After the lightning struck and the rain and storm broke out, they moved under the tallest and largest tree in the forest and sat there, backs pressed against opposite sides of the trunk...
Faust looked disappointed. He was certain that Lieben's focus had been disrupted; after all, there wasn't the slightest trace of happiness on his face. After managing, with some difficulty, to get him down from the top of the tree and making sure he was fine, he didn't interact with him at all after that.
How unluck of him... looking at his expressions it really seemed like he was just about to achieve it...
After letting out a troubled breath, he addressed Lieben in an emotionless tone. A numb tone.
Huff...
"Lieben?"
Lieben replied in a similar tone. It was clear that neither of them was pleased with their situation.
"Yes Boss."
Huff...
"You ever feel like everything is just aganist you?"
He turned his head as if he were right beside him, trying to see his face to make sense of it, because he didn't know what he was supposed to understand.
"I don't think I get you right now, Boss."
Sigh...
"What I'm saying is, do you ever feel like your luck's running out. All this rain, storm and the lightning that fucked up your concentration."
Lieben could finally understand.
"Oh... I mean—yes. Yeah I do. You probably expected me to make it with the first try right?"
"Mhmm."
"I were so close to it. There is a lot to say actually but since you already have it. You probably know."
Faust let out a light chukle.
Hahahaha...
"Hmm? Did I say something funny?"
"The reason why I didn't say anything about it is because everyone has a diffrent kind of trial, boy."
Lieben shouted in shock.
"What!? So all this crap was just for me?"
"Yes."
After thinking a bit about everything he had been through, Lieben grew irritated. Had everyone put in the same effort, or was this frustrating situation meant only for him?
"I suppose you'd like to hear what was mine about..."
He glanced around and brushed away the raindrops dripping from the leaves onto his head.
"Hmm... It doesn't seem like we got anything else to do right."
"I want to tell you how mine was—but I would like to hear yours first if possible."
"Mine took me about 2 minutes. My Zueka was inside another silhouette. It was pitch-black, with sharp red eyes; not only was his entire body jet black, but there were also black aura or vapor-like, things surrounding him.
He was about my height, which was strange, because I'm 6'10". At first, he told me some things about himself but not much, then we walked for a long time across a plain that could almost be called heaven. There was a watch on my left wrist; whenever I looked at it, it always seemed as if it barely moved. I asked whether the watch was broken or time itself was slow... he said it was us who were fast.
After that, he continued talking about himself. For a moment, I considered reaching Zueka directly, completely disregarding that thing—but as it spoke a little more about itself, I realized something: this thing was either me, or someone who resembled me far too closely. It said it had always been like an equation—like the "X" in mathematics, the unknown, the uncertain.
Something whose right and left were never clear. At times strictly bound to its own ethics, at other times acting without caring about those ethics at all. Disregarding everyone's views and judgments, yet sometimes turning into the complete opposite and becoming overly sensitive.
Logical, yet angry. Fast, yet always late. Expecting respect while being disrespectful. Unbearable, yet on the other hand, impossible to let go of… Every word it spoke felt like a blow to me. It was describing me to myself..."
It was the first time Lieben had heard Faust open up this much about himself. Water was streaming down from his forehead—so much so that he couldn't tell whether it was rain or sweat brought on by the weight of the moment. He had asked what Faust had done for his Zueka, yet ended up receiving Faust's own view and thoughts about himself instead.
I wish I had taken notes. Damn it!
Lieben's pulse spiked; his heart was pounding so hard that it felt like a plausible possibility it might break through his ribcage and burst out.
Dadad—dadadum....Dadad—dadum...
It seemed like Faust had nothing more left to say, but Lieben hadn't uttered a single word for a full minute.
Faust began to question whether he had opened up too much.
"Lieben."
"Yes Boss!"
"Why is your heart pounding so hard?"
"You can hear that!? I didn't know it was THAT loud."
"It isn't, but there is a reason they call me The Apex Predator."
Lieben realized how stupid a question he had asked. Of course he would hear it. Nicknames weren't given to people for no reason, after all... every nickname had its cause.