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Condemned To Death
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15th September, 1507
‘4
3
2
1’
Seren opened his eyes and found himself in a dark tunnel. He couldn’t make sense of the surroundings due to the pitch darkness surrounding him. The only thing Seren could see was a dim blue light flickering in the distance. Scanning around, he realized he was alone, there was no sign of the homeless old man who had entered the demon's mouth with him before.
Seren then tried to activate his relic to create light but found that he couldn’t activate it or rather, he couldn’t move the soul energy within his Mind Core to direct it to the Luminar crystal floating in there. After a moment of consideration, he realized there was nothing he could do, so he began walking towards the distant light.
It took almost 5 minutes to reach the light but when he arrived, he saw that it was just a lantern that had a blue flame burning inside it. The lantern was hanging beside a rusted door handle.
“Who are you?” a voice suddenly echoed from the depth of darkness. Seren instantly raised his guard as his eyes sharpened and darted around looking for the source of the voice.
“Look forward you idiot,” The voice said in an annoyed tone.
Seren looked forward with caution but saw nothing but the lantern silently flickering in the darkness, but then something unexpected caught his eye. When he examined the flame inside the lantern closely, it didn’t look like an ordinary flame shaped like a cone with the tip pointing upwards but more like an uncanny humanoid creature with arms and legs.
Then Seren heard a voice come from the flame, “Stop looking at me like that, I’m not into kids” The flame seemed to be making a disgusted look as it said that.
‘A flame that can speak?’ Seren thought in bewilderment since this was the last thing he expected to see here.
In the past, Seren had successfully tracked down one of the individuals who had vanished alongside the homeless people. He approached the person and kindly asked about their experience inside. Fortunately, the person was willing to share their encounter with Seren, probably because Seren had treated him to a bunch of drinks beforehand so they would spill the beans.
‘He never said I would have to deal with a talking flame’
“Hey, you gonna say something? I don’t have all day to play house with you”. The flame said as its child-like body crossed its arms.
“O-Oh, yes sorry. This is the first time I have seen a talking flame,” Seren replied timidly with an apologetic look on his face.
The flame looked pleased at Seren’s response as it said “Hmmm yes, that’s how it should be. Anyway, what’s your name?”
“Seren. What’s your name?” Seren asked in a curious voice.
“...I don’t have a name but you people just call me the talking flame. It's such a shitty name” The flame said in a distasteful tone.
“N-No I think it’s pretty cool,” Seren replied with a child-like look on his face.
“Huh? What?” The flame was taken aback when Seren said that.
“Yes! I mean a talking flame, who doesn’t think a flame that can talk isn’t cool? It's something straight out of a fantasy” Seren said excitedly as he looked at the flame.
“S-stop saying weird things like that… Well, I do suppose I’m pretty unique” The flame looked embarrassed but also pleased for some reason.
Seren smiled coldly in his heart when he saw his facade was working as he continued, “Unique? You’re the coolest flame I've ever met!”.
“Hehe, that's enough flattering out of you kid,” The flame said as it tried to control its smile.
Seren then asked curiously “But, where are we?”
The flame cleared its throat as it said in a professional voice “We’re deep inside the first peak of Chimera Vale”.
Seren deliberately made a shocked expression with wide eyes and mouth open as he looked at the flame who seemed to be enjoying watching his reaction.
Then after a few seconds of silence, Seren spoke with a tone of disbelief, “I was just trying to help people struggling on the streets but an old man led me here”. Then Seren clutched his head and with despair written on his face, he mumbled to himself “What do I do? How do I get out of here?”.
“Why worry when you have me”
Seren lifted his head and saw the flame making a smug expression as it looked at him.
“R-really you will help me?” Seren asked with hope in his voice.
The flame grew brighter and slightly bigger as it replied, “Of course, this much is nothing for me”.
The flame then fell silent for a few seconds as Seren stared at it with watery eyes. Then it spoke, "But I suggest you go check out what's behind this door first. If you don't like it, you can always come back here, and I will send you back to the surface."
