The sound of chimes rang upon opening the door. We're greeted by Alexandra's thousand-watt smile.
"Hello, again~!" Alexandra greeted us.
"Hello." I greeted back.
"Steph and I already talked things out. No need to worry about it. Now, let's talk about payment. I already discussed it with Steph, but as a business, I can't afford to give you two discounts. If you expected it because of Steph, sorry to disappoint you but I also need to make a living."
"Okay... What a strange way to start the conversation..."
"I just want to clarify things first because people always misunderstood my behavior all the time. Being friendly with someone you knew, doesn't mean I'll give you discounts okay?"
"Okay...?" Erik answered, instead of me.
"Let her be," Stephanie interjected.
"I don't see anything wrong with it since she's making reasonable valid points," I said.
"See, Steph? There's nothing wrong with it. It's not disrespectful to customers since I'm being honest."
"I don't have any problem with it. The problem was how you say it. The tone of your voice makes you sound arrogant. It's been a complaint on you by my other classmates because you kept telling it to them every time they buy something here."
"It's basically my catchphrase at this point." Alexandra flashed a smile.
"That doesn't make it better." Stephanie retorted.
"I know." Alexandra winked at Stephanie.
Stephanie expressed her dissatisfaction through her eyes, but Alexandra wasn't fazed by it. Alexandra ignored Stephanie completely, as her gaze shifted to me. "Shall we talk about the payment?"
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After paying for everything, Alexandra watched us with a huge smile. Something about her smile irks me. She's not showing a condescending smile or being smug, yet it feels annoying to look at.
"Thank you again for choosing Aleco, I hope to hear from you again soon! It's my pleasure doing business with you!" Alexandra said with a big smile on her face.
"Thank you, Alexandra,"
"It's a pleasure doing business with you as always, Steph." Alexandra waves her right hand to us, as we leave her shop. Then she followed it up with. "If you're all free next time, come and join me for dinner next time."
"We'll do," Stephanie replied with a bright smile on her face.
Stephanie's bright and genuine expression left a smile on my face too. Because of my face, Stephanie locked her gaze on me. "Stop staring with that stupid face of yours."
"Am I not allowed?"
"Yes."
"Okay." I flashed a smile.
Stephanie's expression toward Alexandra reminded me of Ms. Sheep back in the guild, her mentor. Ms. Sheep was a warm-hearted person that helped Stephanie grow as a person over the years.
I opened the pouch to check the contents; five bottles of unknown grade potions, stones with a runic letter engraved on them, an amulet, herbs, and lastly, the same powder that I've seen last time which has already been explained to me. However, a strange wooden spherical item was inside of the pouch mixed along with the other contents.
"What's this?" I showed it to Stephanie.
"Do we throw this at someone's face?" Erik added.
"What?" I shifted my gaze to Erik, filled with confusion.
"I mean, look at it, it's hard enough to be thrown at someone's face."
"Now that you mention it... It probably is."
"No..." Stephanie interjected with her lukewarm expression. "That's an emergency item that you plant under the soil, in case of an emergency like getting lost because it's hard to navigate through the harsh environment inside. This sends some sort of mana signal to the station, mostly used when in case a person accidentally entered a restricted area or when they're lost."
'Hm... Is that the Purple Zone?' I thought.
The restricted areas of the dungeon are known as the "Purple Zone". In the game, it was called "Purple Zone" because that's the area where lies the "Minos Stone". It was mentioned in a dialogue between the protagonist and... Rona. She's the heroine who will join Shin in his first action inside the dungeon, a senior of Shin from his hometown that's also attending the academy.
"Master~" Suddenly, Tsuki emerged on my shoulder in her cat form.
"Oh, Tsuki, hello. How's the nap?"
"The best~!" Tsuki's cheeks caressed against mine while replying.
I did the same and also made me forget the question that I wanted to ask Stephanie.
"Oh, you~" Seeing Tsuki's bright smile warmed my heart.
"I missed Master, nyaa~"
"Me too." I flashed a smile.
Our warm interaction was abruptly disturbed by the gazes of people surrounding us. I don't know why they're looking at me, but something about their warm gazes pisses me off—for some reason, I can't describe. Then I saw Erik and Stephanie staring at me. The corner of Stephanie's mouth was jerking up, slowly forming into a smile. I ignored it and continued petting Tsuki.
We're now back in the bustling street of the town, or should I say, the area where the liveliest part of the town is. Unlike the street where Erik and I wandered off earlier. There were children playing in the street. Some of them had their glistening eyes fixated on Tsuki, yet not a single attempt to approach us. Those kids made me recall the earlier events involving the blacksmith's son.
I wonder what happened to him?
Then a heavy sensation crawled on my back. It's a familiar feeling...
It's approaching at an alarming rate.
"You guys feel that?" I asked.
And before I could turn around it—
"Ha~ha♪ Honey~♥"
"Kuh!" I almost kissed the ground.
