Rene stared at the outstretched hand in front of him.

Is he asking for a handshake? Is it something else?

Time was quickly wasting away, and he couldn’t just keep his benefactor waiting; without further thinking, Rene reached out, and the two shook hands.

Thank Christ, so it was a regular handshake, that could’ve been awkward.

“R-Rene Spring.”

“Mr. Spring,” Scyld warmingly smiled as he referred Rene to the couch. “Please, have a seat, I’m sure you’re curious regarding my intentions for your bail. I have much to explain and we have much to talk about.”

Rene looked at where Scyld pointed to: a single person sofa; they were going to talk face to face weren’t they? Lorette had long left at this point, but Rene’s memories of him being interrogated were still fresh in his mind. After some hesitation, he still sat down. His prison sentence was manageable, so getting bailed out wasn’t a requirement. He could simply ignore any questions that he couldn’t answer, there shouldn’t be much consequence.

The sofa wasn’t bad, but it was a bit too soft. He sunk into it, making him seem even shorter.

Scyld sat across from Rene, legs crossed with silver cane at side, he spoke with confidence.

“Mr. Spring, I will be frank, my intentions are to hire you.”

What?

Rene was perplexed as the questions raged on within his head; he sat in silence as Mr. Siluvar continued.

“I happen to be the head of a local manufactory, which, like I, specializes within the strand of metal.”

This was the second time Rene had heard of the word ‘strand’, the first time was from Lorette, hearing it again didn’t make it any more comprehensible to him however.

“We manufacture metal products, ranging anywhere from home appliances to automotive components.”

There was finally a sentence which Rene wholly understood, he began to listen intently.

“But you see, there exists a major issue with my company,” Scyld’s tone turned grave, “Our initial success was largely due to us having a head start; I came to Cessa when it was first founded, the birth of ‘Siluvar Steel’ was only a few days after.”

“Just like that, I held a monopoly in the production of all products within the strand of metal. However, as the city grew, so did our competitors blossom. We went from holding a majority market share to but a minor fraction.”

Hmm? He used ‘Cessa’ and ‘the city’ interchangeably, so this city is called ‘Cessa? Wait, the city is composed of two halves, which part is Cessa? Or are they both called Cessa?

Rene’s confusion regarding which part of the city is called ‘Cessa’ was a question he could actually ask without appearing like a severe amnesiac; he had gathered from Lorette that Artharians weren’t native to Aphelion (the dark sector), so it wasn’t strange for him to have questions about an Aphelion city. He didn’t wish to interrupt the polite Mr. Siluvar however, so he kept listening.

“Our downfall was inevitable, the world is vast and holds countless geniuses, this is especially true in such a major city as Cessa. It was only a matter of time before we were kicked off the top.”

‘A major city’, singular, so Cessa is really just one large city. To someone as ignorant as Rene, any random word someone says might serve as a clue to a question. He paid very close attention.

“In the business of manufacturing, three key elements dominate. The quality of the products, the manufacturing costs, and the reputation of the company which produced them. While ‘Siluvar Steel’ is undisputed in its reputation, our competitors have already surpassed us in costs, and are but an arm’s length away from overtaking us in quality. I have poured many resources into research and development, all in an attempt to stay ahead of the competition, but it was not enough. We are at the precipice of bankruptcy, it is unknown how much longer we can last.”

Yikes, that sounds really bad, unfortunately, you came to the wrong person.

“Beyond the three key elements, there is another which wields far more potency. That is, if we were to hold a monopoly. To have sole production rights over a completely unique product. If that were the case, there would no longer be any threat of competition.”

He leaned in, “This is where you come in,” Mr. Siluvar said; his former grave tone had disappeared.

What?

“I won’t inquire deeply into your rank, or even your strand, but as an Artharian, I trust that you have beared witness to the myriad wonders of Arthas? I wish to purchase their designs from you and manufacture them, naturally, your cut will not be small; Mr. Spring, what are your thoughts?”

