The dream haunted the woman's mind like a persistent shadow. It had brought her fleeting calmness and an escape from her worries. And deep down, she never imagined that her dream could be real. Until now.
There was indeed a shop hidden from the mechanical patrol units' system.
The entrance was the same as in her dream. It was framed by mismatched bricks and a door carved with beautiful patterns. Doors made with wood were a thing of the past. They turned into transparent barriers that displayed holograms with interactive menus, allowing users to control access, adjust lightning or communicate with other parts of a building.
This was the first time the woman had seen such a door; to the point she didn't recognize it as a door.
The alley was shrouded in a restless mist that whispered danger. She pulled her coat tighter, the icy air biting through its fabric as she wrapped her arms around herself. Her instincts screamed at her to get away and return to her warm little apartment. However, her missing brother worried her.
The soft golden light of the shop's name reassured her for a bit, giving her courage.
Curiosities from the old world.
With shaking hands, she touched the door, expecting a voice to signal her arrival. But nothing happened.
She waited for a few minutes before knocking on the door.
"Come inside, customer!" a voice said.
The woman pushed the door. The absurdity of the situation left her worries to rest briefly.
Inside, the air was heavy with the scent of aged wood, leather and a faint tang of rust. There were objects lying everywhere. Weird things that resembled some of what she used in her home but bigger and some, she had never seen.
Her eyes wandered around before settling on a man behind the counter. She couldn't believe how tall he was. She was half his height. But as much as she wanted to keep staring at him, the mysterious air around him intimidated her.
"Welcome customer! How may I help you today?"
She swallowed hard.
His voice was devoid of any emotion, which instilled fear deeper into her heart.
"I… I've had…" it was ridiculous to mention the dream so she tried to lie. "I thought this shop was interesting."
"I understand," the reply was immediate, as if the man was a cyborg. "What do you need help with?"
She tried finding her words but only grew more anxious. It pushed the man to talk more, which wasn't one of his best traits.
"Curiosities from the Old World," the man said, his voice smooth but devoid of warmth. "That's where you saw it, wasn't it? In your dream."
Her lips parted in shock. How could he know?
"It's normal. Dreams are simply the shop's way of calling to those who have nowhere else to turn. The question is, how far are you willing to go for what you seek?"
The woman was about to cry from terror. Everything smelled of magic all of a sudden. If she got caught and the sensors felt that she was connected to magic, her head would fly off quickly.
But the man's words weren't wrong. She was desperate.
It had been a month since her little brother went missing. The police gave up on the search after two days. She tried looking for him herself but a lot of times, she fell into danger.
"M-my l-little b-brother," she swallowed. "He's missing. I-I need some help to find him. Alive or dead. I just wanna know."
Then her knees gave up and hit the ground. Her tears fell soon after. Memories of her little brother surged in her mind. His smile. His small hands when he held her fingers.
"I understand. Then please, put your hand on the orb so it can judge the price of your request."
The shopkeeper walked a few steps behind and disappeared behind a curtain briefly. He came out with a magical orb, purple lines swirling inside creating a bird pattern.
The woman hesitated briefly but her despair pushed her to do the impossible to get her answers. After all, her little brother was special.
"It seems you need to give us a key."
There was the image of a key inside the orb. The woman wiped her tears and stared at it in disbelief. She didn't mind giving up that key but she only had one copy.
"I'll make a copy and give it to you next time we meet."
The shopkeeper shook his head.
"You're only allowed to come once. If you won't pay the price, your request won't be heard and I will have to show you the door, dear customer."
"But they told me to never lose this key."
Seeing that the man didn't react, she felt lost. She wanted to find her brother but her employer told her to never lose the key. There were just three in the whole mansion.
"Alright! I'll find a way around it."
Maybe she'd never return to the mansion. It was a fair price to find her precious little brother. He was just five.
She pulled the key out of her purse and handed it to the shopkeeper. She thanked him and left after a promise.
The key had the symbol of one of New Arcadia's big houses. It was odd that the orb deemed it valuable.
