Chapter 70: Crap
They descended the hill slowly, the cliffside fading behind them as they stepped back into the wild open land. The air was fresh, carrying the distant sound of flowing rivers and creatures moving in the sky above.
They didn't speak much, each of them still caught in the memory of the golden whale, their thoughts wandering in different directions.
After a while, Dune broke the silence.
"Cadogan," he said, glancing at the man walking just ahead. "How did you awaken your Zeten?"
Cadogan didn't answer immediately. He slowed down, then stopped, turning to face them with a more serious expression than usual.
"I didn't know this before," Dune went on. "But I've heard now... you don't have to go hunt for your Zeten animal like you do with Neba. It... just appears inside you?"
Cadogan's eyes narrowed slightly. His piercing blue gaze shifted from Dune to the others, as if deciding how much to say.
"You're right," he said at last. "That's how it works. For Neba, you need to hunt, defeat the beast, and take its core. That's how you gain power from it."
He paused, folding his arms.
"But Zeten is different. It's not something you find out there. It's something that's born within you. You don't get to choose when it happens. Sometimes it awakens in your sleep. Sometimes during battle. Sometimes when you're close to death. It's unpredictable."
The boys listened closely, the light breeze brushing through their hair.