The sun was beginning to disappear to give way to a fresh and clear night, and Marlon was back at the inn, preparing for his appointment at the Orchid, Loki laughing happily at him and Luna seeming also mocking in the glances that she threw to the young man. He did not feel at all at ease but could not help but feel a touch of impatience.

"You really do look like a nobility that has forgotten how to dress. I don't mean to make fun, I assure you, but seeing you, I can't help it...hahahaha."

The adventurer regretted that he had no way to silence the AI, so he preferred not to pay attention to it, although as he looked at himself in the foot mirror in the inn's bathroom, he couldn't help but think that he was right.

His day had been full, and he didn't have time to go back and buy clothes, or he'd be late. Not that he cared that much, but he had to admit that a little normalcy in his life wouldn't hurt.

After listening to Leon's tale of Origins, Marlon had gone to see Djilany and spent the morning with him, the mage teaching him various binding runes that might be useful in the future. Time had passed incredibly quickly, and he hadn't found the time to experiment with new rune combinations.

He had also asked the mage if the story told by the bard was true, and he had confirmed it with a strange look at Marlon, as if everyone was supposed to know the situation in Erengar. He also added that Embria Fortress was one of the destinations he was supposed to go to, as they were in great need of creating new runic traps to fend off the legions of undead that were slaughtering the thousand-year-old walls with increasing frequency.

He also confirmed that Magnus was one of the few people capable of handling multiple types of magic, including runes. His title of archmage had not been usurped, quite the contrary.

Once finished with the mage who had other commitments, he had left in the direction of the Arena, not without stopping to eat some delicious brochettes which had attracted him thanks to their tempting smells bordering on indecency.

This meal was followed by an afternoon that was very long for the young man.

Jacob was delighted to see him again and the first thing he wanted to do was to fight him, a fight that Marlon refused for many minutes.

At the insistence of his instructor, he was obliged to tell him about his loss of control over his madness and the visions of which he was a victim, mentioning without omitting a single detail of what had happened in the forest, his long isolation from civilization and the massacres committed.

Sitting together in the room that had served as his bedroom during his hellish training, they shared a spicy drink that Jacob had called Toca, a black, fizzy liquid that was very sweet and had an almost addictive caramelized quality. Marlon made a mental note of the name of this drink and finished his explanation to his instructor, not quite sure what he was feeling.

"It's a good thing you've...discovered these runes, or this spell, whatever you call it. If it helps you calm your mind and keep some semblance of control, that's the most important thing. But I hope you're aware that it's not a quick fix."

"Yes, and that's one of the things I wanted to discuss. You told me that you went through this situation and were able to overcome your madness, to channel it...how did you do that?"

Jacob gave him a big smile that hid something much more sinister, and when he answered, Marlon felt the full weight of what he had been through in his voice.

"First of all, you should know that I never had visions like you. My madness was limited to...voices, or rather one voice in particular, that commanded me to let go, to give free rein to my rage, to this fury that consumed me..."

"And... ? "

"And I listened to him, without putting my loved ones in danger. I went to the front, and slaughtered the enemies of the Empire for months, until my rage was satisfied, almost choked with the blood I had shed..."

"The front? You...you fought against Necros?"

Jacob nodded and laughed when he saw the astonishment on Marlon's face.

"Who else? The empire has never been at war with the Elves and Dwarves, not since the time of Magnus, and skirmishes with the Nessos stopped hundreds of years ago. Except for the Necros, we are at peace. But what bloody enemies! Confronting them would definitely release your anger. There's nothing better than an enemy who stands up until you cut off their head to release some tension, trust me!"

"Right now, that's not a solution. I want to compete in the tournament, in a month, and going to get lost on a military front to exterminate zombies is not my priority."

"Zo...zombie? Ha, you're talking about Necros...no, indeed, it's not the perfect solution for you. I don't know what else to advise you. Always carry that spell that helps ease your mind and do your best not to have a seizure in crowded places. Or in front of dangerous people. It could be the last mistake you ever make."

They had talked for a few more moments, and Jacob had urged Marlon to come back to see him before the tournament began to fine-tune his skills, archery first, as it would surely serve him well.

