Chapter 17

Sapir woke me early in the morning; it seemed Aedric had left specific instructions on when to rouse me. I dressed and went down to the reception, where Hina and Aedric were already waiting. We returned to the same dining hall as the day before, served by the same three elves. There were several options for breakfast; I opted for simple toast, whereas Aedric and Hina ordered a mountain of pastries. It baffled me how they could stomach such a heavy, sweet feast so early in the day.

When we finished, we left the hotel and headed toward the commercial district. As we drew closer, the crowd began to thicken.

"There is a festival taking place in town right now," Aedric commented. "The district is packed with stalls from foreign merchants, so expect it to be very crowded."

"It might seem strange to you," Hina explained, "but merchants from other parts of the world only come during these festivals, so the locals look forward to it eagerly."

"Is there no commerce otherwise?" I asked.

"There is, for necessities like food or tools," Aedric added. "But if you want exotic goods from distant lands, these festivals are the only way to acquire them."

"What exactly are they celebrating right now?"

"It is the 500th anniversary of the founding of Aithmuir, the ruling family of this city," Aedric answered.

That explained the mansion I had seen yesterday and the hive of activity surrounding it.

The closer we got, the denser the throng of people became, making it difficult to even walk. Crowds gathered around stalls, inspecting the wares. It reminded me of a medieval market, though I possessed only a blurry mental image of what one should look like.

Suddenly, Hina took my hand.

"It would be a problem if you got lost," she said.

We had held hands to get here, but in this context, I found it embarrassing. For Hina, it seemed perfectly normal—though, walking behind her, I couldn't see her face to be sure.

We ducked into a network of alleyways where the crowd thinned, allowing us to walk normally. Hina released my hand without a word; to avoid making things awkward, I stayed silent as well.

We navigated several winding alleys until we reached a small shop with a wooden façade. Two windows flanked the door, revealing an interior that was quite dark, lit only by a few dim lamps. We entered. Inside, a short wooden staircase of five steps led down into the shop proper. The place was cluttered with items unknown to me and stacks of books.

"Helena, are you here?" Aedric shouted.

From the back room emerged a woman who looked to be in her forties, with very long black hair. She wore a black dress that revealed a hint of skin, and a pair of glasses hung from her neck.

"Well, well, Aedric. What a joy to see you here," she said with a graceful smile.

"You look well."

"Yes, business is going very well," she replied, beaming.

Her words surprised me; it seemed odd that a shop so secluded and dimly lit could be prospering.

"This is one of the few shops that stocks magical items from all over the world," Hina whispered, noticing my confusion.

Aedric placed his bag on the counter. It looked heavy. We were supposed to be here to sell merchandise, but the bag didn't look large enough to hold much. However, Aedric began pulling out vials of colored liquid. To my surprise, he didn't stop. Ten became twenty, twenty became fifty, and soon over a hundred vials stood on the counter. How such a small bag could harbor so many things defied logic.

"I'll pay you the usual rate," the woman behind the counter said, starting to count out banknotes.

Meanwhile, I wandered through the shop until an object caught my attention. It was a curved sword from a distant land.

"A katana?" I murmured.

"Do you know this sword?" Hina asked. Judging by her expression, she didn't recognize it. It struck me as strange that I knew what it was while she didn't; it must have been an object I was familiar with before losing my memories.

"You have a good eye," the woman said, approaching me from behind the counter. "That sword was forged by a renowned smith. It allows a concept to be applied to the blade, independent of its wielder."

"Wow, I didn't know such a rare sword existed. It must be worth a fortune," Aedric mentioned, surprised.

"It’s been in the shop for a long time. It has a... condition," Helena explained. "It can only be unsheathed by those the sword chooses. For some reason, it chose me, but a sword is of little use to a merchant."

"Perhaps it noticed your beauty," Aedric joked.

"No matter how much you flatter me, I’m not giving you any more money."

"You're just as stingy as ever."

"Stingy?" the woman asked, toying with the sword in her hand.

"I meant generous."

"That’s what I thought I heard."

While they bickered, I unconsciously reached out and touched the blade with my finger. A small spark discharged from my tip, and the blade began to glow, leaving Helena and Aedric stunned.

"What just happened?" I asked, startled.

"Navnlos, it is best not to touch magical objects so unexpectedly. They can react in strange ways," Aedric said, his tone turning serious.

The woman sheathed the sword and returned to the counter to finish counting Aedric's money.

What was that? I wondered.

"Maybe the sword chose you," Hina said, as if she could read my thoughts.

"I doubt it. It was surely just a coincidence."

"I hope you’ll give me a bonus next time," Aedric called out from the counter.

"Keep dreaming," Helena replied with a smirk.

"Tch," Aedric clicked his tongue. "Looks like we're done."

The three of us left the shop.

"Where to now?" I asked.

"Let's go to the festival," Hina suggested.

"Since we're here, we might as well make the most of it," Aedric agreed.

We emerged from the alleyways into a grand plaza surrounded by traveling performers. Most of the crowd was concentrated in the center, so we approached to watch. There was a person performing various tricks. Images of magic tricks from my past popped into my head, but in this world, everyone used magic, so I was confused.

"Is he a magician?" I asked Hina curiously.

"He is a type of mage called an illusionist. He creates illusions for entertainment."

I couldn't quite grasp the difference between these illusionists and the mages I thought I knew.

"For my next trick, I need a volunteer from the audience!" the illusionist shouted.

Everyone took a step back. I was distracted, and in that moment, my eyes locked with the illusionist’s. I felt an immediate sinking feeling. I’ve screwed up.

"The young man over there—care to join us?"

Why did it have to be me? I thought, cursing my luck.

I walked to the center of the plaza.

"This is my most exciting trick. I shall invoke a memory from this young man!"

Invoke a memory? I suddenly felt nervous. This was bad—I didn't know what might come out. I looked toward the audience, searching for Aedric. He was trying to push his way through the crowd, but the press of bodies was too thick.

"Stay calm, young man." The illusionist placed a hand on my head.

How was I supposed to stay calm? I had no idea what lay inside my mind.

His hand began to glow, and suddenly, a small light emerged from my head.

"Now, I will manifest it!" the illusionist announced, hyping up the crowd.

But abruptly, the ball of light turned pitch black. I saw surprise flash across the illusionist's face; he didn't understand what was happening.

The orb took the shape of a black figure, undefined—a shifting shadow, standing perhaps two and a half meters tall. Suddenly, two eyes opened in its head. They weren't white, but deep red with a black pupil in the center, staring directly at me.

My entire body seized up with terror. What is that?

I felt a crushing pressure in my chest that wouldn't let me breathe, and my ears began to ring. I couldn't see the audience, or Aedric, or Hina. I could only see those red eyes staring into my soul.

Someone help me! I screamed in my mind with all my might. I wanted to shout, but my voice failed me.

At that moment, a cloaked figure stepped in front of me, and I saw a flash of light.

"Dispel Illusion!" the stranger shouted.

The shadow vanished instantly, dissipating into mist. The cloaked figure grabbed my hand, and we bolted toward the alleyways. I could only follow, running blindly, as I still hadn't recovered from the shock.