“Ms. Eru, you must pay mind to your temperament accordingly from now on. Like a scale, you must keep a proper balance between either side. That you that is here in front of me now, and the you that lurks within.”
My skin was that of frivolous embers, dancing and atrophying to the tune of muffled shouts and a mild hammering of my head. A light swelling that died as quickly as it had sparked as that man’s voice then resonated in mind. A prior connection, of depths akin to a puddle that didn’t make it beyond the nail as I prodded its spill with the tips of my fingers—unable to truly grasp in its entirety. I had not known the previous Magister personally, beyond a family acquaintance, after all. And yet, the burning lingered all the same.
Calm down. It’s okay. It’ll be all right. Just please, calm down...
I tightened my grip around my chest as my legs sank to the ground. I swayed in a brief nausea as a lack of balance was apparent, while I also felt as if all my energy was sapped—whisked away. Thankfully, this enkindling—this incident—felt minor in comparison to the one that occurred when I was with Albel.
“Eru?!”
Lukos was now at my side, crouched with a look of concern across his face as Cruubi hovered near him. Behind them, Astrid was focused on the crowd in the distance with her back to us.
“Are you okay? Did something happen?”
“I-it’s nothing serious... I’m fine... I just...feel a bit sick is all...”
“Do you need any help?”
He extended a hand my way, and as I nodded—readying to accept his assistance—a sudden realization occurred to me as I pulled my hand back. My body was still feverish, as I remained on the tail end of my ebbed flaring. I didn’t want give rise to any more questions.
“N-no, I can get myself up...”
I hesitantly glanced his way, only to then be greeted with a tender smile and his hand returning to his side. A tinge of regret emerged at my choice, but it was preferable to be safe rather than sorry.
“Well, no need to rush. I’m sure this is a lot to take in after all.”
He turned his head toward the masses that weren’t letting up in their unabated anger for answers. And in that moment, a guard from the Garden Quarters side had arrived at the gate. The two guards that once stood at the sides of the entrance, were also behind said shut and secured gate. Upon the other guard’s arrival, he immediately began whispering something to the other two. In a gap of silence, one of the guards had mistakenly exclaimed aloud.
“His blood was drained...?! What does...”
A recurring storm of angered shouts continued. Many shedding light on what had happened in the slums too. There had been two separate occurrences so far. From what we could gather from the howling gossiping; five Adventurers were slaughtered—cut in half—by an unknown. No one had witnessed the cause for their deaths, only the aftermath. In regards to the previous Magister, Elemnin, the information was just as obscured. A rumor of his death, and now a possible hint on how he died.
What does that even mean, that ‘his blood was drained’...? What could even do something like that and why...?
“Hey, Lukos, about what he just—?!”
As my gaze shifted toward Lukos and Astrid, even just a short glimpse at the latter had sent a shiver down my spine. The air around her was off-putting, like a thick and palpable layer of heat was wrapped around her entirety. Lukos himself even seemed worried.
“Astrid...”
“Lu, it’s her work. There’s no other explanation—that damned shrew is in this city.”
In a sudden full-body turn away from the gate, Astrid’s steps were now heavy and wrothful as she began walking back toward the direction we came from. The minor incident of mine had waned, and I had lifted myself from the ground as Lukos’ eyes connected with my own. He nodded and I followed as Cruubi nested itself upon my head. Astrid’s pace hadn’t slackened as we rushed toward her.
“Astrid! Just wait a moment! Don’t tell you actually plan on—”
“Activate: Unique SKILL, [Paradoxical Trove]!”
Combing through the crowds, we attempted to keep eyes on her as she suddenly roared in response to Lukos’ own shout. Stopping in place, her eyes began to drift across our surroundings, seemingly in search for something. I remained slack-jawed to what I had heard though.
A Unique SKILL? Just like Albel and myself...
“Astrid! Are you serious?! Did you forget what happened the last time that the two of you...?”
We were finally able to catch up to Astrid, as Lukos then began to frantically question her motives. He held his tongue as her green eyes gleamed our way, peeved in an unfiltered peer to his words.
“Last time...?”
I could hear Lukos near me, swallowing in nervousness to her voice. An air of uncertainty toward how Astrid would react further felt as if it were lingering unsteadily between the two. I couldn’t stand it for some reason, so before I even realized it, I was already stepping forward.
“Erm... I-I don’t really understand what’s going on here, b-but I think—!!”
Her green eyes pierced my own now in response as I instinctively stumbled back—terrified—before Lukos had walked in front of me. He now held his arm out, blocking me from moving any further forward.
“Astrid, I won’t say that I don't understand your anger, but you should know better not to confuse where and who you direct that anger at. Is your enemy Eru and myself?”
His voice was stern, lacking in that previous unease. And as I glanced over to Astrid, her expression had now flickered into a more hesitant and perplexed one. Looking away from the both of us, she mumbled something under her breath.
“S-sorry, I didn’t mean...”
“...As long as you understand. But if this is something you truly want to do, I won’t stop you either.”
His smile was wistful, as he stood there waiting on her reply. Her right hand was digging into her left arm as her eyes were downcast in thought. I was unaware Astrid had such a side to her as she meekly gave her answer.
“Please...”
That was all it took as we then headed into the slums that resided near the Common Quarters. It was apparently in due to Astrid’s skill that had led us here. She was searching for someone, and along the way, I decided to ask Lukos about what had happened earlier—in an effort to also answer who that was.
“Hmm. It’s a bit of a long story...”
“Even so, I wish to hear it! I can’t explain why, but I don’t like seeing Astrid like this without knowing what is gnawing at her to begin with...”
