Chapter 1025: Changing One''s Thoughts


    ?


    Looking at the mark that covered most of Valyr''s back, Damian was left at a great loss for words as hepared it to the mark on the back of his palm.


    Noticing that the young man''s mark exuded a far more sinister aura than the one he had, the man immediately felt guilt as he looked at Valyr with an apologetic expression.


    "I''m sorry," muttered Damian, causing Valyr to look back at him with a slightly confused expression in response. "Because of me..."


    Listening to the man''s words in silence, the young man did not take long to understand what was going on, allowing him to form a clearer picture of everything around Damian in his


    mind.


    With that, he shook his head as he interrupted the man from continuing your apology. "It''s not your fault."


    "What do you mean it''s not your fault?" replied Damian back, his expression now tinged with guilt. "After all, it was because I wasn''t able to end the Tidemother''s life this time that you''ve been given a mark."


    "Not only that, but it''s a mark that looks to have more terrifying effects than mine," continued the man, letting out a sigh as he felt a bit of frustration towards himself.


    "You''re talking about the mark on my back, right?" asked Valyr in response, putting on his shirt and chestte back as he began to lead the discussion towards his intended direction.


    Though he was confused by the young man''s question as the answer was obvious, Damian still nodded. "What else if not that? After all, you''ve only received it after gaining the recognition of the being called the Alltide."


    "I did gain the recognition of that being." Valyr nodded in agreement. "However, I didn''t gain this mark from the Greater Tidemother I just killed."


    "In fact, I already had this mark a long time ago. I got it from thest Tidemother I killed before I went away for a long time if I remember correctly."


    Unsurprisingly, Damian looked at Valyr with widened eyes because of that, his expression that of surprise. "You''re telling me you''ve been bearing the mark all this time without telling us about it?"


    Seeing as Damian felt even more guilty as he thought about the consequences of killing a Tidemother with a mark, Valyr shrugged his shoulders as he was oblivious to the notion.


    After all, he received his current mark directly from the source.


    "I didn''t really think of it that much," said Valyr, hoping to ease even a bit of Damian''s guilt while shining more light on the matter. "Though its effects are annoying in some aspects, there are ways for you to turn the mark into an advantage."


    With that, Valyr took the opportunity to tell Damian everything he knew about the mark, considering that his friend was more or less in the same boat as him.


    Though he still felt guilty for not being able to help out in the monster tide that just passed, Damian''s expression went through various phases the more he listened to the young man''s exnation.


    While Valyr was talking about how he''d gained the Mark of the Alltide after killing the Prodigious Lesser Tidemother in the past, Damian felt a hint of anger and frustration as the situation was simr to how he got his own mark.


    However, when Valyr talked about how he used the curse to his advantage through summoning skills, the man felt a ray of hope shine down on him, causing him to wonder to himself why he hadn''t thought of it sooner.


    Briefly glossing over the time he was away from the town for the past 10 months with the man, Valyr then arrived at the things that urred during the recent monster tide, which involved his show of strength during the eighth and ninth wave.


    Hearing how the young man was teleported to where the Alltide was because of his feat of killing the Greater Tidemother, Damian''s mouth opened wide from shock, only to close soon after as he thought about it.


    After all, the strength Valyr showed was not typical for even someone at the peak of Rank 4 to exhibit.


    The thought became even more apparent after realizing that the young man was able to end the terror of the Greater Tidemother with just two attacks, prompting him to briefly wonder what Valyr had gone through while he was away from town.


    Omitting the fact that he was almost killed by the Alltide and the fact that Vaughn was there to help him, Valyr told Damian that he''d gotten the mark removed from him, which increased the amount of hope Damian felt towards his current situation.


    Though, when Valyr said that the mark was returned in a far worse state after he declined the choice of bing the Alltide''s sessor, Damian felt both fear and confusion as the situation didn''t make sense.


    "Is there something wrong about bing their sessor?" asked the man as he wondered why Valyr declined the offer.


    After all, from how Valyr had been talking about the Alltide so far, Damian interpreted the being as an existence that even Valyr would take a long time to catch up to.


    If Valyr were to ept the being''s option to be the Alltide''s sessor, then that meant he''d be able to inherit all of the strength the Alltide had and possibly reach a far higher than before.


    If so... then why?


    Thankfully, Valyr''s reply answered that question.


    "If there ever came a situation where someone wanted to take over your body, would you ept?" Valyr looked at Damian, noticing that the gears in thetter''s mind were quickly


    spinning.


