Trace put his fingers on the corner of the poeclein box. Four small circular spaces for holding the fingers were present on either side. Just as the mana flow began, stripes of lights emerged on the box.
Kaiser was standing towards the side, looking at the box. He nodded slightly towards Trace, but did not speak.
As the time passed, more and more lines emerged on the box. But Trace's head felt more and more heavy. And soon he opened his eyes.
"I can't figure out how this works," Trace looked apologetically towards Kaiser.
"Only weak struggle, in my life was no suffering because I was strong. Come back when you have the ability," Kaiser shook his head.
Trace asked and gave it another try. The box lit again but nothing special happened. Instead his head started hurting more.
After closing his eyes, Trace even tired to send his senses directly inside the box. He even tried directly entering the top of the box but was unable. A mist was blocking his path.
First the stone at Pearl Moon Market, than the lamp and now this box. Three mists but I think the mist in the stone was different somehow, Trace thought. But the thinking only made his headache worse. So, Trace decided to leave and promised to come back again.
After Trace left, Kaiser put the porcelain box back. The room was dimly lit but one could tell that this place was full of objects of different sizes and shapes.
"Only forty years have passed for me, only forty years have passed for me since you left to find the cure but for you, Ling'er... I cannot imagine the pain."
…
Trace jumped down from the ladder and a surge of pain rushed to his head. Exhaling a deep breath, he walked towards the street. He waited in the shadows to count the coins on him.
Only 1000 [1-Kin] worth of coins left. That meant 2 [5-Cava] coins or 10 kilometers of travel. He was unsure how far from Coiling Cradle Street this place was. The worth of the gold card offered by Ergon Franke washed him in regret.
Trace opened a small notebook and slowly walked back on the path from which he came here. The problem with carriages was that up to 5 kilometers price was fixed at 1 [5-Cava] coin. Thus even after realizing he was close to home Trace could not bear to take a carriage.
"Master, I am back."
A bright light hit Trace's eyes. He closed them and walked around the room and threw his body on the sofa. With eyes closed, he narrated the day to his master. Soon, the pain in his head lessened.
"Any customers, master?"
"Not yet, the agency was only opened yesterday. It will take time for people to realize that something so great exists in real life," Master sighed.
The warmth from the sofas filled Trace's body and in the coziness he slipped into sleep. When he opened his eyes, he was sleeping on a bed. At the side was food packed in a thermo-box that kept food hot.
After finishing food, Trace took the stairs to the second floor. The looked outside the window then at the time on the clock. His master was still sitting on the chair. But the hair covering Master's eyes made it difficult to tell if he was sleeping.
"Master, what should I do?"
"It is never too late if the person is still waiting," Master said.
Trace nodded happily and went out of the shop. Climbing down the stairs, he walked towards the west. His one hand was inside the pocket tightly gripping a key.
…
Gladly the gate was not locked from the inside. Trace walked through the garden and tried to open the door of the house. It is closed!
Trace stood there for a while, he looked around. The night was still, in silence. Without any warning the door opened but only wide enough to see a face behind.
Eimi's emerald eyes were almost peering at Trace. If she would bent only a little, they would be standing on equal heights.
"What do you want so late in the night?" Eimi questioned.
"I am sorry for being late," Trace said.
Eimi stared at Trace for a while before slowly opening the door. When the door was opened a gust fragrance escaped the room. On the table were glass containers highlighting colorful round pearls inside.
"So?" Eimi looked towards Trace.
"Let's go to the veranda…" Trace said.
"I am sleepy," Eimi said plainly.
You slept comfortably there the other day, Trace thought in his mind but didn't dare to speak. He laughed wryly in his mind, unsure of what to say next. But quickly thought of something.
"I saw an expensive treasure today, it was a puzzle box and I couldn't open it," he said.
Trace and Eimi were standing relatively close. Only a distance of a meter separated them. Eimi had her arms folded but on hearing about the puzzle box, she extended her arm to grab Trace's hand and led him inside the house.
They climbed the stairs quietly and headed inside one of the rooms above. Eimi lit the lamp after entering the room and suddenly a sparkling space filled their vision.
At the side sat a bed with emerald and white blanket decorated in swirling patterns. Beside the bed was a small table with another lamp, decorated with a vine frame. A large cupboard made of red wood with a mirror was sitting at another end. On the marble floor was a large flower shaped rug.
"Remove your shoes," Eimi ordered.
