CHAPTER 6: BLOOD AND FOUNDATIONS

  I returned to the "Golden Griffin" te in the evening. Even from a distance, I felt that the weaves of this pce had been brutally vioted. The moment I stood before the building, my sapphire eyes caught a fw in reality – the oak door hung on a single hinge, and a dead, unnatural silence filled the interior.

  Inside, I found a wreckage. Broken tables, shattered dishes, and the stench of fear filled the hall that had been my safe port just this morning. A note was pinned to the bar counter with a knife.

  "Come to the Lotus with the silver, or Elena gets hurt. Maybe we'll rape her first to make her wait more pleasant?".

  I felt my aura thicken so densely that the air in the tavern began to crackle. This was no longer a project for optimization. It was a critical error in the Marquis's conduct, one I intended to remove by force.

  — Shin-gan! — I threw out shortly.

  I scanned the city's structure and locked onto Elena in the undergrounds of the Silver Lotus. Her energy was weak, smothered by pain. I didn't waste time running. Using short spatial jumps, I tore through the weaves of reality, shifting directly into the casino's basement.

  I barged in right as two thugs threw her onto a dirty mattress. Elena had been beaten, her face was swollen, and her dress was torn. There were thirty of them in the room. At the sight of me, they froze, and I felt the adrenaline of a battle junkie start pumping through my veins.

  — Time to die, you sons of bitches — I said quietly, and my voice, saturated with power, wiped the smirks off everyone present.

  From my hands slid the bck cws of Abyss Bde, saturated with the essence of Kuro Su. I didn't want to erase them with magic from a distance. I wanted them to feel every second of their pathetic structure decaying.

  Fifteen seconds. That's how long it took me to turn thirty armed men into bloody shreds. I moved like a bck fsh, cutting muscle and bone with the precision of a butcher. The st one didn't even manage to make a sound before my cws tore his chest open.

  Dead silence fell over the room. I retracted the cws and approached Elena. She was trembling, looking at me in disbelief.

  — I'm sorry, Elena — I whispered, gently picking her up. — This is my fault.

  — It's... it's not your fault, Dave... — she choked out before fainting from exhaustion.

  I carried her to the Griffin and id her in my bed. I held my hands over her vessel, letting the sapphire essence of Light flow freely. It only took a few seconds for my will to mend her tissues and erase all signs of the beating. Seeing her sleep peacefully, I leaned my head against the bed frame and slowly drifted off, watching over her until morning.

  The sun streaming through the room's window woke me. I stretched, feeling my vessel regain full stability after the night's expenditure of will. Elena was already sitting on the bed, watching me in complete silence. The marks of yesterday's beating had completely disappeared thanks to my intervention; her skin glowed with health, though the echo of the nightmare she had endured still flickered in her eyes.

  — You sat here all night — she noted quietly, her voice trembling slightly. — Dave, why? I'm just a tavern keeper.

  — To me, you're the only person who cared for my comfort without asking unnecessary questions — I replied, rising from the chair. — Listen, my dear. Tomorrow I finish things with the Marquis and extract a certain person from him. Then I'll buy a house, but we won't move in there right away. We'll stay at the Griffin for about another year. I want you to live there with me and manage everything as the Lady of the House.

  Elena lowered her gaze to her hands, a mix of sadness and resignation painting her face.

  — Lady of the House... Dave, that's sweet, but face facts. I'm just an ordinary girl. Before this "year" of yours passes, you'll probably find someone from the upper echelons. And even if you don't, in a few decades I'll be an old woman, while you... you seem to be beyond the reach of time. It won't work in the long run. It's simply impossible.

  I smiled slightly, hearing her doubts.

  — That cim of yours is fwed — I answered calmly. — The limits you mention are merely a fw in your limited understanding of the foundations of life. They can be maniputed if you know how to strike the right weaves. You will live to be even ten thousand years old. I'll do this for you and a few other people I deem crucial to my pns. It's not a matter of chance, but of my will.

  Elena froze. She looked at me as if I had suddenly started speaking a forgotten nguage. She let out a short, nervous ugh that turned into a quiver in her voice a second ter.

  — Ten thousand years? — she whispered, looking at me like I was a madman. — Dave, stop. It's not even funny. No one lives that long. Kings, elves, even the greatest mages... no one. It makes no sense, the weaves of life don't work like that. I guess this night really overwhelmed you if you're talking like this. Are you trying to comfort me with fairy tales?

  — For now, let's stick to that year at the Griffin — I waved my hand, not intending to delve further into a discussion about the weaves of time. — Now let's go downstairs. We can't leave the hall in that state.

