One-Eyed Monster

Kadi and Igor were engaged in a heated chase, each vying for the upper hand.

”Wait, wait, wait!” Kadi cried out for a truce. ”Hold on a second, tell me exactly what I’m supposed to do. You can’t just come at me out of nowhere without saying a word. I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re trying to accomplish.”

”Uh…” Igor was taken aback by Kadi’s barrage of complaints. It occurred to him that he might have acted a bit hasty.

Could this be a consequence of the Time Leaps? Igor couldn’t help but wonder.

”Let’s be reasonable. Acting on impulse will only complicate matters,” Kadi droned on, as if he had suddenly morphed into a nagging old woman.

With newfound calm, the Scale of Faith within Igor began to vacillate. Swinging to the left, then to the right, he was caught in a conundrum.

All Igor could hear in his head now were the persistent ramblings of the grandmotherly Scale of Faith. He wished he could shut it off, but it was of no use. The Scale was currently tilted towards Kadi being a monster, different from us.

This skew of the Scale forced him to regard Kadi as a creature of peculiarity, sparking an urge within him to study Kadi like an intriguing object.

Even though the power from the Scale of Faith could occasionally amplify Igor’s strength, it had, at times, caused him much discomfort. This was one such instance.

”Think it over properly, work out what to do. I don’t want to resort to wrestling,” Kadi kept nagging. He had always held Igor in high esteem, as if he were a deity, making it impossible for him to land a punch on this godly being.

Of course, the prospect of getting punched or kicked was equally unappealing to him.

”I already mentioned earlier…” Igor’s face twisted in discomfort. He was doing his utmost to suppress his urge. His Scale of Faith was tilted, and if he didn’t act soon, his body would bear the brunt of it.

Hence, Igor indeed took Kadi very seriously!

”Your eyes, um, your tail, your skin…” Igor struggled over the words. He was feverishly controlling himself, breaking into a sweat.

”What’s wrong with my tail, my eyes, and my skin?” Kadi asked.

”I need to conduct some research…”

”Tell me, how can I assist you,” Kadi touched his cheek, ”provided that you don’t get me involved in your fights. I can’t bring myself to do it…”

”I can’t either…”

Kadi and Igor found themselves locked in a stalemate, neither able to convince nor yield to the other.

The time within the leap trickled away. According to Igor’s theory, a significant amount of time should have already passed for them...

”Ahem…” At the side, the Spirit Book, gawking at the spectacle, inexplicably chimed in.

Kadi and Igor both turned their heads to look at the Spirit Book, which seemed on the verge of speaking, its glow conspicuous against the night sky.

THUMP. Its heart skipped a beat—this kind of attention was still somewhat foreign to the Spirit Book. It wasn’t entirely adjusted yet.

”Ahem… Masters… I just think there’s really no need to pit yourselves against each other!” it added.

”Hm?” Both Kadi and Igor felt a sudden wave of dizziness. It was as if a simple matter had unexpectedly grown complex...

”There doesn’t seem to be a need…” Igor gradually calmed down, and his heavy breathing started to subside.

”No, that’s not right!” Igor suddenly realized something. ”How could my Scale of Faith possibly tilt? That’s utterly inconceivable.”

”Um… Master…” the Spirit Book hesitated.

”Hm?” Igor was suddenly very interested in what the Spirit Book had to say. It felt as if the book had just jolted him awake to something important.

”Master, Master, I’ve been wanting to remind you. We’re currently in the midst of a chaotic Timeline,” stammered the Spirit Book, its voice trembling slightly with fear of Igor.

”Huh?” This time, it was Igor’s turn to be puzzled.

”What on earth are you two talking about?” Kadi asked, his eyes wide with confusion.

”What I mean is, our memories might be in chaos right now too,” the Spirit Book continued with its revelation.

HISS... A chill ran down Igor’s spine, as if he had been struck by a realization.

No wonder my Scale of Faith has tilted. We are, indeed, in chaos—everything is in chaos.

Igor closed his eyes, doing his utmost to ignore the surroundings. Although the scenery appeared unchanged, these were all temporal reference points. One misstep could trap him, and the memory confusion might very well be triggered by these references.

But even though his memory was in chaos, his perception of the main Timeline remained unaffected. This could also be why his Scale of Faith had tilted. It indicated that, in the not-so-distant future—or perhaps the very distant future—the Scale of Faith would inevitably tilt at least once...

This confusion was the chaos of Timelines, all triggered by temporal distortion.

No wonder he had instantly pointed out three peculiarities about Kadi earlier. In retrospect, if Kadi were truly a monster, he should appear entirely different, not just in his eyes, skin, and tail.

Having realized this, Igor opened his eyes and asked Kadi again, ”Kadi, in your opinion, which is the most distinctive feature of yours among your eyes, tail, and skin?” Though he didn’t know why, Igor felt that this question would yield the answer he desired.

”My tail,” Kadi replied without a second thought. ”My tail can extend indefinitely under moonlight. Hmph, consider that my secret weapon.”

”Extend…” Igor murmured, lost in thought.

”Master, Time-Leaper People can distort the Timeline by using a Medium…” Finally, the Spirit Book had a Eureka moment, unveiling new findings continually.

”That’s probably just what I’m looking for,” Igor grinned. ”Kadi, may I borrow your tail for a bit?”

”What do you plan to do with it?” Seeing Igor’s unsettling grin—neither shady nor sly—Kadi instinctively backed off.

”Just borrowing your tail. Don’t worry, I’ll only sense it with my Spirit Power to see if any unexpected results crop up.” This time, Igor refrained from charging towards him. He spoke with a gentle tone, fearing that Kadi would get defensive again.

”How exactly are you borrowing it?” Kadi was still very cautious, though he himself couldn’t say why.

”Just extend your tail, and I’ll use my Spirit Power to touch it. That is, I will have my Spirit Power touch yours…” Igor spoke fluently. He was, after all, effortlessly good at this, often topping the class in Spirit Sensing at Yonder Travel Academy. However, nobody could definitively say whether his Spirit Sensing Ability was characteristic of a Hunter or a Scholar.

”Like this?” Kadi extended his tail, coiling it around Igor.

”Exactly. Leave the rest to me,” said Igor as he spread out his arms and attuned himself to the Natural Force and Kadi’s Spirit Power.

”I think I’ve hit something.” Igor opened his eyes, his face alight with excitement.