Selene slowly crept through the darkness of the second floor of the bar, her boots muffled against the worn wooden floor. She stopped in front of the door with the number 203, its bone plate curved with the digits.
With gentle hands, she placed her palms against the cool surface of the door, feeling the pulse of life resonating within. Lines of stardust began to appear in her vision, a celestial tapestry unfolding that revealed one shining red light flickering in the room beyond.
[Ascendant Star Vision]
It was the ability everyone gained after becoming an Ascendant. Using the Ascendant as the center, countless lines spread out from them and connect to everything around. From objects to any living being nearby and then the points of the lines display a light. As if the lines of fate and life were displayed to the user.
Each connection blazed with color: crimson for the living, blue for the magical, and green for the inanimate. Of course, such a connection requires a strong mind and quick thinking. After all, everything the lines touch is analyzed by the Ascendant.
As she opened the door, it creaked softly, an echo reverberating against the silence. She saw Lorian lying on the bed, legs sticking out toward the open window. Smiling softly, her gaze tender, she headed toward Lorian.
As she did this, a lovely and serene voice rang out in her mind.
"Ahh, Selene. Thank you for coming, I was worried he would sleep like that all night." The voice that filled her mind was lovely and calm.
"Think nothing of it, Miss Mithra," Selene replied, but she didn't look at the window. Cradling him in her arms as she carefully readjusted him on the bed. She then tucked the silk blankets around him securely.
"There you go with the 'Miss' again! Just call me Mithra or Mom, you're practically family." Selene simply ignored this as she covered up Lorian, while the voice sighed, a sound imbued with a hint of sorrow. "Could you really not convince him not to do this?"
Selene did not respond.
Instead, she turned her gaze toward the window, where the darkness outside felt like an unfathomable void, swallowing all light and color. It appeared endless, a blanket of darkness concealing the unknown, which Selene ignored as she placed her hands upon the cold wood.
"Believe him, Queen Mithra. He is your son and the person I believe will pave the way for a beautiful future," Selene said before pulling the wooden frames together, closing the windows, and then quietly leaving the room that fell into silence.
With only the lantern light still glowing.
…
Nuya Town, — Morning.
Lorian awoke slowly, blinking against the muted light filtering through. The rough texture of the ceiling drew his gaze as he recalled the remnants of last night. The voice had come again, as it always did, weaving through the recesses of his mind, wrapping around him with sweet familiarity. As always, it spoke to him, a gentle melody of laughter and love, a lullaby he longed to hear once more.
Even now, an ache thrummed within him, a yearning that pulled at his very heart.
Just then, the door creaked open, and Selene entered carrying a wooden tray with three cups that gleamed dully in the light. Golden eyes slowly looked up at her, noticing Uro entering behind her.
"Here, young master." Selene handed Lorian the cup filled with Malisuo Syrup. Inside, the golden-white liquid shimmered, interspersed with delicate dots of barley that danced like miniature stars within the syrup.
Taking the cup, he gently poured it into his mouth before he began to slowly roll the Malisuo Syrup around in his mouth. He did this for a minute before spitting it back into the cup, which Selene took. She then handed him the next cup filled with little bits of honey, which he poured into his mouth, swished once more, and then swallowed.
Then she handed him the final cup filled with water after taking the other one. Lorian used the water to wash away the lingering honey and syrup before spitting it back into the cup. Selene then took the wooden tray toward the bathroom on the far left.
Opening it up, Lorian glanced to see her pouring into one of the barrels, an empty one. He knew the bar staff would enter around lunchtime to clean up the rooms, emptying the barrels' contents into a sand ditch behind the bar before rinsing them clean.
Stretching his arms, Lorian asked, "How is everyone downstairs?"
Uro sighed. "As always, some have recovered quickly while others are taking their time."
"Something wrong?"
"Your new friend Kyros seems to have been affected badly, and he slightly injured himself. Did he—" Uro paused, mulling over his words carefully.
"It's most likely his granddaughter," Lorian interjected, recalling Kyros's tales and fondness for the girl. "He only told me a little bit before I headed up with my roast beef."
He remembered how Kyros always spoke of his granddaughter, Kalyee, with a joyful twinkle in his eye. She would constantly pester him to start his story time early, bubbling with uncontainable excitement. They usually had story time with all the other children in the café across from the bar.
The stories tended to change, ranging from ferocious beasts to demons. The legendary tales of the Anisa Desert, where the fabled Carefree Empire flourished and the Crazy King of Nussa reigned with reckless abandon.
"I see, no wonder." Uro's gaze fell to the floor, a shadow passing over his features as he collected his thoughts. "Young master… Did you also today—"
"Spoke to her? Yeah, I did." Lorian cut in, his tone airy, as if the weight of the room had lightened for just a moment.
