BURDEN

Yue and Ivan continued their path down the gorge, this time with a new addition to the team. Shea Haulia, a rabbit girl from the Rabbitmen tribe. Though she came from what could be considered the weakest tribe, she herself was a singularity from the norm. Unlike the rest of the beastmen race she was a rare case of a beastman born with mana, not only that but the ability to manipulate that mana as well. A trait Ivan's only seen in Yue so far.

Unfortunately she hadn't received proper magic training, instead living her life unconsciously coursing the mana through her body and therefore toughening it. As such she was very resilient and tough, not to mention her physical abilities which Ivan could only guess as being strong enough to shatter a boulder with her fists.

Ivan sighed as he imagined the possibilities, she could really become a melee master if she trained hard enough. He only lamented her passive nature as a member of the Haulia. He turned to Yue as she returned the eye contact back. They had been walking for about thirty minutes now. Ivan refused to carry both Yue and Shea up the ridge, as he was sure he'd collapse before making it even half way.

Shea pouted to the side before releasing her complaints, as if knowing what he was insinuating. Anyways though they were supposed to advance with urgency Ivan and Yue saw no point in getting worked up as if they did manage to reach their enemies it was better to be in tip top condition than out of breath.

A point Shea reluctantly agreed to seeing as she had no room for negotiation. But it was along this journey that Ivan decided to court trust with their new companion. As if she did hold up her bargain and lead them through the Sea of Trees he didn't want her to betray them and abandon them in the fog.

Not that he fully trusted in her from this single bout of conversation. Even if she was a beastman Ivan wasn't sure how they navigated through the fog. For all he knew only selected members of the beastmen race were able to traverse through it unharmed. Meaning there was always a chance this little bunny in front of them was lying to save her family.

"Hey Shea. If you can really see the future then how were you discovered by the beastmen in Verbergen? Shouldn't you have been able to avoid them?"

The expressive and active Shea he had known till now disappeared, as an unrecognizable smile appeared on her face. Ivan could only guess it to be one of self-depreciation or self-loathing. Her ears drooping as she turned to him.

"...The future is something we always have the power to change. At least, that's what I believe. But there are some things you can't change no matter how hard you try… I realize that again every time I fail to change something. I couldn't change the one future I really wanted to. Maybe if I'd just tried a little harder, I could have…"

"...." Ivan continued his walk without responding to her statement. In his mind the words she said repeated in his mind over and over. In front of him was someone with an ability people would kill for, and yet with that she's forced to mull over if she could have changed the result should she have tried harder.

To see a bad future and do nothing about it, no one would just sit by and let it happen. In his mind he commended this bunny girl for her bravery. As even if she realized the futility of her actions she still fought hard for a future she sought.

That solemn atmosphere disappeared as Shea ran to the front of the pack.

"Neeee~ May I ask what your names are?" Shea halted from her lead in the group before twirling around with a smile on her face.

Ivan stared for a moment before considering using a fake name. Now that he was considered 'dead' it'd do him no good to run around telling people his true name. Sure he could trust Shea, but would Shea be able to keep secrets from her family? He had no idea.

"My name is Yue." Yue responded first with her usually stoic expression and voice. She seemed to have caught on to Ivan's thinking as she took a glance at him from the corner of her eyes.

"Yue-chan huh~!" Shea clasped her hands as a joyous smile appeared on her face, however Yue had a problem with the honorific she just used. Her aura became darker as Shea felt that the small kid that stood in front of her had suddenly become towering.

"...Call me Yue-san, you stupid rabbit."

"Fweh?"

Ivan took that little distraction by Yue to finally come up with a name he was satisfied with. He waited for Yue to declare her origins to Shea before providing Shea with his own 'name.' However his confidence dwindled as both of their eyes landed on him, his throat became dry as he felt his head get hot.

"*COUGH*!" Ivan cleared his throat as he looked at the glimmer in Shea's eyes. She had just learned of Yue's grand identity so now she was really expecting something amazing from Ivan, and who was he to not deliver.

"My name…? Kukuku! I am Von Hohenheim, the would be legendary alchemist to recreate life itself! But you can call me Paracelsus…" Ivan finished his introduction with a bow, expecting an awe and gasp from Shea.

However silence was all he got.

".....Fufufu~" Ivan twitched, hearing a familiar sound emanating from Yue. His head creaked up as he noticed Yue holding a hand over her mouth, then turning his head to Shea who held a hand over her gut.

"PAHAHAAH!" Shea collapsed to the ground before bashing her fist over and over in an attempt to regain her breath. Her ears twitching furiously as tears threatened to leak out of her closed eyes.

