Sid POV

  “What’s the plan?” Varun asked, his gaze fixed on Sid, not even flicking towards the surrounding mist. It was as if he trusted Sid to keep watch for both of them.

  The confidence caught Sid off guard for a moment. He felt a flicker of pride at the faith Varun placed in him, but unease followed it. Trust was good, but shared vigilance was better. Even with his heightened awareness, Sid knew he might miss something. Two pairs of eyes were always better than one.

  “I have a way to mask your presence.” Sid took a slow breath before letting the words settle between them.

  He’d run this conversation a thousand times in his head, but the words never clicked. Instinct screamed at him to keep the Veil of the Mind’s Eye hidden—a secret he was willing to protect even if it slowed his growth. Until now.

  Evolution had changed the stakes. The Veil of the Mind’s Eye was no longer a simple camouflage trick. No longer something he could exploit alone. Its best applications now relied on coordination and trust.

  He stood at a crossroads: trust his best friend and fight unfettered, or trust no one and keep pulling his punches. The choice was painfully clear.

  “What?” Varun’s eyes widened as he stared at Sid.

  “Do you remember that pool of glowing water?” Sid waited until Varun gave a brief nod before continuing. “It did more than just give me levels. It changed how Mist Blend worked.”

  As far as Sid knew, natural treasures often altered skills when used as catalysts during evolution. They added properties, expanded limitations, or unlocked new expressions of the same core ability. If the truth ever surfaced, it would not sound strange that a mind-affinity treasure resulted in a mind-related skill mutation.

  Not that Sid doubted Varun’s discretion. Varun would never betray him. The problem lay elsewhere. There were forces in the world against which loyalty meant nothing. The Military Police. Imperial mind mages who could peel secrets straight from a person’s thoughts if given the chance.

  Secrets were only secrets until someone stronger decided otherwise.

  Varun let out a sharp breath and thumped his fist once against his palm. “I knew it. That pool looked far too important to only give you a couple of levels.” He stepped back, eyes scanning Sid from head to toe as if expecting something to be visibly different. “So what did it give you?”

  “I used to be able to camouflage anything I was holding,” Sid said. “Now I can do it to any object in my line of sight.”

  Varun went still, absorbing the implication.

  Sid didn’t reveal everything; he didn’t even provide the right skill name. The natural treasure had granted him two abilities. One allowed him to mark a target, so that the Veil persisted out of view. The other let him place a mark on an object, ensuring the object would remain hidden from all other observers, provided the object remained within his vision.

  The second ability felt distinct. Sid felt it had to do with his unique interaction with the treasure itself. It was the same principle that had prevented Varun from seeing the pond earlier, even when standing close to it.

  “So you can hide me with Mist Blend as long as you’re looking at me?” Varun looked down at himself, brushing at his jacket as if expecting it to disappear, then lifted his gaze back to Sid.

  “Not exactly. I can hide your clothes,” Sid said. Seeing Varun’s confused frown, he clarified, “I tried it on the goblins yesterday. It didn’t work.”

  He’d experimented more than he cared to admit. Trying it on goblins and even Rohan without drawing notice. The mark simply wouldn’t take on living flesh. It was like trying to break a wall with an egg. The result was always the same: a mess and no progress.

  “Why’re you telling me this now?” Varun asked. “Why keep it a secret from everyone?” There was a faint edge to his voice, not outright anger, but something close enough to sting.

  “I didn’t know about the change earlier,” Sid said. “I found out by accident.” He raised his voice, leaning forward just enough to sound indignant, hoping it would sell the explanation.

  “How?” Varun asked.

  “Do you remember searching for my diary yesterday?” Sid smiled apologetically.

  “You fucking bastard,” Varun said without hesitation. “I knew the diary wasn’t in the bag. I should’ve just thrown everything in it outside, to prove you wrong.”

  “No,” Sid said, lifting his palm. “It really was an accident. I was using Mist Blend while writing in the diary. Then Pallavi called me. I think the skill stuck to the book after that.”

  Varun clicked his tongue and shook his head, his expression making it clear he did not appreciate being made a fool of, even unintentionally.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  “The diary was right there, out in the open,” Sid continued. “When even Pallavi couldn’t find it while it was sitting in front of her, I realized something was wrong.” He glanced around, sweeping the area and checking even his blind spots, just to be sure they were still alone.

  “Why didn’t you say anything yesterday?” Varun pressed. “We were all training together. Why tell me alone?” His eyes narrowed as he studied Sid’s face.

  Sid inhaled, gathering himself before dropping the next piece of information. “Rohan is going to leave the team.”

  He expected shock or disbelief. Instead, Varun simply looked at him, calm, and asked a single question. “Why?”

  “He wants stability,” Sid said. “But we’re always moving, chasing the next fight, never staying put.” He trailed off. Varun’s expression softened; he didn’t need to hear the rest.

  Rohan hadn’t earned his suspicion, but Sid still played his cards close. It was a hard-wired response from years of fieldwork where security always trumped transparency.

  The fact that Varun didn’t push showed he shared that same instinct.

  “Does Pallavi know about your skill?” Varun glanced toward the overhang where Rohan and Pallavi were preparing their hideout. He scanned the surroundings again, alert.

