The Matriarch was a woman of immense beauty, dressed fully in a bck silk v-neck gown that allowed just the right peek at her milky white skin. Unfortunately, a gaze at her chest was only possible through one’s peripheral vision.

  She was armed with a gaze trained to stun any and all people of weak hearts, her aura so cold it could make someone question whether it was okay to breathe in her presence. She held herself high in a way that made her appear taller than everyone around her, even when she wasn’t—at this point, it felt like space itself bent to put her above everyone around her.

  Scarlett was quick to bow her head when the woman appeared, wondering how it was that she hadn’t noticed her. Lately, her skills as an assassin were starting to show some holes—patches where she’d thought there were none. Was she really weaker than she’d assumed herself to be? There had always been stronger assassins where she came from but she wasn’t necessarily at the bottom of the food chain either.

  “You have some nerve coming here, adventurers,” the Matriarch’s voice hissed, quiet yet loud enough for all of them to hear—like the tone an angry mother took with their child after they’d done something wrong.

  “Forgive the interruption. A friend of mine approached Lucy about a day ago requesting help on a quest,” Leon started, seemingly unfazed by the woman’s icy aura.

  “Oh… and what of it?” the woman replied curiously.

  “He was a victim in the recent demon incident. I forced him to rest. Given his current condition, we’ll have to wait for him to recover and reach out when the time is right,” the man continued, skipping straight to the point and summarizing the reason for their visit.

  The Matriarch stared at him for a few seconds before frowning slightly. Scarlett couldn’t quite pce it, but if she had to guess, it was probably the slight tilt of the Matriarch’s head or the raising of her eyebrows that made the girl hold her breath.

  It didn’t matter though. A second ter, the Matriarch’s cold tone made the girl shudder, “You came all this way to tell her that?”

  “I came all this way, in Alistair’s pce, to tell her that. Had I not offered, he would have dragged that tired body of his all this way. He’s stubborn that way,” the man replied respectively, finally raising his head up.

  The woman sighed, “That won’t do. He can have two days to rest. Any ter than that and Lucy won’t be going with you.”

  Two days was cutting it close but given what resources Aric had access to, it was manageable. He had the money to buy a healing potion and was already fast at healing, to begin with.

  Right as Leon was about to accept, the tower became shrouded in a bck mist. It swirled around the open chamber and coalesced at the centre where a man dressed in dark clothes appeared. The clothes were dark as night with a slight glimmer and a reptilian pattern. Beyond their artistic fir, however, they were normal clothes without a shred of magic enchanting them. This, was perhaps what made him most unnerving.

  The jacket, being a vest-style armament, exposed his arms entirely to reveal a litany of scars and rippling muscles.

  The air got instantly colder at his arrival as he looked around. Aric felt chills travel through his sleeping body and a primal fear gripped his body. It felt like he was staring at a deadly version of Darth. Only this one was much worse considering he was now of the Wood Temper Rank. If he could really be frightened by this man at his level, then odds were he was of an even higher rank than the Copy Viper.

  The man looked around, then furrowed his eyebrows. His eyes began to turn kaleidoscopic when Alia’s voice broke through to Aric, [ DON’T LOOK AT HIM DIRECTLY. ]

  The boy’s sight went dark. His palms turned sweaty and he struggled a bit in his bed, almost like he was having a nightmare. He kept his mind listening though.

  “I was told it would only be four people up here but it’s a lot more… cramped,” the man’s deep voice reverberated.

  Aric peeked an eye open at the scene, making sure not to look at the man. Instead, he looked at his friends who were forced to be in his presence. Scarlett’s hair and clothes shivered slightly as she fought to hide her anxiety. Leon, on the other hand, had a neutral expression on his face.

  “A few people came along… uninvited,” the Matriarch spoke, “What brings you here, Syer?”

  “I’ve been hunting,” the man spoke with no ounce of respect, “I’m told you’re the most powerful woman in this washed-up town.”

  “Melbourne is a Merchant Town… and does not belong to a cn. Here, power lies in your ability to do business and not in one’s fists,” the woman responded.

  “Oh, I noticed. I wouldn’t be here otherwise,” the man responded with a smirk.

  The Matriarch went quiet with her eyebrows furrowed. Had she just been insulted? This man was insinuating that she was too weak to warrant her respect. Unlike Leon, who’d bowed down to her, this man was walking about like he owned the pce.

  “You would dare to insult me, Syer?” the woman’s mood turned irate.

  “Cute,” the man chuckled deeply, “I didn’t come to waste time on pleasantries. Tell me where the boy is.”

  “Boy?” the woman asked.

  “The one the Emperor’s goons came looking for. You see everything that happens in this washed-up city, so start speaking,” the man growled.

  Leon looked at the man with a neutral expression, taking in his appearance and remaining perfectly quiet. Scarlett felt herself shiver with tension, resisting the urge to reach for her bdes.