No, no, no, not this again! What does Artharian mean? Does it really mean alien?

Wait a minute, if they found out I was an alien, why would everyone talk to me like I knew the language? Saffry and I planted the recorder within an Aphelion marketplace, meaning it only managed to record and decipher the Aphelion language. After absorbing that recorder, I can understand the people around me, this means they’re using their native tongue.

‘Artharian’ can’t mean ‘Alien’...

Mr. Siluvar interlaced his fingers and waited patiently for Rene to speak. The latter currently appeared to be in deep thought, but unbeknownst to the gentleman, the ungrateful young man wasn’t deliberating over his words at all.

Everyone I talk to keeps implying that ‘Artharians’ come from this ‘Arthas’ place, but what is Arthas?

Hm?

Rene was reminded of his time with Lorette, the old man had asked him something about Arthas.

The face and voice of the useless old man entered his mind.

If I recall, he said…

“Is it really true that the entire island is a huge octopus?”

Octopus? Damned old man! Even when you’re not here, you still make my head hurt!!

Ignoring whatever 'Octopus' means, Arthas being an island on this world only creates more questions. Like how exactly everyone immediately knows I’m an Artharian.

Lorette’s entire job was to get my information, yet he never asked where I came from. He automatically assumed I was Artharian and even questioned me about Arthas as if he knew I couldn’t have been from anywhere else…

Rene had initially dismissed this concern since as someone of European descent, he had brown hair and blue eyes. On the other hand, blond hair and black eyes were traits common within the Aphelion people. His hair was on the darker side of brown, while his eyes, a deep blue, still greatly contrasted with the common Aphelion. One could easily tell that he didn’t fit in with the crowd.

But his meeting with Mr. Siluvar made him realize something, everyone was far too certain. No one had any doubts he was Artharian.

Scyld Siluvar was a man whose company was near bankruptcy, even then, he still spent an enormous sum of money to bail out Rene. Why? Apparently because he wanted to buy and manufacture designs from an ‘Artharian who had witnessed the myriad wonders of Arthas.’

With massive amounts of money, and his entire company at stake, Mr. Siluvar was not someone who could afford to make careless errors, yet there was no hesitation nor doubt in his words, he was absolutely certain Rene was an Artharian before they even met in person.

Word must have spread from the police station about the ‘rare Artharian’ they captured, that’s probably how Mr. Siluvar heard about me.

But regarding how they’re so sure I’m Artharian, it can’t be just the hair and eyes, that’s simply not enough evidence. In terms of skin color, facial structure, body shape, body type, height, etc. I can’t make out any differences between the Aphelions and I… So it can’t be in terms of appearance. What else is there?

An unknown amount of time passed as Rene was fully entranced within his thinking, Mr. Siluvar didn’t interrupt him.

An obvious answer came to his mind. Rene felt rather stupid since it took him so long to think of.

Oh. Right. Why did I assume DNA testing wouldn’t exist in this world? They could’ve examined my DNA while I was unconscious. While the doctors tended to my wounds, they could have tested my blood type. Once they do, they’d quickly find something was off. Based on my DNA, the doctors will know I’m not an Aphelian, and so they concluded with me being Artharian?

No—wait, I’m literally an Alien! My DNA is literally otherworldly! It goes against me being Artharian!

Then, for them to be so confident that I’m an Artharian…

Rene’s face, which had maintained the look of being in deep thought, shattered as his face twisted.

My DNA has to match theirs…

The numerous clues coalesced slowly formed into something sensible.

Lorette was curious about what Arthas is like; Mr. Siluvar wishes to exchange Arthas' technology. It is an advanced, yet mysterious place—because it is an island on this planet filled with people from Earth…

‘Lorn’ was an organization that recruited him from Earth, but was he really the only one they recruited? What if Saffry didn’t abandon him by accident…

The other Earthlings would know the language if they’ve been here long enough, that’s why everyone talks to me as if I speak their Aphelian. So when the other humans were abandoned, were they in a similar condition to me? No, my condition is actually quite good, since I’m at least able to speak the language due to the recorder I absorbed, my predecessors might have started off with nothing. This is why Lorette easily brushed off my excuse about amnesia, because there’s historical precedent… It really does explain everything.

