Receptionist stood behind the desk, hands held low in front as she watched the Chosen One and an Explorer approached. Her eyes closed with a smile of service. She bowed down, her twin tails swayed gently.

  “Welcome to the Adventurer’s Guild. How may I help you?”

  Arlene strode forward and pulled out the quest scroll: “Investigation: Unobios Displacement in the Tu’ei Forest”. She slid it onto the table, “Reporting on this quest. We’ve completed it.”

  The Receptionist took the paper with two hands, “We required some forms of evidence. This quest completion requirement stated any probable materials of the main cause, and a written form explaining what caused it.”

  Anire took this as a cue to stride to the side of Arlene’s. “That won’t be necessary, Veia~. I went with them and confirmed their completion myself.”

  Veia nodded and returned her gaze to Arlene. “May I have your Guild ID and… Miss Chosen One? I do not see Mister Wattyson with you?”

  “Oh he’s…” Arlene’s eyes darted all over. “He’s injured. He needs some rest.”

  “Does he not want to be treated by the Guild’s healers?”

  “I think he just wants some rest and get better naturally.”

  “That won’t do, Miss Chosen One. If there’re any hints of injury developing further to fatal, we need to treat regardless.”

  “I—“

  The neko interrupted, “It’s fine, Veia. I gave him some of my healing vials!”

  “I see. Very well then. Please hand me your ID, Miss Chosen One, and Mister Wattyson too.”

  “I… I don’t have Wattyson’s.”

  “Then is he fine with this quest not contributing to his rank?”

  “He’s fine. Don’t worry.”

  “Very well.” Veia took the card and skated to the back, disappearing from their views.

  The two stood awkwardly while waiting for Veia to return. Arlene rested her hand on the pommel, rubbing her thumb on to top of it. Anire meanwhile was tilting her head side to side slightly, humming quietly to herself.

  Minutes passed and Veia wasn’t back yet.

  “So…” began Arlene. “Is that why you want to come with us? To confirm the quest completion?”

  “No,” Anire answered as if she was anticipating it. “Thought it’ll be interesting if the Guild require Wattyson to be appraised again. Then I would’ve been able to observe more in details.”

  “If that’s the case why didn’t you stop him?”

  “I already pushed my luck earlier~, it’s fine. There’s always another time.”

  Arlene nodded, “Though it’s strange… shouldn’t we report to the Guildmaster or Master Explorer?”

  “Oh? I thought you wanted this to say between us~”

  “Yeah, only THAT part. The other about Gavituth should be reported at least.”

  “Hmmm~ I see your point.”

  “Gavituth?” asked the receptionist finally arrived back, Arlene’s ID in both her hands. “There was a Gavituth in Tu’ei Forest?”

  The sudden return of Veia startled the two. Did she hear anything? Arlene was being extra careful emphasizing THAT instead of outright saying Corrupted Blood. She gulped as she took her ID back.

  “Y-Yes. There was a Gavituth. It was the cause of the Unobios displacement.”

  “Oh my!” Veia placed her palm on one side of her cheek, she had a concerned expression. “Would you like to speak with the Guildmaster regarding this?”

  “Is he available?”

  “Why yes!” Veia placed few bags of coin on the table. They clinked and jingled upon landing. “He is available right now. I can inform him if you wish to speak?”

  Anire nudged Arlene at her waist, poking at it. No need to meet the Guildmaster yet. “That won’t be necessary~” she spoke to Veia. “We plan to bring this to the Master Explorer’s attention first.”

  “Senior Explorer Anire, I appreciate your input but surely such a problem should be brought to the Guildmaster first, won’t you agree? You both are here right now.” Veia countered with a voice smooth and calculated.

  Arlene wanted to speak. Since they were here, they might as well… however, the look on Anire suggested a deeper motive. She bit down on her lip to not let loose, and gave Anire full reign in this otherwise political field. Though she wondered if Anire believed the Master Explorer was someone easier to entrust, or was this a rivalry between the Adventurer’s Guild and the Explorer’s Guild?

