Lucian looked at the newly bought clothes and dressed himself—first his new undergarments, then a white tunic and breeches. He examined his new leather boots, which seemed to be quite high quality, with small etchings decorating them.
He then walked out, at least feeling fresh body-wise. As he approached the counter, he saw Bella counting coins. Lucian greeted her, "Hi, Miss Bella. Have you perhaps finished my clothes and equipment by now?" He waved at her.
"Oh?" She turned toward Lucian. "Well, not yet. Come again by tomorrow, as the armor needs to be properly polished and the clothes need to dry first. Is that fine with you, sir?" She seemed to be in full work mode even though it was nearing evening.
"Well, I'm fine with it, but I must collect my Rin from my belt, and if possible my sword too." Lucian needed money to buy beer.
"Yes, that would be fine. Follow me and I'll show you!" She placed down her coins and walked toward a door behind her. Lucian followed.
Through the room, there were multiple servants all washing and cleaning from barrels of water. In one of the corners where a servant was working was Lucian's equipment and clothes.
Bella adjusted her glasses and stopped by Lucian's belongings. "Well, then, here it is," she said with a warm smile. Lucian crouched down toward the belt, grabbing it and equipping it around his waist. He looked into the pouch to see if perhaps some coins had been stolen, finding the same amount he'd had before.
He then looked at his sword, still slightly damp but now free of blood. Lucian grabbed it, wiping it off with a cloth from his pocket. He smiled at Bella and waved goodbye as he headed toward the door.
Suddenly Bella remembered something. "Wait, I forgot to mention something Garfield said!"
Lucian looked back at her. "Go on?"
"Garfield said that you could meet him at the southwest administrative zone, the same one you entered through. He's supposedly in one of the houses there, but you only need to mention his name to get his location."
Lucian nodded and thanked her once more, leaving the building for good—at least for today.
He then started searching for an alehouse, remembering a few that lay on Hushten Street, walking back to where he originally came from.
The decline in building quality was easily visible as he walked through the street. The people around weren't much better. Clothing, their overall health, basically everything about it all got worse as he continued.
Finally, as the sun neared the city walls' edge, he saw an alehouse. The mortar had slight cracks throughout. Through the windows, hardened adventurers enjoyed themselves, drinking their ale and beer while watching the orange glow of the setting sun.
"The view is quite nice," Lucian thought as he walked in through the door, going over to the counter as the candles flickered from the ceiling.
He requested nonchalantly, "Could I get beer please, and if possible, the biggest mug you have." He felt the need to properly think it all through, so he definitely needed a lot of beer to sip on.
The alewife, with her sharp blue eyes, looked at him and smiled. "Don't worry, I got you covered. Forty Rin, please." Lucian smiled as he picked up forty Rin out of his pouch, now only having two hundred and twenty Rin left for himself to spend. He sighed as he walked over to a table, letting the alewife do the rest.
He picked a seat far from the most crowded and busy areas of the alehouse as he looked through a window, seeing the orange glow slowly disappear behind Waterbridge's city walls.
Suddenly the alewife was right beside him, giving him a wink as she put down a mug the size of his head.
She walked away as Lucian grabbed the wooden mug, taking slow sips as he looked through the window. The sky now burned with a red glow.
Suddenly small white particles appeared, slowly gliding towards the ground. Lucian remembered a story of such particles before. The name was supposedly snow.
As it quickly became stronger and stronger, fully turning into a massive blizzard, everyone at the alehouse suddenly turned quiet. Lucian started questioning his own mind once more, thinking he might have totally went crazy. All the people now had translucent dark blue locks on them, about four times the size of a normal house lock.
Their eyes and mouths seemed to be totally encased in the last emotion their faces expressed, as they almost seemed like stone statues.
Through the door came a hooded figure wearing a giant black fur robe with white patterns flowing throughout the fabric. Gliding through the air were golden ornaments, all following a symmetrical pattern around him.
In the figure's right hand was a staff of metal swirling upwards as it bloomed into two wings at the top of the staff. The wings of the staff contained many different gems. Lucian had never seen the colors of the gems before. The gems made a beautiful arrangement of colors as they followed a symmetrical pattern on both wings. In the staff were multiple holes connecting chains throughout. As Lucian counted, he realized the man had twenty different chains, each exuding different colors and effects.
Walking towards the alewife, he grabbed a mug which she was carrying at the time, placing forty-five Rin in her hands as he walked over to Lucian, sitting himself down. Snow coated his robe as he took off his hood.
Lucian felt himself lose his grip as he looked into fractal patterns that continuously swirled inwards towards the man's pupils, shining with colors Lucian could not explain or thought were possible. He realized the man was smiling towards him, seeming to be in his early twenties, sharp rows of teeth meeting Lucian's gaze.
As the man took off his hood, revealing his medium-long golden blond hair, two pairs of translucent horns were set on top of his head, confusingly swirling in the same colors his eyes were.
