Sky left his soul space and returned to the unfamiliar room, where an old man sat across from him. He wore a fine suit and had a cane propped up against the arm of his chair.
"You took your time. I couldn't tell whether you were asleep or meditating. I couldn't wake you no matter how much noise I made." The old man said with a light chuckle.
"Who are you?" Sky asked, warily distancing himself from the man.
"I'm sure you overheard our conversation from yesterday. Everything has been prepared, and we will leave shortly for the black market in the capital." The old man said.
'Yesterday?' Sky thought.
"I see, so you really are going to sell me." Sky said, his voice flat.
"That is the trade of the Galfeld family, boy. You should be grateful. Many people would simply kill you instead of resorting to the black market." The old man said.
"And what would you get out of this?" Sky asked.
"The Galfeld family earns some coin, and I merely continue to serve them." The old man said. "Now then, we should be on our way."
He stood up from his chair and walked towards the door, motioning for Sky to follow. Sky looked closely at the old man before shivering. The old man held a great amount of ether within him, almost overflowing with it. The thought of escaping never crossed his mind after seeing the old man. He guessed that the old man pretended to be old and frail but could definitely handle himself in a fight.
Sky followed silently behind the old man as they made their way to the carriage outside. He was ushered into the carriage, where he found himself alone. The old man sat in the driver's seat, and the carriage started moving. Sky looked out the window as they passed through the town, seeing the people going about their daily lives. He wondered if he would ever be able to live an everyday life again or if he was destined to be a tool for the rest of his days.
"The ride will take six days. We will make camp when night falls." The old man said, breaking the silence.
Sky simply nodded and looked out the window again. He didn't know what else to do or where else he could go. His only hope was to find Avis and the system and that they would be able to help him. There was also Lily, but Sky felt guilty to ask for help now after the event with the relic exuding darkness.
The carriage ride was long and uneventful. Sky spent most of his time within his soul space, where he attempted to meditate and cultivate. As the days passed, he felt his connection to ether grow, and his capabilities of manipulating the nature attribute, although stagnant, moved just barely. During his time within his soul space, he found it difficult to focus on the ever-present relic in his space. He couldn't help but feel that he was being watched as if the relic was somehow aware of his presence.
As the days passed, Sky grew more and more restless. He had nothing to do but think, and his thoughts always led him back to his time in the Belvoir forest. He attempted to go back there multiple times by touching the green face of the relic, but nothing happened.
On the fifth day of their journey, the old man surprisingly started a conversation with Sky. The old man simply gestured or stated short commands for Sky to follow throughout their time together. However, this was the first the old man engaged in a conversation with Sky.
"Why were you outside Belvoir forest? It's rare to find anyone close to that forest, let alone finding a slave candidate over there." The old man asked.
"I was surviving." Sky said simply.
"Hmph, that's not an answer. Why would you enter, to begin with?" The old man said, full of curiosity.
"I don't know." Sky said, his voice laced with frustration. "I don't know why I was there or what I was doing. All I remember is waking up in the forest with no memories of who I am or where I come from."
"Interesting, I have heard stories of people entering that forest with strange things happening to them, but never has anyone come out with their memories gone." The old man said.
"What do you mean by strange things happening?" Sky asked.
"There have been stories of people going in and not coming out as if the forest devoured them. Some say the forest is alive and has a will of its own."
"I think it's harmless if you're harmless." Sky said. "I was able to find food and shelter within the forest, so it couldn't be that bad."
"Hmph, you're either brave or foolish." The old man said. "But I suppose it doesn't matter. You're here now."
After that, the old man lapsed into silence, and Sky soon followed suit. He leaned back against the carriage and closed his eyes, and continued his meditation and practice within his soul space.
The next day, on the sixth day of their journey, the old man finally stopped the carriage. Sky looked out the small window to see giant stone walls in front of him. Two men stood fully armoured in front of a gate entrance just as massive as the walls themselves.
"We're here." The old man mumbled as he got out of the carriage.
"State your name and purpose." One of the guardsmen called out.
"I am Rindell, part of baron Galfeld's house. I am here to purchase goods my lord has requested of me." The old man said.
"What's in the carriage?" The other guardsmen asked.
"Just my son-in-law, Sky. I promised to bring him to the capital one day, so I am keeping my promise." The old man spoke with a slippery tongue.