  “I don’t believe so, Veia~” Anire tilted her head to the left, toward Arlene. “This is a matter of ecological displacement. It is imperative for our detail report reach the Master Explorer first, to examine and better understand why it happened before we relay it to your Guildmaster. We wouldn’t want any misinformation that could lead to young adventurer’s deaths, would we?”

  Arlene chose now to speak. “We’re not trying to bypass anything, Veia. We want to ensure we get it right and figure out first. At the end of the day, it is adventurer like us who venture out to stop the threat, to solve the problem. Not the Explorer, because their job is to analyse the threat before we head out.”

  Veia sighed as she pushed the bags of coin to the duo. “Very well, may I at least prompt the Guildmaster of the sight of Gavituth?”

  “Of course~”

  Veia nodded. “The Adventurer’s Guild thank you for your service, Miss Chosen One and Senior Explorer Anire.”

  Anire twirled and moved already, walking toward an isolated table. Arlene quickly shoved the bags of coin into her leather bag and followed suit.

  That table was far in a corner. It wasn’t much but it was far from other adventurers… at least that was what Anire thought. The Chosen One’s popularity was too much. As soon as the two settled into their seats, other adventurers were already sitting few tables from them, failing spectacularly to be subtle.

  Noticing this, she didn’t settle to rest for a bit at all. She stood up immediately and gave Arlene a look of moving. Arlene, also noticing the crowd of adventurers wanting to hear any facets of her own day to day life, stood to follow.

  The adventurers moved out of the way for the two to leave, fearing they might be obstructing the Chosen One’s duty in any ways. Of course all of them looked at the Chosen One with awe and respect, envy and fear. Arlene herself nodded as she passed them, her strained smile wasn’t seen by them.

  Moving away into the street of Toulasi, away from the crowded returning adventurers at the Guild, they strode through the open and wider path to nowhere. Nowhere was their destination.

  “Do you,” asked Arlene as they were far now. “Do you need something or?”

  Anire swayed her head in a playful manner. Her neko ear played along with the motion. “Hmmm~ Not really. Do you?”

  “Uhh… I guess not.” Arlene exhaled out as she lowered her puffed up shoulders and smile to neutral. “Since you’re with us for now… I think we should get to know each other.”

  “Hmm~ We oughta.”

  “Yes.”

  “Yes~”

  “Yes.”

  “Yes~”

  “Stop it.”

  “Then let’s go to my resident~ It’ll be private there.”

  “Oh?” Arlene had a small smirk on her. “Why not here?”

  “I think we’ll have a lot to talk about, I rather we’ll be sitting comfortably rather than while walking and turning on the streets~”

  Arlene listened in and took a look around. The eyes of onlookers and normal civilians in their homes, apartments or stores were on them or specifically on the Chosen One. Other were in the midst of eating, and children were waving or emulating her.

  “Good point. Lead the way the, Anire.”

  Anire’s resident was a quiet one. An apartment in the midst of many buildings shouldering one another, yet only that building alone was residential. Inside the building there was no one, only the sound of mana circuiting through the strain of manisteel wires powering the bright light, illuminating the hall.

  Arlene peeked through the small windows as she followed Anire up the stair. Every rooms she peeked into was either deserted, or completely packed with boxes and rails. All of those rails were connected to a platform leading up to the ceiling.

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  Finally, at the top floor after climbing ten flights of stairs, Anire hovered her hands over the door knobs, the magic glyphs brightened up in blue responding to her mana and opened itself to welcome them to a dark room.

  Anire pushed the glass door, hastened it faster as she stepped in. Her hand once again hovering over the wall to her left, lighting up the whole room. The room was a modest small living space. Kitchen near the entrance and two rooms with a balcony at the end. One room was filled with tables and alchemist’s flasks, no chairs in that. Another was again a room of experimentation, but this time it was balanced with a hammock and a sofa and steel table with checker cloths over it – a dining table.

