Olivier opened the drawer in front of him, and six packages of coffee were revealed belonging to three different kinds. There were two red, three green, and one blue package. Olivier stared at them one by one and information about them appeared in his vision.
[Red Beans of Ognaxth
Whoever drinks coffee brewed from these will be susceptible to suggestions. Increased effectiveness if suggestion aligns with desire.
Price: 1 year]
[Green Beans of Hexalthu
Whoever drinks coffee brewed from these enters a meditative state becoming more sensitive to the truths of the universe.
Price: 0,3 years]
[Blue Beans of Daloth
Whoever drinks coffee brewed from these will have a glimpse of the future revealed to them.
Price: 3 years]
As Olivier read through the information, dread clouded his mind. Was what he saw true? Could something like this really exist? Was the answer to these questions even something he wanted to know?
Suddenly a light cough allowed Olivier to snap out of it. He raised his head and looked into Benjamin's questioning eyes.
"Sir? What is it now? Can you help me with my problem?"
Olivier remained silent. A conflict brewed in his mind. But he suddenly noticed the black cat's glare and realized that he might not have a choice in the matter. He stared at Benjmain and slowly spoke in a cold voice:
"I can help you. But there is a price to pay."
"Haha, great! Just say what you want! Money? Luxurious apartments? Military grade drugs? I have it all."
"No. The price will be one year of your life."
Suddenly Benjamin froze. Being stared at by these mysterious eyes he instinctively knew that the man in front of him was not joking. Although he couldn't comprehend the forces at play, for some reason he didn't doubt that the man indeed had the capability to take one year of his life.
However, Benjamin quickly came to terms with it. It was just one year of his life. What was this in exchange for control over the company?
"Alright. This is an acceptable price if you can really help me."
Olivier didn't show anything on his face but inwardly he was shaken. He never expected that someone was willing to give up one year of his life to fulfil some superficial desires. Didn't Benjamin understand how precious life was?
If the black cat wasn't glaring down his back Olivier might have attempted to convince Benjamin to forget about it. But alas. Olivier could only submit. He grabbed a package of the red beans and handed them to Benjamin.
At the moment both men touched the package, strange sensations assaulted them both. While Benjamin felt his blood freeze and a weakness assaulted his heart, Olivier felt refreshed as if bathing in a hot spring.
"Thank you…"
There was a hint of fear in Benjamin's voice as he completed the transaction. Olivier nodded and swiftly explained the usage of the red beans.
Benjamin only listened half-heartedly. He breathed deeply, recovering from the dreadful sensation. Looking around, the café suddenly seemed to hide unknown terrors. Were the shadows always so dark? Did the painting on the walls just move?
Benjamin only noticed that the room was silent a few seconds after Olivier had stopped talking. He gradually regained his bearings. Weakly saying goodbye to Olivier, Benjamin gripped the coffee tightly and escaped from the Café of Dreams.
Olivier's eyes lit up. The door was wide open revealing the black shadowy vortex through which Benjamin just left. He suddenly rushed from behind the counter and jumped through the door. But when the darkness receded from his eyes, Olivier found himself on the same barren asteroid.
Letting out a deep sigh Olivier turned around. He saw the black cat sitting on one of the tables, looking at him with mocking eyes.
"Fine, fine. Is this my life now? You want me to stand here and sell coffee?"
To Olivier's surprise the cat actually shook her head.
"No? So what else is there for me to do?"
"Mau!"
"Right…"
Olivier almost wanted to laugh. Here he was trying to communicate with a cat. Perhaps he was already going mad. Perhaps he was affected by the fear of never being able to see the few people he held dear ever again…
No! Olivier quickly suppressed this thought. Even if he was prevented from escaping this place, he would at least find a way to communicate with his home. If someone – perhaps the black cat – could bring him here, they should also be able to bring him back. This was a goal Olivier could strive for! He would play his role to earn this reward!
Olivier felt greatly reinvigorated and suddenly thought his situation was not that bad after all. He had a roof above his head, a comfortable bed and something to do. This random asteroid somewhere deep in space also didn't appear to hold any danger. Perhaps living here was not so bad after all.
