Artis analyzed the tent as he began pondering whether to enter the tent or not. One, this tent was too weird. And second, this tent was located in the middle of nowhere which made it much more suspicious.
'Can it be...that I by accident stumbled upon a gangster meetup point?' thoughts like that sent shivers down Artis's spine as he began taking 2 steps back, not wanting to approach the tent at all.
"Yeah...Maybe next time. I don't want to face any gangsters right now..." mumbled Artis slowly as he decided to run away from there.
As Artis slowly began to walk away from the tent, he heard a strange noise coming inside from that tent. Various noises of strange cries, rustling of grass, and other eerie sounds emanated from within. His curiosity piqued despite his fear, he found himself turning back toward the tent, unable to resist the pull of the unknown.
'What if someone is actually in trouble...it's unlikely and definitely not suspicious that a strange tent is here and no one has done anything about it! Should I head inside the tent or not?' Artis thought, biting his lip.
Artis took a deep breath, before making his decision. He will enter the tent, but if he faces any trouble or something that is beyond his level, he will run away without looking back and ask for help.
Summoning his courage, he took a deep breath and cautiously went inside. The interior was dimly lit, and an unusual assortment of objects cluttered the space: ancient tomes, bubbling potions, and mystical symbols adorned the walls.
If Artis found something strange, the interior felt larger than what the outside of the tent looked like.
There were multiple miniature dolls placed all over the tent that had a rather strange figure. A head in the shape of a cloud, a small body in grey color with some intricate patterns all over it, and large round eyes with no pupils on it.
Artis felt something strange as he looked at the dolls. He felt the longer he made eye contact with those dolls, the longer he felt weaker. Ignoring the weird sensation, Artis went inside the tent to explore it further.
Unknown to him, the dolls he passed by blinked their eyes as they turned red and their head slightly glanced at him.
As Artis ventured deep into the tent, he felt more eyes watching him and his every move sending a shiver down his spine.
He approached a large table in the center of the tent, cluttered with arcane artifacts, ancient tomes, and some talismans. The air was thick with the scent of herbs and incense, making him feel lightheaded. As he scanned the room, he noticed a tall figure hunched over the table, its back turned to him.
The figure wore a dark black suit adorned with white stars. A tall hat on top of his head, and a trimmed brown beard that covered his entire face. The figure turned around slowly to face Artis, revealing a man who seemed to be in his 40s with piercing grey eyes that seemed to see straight through him.
Artis felt an unexplainable fear as he locked eyes with the man, he cleared the sweat that formed on top of his forehead and took 2 steps back.
"Ah, a visitor," the man said in a rich, melodic voice. "It's been a very long time since someone visited my tent, Hehehe. Tell me, what can I do for you?"
Artis hesitated to answer, but he found the courage to ask, his voice trembling a little, "Who are you?"
The man smiled, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. "I'm a man with many names. People sometimes call me a myth, sometimes a fraud, sometimes a master Magician. But I prefer to call myself something rather simple.
"So, I guess my name would be...Merlin."
Merlin continued, chuckling slightly, "So, what guidance do you seek from me, Artis Janes?"
Artis's eyes widened in shock as he straightened himself in wary, "How do you know my name?"
Merlin chuckled again, "Names and faces are easy things to learn once you reach the level I am at. The winds and the stars that I believe in whisper many secrets to those who want to hear them. Listening to those whispers, was the reason I learned your name."
"...Okay." Artis was confused hearing that explanation, but he kept his voice steady, "I heard strange noises coming from this tent and thought someone might be in trouble."
"Hm?" Merlin displayed confusion on his face, "Oh? You don't have to worry about that. You see...I was doing some experiments with some of my objects here that might have caused some noises to leak out here and there, but I assure you, I swear on my name, except me, not a single soul got hurt."
"You do know talking like that makes you more suspicious right?"
"Surely you jest!" said Merlin amused, "But I'm doing some experiments. Here look at this," he pointed at the inscription he kept at the table, "It's an interesting artifact that I found in my journey. I was just studying it and seeing what mysteries I can uncover from it!"
"Uh-huh...I see." replied Artis, still skeptical about this whole situation.
"Phew. Now that we managed to clear this situation. Would you like to buy something? Or would you in particular like to know something..."