  “You come into my city, insult me, and expect me to be cooperative?” the Matriarch mused, folding her hands, “I must say, Syer, subtlety is not your strong suit.”

  Avaros’ eyes shuddered with barely-contained anger, the bck mist at his feet swirling higher, “And yet, you’re still speaking,” the man said, his voice dark as a bde, “You must know something.”

  “I know many things, Syer,” the Matriarch admitted, lifting a single delicate finger to tap her chin, “But information comes at a price. As I said, Melbourne is a Merchant City. You’ll find no one interested in charity here.”

  Avaros stepped closer. The temperature plummeted and the air hummed with the sound of shimmering fissures, all guardians ready to defend their masters at a moment’s notice.

  “I could take what I want,” Avaros growled.

  The Matriarch shrugged, “You could try.”

  For a moment, the chamber held its breath. Avaros did not move and the Matriarch did not flinch. Then, he ughed. Low, deep and amused, “You have nerve.”

  The Matriarch simply tilted her head and added, “You waste your time, Syer. The boy you seek is not in this town.”

  “He was seen heading this way.”

  “Is that what you tell every other town you raid in search of this… ghost?” the woman added with a sigh. The man held his breath but his face had already shifted too much to hide that she’d hit a nerve, “Yes, I know of the innocent children you’ve been capturing in the other towns in search of this… boy. He is not here in Melbourne. The best I can offer you… is this city’s colboration.”

  There was a short moment of silence before Avaros drew back and shook his head. “No, that won’t do. That won’t do at all. I’ll see you in two days. Find the boy, and you’ll be rewarded handsomely. " With that, Avaros vanished in a puff of bck mist. His voice trailed off dangerously in the mist as he disappeared. “Should you fail, however, I’ll have this city razed to the ground.”

  It wasn’t long before Scarlett and Leon were out of the Purification Tower, leaving the Holy Mages to their instruments. As they walked back to the city, Scarlett couldn’t help but wonder. She inched closer to the man and asked, “You said Assassins were third on your list. Who’s first?”

  “That’s easy. Abductors… specifically, child abductors,” the man replied with a straight face, never once paying attention to Scarlett.

  The girl remained silent after that… The two of them didn’t always agree… but on this they did.

  ………………………………

  Aric woke up the following afternoon feeling even worse than he had in a long time—and that was saying something given all the training his guardian had put him through. Considering he’d now learnt the limit to his power as a Wood Temper Rank, he was not surprised by this.

  He waited for his guardian’s voice, then cracked an eye open in curiosity before zily rolling over in the bed with a happy grunt. It seemed this time his guardian wasn’t going to start hounding him for being zy. Instead, the benevolent knight, for once, would let him take his time.

  The boy took the time to relish in the freedom that came with muscle aches, exhaustion and weakness so great he wondered whether he could move.

  Unfortunately, sleep eluded him.

  When he grew bored of trying to find sleep, he rolled out of bed and got ready to head downstairs. He brushed his teeth and washed his face, all while maintaining a low supply of aether to the cirvoyant ability that kept his mind busy.

  The city of Melbourne was awash in activity as always. It’s just that this time, it was filled with gossip as well. All anyone could talk about was the Demon attack. Many wanted to know what the Matriarch was going to do about it while some were debating moving to another city.

  ‘Looks like many merchants are into rope, satchels and dried foods today. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think they were leaving… or at least preparing to leave,’ the boy thought to himself.

  [ A combination of both perhaps. If everyone truly relies on this, Matriarch, then she’ll have to make an announcement to assure them. Then again, words are just words. This city is running dangerously out of time. ] the guardian replied.

  [ That reminds me. If domains are so useful, then were there domains around the Five Hills and Jack’s Fall? ]

  [ Yes, there were. I was surprised by the Five Hills myself… but Jack’s Fall is within a domain as well. ] Alia answered. She also didn’t fail to notice how inadequate the boy felt for not knowing this, [ You’re only coming into your powers. Domains are still out of your capabilities so I didn’t think to mention them. ]

  [ Right… ]

  As Aric descended the stairs, he heard a group of people talking and froze, his ears cranking up to listen to the conversation. From what he could tell, there were at least five people talking in the living room… and the conversation was getting heated.

  “You’re still pnning on going on that quest?” a male voice perked up, “Even after what happened to Dash?”

  “What happened to Dash was unfortunate and I truly hope he gets better, but yes, I’m still going,” Sariah’s voice replied, low and on edge.

  “Sariah, this is not like you. We always pn before going on dangerous quests. No one’s seen that many demons in one pce… ever,” a female voice countered.

  “We can still pn. Would you be more comfortable with letting a young boy go out there on his own instead?” Sariah argued.

  “He won’t be alone,” LionHeart, or rather, Leon butted in, “I’ll be with him every step of the way. If you don’t feel like going, that’s fine by me.”