Seren cleared the tears in his eyes and wore a contemplative expression as he weighed the flame's words. “It’s not going to be dangerous right?” he asked with a bit of fear in his voice.
“As long as you don’t do anything stupid, you should be fine” The flame replied.
After wiping his reddish eyes, Seren spoke with a determined voice, "Okay, I will do as you say."
"Place your palm on top of the lamp first, and then you can open the door," the flame instructed.
Seren hesitated for a moment before placing his hand directly on top of the lamp.
“It will sting a bit”
Then, a blue spark shot out from the flame's body, striking the bottom of Seren's palm.
"Ah!" Seren jerked his hand back, a pained expression crossing his face as he blew on his hand. After a few moments, he inspected the area closely and saw that a small patch of skin had been burned, leaving behind a small black dot.
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“What’s this?” Seren asked.
The flame stayed silent for a few seconds as it contemplated Seren’s question. “...Normally, I’m not allowed to say this but this helps them keep track of you” The flame replied solemnly.
Before Seren could ask what the flame meant by 'them', it instructed him to open the door and enter.
Seren still wanted to ask about ‘them’ but sensing that the topic seemed sensitive, he reluctantly grasped the rusted handle on the door and twisted it, causing the metal door to creak open. What he saw behind the door left him utterly baffled.
Before him stretched a breathtaking view of a town, encircled by complete darkness. Despite the surrounding gloom, the entire town glowed brilliantly, illuminated like a beacon in the night. Countless buildings dotted the landscape, with people bustling about the streets below. Tiny sparks of light danced and flickered in the air, like fireflies caught in a perpetual dance. Their soft glow illuminated the town with an ethereal radiance, lending an air of magic to the already enchanting scene. Another interesting aspect of the town was that a small forest surrounded it from all sides, making it look like a scene straight out of a fairy tale.
‘I didn’t want to believe that drunk guy at first, but to think there had actually been something like this right under my feet for the last 15 years’
Seren knew the general description of what he could expect to see behind the door but seeing it with his own eyes was a completely different experience.
Seren looked around to see where he was and saw that he was standing on an elevated surface with a flight of stairs in front of him that led him down into the forest.
CLANG
Seren looked behind and saw the door had closed shut on its own. ‘So I can just come back here whenever I want to go back to the surface’ He made a mental note to himself.
He then retrieved the mask given to him by the old man and placed it over his face. Seren now looked like a mysterious figure, his features obscured by the mask. Long strands of white hair billowed in the wind, lending him an otherworldly appearance like a spectre.
‘Wind?’ Seren was taken aback when a breeze blew in his face. ‘How interesting. There is even wind here within an enclosed space’.
Seren descended the stairs and entered the forest. It appeared just like any other forest, with towering trees but what surprised Seren was that small animals were living in the forest. Similar to the town, the forest was adorned with countless specks of light dancing in the air, casting a magical glow over the surroundings.
Seren grabbed one of the specks of light to take a close look at it and saw that it was just a small bug with glowing wings.
‘Is this what they call fireflies?’ Seren felt amused at how similar some of the worlds in different realities can be.
Seren let go of the bug that was constantly buzzing in his hand trying to free itself and then he made his over to the town in the distance.
As Seren reached the town, he noticed that the architectural style of the buildings bore a striking resemblance to Chimera Vale's medieval design. The quaint structures exuded an old-world charm, with their sturdy stone walls and peaked rooftops.
However, what truly caught Seren's attention was the peculiar sight of the townsfolk. Some of them wore white masks similar to the one he had on, while the rest went unmasked.
Just as Seren was observing the town and thinking about what he should do next, he was unexpectedly approached by two individuals without masks.
“Sir, you seem new to this place. Would you like me to give you a tour?” A tall skinny guy that had approached him said with a humble voice.
“Sir, don’t listen to him. I heard how he likes to scam others out of their money. I could give you a much better tour” The girl with medium-short brown hair standing beside the man said as she tried to appeal to Seren with her charm.
“Shut up. You’re just a whore that tries to get in everyone’s pants” The guy said with contempt in his voice.
“At least I can satisfy my customers. What can you even offer them besides your shitty service?” The girl taunted back in an arrogant tone to the man.