  “No. I didn’t tell anyone else.”

  The corner of Varun’s mouth twitched upward before he smoothed his expression back into something neutral.

  “You should tell her. Secrets erode trust within the team.” There was an ominous quality to Varun’s tone, as though the words came from personal experience rather than theory.

  “Yes,” Sid said after a brief pause. “I’ll tell her the next chance we get. Once we’re back at camp.”

  Varun’s eyes sharpened as the pieces fell into place. “Does she know about Rohan? Is that why you both agreed to head back?” He scowled, the realization turning into a sting. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Sid stayed silent. Rohan needed the camp, but he couldn’t be safe while George was involved. Pallavi had joined him for one reason: revenge. They both wanted their attackers dead, and she had a personal score to settle with Bunty for the drugging.

  Then there was the matter of Tony. Time should have cooled his temper, and the man Sid remembered was reasonable, favoring restraint over blood. Still, he couldn’t bank on memory. If things soured, he’d need a counter for Tyrant’s Aura. At its current level, the trait should be weak enough for Sid to override with his willpower.

  Sid held his gaze. “She knows. There wasn’t a chance to explain earlier, and there’s more to the story. We’ll hash it out once we’re with her.”

  They had little time for side conversations. If they lingered, Pallavi and Rohan might come looking for them, and Sid’s skill risked being exposed.

  Varun let out a loud breath. “Fine. Did you test your skill on people?”

  The question hung heavy in the air. Sid chose his words with care and lied. “No. It doesn’t work on anything living. I already tried it on the goblins.”

  Varun slumped, his relief palpable. “So that’s what you were doing with the corpses? Seeing if you could force the skill?”

  Sid lowered his gaze and nodded once.

  “I honestly thought you’d turned deviant,” Varun said, letting out a long, heavy breath. “Or a Joffrey in the making.”

  He smirked, his tone lightening. “Though Pallavi did catch you hugging a corpse. You’ve got some explaining to do when we see her.”

  Sid ignored the jab. He had bigger concerns than embarrassment or an evolved skill. His trait. Contract.

  More than a week had passed since he received the trait, and he had made almost no progress understanding it. The only change he noticed was that the number of contracts increased from one to two after he tiered up.

  He’d exhausted every angle, from poking at the trait to offering contracts to monsters and men alike. Every attempt fell flat. When he finally approached Pallavi with the idea, she just stared at him as if he’d lost his mind.

  If forcing the Veil of the Mind’s Eye onto a living being felt like smashing an egg against a wall, then this was worse. His hand did not even have the strength to lift the egg.

  Sid remembered the bitter years his future self had endured, forever a step behind his peers. One skill slot had been a permanent void, occupied by a power he couldn’t touch. Every day, it served as a bitter reminder of wasted potential and the handicap he couldn’t escape.

  This time, it was worse. It was not a skill that was blocked, but a trait. As a grandmaster in the future, he possessed twelve skill slots he could rotate and adapt. Traits were different. They were rarer, more fundamental, and far more valuable. Even at the legendary stage, he would only ever have three.

  “Can we move on?” Impatience crept into Sid’s voice despite his attempt to suppress it. “We don’t have all day.”

  “Try using the skill on me,” Varun said. “Your attempts might’ve failed with the goblins because they were resisting. I give you permission.” He punctuated the offer with an exaggerated nod.

  Sid hesitated for only a moment. “Fine.” He extended his hand for a handshake, and Varun clasped it without hesitation.

  Sid tightened his grip and met Varun’s eyes. “I need physical contact for at least ten seconds to transfer the skill.”

  The Veil’s evolution provided two distinct marks. The first, the ‘Target Mark’, required Sid to sense a sentient being through sight or sound. He could apply or strip it away in an instant, rendering his target completely oblivious to his presence.

  The second was the ‘Recipient Mark’. Limited to inanimate objects, it required ten seconds of physical contact to apply or remove. While the object stayed within Sid’s sensory range, the world simply looked past it. However, both marks were temporary, flickering out after sixty seconds.

  Varun failed to hold eye contact for even ten seconds before snorting. “Is it on?” His words came out fast as he glanced down at himself, barely containing his laughter.

  “See? I told you it’s not possible.” Irritation sharpened Sid’s tone. “No more questions. You promised. Let’s do this.”

  “Fine,” Varun said, releasing the handshake. He extended his arm instead. “You want to apply it to my jacket, right?”

  Sid nodded. He gripped the jacket and applied the recipient mark.

  Varun froze. His eyes widened as he looked down at his chest, hands clutching at empty air. His breathing quickened with each passing second.

  “Do you see the jacket?” Varun asked, lifting his head to meet Sid’s gaze. His voice trembled with restrained excitement.

  Sid blinked. “Yes.”

  “Do you know what I see?” Varun said. “Did the goblins tell you?” The sarcasm was unmistakable.

  Sid’s jaw dropped. It hit him then. He’d been so focused on hiding any hint of the black crystal that he’d forgotten something crucial. This was his first chance to see his power through another’s eyes.

  It was a golden opportunity. One that mattered more than the goblin sentries ahead. The squatters could wait.

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