Henry brought his arms under his body to help with the twitching while his mind went into overdrive. It felt a bit safer to have them under him. Less risk of them getting chopped off.

  He wasn’t sure why that would be a concern for him.

  Focus. This is an A-rank. What the hell do I do? And why does it think I’m human?

  Henry struggled to process everything, but his Octominds didn’t let him miss any details. He was aware the ape was picking up thoughts and impressions off of him, so he tried to keep a tight lid on them.

  Mind shield really needs to be leveled. But I have no clue how I’m supposed to do that…

  For now, it was better to take the conversation out of his head. “[Why do you think I’m human?]”

  The ape rubbed at his forearm and nodded, still looking out into the sea. “[I’m happy you’re not denying it. I might have felt insulted if you did,]” the ape said, staring into the flat sandy stretch ahead with his hands on his knees. “[Little Zamir brought it to my attention. Well, he voiced it when you two were talking. And after watching you for the last couple of hours, I have to agree.]” The being turned his head back and looked up, as if he could see all the way back to the village. As far as Henry knew, he might very well be doing so. If Henry could scout everywhere within half a mile with his own clones, he wouldn’t be surprised if an A-rank could do much better.

  The sea king paddled with his leather-wrapped feet—and they definitely weren’t fully human—and spoke.“[For someone still in their first century, he’s a sharp kid],” he said, smiling wistfully as he looked down at his clasped hands. Then he looked up, and Henry met the emerald-green stare.

  Henry could only meet the creature’s eyes for a few seconds before he had to look away. It felt like staring into the sun, somehow. Like every little fear and secrets held in his heart were being exposed, weighed, and judged.

  The ape took another handful of sand and let it flow out of his hand as he spoke once more. “[You don’t think at all like a kraken. Not that I’ve met many. But the impressions I’m getting from your mind, the way you speak and plan and behave… If I took away your appearance, I’d absolutely think you were human.]”

  Henry tried to keep his thoughts in order, and he mostly did a good job. But he couldn’t not feel the snaking dread creeping up his stomach. When that one slipped his control, so did the thought of Blinking away and booking it, and Henry made himself a promise: if he survived this, he was finding a monk and training under them for at least a month. Teach his mind some discipline.

  The ape shook his head, grinning.

  “[Oh come now. Relax. I told you, you’re safe. We can’t have a conversation if you keep thinking of ways of running. I mean, it’s a healthy attitude to have when navigating the waters of a Pillar, but believe it or not, right now you’re one of the safest human beings in this world.]”

  That wasn’t wrong, Henry realized. There wasn’t much he could do to the guardian if the latter got violent, but it didn’t seem like the case, so he should treat this like another Bahamut whale encounter.

  Deep down, Henry believed he had a chance of getting out, no matter how thin it was. But he didn’t think it would get there, so he breathed out and unrolled his arms from under him, letting his natural colors revert.

  “[I thought you were asleep? That’s what the man said. Zamir, right?]” Then, because he couldn’t help himself, he asked one more question. “[And what do you mean by his first century? He looked barely in his twenties?]”

  “[Appearances don’t count for much when it comes to humans. Ranks greatly affect the aging process in all creatures. You would have known that if you’ve had any normal upbringing. But clearly, you didn’t.]”

  Henry felt his insides twist, but he forced himself to exhale. Should he trust this being?

  Did he have a choice?

  Henry didn’t try to hide those thoughts. Just in case they were seen as offensive, somehow, he readied himself to run. But his gut feeling told him there was no need and thankfully, the ape, after running a hand over his face, confirmed.

  “[You know what, you’re right. You only have my word, and to be fair you don’t know me, so your lack of trust is understandable. So. Here.]” The sea king closed his eyes for a second, and when he opened them, they shone with a jade green light. “[I, Zerathstra of the Earthtenders, promise to not harm you in any way whatsoever for a week. Not even if provoked. And I will not harm you after said week unless you prove to be a danger to me or to my people.]”

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  The words had been sent telepathically, but Henry realized he could hear them re-verb in the real world. In fact, the air seemed to shudder around him, and in his mana vision, for a moment, everything visibly rippled as the words were spoken. Deep down, Henry knew that breaking that promise would have a cost. It may just be a slap on the wrist, but breaking the promise would be wrong.

  Then again, Henry could ask about this. After all, he got a promise that no harm was going to come to him.

