It wasn’t long before Dharen knew that his conclusion was correct. The soulseed very faintly emanated an aura of Fear - a promise of nightmares and terror, of total despair. Despite that, Dharen felt himself drawing closer.

In his mind’s eye, he could see himself standing before an insurmountable gate of obsidian, soaring high into the sky. He placed his hand upon it. The formerly-solid gate bubbled and twisted, grasping his hand and pulling him inward greedily. Unable to resist, he fell into its waiting embrace.

A great fire roared and crackled, emanating waves of heat that assaulted the world. His lungs burned as smoke forced its way in, as his legs pounded furiously against the cave floor. He continued to run -

Wait. Why was he running?

Panic filled his very bones, setting its own inferno ablaze within his heart and mind. He couldn’t stop. He couldn’t. He couldn’t. He couldn’t. And so he didn’t.

Fear held him in its grip, yet it also spurred him ever onward. Urging him to move, urging him to do something.

He felt tears flow from his eyes, but whether it was from the everpresent smoke or something else, Dharen did not know.

Another scream. His mind cried out at the noise, fear filling him further. And still, it urged him onwards.

Dharen knew something was wrong. He should not be here. He was somewhere else, somewhere different. A gate. It was obsidian black, large enough to challenge the sky itself. It was -

He found his eyes widening as he saw the hut. Though the surrounding area was choked in flames and smoke, an ephemeral reality, the simple shelter stood out in sharp relief. It was important.

His body dropped into a crouch, sneaking carefully within the shadows. The sounds of conversation came from within.

“Finish her off and grab the other one’s Seed. Fire’s getting hotter,” a man said.

“I know, I know,” another voice replied.

He found himself edging carefully into the doorway, glancing inside. Two humans stood, weapons at the ready. Across from them was a pair of monsters. One lay collapsed, defeated. The other, meanwhile, crouched in front. It bared its teeth, lifting a dagger.

As the monster lunged forward, the warrior stepped to the side and ran it through.

As he watched, he felt his mind assaulted by a wave of grief and terror, and his body leapt at the invaders. He felt his own teeth bare in a snarl, and he sunk them deeply into the warrior’s neck.

Dharen’s eyes opened wide, a gasp breaking its way free from his lips. A shiver enveloped his body, causing him to shudder violently. He had no time to contemplate what he had seen however, for something else had drawn his attention.

Dharen sat perfectly still, frozen in shock. He had jumped to level 10 by following the chieftain’s instructions, unlocking a new Boon for his Fear Seed. Not only that, it had the potential to be terribly strong. Though he would need to test its use, it was entirely possible that it could cause... Dharen shook his head, banishing the thought before he grew overeager. Still, if his guess turned out to be true, he would need to change his plans drastically. Dharen grinned in anticipation.

His smile dissipated as he thought of his experience within his soulseed. He knew that he had experienced something important; the memory of the experience within his soulseed had been seared into him, as if his mind refused to forget a single detail. Despite that, he was at a loss as to its meaning.

Of additional note was the odd sensation that had begun, centered around his Seed of Fear. There was a strange aura of power that faintly spread from the soulseed, one that had not been present just moments before.

He looked up, noting with some surprise that Tkzcht was no longer with him. Gathering his legs underneath him, he pushed himself to his feet. For a moment, his legs shook unsteadily; they fought against his movement, as if slightly weakened from disuse. And judging by the roaring hunger that enveloped him, that very well may have been true.

Having regained his bearings, he pushed his way out of the room. As he did so, the chieftain returned to the central Skywood’s alcove. The creature looked at him, breaking into a toothy grin. A hint of relief was displayed in his posture.

“Finally made your way out, did you? Come with me, you must be starving,” Tkzcht said, motioning to Dharen. He stepped out of the alcove, Dharen a step behind him. The two made their way across a bridge, the hunger in his belly causing him to remain focused on the task at hand rather than the endless questions that had pervaded his mind.

Eventually, they reached an alcove filled with racks of smoked meat. Unsurprisingly, Dharen found that the vast majority of what was available was remnants of the juvenile Sky Serpent. Staring at the gathered meat, his stomach began to rumble and protest. Unwilling to betray its expectations, Dharen took his fill of the meat and began to eat.

The Nulzan chieftain looked at him with some amusement as he did so, but did not remark on it otherwise.

“I see that you were successful over the past few days,” said the chieftain. “It’s faint, but I can feel your aura now.”

“My aura?” Dharen questioned. Though, at the same time, he felt likewise. Something had changed in his Seed of Fear, something important.

“Yes,” Tkzcht replied. “You have begun the path towards even greater power. Just as I hold an aura of Duty, delving further into your soulseed will allow you to strengthen the aura of Fear that you have now created. It is weak, still newborn as of yet. But eventually, it should begin to show an effect on your abilities and strength.”

As the Nulzan described the ways that his nascent aura could be used, Dharen felt his anticipation growing.

Afterwards, he could hold back his curiosity no longer. “What is it that I saw?” he asked.

“It is different for each of us,” said Tkzcht. “But one thing remains constant: we enter a record of when we Awakened. For those who Awakened to negative emotions, delving within can be a concerningly difficult task, as they are forced to confront their memories over and over - each time unable to change what occurred. And the stronger one’s aura becomes, the more it must be experienced. Many go mad, when unable to cope with the repeated experience.”

Dharen nodded, though that still begged the question of what exactly he had seen while within his Seed of Fear. More than likely, it had something to do with his forgotten past, along with his status as a Faceless Human. However, realising that he would not find all of his answers immediately, he put his questions aside for the moment.

Now that the chieftain had held his side of the bargain, it was Dharen’s turn. Grateful for the assistance that the Nulzan had rendered him, and eager to cement their burgeoning alliance further, he began his preparations.