(She really does sleep without a care in the world…)
After getting into the small town Alex and Lia quickly found a cheap inn where Lia could get some food, then promptly after she had eaten what seemed like two person's worth of food did she pass out in bed with a happy expression on her face. While Lia's body needed sleep, Alex's didn't have such need and thus he spent his time refining the control over his body and making sure that Lia didn't have any nightmares by occasionally glancing at her face.
While spending time like this was a nice change from Alex's previous life, he still couldn't just adjust to it over just a few days. In Alex's previous life he had been quite active all the time, growing up in the slumps of a corporate state Alex developed that state of mind to stay alive. Even when he had established himself a criminal empire did that instinct not leave him, so every couple of months he would entirely reorganize his empire, a habit which un doughtily allowed his organization to grow to the size it had at his death.
(I wonder if those goons maintained the organization after I was ousted?... Nah, they properly just looted everything of value and spent it in a matter of weeks.)
While Alex didn't resent his former associates for acting that way (as he would most likely have done the same in their shoes) he would still most likely kill them if he ever met one in this world.
Alex was the kind of person who could kill people without any emotion behind it, sometimes it was just what needed to be done.
Continuing to play around with modifying his body Alex started to get bored of it around midnight, in the span of just a few hours he had developed multiple new weapons and tools to use both in battle and in everyday life, it was at that moment when his concentration broke that he sensed something strange.
(What is that smell?...)
Completely losing focus on whatever he had been doing up until that point Alex got up from the bed where he sat and walked over towards the door of his room in a way which made it seem like he was in a trance.
(Something really delicious is nearby.)
Not being a man of patience or restraint Alex made sure Lia was still sleeping before he put on his cloak and sneaked outside, finding an empty hallway with countless rooms like his on both sides.
(Now where it is coming from?)
Not taking the time to smell which direction the sweet aroma came from Alex first walked a few steps in the one direction, then back and a few steps the other way.
(It's stronger over here.)
Guided by his sense of 'smell' Alex made his way from the second story hallway all the way up to the 4th floor where all the more expensive rooms were located. With the sent getting even stronger up there Alex did his best to restrain himself as he sought out the location of the aroma, but still, he failed to completely hide the sounds of his steeps due to his impatience. As Alex was about to reach the end of the hallway, one of the doors at the end opened without a sound as if inviting him inside.
(Well, don't mind if I do.)
But before Alex could enter, someone walked out of the room and glanced at him with hostility.
It was a tall figure hidden mostly by a cloak in the same fashion Alex did, but unlike Alex and his cloak made of rags, the tall figure was clad in what was surely first class wares, appropriate for one who slept in one of the most expensive rooms this inn had to offer.
"What do you want?"
With an aggressive sounding voice which was muffled as the figure wore a strange mask, Alex was made clearly aware that the figure was taking a fighting position, the sound of their breath, the positioning of their feet.
"Woah calm down, I was just curious that's all. I mean no harm miss."
And of course, he could also tell that the figure was a woman, not because of anything perverted, but due to the occupation he had held in his previous life.
"... What are you?"
Reacting strangely to his voice, Alex could tell that she focused on ascertaining his identity while he confirmed for himself that it was her who had that nice smell lingering about her.
"I don't want anything, I just sensed something up here and found myself uncontrollably drawn to it… Perhaps it was your beautiful voice miss."
"Stop messing around and answer me."Responding harshly to Alex's attempt to make friends the woman took another step forward as she ruffled with something underneath her cloak.
"I sensed chaos so I thought I had met a comrade, please excuse my late visit."
Switching to a more believable lie Alex was about to make his retreat when the masked woman surprisingly backed off herself.
"So you are a fellow mage? Then just say so from the start."
Leaving Alex behind the mage walked back to her room, then instead of closing the door behind her, she peaked out like she was inviting him inside. Gambling on the fact that the mage wanted to talk and not lead him into an ambush Alex followed behind and entered the mage's room just as she lit a lantern and took a seat. The masked mage's room was radically different to the closet with two beds which Alex and Lia had rented, being about 4 times the size it was filled with expensive looking furniture, the fanciest of which was the massive bed and the exuberant reading chair which the mage had sat herself down in.
"Come take a seat."
While the masked mage's voice still sounded cold and aggressive, it now contained a considerably decreased amount of outright hate which Alex understood as her at least attempting to be a bit accommodating.
"Then please excuse this intrusion."