  The balcony was anything but a place to view the scenery. It had been converted into a platform meant to be pushing objects, items or materials into a crate nearby. That crate Arlene could observe a small magic circle at the bottom. It was a crystal etched with runes. Must be that storage runes connected inside Anire’s bag.

  Right on cue, she saw one of the vial disappeared from the crate. She quickly turned to Anire. Anire had a pale face while she took that vial of seemingly sky blue and chugged it down like there was no tomorrow.

  “You okay?” asked Arlene as she strode over, careful not to bump into anything in this cluster of a place.

  “Mmm~ Just feel tired after activating few magics. Need to replenish my mana~”

  “Right… this whole place is a mess, Anire.”

  “My mess~ Why don’t you take a seat while I brewed us some drinks.”

  “It better not be from a vial.”

  Anire didn’t hear, she already hopped off to the kitchen to brew. Sounds of whistling heat could be heard from the kitchen.

  Arlene navigated this problematic mess. She scanned around the room and there were more flasks and vials, all in colours different from one another. However, in the corner of the room on the main table, she leaned over to read. A journal of the neko girl. The most recent on those pages were of her studying the corrupted blood she had found yesterday, on that crooked tree in the Tu’ei forest.

  “It’s not good to look over other people’s reading you know~?”

  Arlene turned and in a flash sat in one of the chair. “Wasn’t looking.”

  Tray of cups landed on the steel table as Anire sat down beside her. “I saw it.”

  “Well… Okay, but at least your handwriting’s better than Watty.”

  “Oh? Perhaps you can share me his writings one day.”

  “No.”

  “Pity…” Anire sipped onto her cup, letting out a satisfying ahh~.

  “I’m surprised… you have actual tea cups.”

  “What did you think?”

  “Vials.”

  A giggle from the neko as she took another sip. “You should drink it while it’s hot. Good for health you know~”

  “What is it?”

  “Jasmine tea.”

  “I see…”

  Arlene’s mind flashed to the first time she met Wattyson. It was the same drink too… but it wasn’t that she focused on. She remembered the fact she fumbled trying to grab the tea cup. She quickly lifted her hand and took hold the cup in a chokehold, fingers wrapping around the frame tightly as she helped herself to a drink. It was good. A small victory for herself… while the neko looked in bewilderment.

  “Anire,” she put the cup back down. “You said you gave him healing vials? You’re lying right? I don’t remember you doing it.”

  “I did~ Do you remember the sweet vials?”

  “The strawberry?” It then clicked to her. Those strawberry vials were the same shade of red as the one Anire kept chugging while lying flat on the ground. “Why was it so sweet though?”

  “I’m not a combatant like you Chosen One~, I have to depend on them a lot. If I had to depend on them a lot, might as well make it delicious right?”

  “And there’s no side effect whatsoever?”

  Anire’s smile widened. “Well… it does shut down your brain steadily.”

  “And you’ve been feeding him that?!” Arlene stood, her eyes locked in with Anire.

  “Please~ It’s not that bad. It’s more akin to slowly falling asleep, like all medication do!”

  Without noticing, Arlene unconsciously let out a sigh of relief as she sat back down. “Good… sorry for earlier.”

  “It’s ok~ It’s normal for the Chosen One to care for her companion~ Just like in the tales of your deeds.” Anire smirked as she sensed an opportunity. “Though if you really want to apologize, you can tell me about Wattyson.”

  “Why? Go ask him inst—“ Arlene stopped as she noticed the neko’s eyes. Those ruby eyes with the darted lines attached and detached again, seemingly unconsciously but it reflected something strong within the neko. That burning desire of curiosity. It would be hard to persuade her. “Alright, tell me what you want to know and I’ll ask about you in return.”

  “Of course~”

  “And…” Arlene pouted a little. “You’re in front of the Chosen One. The pinnacle of boundless mana as you’ve said, don’t you want to ask about me?!”

  “I already heard about you plenty enough through your tales sang by bards and the people of Celes’ira! I don’t need to anymore! Beside, we’ll be travelling together for a long time now. There’ll be plenty of times to get to know you.”