"No. Nothing in particular." denied Artis waving his hand.
"Oh c'mon! I can actually answer anything you want. For example..." Merlin raised his finger, "Perhaps I can tell you...about your missing sister who got abducted over a week ago..."
Immediately, the atmosphere around them immediately changed as Artis's usual skepticism became a mixture of anger and fear, "How do you know about my sister?" he demanded, keeping his voice low and steady.
Merlin chuckled again, "As I told you earlier, the stars told me again. Oh, and don't try to [Record] my Skill, your level is too low for it to be copied!"
Artis's heart skipped a beat again as he clicked his tongue and demanded an answer, "How much do you want?"
"How much can you give?"
"95 Grands and 4 Blueberries!"
"Too low for my services, Tch!" Merlin clicked his tongue, "Well, do you want to know the answer or not?"
Artis clenched his fists, feeling the weight of Merlin's words. He was desperate to find his sister, but he knew he had to be cautious. "What do you want in return for the information?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Merlin's eyes glimmered with amusement and something darker. "I do not desire your money, Artis. What I seek is far more valuable. It's your trust and a promise. You will owe me a favor, to be called upon when I see fit."
Artis hesitated. A favor to someone like Merlin could mean anything, but he couldn't let that stop him. "Fine. I promise to repay the favor, whatever it is."
"Very good, then I will tell you. Your sister is safe...for now, that is. She is locked in a place called the Obsidian Castle. Aah, that name brings memories..."
"Where is that place?"
"...You will know where that place is in the coming time. You are fated to know that. But did you know, this present meeting," Merlin raised his fingers again as his expression darkened, "It really wasn't supposed to happen today. Perhaps it is what you call fate, no matter how much you get stronger, there is no one strong enough to completely control it."
"Dammit, stop talking in riddles!" demanded Artis, his temper rising bit by bit, "I'm not here to talk about fate and other bullshit. Tell me, how is she right now?"
"She's fine. Just tired from all the work. Just wait for the right opportunity and don't panic. Renascitus Group won't kill your sister. She is too valuable to be killed."
"...Can I trust your information?"
"It doesn't matter to me if you trust me or not. What you choose to do with the information is entirely up to you."
Artis took a deep breath and processed the information Merlin provided, "Alright. I choose to trust you...I'll hold the end of the bargain and help you when the time comes."
"Very Good. Would you like to ask me something else? This one is on house! Such an opportunity might not appear again!"
Artis thought for a while before answering, "Not in the moment, no...But if I have to ask, I have two questions. Am I allowed to ask that?"
Merlin looked at Artis for a while before chuckling, "Getting greedy, are you? Well, I don't mind such greediness. I'm in a good mood today, so yes ask it away."
Artis nodded, "Well, I was curious about the fountain this park has. Do you know who built it?"
"A company."
"A company?"
"Oh! Pardon my tone." Merlin chuckled again, "In this setting, calling it a company now is a bit rude, an ancient civilization built it very long ago. This fountain is an entrance to a land of unimaginable knowledge you can't imagine. Only members of that ancient civilization can enter it, but nobody knows where they are around anymore. Anything else?"
"Yes. My final question...Who're you? And...why do you know so much?"
...
Immediately, the atmosphere around them started to shake as Artis felt an unexplainable fear from an infinite distance watching him.
"You know, this isn't the time yet to show yourself to him. Artis isn't there yet to know you, Unlike me that is. So, won't you just go and watch everything, like you always do?"
...
"What just happened?" asked Artis in confusion as he regained his composure.
Merlin looked at Artis and said, "Perhaps this is the end of our QnA session today. Don't forget your promise Artis, Bye!"
Merlin and the entire tent started to be covered in black smoke as Artis was completely helpless to watch it.
"No wait- WAIT-"
...
And so, in the afternoon, Artis found himself lying on the ground waking up from a nap.
"What was that?" asked Artis as he was completely drenched in sweat. Artis looked around and realized he was still in the park as the sun was setting low. He looked around and went to the area where the strange tent was.
But, the scene he saw completely shocked him as he was engulfed by fear and confusion as he continued to stare at the ground in front of him.
There was no sign of that tent!