Chapter 13 - White Hair, Red Eyes

Arnest talked to Whitebeard about the various ideas he had about mana usage while Whitebeard helped to compound them and make more concrete theories. They chatted for hours on this and the conversation seemed animated. The clerk, Eloy, had left fairly early on and arranged for meals to be sent to the two magi a few hours later. But even when the food came they were still discussing different ways to activate spells.

It wasn’t until late at night when Arnest finally said his goodbyes and left the Merchant’s Guild. He exited the Eagle Room and started walking down the stairs. He was lost in thought, reviewing everything he talked about with Whitebeard.

But as he turned around the corner he collided with someone who was quickly heading up the stairs. Their heads had hit each other and Arnest fell to the ground, groaning, while the other person was just standing and rubbing their head. Arnest was dazed but only for a few moments as he regained his senses and looked up to see who brought him this misfortune.

The person was an older girl, about sixteen years old, and was wearing a hooded cloak. The hood would’ve hidden her face but now it was fully exposed. With a petite face, elongated white hair and angry red eyes, she wore a pouting face. Her anger clouded her thinking and she forgot what she was doing, her attention fully on Arnest.

“Sorry, I wasn't paying attention.” said Arnest apologetically.

“You really should be more careful. Especially since you're obviously and inherently, an dimwitted idiot.” she said, still irritated.

Arnest didn't enjoy being called an idiot but was more concerned about her appearance. Besides her foreign facial features like her white hair and red eyes, he noticed that under the cloak she was wearing a pearled necklace that drooped down into her chest. Additionally upon closer inspection when Arnest shot a small stream of mana towards it, the mana would be repelled. It seemed to have some defensive capabilities towards magic. Someone wearing expensive jewelry and an even more expensive jewelry that had a magical defense wouldn't be a simple character.

“I’m really sorry. What can I do to make it up to you?" Arnest tried to be as sincere as possible. He really didn't want to create more enemies then he had to. He already had to conflict with a majority of the Aster clan in order to make Talas the Zanako.

“Hmph. Well... I'm feeling a bit bored right now. How about you accompany for the rest of the night? A buffoon like you should know an entertaining parlor trick or two."

“Alright, until midnight then." Arnest wanted to placate her obvious anger but at the same time he didn't have time to be spending the entire night and early morning entertaining her. He still wanted to put into practice the methods of mana control Whitebeard had imparted onto him.

“I guess that’ll have to do.” she said with a pouting face.

“Come with me.”

The girl took Arnest by the hand and pulled him upstairs. They passed the sixth floor where he had stayed at the Eagle Room and went up to the seventh, the eighth, and finally the ninth. The ninth floor was the highest floor of the Merchants Guild’s headquarters, reserved for the guild leader and his guests. Someone who was unknown like Arnest, even if he was an irregular magus, wouldn’t have enough of a status to be able to step onto this floor, let alone enter.

This was something that Arnest learned about the Merchants Guild through the information network run by Jerrei and Cirqa Efatos. The sixth floor that he was on earlier was specifically meant for guests of the many experts of the Merchants Guild, called Oranens - oranos meaning gold and oranens meaning people of gold in the native tongue. Whitebeard is an Oranen and had been one since fifteen years ago. Arnest specifically wanted to meet and gain his favor to start a relationship with the guild.

At first Arnest thought that the girl mistakenly went to the ninth floor but she flashed a golden badge of some bird at the guard as they approached the entrance door. Seeing this, the guard quickly moved to open the door for the young lady and her new playmate. This confirmed his suspicions that this girl was an immense character he didn't want to offend right now. His decision to try and appease this girl was correct.  If he had offended someone at the upper echelons of the Merchants Guild then he would it find it even harder to accomplish his plans, here in Zanabo.

“Who is she?” Arnest wondered.

Both of them entered but all that was there was a small corridor. It wasn't as narrow as some of the city streets but it definitely made one feel claustrophobic. The girl led Arnest towards a door near the end of the hallway and walked into the side room. It was simply decorated and looked like her bedroom. Compared to the sixth floor, this room didn't exude the same elegance or wealth.

The girl jumped onto the bed and pointed towards Arnest. “I can tell you're not a local. I'm sure you know some interesting stories. Tell me one so I can fall asleep.”

