Chapter 1433 Unexpected Setback Author's Note: Unedited Chapter ---------------------- Endric stood to his feet and pointed at the holographic projection that displayed the faceless image. "Notice the branch-like hair?" He questioned. "Yeah, what about it?" Ria voiced. "You see their hair is actually a tree. Over time it has been called many names. The tree of creation, the tree of birth, the tree of life, and so on..." Ria kept staring at Endric with curiosity, wondering where he was headed with his explanation. "The thing is, this tree can bear fruits. When they pluck one of these fruits and consume it, it grants a random ability for a particular duration," Endric's explanation left Ria agape. "So you're saying that they can technically make use of any ability?" Ria inquired. "Yes, but not just that... They get the random ability scaled to a very high level depending on the age of the faceless one, and these are pretty old so you can already guess just how strong an ability will be when they gain them. Not to mention that it sticks for an even longer duration with them," Endric added with a grave tone. "So this faceless one must have gained an ability that helped them locate us," Aildris mumbled in understanding. "It makes sense now," Ria leaned back looking bothered. "But what happens when they run out of time? With abilities like that, they must be getting jumped all the time... I mean who wouldn't want to eat a fruit that would give you a random ability?" Ria thought about the possibilities. "Erm... you'll die if you ate from one of the fruits on their hair," Endric pointed out. "What?" Ria's eyes widened. "It only works for them. Should someone else try to eat a fruit from them, they would explode... to pieces... and die," Endric iterated. Ria felt like Endric had just burst his bubble. He couldn't help but think it was such a waste. "If he or she or it found us before, they can certainly find us again. So, what do we do?" Ria asked. "They won't find us before we get Falco and Angy out of there. We can be two galaxies away after we get that done," Gustav answered from up ahead. "Yeah, but we can't keep running, can we? This is a faceless one we're talking about," Endric voiced from the side. It was a lot of trouble having what was considered one of the strongest beings in the universe, chasing after them. "At least it isn't the one with Cosmic Superiority," Gustav chuckled. "Wait... one of them has that cosmic thing like you?" One could almost spell the look of doom on Ria's face as he questioned. "Go figure," Gustav replied. "We're screwed." "No, we're not." "Gustav has a plan I'm sure," Ria, Endric, and Aildris voiced simultaneously. "If I can trigger another meeting, maybe I can talk to the other faceless to get the one chasing us to back off," Gustav stated but they didn't really get what he meant. "Just keep your pants in a bunch till we're done dealing with the Angy and Falco situation," Gustav added. .... .... .... In the vast, unending expanse of space, where stars and galaxies weaved together a twinkling display of the cosmos, a singular, faceless being floated in place. The entity, unlike any known creature, boasted a mane of vivid crimson hair that cascaded and branched out like the limbs of an ancient tree, each strand glowing with the life force of the universe. Amidst the celestial silence, it danced as old as time, conjuring visions with graceful movements. The space around the being warped and pulsed with unseen energies as if reality itself was bending to its will. Before it, a single strand of Crimson hair, identical in hue to its ethereal locks, floated as a focus for its powers. The hair acted as a conductor, a focal point through which the being channeled the display of visions. As the being's unseen eyes fixated on the floating strand, the space around it began to shimmer and change. Visions emerged from the void, enveloping the strand like a series of transparent, floating screens. Each footage depicted a dirty blonde-haired target, though the nature of the target remained obscured to any observer, known only to the being itself. The images flickered and shifted, displaying moments past, present, and potential futures, all centered around the being's interest. The scenes varied wildly: one moment, the target was traversing the desolate corners of a distant planet. The next, the target was engaged in a heated debate within the metallic walls of a spacefaring vessel. Each footage was a vignette, a window into a life or event that held significance in the grand design of the being's intentions. With a subtle movement, almost imperceptible, the being manipulated the scenes, zooming in on details or rewinding actions, as if searching for something. The crimson hair before it seemed to pulse with light, reacting to each adjustment and shift in focus, intensifying as the being's concentration deepened. Eventually, the being found what it was seeking within the footage, a moment or clue critical to its inscrutable goals. With a gesture, all the visions dissipated, fading back into the darkness from whence they came, leaving only one of them as well as the strand of Crimson hair floating before the being. It then grabbed the strand while the last vision enlarged before it like a doorway. The form of the faceless suddenly blurred as it moved through dimensions unseen, leaving behind a trail of questions and the lingering echo of its presence in the vast, star-filled void. .... .... "Stop being worried. We already put another day's worth of distance between us," Gustav said to Ria while steering their Spacecraft through the dark expanse. "Big brother..." Endric suddenly voiced with an alarming tone. "What is it?" Gustav questioned looking perplexed. "Swerve!" He yelled in response, causing Gustav to veer the spacecraft towards the left. It tilted in such a sharp and unexpected way that Ria's strap ripped off and he went flying to the far end of the spacecraft. At the same instant Gustav swerved, space collapsed around their initial spot. With the collapse, came the appearance of a faceless being with crimson branch-like hair. It immediately became obvious that Endric had already seen a premonition of the collision so he changed their course before it could happen. "He is back!" "What the hell?!" Aildris and Ria both yelled at the same time in disbelief. "I put a lot of distance between us... How did he...?" Gustav was just as confused as the rest of them. "You need to use the hyperjump now!" Endric voiced with an incredibly troubled look. Gustav didn't question him about what he might have seen and swiftly charged up the hyperjump. Twwwhoosssshh~ Compared to the last time, the faceless being's pursuit was much faster. He was closing in on the spacecraft more furiously as though wondering how his plans kept getting messed up. When he was close to making contact, Gustav pushed the hyperjump button. Just like the last time, they ripped through space like a needle, crossing a distance impossible to scale in a short amount of time. In a couple of seconds, they arrived in an entirely different location within space. Phew~ "We got away," Aildris muttered. "You think?" Ria voiced with a tone of trepidation. "Not for long. I think..." Gustav shook his head. "I don't know how it keeps finding us... And there is no way he should be able to cross such a distance within a short amount of time. Not even Jack or Miss Aimee can do that," Endric pointed out with a distressed tone. "The Faceless are not supposed to be able to get the same ability twice in a row after consuming a fruit... it must have another way of doing this," Gustav analyzed with a look of skepticism. "So what are we going to do?" Ria questioned. "We should only be two days away from our destination now... Maybe we can get there before he pulls another one of these stunts," Gustav's mind was still majorly centered on saving Angy. "Look, Gus. I want to save Angy and Falco as much as you do, but I think that we need to find a way to shake him off our tail permanently or we might never get the chance to save them," Aildris voiced from behind. "In as much as I..." "Guys!" Ria suddenly called out to them shakily. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦 "What is it?" They all voiced simultaneously. "Isn't that... I think I saw that space rock or planet whatnot before," He pointed at a red-hot glowing orbital body in the distance. The others turned to stare in the direction he pointed and their eyes widened. "We've been here before," Gustav stated with a tone of realization. "What exactly is going on?" Ria voiced as an ominous feeling spread through the spacecraft. "We just got set back by five days."