With a vastly improved mood Olivier returned to the café. Feeling somewhat curious he went into his room and looked at himself in the mirror. The image was still dominated by a strange, large hall and wiggling shadows. Olivier did his best to ignore them and stared at the text floating above his head.
Lifespan: 25,3/35,75
Initial Eyes of Truth
His lifespan had indeed increased, but it was only by half of the price paid by Benjamin. Olivier didn't know how to feel about this. Although increasing one's lifespan was the dream of many, Olivier was not quite comfortable knowing that the additional years were taken from someone else.
"But... it's a fair transaction, right?"
Olivier could only soothe his worries like this. Subsequently he left his room again and went down to the café. With nothing else to do he resumed his practice. For a few hours Olivier earnestly brewed coffee. He even wrote notes on the taste after using a certain amount of beans, refining his skills with each cup. Eventually, after a few tries, he didn't even feel the reflex to immediately spit out the coffee after tasting it.
Olivier felt content. He smiled a little as he looked at the cup in his hand. But just then his attention was drawn away when a crisp bell sound rang through the café. Surprised, Olivier stared at the door which had just been opened.
A man barged into the café. He had long brown hair hanging over his shoulders. His upper body was covered by a lose white shirt. He wore a pair of jeans, similar to what Olivier knew from his own home. A simple pair of sandals barely protected his feet. However, what was really conspicuous were the patches of colour staining his clothes.
Olivier studied the man's face. It didn't look much older than perhaps forty years old with a thin, handsome shape, and sharp eyebrows. However, his eyes contained a shade of red giving him a somewhat crazed look.
[Timothy Ellfand/ Norman Quipp/ Emmanuel Verou
Lifespan: 91,4/167,3
Origin: Indel City, Geirus]
As the information appeared in his vision Olivier couldn't hide his surprise. Why did all these people have such a long lifespan? And what was up with those three names? Did this man have three different identities?
However, Emmanuel's next actions at least gave Olivier a hint. Under his confused gaze Emmanuel looked around the room, his expression becoming brighter by the second. Suddenly a thud could be heard. Emmanuel kneeled on the floor, shouting under tears:
"Yes! It is true! Finally! Finally, you have returned! Hahaaahah! Two decades! I don't know how I survived without you! Hahaha!"
Olivier was perplexed as Emmanuel cried and laughed at the same time. When he saw snot running out of the man's nose, Olivier grabbed a handkerchief from the counter and walked towards Emmanuel, coughing lightly:
"Do you need this?"
"Oh, oh sorry, boss. Of course! I don't dare to dirty your floor!"
Emmanuel quickly reigned in his emotions. He grabbed the handkerchief and cleaned his nose before letting it disappear into his pockets. All his movements felt as if he had extreme respect, perhaps even fear towards Olivier. However, as Emmanual raised his head and saw Olivier's face he suddenly froze.
"W… who are you? Where is the boss? Did this place change owners?"
Olivier's brows rose involuntarily. He was quite intrigued.
"What boss?"
"You don't know? The old boss. Young man. White hair. Always wearing an emotionless façade. Called himself Barista. For as long as I can remember he had been the boss here."
"Does this mean you have known this place for a long time?"
"Of course! I discovered the Café of Dreams as a teen. Probably ninety years ago. Since then, I have been coming here regularly! Look, look! The black cat still recognizes me!"
Olivier followed Emmanuel's pointed finger and noticed the black cat's gaze. She indeed appeared to recognize the costumer. Although her eyes were somewhat disparaging. But Olivier didn't find it strange. He was getting used to the black cat's haughty attitude.
"Still scary as always. Well, whatever. Boss, I really missed your coffee! You are still selling some I assume?"
"Yes. Of course."
"Haha, great!"
Laughing happily Emmanuel stood up and sauntered over towards a table in the centre of the room.
"Ahh, my regular seat. Finally. I have waited for twenty years! Please, boss, bring me a cup of coffee!"