“A story, huh…” Arnest started to rack his brain, trying to remember a story. He thought immediately of Fox Village but if a simple island knew those stories she probably would have heard them too since she lived in Zanabo, the city where traders come from all over the Lanexi islands. He also thought of Jerrei and the rumors he heard secondhand from him but that still had the same problem as the first idea. But then he remembered a good story from one of his strange dreams.

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“This is an old story about the gods.” Arnest started to retell the story.

“When the world of Yzenten was still young and there weren't any living things yet, there was only the four gods - Navul, Salene, Mantus and Ulrend. The four gods were still children and they had many toys to play with. One of these toys was the Heavenly Sphere.”

The girl was listening but didn't seem to really care that much. Although she didn't hear this story before, it was related to the gods of the mainland. Natives of Lanex had their own beliefs and the girl didn't believe in the fairytales of the invaders.

“One day they were playing catch with the giant ball. It would shoot across the sky like a fireball and make a loud screeching sound as it whizzed by. Navul tossed the ball to Ulrend. Ulrend to Salene. And then Salene to Mantus. But Mantus dropped it into the Yzenten Grand Ocean, making a huge splash. The Heavenly Sphere caused the earth to shake and tsunamis to drown everything. The only large land mass was now the Heavenly Sphere.”

Still uninterested the girl yawned. “This truly is a story that can make people fall asleep.”

Arnest ignored her and continued. “Mantus started to cry, upset that it was him who dropped and broke the toy. His tears covered the entire world but it didn't flood it with water. His tears were made of mana and it seeped into everything. Soon the land started to grow green and life was created. We call the first beings, demon.”

“The three other gods noticed the strange creatures and began to play with them. Their new toys entertained them for a while but Navul had an idea. He wanted to have some creatures that looked like him and asked Mantus to make them. Mantus easily agreed, thinking it was a good idea, and created humans. Then the other two wanted the same and in the end, elves and dragons were created.”

The story finished but Arnest did not stop speaking. “I've always believed that the first humans originated from the mainland but how does that explain the existence of the natives of Lanex? Since coming to Zanabo and meeting you, I've noticed there are definitely clear differences between the two of us. For example you have white hair and red eyes compared to the people who come from the mainland, like me, who have dark hair and brown eyes. Perhaps your ancestry is from a people created in another god's image besides the four gods of the mainland.”

It was only at this moment did the girl feel intrigued. The story finally peaked her interest when it became related to her heritage. She didn't feel especially attached to her home but the idea of there being random creatures and possibly different types of humans made her blood boil with excitement. She remembered her mother and thought, "Maybe there's people like me on another island!"

“How about the other gods? Did they make their own creatures too? And which god do you think I'm created after?" she asked questions a mile a minute, with an enchanting vigor.

“That could be. As for whose image you were created in, only the gods truly know.” Arnest replied.

She no longer felt like sleeping and was engrossed in a heated curiousity. The two of them talked about the gods of Lanex and the mainland and the strange creatures they had heard about. The girl spoke with such vigor that her red eyes twinkled and her white hair whipped to and fro.

One of the suns started to rise early in the morning. The two of them were out of breath now but still had more things they wanted to talk about. But it was already past the time Arnest agreed to keep her company.

“I have to go now. Maybe we’ll see each other another time.” Arnest said as he started to walk away.

“Wait, don't go!” The girl was unwilling to lose her new source of entertainment.

Arnest turned around and said "We agreed on midnight. I really must go."

Disappointed, she looked towards the ground. But then she had an idea and joyously looked up. She started reaching into her cloaks pocket.

“Take this." She threw the golden medallion she used before.

"You'll be able to get into the ninth floor. Come by and tell me another story sometime."

"I'll make sure to visit you, Miss...I just realized I don't know your name."

"My name is Feliti. And yours?"

"Arnest. It's been nice meeting you, Miss Feliti." said Arnest as he started to walk down the corridor towards the stairs.

Feliti closed the door after Arnest left and jumped onto her bed. She gripped one of her oversized body pillows and fantasized about the world outside of the island city, a possible relationship with a god and lastly her mother. As she was about to fall asleep, dreaming of her mother, she remembered what she wanted to do before bumping into Arnest.

"I have to go see father!" said Feliti as she ran out of the room.