The two walked silently, their gazes fixed at their destination. Slowly, the city’s outline came into view.
Moderately tall buildings, numerous residential homes, and streets that shimmered in the sun’s deep afternoon glow.
Lucien spared a glance at Celeste, his stare decisive and straightforward.
"The time?" He asked, returning his gaze to the city ahead.
She marveled at the city’s beauty, a glint in her eyes momentarily evident. She blinked and then looked down at her left wrist, where her wristwatch clung tightly with a leather strap.
"It just struck 12 pm 9 minutes ago," she stated, opening a small leather purse she had hung on her shoulder, "any problem?"
"Not exactly. It just feels like we’ve been walking for eternity."
Celeste let out a momentary chuckle, her fingers grazing the cap of a bottle she had just brought out.
She lifted it and let the water trickle into her mouth. "I have to be conservative out here. At least, until we make some money for ourselves."
’She’s right, I can’t keep stealing.’
The two finally made it to the city’s entrance, a tall signboard with bold black text at its center.
[ Welcome To Aetherium ]
Beyond the signboard were endless streets, colored in a tint of white so pure that it felt divine. The buildings reflected so much light that they became a chore to look at.
Lucien quickly reinforced his eyes with demonic Mana, and Celeste seemed to have done the same as she effortlessly stared around her, eyes wide as she blinked continuously as though struggling to process what she was seeing.
"Woah..."
"Even if you have a demon inside you, you should still be able to appreciate the beauty, right?" She stopped, fixing her gaze at Lucien, shifting her weight to another leg, expecting a quick answer.
"Demon or not, I doubt I would understand the beauty."
She closed her eyes to speak, but the resounding taps of Lucien’s steps signalled her to leave. She rushed over, following him by his side.
"When we’re done with this place, you’ll have to give me some information as well," she continued.
Lucien glanced at her through the corner of his vision, heaving a sigh. "I still don’t understand your reasoning behind following me. You’re aware that death can approach at any moment, right?"
Briefly, everywhere fell silent. Only the soothing breeze could be heard.
Celeste paused, her footsteps growing distant.
Lucien stopped walking and looked at her over his shoulder. "What’re you doing now? I don’t have much time."
Celeste stood a few meters behind Lucien, holding her bag before her as she scoured through the items. Suddenly she stopped, a look of satisfaction accompanied by a subtle smirk forming on her face.
She lifted it.
The same crest from before.
Lucien kept moving as he’d understood what she was looking for.
"I’m a B-Rank Mage," she whispered from the distance, as if taunting him.
Lucien didn’t pay her any attention, knowing that she would inevitably follow him—and she did. Her rushed footsteps slowly caught up, and the two of them made their way to the heart of the city.
A deserted place that just happened to have a few visitors.
That’s how the city felt. Empty streets, whispers that bounced off walls and carried for miles, and an undeniable eerie sensation captured in every detail.
A resplendent wasteland.
Lucien walked up to a salesman, standing conveniently at the city’s center area, with houses in a small stand with numerous items showcased on the tabletop.
Celeste tugged on his shirt, her pull firm as if she was trying to tell him something that would decide his fate.
Lucien was noticeably annoyed, his eyes narrowing into slits as he blinked slowly and heavily.
’She’s either just not my type or I’m losing my social skills.’
"What is it?" He whispered, his arms still tucked deep into his pockets.
"You see those bottles with the purple liquid?" She whispered, her voice barely audible. "They can help you reduce the effects of curses."
His eyes widened, immediately pulling himself away from Celeste and raising his loose fist to his mouth, clearing his throat.
"That’s a bit too..."
"Close."
He paused for a bit, and she let go of his shirt. "Ugh, creepy guys like you are so obvious."
"If you think that way, then just don’t follow me," he retorted.
"Anyway, your point is that it can reduce the chances of Wrath taking over my body or the effects of his influence?"
She nodded her head and pointed at the exact bottle she was referring to.
’But why would I want something like that in the first place?’
"Wrath has been beneficial for the most part. I’ll just buy a bottle in case I need it, but I highly doubt that’s the case."
His mind immediately drew him back to the massacre he witnessed and his body carry out, and he could only wonder if the potion affected that version of himself as well.
Celeste pulled out a stack of money and a credit card from her bag. Lucien gave her hands a quick side eye, his mind immediately circling.
He’d never seen that much money before. Not in his past life or this one.
"That’s a lot there. How about we share it? I’ll protect you, and you’ll simply pay me for my services," Lucien suggested, his hunger for money piercing through his invaluable words.
"Like I’d believe that," she replied, immediately pressing her lips against each other. "... and for the third time, I don’t need your protection."
Lucien immediately fell silent, watching her draw out a few notes from the stack, and all he could do was dream about what he could use the money to do.
Every poor man’s dream.
With Lucien observing her from the sidelines, she bought the potion and a few others and rushed over to Lucien, giving him two bottles: one with a purple liquid as they had planned, and the other with a green liquid.
"So this green potion is a healing potion?" He asked.
"That’s a cheat code, and sorry to tell you, but there aren’t any cheat codes here."
"It’s a Skill Potion. With the right conditions met, it can brute-force a new skill into your arsenal. It tends to execute the new skill on its own."
"Just like Wrath."
The both of them sat on a short bench at the side of the road, and Celeste sorted the items in her bag.
He watched her place the potions in a separate bag, but his curiosity was fueled by the different colored potions she had just bought.
"So those potions are for what then?"
She paused for a moment and then put in the last bottle. Then, she turned back to Lucien and said, "You haven’t held up your end of the promise, remember? I’m not obligated to tell you anything that doesn’t concern you."
Every muscle in Lucien’s face tightened, a shadow sweeping across the little acceptance for her that he had.
’Yeah, she definitely isn’t my type.’