My breath caught in my throat.
"H-how," I uttered in despair
"What are you talking about?" He murmured with a wicked smile. "Oh my, are you referring to your Aether origins?"
"Well, the visible world is only a fraction of what I can perceive, it's a curse and a blessing simultaneously."
"It was smart of the Asher to hide you in this remote town, unfortunately, you crossed paths with me."
"...What do you want?" Zei asked, her voice serious.
"What? You are not going to fight?"
"Is there a point?" Zei replied, Elias was definitely much stronger than we assumed. Fighting him here would certainly mean death."
"Hmm, you sure are clever," He muttered, lighting his cigarette.
"Well, I don't want anything from you, consider this just a warning from my side."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Someone is already aware of your existence, lurking in the shadows, and they are not friendly."
Suddenly, the figure veiled behind a crimson mask came to my mind.
"Are you talking about the people in the crimson mask?"
"Ahh, so you already encountered them."
"What are you both talking about?"
"Who are they?"
"No one knows what they truly are." His face turned expressionless, a hint of coldness in his voice. " Those who have encountered them have all uttered the same words, that they are not humans, no, they are far worse. What they resemble lies much closer to the Profane beings than us."
"Such beings are already aware of your existence," his gaze settled on me. A chill went up my spine as the realisation dawned upon me.
"Accept these rings as a favour from me," He murmured, offering a faint smile. "They will veil your Aerith blood. Even the strongest and most skilled seekers, Enchantrals will struggle to sense you again. With these, your presence will blur and your trail will wither into oblivion."
"Why are you doing this for us?" Zei asked.
He pressed the cigarette into the ashtray, the ember dying out. "Well, I am merely following the orders, and if I don't do as it says…let's not mention what calamity might befall me in the future."
"...Just who are you?"
"A humble Boutique owner," He murmured wistfully."You should go now, it's getting late."
"Why should we trust you? What makes you so different from others?"
"You don't have to trust me." He said, " I am but merely a proprietor, it's up to you whether you want to take my advice or not."
"But since you are so anxious, here consider this a token of trust between you and me"
He handed us an antique-looking pocket watch, the words White Brilliance etched onto it."
"What's this?"
"Anything you desire, be it forbidden information or the location of a forgotten ruin, I can acquire it for you, at an appropriate cost. A merchant's trade isn't in goods, it's information. I've gathered extensive knowledge, and it tends to be useful."
"What cost?" I asked.
"Oh, it's nothing much," He said lightly, offering a faint smile. "Just a vial of your blood every time you visit. Not a bad deal, right?"
"..We will think about it."
"Sure, sure, take your time, you can always write me a letter when you need anything."
"Ahh, and keep this conversation a secret, I don't want Asher to barge in and come swinging his blade at me."
"And why should we listen to you?" I replied sharply.
"Because you already do," he said simply.
We exited the shop with our attire and the rings he crafted for us
As the night air brushed against my face, everything felt heavier ."As if we didn't have enough on our minds, now it felt truly overwhelming, as if we were being played around like dolls by people we barely knew."
"It will be fine," Zei said, holding out my hand.
"How can you say so, Zei?" I frowned. "We don't know what will happen tomorrow, we are living at the mercy of people we can't completely trust, and now we are being played like puppets by someone we don't even know. How do you think it will be fine?" I lashed out at her, knowing it wasn't her fault, and the powerlessness to do anything clawed at me.
Instead of replying, she stepped forward and wrapped her hands around me. "Everything will be fine, you don't have to carry the burden of everything alone," she whispered.
"....What should I do?" I murmured
"I'm scared too," She said,"Let's face it together, rely on each other."
"We will carve our own path, one step at a time." She murmured quietly.
It was the next day at dawn, Asher was waiting for us downstairs, today was the day we were leaving for Elithiya
"Are you ready?"
"Yes, we have packed everything necessary," I glanced at the huge bag she was carrying, "Did you pack everything in your room?"
"It's all necessary," She growled
"Fine…if you say so."
A car was waiting outside to pick us up We loaded up our luggage and got inside.
After a long ride of six hours, we finally reached the gates of Eleithiya. After a quick security check, the soldiers armed with weapons let us go, even bowing as we passed.
"You must be a high-ranking personnel within Eleithiya," Zei said to Asher.
"Something like that," He uttered, "It's more about the strength an individual possesses rather than the rank he carries. Even promising candidates are given the same level of respect, due to their potential."
"Are we going to meet such individuals tonight?" I asked.
"Indeed, though I would advise maintaining distance from them."
"Why?, Isn't it advantageous to befriend such people and reap benefits?" She uttered without an ounce of hesitation.
"Under normal circumstances, that's true. But such people tend to be reckless and prideful, not to mention the people backing such candidates tend to be hostile towards others and are difficult to deal with." Asher explained.
"Still, it's just advice from me, you are free to befriend whoever you want, just be careful whom you trust."
"Thank you for letting us know," I said.
"Where are we heading now?"Suddenly, Zei asked.
"We will be staying at Kristen's home. He has been urging me to bring you to Eleithiya for a while. His wife Lylia, who must be anticipating your arrival,"
"Mrs Lylia?"
"She is a senior head at the research and development facility. Her intelligence is second to none, she can design the most intricate weapons or carve the most complex runes people can't even comprehend."
"She is a very kind woman, someone who cherishes everyone by her side."
"Sir Kristen must cherish her deeply," Zei murmured.
"He does," He sighed. "I was tired of him rambling about how much he misses her during our missions."
He glanced out of the window. "Looks like we are here,"
We stopped in front of a huge building, and the woman at the reception greeted us warmly, escorting us to the VIP lounge.
"It must be pretty expensive living here."
"What do you mean? Half of this entire building is owned by Kristen and Lylia. They've turned most of it into training facilities and research laboratories. "
"....I didn't know Sir Kristen was that rich"
"Rich might be an understatement for him," he murmured, pressing the doorbell of the massive gate in front of him."