During this conversation, Sky attempted to gain their attention and warn them that he was about to be sold. He thought that they would at least help him, but instead, it seemed they couldn't even hear him. Looking closely at the wagon, he could see strange runescript etched around the edges. From this, he assumed it was interfering, keeping the sound within the wagon from being heard.
After one of the guardsmen confirmed the contents of the carriage, he then said, "You may enter."
The old man returned to the carriage, and they soon entered the capital.
Sky looked out in wonder as they entered. He had never seen a city in this lifetime, and the scale of the city was breathtaking. The carriage made its way through the streets, and Sky saw many people of different races going about their day.
"This is the capital city of the Chorus continent." The old man said. "It's the largest and most united 'city' within the continent and has been for centuries. It is more of a kingdom with six rulers who manage it. One for each race, I'll have you know." He sounded proud as he talked about the city.
"What are those?" Sky interrupted as he pointed to the flying creatures in the sky. They looked like a mix between a bird and a lizard and had colourful scales that shimmered in the sunlight.
"They're called wyverns, one of the many ways to travel in this city. Of course, they are also used in battle, but that's a story for another time."
Sky was pleasantly surprised that the old man answered his questions, but then he thought it would be annoying for a buyer to teach common knowledge to a slave. So he lapsed into silence after that and just took in the city's sights as they made their way through it. The carriage eventually stopped in front of a large building with the words 'Heavenly Inn' stapled on the sign.
"We'll be staying here for the night." The old man said as he got out of the carriage.
Sky followed suit, and they made their way into the inn. It was a lot fancier than what Sky had expected. But then again, he didn't really have any expectations as all this was utterly new to him.
The old man spoke to the innkeeper before leading Sky to their room. He motioned for Sky to sit on the bed, and he did so hesitantly. The old man sat down in a chair opposite him and looked at him intently.
"You're probably wondering why I brought you here. Simply put, we have to wait til midnight." The old man said.
"Why?" Sky asked.
"The black market has the word 'black' for a reason. It's illegal, and if I'm caught, it won't end well for the Galfeld house. So it's best to do this under the cover of darkness."
"I see."
"Don't worry; everything will be fine. Just stay here and do your little meditation, and I will sort out the rest." The old man said before getting up and leaving the room.
'The old man left?' Sky thought before he waited a while until he was confident the old man was gone. Then, he quickly got up and checked to see if the door was unlocked. It was, so he slipped out and started to explore the inn. He didn't get far before he ran into someone. He quickly stepped back and bowed his head in respect.
"I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." He said.
"It's quite alright." The other person said. Sky looked up to see that it was a woman. She was beautiful and looked at him with a warm smile.
"My name is Mya, just Mya, and I couldn't help but notice you look a little lost. Is there anything I can help you with?" She asked.
"Um, I was just looking for the way out."
"Oh, I see. Well, let me show you the way." Mya said before leading him out of the inn.
Sky was surprised that she was helping him, but he supposed she was just being nice. He followed her toward a metal door which he didn't recognise. She simply swung the door open and gestured for Sky to enter. Sky did as she gestured, and then she closed the door behind him, only leaving him in the darkness of the room.
"Um, hello?" He called out, but there was no answer.
The light underneath the metal door barely illuminated the room, and the glow from his green runescript arm brightened the space further. But, besides four stone-cold walls around him, there was nothing else in the room. No furniture, no windows, not even a door to another room.
"What is this place?" He muttered to himself. Just then, the metal door opened and light from the hallway flooded into the room. Sky had to squint his eyes to adjust to the sudden change in lighting.
When his eyes finally adjusted, he could see the old man standing there with a calm, almost uninterested face. Another taller man who wore more extravagant clothing stood by the old man's side.
"Is this him?" The other man asked, looking Sky up and down.
"Yes, this is the one." The old man said.
The other man nodded, satisfied with the young man who stood in the dark room. "I'll give you 50 silver pieces." The extravagant man said.
"I'm sorry, what?" Sky asked, confused.
"Deal." The old man said, ignoring Sky.
The taller man closed the door with a wide grin, leaving Sky again in the dark. Sky was completely confused by what was happening. Then a thought occurred to him, 'I'm in the black market... aren't I? This whole inn is run by them?!' The revelation hit him like a ton of bricks. 'No wonder the old man didn't take any precautions when leaving me!' He thought.