He shivered from the monstrously terrible thought. The walls around him seemed to shrink away as he felt terribly small. Had he wandered into some gigantic conspiracy?

Before Rene could question further, Scyld broke the silence, his voice seemed a little worried.

“No, no, I promise you it’s not what you think it is. I won’t force you to expose any of Arthas’ secrets or any information you don’t wish to for that matter. The mysteries of Arthas have been seldom seen by foreign eyes.”

Rene was rather confused about Mr. Siluvar’s sudden shift in topic. He then remembered that he made a rather unsightly face while he was thinking. Perhaps Mr. Siluvar mistook it as his response.

Ah, I’ve implicated the gentleman…

“A monopoly can be of anything, from the smallest of household appliances or anything that might improve someone’s quality of life. Even the most basic of items, things common in every household, would be something completely new when brought to Cessa, or any city in Aphelion for that matter. The rights to their designs would go under your name, and only those that have your permission will be allowed to manufacture them. It doesn’t even have to be made out of metal—w-we’ve been trying to branch out anyways.”

Rene assured himself to not worry about Lorn’s intentions for now, he saw Mr. Siluvar then reached for his silver cane. The cane, which appeared so solid when he used it, tore apart like clay as Mr. Siluvar pinched at it with his fingers. The part that was torn off began to morph, larger, flatter; some parts formed straight lines, others formed a corner. From the piece of torn off cane came a slip of rectangular silver paper, Mr. Siluvar then handed it to Rene, who mindlessly accepted it. Rene glanced at the cane, it was back to its original shape, albeit a bit shorter.

“A contract imbued with my essence, of course, the terms may be discussed.” Scyld seemed rather nervous, even to the unobservant eyes of Rene. Did his decision hold this much weight?

Rene felt the contract he was holding, it had the smooth, cold feeling of metal, but it was also soft, bending in a way unlike its composition. Rene subconsciously felt the side of the page, expecting a sharp edge, but surprisingly, the edge bent away like plastic would.

He looked down at the silver contract he held in his hand. Raised red lettering filled his eyes, luxurious. Red and silver engravings decorated the border, and their composition was artistic, looking at it would soothe one’s heart. It was a shame however…

He couldn’t read it.

Not a single word.

Rene flipped the contract over.

Blank.

His lips flattened into a straight line as he flipped it back and awkwardly pretended to look over it.

There was no way he could accept a contract he couldn’t read; Rene was stupid, but not that stupid. The alternative was to ask Mr. Siluvar to read it out loud to him, but that would be the equivalent to rejecting—who would want to hire an illiterate worker?

“Uhh…” Rene spoke for the first time in their conversation, Scyld listened with attentive eyes,

“C-could I have some time to decide?”

He was trying to stall for time, though he was leaning to not accepting, he wanted to consider every factor before coming to a decision.

“Of course.” There was no hesitation in Scyld’s words, he took his cane and immediately walked outside the room.

Now that he was alone, Rene took a deep breath before analyzing his situation.

First, he needed to clearly define his objective:

Calm down… There are so many possibilities that you aren’t thinking of. The other Artharians might be from organizations other than Lorn. Maybe this whole thing is just a test from Lorn to see if I’m worthy of truly joining. Or maybe I’m wrong about everything, and Artharians aren’t from Earth at all.

Either way, I must head to Arthas in order to seek answers. As of now, there are two paths ahead—the first is to decline the contract, the other is to accept it.

He didn’t immediately think of it, but there was a way for him to be able to read the contract: To absorb the red light in the library.

If the audio recorder was responsible for deciphering the spoken language, and absorbing it allowed him to understand the language, then it was highly probable the book scanner in the library would allow him to read the language.