"Hey, Lucian." The man greeted him as he took a swig of his beer.
Lucian looked warily at the man, questioning how he had come to know his name. "Hello, stranger. What have you come to me for?" Lucian asked seriously, wondering if this person was perhaps a mage similar to Roderic.
"Well, I'm here today to meet you. I've been patiently waiting for quite a while." His expression was devoid of any emotion, slightly making Lucian uncomfortable.
"Hehe, okay..." Lucian grinned, slight sweat forming on his forehead.
"Well then, let me introduce myself first before we get to the conversation. My name is Silas Mercury. As you could presume, I'm a mage, as well as your executioner." Still as expressionless as before, making Lucian jump as he immediately unsheathed his sword, slicing toward the man's neck through the fur robe.
As the blade neared his neck, a burst of infinitely swirling fractals appeared, similar to his eyes. The blade slowly slowed down as Lucian felt it tumble and rock around before it suddenly burst away.
"What in Sorin's name is your purpose with killing me!?" Lucian shouted loudly as he tried to stabilize his balance.
"So impatient," Silas sighed as Lucian felt a massive force push him down, forcing him to sit.
"Don't worry, it won't be now. I plan to do it much later in your life, when you inherit the curse that has plagued your family for centuries. An entity named Adam." Silas spoke with an unsettling calmness, his face nearly blank except for his eyes. The fractals within them accelerated their inward spiral, and the sight alone was enough to make Lucian feel sick.
. . .
In the Kingdom of Sindam, deep in the eastern woods, Joshua's long light brown hair bounced in the wind as nature itself shoved away from him, forming a long, well-maintained path.
Suddenly a plentiful field opened up, and he saw crimson flowers covering the entire area.
Around the flowers were massive swirling creatures of blood, their backs slightly arched with crimson wings and fangs made of blood.
Joshua scratched his chin. "What are those things? I can't remember anything similar ever existing on the Solar."
The voice of relief swallowed his mind whole as Father said, "That is what we would call a demon. A creature made by an old acquaintance of mine. As you can see, they are large masses of his blood taking human form. Still, it's been such a long time since they formed that they are most likely weak, their chaotic energy is running low in these recent times."
Joshua nodded, intrigued. An old acquaintance? Perhaps learning more about this being could give insight into who Father truly was.
His gaze drifted to the crimson flowers swaying in the field. "Are those flowers connected to him too?"
"Yes. That man is worshiped to an extent similar to a god now. Those who believe in his existence sacrifice virgin humans, hoping to gain powers. They live in a city called Crimson Bloom, an old rend nest they believe the Primordial Blood gave them as a gift."
Nostalgia flooded through Joshua as Father spoke, warm yet somehow heavy. Father had a history here, one that stretched back long before Joshua existed.
This caused Joshua to feel insignificant in the bigger picture as he quickly quipped, "The Primordial Blood? That's quite the name, huh. Your acquaintance sounds crazy!" As Joshua spoke loudly, the demons suddenly noticed his presence, bolting at him immediately.
Joshua crouched down and picked up one of the crimson flowers. "These are quite pretty. What are they called, Father?" He sniffed the flower, and a pungent smell of blood seeped into his nose.
"They are called bloody marys, a name given for their pungent smell of blood and association with innocence. They are one of the things the Primordial Blood truly introduced into this world. They are often used in the power rituals where virgins are sacrificed to him."
As the monsters swirling in blood ran toward Joshua, leaving bloody imprints in the soil below, Joshua smiled. Massive spikes grew through the ground, piercing the monsters. But as they were made solely of blood, they continued on. Joshua then swerved his hands downward as the ground itself collapsed, causing the bloody demons to fall instantly. He immediately did a pulling motion, throwing dirt over them.
"Imagine having wings and not even using them, haha!" Joshua laughed to himself as Father once again tried to remind him to act more like a prophet. Joshua brushed it off, feeling himself grow in experience as his power grew even more quickly.
The path he made widened as the woods split even further apart, obviously influenced by Joshua's growing power.
. . .
Back in Solarin, in the outer quarter of Waterbridge, inside one of the many alehouses sat Lucian. "So, why should I believe you?" He took a swig, feeling the alcohol starting to kick in.
Silas joined Lucian in taking a swig. "Well, simple really. Have you ever wondered why you're so successful in life?" Silas grinned slightly as he sat himself in a more comfortable position.
"No..." Lucian answered, gulping. He was starting to feel afraid.
"Well, all you need to know is it's all Adam's fault. Your adoption, your talent, your knighthood, as well as your meeting with Roderic. It's all heading one way..." He took another swig before continuing. "Your life's destiny is to become a mage so Adam can take over."
"How do you know about all that... Anyway, that isn't enough evidence. For all I know, perhaps you just have an echo which is useful for gathering information." Lucian was now fully covered in sweat, trying his best to reject Silas's claims.
