Walking down the hall, seemingly lost in thought, the box made clicking noises as Velvet tinkered with its levels and pullers, trying to open it.

She stopped every few steps, and grinned to herself when another faint set of steps rushed to stop too.

“Cmon now, you know I can hear you.”

Unlike Lox, who she wasn’t able to feel following her until she forced him to reveal himself with Hasdrubal’s ‘help’, she could sense her new pursuer.

Velvet remained still, waiting for the mage to make a decision. And a decision they took, taking the remaining steps to turn around the corner, staying in front of her.

It was the blue haired girl she kept seeing with Arhontissa's group.

“See? It wasn’t that hard, was it?”

The girl raised her hand, before moving it around, making signs.

“Um.” Velvet interrupted her, letting out a nervous laugh. “I don’t know sign language…”

Knowledge mages had an extremely easy time learning new languages, so admitting she didn’t know was rather embarrassing.

The girl stared at her in silence, lowering her hand and pressing her lips. The meaning of her disappointed glare was clear. ‘You are a knowledge mage, aren’t you? What do you mean you don’t know? You should know better!’.

“Stop with the glare… I really didn’t have the chance! I promise I will learn sign language once I have time. Oh, I know Morse Code, if that works.” As to prove her point, she tapped intermittently upon the box.

As a response, the girl rummaged through her clothes, before pulling a small book and extending it to her.

Velvet stored the box, taking the book. Obviously, it was a book about sign language, which Velvet went through with ease and speed, before nodding and returning it.

She could now communicate with the girl.

“Charlampians, who live in the sea, by the sea, for the sea.”

The girl rolled her eyes.

“What box?” Velvet played dumb, because it was free, and because she could.

Clicking her tongue, she laughed. “My, what a temper. At least, I don’t know, introduce yourself first, take me to dinner or something.”

I am not doing that. The girl thought, before shaking her head, continuing the conversation.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Hm, no full name? She knows I know she’s Arhontissian, so either she is being vague on purpose or wants to keep her family name a secret.

As to show off her now stored ‘prize’, Velvet put her empty hands the same way she held the box previously. “So, what’s the opening offer?”

Doireann stared at her.

Velvet stared at her in silence, before laughing. “Oh, that’s a nice one! Straight to the point!” She started walking again, followed by Doireann. “Lemme think… yes, it might work.” After a moment, she added. “But, try to backstab me, and I’ll break the box.”

That would make her waste less magic. And, she really wanted to do some real test for her half open Esca.

Nebura was just an appetizer, after all.

…

To ‘lure’ Lox out, who had gone back into hiding, Velvet planned to redo the Rancour Rebellion scenario, more precisely, the part where the Decadence mage got defeated.

Decadence, as the middle ground between Grief and Apathy, was not a frontline Paradigm, but one more inclined towards spying and assassination. In Lox’s case, the apathy part made his presence be ignored by the people surrounding him. It wasn’t that he was invisible, but that Velvet and other mages simply ‘chose’ to ignore his existence, becoming unable to see him.

The grief part consisted of curses, corruption and hexes. Velvet had to make sure no hair, skin or blood fell into his hands, or she might start having problems.

She had once almost lost a hand under Cornelius Graham’s curse, and he was from the Pride Paradigm, suffering from the loss of power from using spells of differing Paradigms. She didn’t know how powerful a curse from a mage pertaining to a curse-adjacent Paradigm would be, and she didn’t want to find out.

By what Doireann had told her, she was from a Paradigm which could ‘close’ spaces, nullifying Lox’s invisibility and weakening him. She didn’t say the name, but it was fine, Velvet didn’t mind.

Not for now, at least.

For now, Velvet was back in the forest, away from any edifice, when Doireann stopped abruptly, a greatsword forming in her hands, which she proceeded to stab on the ground.

The greatsword buried itself, with numerous strings of symbols coming from it, covering the surrounding ground in spiraling text.

At fifty meters, the written symbols went up, effectively ‘closing’ the space.

It resembles a Colosseum… Velvet thought, wondering if Doireann’s Paradigm was called Gladiator.

As the colosseum finished forming, a presence started being felt, just next to Velvet.

Jumping back, she tossed a paper figurine, ready to explode it.

Lox raised his hand, making a waving motion, the figurine losing its shine.

Immediately, Velvet cut her connection to it, preventing any curse from reaching her.

“If I was in your shoes, I would reconsider.” Lox said. “I’m merely an observer, nothing else.”

“I hope you realize how creepy that sounds.” Velvet said. She had noticed that Lox needed to ‘disarm’ her paper figurine, so, unlike a fully apathy mage, he was unable to become untouchable.

The colosseum symbols light up, and Velvet felt some of her magic lowering, before raising again. Doireann was taunting her, but, since Velvet could still break the box, not to say, having Frenese’s deal as a last resort, with what she could simply ask the devil to devour the colosseum, she chose to put up with it.

Patience brings opportunities, and Velvet was waiting for hers.

Saying that, she didn’t wait, immediately sending three paper figurines after Lox, who jumped back, a black mist surrounding him. This time she didn’t cut the connection with the figurines once the mist touched them, making them explode.

A crawling pain started to grow on her fingertips, going up, and she used a small fire spell to burn her skin over those places, gritting her teeth through the pain, but stopping the curse.

Lox slammed a tree, right before Doireann mobilyzed her colosseum, forcing him down between struggling noises.

Velvet looked at her, and Doireann moved her arms.

“But of course!” Velvet said, smiling, going towards Lox’s figure. Kneeling beside him, she reached her hands. “It’s what we agreed on, after a-”

Stab.

A long, sharp sword crossed Velvet’s chest, side to side.

Doireann moved her hand back, her plan done. She needed that box intact, no use waiting for Velvet to feel like handing it over, right?

She walked towards her.

Lox turned his head. “Do-” He didn’t finish the sentence, starting to cough blood.

What? Doireann stopped, just as Velvet’s head turned completely backwards, a smile on her face. “Aw, not bothering to check your aim? It’s quite good, you did kill two birds with one stone!”

Lox forced himself to use some black mist to stop the illusion, making Velvet’s stabbed figure transform into a paper figurine, which crumpled into dust.

Doireann’s sword, on the other side, laid deep inside Lox’ stomach. Since the Velvet she stabbed was not real, the sword hadn’t found any resistance, burying its edge under the next thing it had found.

Doireann tried to approach Lox, but he stopped her. “Don’t. She has half an Esca!”

Cursing inside, she blamed the damn file. Velvet hadn’t shown abilities pertaining to that level yet, had she been waiting for something like this?

“It’s nothing so impressive, really.” Velvet’s voice came from behind her, just before she clapped. “Now, what was truly impressive was your show! I almost trusted you enough to show you my back!”

“It’s so good that patience is a virtue! You should have some patience next time. Maybe talk to Creftalia first, instead of rushing.” Saying that, she lowered her arms, her smile becoming twisted. “That being said…”