In a quiet chuckle, he then agreed to my request. Astrid had originally resided in Ospus for unsaid reasons. According to Albel, it was a land filled with Disians—and only that. Yet, she wasn’t exactly there all alone, but with one other. Along with her, there was another woman by the name of Essylt. The two of them, despite always being at odds with one another, decided to escape Ospus together. That was apparently an issue in and of itself.
“They were stopped by Ospus’ Hound...? Is that a person or some sort of beast...?”
“Well, by how she describes that Hound, there doesn’t seem to be much of a difference between those two—a beast like person. Which is terrifying to think about... She may seem like a carefree drunk, but I personally have yet to meet anyone who is stronger than Astrid.”
Yet, according to Astrid, that so called Hound of Ospus was able to go toe-to-toe with both her and Essylt at the same time during their almost unsuccessful escape. But they had succeeded in running away, and found themselves to the northwest of Cretho. Near a village called Tourac after venturing through the western shores of Isluna. A village that Lukos then said he was originally from.
“So, you used to live in this place, Tourac, then?”
“Hmm. Something along those lines. Though, it was thanks to being there that I accidentally met her.”
On a random day while out in the woods near Tourac, he stumbled across the two runaways and a situation that would forever mark him. A red-haired woman, grounded and unmoving, was covered in blood as a deep gash stretched across her back. Whereas the other person with her, was readying the decisive stroke—but not before Lukos could intervene.
“I hadn’t expected to find myself in a situation like that at all, so with no armor or weapon, I simply moved on instinct...”
His hand was now motioning toward the scars on his face. In a state of bewilderment, he shielded himself in front of the unconscious Astrid. Essylt’s attack—one brimmed with strikes of fluid red—then descended upon him before she disappeared.
“So, those scars...”
With another gentle smile, his eyes found their way to Astrid in the distance now.
“...I don’t regret my decision from back then, but it’s obvious that Astrid feels responsible from time to time about what happened. Even so, she was the one that was attacked from behind and betrayed that day.”
Astrid's anger was justified, and at times when something involved her past, she couldn’t help but have an outburst. Almost like myself. The collective of lingering emotions from that day, breached beyond her usual carefree demeanor now. And that person she was searching for currently—the one that may have killed the previous Magister, Elemnin—was that woman, Essylt.
If we find this person, then maybe we can learn why Mr. Elemnin was targeted in the first place...
“Lu, Ery, over here.”
Astrid’s voice suddenly came from in front of us as she gestured to an old and abandoned church a short distance away. We were on the outskirts of the slums now, and seeing it personally—slums and all—really put into perspective how different the lives were between those of the Garden Quarters and the slums. Despite the spreading news of five Adventurers being killed here, many had seemed apathetic. Along the way, we had seen people still going about their business, completely differing from the outrage and crowds of the Noble Quarters. Even children were running around and playing, seemingly without a worry in mind.
"This is where my skill's pull ends. That being said, are you two sure you want to follow me in? This has nothing to do with..."
"No matter how many times you ask us that, Astrid, our answer will remain the same."
I nodded in agreement to Lukos’ words, and Astrid turned away before I could make out her expression. Standing in front of the neglected church, at the center above the door, sat an emblem of a woman holding a flower—one that I could remember being tied to the Church of Evening. The religion of many across the lands, one that worshiped the one and only Goddess, Eve. An emblem that many in whom underwent pilgrimage held similar styled crests, medallions, and so forth.
“Eru, make sure you stay by my side. And...”
Lukos suddenly shortened the distance between the two of us as he whispered something near my ear.
“...Whatever happens, if and when Astrid begins fighting, please don’t think about intervening.”
A sudden word of caution as I nodded and watched him turn back toward the front doors of the church. Lifting Cruubi from atop my head, I asked for its assistance before returning back.
“Cruubi, make sure to keep a look out too, okay?”
“Chirp! Chirp!”
Astrid then walked forth, opening the doors to the church as a metallic and rusty screech disturbed the once silent area. Paying heed to even the strays of dusty light, we carefully walked inside. It was seemingly empty, of people at least, as a scattered display of broken pews greeted us. A dirty carpet of red created a path toward shattered stained glass, one that used to apparently depict the same emblem at the front of the church. Toward the back, two separate rooms on opposite ends could be seen as well.
“There’s...no one here? Are you sure this is the place, Astrid?”
“Definitely, at the very least, someone as been here recently. Just look there.”
As she pointed to the ground ahead of us, there were several footprints throughout. Making her way past the dozens of broken pews, she followed a set of footprints to the back door on the western end of the church. She immediately attempted to open it, only for it to be locked.
“Maybe there’s a key somewhere? Let’s look around a bit more—?!”
Before Lukos could finish, Astrid suddenly lifted her leg, twisted her body, and slammed the bottom of her foot against the door—splintering it.
“There, it’s open now.”
“...At least give us a heads up before you go and do something like that.”
“Why? It’s not as if you were standing in between the door and my kick. Besides, you should have known that was the only choice we had anyways. Look for a key? We don’t have time for that.”
“Yeah, but there’s simpler ways that don’t involve brute force, like lock picking or something... I’m all for valid suggestions that don't immediately jump into destruction of property. Albeit abandoned, it’s still a church for goodness' sake!”
She sure is strong like Lukos said...
I could only let out a forced laugh at Astrid’s sudden display of strength, but as the two before me argued over the broken door, my eyes were redirected toward what was inside the room as a sudden voice spoke up.
“Who...?”
As all three of us looked into the room, a child, a boy with blonde hair was some distance away from the scattered remains of the door. And near him, with their hands and legs tied in rope, and their mouth shut with a cloth—laid a blindfolded Alisa—the wife of Euler.