  When we descended to the main hall, Elena paused in the doorway. Her hands flew to her mouth, and tears instantly welled in her eyes at the sight of the ruined foundations of her life's work. Broken tables, shattered barrels, and splinters covering the floor were a painful reminder of the night.

  — My Griffin... — she whispered with a breaking voice. — Repairing this will take months. Everything is lost....

  — Rex — I interrupted her, standing in the middle of the wreckage. — I'll fix this right now.

  Elena looked at me, blinking rapidly to hold back the tears. I saw pure doubt in her gaze. — You'll fix it? Dave, look at this wreckage! This requires a team of craftsmen and a mountain of materials. How do you expect to fix this alone in a few minutes?.

  I didn't answer. I extended my right arm in front of me. A graphite magic circle materialized before my hand, densely inscribed with runes.

  — Repair — I stated emotionlessly.

  A wave of gray energy rolled through the hall like a gust of wind. Elena cried out softly, shielding her face, but what was happening around us was pure matter engineering. Wood fragments lifted from the floor, spinning and merging into perfectly smooth tabletops. Broken gss fused into gleaming mugs, and the door smmed onto its hinges as if it had never been torn off. After exactly ten seconds, the tavern gleamed like new.

  Elena lowered her hands and looked around the hall, touching the smooth wood of the nearest table. She looked as if her mind had just hit a solid wall.

  — What... what did you do? — she whispered, unable to take her eyes off the repaired furniture. — That's impossible. No magic I've heard of works like that... Dave, what are you actually doing in Oakhaven? Who are you?.

  — Done — I muttered, ignoring her bewilderment and lowering my hand. — I repaired not only what they destroyed. I also removed the fws in the wood that had been here for years. From now on, this pce is as durable as my will. Listen, my dear. Tomorrow I'm going to an auction at the de Valois estate. I'd like you to accompany me as my plus one. What do you say?.

  Elena froze. She turned slowly, shock mixed with fear blooming on her face. — Me? To an auction at the Marquis's? Dave, the most important people in the kingdom will be there, and I... I'm just a tavern keeper. I have no idea how to act there, I don't even have a dress. It won't work. I'd only bring you shame.

  — Don't worry about shame. My will is enough for all the etiquette in the world — I replied, stepping a pace closer. — And since you can't go in there in a stained apron, we'll go into town first to buy you something befitting the future Lady of the House. So, will you come with me?.

  Elena looked at me for a long moment. Finally, she took a deep breath and nodded. — Alright... I'll go. If you cim to have fixed this... — she pointed at the hall — then I suppose I can trust you on this matter too.

  — A logical choice — I muttered with a slight smile. — Stay here and rest. I need to meet with Nessa to get the rest of the information. I'll be back shortly, and then we'll deal with your new image.

  I arrived at the meeting spot ten minutes early. My sapphire eyes easily pierced the concealment weaves Nessa's scouts had spread around the alley. They thought their presence was impossible to detect, but to me, they were merely obvious disturbances in the warp of the shadows.

  Nessa emerged from the gloom. Usually, she was brash and confident, but today I saw her hands trembling slightly. The news from the "Silver Lotus" had spread through Oakhaven faster than a pgue.

  — The "Silver Lotus" is a graveyard, Dave — she said quietly, her voice revealing cracks in her mask of professionalism. — Thirty men... including the Marquis's personal thugs. They say a "demon" tore them to shreds in seconds.

  I leaned against the cold stone wall with a faint, icy smile.

  — Correction: it was fifteen seconds. Let's not exaggerate with this "demon". It was simply a necessary clearing of the perimeter. Hand over the mask. I have no intention of spending the night here listening to rumors.

  Nessa looked at me for a moment, greed clearly battling survival instinct in her head. For a second, her shadows in the gloom shifted, as if the guards were considering whether to press their luck against one man. I didn't reach for a weapon; instead, I raised my right hand. A weave of pure, white lightning – Shin Haku – began to dance between my fingers. It crackled with the sound of tearing silk, and the temperature in the alley instantly plummeted.

  — Don't even think about it — I added calmly, my voice saturated with the pure power of the Creator. — Stick to an honest exchange. Another error in your assessment of the situation will be the st one you make.

  Nessa swallowed hard and quickly handed me a silver, ornate mask. — This is your entry pass. The auction starts two hours after the ball begins. We're even.

  I pocketed the mask in my coat, letting the lightning fade. — According to the order of things, Nessa. Keep an eye on your people, because next time I won't be so patient with their presence in my vicinity.

