Will of a Prince

After resting for what felt like an eternity, Jacob woke up feeling like a brand-new person. His mood was in a much better place than it had been. Everything around him was still cold, but it was vastly more tolerable. There was no more fur covering his body, meaning his power had officially been reset. He would need to eat something else to take advantage of it once again. He sat up and walked over to Sarah who was roasting some meat they had acquired from a few monsters that had attacked while someone was on watch.

Slimo was still resting his head on Lidia’s lap in a deep sleep, small scratches littering his arms. It was clear that he was the one who had to take care of the threat by himself. He could have woken anyone else up to help him, but he selflessly decided not to. Seeing Slimo in this state somehow gave Jacob a strange sense of melancholy. He missed those days where Slimo was one of the strongest in their group, where their worries were only as large as small-sized beasts. Lidia was running her hands through his white hair softly as he rested.

"Hey, Jacob. Sarah is almost done cooking your stuff."

Jacob smiled and wiped his eyes.

"Is everything okay with Slimo?"

"Just a few monsters in the middle of the night. He took care of it all by himself. He’ll be resting for a short while longer."

"Where is Maria?"

"She isn’t far. Just across this small hill looking for a water source. I told her to stay close by in case any danger decides to make itself known."

A hint of fear rose in Jacob’s stomach.

"How long has she been gone?"

"Only a few minutes."

Sarah grabbed the large piece of meat from the fire and wrapped it in a small piece of cloth before handing it to Jacob.

"Eat this on the way over. It’s extremely hot so be careful. If you’re still hungry, I will have more when you come back."

Jacob nodded his head in appreciation before jogging over the small hill to find Maria. Luckily, she wasn’t that far over the hill. She was looking over the landscape, lost in her own mind. Jacob ran up to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Maria. You have to be careful. We both know how dangerous this could be if you were by yourself."

Jacob tried to shake her out of her trance.

"Maria. What’s so-..."

He looked outward to see what she was staring at. The landscape in front of them had been completely decimated. Multiple small ravines were splitting the earth as if something had forcefully ripped them open. And on top of that, the carcass of a massive beast was lying next to them, blood still pouring out of a giant slit on its throat. It looked like a massive rat creature with a disgustingly long snout and thick body.

"Just a few monsters, huh?"

The sight reminded Jacob that Slimo, even as an ordinary person, was not weak in the slightest. This battle was hard-fought, and Slimo earned his right to rest after protecting everyone from such a beast.

"We should go and find water, Jacob."

Hearing Maria’s voice soothed Jacob’s worries slightly. He was glad to see she was alright, but he was sure that she was most likely scared to see something that could have easily killed her now that she didn’t have her Zalo anymore.

"I’ll be right beside you the whole time. I think I see something past all these cracks in the ground. Do we have anything to carry the water in?"

Maria grabbed her spear that was laying across her back and handed it to Jacob.

"We can make something by carving stone or cutting some trees. It’s up to you what you want to do with this."

Jacob held the spear firmly in his hands, its shaft vibrating with dark, ominous power.

"I’ve been meaning to ask you, where did you get this spear from?"

Maria looked at the spear for a few moments before turning away.

"I found it."

"Found it where?"

"In my brain."

Jacob stared at her dubiously.

"In your... brain?"

"Do you have a problem with that? Do you not like my brain?"

"N-No! No problem at all! I was just curious, that’s all."

"Good. Now let’s go cut that tree down for some wood."

Jacob and Maria walked over to a small patch of forest. Jacob used the tip the spear and exploded it through the trunk of a tree, causing it to immediately tumble over on the ground. Jacob stared at the tip of the spear in disbelief. This weapon had incredible destructive power. Trying to imagine Maria using it with her strength enhancement made him weak in the knees. It was no wonder she was able to slay so many things with little issue.

"This thing is incredible! Can you get me one?"

"No."

"Why?"

"This is the last one."

"Well, can I borrow it from now on?"

"No."

"Why?!"

"Because I like it and it’s mine. Can you just chop up the wood already and stop asking me so many questions?!"

