The sun began to set as a transparent moon can bee seen rising in the distance. The light that the sun provides to the town is slowly but gradually becoming dark. People on the streets are also becoming more sparse.
It's about to be night when Adam left the academy. He's currently walking through the streets, thinking of their conversation earlier. He still cannot accept that he didn't have any idea about his father's circumstances aside from the fact that it's probably connected to the Ashebournes. Even if he knew what happened, what can he even do about it? Will it satisfy him? Of course not.
The thing is, even though Adam was not particularly bright when it come to things like this, he was aware that searching for more information surrounding this mystery was a fool's errand. He might waste a lot of time doing it instead of learning alchemy and runeforge, which was his father's specialty. He might even die if he further pursue it.
However, there's a nagging feeling deep inside him, trying to convince him, that he should find out the events behind this. That he's fated to do so, because he is his father's—the renowned Rufus Fletcher's—one and only son.
But every time this part of him tried to convince him, his mind always wandered to the conversation that took place at Kevler's office earlier. It might be a brief discussion, but its impact to what direction he's going to take in his life is huge. After all, he only has two paths; either to investigate and risk his life for it, or take over his father's workshop and reopen it. He can't exactly make 3rd option for his life, because alchemy and runeforge are all he knows in his life, since his father was occasionally teaching him things about these two fields.
Well actually, if he think more, he could actually make the third choice. That is, to become a full-fledge Arcanist.
Becoming an Arcanist? Adam shook his head and rolled his eyes, thinking that this idea is absurd. What can he even do? He's already 19 years of age. Most of the time Mages start their journay at the age of 8, where their mana core are at its highest potential of awakening. Just some rigorous and intense arcane training and they can easily become an Arcanist. But Adam? If he tried to practice magic right now, chances are that he can't even advance to the first stage of magical journey, the Mana Core Awakening.
It was said that to awaken the mana core, one must undergo an intense magical training, meditation, and for some rare cases, extreme pain. And that only applies to kids at age below 10 years. For an individual like Adam, being 19 years of age, more than a decade late from the most recommended and suggested age in starting arcane journey—which is 8 years old—it might take more than pain and intensive magical training to advance to Mana Core Awakening. He might even need external help like pills that help supplement and regulate mana in the body. Does he look like he had enough money for that? Well, actually, he do, his father amassed a lot of wealth from the concoction of pills and forgery of runes. Those things are always sold to Arcanists, as pills help the Arcane cultivation of people and runes help them in combat.
As Adam pondered those things while he walked, he suddenly noticed a movement from the corner of his vision. He followed the movement and saw someone running to the alleyway.
"What…?" Adam muttered, his instincts telling him to run away and never look back. But his curiousity, damn it, can't resist the temptation of finding out what's that thing is and why did that person ran deeper to the alleyway.
Slowly, his feet found themselves moving on their own. As he approached the opening of the alleyway, his heart's beating becoming faster and faster, he felt as though it's about to explode. His instincts are still telling "DANGER!" but it was as though his body was moving on its own.
Finally, Adam found himself inside the alleyway, his eyes scanning it but he didn't saw amything. There's a huge wall blocking the path and there's no way to climb it. It's a dead end.
"Huh?" Adam mumbled in confusion. Then he slowly turned around and saw it.
A guy, or maybe a girl? Adam didn't have any idea. The only thing he can see was that this person (if this is a person) was covered in black robe, and a mask hiding its face. He gulped so hard as sweat formed on his forehead. Then, he opened his mouth, "Excuse me but, who are you?"
The black-robed individual did not reply and merely stared at them with its eye that he can't even see. Adam became a lot nervous when he saw this so he spoke again. "W-what do you want?"
Finally, the black robed individual's head slightly twitched and it said, "You are…the Fletcher."
Adam raised his eyebrows when he heard this. He shouldn't even be surprised that this person knew his name because he's rather famous in this small town. Being the son of Rufus Fletcher gave him a reputation that he doesn't even need to build. However, the thing is, this person looked as though he came from from a distant, faraway place, where the name Fletcher was basically non existent.
"That Eye, the eye…protect." The black robed individual as it managed to squeeze out few words, as though it just learned how to speak words for only few days.
"What eye?" Adam stared at it, still vigilant. He will run past it if he sensed any funny business. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Rufus…eye…AHHHHH!" The black robed figure suddenly screamed, as though in pain, clutching its mask and removing it.
Adam widened his eye as he saw its face. There was literally nothing behind the mask. Just an empty space inside that hood which was floating. It was an extremely bizarre fight.
"Hey, hey." Adam took a few steps backward, his limbs shaking in horror. "I'm telling you, don't you ever go near me!"
But the black robed man did not listen. It instead screamed in pain like madman as it slowly walked towards Adam.
This made Adam extremely terrified. This was the first time he encountered real Arcane, and it was such a bad luck that he actually got approached by some abomination he can't ever understand.
"Damn it," Adam gritted his teeth as he burst out of the alleyway, going past the mysterious black robed figure.
"GRAHHHHH!" The black robed individual released some otherworldly terrifying sound that made Adam go even faster.
After what he register as few minutes or so, he felt the veins in his head throbbing, his head hurts like hell. He also felt tired from that constant running. But what made him more scared was that the sun had completely left, replaced by the moon, making it extremely dark now.
"What the fuck was that?" Adam mumbled as he leaned his back onto the wall. He felt extremely exhausted, his energy all drained. He sat on the ground, Adam still catching his breath.
After few minutes of resting, he scanned the place he's currently at and realized he's near his house. And so, he forced himself to stand up and walk.