Soft clinking sounds could be heard coming from beyond the dark veils, where light seemed to have stopped coming. Emerging from the shadows was what appeared to be an old man, for despite the middle-aged man looking face, his white hair showed him to be an old monster, for despite being a newbie here, even Natsuki realised that to run this place, everyone needs to have some sort of power to battle and guard the souls and guide them properly to the next life...
But eyes always tell everything
His eyes, deeper than black holes, held so much that Natsuki couldn't help but fall deeper into his gaze (not in that manner, you dirty, dirty readers!). So much wisdom, so much strength...
So much pain
"Kid, if I were you, I'd look the other way, I don't swing that way, and I'm certainly not interested in young ones. Speaking of young ones, Icks, are you scamming them again? The Custodians drop-kicked you into prison for 10 years for doing the same shtick, and yet you still continue doing it!? Don't you ever learn!? Fine, if they won't do it, I'll do it instead..."
Dragging out a giant claymore from the ring on his fingers, he swung it across the sky, cleaving a wide 10 m cut across the pavement. "Watch it old man! You nearly broke Cindy!"
Disabling the holo-shield from his wrist, Icks rubbed his painful joints as he dropped the slightly steaming shield generator onto the floor. "Damn it old man, he's just one lame-ass kid! Why're so hellbent on rescuing– oh, he's here because Scaramond screwed up...?"
Shrugging his shoulders, the old man picked the coin that fell from Natsuki's hands, holding it close to his eyes. Though it was faint, Natsuki swore that he saw the old man twitch upon seeing the coin, but it was too quick for him to confirm.
Seeing that the coin was safe and sound, the old man flipped it in the air before it landed safely once again on Natsuki's hands. "Hey kid, keep it safe. This thing's precious, far more than you can imagine..."
At his cryptic message, Natsuki tried to understand what he meant, to the point that he slipped into a stupor while doing so. What did he mean by precious? I mean, sure, it was something dad got from his father, and he got it from his father, but still, I mean, it's just a silly old coin, right...
Right...???
As Natsuki tried wrapping his head in trying to solve the riddle, the old man and the scammer Icks stood at a standstill, one stoic, the other pissing his pants...
"Yeah, you're right in the fact he came cause Scaramond crashed and 'killed' him by accident, well before his death date. But another reason is that I can't have you scamming younglings again, Icarus. Haven't you learnt anything after nearly dying trying to fly to the Sun?"
Rubbing his shoulders, Icks, or otherwise known as Icarus, looked to the sides, embarrassed to have been exposed so easily. Despite being one of the most mysterious of the temporal merchants, almost nobody knew his name...
Except the old man before him
"Tch, very well then, old man. You can have thr kid and thecoin. Just, please, don't tell anyone my real name. They're still searching for me..."
"Very well then. I, Knoxis Fyldwell, swear upon my name that I shall keep your identity hidden for as long as I live. Now then, let me take the kid back, okay?"