They continued to bicker with each other in front of Seren who just watched the drama in silence.
“Back off!”
A loud voice erupted from behind the bickering duo. Startled, they turned around to behold a short man with curly hair striding purposefully toward them. He sported a suit with a bowtie and black gloves on his hands, his demeanor exuding confidence and authority.
As the man reached them, he stood before Seren, his stature even shorter than Seren's, yet his eyes radiated sharpness with a cold glint. With a dignified air, the man proceeded to bow like a gentleman before Seren, his confident voice carrying across the space.
"I apologize for their poor behavior," he stated. "They tarnish the reputation of us, guides."
The two individuals wore angry expressions as they attempted to retort, but the short man silenced them with a piercing glare, causing them to shut their mouths and back off.
Continuing, the short man introduced himself, "Allow me to introduce myself. I am John Blast, and I have been working as a guide in the town of Glowhaven for the past 10 years."
Seren stayed silent as he scrutinized John who was still in a bowing position. Seren then asked, “What makes you better than those two?”
“While my rates exceed those of the individuals behind me, I pride myself on offering my clients a superior level of service founded upon a decade of experience, unwavering integrity, and honesty”. John explained professionally as he looked at Seren with a calm gaze.
Seren fell silent for a few seconds as he contemplated his next actions before asking, “What are all your rates?”
The girl replied quickly, "One soul stone, but I'll give you a discount since you look like a cutie under that mask."
“Hmph, expensive whore. I will take half soul stone”. The tall man said as he looked at the girl scornfully.
Seren glanced at John, who stood before him with a calm expression. In a passive voice, John stated, "Two soul stones."
“...”
Seren didn’t say anything as all 3 of them waited silently in anticipation.
Then, after considering all 3 of their behaviours, Seren extended his hand to John as he said in a reassuring voice, “At least you were honest from the start. Pleased to work with you.”
“The pleasure is mine,” John said with a smile as he shook Seren’s hand.
Disappointed that their potential customer was taken away, the girl and the boy behind John left without saying a word.
“Alright, Sir do you have anything specific in mind or should I just give a general overview of the town?” John asked in a professional voice.
“Just a general one would be fine for now,” Seren replied passively.
John then led Seren around the town, showcasing the various services available while highlighting key points of interest.
"This town," John explained, "was born from the aftermath of a battle between three Rank 4 Lexarchs. It's currently governed by an organization known as The Ravens. I’m sure sir will also be engaging in trades here eventually so as a head-up, the Ravens will collect taxes on every transaction here. Tax evasion leads to a bleak future, so it's best to comply." John warned.
He then continued, "The only people you will find in Glowhaven are black market merchants, wandering Lexarchs, criminals on the run, or the people that were born and raised here."
“Why do some people wear masks while others don’t?” Seren asked curiously.
"It's to distinguish between outsiders and the locals," John elaborated. "Technically, everyone who enters this place is considered a criminal by the authorities of Chimera Vale, so the mask at least protects the identities of people like you," John explained as Seren listened to him attentively.
Seren observed his surroundings and realized that he couldn’t discern any physical characteristics of those wearing the white mask, no matter how hard he tried.
Seren then asked out of caution, “What happens if the authorities find out that you’ve been to this place?”
“There’s no need to worry about that since the authorities also cooperate with the Ravens on a surface level to keep this place running. You should be fine as long as you are not specifically wanted by either the Ravens or the Enforcers of Chimera Vale”
John fell silent for a moment as he considered his next words carefully before speaking in a deep voice, "The Ravens own all the real estate in Glowhaven and fights break out in this place all the time, but as long as you don't cause severe damage to public property, you won’t be held accountable."
Then turning to Seren, John locked eyes with him and issued a warning, “But, whatever you do, never kill someone in Glowhaven, even by mistake. The Ravens are very serious when it comes to this and will hunt you down even if you hide on the surface with the authorities. If you kill someone, I might also get in trouble because one of my clients was found to be committing a crime”.
Seren nodded solemnly indicating he understood.
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Condemned To Death
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