We’re training as night falls when a knock at the door breaks my focus. As I come to a stopping point, I poke Vega and head towards the door. I open it to find a man standing there, neatly dressed and presenting us with two sets of clothes on hangers.

“Your clothes, Mister Gwyn, Miss Vega,” he hands them to me as if there were no chance of refusal, “I shall wait outside and escort you to your appointment with Sir Butler and Lady Housekeeper.”

After that, he closes the door and waits outside.

Me and Vega look at each other. Our clothes are more or less clean, and we even took baths, so that shouldn’t be a problem.

I’m about to toss them aside and head out as I am when I notice Vega’s bright eyed gaze, directed at the pretty yellow dress meant for her. Even at a glance, I can tell that it will fit her well.

With a sigh, I hand her the clothes. Just for tonight, I will humor my silly disciple. She is constantly training, beyond even my expectations. So yup, it's a reward for that, nothing else.

“Do you know how to put them on?”

She looks confused, so I take a moment to explain and then send her to the other room so she can put them on.

Meanwhile, I examine mine. It’s basically a simplified version of the elegant suit I wore to the auction on the fourth floor. The clothes are woven from a thin cloth with a slight amount of give, making for an extremely comfortable fit. They are light gray with a black vest underneath and a touch of golden embroidery. Even the shoes are black and trimmed in gold.

Well, I’ll just wear them tonight and sell them afterward.

After getting ready, I wait for Vega, and she exits the room a moment later, her movements awkward and shy.

She wears a pretty yellow dress with a hint of white trim. It’s a simple style made from quality materials. The outfit complements her light brown hair and makes her red eyes even more striking while complimenting her tiny black horns. She is also wearing a new pair of shoes. They look sleek and comfortable while perfectly matching the dress.

I mean, Biscuit is clearly the cutest being that ever entered the tutorial, but Vega is cute in her own way.

“Come here,” I tap on one of the stools, and the little half-demon climbs onto it.

I take a few steps, grab a brush from the dresser, and start brushing her hair. At the first touch, Vega freezes, and I sense her kinetic demon heart starts beating wildly, but after a moment, she realizes what's happening. Still tense, she allows me to continue.

“I used to brush my sister’s hair. She always acted like she didn’t need it, but she liked it anyway,” I tell Vega. “One time I annoyed her, and she forced me to learn all kinds of ways to tie her hair and style it.”

I set the brush aside and grab another, taking care not to pull her hair.

“What kind of person is master’s sister? Is she like you?”

“Like me?” I take a moment to think about it, “I think so? But she is a few years older than me… and more decisive… and stubborn.”

“She sounds like a strong person.”

“Yes, she is.”

“Is master scared of her?”

That almost makes me laugh. Vic would sooner set the world ablaze than hurt those she cares about. Without responding, I use my hands to style Vega’s hair. It doesn’t even reach her shoulders, so there is not much I can do.

“We are done. Time to head out. As I said before, always stay near me, you can stop scanning the area and probing people. It might be considered rude. Do not touch anything or anyone, and do not attack anyone. You are Vega, I'm Nathaniel. We are travelers, and we stopped by the Sanctuary, we’re headed north. According to the map, there should be a few more bunkers and survivors. We did not attack the Bastion, we are not heading towards the Valley. We never saw a group of deer and did not kill them.”

“Yes!”

“Good, let's go then,” I open the door, and the man leads us outside.

We pass through the streets without haste. The man takes the lead with his hands folded behind his back, and the people on the street seem to recognize him. The streets are empty, and even when we meet someone, that person quickly clears the way, and not even the guards bother to stop us.

Eventually, we reach an inner wall that is thrice my height, and the gate opens for us, revealing a beautiful garden and a sidewalk made of beautiful white stone, framed by vibrant green grass. All well lit by a soft light shining from lamps placed along our path.

Following the sidewalk, we move uphill, heading towards yet another wall made of the same kind of stone as the sidewalk and covered in beautiful murals. A vibrant blend of blues, greens, and yellows. The figures depict everything from fights, and floating islands, to exotic places and animals.

Even though there is so much of it, it doesn't feel like any of it’s too much or out of place; each of the paintings is placed perfectly to create the intended effect.

The next gate isn't even guarded and opens to reveal a straight road leading to the manor at the center. The manor itself has several walls made entirely from glass, a red roof made of some sort of stone, and a multitude of light blue crystalline pillars. There are a few more buildings off to the sides, each different from the last.

“This is as far as I will be going, please enjoy your evening Miss Vega, Mister Gwyn,” the servant that led us here bows and leaves, the sound of his steps filling the otherwise quiet night.

“Vega, doesn't he feel like a douchebag to you?” I ask my disciple while watching the man leave.

“Yes, like a douchebag!” she then hesitates, “What does douchebag mean?”

“It means an obnoxious, offensive, or disgusting person. But I'm not sure if that poor man deserves to be called that,” a woman exits the manor we’ve been guided to. “It's nice to meet you Miss Vega, Mister Gwyn,” she says with the slightest hint of a smile and bow.

The woman is as tall as me, with a slim figure, and moves with an energetic sort of grace. She has wavy black hair and violet eyes complemented by her pale blue dress. She doesn’t seem to be armed, and yet she displays confidence on par with the Butler.

“I'm the Housekeeper, allow me to welcome you to the Bastion. Shall we head inside?”

[Ethereal Duelist - lvl ??]

“Sure,” I answer simply, but the woman doesn’t seem insulted and moves first.

