Zay stared at the drink in front of him, the glass catching the flickering light of a nearby candle. For a moment, his reflection wavered on the liquid's surface before he reached out and gently pushed the drink back toward the bartender.
"I'll pass on drinks for the time being," he said calmly. "But I do have a few questions."
The bartender's expression subtly shifted. His smile dipped just slightly, replaced by something more neutral—an expression of faint disappointment, though still professional. He accepted the glass without a word, turned away, and tipped its contents into a small metal sink behind the bar. The liquid splashed softly before swirling away. He set the glass down beside the basin with care.
"If you insist on no drinks for now, that's fine," he said.
There was a small pause as he turned his eyes to Naomi and Rei Alvor, noticing that neither of them had touched their glasses either. With a quiet sigh, he leaned back against the counter.
"What sort of questions would you like to ask? I may have answers."
Zay folded his hands on the counter. "First question—this continent is called Eclipse, right? What part of Eclipse are we currently in?"
The bartender raised an eyebrow at the question and gave a light chuckle.
"That's an odd one... but I'll bite. You're in the northern region of Eclipse. This part is known as Boros."
Zay gave a short nod, then closed his eyes briefly.
[Persuade] has been activated. Target designated: Oasis Stormveil.
He opened his eyes just as the Resonance Lens notification faded from view, a faint smirk touching his lips for the briefest of moments.
'So the skill automatically reveals their name too? Useful.'
"Second question—what are the other regions of Eclipse called?"
Oasis, the bartender, stiffened slightly. He felt something pass over him, something that tugged at the edges of his soul—not aggressive, but undeniable.
"The southern part of Eclipse is called Stella. It was named after a star that fell from the heavens nearly five hundred years ago. The impact left a massive crater. Today, the Stella Empire sits within that crater, ruled by the Stellar family. The current monarch is Queen Stellar."
Zay turned his head slightly toward Naomi, who gave a faint nod. He then looked to Rei, who met his gaze with a thoughtful expression.
"I think that's enough about geography for now," Zay said.
"I believe we need information on the creatures that inhabit this continent," Rei added, glancing at Zay before letting a subtle smile cross his face.
Around them, the tavern remained lively. Conversations buzzed from every table. Glasses clinked in quick succession, voices rose in laughter or sharp murmurs, and the glow from the lanterns flickered occasionally as wind slammed against the outer walls. The structure creaked with each heavy gust, but held firm. Shadows danced along the stone and wood interior, casting strange shapes on the floors.
Oasis reached beneath the counter and pulled out a wooden stool. With a faint grunt, he lowered himself onto it, then retrieved a thick, weathered journal from a hidden shelf. He slid it forward across the bar, stopping just before it touched Zay's fingers.
Zay blinked once and looked at the space above Oasis's head. The influence bar hovered at a full 100%.
'How... can I phrase this to get two things at once?'
He studied the man for a moment—his beard, the relaxed strands of black hair framing his face, the subtle creases around his eyes. Then Zay glanced behind him at the clock mounted on the wall. It read 4:26. An idea surfaced in his mind.
"I want the journal in your possession... with a room."
Oasis blinked once, then gave a quiet nod. He reached under the counter and produced a golden key, placing it gently on top of the thick journal.
"The room is on the third floor. Room twenty-one."
Zay grabbed both the journal and the key in a single smooth motion.
[Persuade] has been deactivated.
Sliding his stool back, he rose to his feet. His boots thudded softly on the floor as he walked across the tavern toward the staircase visible on the far left. Naomi and Rei followed without a word, weaving through tables and half-curious gazes until they reached the stairs.
They ascended quickly, the creak of each step muffled by the steady hum of wind and distant conversation below. Upon reaching the third floor, they stopped in front of the first door they came across.
Room 21.
Zay slid the key into the lock and gave it a firm turn. A soft click echoed from the mechanism. He withdrew the key and pushed the door open with the handle.
The room beyond was dimly lit by a wall-mounted lantern. Inside were two beds with thick quilts, a couch by the window, a padded chair in the corner, a large wooden stand—likely a wardrobe—and a door leading into what Zay assumed was the bathroom.
Naomi walked in without hesitation. She looked around with a quiet curiosity before striding over to the nearest bed and falling backwards onto it. The mattress shifted beneath her, then settled.
"It's like feathers," she murmured, her voice barely above a breath.
Zay leaned Evershade against a wall as he closed the door after Rei walked into the room. He made his way toward the window, looked out, and just stared.
'I've been delaying it for a while due to not being strong enough.'
Thoughts began to run through his mind like flames spreading across the globe.
'The Second Realm is something that I have to go to soon. That's where another member of 'Mystic' will be found, but also where it'll become more dangerous due to the churches, other clans, and the Redhawks group. As of now, nobody knows that 'Mystic' is even a thing besides myself, Naomi, and Rei Alvor. Within the Second Realm... things will start to get a lot more complicated as well.'
The thoughts paused as he watched the snow, and he heard the sound of water running. He turned around but didn't see Rei.
