Wildness and Masks

"My master, we haven't completed the symbiosis, so we can't..." Night Crow's words were interrupted.

A flash of white light suddenly appeared before Ogre's eyes.

Macal, engulfed in white flames, returned to reality.

"Macal?" Ogre raised his hand slightly.

"It's me..." Macal retracted the flames from his body and stood up from the ground. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"As long as you're okay." Ogre lowered his raised hand and put away the dinner knife he had hidden in his other hand. He was now certain—the person before him was indeed Macal.

This gave Ogre a sense of unexpected relief.

'Return, Night Crow,' Ogre silently commanded in his mind.

'Yes, master.' Night Crow was happy to be relieved of duty and immediately returned to the shadow world from Ogre's shadow.

"What happened?" Ogre asked with a hint of curiosity.

"Nothing much, really. I managed to get out thanks to the methods left by Great Cleric Fra," Macal said, taking out a white pearl from his body.

...

A few minutes earlier.

"Fear... blood! You want so much—someone like you doesn't deserve to live, no matter how pitiful!"

While swinging his sword to fend off the attacks, Macal didn't forget to retort.

Those who consume forbidden potions often become paranoid and strange due to side effects—points that can be exploited.

"I'm just trying to survive! What's wrong with that?" The white-haired witch continuously created illusions of past memories in the space.

Trying to shake Macal's resolve.

"Your suffering wasn't caused by us—you have the desire to live, and I have the right and duty to purify you." Macal snorted coldly and swung his sword, shattering the illusions created by the white-haired witch.

Most mutants and wizards fabricate tragic pasts to elicit sympathy, whether true or false, aiming to make knights and priests hesitate.

And once a person hesitates, they reveal a flaw.

Countless past examples have shown one thing—mutants are not worthy of sympathy!

'Mercy is never for the enemy...' This is the first teaching all ordained clergy hear.

"We only controlled those villagers—we didn't slaughter them. I just need your fear and blood, so why resist!"

If it weren't for the fact that her powers were difficult to use at noon, she wouldn't have let Macal ruin everything.

"Nonsense." Macal snorted coldly.

Though he maintained a disdainful tone, Macal grew increasingly vigilant, sensing that her power seemed to be growing, making the situation more troublesome.

'Is it that the closer it gets to nighttime outside, the stronger she becomes... It seems her ability has many limitations, and I was just too careless to fall for it.'

But the more troublesome the situation, the more calmness is needed.

"My power is growing stronger, while you grow weaker; once I kill you, the next to deal with is the ranger outside."

The white-haired witch manifested an image of Ogre waiting outside.

'Why hasn't she left yet...' Seeing Ogre, Macal's mind showed a slight flaw.

This gave the white-haired witch an opportunity.

In an instant, black mist surged, and a bat flashed to Macal's waist, revealing its fangs once more.

She found the weakest spot in Macal's Battle Qi membrane!

'I won!'

As the girl transformed into a bat lunged at Macal, she felt the joy of victory.

However, at that moment, the situation reversed.

"Analysis complete..." A steady voice, devoid of much emotion, sounded.

Then, golden patterns began to spread from the point of contact between Macal and the bat-transformed witch.

"What is this!"

At this moment, the white-haired witch finally panicked, and the unease in her heart made her want to turn into black mist and escape—she could feel the power's strength.

But unfortunately, this strange power gave her no chance.

"You can't escape."

An upside-down figure's shadow appeared behind Macal, flickering for a moment, and then a white dove burst through the shadow, carrying a white pearl in its beak, flying toward the witch.

During this process, the white pearl began to emit a strong light.

A massive suction force emerged, swallowing the area covered by the golden runes.

"No... no, how can this be! How can there be another..."

The witch, turning into black mist, tried to escape, but the golden patterns on her body enveloped her like a net, capturing her as the 'prey'; finally, with an unfinished cry of unwillingness, the troublesome witch was completely sealed within the white pearl.

"Thank you, Great Cleric Fra." Macal extended his hand toward the white dove.

"Hold the pearl and drive your Battle Qi to leave... this is all I can do for you..."

The white dove dissipated, the pearl returned to Macal's hand, and Fra's voice ended.

"Yes, I understand..."

...

"Thankfully, Great Cleric Fra left behind such methods..."

