Clink! Clink! Clink!
Gold coins fell onto the splintered wooden counter. The Puerto Vell Guild was deafening chaos at that hour of the afternoon. The place smelled of spilled beer, tobacco smoke, and wet leather. Dozens of sailors and mercenaries shouted as they talked, but Darian, Aria, and Varkas remained silent, paying attention only to the receptionist.
The woman finished sealing an official scroll with the Empire's emblem.
"For dismantling the illegal trafficking network and for delivering the report on the anomaly in the Black Coral Dungeon," she announced in a formal tone, "the Empire grants you this reward of fifty gold coins. Additionally..."
The woman looked up and her eyes landed directly on the beastman. Varkas was rigid. His gaze was fixed on his own wrists. The skin there was reddened and marked by deep scars where iron had wounded him for a decade, but there were no longer shackles.
"Given your collaboration in the mission, the Guild will cover the registration expenses. Welcome to our ranks, Varkas of the North."
The receptionist slid a bronze badge across the counter.
Varkas extended a trembling hand, took the metal with care, and pressed it against his immense chest. He closed his yellow eyes, breathing deep.
"Darian... Aria..." said Varkas, his voice rough and laden with emotion. "My strength and my life are at your service."
Darian stepped forward and gave him a firm slap on the arm. He smiled with total sincerity.
"Your life is yours, Varkas. That's enough for us."
They grabbed the bag with the gold and moved away from the counter. They made their way through the adventurers until finding an empty table in a corner of the hall, beneath some old wooden stairs.
They sat. Aria let out a tired sigh and unbuckled some straps of her armor. While waiting for food, the three leaned forward, lowering their voices to the minimum. The tavern's bustle served as cover.
"That guy..." murmured Aria, making sure no one was paying attention. "He didn't prepare his magic. He didn't use chants. He just snapped his fingers and the elements appeared. And that appearance... the pale skin, the horns..."
"He was a demon," Darian affirmed, looking them in the eyes with firmness. "He was identical to the man from the visions I had when absorbing the grimoire in the Low Mountain dungeon."
Varkas frowned, resting his enormous forearms on the table.
"Demons are supposed to be almost extinct or confined to their own continent," said the beastman, genuinely confused. "What's one of them doing in a dungeon like this? And what does it have to do with that grimoire you absorbed?"
Darian nodded, his eyes shining with intrigue and worry.
"That's the question. And there's something else. When our weapons clashed..."
He fell silent when a young server approached. The girl left three jugs of dark beer and a wooden plate full of roasted meat and bread, collected payment, and left quickly.
Varkas grabbed a piece of meat and began devouring it with urgency, finally tasting real food. Aria lifted her jug and took a long drink of beer.
Darian didn't even touch his stew. He kept his gaze fixed on the palm of his right hand, opening and closing his fingers.
"As I was saying..." Darian continued. "I felt a hum at the moment of impact. It was as if my magic and that demon's spoke the same language. Something changed inside me. My body feels different. The flow in my veins is distinct."
Aria set her jug down hard. That gleam in Darian's eyes was new. He wanted to understand the mystery and disassemble the puzzle at all costs.
"Darian," Aria cut him off, her voice firm. "Eat something. We survived a collapse, the depths of a dungeon, and a demon. That's the only thing that matters right now. Don't get tangled up."
But he was already looking toward the main counter. Upon a thick pedestal of white marble rested the Mana Evaluation Sphere.
Darian rose from his chair.
"What are you going to do?" asked Aria, tensing.
"I need to verify it myself," he responded.
He walked back to the counter. The receptionist looked up from her scrolls.
"I need to use the Evaluation Sphere to update my registration," Darian requested, pointing at the marble pedestal.
The woman nodded with indifference and gestured with her hand for him to proceed. Darian stood before the sphere, breathed deep, and pressed his full palm against the frozen surface.
The world responded at once.
VOOOM!
A deep, vibrating sound shook the air. A red flare erupted in the center of the orb. A second later, a violent green gust cut through the flames. Immediately, a deep blue light enveloped the first two colors in an unstable whirlwind.
And just when it seemed to end, a golden, heavy radiance—the color of amber and solid rock—invaded the crystal with a force that made the marble base creak.
The deafening noise of the tavern died in silence.
The laughter faded. The discussions cut off mid-sentence. Dozens of adventurers and guards turned their heads. The entire hall was illuminated by the flickering lights of the four elements.
Darian pulled his hand from the crystal, astonished. He looked at the orb, which began to dim, then looked at his palm.
"Four colors..." he said aloud, not caring who heard, trying to process it. "The resonance reconfigured me from within."
Aria and Varkas arrived at full speed. The beastman stood right behind them, using his enormous body as a wall to block the view from the rest of the hall.
"One or two elements is normal," Varkas told him, his deep voice resonating clearly in the hall's silence. "Three is a myth. But four, pup... that breaks all the rules of the world."
Aria looked toward the stairs. Several adventurers were already rising from their chairs to see better, murmuring among themselves.
"If the high-ranking guilds or the army find out there's someone with four affinities, they won't leave you in peace," Aria warned him, speaking fast and with urgency. She gripped his arm hard. "They'll use you as a trophy or force you to enlist. No more passing unnoticed. Let's walk."
She pushed him toward the exit without giving him time to think. Varkas followed close behind. They left the guild at a quick pace, crossing the doors and leaving behind the murmurs that were beginning to explode.
The salty, cold night air hit them head-on. They walked fast through Puerto Vell's dark alleys, dodging puddles and making sure no one followed them.
Only in an empty street did Aria release him and stop to catch her breath.
"We'll spend the night at an inn and leave for Arkania at first light tomorrow," she said, assuming absolute command. "We'll deliver the report on the anomaly to Master Valerius. And we won't say a single word about the demon or your four elements to anyone."
She paused and looked at him with a half smile.
"Besides, I know an eccentric old man in Arkania. He's brilliant, in his own way. If you're going to try to find the logic in your magic, you need someone to teach you to channel it so you don't blow your fingers off."
Darian nodded, feeling relief.
They resumed walking. As they headed toward the inn, the young man fell a couple of steps behind. He raised his right hand and rubbed his thumb against his other fingers. He could feel the heat of fire, the lightness of wind, the fluidity of water, and the heavy density of earth in his blood. It was chaotic, but real.
But deep down, he felt a chill. The exact resonance he felt when his sword clashed against the enemy's magic meant only one thing. He knew the demon absorbed grimoires. But thanks to that clash, the demon now also knew of him. The enemy had felt him. And somewhere out there, beneath the same moon, that creature was already hunting for him.