Marlon promised to do so, so he quickly slipped out of the Arena and headed for the shopping district.

He visited many stores and finally came across a stall that sold beautiful clothes. The salesman saw that Marlon was not used to this kind of clothes, and took advantage of this opportunity to play his wits. The adventurer bought the whole outfit he was wearing, which cost him twenty silver coins, a real fortune now that he thought about it.

But he had been persuaded, and the salesman had had some striking arguments. This was one of the reasons he had always hated salesmen on Earth. They could sell sand to a Bedouin...

"On the bright side, you'll be able to infiltrate any high society party in the capital now, hahaha."

What Marlon regretted most about his outfit was not so much the outrageous style that it gave off, but the fact that there were no pockets, no discreet lining where he could store parchments to prepare for any eventuality. And that increased the risks, something that the young man did not like at all.

"Cast a Spirit Care before you leave the inn. You should be fine for a few hours, at least."

He nodded and was relieved to see that at least the belt he had bought was made to hold his sword. Without it, he might have thought twice about going to the Orchid.

He looked at Luna, ready to leave, and said:

"Follow me tonight, Luna. You will stay at a distance, and wait for me outside the Orchid. I don't want to be left destitute if things turn out in an unexpected way."

His chimera grunted its assent.

From now on, Marlon thought properly before doing anything. His insanity was too volatile a factor for him not to plan for the worst in any situation, especially in an unusual setting. But there was no reason for this to go wrong. He traced Spirit Care onto an Arbol bark, with Arbol blood as well, to make the spell more powerful and last longer.

Once consumed, he felt the usual relief on his mind and sighed for a long time, happy to no longer feel this almost permanent pressure he was slowly getting used to.

So he set off, Luna following a few meters behind him, passers-by moving aside as this intimidating-looking tiger passed. Fortunately, Delia had seen other oddities in its streets, so no one was bothered to see a feline of this size wandering in the streets of the capital.

It took Marlon thirty minutes to find the Orchid, despite Ivy's directions. He knew he was ahead of schedule, so he didn't hurry when, after asking two people for directions, he finally arrived at the building he was looking for.

It was a beautiful building, two stories high, and its facade was covered with ivy oscillating between yellow and green, giving the building an ancient cachet.

In front of the entrance was a small inner courtyard where many multicolored plants and flowers were blooming under the light of two magical street lamps. Projecting a yellow glow over the colorful flowerbed, they stood three or four meters high and were impressive for their finish and the multiple engravings that ran up their poles.

Two benches were set up along the path that led to the solid wood door of the entrance, but no one was there.

It was amazing to find a building with such an intimate feel in the heart of the capital, and a special serenity was felt by the runist as he made his way to the entrance.

A stocky, very large man stood beside the entrance, looking impassive but scrutinizing the young man who approached. His outfit was reminiscent of people from the twentieth century on Earth. A tailored jacket, a discreet beret and pants that seemed to be made of a linen-like material gave the gatekeeper a very distinguished look.

"Good evening, sir. May I know the reason for your coming, please?"

"I...good evening. Ivy, from the Herbalist Guild, invited me. My name is Revenge."

The man consulted a list he pulled out of nowhere and nodded as he probably just found Marlon's name on it. He stepped aside and opened the door gracefully, gesturing a welcome to his new client.

"Welcome to the Orchid, Mr. Revenge. We hope you have a pleasant time."

Before entering the building, Marlon glanced behind him and saw that Luna was standing in the shadows of the adjacent street, her eyes riveted on her master. Relatively reassured, he crossed the threshold of the Orchid.

What struck him immediately were the smells.

Floral scents, almost identical to those he had discovered at the Herbalist's Guild, but more aggressive. These aromas made him want to...run. It emanated incredible energy, and Marlon felt invigorated, dancing impulses running through his being as people in front of him seemed to be carried away by the mysterious power of these flowers.

The lights were dimmed, red and yellow, twirling along what was a dance floor surrounded by a flowerbed as colorful as the entrance garden.