Trace removed his shoes and kept them beside Eimi's slippers and stepped inside the room. There was a narrow door at one end of the room, windows covered with rose colored curtains. Eimi walked towards the other room, leaving Trace alone.
Every thing in is room is close to a shade of red? Trace thought and looked over Eimi's clothes. She was wearing a red long loose top with bell sleeves and swirling patters on the left shoulder.
Soon Eimi returned with a bird and few stripes of paper in her hands. She instructed Trace to sit on the rug and then sat in front of him. The bird's features was similar to a real one but anyone could tell it was a mechanical bird.
"It's a simple treasure, that can be used to determine quality of mana, roughly," Eimi said.
She put her hands on the bird and stroked it once. She let go of her hand after a minute and the bird flapped its wing. It stayed up in the air for ten seconds then fell onto Eimi's hands.
"Try it," she said.
Trace put his hands over the bird and stroke it once. He looked towards Eimi who was smiling lightly.
"Send man into it until I tell you to," Eimi put her hand over Trace's.
Slowly Trace channeled his mana inside the bird. It's like a talisman, Trace thought. He looked at the bird which was under the two hands. More than a few minute passed before he looked up towards Eimi.
"This will be enough," she said lifting her hand.
"Count how long the bird stay in the air with me, 1, 2, 3…," she quickly added.
"3..5, 6, 7," flustered, Trace counted along with her.
"144 seconds…. But I forgot for how long you were channeling mana into the Reinbird," Eimi said.
The whole process was repeated again, this time they counted from the beginning to the end. After 200 seconds of mana flow, the Reinbird stayed in the air for 43 seconds.
"This is amazing, your mana quality is very good for the third sequence of Level 2. The Reinbird which I made might not match to ones they use at schools but if you compare your mana quality with mine, yours is definitely better. Now let's move to the second step."
Eimi put forward the paper stripes in between Trace and her. The stripes were silver in color and thicker than a piece of paper.
"Can you tell the difference," Eimi asked.
"No," Trace said after careful examination.
"Now gimme your hand."
Eimi said looking down at the paper stripes. She put forward one, then held Trace's hand brining it closer to the paper talisman. And instructed him to channel mana into it. The paper talisman started shining around the edges on receiving mana.
"This is the most basic type of talismans. It activates as soon as your pour mana into it," Eimi said.
She put forward another talisman and directed Trace's hand on it. On instruction, Trace channeled mana into it. But this talisman only shined when Eimi lifted Trace's hand from it.
"The second type, doesn't activate until mana transfer is cut off."
The process was repeated again and again. Eimi would put forward a talisman and guide Trace's hand on it. She smiled occasionally when Trace concentrated on mana transfer.
"Third type, only activated after a certain amount of mana is transferred."
"Fourth, two different veins that can receive mana, mostly used in implementing timers."
"Try to activate this one now."
Trace channeled his mana inside the talisman. On the surface it felt similar to a two veins talisman but the veins branched like roots of a tree. Even after directing mana into all of the 27 veins the talisman did not lit up. Trace looked towards Eimi, who slowly lifted his hand but no results.
"This type requires precise mana transfer."
Eimi put forward her other hand. She pressed the talisman and Trace's hand between her hands. Her eyes were on Trace who was looking down. She smiled and suddenly light rays emerged out from the spaces between their hands.
"Wow, Miss Swirls. How did you do it?"
Eimi's smile lessened and she pulled her hands back. After collecting the paper stripes shaped talisman and the Reinbird, she got up. Giving Trace a stern look she walked away into the adjacent room.
"It was easy for a genius like myself," Eimi said after coming back.
"Can you teach me how to do it?" Trace asked.
"I will do anything in return," he quickly added.
"You shouldn't make fake promises when there are many people who can teach you," she walked towards the cupboard.
"I don't know anyone but you," Trace said honestly.
Eimi stared into the mirror. Precisely, she was starting into the reflection of Trace. After a while she turned back and walked closer to Trace.
"It's a promise you can't make with anyone but me," she extended her hand towards Trace.
Trace nodded and accepted the offer. His hand was grabbed by Eimi and as he tired to get up with the help of her support he experienced a powerful pull.
Horror gripped his heart and he put up this left hand to save his face. The hand touched a hot fabric and pushed back the foam. This time he was throw to the bed instead of the ground.
"Trace, you brat. Get out of here!"