Evolving Classes In The Apocalypse-Chapter 34: Benefit of the Doubt

Marcel and I continued to walk along the ground, moving around the valleys. I spent those quiet moments watching how things ran around here, the way people moved and interacted, before deciding to finally ask my question.

"So... you take in Undefineds alone?" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

A small, graceful smile touched his lips.

"They’re the only people who need my help after all."

I studied him for a moment.

"And you cured them..."

He shrugged.

"I can, so why not?"

I narrowed my gaze at him. That kind of answer was too simple for someone running a settlement in the Wilderness. People didn’t do things like this without a reason that ran deeper than charity.

"How?"

He looked at me with a side eye, still smiling.

"Are you asking so you can secretly cure your princess after leaving here?"

A shadow fell over my face.

"Would that be troublesome of us?"

He stared blankly, blinked, then laughed.

"What? Troublesome? Obviously!"

His gaze settled on me coolly.

"...No. If you want, I can take you through the ropes. It’s something I would love to do, actually."

His voice dropped, and he stared at the dark skies.

"Undefinition is a disease. And humans... we’ve learnt to live with that disease. We’ve accepted a disease that is slowly tearing us apart from each other. It’s revolting to watch... and so if telling you what I discovered about Undefinition and how to halt its development will help save one more person, then I don’t mind doing it."

He turned to me.

"However, it can be tedious and tends to take time."

His gaze darkened.

"A kind of time your princess does not have."

My jaw tightened.

"You think I’m just going to let you lay your hands on her?"

Marcel smiled, and that smile did not waver one bit despite what I just said to him.

"Listen. I assure you that there’s no effort of yours that I can’t thwart. I also do not need you or your friend to do anything. I am the only Defined in this settlement and I have protected it alone for the past five years of my life. Not a single person has died from an Undefined attack, simply because I am capable and good at protecting people."

He pointed at me.

"I even had to help you save your princess. Do you get the point?"

I squinted at him as he added with a coy smile.

"I will beat the shit out of you."

Everything he said was true, and he said it in the harshest way possible. That combination was hard to swallow.

Contending against an Adept was one thing, but this guy Marcel seems to either be a Master or even more.

Either way I made it less about that and asked another question instead.

"Why? Why risk having to battle every day with the Undefined rather than trust the government? If you teach them what you know about Undefinition, I’m sure they’ll find it and you very useful, and it will help increase livelihood."

I couldn’t care less for whichever course they decided on. But that at least felt like the right thing to do.

Marcel scoffed.

"Yes, go ahead. Tell the government and the Great Factions that you have found a way to destroy the very system that feeds them their worth and power. The very tool they use to command the fear of humanity. Go ahead and tell them that, and let them take you into custody and protect you."

He tilted his head.

"Novel idea, isn’t that?"

I stared at him.

There were things I didn’t know about the government, I granted that. For example, how quickly they disposed of people who were no longer useful to them.

It only made me wonder what they would do to people who were a hindrance to their values. That much was a clear fact. What wasn’t clear was whether being able to halt Undefinition counted as a hindrance or not.

Marcel seemed to think that it was, I didn’t. I had no reason to believe it.

He looked at me and suddenly pointed.

"I recognize that look on your face. You’re not believing me, right? But have you actually thought about what I said... I only said I can halt the process. I never said I could reverse it. Even if it was possible to reverse it, they still wouldn’t be Defined, because Definition is something that only the glorious Axiom can grant. To the NEG, and all their components, they’d still see these people as Undefineds... ultimately, it’ll lead to their death."

He paused and added.

"And there’s also one crucial piece of information that cannot let them live in Areas."

I focused on him.

"And what would that be?"

"Undefinition Essence."

My eyes widened slightly.

"What?"

He started pacing now, hands moving as he spoke.

"Why are you surprised? What do you think the miasma from the Undefined Zones that corrupts places is?"

He didn’t wait for my answer.

"For Defineds, our Definition Essence is rooted in our soul. It marinates our spirit and fuels our vitality, birthing the stamina we burn through our class skills. Definition Essence is also ample in Sanctuaries."

He nodded carefully as he continued.

"It is the same thing with Undefinition Essence. It is predominant in Undefined Zones, but taking an Undefined soul to an Undefined Zone is too dangerous. It may overwhelm the human soul that still remains in them, and the response to that is unpredictable."

He slowed his pacing.

"But in the Wilderness, Undefinition Essence is somewhat sparse. And an Undefined needs Undefinition Essence just as a Defined needs Definition Essence. The difference between the two is just that Undefineds draw their own from their surroundings, while Defineds draw theirs from the inside... except when they’re in a Sanctuary."

I listened, and it made sense. Marcel had knowledge that even the academy did not teach us, but everything he said was coherent with what we knew about the nature of Definition and Undefinition. That was what unsettled me. He wasn’t guessing. He’d figured this out on his own, piece by piece, living out here in the middle of nowhere.

I studied him for a moment.

"How do you know all of this?"

Marcel chuckled and tapped his temple.

"It’s easy to figure out when you search deep enough."

He turned away from me, looking down at the community with warmth in his eyes.

"You don’t need to trust me. You can even leave if you want... but if you want your princess to survive, then you have to at least give me the benefit of the doubt. Let me help her."

He smiled.

"Besides... no matter how short a duration , I’m sure we can use one more Defined in this place."