Marlon resisted the urge to sway and continued his way around the crowded dance floor of embracing couples and people being carried away by the heady music floating in the air. The eyes closed, they seemed to be on another world, smile to the lips and mouths half-opened on a sensory pleasure that the adventurer could perceive.

"Again that magic of smells...intriguing, but at least you can be happy, your dress code doesn't clash with the place."

Indeed, all of them were dressed in the same category as Marlon: chic, unnecessarily stuffed, and colorful. The merchant had not ripped him off and he felt very slightly relieved.

Passing the dance floor, he arrived on a kind of patio where the atmosphere was much more relaxed. The scents changed and brought a kind of languid torpor in which it was pleasant to bask and let oneself go. Lounges with soft sofas were arranged around low white glass tables that reflected the now dark blue light from the ceiling, and he finally spotted Ivy.

She was dressed in a splendid evening dress with golden notes, contrasting with the ebony color of her skin which seemed to glow under the lights of the place. Her dress left a lot of almost naked zones, and Marlon surprised himself to imagine her without her finery, alone with him and their imagination to spend one...

He shook his head and came out of his contemplation, which seemed to be caused by the magical smells in the air. He walked over to her and gave her a big smile, which she returned a hundredfold by standing up and slowly kissing him on one of his cheeks. A simple kiss, but which made flee the spirit of Marlon towards other places of his imagination, more carnal and lewd.

"Glad to see you here. I confess I wasn't sure you were coming."

"I wouldn't have missed this for the world...what an awesome place!"

"You haven't seen anything. This is just one of the establishments that exists in Delia. If in the future you wish, I will take you to the Pleasure District, to the northwest of the city. There are surprising and very interesting things to discover for those who are not afraid of the cold. And I'm not even talking about the Underground, haha."

Ivy grabbed Marlon's hand and pulled him behind her, toward a living room with more sensual, intimate smells, the lights matching that feeling.

They both sat down and ordered drinks from a waitress who came to them, dressed very lightly and looking very enticing to him and Ivy.

While waiting for their order, they discussed the place and Ivy lifted some of the mystery about the sultry atmosphere of the place.

"The Orchid is known to be a place...for socializing and fun. We have all night ahead of us to have fun, don't worry..."

He blushed as he realized the implications of what Ivy was saying, but he didn't mind, after all he was there. His thoughts drifted again and he frowned at the effect the magical aromas had on him.

He didn't like the idea of not being in control of his psyche, but it was still manageable. When their drinks arrived and they began sipping them and talking about anything and everything, something Marlon found very difficult to do, he couldn't help but ask his host about the earthy and rather unpleasant taste of the cocktails.

"Oh, that's nothing! Fungus Nobilis, the Noble Mushroom. They put this in all the cocktails and even the dishes here. This mushroom has aphrodisiac properties and also a little hallucinogenic. Don't worry, you have nothing to fear."

He laughed with her, and the soothing scents that reached his nostrils uninterruptedly made him not worry about the meaning of her words.

Then they ate a wonderful entrecote from who knows what animal, while she ate fish, grilled and whose aromas would have made anyone salivate. The waitress gave them big smiles, and the young man felt really comfortable in this setting.

Ivy, beginning to be slightly tipsy, innocently began to rub one of her feet on Marlon's foot, moving gently up his leg before coming to rest on his crotch, seeming to enjoy what she found there and accelerating her rubbing while smiling.

When they were cleared, the young woman leered with a smile at the ride between Ivy's leg and Marlon's crotch, which did not remain unaffected by what was happening.

"I think desserts are coming, it reminds me of my childhood, that smell of melted chocolate..."

"Revenge, we haven't ordered anything yet...but I do have some ideas about what we could do with chocolate..."

Marlon's smile froze, adrenaline pumping dangerously hard through his body as the lights of the Orchid began to dance faster, more violently. His breath quickened imperceptibly and his pupils dilated from the stress and the Fungus he had consumed.

"Marlon, get out of here, you're going to..."

A trickle of cold sweat began to run down the young man, and his head began to spin, as if dizzy.

"Honey, just let yourself go, don't worry, everything will be fine. We're going to have a great time."

He raised his head to answer Ivy but next to her was his mother, and she was the one who had just spoken.