"Mou~ You left me alone, yesterday~ Don't ever do that~ Now, you need to compensate for all the time we're not together... every second of it... every second of our life is precious. Therefore, I'll stay with you for the entire month, not leaving your side~" Rosalyn said in a playful manner that could be treated as a joke; however, she was absolutely serious.
'Yo, all of her inner thoughts are slipping out!' I thought.
I coughed.
"How were you able to find me?"
"Intuition." Rosalyn delightfully replied.
'Liar, someone told you.' I thought.
Stephanie and I locked gazes with each other. Sympathy was reflected in Stephanie's eyes. Who can blame her? It's her friend that's currently in a state of... State of what? Turmoil? Craziness? Can I even call it that?
A hot, wet sensation tickled the back of my neck slithering down my entire body. A few seconds later, it became hotter and hotter. It made my heart skip a beat. And next to us, Erik and the other passerby had their eyes on us. We're still in the center of the bustling street of the town, thus we have become the main center of attention.
"Okay, that's going overboard," Stephanie said, suddenly, my back became lighter. Looking behind, I saw Rosalyn sitting around my waist and having a staredown with Stephanie.
"Rosalyn. Stop acting like a little child. I'd like to help you as your friend, but first, please act rationally like a normal person." Stephanie said out of concern for her friend. She's looking at Rosalyn like a mother would to her child.
"Your friend? I don't need friends! I only have Claude in my life!" Rosalyn responded bluntly and tightened her clutch.
"That's sweet of you but—" I added.
Suddenly, I felt a cold shivering sensation slithering down my spine yet again, after I saw Stephanie's eyebrows furrowed for a split second.
"Let's go somewhere else. We're garnering too much unnecessary attention." Stephanie politely said.
Rosalyn ignored her, yet once I said it. "I, 100% agree with you. Let's go somewhere else, okay, Rosalyn?"
"Okay♥" Rosalyn flashed a smile that captivated the hearts of men.
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"I'll stay here and wait."
"Thanks, Erik." I thanked Erik.
We moved to a nearby quiet alley, slightly further away from everyone. Earlier, when we were walking, Rosalyn was clinging to my arm as if her life depended on it. Once we were in the clear, Stephanie folded her arms and sighed exasperatedly.
"Rosalyn," Stephanie called Rosalyn.
Rosalyn responded with a cold gaze.
The atmosphere between Stephanie and Rosalyn was somewhat conflicting because Rosalyn was showing animosity toward Stephanie, yet, Stephanie was showing the opposite. Then there's Erik, who just got caught by our dilemma, standing at the distance. He's giving us some privacy which is admiring of him. Lastly, there's me, caught between the two.
Tsuki jumped on the top of my head. She made my head her resting place. Tsuki had become too mellow or too lax, lately, unlike what I've been used to seeing—she hasn't been acting childish lately, and I kind of miss that. Nevertheless, Tsuki is still the same loving cat that I met the first time. I continued petting her, forgetting my current situation.
"Where do I even start...? Today is not your day." Stephanie pinched the bridge of her nose.
"You're just trying to separate me from Claude. I did a good job! I deserve to be rewarded today!" Rosalyn bit her lower lip and hid her face behind my back, refusing to respond nor listen anymore. Her attention quickly diverted and returned back to me, as she flashed her usual bright smile at me.
'Good job?' I thought.
I gave Stephanie a brief glance to check on her, needless to say, she was just shaking her head sideways in disappointment. "Rosalyn..." she said.
At that moment, it hit me. The more I tolerate Rosalyn's behavior toward me, the more she'll be difficult to handle in the future. Her behavior stems from the day her mental broke down. The day Shin accidentally groped her... And I became the somewhat scapegoat of the situation...
She might've her brain melted that day from all the stress, especially when it was examination day. Obviously, I already had a discussion with the sly bird, but I don't believe him since he views the twins as vessels and nothing more. Vessels that will benefit him and his people. Therefore, I don't trust a single word that came out of his twisted mouth.
"Can't you talk to Stephanie more gently?" I gently said.
"Do you love her more than me?!"
"Yeah." I blurted out my honest thoughts.
"Why? Why? Why? Was it because you met her first before me?! You kept denying my advances! It's like you don't want me at all! Why?! I'm more beautiful than her and loved you more than her! You kept denying me... denying... Why? Why? Why?"
"Claude!" Stephanie yelled.
"Oh... My bad." I replied nonchalantly.
"Why can't you just look at me? I know that you wanted and loved me from the first time our eyes met. The world told me that you're the one meant to me. But now, why can't you...? I did my best to discipline my brother for you, so he wouldn't approach Stephanie anymore! But why?!"
Rosalyn glared at both Stephanie and me. "I'm considerate enough to accept the woman around you... That I can't have you for myself because that's what makes you happy... But if they're the reason why you won't accept me..."
"Whoa, whoa whoa...!" Stephanie exclaimed.
'Things escalated so quickly...'