  “No one was talking to you, Leon. You already made it clear yesterday that you weren’t ever going to let Alistair out of your sight again. In fact, you should have slept at his bedside,” Scarlett’s voice intervened, filled with so much snark it made Aric smile.

  ‘Scarlett, Leon, Sariah… and two others. That’s five.’

  “And you, Scarlett? What’s your position in all this?” the unfamiliar male voice came again, a tinge of hope in his tone. His question was not a question with the way he made it sound. He wanted the girl to side with him.

  “I thought I made it obvious when I begged you to bring me here,” the girl scoffed before looking around, “Nice spell, by the way, Sariah. I’ve not seen a defensive spell this elusive in ages.”.

  “It cost me a bit to get it set up but I’m gd I did,” the woman responded.

  There was a heavy scoff in the room before the gruff man Aric had heard before started talking, “Some lunatics you all are. I understand Leon’s madness but you, Scarlett…you, of all people, should know what it’s like to nearly die at the hands of a demon. The Purification Ritual only covers the Purified Zone… This mission goes beyond that. So there will be more demons.”

  Aric stayed rooted to his spot on the stairs. He thought of interfering with the discussion, or at least closing his ears… but the memory of the countless times he’d spied on others using Thomper’s Ability thwarted whatever ounce of manners he’d be trying to preserve.

  Scarlett spoke after a short tense pause, “I’m alive and well, thanks to Alistair. Pardon me for trying to return the favour.”

  “Is that what this is? Returning a favour? You’d throw your life away after only getting it back? That’s a stupid way to waste the second chance you were given,” the man’s voice came again.

  “That’s enough, Bumi,” Sariah stepped in, “Scarlett’s choice is hers to make.”

  Aric stopped listening in and sat on the stairs with a sigh. ‘What if that man is right?’

  [ You mean Bumi? The old grunt yapping on about danger?] his guardian replied to his thoughts, [ Yes, he’s right. Venturing beyond the Holy Barrier is dangerous. You’ve always known that. In here though, you’ll find no demons. Only people trying to live in a world where demons threaten their very existence. ]

  Aric understood this well… but there was more to his dilemma than that, [ I have no problem going out into the wild to hunt, train… and kill demons. But why would I be taking people who didn’t sign up for this on the same suicide mission? ]

  [ You signed them up on a mission to retrieve Storm Orbs. They don’t need to go any further than that. ] the guardian argued.

  [ Yes, but the demons are acting weird and because of that, this mission has become a lot more dangerous. If they follow me out there and die, that’s on me. After all, it is I who needs that Storm Orb. ]

  [ You pce too much weight on your shoulders. If you feel it would be too much work carrying the burden of their misguided choices, then ask them if they’re ready to die ] his guardian shrugged.

  Aric furrowed his eyebrows.

  That didn’t sound right. No one was ready to die. The whole reason the adventurers were having a discussion downstairs, to begin with, was because they wanted to make sure they weren’t walking into something too dangerous.

  But that’s just the thing. They were walking into something dangerous. If this meeting continued the way it was going, they’d only end up convincing themselves of something that wasn’t true.

  The boy sighed, confused by his guardian’s words. Who the hell just walked up to people they needed help from and went ‘Hey, this mission is dangerous now and you could all die. Wanna come anyway?’

  Alia was probably onto something, but now that she’d gone quiet, he was sure she wasn’t about to expin her thinking to him. She just loved to give him hints rather than full answers. Would it kill her to just say, ‘Do this, do that?’

  ‘Just to be sure though…’

  [ No, Aric. That’s all you get. ]

  ‘Right… Of course,’ the boy nodded and stood up. It was time to go downstairs and meet the team. It wasn’t the whole team but the ones he hadn’t met were here… and it was time to meet them.

  In the time that he’d spent discussing with his guardian, the conversation had gone from a civil debate to a howling of insults and malformed opinions.

  “It’s sycophants like you that send young fledgelings to their deaths, Leon,” Bumi, a man much smaller and leaner than LionHeart, was now standing up with a scowl of rage on his face. The air around him shimmered and the room was several degrees hotter.

  LionHeart, or Leon for this matter, was standing on the other end of the table with a simir look of anger, “And it’s cautionary bastards like you keep youngsters from reaching their true potential. It’s no wonder you bottlenecked at the Gss Rank only to break through the Wood Rank in your thirties.”

  “At least, I was alive to see it that way, your overgrown sod,” Bumi growled back.

  “Leon, Sariah!” Aric’s voice tore through the commotion. The three women had all moved to a corner, giving the men space to argue after failing to make them see reason.

  Leon’s rage vanished… but Bumi turned, sending his wave of heat straight at the boy and engulfing him. Aric put a hand over his mouth and coughed a bit, ‘That’s… some potent fire magic.’

  [ It’s the nature of his guardian. ] Alia notified.

  “You must be Alistair,” Bumi’s voice rumbled, “Call off this quest.”