She still had a morbid smile hanging on her lips, but this time her face was rotting, her nose half eaten away and tears of clotted blood running down her cheeks. One of her eyes was vacant, as if eaten away by worms, and her bony fingers tapped Ivy's shoulder in rhythm

When she spoke this time, it was in a much deeper voice, sounding as if it had come straight from the grave. He could even feel the smell of decomposition coming from her breath reaching his nostrils.

"Avenge me, my love, kill her. Offer me her still throbbing heart, hahaha!"

In a fit of panic, Marlon stood up and knocked over the coffee table, which shattered with a loud crash, attracting the attention of almost everyone in the room. He was making a colossal mental effort to keep control of his mind, which was starting to drift dangerously, and a dull pain was coming from the back of his head.

"I have to...I have to get out!"

Turning and tripping over one of the table legs, he almost fell face down but caught himself in extremis. Ivy, with a worried look on her face, stood up and tried to put her hand on his shoulder.

"Revenge, what's going on? We can..."

"LET ME OUT!!! I NEED TO GET OUT NOW!!!"

Rage oozed from the adventurer's voice, and his eyes became increasingly cloudy. Without realizing it, he had pulled his gun from his belt and was now sweeping it in front of him, trying to fend off the corpse-like apparition of his mother who continued to approach him while holding Ivy by the waist.

The ground was getting slimy, as if sticky with blood, and Marlon's footsteps were getting heavier and heavier, but he mustered up all the willpower he had and ran as fast as he could towards the Orchid's exit. He could only smell blood now, and rot.

He had been stupid. Stupid to think that he could have normal moments in his life, moments that would make him feel like everyone else. Stupid to think that his insanity would leave him alone at a time like this.

He almost broke down the door of the Orchid and the doorman moved out of his way without trying to intercept him. He didn't stop running, however, and continued his frantic race through the streets of Delia. He was unaware of Luna who began to follow him, nor of Ivy who stood on the threshold of the building, a questioning look on his face and the tiger that followed him.

**

In the Orchid room, one person had witnessed the entire scene and found it intriguing. The natives knew the effects of the Orchid's herbs and there were never any incidents. Was this person one of the players? Dejros promised himself that he would tell Niclos about the incident. He had asked for a report of any activity by other Neo-Life players, and he would certainly be pleased when he heard about it.

**

When Marlon awoke the next morning, he was curled up on the ground in an alley in the capital, with Luna lying a few feet away from him, awake and not taking his eyes off him. His sword lay on the ground near his hand. His head threw it as if it was clamped in a vice and a bitter aftertaste did not want to leave his mouth.

The sun was just rising and looking around nervously, Marlon found nobody. He was relieved that his madness had not yet led him to kill an innocent person, but he preferred to ask Loki for confirmation.

"It's okay, kid. You ran like hell for a good hour, then you collapsed on the ground right here. Luna looked after you and you didn't do anything wrong. Which you wouldn't have done if you hadn't stormed out of that place. You had the right reflexes this time..."

"Hopefully I can still get them in the next crisis...but I was stupid. Damn! That'll teach me to slack off! I could have lost everything, everything I've worked so hard for... From now on, Loki, we're going to focus solely on our goal. I need to get stronger, gather more knowledge, and keep moving forward without ever stopping."

"That's commendable, Marlon, but the main thing you need to do is rest. If your mind gives out for good, there's nothing we can do."

"Maybe going to fight some Necros isn't such a bad idea after all..."

The young man returned to the inn, struggling to find his way and asking for help from several passers-by. He had run to the northwestern edge of the city, a neighborhood he had never ventured into, and it took him more than an hour to get back.

He took a hot bath, ate a hearty meal, finally getting rid of the pungent aftertaste in his mouth and focused on the next steps of his journey.

"I'll go back to hunting, a few days, and I'll train with Jacob to level up. Then I'll win this tournament and finally head to Dream Island."

They should have answers about the dragons, at least the ones Marlon was looking for, he hoped from the bottom of his being.

And if they didn't, then he would look for his answers elsewhere. On this continent or on another. But whatever it took, he would move forward, and nothing would stop him...