Rosalyn's sharp amber eyes gleamed like the sun, burning with hostility toward Stephanie. Stephanie felt threatened by her glaring eyes, so her spirit also got alarmed and manifested in front of her. It was a small adorable beast with its fur and tail perking up, protecting its master against a monster. The situation escalated more quickly than I anticipated.
"R-Rosalyn?!" Stephanie exclaimed.
"Krrrr—!" Rosalyn's body was drastically heating up.
Therefore, I cast twelve tiny magic circles around me all pointing at me and also, setting up a barrier trapping Rosalyn and me inside. "Don't you dare," I said coldly.
Rosalyn's entire body jerked up, her quivering eyes were staring at me.
I crossed my arms together and rested my back against the wall.
'Wait, her eyes are dilating... She's losing herself again. Something will happen, I need to de-escalate the situation... What if I do that? It's worth a try.' I thought.
Rosalyn didn't utter a word nor budged. The mana accumulating around Rosalyn was going out of control, adding the terrifying heat. Her unstable emotions are really a pain in the ass to deal with. I leaned forward, locking eyes with her. From the look on her face and dilated eyes, the state of her mind was in disarray. Therefore, no matter what I say, she won't be able to understand it.
I grabbed Tsuki by the neck, placing her on top of Rosalyn's head then I leaned closer to her ears and whispered. "Call upon my name... Call upon her name... Call upon our name... Rosalyn Mora... Heed our presence."
Then Tsuki released some sort of smoke around her which essentially calmed Rosalyn down. Rosalyn's dilated amber fury eyes returned back to normal and the tense air surrounding her finally eased out. Stephanie's spirit also calmed down, staring intently at Tsuki. In order to calm Rosalyn down or wake her up, Tsuki sent some sort of shockwave in the outer part of Rosalyn's soul that can momentarily cut off the mana to Rosalyn's body. Tsuki carefully did that without affecting the "Thread of Life" of Rosalyn. Needless to say, everything has repercussions.
I momentarily lost consciousness afterward...
Once I opened my eyes, I found myself floating in an empty space of nothingness. Next to me, I also found Tsuki in her human form. "Master~"
"Thank you so much. This is enough, you can now go back. I'll be taking it from here." I said softly, patting her head.
"Okay, Master~!" Tsuki's body began crumbling like dry leaves until all that remained was my hand.
Following that, I looked up ahead in the emptiness and waited. Amidst the emptiness of the place, a shaft of light illuminated through the darkness, and a silhouette emerged in the middle. The silhouette gradually approached forward.
"The Warden," I muttered solemnly.
The Warden, the protector of souls, the incorporeal being that maintains the order of the world. A supreme being feared by many gods in Avalon. Why did it appear here? Simple. I violated Gaia's law by tampering with Rosalyn's soul. It's not a simple thing like obstructing the flow of mana from her soul to her body, but rather, temporarily obstructing the flow of Gaia's mana to Rosalyn's soul. I literally tampered with nature itself, thus the Warden's arrival.
Its arrival also answered a lot of Diana's conjecture. She thought we could disrupt the contract bond between the phoenix and the twins in order to separate the two by disconnecting Gaia's mana flow to their soul and replacing it with my quintessence to control the twin's soul, and also the phoenix. The situation was perfect for us to execute this plan since Rosalyn's unstableness disrupted the mana inside her soul. But to my dismay, another problem arises, the Warden's interference made it impossible since fighting it in my current state is only asking for death.
(It really did appear.)
(It's expected. So, as of right now, we will withdraw and think of another plan. With our current strength, we don't stand a chance.) Diana replied.
I stretched my palm to my right. The Warden raised its lance in the air, sending it to my location with a spiraling motion. Thereafter, I punctured into the emptiness with my fist and a spatial gateway manifested out of thin air. I promptly dragged myself into it, evading the Warden's attack and leaving the place completely. I'm confident enough that the Warden wouldn't be able to catch me as I'm merely an outsider of this world, plus it can't intervene in any affairs in the material world
It's difficult to think of a way to deal with Rosalyn because from how feeble her mental is right now, the outcome will surely have a significant impact on her life.
Seeking salvation through the world of imagination.
Ignorant of reality to cope with unfortunate circumstances.
It's normal for people to have deluded fantasies, but there's a limit, or else, it will be too late.
Some of them survive, but some of them don't.
The harsh reality of the conscious minds.
The harsh reality of what every individual needs to overcome.
Accept reality for what it is, a radical acceptance.
The existence of the phoenix inside them was like a plague that was slowly eating their sanity. My groundless conjectures can be the detriment to the twin's life, yet doing nothing is worse. Of course, recklessness is not an option.
Lingering questions like...
What if I managed to successfully extract the phoenix or kill it?
Will the twins die from it? Are their souls merged like us?
How mighty is the phoenix?
Can I even take control?
Would it be easier to defeat the Warden or the Phoenix?
Can we even defeat them?