The silence that followed was thick, almost suffocating.
Uro's expression hardened, concern flickering in his eyes. "...Lorian, you understand how dangerous it is? No matter how strong someone is, temptation based on what they want will be their downfall."
Lorian fell silent, turning his eyes to the window but nodding at Uro's words. "I know. The Abyss Call is the greatest temptation."
This was the name of the tide of darkness that engulfed the entire Nuya Town. A darkness that shrouded the world, a veil that blanketed everything in black, blotting out the moonlight and stars, leaving only a foreboding gloom. The only miracle was the way the darkness coyly danced along the edges of buildings, never daring to enter.
The nickname was given to it by the fallen Nussa Empire that dominated the entire northern half of the Anisa Desert. Lorian's mind wandered through the fragmented histories he'd heard over the years. No one knew when the darkness began appearing. Some said it had existed since the dawn of the world, while others claimed it originated from one of the lost islands scattered across Cosmos.
But what is known is that the darkness has been around since the Carefree Empire. The current year is 1623, and the Carefree Empire is believed to have existed a thousand years ago. Over a thousand years, this darkness has existed, and it has claimed many beings in the world. Even the most formidable Ascendants, those who were Adept Level, had been ensnared by its allure, falling prey to its seductive grasp.
This was because the darkness somehow gave form to the being or existence you most wanted to see in your life. From what was observed and recorded, it played upon regrets, grief, desire, guilt, and sorrow.
It offered the hope of speaking to them and maybe even seeing them.
The darkness comes at midnight and leaves only around 6:00 am. It's recommended to go home or turn in early, to get some sleep, as once the darkness comes, there is a high chance it becomes difficult to sleep and cope with the voices.
Lorian's mind flickered with the memory of her voice again before he sighed.
"Everything is fine, Uro. I understand, just as you always have. Trust me." Lorian walked toward the window with purpose, his platinum-golden hair glinting softly in the muted light. He opened the window wide, inviting the morning air inside.
A gentle gust swept through, tousling his hair and bringing with it the distant scent of damp earth.
A look of concern appeared before fading as Uro nodded, while Selene spoke up. "We should talk about goals. We have already reached the first town, Nuya. Only two more, and then past the Sansa River, we need to cross before heading to the Founding Emperor's tomb."
Uro nodded. "We're really going to try it… Capturing a demon, and not just any, but one even a Founding Emperor could only seal away."
Selene, with a hint of playfulness and amusement, quipped, "Scared?" with a faint smile.
"Ugh, more like I can feel the pressure." Uro glanced at Lorian, but more specifically, at the golden bracelet with markings around his wrist. "But the bracelet Arc Goetia should make it possible to seal the demon."
"That's a surprise, I thought you would have questioned it."
"Normally I would, since there are no records of it actually sealing away demons…" Uro's eyes shone as a faint smile appeared. "But this is a bracelet made by the terrifying Carefree Empire in the past. An empire that not only ruled the entire world but even terrified the demons."
Not much is known about this ancient civilization, which scholars from Ortiva believe existed over four thousand years ago. All knowledge of such an empire is drawn from ancient texts, tomes, and artifacts discovered with the help of the Sand Genesis.
It was a ruin called the Myralis Ruin, west of Activia City, that Queen Mithra discovered the Arc Goetia. The Queen herself was an avid explorer of ruins in the Anisa Desert, being a scholar from Ortiva who moved to Activia. Lorian recalls his mother excitedly telling how she found it in a gold and bronze chest, with tattered paper with writing. It took her a bit, but she was able to decipher the words, Cage of Demons.
Selene's expression shifted to one of thoughtful contemplation. With a sigh, she murmured, "I swear… If anything is related to that empire, you always blindly agree."
"Because it's an empire that did what no other did and produced innovations that no other could," Uro maintained, his gaze now directed toward the ceiling, lost in thought. "It's still a shock that Queen Mithra could find the bracelet in one of the Anisa Desert ruins."
Lorian recalled images of dusty scrolls and ancient inscriptions, with his mother spending day and night with all of them. A soft smile appeared as he nodded, recalling how she kept telling him about her findings related to the Carefree Empire. The innovation of the Carefree Empire was astounding.
In fact, the Sun-Moon Jill was a creation discovered in a ruin decorated with moon and star ink symbols. Before being broken down and reproduced with help from the Ark Empire and Frost Empire from the northern continent.
The former drew up the step-by-step instructions needed to build it, and the latter gathered the rare materials to create it. Then it was the City of Rolay that helped create it, using the instructions from the Ark Empire to slowly rebuild the innovation.