As for how he would get there, Rene could make a deal with Scyld to take him to the library before he signed the contract. After absorbing the orb and becoming literate, Rene would then be able to read it and decide accordingly.

Mr. Siluvar wants me to sell him the designs of things from ‘Arthas’, while I’ve never stepped foot on Arthas, I have knowledge from Earth, which can be profitable as well.

Yes, from the train, the armor, and Mr. Siluvar’s cane, this world might be more technologically advanced than Earth is, even so, Earth will still have its unique products.

Board games like chess or checkers were sure to entice many. Things like fashion trends, foods, books, songs and the scripts from movies, they were all re-creatable by Rene, and they were all massively profitable.

While this planet was more advanced, it didn’t appear to be more advanced in every field. For example, besides the train station, there were no skyscrapers like buildings, the massive library he visited also didn’t surpass six stories. Mr. Siluvar mentioned Cessa to be a major city, so where were the tall buildings? Did they lack the materials?

If so, Rene would become a billionaire overnight by inventing concrete. As of now, he simply knew too little about this world, but he was sure he would be able to discover more things Earth was better at.

He certainly fulfilled the conditions of the contract, he could hold up his end of the agreement if he were to accept.

But if I were to decline, Siluvar would pull out on the bail money. That’s fine, after 10 days I’ll be a free man.

When I get out, the first thing I’ll do is to absorb the other two lights, I’ll then be able to actually adapt to the society here.

Mr. Siluvar mentioned that few have seldom been on Arthas, the main reason is probably because it’s hard to gain access if you’re a native. I’ll also consider the worst outcome: that it’s very far.

Hopefully I’ll be exempt from the first requirement, as for the second factor, the trip will require an unknown amount of money…

I possess enough knowledge to make at least millions of dollars worth of whatever their currency is; though it will be hard at the start, I’ll eventually become very rich. By then, funding my trip to Arthas should not be an issue.

If I were to accept the contract, I should also make enough money to be able to get to Arthas even if Mr. Siluvar’s company was to take the majority of the earnings, since his company would be operating at a bigger scale.

What changes is that my start will go a lot smoother since I’ll have the support of a company as soon as I sign the contract.

From these facts alone, going the contract route seems most optimal. There is one thing I’m worried about: the duration.

Would it be a few months or multiple years?

Is it perhaps not based on duration at all but how many designs I output? I would accept the contract if it was like that.

Rene looked at the silver piece of paper in front of him. He had decided on what to do next.

“Excuse me!”

He shouted at the door, like clockwork, Mr. Siluvar walked in and sat down.

“Your decision?” Scyld looked at Rene with these puppy dog eyes, it was completely unbefitting the rest of his appearance.

Rene eyed the contract in his hand, “About these restrictions…”

“Ah, are you not satisfied with your cut?” Scyld spoke quickly, “What percentage did you have in mind?”

“It’s not about the money,” Rene kept probing into the details of the contract, “I want to go back to Arthas you see…”

“It’s the duration you’re concerned about then,” Scyld straightened his collar, “Three years, would that work for you?”

So it was duration based…

Rene managed to decipher the most important aspect of the contract without being able to read it. However, three years? Absolutely not. When he got out of prison, couldn’t he go sell his ideas to another business without time restrictions? Now that he was given knowledge of his Artharian identity and knew how valuable it was, he was going to exploit it to the fullest.

Rene handed the contract back to Scyld. Perhaps Mr. Silvular hadn’t expected the rejection, he spoke with a flustered tone, “M-Mr. Spring, how about one year? Would that suffice?” readjusting his collar, he cleared his throat, “I’m sorry, I really can’t go any lower…”

Rene pulled back his hand as to consider the change,

One year… I’ll be 23 by then… It is still too long however. I haven’t managed to spot any planes yet, but even if flying was unavailable in this world, they have trains, cars, and most likely boats/ships. Even in the worst scenario that Arthas is on the other side of the world, in addition to how long I need to make the money, wouldn’t I still be able to get there in less than a year?