Hearing this, Ogre also reached out to touch the black pearl in his pocket.

He was now completely convinced of Fra.

If Macal could come out in such a situation.

Then what power might his own pearl hold?

After waiting for so long, he finally obtained some useful information.

"By the way, what kind of ability did that person use to capture you? It doesn't seem like something a Professional could master."

Ogre still couldn't figure out how Macal's back-and-forth experience happened...

"I'm not quite sure either, but it might be her awakened Imagist ability—only that could explain it. I think it might be related to her past experiences."

At first, Macal even thought it was an illusion, until later he confirmed—he had indeed entered a special space.

"Let's talk as we walk." Ogre gestured toward the distant town.

"Alright." Macal put away the white pearl that sealed the witch and walked ahead of Ogre.

"If it weren't for Brother Fra's help and guidance, I wouldn't have been able to break through her ability. This special imagination is really tricky, and I still haven't figured out her trigger conditions." Macal remarked.

"Special imagination?" It was the first time Ogre learned about the differences in imagination.

"You don't know about these?" Macal asked in return.

He realized that 'Geling' might not be as obedient as he thought...

He had already confirmed that Ogre's identity was fake.

'Could it be that only the gender is real?' Macal glanced at Ogre.

Under the moonlight, even dressed in men's clothing, Ogre still showed hints of a stunning beauty.

"Imagists are too mysterious, and I haven't developed a Seed of Imagination..." Ogre sensed something from Macal's words, suspecting he was being doubted.

It was at this moment that Ogre suddenly became alert—he might have been misled by Yard...

Even Macal knew some secrets, so how could Yard, who spent all day with priests, not know about Imagists?

It was clearly a ploy to keep him curious.

'Maybe I should have asked Foucault earlier; he might know something...' At the time, the naive Ogre truly believed Yard's words, thinking that secrets between professions weren't shared.

So he didn't think to ask a mage apprentice about Imagists.

"I'm not very knowledgeable either, but the church teaches basic theory." Macal turned back, speaking pointedly.

He no longer believed in Ogre's identity.

How could a nun with connections to the church not know such basic common sense?

And even if she lacked common sense—she was raising a shadow demon!

How could Macal trust that?

Even the shadow demon would probably jump out to refute.

"I lied to you before, you wouldn't be mad, right? It's also my fault for losing the drake-blooded horse." Ogre, with hands behind his back, softened his voice to a feminine tone.

"Although it is a bit uncomfortable, you're someone recognized by Brother Fra, and you haven't done anything wrong..."

If it were someone else, Macal might have already started scolding.

But this person was Geling...

And thinking back, Ogre indeed hadn't done anything wrong.

This made it even harder for Macal to voice blame or questions.

"Then why not tell me more, since there's still some distance to the city, and considering I've waited for you so long." Ogre pressed his advantage.

"You little witch..." Macal found himself helpless against Ogre. "Alright, I'll tell you then, it's not classified information anyway."

"Heh." Ogre rubbed his nose.

Little witch? Is there a male witch with a hammer?

As they walked, Macal began to explain: "In this world, there are some people born with inexplicable magical abilities—it could be from solidified bloodlines or special souls, but ultimately, these people are a minority among minorities."

'Does this relate to Imagists too?' Ogre thought of his own ability—the Ogre Lunchbox.

These innate magical abilities often transcend the conventional divisions of Professionals.

Even Ogre could use it to surpass levels.

"And Imagists, in a sense, belong to this group as well..." Macal said calmly.

"But isn't the power of imagination supposed to change with experience?" Ogre was very curious.

"Yes, that's why Imagists are also known as—artificial awakeners." Macal revealed a professional term.

"Awakeners... that's fitting."

"I'm not particularly clear on the specific developments, but I do know the types of imagination." Macal said while clearing the roadside thorns with his sword.

"There are types? Is it based on different attributes?" Ogre had always thought the differences between Imagists weren't significant.

"Not exactly...

Imagination is a reflection of the mind, so our Church of Dawn priests all possess the power of Holy Light.

But that only determines the nature of the power.

Like the different attribute Battle Qi among knights, it's not a fundamental difference.

The real difference is the ability differentiation that comes after the Seed of Imagination fully blooms.

Both the Church of Truth and our church have similar three major classifications, which is what you referred to as categories."