Each of her movements is sharp and dangerous, like those of someone accustomed to fighting using their body, which her class confirms.

So the Butler is a ranged class, and the Housekeeper is close range. If it comes to a fight, I will have to use barriers to defend while I fight the woman. The two of them are probably 20-30 levels higher than me, so it feels like it should be manageable, the only problems are Vega and whatever defenses they have on hand.

The man with the criminally majestic mustache is already inside and greets us as well, as they lead us to the table. All of it feels extremely pretentious and boring. I was never the type to care about this kind of stuff, but I go with it for now.

After taking my seat at the table, Vega moves to my right, while the housekeeper is opposite of me, and the Butler to my left.

At least the food is good and safe to eat.

In the middle of the dinner, the conversation finally starts.

“I have noticed the signature of an item when you entered the Bastion, Mister Gwyn,” the Butler starts, “Tens of years ago, we gifted a similar item to Darren’s predecessor. A silver collar.” The man pokes a piece of meat and puts it into his mouth. Each of his movements is smooth and elegant, even the way he sits.

“Interesting story. I found something similar, I think then it was on… cattle I met by chance.”

“Cattle, you say. I wonder what happened to it.”

“Me too. I just set it free after taking the collar.” I take my glass, and while drinking, I make sure to slurp slightly.

The man doesn't react to the provocation.

Vega copies me instantly and she starts slurping from her glass, just much louder than me. That makes every one of us look at her, and she blushes and quickly looks down at the table.

“That cattle probably had owners; I wonder what could happen to them. Such cattle can be really dangerous,” the Butler continues.

“I wonder that too,” I say.

"I see. Well, to change the subject, I have noticed a blade…”

The Housekeeper finally joins the conversation, “Damn it, Butler, your eloquent behavior sometimes makes me want to punch you in the face,” she sighs and turns from the man to me, “I'm a warrior, and unlike my colleague here, I'm not patient enough for these conversations, and it’s only taken me a second to guess you aren’t either.”

I lift my glass towards the woman and take a sip.

That makes her smile. She is still sitting there elegantly. Her shoulders peeking from her pale blue dress, displaying her body as the deadly weapon it is, yet she throws a part of that mask away.

“That Voidsteel blade you have can be only from one being, so I wonder. Did you acquire it by chance or did you earn it?”

Nothing has changed, but something tells me the way I answer the question is extremely important.

Well, I don't think they will answer all of my questions, so let's make an offer to ensure at least a few of them get answered.

“You can ask three questions, and I will ask three. You can decide not to answer, and I may as well, but we will try to answer three questions for everyone. Does that sound reasonable?” I offer.

This time it's the Butler who answers, “That much would be appreciated. And please forgive my colleague; she is perfectly capable of behaving herself but tends to slip up. A holdover from a time when she was but a simple brute.

“Come on, Butler, our guest doesn't care, even the kid is getting bored. Plus, he isn't from here; there is no need for decorum.”

“I understand, Housekeeper, I will keep decorum, but you shall behave a bit less… proper to please our guest. As for our first question, Mister Gwyn, I repeat, where did you get that Voidsteel blade? If you give us a longer answer instead of a simple one, we will be more considerate in answering your questions.”

“I fought the Veil Guardian in the city near the Sanctuary. I was able to sever the guardian's arm and take the blade. The monster is still alive, but I will change that in the future.”

“Ha! I told you, Butler! You didn't trust me, but I know men like him. Just looking at him, I can tell that he didn't just steal it or find it!”

The Butler looks at the Housekeeper for a moment, almost disappointed by her inelegant behavior before turning to me.

As he speaks, I watch his mustache move. It's like a living being, “The Veil Guardians are powerful opponents, so allow me to congratulate you on your skill or luck, Mister Gwyn. I believe it was a tough fight.”

[Focus - lvl 45 > Focus - lvl 46]

“A little bit,” I nod. “It's my turn, so I want to ask. What happened to lead to all of this?” I may as well try to get those 5 thousand shards.

The two of them exchange glances but do not ask anything; instead, it's the Housekeeper who answers, “The Gardener could know more, but there is a bit I can answer. The simple version is that 120 years ago, we got Paired with another planet, and through that connection of planets…”

“Wait a moment, can you explain what Pairing is?”

“Would you like to ask that as your first question instead?”

“Yes.”

She nods and looks at the Butler, who adjusts his clothes and straightens up, “The Pairing is an event brought about by the system. We’re not sure how it happens, it could be random, maybe there’s an entity overseeing it all, or perhaps it's some kind of natural process. During the Pairing, two planets are connected, and once the Pairing starts, it takes years for them to fully Pair. Sometimes it is just a few years; in other cases, it's decades or centuries. The speed of the Pairing is influenced by the natives of each planet.”

He moves a plate away from him and wipes away an invisible speck of dust before fixing his sleeve.

“Usually, each of the planets has a being called Absolute, and the Pairing speeds up when one of the Absolutes dies. There might be unlucky planets that get paired without an Absolute, but that's rare. So once there’s only one Absolute remaining, there are usually no enemy forces capable of killing the other, and the planet that still has one tends to win if you want to call it that. The winning planet then grows stronger and bigger after absorbing the other planet.”

I have dozens of questions, but he stops there, his expression knowing what is going through my head, “This one is a free answer to show our goodwill, Mister Gwyn. You might lack information about our planet, but it went through a Pairing long ago; that's why we have information about it, and currently, the second Pairing is still in progress.”