Reaching his decision, Rene extended his hand again. Mr. Siluvar received the contract with a sigh.

“I fully respect your decision. The miracles of Arthas are not so easily revealed.” He stood up and pushed the contract against his cane, it merged with the cane as one.

“The bail is still yours to accept.” The gentleman spoke, visibly tired.

Huh? Mr. Siluvar’s words surprised Rene.

“It was never part of the contract, I accepted the risk of your rejection when I walked in.”

Scyld then took something out of his pocket, no, his hand was empty, wait, his fingers were clearly pinching something. Is it invisible or is he miming?

“Here,” Scyld extended his hand to Rene, who unconsciously also reached out to accept it.

*Plop*

Something fell on his palm. There was weight, he couldn’t see it, but he could feel it.

Scyld turned to leave, “If you’d be so kind, please don’t tell anyone of our conversation today.” He pushed open the door, “News that my company is nearly bankrupt would hurt the workers’ morale. I can’t offer the appropriate severance if everyone threatens to leave at once.”

“I wish you good luck in your future endeavors.”

Bam!

The door closed on its own.

“Y-yes,” Rene responded, but it was too late, Mr. Siluvar had already left.

Rene felt a bit regretful the latter didn’t manage to hear him, but it couldn’t be helped.

He placed his attention on whatever Mr. Siluvar had given him, feeling a bit regretful the latter didn’t manage to hear him.

It was light, but not light enough to be brushed off. Something was certainly on his palm. Grasping it; it felt smooth, a bit cold, flat, circular, around two inches in diameter.

He held it up to the light—nothing.

He lifted his glasses—nothing.

He even held it up in front of the red lights—they still shined through whatever was placed in front of them.

Wait—

Rene recalled something Lorette had said,

He gave me a ‘round’?

Bam!

The door shut behind him as Rene rushed out of the room,

“Mr. Siluvar!” He shouted at a lone figure walking down the hallway, “I’d like to reconsider!”

***********

“Here you go,” A man Rene didn’t recognise handed him a few sheets of paper, “this is just for identification purposes, the questions asked aren’t too invasive.”

The man, another Aphelian, wore the same clothing as Lorette, he was evidently another police type person. Something hung on the right side of his chest, probably a name tag, unfortunately Rene couldn’t read it.

“Please finish these before you leave, we won’t be able to issue you an identification formation if they aren’t complete.”

Rene looked at the pieces of paper on the table in front of him. It was more unintelligible scribbles; he couldn’t understand a thing. Certain parts of the pages were left blank, presumably for him to fill out. Rene felt a headache quickly approaching.

Is this my end? Right as I purposely delay signing the contract to after I absorb the red light do I still have to reveal that I’m completely illiterate? Craappp… What do I do??

He was currently in the lobby of the police station while Mr. Siluvar sat in a chair a few feet away. Rene desperately eyed his benefactor for any ounce of support, but the former didn’t understand and only responded with a smile.

“Is there anything wrong?” The man who gave Rene the sheets of paper noticed his hesitancy, “Oh, sorry, I wrongfully assumed you had a hemo-stylus. Let me get you something to write with.” He quickly walked off, presumably to get Rene a pen.

Everyone was talking to him as if he knew what anything was, Rene had no energy to try and decipher whatever this ‘hemo-stylus’ is; he dragged his hand down his face as awaited his ‘death by humiliation.’

Right, energy… I could pretend to be too tired to write. But for me to collapse right as I’ve been told to fill out my information… Wouldn’t that seem a little suspicious? Hopefully my injuries will make me look more believable…

He had no other choice, Rene could only try and deceive the police into thinking he was unable to fill out his information, or have an incredibly awkward conversation with someone who just gave an exorbitant amount of money for his bail. The decision was obvious.