Shrouded in the dim light stood another man. He twirled a golden pocket watch idly between his fingers, his crimson eyes fixed on it. Though his gaze was distant, his mind was still thinking about the watch. His expression betrayed a hint of boredom, an unsettling calm around him.
It had been a few years since he established Curiosities from the old world. A normal shop that sold old objects that didn't have a place in today's world, an informant guild behind the walls. The shop would appear as the customer needed, changing regularly.
The magic that held everything in place targeted those who were desperate for a miracle. It gave them dreams to guide them to the place. A one-time meeting that would solve their problems in exchange of a fair trade. The price could be anything.
"Master Louis. What do you think this key is for?"
Two red eyes looked back. Uninterested.
Louis glanced at the key. He could see the carving on it but it had a boring design. He leaned back, his crimson eyes cutting through the dim light like blades. The weight of his presence was enough to command silence.
"If that thing saw it as useful to me, then it is. Keep it well, Darius."
Darius was the man who ran this place. He opened a drawer and tossed the key inside.
"I will send people to make the customer's wish come true."
"No need. I already found him."
As expected of his master, Darius didn't need to lift a finger. His master's shadows were powerful. As long as there were shadows, they would obey his master's commands.
"Then I will send men to fetch the boy."
"We'll do it ourselves. I'm bored."
The man slid the golden watch into his pocket and beckoned to Darius to follow him. They walked out of the alley, the shop fading behind them. No one could see the place. However, high-tech cyborgs could sense the leftover mana if they passed.
They needed to be careful. Magic was associated with heresy in this world. It could bring disaster on them and a lot of troubles.
But…
Louis looked up. The sky was crowded again. Traffic was vibrant. Humans didn't know how to enjoy their lives… neither did he.
"Master, what do you think that key symbolizes? I can't keep it out of my head."
"We'll uncover its secret soon. I'll keep you a seat on the front rows so you can enjoy whatever show it brings."
Louis smiled.
There were a lot of people walking around, the poor who couldn't afford to rent a cab or fly with others of their peers.
Louis waited patiently until a human noticed him. He smiled mischievously before letting his shadows swallow him. The humans that saw him disappear with the other man froze in terror. They didn't know if they should report it or treat as hallucination because of hunger.
In the end, they decided to let it ago. They weren't paid enough to become model citizens.
"Master, you should stop teasing humans. You'll bring misery upon them."
The shadows spit them in the midst of a forest. No, it was a garden. Usually, gardens had only flowers and bushes but this one had a lot of trees.
"What a mess! The Lord of this place doesn't know how to fix a garden," Louis stated, amused by how chaotic this place was.
Darius walked around, picking sinister energy everywhere. He also felt as if they were watched. And yet, there was no one around.
Louis on the other hand, scanned everything around him. There was a big mansion that smelled trouble and thick barriers. He knew where he was. Although he never set foot here, he knew of the big houses.
This was the Atkinson land.
He smirked.
That key might be useful after all. He shook his head. No, everything the orb stated as a price was useful. It never lied.
He was about to start looking for the boy but he felt something coming at him at high speed. It was on top of his head, like an attack.
Since his shadows were nonchalant, it didn't feel like it was important. However, he got curious.
Louis tilted his head up, crimson eyes narrowing as he observed two figures plummeting down. He wondered if he should involve himself or not. One of them had long hair and seemed to struggle to keep it underneath her.
He grinned widely as he tried to choose which one to save. Curiosity won over his apathy. With a graceful lead, he intercepted the blond one, his shadows cushioning his fall.
Long strands of hair whipped against his face, tangling in his mouth. He spat them out with a grimace as he landed elegantly on his feet. Appearances mattered and the hair's behavior ruined a big part of it.
"Charming!"
He muttered, holding the woman in his arms tightly.
"It seems the heavens are raining chicks today, Darius." The other person crashed right next to him. Louis showed a devilish grin before wearing his uninterested face. "Look at that! Pity you didn't catch yours."
It was just a moment but the woman in his arms made him feel things. He heard a deafening beat in his ears, distracting him from her hands squeezing his throat.