Qoria carefully examined Fredric's severed wrist, applying all her healing expertise to mend the injury. To her dismay, nothing occurred—it was as if there had never been anything there to heal, as though his hand had naturally ended at the wrist from birth. The more she concentrated her efforts, the more futile they became.
Qoria gasped in bewilderment. "Nothing is happening," she whispered quietly, though Fredric could hear her words clearly. He focused intently on his wounded limb.
At that moment, he began to believe that his hand had indeed been born this way from the very beginning. The longer he studied his wrist, the deeper this conviction grew with each passing second.
Following Fredric's realization, Qoria began experiencing the same phenomenon. As this strange sensation overtook her, she noticed something peculiar—she felt as though she were forgetting something important.
"What am I doing here?" Qoria spoke aloud, standing in place and surveying her surroundings with growing confusion. She recognized some familiar faces and others she didn't know, but she couldn't recall anything about treating Fredric. While pondering this mystery, her gaze fell upon Fredric, who remained absorbed in studying his right hand.
"Sir Fredric, why are you sitting on the ground?" she asked, noticing his position. Her tone remained polite with a gentle smile, and she observed that his right hand appeared to end at the wrist—but this didn't surprise her. It seemed as natural as if she had witnessed this condition for years.
Fredric snapped out of his trance-like state and lifted his head toward Qoria, realizing he was indeed sitting on the floor. He rose to his feet and returned her smile.
"Oh, sorry. I must have slipped," Fredric explained with an awkward grin.
While these two conversed, Aeren studied the entire situation intently. He observed everything while Nil, standing close beside him, also watched the scene unfold.
As Nil observed Fredric, something felt amiss about the situation, though she couldn't identify what had transpired. This uncertainty made her more determined to understand, sending her into deep contemplation. Unfortunately, she couldn't sense any abnormality and eventually abandoned her investigation.
She turned toward Aeren and saw that he too was observing the same situation, but unlike her, Aeren didn't appear confused by what had occurred.
"Why are you watching them so intently?" Nil asked Aeren expectantly.
"It's nothing. I'm thinking they might help us with the queue," Aeren explained matter-of-factly, as though he understood the situation completely and remained indifferent to Fredric's condition.
Nil grasped the meaning behind Aeren's words and also turned her attention to both individuals. They appeared close to each other, and observing the woman, Nil could tell she held a high position within this guild.
As Nil contemplated these observations, she still felt as though she were forgetting something crucial. Though the situation seemed wrong, she chose to ignore her instincts. "Hmm, yes. Let's approach them."
Without hesitation, Aeren positioned himself between Qoria and Fredric.
"Excuse me?" Aeren interjected, and both Qoria and Fredric turned toward him simultaneously. Qoria appeared surprised by Aeren's sudden appearance and seemed startled by his presence.
Fredric faced Aeren but didn't seem surprised, as though he had noticed him previously. However, Qoria's arrival had disrupted Fredric's original purpose for approaching Aeren, causing him to forget his initial intentions.
Aeren studied Fredric and could sense his invisible wariness, but chose to ignore it. "I forgot to ask your name last time. Could you tell me so I can find you when I need to join your party with Lady Victoria?" He smiled warmly while speaking in a polite tone, continuing to observe Fredric carefully.
Fredric remembered that he hadn't shared his name during their previous conversation, nor had he revealed anything about himself. He had expected Aeren might already know his identity.
Fredric felt slightly disappointed and reconsidered his earlier assumptions. That means he genuinely wanted to join us to learn, not to deceive us. I misjudged Aeren completely.
Though guilt washed over him regarding their previous interaction, he revealed nothing externally. "Oh, I apologize for forgetting to introduce myself last time. I'm Fredric Drill, and I'm also one of the top five strongest adventurers in Astoria Estate."
Aeren studied his demeanor and could see his pride in being ranked among the top five. Rather than commenting on or complimenting his strength, Aeren responded with continued politeness.
"It's nice to meet you, Fredric. I'm Aeren Vorthis, and this is Nil Astoria." Aeren spoke truthfully, and several people within earshot were shocked by their claims. Both Fredric and Qoria's eyes widened upon hearing these names, though Fredric appeared more stunned by Nil's presence than her identity.
Fredric couldn't sense or see her clearly, even though she stood close to him. Her face remained barely noticeable despite their proximity. He didn't even process their names properly due to his shock at Nil's mysterious nature.
Meanwhile, Qoria's lips trembled as she studied Aeren with wide eyes, as though she were witnessing a ghost. She recalled the news of Aeren Vorthis's death on his seventeenth birthday, yet now she watched him with disbelief, unable to comprehend how the reports spread by noble and royal families could be false.
Her entire body began trembling, and the same reaction occurred among others who had heard his name. It seemed they suddenly remembered him the exact moment he spoke his identity, though they hadn't recognized him before.
"My deepest apologies, My Prince. I failed to recognize you before—I deserve death as punishment." Qoria immediately knelt and spoke loudly.
Her voice nearly echoed throughout the entire guild, but Nil quickly erected a barrier before anyone else could take notice of Aeren. Observing Qoria's reaction, Nil turned toward Fredric, who had been snapped out of his trance by Qoria's outburst. He looked at Aeren with shock but didn't kneel.
Fredric observed Aeren intently, unable to believe that a prince could appear so ordinary. He possesses no royal pride and I detect no ambitious desires within him. If not for Qoria's reaction, I might not have believed his claim, even if he had introduced himself this way initially.
While Fredric studied Aeren, Aeren's attention remained focused on Qoria's response.
As Aeren watched her reaction, he understood something profound: My non-existence can become existence the moment I introduce myself. I cannot be forgotten through non-existence anymore. They will forget me if I depart, but my reality forces them to remember me.
Realizing this truth, he continued studying Qoria while grasping additional concepts that defied verbal description.
My whisper to existence is my reality.
Aeren contemplated his nature and began understanding the meaning of his being. He had transformed so drastically that he barely recognized himself, and he was dissolving into something new.
This realization of his ongoing metamorphosis shocked him—the changes were accelerating exponentially.
What distinguishes the current me from my past self? I can barely comprehend this new version while my former self understood itself clearly.
I lost myself to discover a new me, yet I barely know who I am now.
My fourth freedom is written—I free myself from freedom itself.
As Aeren contemplated these profound truths, the world didn't shake as it had before. Instead, it fell into a silence born of fear—fear of the Unknown.
Even Fate itself grew silent before the Unknown, and this effect rippled through all those bound by destiny across the realm.