Chapter 68: Black Errancy
The sound tore through the silence. Differently pitched bellows rang in the air as Marek’s body grew cold.
"Run!"
"Get away from him!"
"You’re gonna die!"
A crowd of people rushed toward the residential blocks. Marek and the others stood frozen. But Rhovan quickly broke the tension.
"Stay focused!"
"What happened?" Nadia asked.
Rafe ran toward the noise before anyone could answer Nadia. Nadia did not mind that nobody was answering her. She just followed the others.
There was an old pedestrian lane near a temporary barricade made from several school desks, pieces of metal fencing, and other possible things people could use as part of the structure. Behind it were multiple families with a few volunteers surrounding one man on the other side.
"Run! We need to run!" a man shouted as they shot through the barricade, running far away from the place. These people did not care about Marek and the others who were witnessing this scene. Everyone just felt the need to run.
’But why?’
Marek found it appalling.
’Could it be because of that man surrounded by some volunteers?’
When they got closer to the volunteers and the man, hopping over the barricade, Marek noticed the Mark on the man’s arm.
Kellan’s Astral Mark.
Aries.
The man was holding an older woman in his arms. This older woman, he did not even notice her. Perhaps it was blocked by the many volunteers who surrounded the two.
"She’s already safe!" one of the volunteers shouted, which made some of the people who were about to run away stop midway.
The Aries-marked man, an Astrant, ignored the volunteer. He just dragged the woman back across a painted line on the pavement even as she struggled against him.
"What are you doing?!" the older woman screamed.
However, the man did not answer her, and the volunteers were just as perplexed. Then, he lifted her, carried her back across the same line, and only put her down after reaching the other side.
"Seven."
Marek stopped.
’Seven?’
The Aries Astrant turned his head. Then he glanced at a child standing behind one of the desks used by the volunteers to facilitate the families in this residential block. Noticing the look in his eyes, the child’s father quickly stepped in front of him.
"Do not touch my child!"
The man walked closer to the father and said earnestly, "I have to save that child. Now, move!"
"No!" The father did not want to. "Do you think I’d trust my child’s condition with a stranger—"
Thud!
The Aries Astrant struck him in the stomach, sending him flying and crashing into the desks. Several people screamed again as they ran away. Kellan’s Mark immediately brightened across his arm as he stared at this stranger who had the same Mark as his... and very strong to boot.
"Oh, great," Kellan remarked. "Another fucking Aries."
Marek was about to move, but Rhovan raised an arm in front of him.
"Wait."
Rhovan’s eyes narrowed into slits as they fixed on the stranger’s Astral Mark.
Marek followed his gaze and saw the Aries pattern glowing red across the man’s arm. ’There seems to be nothing wrong? So what did Rhovan see to make him look serious like this?’
Marek was genuinely baffled. ’Wait, what is that?’
Something thin and black moved along one edge of the man’s Astral Mark. Then, it disappeared shortly. A moment later, it emerged again... in the same place and traced the same line. This pattern repeated over and over again.
Rhovan’s expression remained serious. "A Black Errancy..."
Marek’s brows creased. "A what?"
"Remember the warning I told you about?" Rhovan reminded them as the others listened to him. "Something foreign taking root within the law one bears. That black line on that man’s Astral Mark... visible to the naked eye is... is a Black Errancy."
"What is that?" Marek asked. "It sounds ominous on its own."
"Yes, it is indeed ominous. Black Errancy is basically an Astral contamination. Once contaminated, not even the strongest in the Prime Continuum could cure it. It’s a contamination that could not be removed or cured. What’s scarier is that the one contaminated would not know he was contaminated. It’s how it usually is."
Marek kept his eyes on the thin black line on that stranger’s Astral Mark. "So that basically means they can still operate as a normal person. Talk. Negotiate."
"They sure can," Rhovan replied. "They can still use their powers, and even stronger than they previously were."
"So, basically, you are granted greater power at a cost that can never be reimbursed."
"Yes." Rhovan’s body tensed.
The Aries Astrant turned toward them. What bothered Marek more was that the man’s expression looked strangely calm. That, in itself, was scarier. After all, he had just sent someone flying into a pile of school desks without blinking. And now, he was acting like it was just another normal day to him.
"Eight," the man continued.
Marek frowned. ’Why is he counting?’
Then, the man suddenly ran toward them without warning.
Rhovan quickly stepped in front of Marek without a hint of hesitation in his movement. "Don’t let him touch your Mark! And if he tries to make you accept anything, refuse it!"
Marek’s hand instinctively moved toward his right shoulder, where his Astral Mark was located. "Why would I accept anything from him?"
"Because he may not ask."
’Great. Wonderful. Fantastic.’
A shining gold light appeared beneath Rhovan’s feet. Marek had already seen a part of Rhovan’s power before, but the people around them, including the volunteers, had definitely not.
Several of them stopped moving the moment the golden light spread outward.
’Beautiful...’ Nadia thought.
Even Kellan went quiet as he marveled at the complexity it must have taken to produce that golden light. This was even brighter than the one Rhovan used to cross a broken bridge between two buildings before.
People turned their attention to him. And they were not merely looking at him. Their attention kept returning to Rhovan whenever they tried to focus on something else. It was a strange feeling that felt really warm for some reason.
The Aries Astrant with the Black Errancy was also affected by the sheer pressure it brought to him. He had been running toward Marek’s group, but halfway through the charge, his direction suddenly shifted.
Rhovan removed his coat and handed it to Dario. "Keep this clean. Don’t let dirt smudge even a part of it.
Dario stared at the coat, then at him. "What are you doing?"
He was confused, but Rhovan just straight-up ignored him.
Rhovan was already going to meet the other guy.
Marek stared at him. The golden light made his hair look even brighter than usual. ’This bastard really likes to be in the limelight! Isn’t this basically aura-farming now?!’
Rhovan raised one hand. "Stay behind me, Dear Ophiarch."
"Don’t call me that in public," Marek whispered, pinching him from the side—but it felt like he was trying to fold a coin in half.
The Aries Astrant did not waste time. He punched forward, and so did Rhovan. Both fists clashed, causing a deafening pressure that resulted in the pavement between them cracking.
Marek’s eyes widened slightly as the force rushed toward them like a storm, the cracks slowly spreading outward. But Rhovan quickly made its advance halt. Gold light spread from his palm, moved along his arm, and reached the ground beneath him. Only then did the crack disappear.
Rhovan turned his head to Marek as though he was asking for something. "You may admire me later, oh Dear Ophiarch."
’Shameless!’ Marek thought.
Then, the Aries Astrant struck again. Rhovan parried the attack, and the clash forced them both to be pushed back. Rhovan lifted his head and said to the man, "Well, that was 0.0001% of my strength. You’re quite decent."