Silas sighed as he slightly arched over the table and touched the wary Lucian's forehead.
Lucian's vision then exploded. His life hung suspended on a single chain, and he felt his consciousness pulled upward, climbing link by link. Each one held a moment: Sidrian's laugh at the capital's festival, their first drink together. Felix's nervous smile when they'd met, shy but determined. The memories flickered faster, and with each flash, Lucian's heart constricted. Tighter. Tighter. Until pain lanced through his chest and he couldn't breathe.
Then the chain expanded impossibly wide. Billions of threads converged, sparkling with translucent light, weaving together into something vast and incomprehensible.
The vision shifted.
A castle rose before him, surrounded by dead vegetation. Dark purple swirls churned through the night sky beneath a hanging crescent moon. The castle itself seemed alive, its walls constructed from dark crimson liquid that rippled and reflected the moon's pale glow.
His vision shifted inside the castle. On top of a throne sat Lucian, though different. Crimson eyes. Sharp fangs. Skin smooth as porcelain. The man reflected Lucian with a smile as sinister as they come. Beside the throne stood a bloody wheel, and Lucian could see his chain connected to it.
Before he could see more, he was yanked back to the alehouse, staring at Silas with tears welling in his eyes. He wiped them away quickly.
Sweat drenched his skin. "Hey. How was that?!" Lucian frowned, anger rising to mask his fear.
"Well, that would be Adam, your future partner, you could say." Silas said with no emotion.
"WHAT IN SORIN'S NAME DO YOU MEAN?!" Lucian's temper boiled over as he slammed his palms into the table and rose to his feet.
"Calm down. I'll tell you what I'm planning to do with you, okay?" He took another swig of his beer before continuing. "The reason I'm not killing you now instead of later is simple: I want to make Adam disappear for good, and for that I need you to bring Adam over to our world so I can finish him off here." Silas then looked out the window toward the now glowing moon, allowing Lucian to absorb what he'd just told him.
"What... What do you mean? Is my entire life just a script? A script that's just a play leading to my death to kill something I've never heard of or met in my entire life?" Lucian could only stare blankly at Silas as Silas continued looking out the window. "Are you saying Felix, Sidrian, and Seth all died in vain? Just for existing around me? Is their death all my fault?!" Lucian was completely breaking down.
Silas ignored him as tears began streaming down Lucian's face. "Hey, Silas! Was it my fault or not?!"
Silas finally shifted his focus toward Lucian. "Yes."
Lucian stared blankly at the ground. He grabbed his scabbard, pulling the blade out and bringing it to his neck. "If my life is a danger to people and nothing else, then I don't deserve to live..." He used all his might to slice his neck, but as he did, he felt his arm lock up, incapable of moving an inch, the same blue lock which was placed on all the others around him lay on his arm.
Silas then explained, "Sorry, Lucian, but I can't have you killing yourself. You must understand that Adam is an existence that is a danger to the Solar itself. By allowing me to kill you, you will become a hero, a hero who saves millions upon millions of lives." A glint flew through Silas's eyes, something which shocked Lucian.
He thought about it as he pulled his blade down. "Perhaps you're right. If this Adam is as dangerous as you say, perhaps by allowing you to kill me, I will be a hero in a way... making my squad's loss not be for the worse..."
Lucian sighed and wiped away his tears. "So what now then? I was originally planning on going with Roderic to the Shifting Sanctum, but now that I'm going to dedicate myself to becoming Adam's vessel, I guess that's not a choice anymore." Lucian grabbed his beer, chugging the rest of it before slamming it onto the table. He looked around at the still-locked customers as the snowstorm outside almost reached the windows now.
Silas looked at Lucian and took another swig. "Well, that's not true. Just because you are going to die by my hands doesn't change the fact that you can still go with Roderic. On top of that, I suggest you do, or else fate will find a worse way for you to become a mage. You are, after all, fated to become one, one way or another."
"Oh." Lucian didn't really know what to say anymore.
An awkward silence consumed them as Silas continued enjoying his drink, expressionless, just sitting there. The blizzard outside was the only sound.
Finally, Silas finished his beer. "Well then, don't get killed while I'm gone. I'll find you when the time comes. For now, goodbye."
Suddenly the space behind him tore open. Lucian glimpsed a massive tunnel stretching into infinity, lined with mystical lights that faded into endless darkness.
Silas stood and gave Lucian a slight wave before stepping into the tunnel.
The moment the space sealed shut, everyone's blue locks burst open. The alewife screamed as she realized the beer in her hands had transformed into coins. Confused patrons looked around, then turned toward the windows where snow had buried the streets entirely.
Lucian remained seated for a long moment before pushing himself up and stumbling through the door, considerably drunk. The emptiness inside him felt bottomless, impossible to shake.
But sitting here wouldn't change anything. He'd do what he believed was right. Nothing more, nothing less.