Ivan returned to his normal stance as he stared at the scene stoically, holding his right arm up to his face as he considered his options.

His wry smile softened looking at Shea who had regained her enthusiasm.

'Ah… Today is going to be a long day.'

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The group halted their steps as they faintly heard the howling of monsters.

"Paracelsus-san, Yue-san, those monsters' howls must mean that they're close! Father and the others are very close!" Shea jumped at the noise in excitement, running forward with all of her strength to reach her family.

"As expected of a member from the Haulia tribe. Though their combat capabilities seem to be lacking, their agility and sense of hearing are quite commendable." Ivan stared in amazement at the trail of dust Shea left behind in her dash.

He turned to Yue before she returned a nod back at him, and without another word she lunged onto his back. "Alright, let's do this!" And with that statement Ivan released himself from his stance before running after Shea.

"H-Hyverias…" It wasn't until he caught up to her that he heard her mutter a name.

"Oh, so that's what those flying rats are called." What appeared before the group was a pack of those flying wyvern things Ivan and Yue met above the gorge. According to Shea the Hyveria was a species that is supposed to be a rare sight even in this hell.

However they moved their gaze away from the monsters as they had found their goal. A group of Rabbitmen hid behind boulders or ran around in an attempt to get away from the six Hyverias that threatened them.

"CRAAAAW!"

One of the Hyverias screeched into the air right before diving towards its prey, a young Rabbitman child that had tripped while running and struggled to get back up. An adult ran up to the child before extending his body to take the child's place.

"Yue!"

"Yes! Glacial Sleet!" A wave of ice needles shot down the attacking Hyveria as Ivan moved in to dispose of the rest, Shea in tow as he wanted her to direct the rest of the Rabbitmen towards safety.

His finger flashed before the familiar gauntlet covered his left hand. He signaled to Yue with a whistle before she responded with a nod.

"Rupture!" The water in the atmosphere became dense as even Ivan was beginning to feel the moisture in the air. But this was precisely what he wanted. The Hyverias descended closer to the ground as they became wary of the slices of pressurized water that shot out of the sky.

BZZZZZT!

And with a single jump he matched his height with the lowest Hyveria he could reach. Grabbing onto it by the tail with his right hand, his arm glowed for a moment before the Hyveria exploded into guts and blood.

The Rabbitmen that were evacuating under Shea paused their steps as they looked at the brutal scene. Even Shea was stunned as she regained focus and began directing the tribe.

"Four more to go." Yue muttered aloud. The remaining Hyverias that witnessed their compatriots' death regained elevation to stay away from that dangerous man. Yue closed her heart as the mana within her welled up.

"Thunder Hammer." Numerous clouds of thunder appeared above the Hyverias as they were forced to descend again in fear of getting stuck. Seeing this opportunity Yue made sure no one was on the field other than Ivan. And once she was completely sure, she made her next move.

"Tidal Wave!" With her shout appeared a tall tsunami that threatened to consume the low flying Hyverias. However they had nowhere to go seeing as how any attempts to go over the waves resulted in getting struck by thunder.

BANG!

It was when the wave collided with them that Ivan finally made a move, adorning both of his gauntlets in a flash.

BZZZZZT!

As his hands touched the wave all of the encompassing water started to freeze into ice at a startling rate, leaving only his area clear. The Hyverias desperately clawed at the water in an attempt to swim out. But that was too late as the water over them froze and locked them within. It was only a matter of minutes before they froze to death.

Ivan nodded in satisfaction before relieving a sigh. They managed to clear the area without a single Rabbitman becoming a casualty. To him this was something worth feeling good about.

He looked over at the grouped up Rabbitman, who in turn stiffened their ears before waving over at him. It seemed their shock had dissipated and they were just happy to be alive. Ivan turned to Yue who was also rather satisfied with their results.

He offered to carry her on his back seeing as how all that magic she casted while under the effects of the gorge consumed quite a bit of mana. She graciously accepted his offer and dug her teeth into his neck to replenish her strength.

It was a rather peculiar sight to the Rabbitmen, but seeing their confusion Ivan only laughed wryly. He made sure Yue was holding on tight before making his way over to them.

It was about time they got introduced.

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Wasn't really feeling in the right headspace to write today. So I'm sorry but you'll have to make do with this chapter. Coincidentally a lot of burdens have caught up to me in the real world so this chapter was quite proper. Anyways, I wanna thank you all for the support! Thanks again for everything.

See you later, have a great evening!

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