Jacob couldn’t help but feel slightly hurt by her comments. She was definitely not in a good mood, and he did not want to get on her bad side, even in her weakened state. Therefore, he decided to shut his mouth for a while longer and carve out some large wooden tubs that Slimo taught them all how to make. After crafting them, he dragged them behind himself all the way to the river. Hearing it roar through the lands was like listening to a forgotten melody of his favorite song. Jacob fell on his stomach and began to scoop the fresh water into his mouth until he was satisfied. Maria followed his lead and did the same.

"I didn’t know water could taste this good. I think we’re in heaven!"

Maria was too busy greedily drinking from her hands to give a response. Jacob didn’t notice before, but looking into her eyes he noticed something was wrong. Even with her glowing eye, her expression looked lifeless, similar to what she looked like before her and Jacob were close.

’It looks like it’s worse than I thought. I should probably talk to her about everything on the way back.’

After filling the small tubs with water and putting lids on them, he began walking with Maria by his side.

"I understand that this new destiny of yours seems hopeless, Maria. But you don’t have to push me away because of it."

"Leave me alone, Jacob."

"Why are you being so mean to me all of a sudden?"

"Because you’re being an asshole. I never asked for your help, I never asked for any of this."

"I didn’t ask for any of this either! You think I wanted this?!"

He set down the water and slapped his skull mark.

"You think I wanted any of this?!"

"I think you did want it. I think you know that you wanted it."

Jacob hesitated.

"I’m sorry for acting out and yelling. Please, just talk with me here. I want to help you, Maria."

Maria crossed her arms and turned away from Jacob.

"I’m just... tired, Jacob."

"Maria, the power that you once held doesn’t define who you are. You are much more than your power."

"Oh, really? Can you name a single thing I could have accomplished without my power then? Well? Can you?"

Jacob wracked his head trying to come up with any response. However, Maria’s point was aggravatingly true. She did rely on her power quite a lot to gain anything she needed.

"Your accomplishments don’t define who you are as a person!"

"Then, what does?"

"Your intent, Maria. Remember when you carried that wagon full of crops? Did you do that because you wanted the crowd to gawk at you? No! You did it because you wanted to help!"

"What does that have to do with who I am?! I did a good deed, true. But that doesn’t mean anything. Anyone can do a good deed and still be a terrible person. The emperor said it himself and it’s written all over the meaning behind my mark, I should never have been able to survive this long. I was only able to with my power!"

Maria tried storming away from Jacob. He ran up to her and grabbed her arm, refusing to let go.

"Let go of me!"

"Not until you snap out of it!"

"I was my power, Jacob. Now it’s gone. You know what that makes me? That makes me no better than the woman I used to be. A nobody."

"That’s not true at all! What about who you are to all of us and everyone we’ve met? A friend, a sister-in-law, my girlfriend?!"

Maria yanked her arm free from his grasp, tears filling her eyes.

"You’re no better than me, you know?"

She looked down at her arm that now had small marks from where Jacob had grabbed on to her.

"I’m through talking with someone who refuses to change."

Maria’s words cut Jacob’s heart like a knife. She turned her head away an began running back towards the group once more.

Suddenly, Jacob was knocked to ground, the wind being taken out of his lungs as something heavy pressed against his back. The tubs of water exploded into small shards, allowing drops to scatter over the ground.

"ARGH! M-MARIA!"

Maria looked back at where Jacob was, her eyes widening. A strange bug-like creature was flying towards her. It looked like some sort of mutated beetle with sharp mandibles and the body the size of a small tree. Maria’s heart filled with dread as it descended on her, opening its terrifying maw. She screamed and fell to the ground, blocking her face. However, right before it could close its mouth, the dark tip of her spear came out of its throat and stopped inches from her face. The creature fell limp in front of her.

Jacob’s body was bleeding badly. The beetle on him had its mouth on his arm, but he was shoving it further against its teeth as he stood up to allow himself enough room to have thrown the spear. He breathed heavily staring at the creature lying next to Maria as dark malice danced behind his pupils.

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