"How dare you speak like that!"
The young man ready to leap into the river was enraged by the youth on the bank; his frozen-pale face flushed red and he scrambled up the gentle slope in a few quick movements.
Old Kohler's eyes bulged in shock.
Amazing—one sentence and he came ashore of his own accord…
"So what if I said it?"
Lu Ze—the youth sitting on the bank—asked with perfect calm. "Weren't you about to die anyway?"
He lifted a foot and casually kicked the climber back into the water.
He'd already crawled out; why kick him down again?
Old Kohler's mind brimmed with bewilderment as he watched the fellow stroll down the slope to the water's edge. The young man thrashed wildly, trying to climb out, but Lu Ze simply planted a foot on his head and forced him under.
"Can the dead tell the living what to do?"
Lu Ze's icy question rang mercilessly over the silent river, mingling with violent splashes. He would press for a moment, then release, letting the youth drown in agony and snatch the occasional gasp of air.
All the while he kept talking:
"Even if your Mother is bullied and left homeless, what has that got to do with you?"
"You're already dead!"
"The moment you decided to die, you abandoned your family. Now you remember and want to make amends? Too late."
"Just go and die properly."
Old Kohler was too terrified to speak, watching Lu Ze question and torment the poor youth until the latter stopped struggling and sank slowly to the bottom of the Tasock River.
"Y-you've killed him!"
he stammered.
Lu Ze flicked a glance at Old Kohler; without seeming to do anything, he brought the submerged youth back to the surface—lifeless. Grabbing the collar, Lu Ze dragged him ashore, tore open the shirt, and plunged a hand straight into the abdomen!
"Cough-cough!"
The youth's eyes snapped open; he coughed violently, spewing clear water tinged with blood.
Breath was forced into him—someone squeezing his lungs, making the fragile organ expand and contract, expelling river water and drawing in cold air. Agony and the after-shock of suffocation filled his mind; he didn't even notice his belly had been pierced.
When recovery looked adequate, Lu Ze withdrew his hand; the youth's abdomen was intact.
"Uuh—"
Coughing and sobbing, the miserable sight stirred Old Kohler's pity.
Yet though he wept, the impulse to die had gone. After catching his breath he stared blankly for a moment, then rose in silence, exchanged a look with Old Kohler, and walked off toward the smoke-shrouded end of the street.
He probably won't try to die again…
Old Kohler thought, watching him go. When he turned back to the bank, the blue-eyed youth had vanished.
The lad certainly has a way—just a bit extreme.
Recalling the nerve-racking scene, Old Kohler still felt shaken.
Come to think of it, did his hand really go into the man's belly and squeeze the lungs? A damp wind made him shiver; he pulled his coat tighter.
Impossible—I must've seen wrong.
Old Kohler resolved to forget the eerie sight. This was East Borough; if you wanted to avoid dying for no reason, you learned to look the other way.
Better head to the nearby café and stretch my few pitiful pence into breakfast. Storm above, grant me work this afternoon.
Though only in his thirties, he looked aged; he prayed, head lowered, and disappeared into the acrid smoke.
The Shadow Ascetic potion had digested a little more.
Walking back to his lodgings, Lu Ze sensed the change within and felt slightly puzzled.
I didn't do much—just saved a kid bent on suicide.
This was his first morning after moving house; he'd planned to explore the neighborhood, but a short stroll had led to the scene just now.
Think carefully—those actions of mine fit the potion's name and caused digestion.
As for "shadow," my moves were hidden, seen by almost no one, matching the shadow gift. And "ascetic"?… An ascetic studies divine knowledge and is obliged to spread the gospel.
So Shadow Ascetic means "spreading the gospel in secret"?
And the gospel spread… was probably extreme, depraved emotion.
Everyone who saw my power was badly shaken—fear, despair, agony. Lu Ze guessed that converting them directly into followers of the True Creator would digest the potion faster.
Coupled with the next Sequence's name—Rose Bishop—Lu Ze gradually grasped the pathway more deeply.
This Sequence is simply a cult zealot's struggle within the sect!
First pray to the evil god, forge a bond; then listen for blessings, become a believer, cultivate yourself until you reach bishop rank…
Feels almost inspirational.
The smoke thinned, revealing building outlines; Lu Ze returned to his rented flat.
He pushed the door and saw his landlady, Miss Emily, at once. She carried a schoolbag and wore a veil, clearly heading to class.
"Morning—off to school?"
"Mm."
Emily glanced at Lu Ze's straitjacket, hesitated, then asked, "Do you… have a mental illness?"
"Nothing serious—just schizophrenia."
Lu Ze waved it off.
He wasn't joking; severe hallucinations and auditory delusions, other personalities in his head—classic schizophrenia. The hospital
had diagnosed it. He could only hope digestion of the potion would ease it.
"I see."
The landlady clearly knew little of psychiatry. "If you break something during an episode, I won't ask for compensation—so long as it isn't valuable."
"Appreciate the understanding."
Lu Ze smiled. He wasn't short of money, but accepted her kindness.
After living here a while he found the girl decent: parents dead in chaotic East Borough, yet she struggled on. His sister said her lamp had burned late into the night—studying hard to escape East Borough.
He didn't dislike people who fought to save themselves.
After saying goodbye in the corridor, Lu Ze went inside. Breakfast was set on the dining table; his sister Cecilia waited behind it.
"Welcome back, Brother. How was the view outside?"
"Hideous—nowhere near Tingen."
Lu Ze laughed, sitting down and taking a slice of bread.
Actually, all he needed now was raw meat to survive, but sharing a meal with his sister gave him a sense of normalcy and helped stabilize his condition. He was willing to expend some spirituality and call upon that illusory tide within his mind.
Having figured out the Shadow Ascetic's acting principle, his next steps were to contact the local Beyonder circles, digest the potion, and lessen his madness.