  “[What does it mean? What you just did?]”

  Zerathstra tilted his head and grinned wider. “[That was a soul oath. As you humans say, a verbal magical contract. You would know if you’d grown up within any civilized society of this world. So how come you don’t know any of this? How come you don’t know about the effect of classes and Aspects on this world’s humans? I am genuinely intrigued. I’ve been around for a while, and I’ve seen and learned quite a few things, but this right here… This is new.]”

  Henry eyed the sea king for a few moments, thinking through his options, then he raised one arm. “[I can tell you. On one condition.]”

  The ape raised an eyebrow. “[Name it.]”

  “[Make another oath. One where you will not tell anyone, in any way, about this secret, and will never come after me to capture me or use it against my will.]”

  “[That is drastic,]” said Zerathstra. Then he shrugged.“[You got it.]”

  Zerathstra recited the oath, and the world shuddered at his words. For a moment, Henry thought he’d fucked up and made his oath too loose, but even though he went through it with his Octominds, he couldn’t find any loophole.

  Then again, he didn’t know how severe breaking an oath would be, and if he pushed on that point, he felt like it would really start straining the potential of a relationship with this powerful being. And who knew, maybe the ape knew about other cases of this phenomenon.

  “[I come from a world without magic. Without a System or classes or Aspects. As far as I know. I died, and I woke up in the body of an Octopus, deep in the Current. I’ve been fighting and swimming my way out ever since.]”

  Henry went on and recounted some of his adventures to the captivated sea king. The ape asked a couple of questions here and there, mostly trying to confirm that Henry had really moved from one world to another, and soon most questions began revolving around the turtle-shell, which Henry still felt iffy about revealing. He had only described it as a marine turtle and stopped at that, but Zerathstra’s next question pretty much confirmed he suspected the right creature. “[Was the shell made of many colors? As if it was made of precious stones and metal?]”

  Henry couldn’t lie. His thoughts were crystal clear to the sea king, just like they’d been to the Bahamut Whales. “[Yes. The Bahamut Whales called it a sacred traveller. I could never Identify it, as it was already dead. The shell just said ‘turtle shell’.]”

  Zerathstra’s feature lit up at the mention of the whales. “[I haven’t seen them in decades. Who did you meet? Seacrest? Deepcaller? Wavetail?]”

  “[Deepcaller.]”

  The ape’s eyes lit up and he chuckled, sending bubbles out of the caves.“[Bahamut whales have always been great friends of the Earthtenders. As for the turtles, we… had a book or two whch spoke of such creatures, but they are incredibly rare. And extremely difficult to approach or communicate with. It’s tragic that the one you found died.]”

  Zerathstra seemed lost in his thoughts. His shoulders were a bit hunched, and for a short moment, it looked as if a weight was threatening to crush him. Then he sighed and straightened up.

  “[Could I see it? I know this is a matter of trust, and I would owe you a boon if you’d let me examine it. I promise I will return it to you immediately. No funny business.]”

  The ape seemed greatly saddened, and Henry didn’t miss how he spoke of these Earthtenders. Something had happened, which might explain how he’d come to live in the middle of the ocean, but he couldn’t pry. It felt… rude. He didn’t mind showing the turtle shell, though. “[Sure. I can’t show you the original one, but I can show you a second I found within a few hours of distance to the first.]”

  Henry pulled out the second turtle shell. The one he’d found impaled on the leviathan’s jaw.

  Much smaller than I remember, Henry thought as he eyed the shell in one of his long arms before handing it to a frowning and disturbed Zerathstra.

  The sea king took the shell gently with both hands. His eyes glowed as he studied it, slowly turning it over. He grimaced, baring sharp canines when he saw the hole that pierced through the bottom plates, at which point Henry clarified by pulling one of the leviathan teeth.

  “[It was in the jaw of this thing. A dolphin told me it was a leviathan,]” he said as he pumped some mana into the tooth, turning the white fang to the familiar void-like black.

  Zerathstra spared it a glance and nodded. “[The stain matches. The poor thing. They travel worlds and realities, collecting knowledge and souls, only to fall to such feral creatures,]” he said. He put the shell on the sand, put a hand over it, quietly, then looked up at Henry. “[This shell is a treasure. I would request it be buried or given a send-off, but it is not my place to demand such. You may take it back, and you can name your boon.]”

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