  I returned to the "Golden Griffin" shortly after my meeting with Nessa. The tavern I had restored in the morning gleamed with cleanliness, though the echo of the night's events still lingered in the air. Elena stood behind the bar, wiping mugs almost mechanically. The moment I crossed the threshold, her gaze immediately nded on me – I saw a mix of relief and growing anxiety in her eyes about what I had announced.

  — I'm here — I threw out shortly, approaching the counter. — Everything is ready. We can move.

  Elena set the mug down, wiping her hands on her apron. — Dave... do we really have to do this? Maybe I'll just go in my best dress? I have this one, dark green, for holidays....

  — No — I cut in calmly but firmly. — What you have suits a tavern, not the Marquis's estate. If you're going in there as my plus one, we need to take care of your presentation. It's a logical part of my pn.

  Taking off her apron, Elena sighed, but didn't argue. We went outside. Oakhaven's commercial district was bustling with life at this hour, but as we walked down the main thoroughfare, the crowd instinctively parted before us. People sensed the weight of my will, even if I tried to suppress it.

  I stopped in front of the "Atelier de Soie". Elena braked sharply just before the threshold.

  — Dave, no... daughters of barons dress here! One dress costs more silver here than I'll make in a whole year — she whispered, almost trying to turn back.

  — How much silver they ask for it is irrelevant — I answered, opening the door for her. — Enter.

  Inside smelled of vender and expensive powder. The boutique owner, an elegant woman with a cold gaze, approached us with the clear intention of dismissing the "plebs," but the moment she met my eyes, her aura instantly cracked. She felt the pressure of my presence and suddenly became unnaturally polite, almost groveling in a bow.

  — My good dy, I need something that will match my companion's beauty. Spare no expense on the best materials, I'll take care of the weaves your needle won't touch.

  For the next hour, Elena stood before a rge mirror while seamstresses bustled around her with bolts of silk. I saw her face slowly change in the reflection – fear and intimidation giving way to pure fascination. When she finally emerged from the fitting room in a tailored, dark sapphire gown that shimmered like the night sky with every movement, even the warp of the air around her seemed to smooth out. She looked perfect. Her figure finally gained a setting worthy of the Lady of the House.

  — Dave... I... — she began, looking at herself in the mirror in disbelief. — I've never felt so... beautiful. It's almost unreal.

  — It's not unreal. It's simply the restoration of the proper order — I corrected her, pcing an amount of silver on the counter that silenced any questions from the owner. — Pack this up and deliver it to the "Golden Griffin".

  As we stepped out into the crisp evening air, Elena still seemed dazed. — Why are you doing this, Dave? This is all... this is too much for an ordinary tavern keeper.

  — I already told you: I'm building foundations for a new enterprise — I answered, looking at the setting sun over Oakhaven. — And you are a part of it. Tomorrow at the de Valois estate, everyone will see that I didn't come there to beg for anything. I came to take what I consider mine.

  I locked myself in my room, leaving Elena with her new garments and a whirlwind in her head. I couldn't go to the de Valois estate in traveler's clothes. It was a masquerade ball for Oakhaven's elite, and I intended to enter there as someone who dictates the terms, not begs for them

  I sat at the table and focused on the warp of matter. Using a combination of Light and Dark, I began to weave my own attire. This wasn't the work of an ordinary tailor – it was shaping the foundations of essence. Instead of ordinary cloth, I used condensed darkness, which I contoured into a tailored, bck outfit. The material had a unique warp – it seemed to absorb the candlelight rather than reflect it. I added subtle, sapphire piping on the cuffs and colr, which smoldered with a faint light, reacting to the pulse of my will. Aethelgard rested on my finger in the form of a signet ring, ready to be summoned to its true form instantly

  When I put on the silver mask I had received from Nessa, I saw someone in the mirror who didn't belong to this world. I saw the Creator.

  — Tomorrow, Marquis, we'll see how durable your treasury is — I muttered to my own reflection.

  That's when I noticed it. My reflection in the mirror... didn't move at the exact same moment I did. There was a minimal, almost imperceptible dey, as if the image in the pane of gss couldn't keep up with my will.

  I froze, and my sapphire eyes fred as I focused my gaze on the order of reality around me. With my power, such a phenomenon was illogical and impossible. Unless... the world around me had begun to tremble under the pressure of a foreign will. Someone or something was trying to forcefully slow my movements to match the measure of this kingdom. Or, even worse, the mirror had ceased to be a mirror and had become a window for someone who was afraid to face me directly but couldn't stop spying on me.

  I clenched my fist, feeling the darkness of my new outfit ripple slightly.

  — I see you — I whispered to the smooth pane of gss. — And I advise you to stop blinking. Because the st time you blink, I'll be the one you see on the other side.