It would only be a mere delay…

Mr. Siluvar had already agreed to Rene’s condition that he would sign the contract only after he was brought to the library; he could fill out these forms immediately after he absorbed the red light.

Tap Tap Tap—

The man finally came back carrying two items with him. In one hand he carried a pen, of which Rene recognised; Rene received the pen as it was handed to him. On the man’s other hand was a small rectangular pedestal with a thin metal spike on top, he wordlessly placed it in front of Rene as if the latter knew exactly what to do with it.

Rene sat in grave silence as he stared at the… ritual item. He looked towards the man who gave him this peculiar object in hopes for an explanation; the police officer simply crossed his arms and gave a small nod.

Rene’s lips flattened into a straight line. He took up the pen with a shaky hand and began his Oscar worthy performance.

He subtly bobbed his side to side for a straight minute as he pretended to read the page, then, he began his dance.

“Ugh,” Rene groaned as he held his forehead, his expression twisting to match his condition. As expected, the police officer rushed to his side, but before the latter could speak, “S-Sorry, my head hurts a little, and I-I’m a bit tired, I’ll start filling the form now.” Rene assured the officer with the weakest of voices. The officer slowly backed away as Rene’s gaze trailed back to the documents.

Rene then picked up the pen he dropped with ever shakier hands. The pen’s tip hovered over the form’s first blank space, sliding over it in a chaotic swirl as his hand spasmed.

“E-excuse me,” he faintly called for the officer and showed him the document, “d-does this say my name?”

The officer’s face warped to one of concern.

He sighed, “If you’re that tired, I suppose these documents don’t have to be completed today.”

Success!

Despite the fact his goal was achieved, Rene maintained a tired expression as to not break the act.

“While the bailout isn’t official until you finish them, you’re free to rest here until you’re well enough to confirm your identity.”

Rene no longer pretended to have a tired expression.

The police officer turned his back, “Follow me, I’ll take you to your room.”

Kill meee…

He had dun goofed this time.

Click—

“Excuse me,” A smooth voice sundered Rene's self deprecating thoughts, Mr Siluvar with cane in hand had stood up from his seat! “May I speak with you for a minute?”

Rene felt a surge of horror before he realized Mr. Siluvar wasn’t talking to him. The officer left his side and went off to chat with Mr. Siluvar.

The gentleman took something out of his shirt jacket, upon seeing it, the officer’s temperament completely changed.

The documents moved away slightly in a single direction, Rene felt a slight breeze on his face as he noticed the ends of Mr. Siluvar’s suit jacket flutter. The breeze seemed to come from him, what was going on?

“R-rank 5…” The officer muttered something Rene didn’t understand as he took a deep bow, “S-sir! I didn't know!”

The sudden shift in his volume attracted the attention of the other police officers in the lobby,, they looked over in intrigue.

“My name is Scyld Siluvar, have you heard of me?” Whatever ‘rank 5’ meant, apparently it was quite significant, the officer was meek like a cat in the face of a tiger.

“Siluvar… of Siluvar Steel? Y-yes, I’ve seen your name in the papers, I’ve also bought your products before.”

“Then you would have also heard of my temperament, which precedes even my name,” he spoke with a perfect decorum, his height had the effect of making people look up while they spoke to him.

“My entire life, I have been engrossed within the strand of metal. Steel; My essence is defined by it, molded by it, even now, I still chase after its meaning. Siluvar Steel, my company was not named after me, rather, the name of my company presents itself after my dream, the dream that one day I may become steel.” Mr. Siluvar spoke with confidence and dignity, the officer stood silent, not daring to interrupt.

“Unyielding, unwavering, incorruptible, these are the qualities of good metal—such qualities have also engrained themselves within my character. I am a gentleman of steadfast steel; unless the very skies fall upon us, my promises do not corrode. Mr. Stridor, do you quite understand my intentions?” The gentleman of steel looked down upon Mr. Stridor, who was unable to meet his gaze.

