It was serene. It was blissful. It was lovely. Elmer had never felt such peace in a long time—which was barely a week in truth.

The darkness embraced him—caressed him, and he found himself wishing he could forever remain fondled in its bosom and swaying within its grasp. But despite what he wished for, his eyes stirred open gradually without any heed for his wants.

And so did his sense of hearing.

The twittering of birds seeped into his ears, gently reaching for his awareness. And when they did, they tugged at it and dragged him fully from the serene quiet he had been swimming within, allowing the distinct chatters and footfalls of people hurrying for whatever reason known only to them to resonate within him.

But it was not until the first rays of dawn—the hues of soft gold—beautifully painted the revolver sprawled on his lap, did his mind finally spark off as his eyes transitioned fully from a dim blur to a clear state. And with that occurrence was he now able to make out the scenery of his room as he had remembered it, only it was brightened in a way he had not been expecting it to be.

Elmer gasped as his mind plunged into a turmoil, and he pounced to his knees, the revolver which had been laid on his lap, falling to the floor as a result.

He turned around quickly to peer through the raised shutter of his window, and he saw a sky blue and clear, and dyed here and there with the golden glow of the rising sun in the distance.

“What?” Elmer muttered with creased brows. Then his heartbeat suddenly galloped as his mind shifted toward his little sister, prompting him to quickly turn disorientedly as he put his eyes on the bed across the room.

Mabel was lying untouched—unharmed—and with that realization came a sense of relief which washed over Elmer as soon as he let out a soothing breath, releasing his skin from the tingle that had plagued it.

Nothing had happened.

He turned back to the window and briefly gazed at the drifting clouds of early morning, before all of a sudden he slapped his face, doing it again, and again, and again, until his cheek was red and itchy. He was about to slap his cheek one more time when his belly knotted nervously, causing him to hesitantly let his hand fall while he pinched his eyes shut and his head slumped forward.

“What’s wrong with you?” Elmer mumbled to no one but himself. “How could you have fallen asleep? What would you have done if a Lost had attacked? What would you have done?!”

And then, through the prickling pain coursing through his cheek, he realized something.

His eyes widened open once again to the light of day, and he quickly slid a palm across his chest.

Since a Lost didn’t attack… Elmer had a gaping mouth… doesn’t that mean the potion worked…?

All the tension that had welled up in his body unexpectedly released, and a smile slowly came upon his face.

It was for a month, he told himself. Just for a month. But at this moment he did not need to fear those beasts any longer. Now, he could solely focus on what he needed to do, which was joining the bounty hunters and finding The Warlock’s Torch.

He allowed his eyes to saccade in elation, and through their rapid movements he caught sight of an abnormal scenario.

The streets of Tooth and Nails had people shifting about it. Granted, they were all headed in the same direction as they always were—toward the thoroughfare—but for this time of the day they should have already been there.

And moreover, they were dressed in a rather classy way for peasants. Suits or vests the men and boys wore, although cheap. And the girls and ladies were garbed in lace or thick cotton gowns, none befitting of the word expensive as well. It was as though they were headed somewhere special for some sort of festivity.

Elmer nudged a brow upward before turning away from the window and taking his steps slowly until he arrived at the bedside table. He took a peek at the form gently placed in the middle, then at Mabel. And with a shake of his head he peeled off the leather gloves his hands were covered in and placed them upon the form.

He canceled the thought of going to the Church. There was no way he could afford to place himself under their watch. He was sure there would be restrictions to what he could do if there was some sort of surveillance on him. And besides, he did not want Mabel’s condition to be something freely known. If he could avoid mentioning it, then he would.

There had to be some other way.

He took his eyes to the last trace of light upon the melted candle, and as that minuscule glow flickered into oblivion, letting a thin dark smoke rise from its death, Elmer had a plan storm his mind.

He took off his suspenders and picked up Mabel as he hurried to the bathroom. The water would be very cold, he knew, but it was either that or they took no bath at all.

But as he tested the shower to see if there would be any surprise, to his amazement, hot water sprayed out.

Through the slight smile that had stretched the edges of his mouth, Elmer recalled that there were actually only two people in this building. He and the other lady.

Then how come there was no hot water on the first day?

He remembered his landlord had specifically stated fourth to take their bath as the one to use the cold water, but he had used cold water on the first day even though there were only two of them as tenants in the building.

Was it that the landlord had made a mistake or something of similarity, or was the other lady just wasting water? He smacked his lips. If it was the latter, he would be really angry.

Elmer returned to his room when he was done with his and Mabel’s bath, and changed his sister’s clothing from the white gown she had been wearing into a petticoat of the same color.

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After which, he put on his suspenders, completing his outfit of a white shirt and black pants, and took what was left of his money in his waist bag and slid it into his pocket. Then he picked up the form on the table before taking his leave of the room.

…

It was not until he had spent ten pence to board a public carriage to Merchant’s District did he finally realize why the people of Tooth and Nails had been garbed so out of touch.

“Church,” the man who had boarded as soon as Elmer highlighted, mentioned to the coachman, and his words jiggled Elmer’s recollection of what the day was.

It was a Sunday.

The sound of hooves trodding away was all that lingered in Elmer’s ears as he stood with widened eyes, staring at the form in his hand.

Again, he had made another mishap in his plans. What if Lev had gone for worship just like the rest were doing?

He looked about the streets and noticed how scanty they were as the companies were closed. It was almost as though the Merchant’s District had taken on the ambience of Tooth and Nails.

Elmer slapped his forehead. Then he tsked and trudged on to the pawnshop regardless. He should at least make use of the money he had spent by confirming his stupidity.

And he was indeed stupid.

The door of the pawnshop was fully closed. Not halfway open as it was always meant to be during the week, or wholly open and filled with people as it had been when he had come the day past. It was closed. Elmer sighed at that.

