Bie opened his eyes and was met with the sight of a crouching Lapil waving a burning wand in someone's face, and his expression of reverie came to a sudden end. What replaced it was disgust and disdain, and his wistful expression froze into a cold smile and frosty eyes.
"Wow, you took your time? Anyways, I have a gift for you." Lapil gestured with the flaming end of his wand, prodding at the man bound in illusory, shimmering chains. Bie walked up to the two, his disgust becoming even more apparent on his face as his eyebrows started to twitch, though strangely, it was directed toward the figure in cloth.
"Haha, yeah, I imagine you would like a target other than me for once. This here is a Seer, and a pretty nasty one, at that! I'm pretty sure this f*cker VOLUNTEERED to be indoctrinated into whatever 'god' he serves. I even searched him, anddd look what I found!"
Lapil fished around in his top hat with his free hand, pulling out a device that looked like a flip-phone. Flicking the case open, a panel composed of purple energy was transmitted from the screen, its contents readily available to the skeptical Bie.
>Close Renthia, and kill whatever young Guide you see entering it. This is an order from Her Debauchery Vivienne, see to it that it is finished.'
>Reward: The spine of a Silver Wishery
Bie tore his eyes away from the panel and directed it towards the bound man, withdrawing Ekulech from his Inner World as the hand axe silently sung in excitement. His arms turned into a blur as the bearded blade passed through the man, unhindered as it quickly removed his head from his shoulders.
When the man died, a purple thorn poked out of his chest with a feverish glow, laced with the thick miasma of corruption that would disgust any Guide. Bie's pupils turned into white plus sign crosses, other crosses flowing through his topaz yellow irises as a dark smiling maw appeared behind his lower back, and his hands were poised in a crushing gesture.
Lapil's eyes widened, before he waved his wand and Bie was rapidly pushed back, falling onto the ground unceremoniously. When Bie looked at him with irritated eyes, Lapil brought a finger to his lips and collected the head of the man before bringing it to the thorn.
"Don't waste these, these are known as Babel's Thorns. We can use these to refine our Torches and Sconces, as well as other stuff later." The thorn surged for the man's decapitated head, before Lapil withdrew them both into his own Inner World. Bie simply pursed his lips, unimpressed.
"Aren't we doing the exact same thing they're doing to us?" He asked, though before he entered Renthia he wouldn't have cared to ask. This wasn't out of some newfound understanding or exoneration of life, but rather the simple need to satisfy his curiosity. He figured that he might as well know why he was instructed to do something if he was going to do it, and that knowledge may help him reconsider his stance later down the line.
"Exactly. They started this, so we're doing what they do. Hey, it might not be the best, but you should remember that we're at war with them, and that they're invading us." Lapil gave a wry grin, dusting off his hands and unleashing a fit of pent-up coughs. He then grabbed his hat, gave it a shake, and gestured for Bie to enter it, which the young Guide did without much incompliance.
--
In Crossroads, the white realm where Sil manages the Guides.
Bie entered, standing at the countertop as Sil stood there, leaning on his arms. His listless expression was the same as ever, though he did seem to have gotten some rest recently as his pure white face showed the smallest hint of color.
"Congratulations for finishing up Renthia, Bie. Any questions?" He said, pulling in a teacup that reeked of ethanol up to his lips before letting it float in the air. Bie stood there and quickly asked what had been bothering him as of now.
"What happens when we leave the Paths?"
Sil gave him an appraising look, slightly shocked that the kid before him would even bother to ask such a thing. He rubbed his chin, recalling what he had learned a long time ago as he had never had to discuss it since then.
"Well, the actions we've done are not lost. Normally, it results in an offshoot that if significant enough will affect the state of the Path for the next person that enters. If not, it'll be recorded by the Sconce and chronicled, in a way? The reason for that is something you wouldn't be able to do now, anyways, so ask me again when you've hit Realm...A or so. Okay?"
Bie nodded, content with the answer for now. He was deeply worried that his actions were in vain, and that in the end he hadn't done anything for the people he had come to appreciate. This would be acceptable, if it weren't for the fact that he held the Remnants of Uris and Ulun in his Inner World...
"Anyways, your first half of introduction is finished. Next, you'll go to a Path with a group that's been assigned to you. Luckily, it seems you know these people, so it'll be fine. You'll be taken to The Red Quarters by Lapil, alright?"
Bie's expression slightly shifted into one of displeasure, though he kept his temper under control and readily agreed. Sil chuckled a bit when he saw this, his laugh more like the noises of a struggling computer than anything remotely human, but laughter all the same.
"He can be a bit annoying if you don't know him, yeah. I bet you resent him because he's insensitive, too. Still, that guy tries at least?"
The baby blue Guide looked at him in pure befuddlement, wondering exactly what it was that Sil saw that made him defensible. Sil took another sip of his teacup, before continuing once again.
"The person who'll be assigning you to a Path is Cam Ha Zel, the Backstreet King of the Night District, one of our three main factions. You'll probably like him. Lapil won't be watching over you after you meet him, so don't worry."
Bie's face cleared up at this, his expression cheerful once again. He thanked Sil before leaving from the white realm of Crossroads, reappearing near an awkward Lapil and teleporting with him to The Red Quarters as instructed.
Sil sat alone, before materializing a telephone in his hand, the cable affixed to a sage green stretch of languid wind. The voice of a man with a rich yet smooth voice akin to a slow waterfall answered, amusement evident in the way he spoke.
"Sil? I thought you'd be drunk since it's your break right now. Need something?"
"Cam Ha Zel. I need you to get off that bloody pile of yours and come meet the four little ones on their way. Also, please figure out an E realm Path for them to go to, alright?"
"Isn't it normally an F? I'm happy if they're talented, but you don't want to burn them out yeah?"
"One of them has already achieved Conception."
"Wait, WHAT?! Like when we were kids?"
"It's worse, because he's showing signs of the Coagulation as well."
The man on the other side paused, before abruptly hanging up the phone. Sil was completely unbothered, however, instead downing the rest of the contents of his cup, softly humming as he whiled the rest of his break away,