Chapter 20 - The Illusion of Size

  Eo drifted through the deep, his movements slow and deliberate. The endless cycle of hunting and fighting had sharpened his instincts, pushing his awareness to new heights. He had come to recognize the subtle shifts in the mist, the way it ebbed and flowed around living beings.

  And that was how he sensed it.

  A presence loomed ahead, massive and imposing. At first glance, it was unlike anything he had seen before—a gigantic, spread-out form, its body undulating with the gentle currents. Long, twisting tendrils trailed from its form, stretching out into the distance. It looked ancient, untouchable, a behemoth drifting through the abyss.

  Eo stilled.

  His instincts screamed caution. This was no reckless predator. Unlike the jagged-toothed creature, this being exuded no hostility. It did not hunt. It did not stalk. Yet its presence dominated the waters.

  Curious, Eo approached—but slowly.

  As he closed the distance, something felt off. The mist around the creature behaved strangely, stretching unnaturally. Its movements were too fluid, too perfect, as if something was manipulating the space itself.

  Eo narrowed his focus, peeling back the layers of illusion.

  Then, he saw the truth.

  The creature was not gigantic at all. Its true form was smaller—average in size, even. The massive tendrils, the intimidating bulk, the overwhelming presence—it was all a trick.

  It wasn’t expanding its body. It was expanding its mist.

  Eo’s mind raced. Unlike the jagged-toothed predator that used mist to attack, this being wielded it defensively, crafting a projection of power to deter threats. It did not need to fight because it made others believe it was not worth fighting.

  Fascinating.

  Instead of attacking, Eo simply watched, his gaze absorbing every detail. How did it manipulate the mist so seamlessly? How did it control its form with such precision?

  If mist could be used to conceal, to distort, to intimidate—then what else was possible?

  Eo lingered, studying the creature’s mastery. There was more to learn here.

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  Eo remained motionless, his form blending into the water as he observed the creature. Its mastery over the mist was unlike anything he had encountered. It did not wield it as a weapon, nor did it let it drift idly in the currents. Instead, it sculpted the mist with precision, expanding its presence far beyond its physical limits.

  Fascinated, Eo drifted closer, his movements slow and deliberate. The illusion was flawless—there was no clear distinction between where the mist ended and the creature began. The dense haze wrapped around it like a second skin, rippling in response to unseen flows in the water.

  But was this purely an instinctual defense, or was it something more?

  Eo extended one of his appendages, reaching out to touch the mist that shaped the illusion. As soon as he made contact, an odd sensation crawled through him. The mist felt real—dense, solid, as if he were pressing against actual flesh. But at the same time, it wasn’t. His touch met nothingness, slipping through parts of it with no resistance.

  His mind reeled at the contradiction. It was there, but not. Tangible, yet ungraspable.

  Eo pulled back, intrigued. The mist was not being controlled like a limb—it did not act as an extension of the creature’s body. Rather, it was shaped, molded into an illusion that tricked the senses. It created the illusion of weight, of size, of threat, but it was nothing more than carefully manipulated perception.

  His focus sharpened.

  If this creature could do it, could he?

  Eo's mist control had evolved significantly since his last battles, but this was a different level of manipulation. He had learned to move mist, to blend it with bloodlust, but this creature showed him something new—mist was not just an extension of oneself. It could be shaped into something beyond the body.

  A deeper layer of potential unfolded before him, and for the first time, Eo realized he had only scratched the surface of what was possible.

  He would need to learn more.

  Eo circled the creature cautiously, continuing his silent study. The more he observed, the more he realized how precise its mist manipulation was. The illusion wasn’t just about making itself appear bigger—it felt bigger. Every movement of the mist was synchronized with the way the creature drifted through the water, maintaining the deception.

  It was not simply a static mirage. The mist shifted with the natural currents, adjusting in real-time, making the illusion seem even more alive. Eo noticed that whenever the creature twitched its tendrils, the mist reacted immediately, as if the movements commanded it rather than simply influencing it.

  This was no accident. It was control at a level far beyond his own.

  Driven by curiosity, Eo extended his senses further, testing how deep the illusion went. He swam above the creature, then below, changing his perspective. No matter where he observed from, the mist maintained the perfect illusion of size.

  A realization struck him—this was not a simple trick. It was an act of dominion over perception itself.

  The implications were vast. If mist could be used like this, then it wasn’t just about attacking or concealment. It could be deception, deterrence, even manipulation of how others perceived reality.

  Eo stilled, absorbing this understanding.

  If he could master this, he wouldn’t just be harder to detect.

  He could control what others believed about him.