"Our first deal was this: I take the blow of the Garagararimagara, and as payment, I would get to feast upon its body and mana, including the severed limb you had decided to pick up the ground and take it with you just in case."
"Eh? You were the one who took it?!"
'And I was wondering where it disappeared to…'
"Of course. Waste not, want not."
The smoke responded nonchalantly, its blue-shining eyes fixed on Cole.
"Anyways, where were we again– As I was saying, compared to all the people graced with the aid of mana, you are graced with the curse of the Celestial, as that girl called it."
'He must be talking about Aeliana…'
"How could a curse even grace me?"
"Grace you? Ohh, I realize it now I phrased it incorrectly. It's a grace for you in our favor."
As the carefree and comedic voice neared the end of his sentence, it grew colder and, ended his sentence with a deadpan one as a grin stretched over his face all over again.
"You're disgustingly disturbing… You realize that, right?
Cole asked with a twitching brow, feeling uncomfortable rather than scared.
He realized by now, this being would never– ever – kill Cole.
'At least not right now.'
"I wonder about that, do I? Do I not? But leaving aside unnecessary comments, chosen one…"
'Chosen.'
Cole made another mental note as he tried to gather up his attention when the smoke presence trailed off, beginning to get tired of this conversation that was a mix of useful and useless words.
"I cannot forcefully awaken your abilities to use your curse, but surely, I can tell you one thing."
The smoke said, raising one ethereal finger.
"What is it?"
Cole inquired, his curiosity piqued.
"Just because you're an Angel, don't expect a bright future from now on."
"Huh? What do you–"
"My time here is over for now. Till the next time, oh Cursed one."
"Huh? No, wait–"
As Cole stretched out his spectral hand toward the smoke, the world plunged into darkness and Cole jolted awake, back in his own body.
***
"Gha!? Huff, huff…"
Sweat adorned his forehead, and he questioned the reality of the encounter.
'What even…?'
After a few moments of contemplation, he confirmed that it had indeed occurred, leaving him with an eerie sense of foreboding.
'Yeah… That was definitely real. It happened. I conversed with an otherworldly being that is somehow limited from even telling who he is, or what 'they' are.'
The morning sun cast a warm glow into his room at the Twilight Haven Inn.
Fwoop~
Cole stood up from his bed and moved towards the wooden windows, pushing them open to let more light in.
Chirp, chirp, chirp!
Despite the cheerful morning, a gloominess lingered within him from the unsettling dream.
'Let me clothe myself and leave the room for now.'
"I can't dilly-dally all day, now, can I?"
Dressed in dark flexible pants, a plain baggy shirt tucked in, and a dark coat with subtle designs, Cole descended the stairs and joined the rest of Aeliana's party in the inn's resting area.
'They're already awake, huh? As expected of fully-fledged adventurers–'
Cole cut his own thoughts in half as he flinched slightly. His face was the epitome of a chibi expression with sparkling but stoic eyes as he thought, 'I'm such an adventurer too now…!'
Although, his mood quickly took a 180-degree turn as he made eye contact with Aeliana.
'Why do I feel tired already?'
***
Over breakfast, Cole couldn't shake the feeling that they were only helping him out of pity.
A sense of discomfort settled over him, but he kept these thoughts to himself.
'I wouldn't want someone to be bothersome when I offer them my help, so I should try to do the same.'
"Listen here, y'all!"
With a bang on the table, once breakfast was over, Aeliana spread out the Map of the Kingdom of Goldenvale.
With the party members gathered, she planned their route and mentioned a detour, as she had received orders from the palace this early morning.
'Direct orders, how the hell?'
Unable to contain his curiosity, Cole asked out.
"If it's not rude, can I ask how you received orders directly from the palace if we're so far from it?"
He inquired and Aeliana grinned confidently as she rested her hands on her hips.
"Huhum! We have what they're called 'Communication Parchments'!"
"Oh, Communication parchments?"
Cole raised an eyebrow, trying to recall where he had heard such a name before.
Without wasting time, Aeliana explained the workings of communication parchments – how one had to write a message on a designated parchment and imbue it with pure mana for the connected parchment to reveal the message.
"These parchments had a one-time use back and forth."
"Oh, this is interesting, thank you for telling me."
Cole nodded up and down slightly, and with the route planned and preparations underway, the party decided to go out and purchase equipment for the journey.
Cole, feeling out of place, found himself wandering alone through the streets of Stonehaven.
Step, step, step… step.
His pace gradually slowed and then… stopped.
"Should I maybe just part ways from them right now?"
He muttered, the uncertainty lingering.
"I've been out of place ever since I met Aeliana, and they're all helping me out of pity. That my town got destroyed and shredded by monsters."
However, with a shake of his head to the right and left, he quickly dismissed the thought, realizing he needed to clear off the debt he had accrued.
'I can't just up and disappear on them.'
As the group shopped for supplies, Cole walked alone, contemplating his place within the party. Despite the warmth and friendship shown by them, a sense of isolation gnawed at him.
'I don't understand it.'
The day passed, and as evening approached, the party reconvened at the inn.
Aeliana, as usual, brimming with enthusiasm when there weren't any dead serious matters at hand, declared their readiness for the journey the next day.
However, the twist of the day for Cole happened when Aeliana called out to him to a more private spot and stretched out her hand, a small pendant resting in it.
"This is a Mana Compass. Its function is to shake slightly when there are fluctuations of mana such as spells being released. Since you can't use mana, or feel it, I thought how you might need it. Keep it safe."
She smiled as she ended her sentence.
Cole examined the pendant still lost at what just happened. The compass emitted a faint glow, responding to the presence of the small gust of wind that Aeliana just cast.
And then, with a serene and sincere expression, she began to speak as she slightly poked Cole's chest.
"Cole, you are more important to this quest than you realize. Trust me, we're not doing this out of pity. You have a role to play."
The revelation left Cole in a state of disbelief, and as Aeliana parted from him and her party continued their preparation for the journey, Cole was left standing and stunned for a good ten minutes.