Chapter 3 

2nd day on ??? 

Woke up at around Starhigh with a bleeding and broken leg and a few shattered ribs. I was not as fortunate as I was last time, and didn’t land in the ocean liquid again. My body doesn’t hurt, per se, the Pure-blood Ink is holding up, but damn, it was hard to stand up and walk around. It seems that I am closer to the spire now, so I will be heading over, for the possibility of civilisation and more supplies. I’ve bound up my leg and foot and ribs as best I can with my limited supplies, but they will need more to heal with the current circumstances. Maybe, if there is civilisation there, they have access to Pure-blood Ink. But from what I can see from here, it is unlikely that they even have advanced to the ability of making glass. 

That thing is gone, probably reporting to its creator. I’m running low on A grade Blood Ink, which isn’t as important since I’m apparently stuck on this planet, but it has its uses outside travel. I must find a way to destroy my soul. It is the only way. If they know where I am, it is only a matter of time until they find ‘7’, and I can’t let that happen. 

_+_ 

‘S’ was walking. They had been walking for the past few hours, heat from the Star beating down on them as it slinked slowly across the sky. Every step, every breath ached in ‘S’s soul. And I thought that these wounds would kill me. ‘S’ thought. The mental takeway from this experience might just take me halfway there. My mental state must range in the negatives by now... But at least I’m closer now. The distant spire, once a distant silhouette, became visible. It wasn’t actually fully a spire, ‘S’ noted; it had a semi-transparent section that was wider than the rest of the spire about three quarters up. It stood alone, on a small cliff that overlooked the ocean. 

 I wonder... if this is another one of those villages. ‘S’ had seen many of these types of places on their wandering of the universe. Signs of civilisation with the reality of nothing. Recently, (well, as recently as a universe wanderer who has been wandering for centuries can be) they had been seeing more and more empty worlds, bare of life. Sometimes, there would be a house, a temple, a village, just completely abandoned and devoid of life, with not a single clue of what happened to the things living there. It’s almost like the universe is disappearing before my eyes... 

“Soul!” a familiar voice called out. Oh. So it’s back again. ‘S’ sighed. They did not have time to deal with it, especially as they neared the spire. 
“I have returned.” The Toast Cat materialised in front of ‘S’ 
“Oh.” ‘S’ said, turning away from it. They had learned from experience, that the best way to deal with something annoying was to ignore it.  
“Soul, you shall not ignore me!” it protested, flying in font of ‘S’s face. They waved it away, only mildly surprised as their hand passed through its translucent body. ‘S’ sped up their pace, walking through the Toast Cat’s body, and ignoring its yells of indignance. Up ahead, the air shifted. ‘S’ stopped, and looked up, towards the cliffs that bordered the beach. As they slowly started walking again, the air around the cliffs shifted to reveal a house, then a shop, then a street, then finally a whole town, enshrined in the cliffs. A light diffraction enchantment. How interesting. ‘S’ thought, picking up their pace. Maybe they have a Luxmancer residing in the town. Not that one could benefit me, but it could show underlying Power reserves nearby. 

As ‘S’ neared the town, they spotted a wide set of intricate stone stairs that lead into the town. As ‘S’ climbed them, they realised that the town was built in multiple layers, with shops and market stalls on the lower layers, and residential and public spaces build higher up. They chose a layer about halfway up, and started walking through it. ‘S’ found the town unusually quiet. They could only see a few people out on the cobblestone streets, and the ones they did see all hurried away and avoided their gaze. 

 It’s quite odd. ‘S’ thought to themself, as the saw another person quickly turn and walk away from them, ducking behind a flower planter. It’s only Startset yet not that many people are about. Is it perhaps a traditional or religious thing, or are the people of this town just wary to strangers? The Toast Cat had left them, presumably to sulk. It didn’t matter either way, a bound Toast Cat would take fractions of one’s soul and power regardless of their location. 

As ‘S’ rounded a corner onto another street, they spotted a young woman walking out of a nearby shop. “Yes, yes, and thank you for the extra loaf, it really wasn’t necessary.” the young woman said, slightly dipping her head, as some sort of sign of respect. An older man, presumably the owner of the shop, was standing in the doorway, and returned the gesture.  
“It was the least I could do,” he said, “for the Light Summoner. Thank you for keeping our town safe.” He dipped his head again, this time a little lower, and bid the woman farewell.  

‘S’ stopped in their tracks. The pieces were already forming in their mind. Stars this is bad... That woman... Fancy title, only one out and about at this time... She’s probably one of the main Perspective carriers in this timeline... I can’t interfere with her, the Chrono Commission hates me enough already. I’ve already been talking to one of their most wanted criminals; if I ruin one of their timelines... well, the punishment may as well be eternal damnation for my soul... 

As ‘S’ was thing, the woman had turned to face ‘S’, staring dead straight into their eyes. Caught off guard, ‘S’ jumped back, an instant reflex from their years of dealing with strangers. ‘S’ instantly started assessing the situation. They were right near the edge of the level, within jumping distance. The woman was about 6 paces in front of ‘S’, holding a paper bag with ‘S’ assumed with food or supplies. They could jump down to the other level, but it might not be worth the extra wounds it might cause. The woman started walking towards ‘S’. “Are you alright?” she asked, looking concerned. “You’re bleeding. A lot.”  

‘S’ looked down at their chest, and saw that the bandages they had put on earlier had mostly slipped or fallen off, revealing the blood, swelling and odd rib bone poking out. Oh. ‘S’ thought faintly. They’re making those Pure-blood Inks quite strong these days. Then they fainted.