    Seeing a look of despair on the man''s face after that, the young man nodded as if it were natural. "Yeah. That''s what would happen if you be the Alltide''s sessor."


    Taking in a few deep breaths to calm himself, Damian closed his eyes for a bit before looking back at Valyr with a slightly serious expression. "Are you sure you''re not telling me this just to scare me?"


    "What would I even gain from doing that?" said Valyr, faintly chuckling at the man''s look of suspicion. "I have a mark just like you. If anything, I''m telling you all of this because I want to


    help you."


    "..." Hearing Valyr''s words, Damian went silent as he nkly stared at his desk.


    Then, letting out a long sigh, the man began to share his experiences about the mark with Valyr, starting off at a point that was simr to where Tristan and Alfaera''s narration about


    Damian began.


    However, unlike what Tristan told him, Damian went through the three monster tides in greater detail, even going so far as to talk about how he''d gained the mark in the first ce, as well as how it worsened due to killing another Tidemother.


    Faintly nodding as he listened to the man''s narration, Valyrmitted all of the man''s words to mind as he aligned it with the story the two gave him, feeling that they matched up on almost every part.


    If anything, the only thing that was different between the two of them was the matter of


    perspective.


    In fact, after hearing that Damian''s mark became a greater detriment after killing another Tidemother, Valyr briefly thought about what Vaughn told him back then about the mark


    being a trial of sorts.


    ''I guess that''s how it was originally supposed to go for me,'' thought Valyr to himself. ''Either way, the end is still the same.''


    Having already realized earlier that Damian had be a target of the Alltide''s interest after seeing the mark, Valyr felt anger towards the Alltide, wondering how many beings had


    already targeted by the Alltide before him and Damian.


    Though he was only able to corrupt the mark the Alltide gave him for the meantime, Valyr promised himself that there would eventuallye a day where he''d give the Alltide his just


    deserts.


    "Haah." By the time Damian was done narrating his side of the story, the man let out a low sigh, thinking about the various things that had happened to him over the past few months. Looking at Valyr, he then told him, "And that''s why I''ve decided to distance myself from the others. It''s also the reason why I''ve taken it upon myself to deal thest hit to the Tidemother


    every monster tide."


    "I don''t want anyone to get caught up in the mark''s effects, after all."


    "...Don''t get me wrong. I understand your worries." Though he nodded in response to


    Damian''s words, Valyr looked at it from a different perspective. "But there''s not really much


    point in what you''re doing right now."


    "Think about it. Sure, the monsters you''ll face during the monster tide would be stronger if you were to appear early on, but wouldn''t everyone else grow stronger at a faster


    rate because of it?"


    "The fact that the mark attracts the monsters'' attention could also be used to your advantage," the young man continued. "If you notice that one of the quadrants defending the town are having a hard time, then you could use the mark, no?"


    Hearing that, Damian went silent once more, briefly looking at Valyr with a gaze filled with


    hope and excitement, only for it to soon return to guilt and remorse. "But I''ve already distanced myself from the others."


    "How would they react? Would they ept me after knowing I have something like the


    mark?" "They''ll be fine," Valyr assured Damian with a bit ofughter. "In fact, you guys didn''t notice that I had the mark while we were catching up after thest monster tide I participated in."


    "Plus, if you want any more assurance, Tristan and Alfaera already know that I have the


    mark."


    "....!"


    Seeing that there''s only a thin veil stopping Damian from changing his mind, Valyr decided to put the final nail in the coffin. "They''ve been worrying about you all this time, Damian."


    "They want you back."


    "...hic."


    Thinking about everything he''d done for the past few months, only for it to all be unnecessary, Damian could not stop himself from tearing up, sniffling as he felt a heavy burden be removed from his shoulders.


    Giving the man all the time he needed to understand his current situation, Valyr remained silent,forting the man through both action and presence.


    Standing up to pat the man on his shoulder, the young man faintly adorned a smile, thinking about how such an issue thatsted for months could be resolved so easily. Understanding that the Astarto he knew would return to its glory quite soon, Valyr sent a


    message to Julian through the chat screen, telling thetter that he''ll take a while to return to


    the kingdom. Fortunately, it did not take long for the middle-aged man to respond.


    "As long as you return to apany me with the directors, then that''s fine. Then again, what


    are you going to do exactly?"


    As he received the question, Valyr briefly looked at Damian, who looked back at him with a


    teary-eyed smile.


    Then, with a brief look of determination, he replied.


    "I''ll be heading to the Meltierre Empire." "Mind if you help me contact the Imperial Alchemist?"