“Crazy, this is too crazy…”
He didn’t even have the appetite to eat—immediately leaving the lounge.
“Joyce and Cassia are probably worried now…”
If he had to be honest, his changes ever since the Crimson Ritual Incident were already enough to make them look at him strangely. None of them were fully aware of what had happened in the plaza—he had purposefully lied and said that he was left unconscious during the entire incident.
But still, it was hard to justify the small changes in his personality. The best excuse he could come up with was the time he spent in the Beyond… After all, astral projecting for that long was prone to cause issues due to the anima present there.
“Whatever…” There were enough things to care about, and this wasn’t one of them.
He rolled across the bed and stared at the ceiling—his hands holding tightly to the only items that seemed to hold evidence of Gunther’s existence: the wand and the cracked spellfocus bracelet.
If he didn’t have these items with him, he would have started questioning whether that whole experience was nothing more than an illusion.
But it was real.
Soren had truly visited Gunther’s Store.
“That bastard still has my money too…” His coin pouch was still missing 1000 Lorins.
Sighing, he lifted himself up and reached for his Soul Weapon. The pages turned on their own, revealing the information he chronicled for the wand.
Minor Silverlight Spire (Magecraft)
A spellfocus created for members of the Silver Moon Monastery. Embedded with a philosopher’s stone that has the capacity of 3,000 Channels of Willpower—useful for those in the 3rd circle and below. Found in the lower sanctum of the Avalon Ruins by ??? on the 134th of Vyak, year 1336.
His frown deepened as he read the description. Aside from the fact that he had never heard of the Silver Moon Monastery, the brief mention of ??? only added on the mystery of Gunther’s existence.
[Eyes of the Fairy] obtains its information from the Beyond, meaning most of the descriptions were things that the Beyond itself has represented within itself throughout history. Some aspects of history were more clearer than others, so the descriptions he chronicles reflect that.
But it seems in this case, even though the Beyond has understood the history of the wand being found within the Avalon Ruins, the identity of the person who found it was not represented. This could only mean one thing:
Gunther had the ability to permanently erase all representations of him within the Beyond… permanently.
His sigh deepened as he rested his Soul Weapon next to him.
“What now?”
The parting words Gunther left him still resonated. There was obviously a choice to be made here.
Should he listen to Gunther’s advice and seek to climb Mount Tolarion, or should he ignore it…
The answer was obviously tied to fate. Gunther’s words about the mess he had made by twisting the flow of the current orbits proved this to him. But at the same time, he wasn’t sure if he could trust that old man anymore…
Why would he erase his own existence from the world, and make even his own beloved daughter forget him? How can he be so cruel?
But aside from that, would reaching the summit even equate to a good or bad result? Would the answer he obtains from there even be helpful? Gunther only left him a suggestion, but never told him whether it was beneficial or not…
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After all, his journey was only really meant to be a desperate search for another Abstract Rune to merge with. He only had five months left to resolve that issue. There was also the fact that aside from the Bind magecraft spell, Soren had nothing else to cast…
Bind was a spell Tazzith had granted him to go along with the Wards affinity, but negotiating for more spellforms would have only made the contract less favorable to him. Wards as an affinity was fairly common after all, so Soren decided it was best to search for a grimoire on his own.
“There’s already so much to do…” And now, his pilgrimage might have to be extended even further.
His plans for the journey were still not very concrete. There was the option of skipping the Feylith Forest by passing through the Tethys Sea into the Sinlar Kingdom and from there, journeying across the Eclipse Moor and possibly reaching the famed Runic Mountains…
He could also theoretically try his luck in the Feylith Forest, as one of the dungeons there was said to have a Dungeon Door that leads directly to the Eclipse Moor… But it was an extremely perilous journey since it encroached on the H’aavast Tribe Lands.
By far the most favorable location however would be the Selkie Federation’s magic academy, Luvinica. Not only would it give him a better chance at finding grimoires, but the extensive knowledge there could lead him to finding the perfect Abstract Rune to merge with.
There were so many options to consider… But if he were to take Gunther’s advice, the correct path would be to head North, either through the Staterra Kingdom or the Selkie Federation…
Just as he was about to ponder even more deeply, he heard a faint knock on his door. Soren tilted his head and frowned.
“Come in.”
The door opened—Cassia holding tightly to the brim of her cone hat showed herself through the crack. A slight frown masking her face.
“Did something happen today? You’ve been off since the vigil.”
Soren sighed. “No, I am… fine. I think.”
“That didn’t sound very confident.”
“.....”
Soren rubbed his temples. “Look, I… There is a decision I need to make and it's weighing really heavily on me, that’s all.”
Cassia tilted her head—her frown deepening.
“What… kind of decision?”
Soren took a deep breath. “I plan to leave Celestine Citadel.”
“Huh?!”
He reaffirmed, “I am planning to go on a pilgrimage across the continent. I haven’t really decided on where to go yet and I didn’t know how to break the news so…”
“Wait,” Cassia interrupted. “Is this about your Soul Weapon’s corruption?”
“Yes,” he nodded.
“But why now? You still have about 10 more months…”
“Five months, actually.” He corrected.
“Wait what?!”
Soren nodded. “Something… happened. My Epoch Star will move again in five months.”
He saw her jaw drop slightly but she quickly regained her composure. Cassia leaned against the wall and sighed. “When did you find out about this?”
“Two weeks ago.”
“And you didn’t tell me?!”
Soren stayed silent. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t see where she was coming from… Not only was she responsible for his teachings, but as her assistant, he had also grown somewhat attached to her presence. Every experiment and runological study was always made easier with her guidance.
In a way, aside from the mistress herself, Cassia was like a teacher to him. And she too most likely shared that perspective.
Since that incident, he had been meaning to break the news to her and everyone else, but he was unsure of how they’d react. It was only now, after what he’d experienced at Gunther’s Shop, that he finally decided it was best to do so.
Gunther’s parting words had left him in an anxious state… After witnessing the chilling effects his meddling with fate had created in the Crimson Ritual, Soren had grown more hesitant with its cruel dealings… And now, he was once again given an ultimatum he knew he couldn’t ignore or wait out. He had to make a decision soon, and act on it.
“You don’t have to worry about me,” he said plainly. “Although my understanding of magecraft hasn’t fully reached the 1st Circle, I feel that I am on the precipice of it.”
“Oh?” She crossed her arms with a suspicious look. “And why is that?”
Soren simply smiled. He couldn’t tell her that he had been experimenting with Affinity Mixing during his spare time.
Seeing that he wasn’t answering, Cassia sighed again. “Fine, it doesn’t seem like I can stop you. But as your senior in the guild, I want you to listen to this request at least.
“Only leave a week from now.”
Soren tilted his head, “Why a week specifically?”
“Because that’s when Myrin and the others will be returning from the expedition. And besides, don’t you need some time to prepare anyway?”