  A quiet moment from the confessed intention. The Chosen One’s cheek flustered slightly in red. “Alright, ask away about him.”

  “Is it true he can cast all type of magic?”

  “I truly don’t know.”

  “Why not? Had you not travelled him for a long time since the defeat of the Dark Lord?”

  “I thought you knew everything about me through the tales?”

  “Only until that point… for the two years since, it had been quiet~.”

  Arlene let out a burdened sigh. Of course… why would they record the tale of her epilogue as a person when her as the Chosen One had ended.

  “I’ve only been with him for nearly a month. I am almost as clueless as you are about him… but the thing I’ve seen about him, it made me questioned my own understanding of the world.”

  “Hmmm~ is he a secret Chosen One then? Or a retired one?”

  “Unlikely. He denied it also. He’s…”

  “Is it because he’s looked to be in his mid-twenties?”

  “I don’t know his age. He looked like that yet he claimed to be from Bad’ur of Equilarum. I called him out for it then he said he was just a fan of history.”

  “Interesting… you know Equilarum was attacked by the Dark Lord’s Divine General Quztol some odd hundred to two hundred years ago.”

  “Two hundred as history stated… almost the entire country was devastated into a complete no man’s land for years. Bad’ur and few other cities survived because they were further south from the capital.”

  “Do you suspect him to be… somewhat corrupted or influenced by that~?”

  “No… I don’t know to be honest. There’s probably more… I doubt he is in his twenties.”

  “Hmmm… maybe finding that out will also explain why he could cast without chanting~” Anire wore a smile seemingly too excited for her own good. “I can’t wait to experi- ask for his assistance in testing.”

  Arlene at this point no longer rebuke or chide her. “He claimed he used to chant but not anymore afterward… like it had become natural for him. I had assumed maybe his undisclosed long age made him in tune with the manas… but my mentor had lived for three hundred years still had to chant, and just today you said he had no mana.”

  Anire only nodded with that grin still, noting down on her journal.

  Arlene glanced toward the meticulous writing style of the neko, then drifted upward to her singular ear. “Say,” she began softly. “What happened to your other ear?”

  Her writing paused as she looked up to Arlene, but it didn’t have that signature smile anymore. It was more neutral, more softened and surprised. Her eyes, those calculating gazes weren’t there anymore. Replaced by a more humanized one, like they had let go of everything that bind them.

  Her hand went up, tracing through that messy spot that used to be her other ear. “Oh that,” she answered quietly before turning up the pitch to her usual voice. “It’s just something that happened back when I lived in the East. A defunct kingdom near Roye’shi.”

  Arlene could see the neko’s ear wasn’t acting like it usual self anymore. It was perfectly still, only swaying with the head movement rather than a mind of its own. “I’m… sorry.”

  “Oh no~ It’s okay.” Anire returned to her writing, the small smile slowly crept back in. “You can ask further… though I can just give you a quick rundown.” Her right hand still on the pencil while her left free hand pulled down the sweater’s collar, revealing a brightened skin tone perfectly enveloped her neck. “I was like that for most of my childhood till I was seventeen~ then the demon attacked and I ran away with others, until I got picked up by the Luminare Church.”

  Without missing a beat after, she added, “Oh right~ Have you heard of what the Luminare Church been doing in the east of Avalevd?”

  “No? Why?”

  “They’re making you out to be a Great Saint too.”

  “Eh?”

  “Hmm~ now you’re not only the Chosen One all over Celes’ira, but also a great sage in the East past the Nur mountain ranges.”

  Two hands placed on the table as she held her forehead from banging herself. “Is this what I get for not complying with the church back home,” she muttered to herself. “I guess it’s fine… It’s just a title. I don’t plan to go east again, not yet.”

  She lifted up and finally asked Anire a proper question. “Why are you interested in Wattyson so much?”

  “Not asking more on the corrupted blood or anything related to that~?”