He had not put himself to focus on Sundays as a totally different day than the rest of the week because of how the orphanage had been.

Although the orphans had all been obligated to attend the thirty minute worship at the chapel every Sunday, Mistress Eleanor had never really drilled it into their heads on what a Sunday truly entailed.

Attending worship had just been like eating their morning meal, only they had been allowed to each pray to whichever God they served—or not—unlike meal time where they all had to eat whatever had been prepared. And all that had now brought him to this mishap.

Was he to blame himself or Mistress Eleanor now?

He took a last glance toward the side window of the shop and saw no sign of the collections that were always displayed. A curtain had been draped to mask the interior, and that sight made Elmer shake his head. He would probably not be able to meet Lev until Tuesday.

“Oh, is that you, glasses?” A familiar voice crept into Elmer’s ears, and when he turned around, the view of a man dressed in a white shirt with rolled up sleeves and a brown vest appeared before him. “What are you doing here?” Lev was cradling a small brown paper bag in his arms.

Elmer’s eyes shone as a wave of relief drowned his body. “Lev,” Elmer cooed with a low elated voice that you would think Lev was as much a friend to him as Pip was. “Why… Why are you here?” he added.

“Why am I here?” Lev’s tone had its giddiness, but this time fainter and weaker. “What a question you ask, glasses. I work here.” He strode past Elmer and stuck a key into the door’s keyhole, turning it to the side to bring about a click sound.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in church?” Elmer asked, genuinely curious, though elated that he wasn’t.

Lev snorted and turned the doorknob. “As if that’s going to help with anything,” he muttered as he pushed the door halfway open before turning his eyes over his shoulder at Elmer. “And you? Why aren’t you in church?”

Elmer shrugged. “I’m not a worshipper of the God of Time.”

“Heh, well that’s my answer to your question too.” Lev was about to walk into the shop when he suddenly halted his steps. “Wait. You’re alive.” He closed the door and turned to Elmer with a soft squeeze of his face. “How did it go?”

Elmer was a bit confused for a little over a second before he finally understood what Lev meant. “Okay, I guess,” he lied. The whole procedure and its result had been anything but okay.

Lev’s eyes narrowed. “And you’re still in this city. That means you got to be an Ascender of the Pathway of Time.” He smirked as soon as those words left his lips. “You’re one lucky rat, aren’t you? But you know that renders your claim false, right? You have to be a worshipper of the God of Time as long as you are in his pathway, glasses.”

Elmer was not sure why Lev had dropped that nickname on him. He was not particularly annoyed, but he would prefer to be called by his name.

“I’m Elmer,” he introduced himself. “Could you call me by that instead of glasses?”

Lev clicked his tongue as he nudged a shoulder. “Sure,” he said. “So, why are you here? Do you need my help again? An Ascender shouldn’t be relying on us mere humans, you know. You are blessed with the power of a God now.”

Honestly, Elmer could not still feel what exactly he had been blessed with. He had not noticed any changes to his body. Not the speed or strength Patsy had mentioned the Ascenders had, or even anything else. To him he was still the same old Elmer.

“I’m in something of a pinch,” he told Lev, then walked over to a closer proximity of the door where Lev stood, and offered the form in his hand to him. “Going the illegal route for the elixir led to this.”

Lev took hold of the paper with a puzzled look, but even after looking through it the puzzlement remained. “What is this?” he asked.

“I’m to take that to the Church.” Lev’s brows furrowed. “I went to register to become a bounty hunter, but I was given this by the clerk there. I somehow managed to avoid getting into trouble for going the illegal route, but she said I have to be certified by the Church to become a bounty hunter.”

Elmer fell silent and remained that way, causing Lev to prod his head forward briskly. “And?”

“I don’t want to go there.”

Lev suddenly burst into a quiet laugh. “You don’t want to go there? Is it because of what I mentioned to you?” Lev brandished the paper.

Elmer nodded. “Yes. I do not want to be under the surveillance of the Church. Do you have any way to help me?”

Lev sucked in air through his teeth. “Wouldn’t that only get you in more trouble? I mean, you are trying to stack another crime upon your past one. Will you really be okay?”

“It’s necessary,” Elmer told Lev without hesitation as his thoughts flashed toward Mabel.

“What if you get caught by this… clerk? What then?”

Elmer remained quiet for a brief moment, then he said, “I won’t.” His voice shook at that reply so he quickly thought to cover it up by putting more words into Lev’s ears. “That’s why I need your help,” Elmer continued. “I am to get the Church’s seal of approval. With your help I was able to bypass the legal procedures to become an Ascender, I’m sure there’s a way to bypass this as well.”

Lev pinched his eyes at Elmer. “And what will I get in return for helping you?”

Elmer had expected Lev to bring something of such up, but despite knowing that, he still couldn’t think of anything he could pay Lev with, so instead he said, “I’ll be in your debt.”

Lev pressed his lips together then sighed. “I don’t know anyone who could forge the Church’s seal,” Lev started saying as he handed the form back to Elmer, “but I know someone who might. North-east borough, No. 37, A street. He goes by Mr. Hank. And make sure you tell him I sent you. Although, he’s a very devout believer of the God of Time, so you’ll have to wait until tomorrow before you meet him.

“Truly, such a person who could forge the Church’s seal might not even exist. Forging such a thing would definitely be a worse crime than becoming an Ascender illegally, but try your luck regardless. It seems to me that you have a lot.” He mumbled something under his breath afterwards before turning around. “I’ll have you not forget you owe me a debt.” And with that he walked into the shop.

North-east borough, No. 37, A street… Elmer voiced within his head before he suddenly remembered he had forgotten to thank Lev. He bowed at the shut door instead, then turned around and walked away.