the wind stood out too much, so, he controlled his body so the wind made contact with him the same way it did the tree.

He became a tree.

The Yellow Zone.

It still wasn't perfect.

He exuded too much heat, it was noticeable.

With his paused heart, he slowed his blood flow as his skin turned pale, causing him to become colder.

He no longer seemed like a living being.

Additionally, his cold skin prevented him from sweating.

He was odourless.

The trees started to lessen, and the plant life became less dense.

He could no longer be a tree.

Therefore, he focused on the wind itself.

The frantic and erratic wind. Unpredictable.

Isaac controlled his body, making it more streamlined as he quickened his steps.

Simultaneously, a small barrier of air was created before him. He'd entered a slipstream. He hid behind this barrier of air that imitated the wind. He was faster. He was disappearing.

He'd become the wind.

The Green Zone.

A blurred figure moved at incredible speeds, despite simply walking.

Although not at speeds that were comparable to monsters in Spawn and Ravenwood, 50 kmph for walking was impressive.

Additionally, this figure wasn't blurred due to his speed. No, instead it was the distortion of air around him.

Although, if one looked closely, they'd be able to notice the blur in the air.

However, without paying attention, it was impossible.

Not to mention this figure didn't make a sound as it went. Like a breeze, there was a minor whistle.

No heat, no smell, almost no sound, virtually no appearance and no life.

It was nothing more than the wind.

Or perhaps a ghost.

As the seconds passed, this figure started to slow, the distortion around it lessening, only to reveal a boy with a cloak and pale face with closed eyes.

'I…did it.'

Isaac thought, his skin returning to normal.

He was so in the zone, he hadn't realised the sun had started to set and he had already made it back to the Green Zone.

Additionally, Isaac knew what he had just accomplished was great. After all, he had the screen before him to prove it.

[Congratulations, you have created an Art!]

[Ghost's Passage ☆☆☆ (Progressible)]

Although Isaac knew the contents of the screen without opening his eyes, he did anyway to bask in his rewards.

However, as he did, he noticed a team of black-suited individuals before him, all staring at him as he stared back.

Among the black-suited individuals, one stood before the rest, staring at Isaac with wide and surprised eyes.

"Who the hell are you?" Muttered Adams, a thick and powerful aura exuding from him upon seeing Isaac.

Meanwhile, Isaac couldn't help but think he'd messed up.

'Crap!'

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Next chapter title: Aftermath [2]

I'm curious, which is your favourite arc in the story so far...despite there only being two major ones.

I took inspiration (stole) the star ranking system from TAPOV, so consider it the same.

POWERRRRRRRRRRRRR...

*BREATHES IN*

...STONESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!