  “That can wait when we meet your Master Explorer. I want to ask you right now between us. Why are you so interested in experimenting on him?”

  “I wouldn’t say experimenting~”

  “It’s the same thing to you anyway.”

  Anire paused her writing again and turned her chair to face Arlene completely. Her smile fell enough to be near neutral while her ear titled down forward. She didn’t answer immediately. She took the moment to study Arlene. That determination in her eyes and the fierce protective nature within her. Truly a majestic vessel for the boundless mana within. Only sounds of the city below and smell of the tea and whatever vials in the storage box breaking through their senses.

  “He’s… a paradox.”

  “I know” Arlene responded without missing a beat. “I want to know if there’re other reasons beside the one you told him.”

  “I…” Anire gazed downward to her own two hands clenching at the stocking. “I… I’m reminded of how powerless I am.”

  Arlene didn’t respond this time… she looked to the neko being vulnerable now. She held firm as her eyes remained on her. She noticed Anire’s lip trembling just a slight before she continued.

  “Ever since I was independent, I’m reminded of how powerless I was. I barely have any mana, less than an average person. Statistically less than ninety-six percent of the world. I had to work harder than most to use magic~. Granted I could’ve just went with other stuffs but magic always fascinated me since my toddler days.

  I became a researcher in pursuit of studying mana. I perfected the ability to create mana for someone in my situation. I was able to use magic thanks to the amount of vials I drank to replenish my mana… even the light magic you casted so easily in the forest, it will strain me just to cast one dimly light.”

  Her eyes darted to the crates on the balcony. “My pursuit of magic and mana is a costly one, both on myself and my finances~ my experiments are a hazard to people hence why I owned this entire building. I dedicated myself to be able to use magic and find anyway to increase my mana to the point I’m the second highest rank in the Explorer’s Guild… yet I never fully solve it. Until you and him arrived. Two polar opposites in the eternal well, you who are endless while he who is empty. Eureka was what I thought of.

  My attention was more on him~, if I can find some ways to even fill that empty void of his even just a drop. It’ll confirm that I too can increase my mana, I can increase it to the point I don’t have to drink endless vials and suffers it drawbacks. Or… alternatively, I can find a way to use magic like he did. Seemingly drawing mana from the environment instead.”

  Her gaze finally held high to Arlene. “I was born with the ability to see mana flows… yet I can’t even use it in an average capacity. I could’ve settle for a cushy job just appraising people’s mana~ but I want none of that! I want to see magic, use it and wield it as my own!”

  Anire’s expression was her usual, the small smile and the uncanny gaze from her ruby darted pupils yet there were new features this time. Dark shadows clouded beneath her peripheral, eye bags. Arlene finally noticed them.

  With a heavy sigh, Arlene shifted her chair to be closer to Anire, and rested a hand on hers. “This world is full of mysteries… after we dealt with the whole corrupted blood mystery, come with us. I plan to travel to ruins with Wattyson to find more truths to my prophecy. Who knows? Maybe we’ll find any on methods to increase your mana or at least… to strain you less when you cast magic. I can’t promise we’ll find those, but I can promise I’ll be with you.”

  She let up a half smile. “And hey, travelling with us mean you can experiment more on him. It’s a win-win don’t you think?”

  “An official offer from the Chosen One~?”

  “Hehe, perhaps so.”

  The neko closed her eyes and nodded. Gently place her own hand on hers. “Please take care of me then, Arlene~.”

  “Please take care of me too.”

  Arlene then stood up, and patted Anire on the shoulder. “I’ll get going then, let’s meet up and head to the Explorer’s guild in two days.”

  “Why two days~?”

  “Cuz, I want to see the city tomorrow. I haven’t been here for four years after all, plus I plan to show the weirdo around.”

  A chuckle from the neko as she returned to her own writing. “Alright~ Enjoy your date.”

  “It’s not a date!” A click on the glass door as it closed, the Chosen One had left.

  “Hehehe~ the coming days will be exciting then.”