In truth, Alex really hated speaking in such a fancy manner, but instead of possibly angering important parties he spoke with, his general disdain was a small price to pay. Taking a seat in one of the other chairs around what appeared to be a small coffee table Alex made sure that his cloak stuck somewhat close to his body so he wouldn't accidentally reveal his body to the mage.
"Now, what do you want?"
Placing a gloved hand on what was revealed to be an intricately carved black wooden mask, the mage seemed to remain inpatient, even after she herself had invited Alex inside her room.
"Not much really, it's not often I meet a fellow mage so I thought I would pay my respects seeing how new I am to all this."
Quickly fabricating a smooth sounding and plausible sounding lie Alex took a second to adjust his seating, then be gave a short bow as he introduced himself as he started 'eating' the chaos which was covering the mage in a dense layer.
"My name is Alex, may I have the pleasure of knowing your name miss?"
"You may not. So, Alex, was it? What kind of spells to you specialize in?"
Remaining extremely cold towards Alex's attempts of lighting the mood, the masked mage basically started interrogating him, something Alex didn't really mind as he took that chance to 'eat' as much as possible.
"I strengthen my own body to strike down those I do not like, I'm currently travelling while making use of that skill."
Continuing with his lies Alex built up a character while the masked mage asked him a sling of questions, the only reason the mage didn't seem to outright spot those lies was because of Alex's skills he had kept from his former life, but also because he had done some research on the topic of mages.
Although said 'research' was nothing more than just asking Lia a bunch of questions about mages and coming to an internal conclusion about a broad stereotype of mages, then answering along the lines of those stereotypes.
"So? What's your atonement?"
Arriving at what seemed like her final question the mage asked something which made Alex hesitant to answer. From what Lia had told him, an atonement was what people called the 'price' they paid to chaos in exchange for spells, among mages it was something which they normally guarded with their lives.
The severity of a person's atonement could range in severity all the way from something as simple to physical pain and constant nightmares all the way to instant death and perpetual torment in the form of extremely cruel curses depending on the scope of the magic used. But an atonement wasn't something inherently negative to mages, the difference between mages who devoted their lives to understanding chaos and those who simply cast magic and paid the price was in how they treated their atonement. For normal people, atonement was just a sometimes terrible price one paid for power, but for mages, atonement was a source of power. While constant nightmares or intense physical pain was something more sane people believed to be kind of torment, the mages believed to be a power worth striving for. Pain could be a powerful motivator and constant and unending nightmares could be a way to teach one's body not to need sleep and so on. Once a mage's atonement manifested they would spend the rest of their lives turning it into a strength, and therefore mages tended to live extremely short but powerful lives.
"... It's my skin, something is eating it."
Showing just the tip of his one finger Alex created a story where some sort of thing had covered most of his body and slowly ate away at his skin every time he used a spell. The reason that he went so far in his lies was to extend his stay at this mage's room, for every second which passed, Alex continued to grow stronger as he fed on the chaos which surrounded the mage.
"Now that I have told you so much about myself please tell me something about you miss, could you please tell me your name?"
As it seemed like the mage had no more questions to ask, Alex flipped the roles and started asking about her instead, something which made the mage start to laugh quietly beneath her mask.
"What's so funny?"
"What? Are you not aware 'Alex' I've known you're not a mage since the start."
With an extremely cold sounding voice, the masked mage revealed her hand.
"Really? That is actually quite funny now that you pointed it out… Could you tell me where I went wrong?"
Instead of trying to defend himself Alex easily admitted defeat, something which the masked mage found quite fascinating. After all, she was unaware that Alex had already eaten his fill and was thus satisfied with his little visit.
"Sure, I can at least do that much. Strengthening one's body is universal for all mages, saying you are focusing on that aspect reveals you know nothing about chaos."
"That was a good learning experience, thanks for teaching me the error of my ways."
Offering a slight bow Alex stood up to leave, but before was allowed to do that he was surrounded by some sort of strange light and when the light disappeared he found himself in the middle of the highway outside the town he had stayed in.
"... So chaos can be used like that too? Interesting."
Looking around to find his way Alex didn't notice the small bee like insects which laid dead around him, seemingly in a perfect hexagon. Having found his bearings, Alex spent a large part of the remaining night sneaking back into town, but at least he wasn't bored for the moment.
-
"What a fool."
Back at the inn the masked mage lowered her outstretched arm after she had sent off the rude intruder, convinced he was nothing but an annoyance the mage didn't even seem to notice the slight smile which had formed under her mask.
(Huh? It doesn't hurt?)
At the moment she was far more flustered by the fact that her atonement which usually came with agonizing pain didn't manifest, even after using a complicated transport spell.