“YES! I-I mean—n-n-no. S-sorry s-sir, I d-don’t, please e-enlighten me.” The officer named Stridor was evidently scared sh*tless, he stuttered through nearly every word.

“I wish to take Mr. Spring with me, so that he may rest within the comforts of my home—today. I swear upon my name as Scyld Siluvar that these papers shall be filled and delivered to you no later than tomorrow night, are you able to make this happen?”

“S-sir, even if I wanted to, the bailing process can’t be complete without certain information! His ID formation can only be completed with his blood for examp—”

“What is the duration of Mr. Spring’s sentence?”

“W-we’re not sure of the exact time since an adjudicator had to decide, but many of us suspect that it will be around 10 days.”

Rene, who was immersed within their conversation in an attempt to glean for clues, noticed Mr. Siluvar’s handsome face twitch ever so slightly. It then went back to normal, as if nothing had happened.

“And I’m sure you know how much I paid for his bail.”

“Y-yes, 10 whole rounds, I-I counted and weighed them three times.”

“Then let it be like so, I have paid 10 rounds not for ten days, but for nine. Mr. Spring is to be bailed out tomorrow. Mr. Stridor, Mr. Spring is someone of major importance to me, do you understand what I am trying to say?”

The police officer was quick to pick up the hidden meaning behind Mr. Siluvar’s words.

“Y-yes sir, I-I made a mistake on the guest register today, I accidently recorded everything one day ahead.” The officer made zero eye contact the entire time, Rene was ever more curious regarding the prestige behind the ‘rank 5’ title.

“I thank you for your understanding.” Mr. Siluvar gestured at Rene with his cane, the latter immediately followed. Rene felt the police officers’ gazes on his back, but none of him objected to him leaving.

They stepped out of the station, and Rene beheld the sky. It was night, but with the ‘Aon glasses, it was only as dark as the brightest night on Earth, he breathed a sigh of relief. Streetlights also littered the streets, they now made themselves detectable; he could finally see what was ahead of him.

On his left, two monumental walls stood still, one was grey and emitted a mysterious aura, the other was pale like a cliff face of pure marble, it gave off a dim white light. Both walls spanned through infinity, and reached as high as the very stars.

On his right, the two red lights pulsed steadily no matter his location, he felt safe while looking at them.

Rene turned to the sky, despite his glasses, it was pitch black. There was not a single star as if it were the abyss. Rene shivered from the memories that were brought up, and then he found the moon.

Alabaster white with a dash of silver. The dazzling moon was a perfect circle, it emitted enough moonlight to light the faces of buildings ahead. The moon was flawless, pristine, sublime. Not a single pockmark nor crater could be seen on it. It was the same color throughout, there were no changes in its shade nor its gradient, as if it were a perfect sphere formed without imperfections.

Rene stared at the uncanny moon, it felt—artificial.

Click Click—

Two quick sounds came from Mr. Siluvar tapping his cane against the floor, they broke Rene out of his trance; just as he was about to ask where they were about to go, a silver silhouette came out of the shadows.

A carriage?

A boxy vehicle drove itself to their side. It was certainly shaped like a horse drawn carriages of Victorian England. The back and the front were mirrored to be identical, it was also built without any notion of aerodynamics in mind.

But no, there were no horses nor could Rene see where the engine might have been placed. It was formed out of curved pieces of plate metal like that of modern cars. They were mostly unpainted, and apart from the occasional black, the entire vehicle looked silver.

What was most strange were its wheels. They melted into the ground like ice-cream dropped on pavement, the vehicle moved without any noise.

Mr. Siluvar stepped on the vehicle and Rene followed. Unlike a carriage, they didn’t sit facing each other; Rene got on the back while Mr. Siluvar appeared to be driving it.

Rene looked through the window and saw the city at night. The carriage seemed to isolate all sounds however, it was silent and the drive was steady. In the police station, Rene was only half-acting to be tired, part of it was real, and unbeknownst to him, he had already fallen asleep.