"Where did he go?"
Naomi glanced over before closing her eyes, enjoying the feeling of the mattress.
"To take a shower."
Zay nodded, returning to the view outside as he watched the snowflakes fall, snow covering the entirety of the view.
'All of this feels like a dream. Nothing has gone right, my strength is lacking compared to other lives... why does it feel like the world is collapsing on me.'
As he thought about everything, he heard a voice in the back of his mind. It wasn't his at all. At least, he didn't think it was his. It whispered to him, clawing deep into his soul. His hands gripped tightly at the windowsill.
Before he even realized it, he had collapsed backward, slamming hard into the floor. His eyes shut, then opened again to find himself in a world made of grey fog. He turned in a full circle, not seeing anything.
He looked down at himself and realized he wasn't wearing the same clothes anymore. He now wore a white tunic with stripes of red along the sleeves and medals across the front. He raised his hands to the top of his head and felt a hat.
Lifting the hat off, he lowered it in front of him and stared at it.
It was a top hat, all black. Made of leather.
Zay moved his hands and placed the hat back on his head before looking around once more. His heart felt calm, his body light. His guard lowered slightly, though not completely. He held his focus as he heard the whispers again. Unlike before, they didn't claw at his soul. No, it felt more like a calling.
He stepped forward, one leg in front of the other, and began walking in a single direction.
...
Rei Alvor heard a loud crash and immediately burst out of the bathroom, barely dressed, water still dripping from his hair. His eyes scanned the room in a single sweep before locking onto Zay's unconscious body sprawled across the floor. Naomi was already at his side, kneeling and gripping Zay's wrist, her brows furrowed in concentration.
Rei's heart plummeted into his stomach. For a moment, the weight of panic clutched his chest — but he forced himself to breathe, steadying the storm within him. He rushed forward and dropped to his knees beside Zay, placing two fingers against the side of Zay's neck in search of a pulse.
His lips were dry. He licked them instinctively and then pressed them together, the corners twitching as his fingers remained still. No rhythm. No beat.
"Shit. Do you have one?" he asked quickly, voice strained.
Naomi looked up, and for the first time, Rei saw fear in her eyes. She gave a tiny, almost imperceptible shake of her head. Her voice cracked when she spoke, the words trembling out of her in fragments. "There's... not a single pulse."
Rei's eyes widened in alarm. He gently lowered Zay's head into his lap, one hand cradling the back of it, while the other patted down his own torso and sides, searching frantically for any medical gear that might have been brought from before they entered the Sequence.
Whoosh!
Wind howled outside, slamming against the building with a low rumble that rattled the walls.
Rei sucked in a breath and kept checking his waistband, cloak, tunic, inside his boots but ultimately came up with nothing. No tools. No kits. Not even the smallest vial.
Panic surged again and he stood abruptly and sprinted toward the door. He yanked it open with enough force to make the hinges screech, then disappeared down the stairs, his footsteps thundering through the hall.
Naomi remained behind, lips pressed into a firm line, her hands trembling slightly as she moved from Zay's wrist to his chest, then to his neck again. Still no pulse. She pressed her forehead against her sleeve, then returned to trying again, refusing to stop. "Master...'
Forty seconds later, Rei returned, breathing hard, his face damp with sweat and wetness from the shower. Behind him entered a large older man with a thick gray beard and deeply lined face. His frame was broad, a layer of fur wrapped around his shoulders, a heavy leather coat draped beneath. A sturdy satchel hung from one shoulder, its buckles worn with age and use.
The man's eyes, a sharp steel-blue, scanned the room once before landing on Zay. Without another word, he moved fast.
His stride took him straight to Zay's side in just a few steps. His voice was loud, commanding, filled with practiced urgency.
"Put him on the bed. Now. Don't waste time."
Rei and Naomi moved quickly, lifting Zay together and laying him gently on the bed. The doctor slid the bag from his shoulder and laid it open across the edge of the mattress. With swift, trained motions, he unlatched the buckles, flipped the flap open, and began sifting through the contents.
From within the bag, he withdrew an unusual metal instrument. It was circular, palm-sized, and etched with a design of a longsword intersecting with an axe. Both designs were engraved in sharp detail. Neither Rei nor Naomi had seen anything like it before.
The doctor placed the device over Zay's chest, directly above the heart. Light-green aura began to pour from the device, tendrils of faint energy snaking into Zay's body.
The man's eyes shifted, glowing green as a translucent image of Zay's internal body projected before him. The ghostly figure floated above the bed, organs outlined in light and shifting in soft pulses.
His gaze moved rapidly. Eyes scanning. Chest. Lungs. Heart. Brain. Arteries. Veins. Each flick of his pupils seemed to pierce deeper, searching for a sort of trauma reaction, blockage, internal bleeding or anything at all that could describe the sudden fallout, and unconsciousness without a pulse.
The room fell into silence, save for the faint hum of the aura tool and the loud wind constantly slamming into the side of the tavern.