Evelyn was absolutely distraught as her eyes widened further. She asked again, “Good Advisor, what do you mean?”

The man looked to Evelyn and scoffed as he spoke once more, “As I have said. Your balances have been intact and open for 50 years without change, as was the time of your departure from this world. This means that you owe those 50 years of time your accounts have been open. In addition to that, you will then also owe in the interest of the cart you borrowed at the time yet never returned. Which means you will owe…”

The man took a moment as he began to gesture for his other assistant to open the book he brought and began to inspect through it as well. He took a few moments as he then said, “Ah yes here we are. You will owe the equivalent of 10 years of labor, with this there is also the material lost when you had left this world which will also…”

Evelyn began to lose the ability to hear the words spoken to her. She could feel in her chest tension building as in her heart it felt like it was stabbed. Her breathing became more sporadic as her vision began to blur. She was hearing a few things, she had not been dead for more than 50 years, and only 2 generations of time had passed, yet within that time she had accrued such a debt that it would take a lifetime to try and pay back. Yet he spoke so casually about such a thing, that Evelyn began to feel it in her knees, the overwhelming burden that was being placed on her.

Then the man had finished listing all the debts owed by Evelyn as he nodded, “You are quite lucky to have found yourself in such a fortunate situation. Within our time, one of the most plentiful times Fellwinter has seen! You could pay back your debts within our greatest time and be nothing less than a productive member of our great kingdom!”

The man seemed almost pleased with himself as he spoke. He looked to the lord for some confirmation as there was nothing. Adrith turned his head to see the Lord wore no face other than his pure neutral expression. Lord Michael noticed Adrith’s gaze and then spoke, “Continue”.

The Advisor nodded his head as he said, “Of course my Lord”.

The man cleared his throat as he then spoke once more now to Adrith, “Now you, what was your name again?”

Adrith looked back to the Advisor as he said, “Adrith Catulus”

The man began to nod his head as he began to look through his tome once more. He closed it and opened it as he began to look through the index, it took a few minutes before he spoke, “I see, Adrith Catulus, what was your occupation?”

“Knight”, Adrith responded quickly

“I see a Knight, did you own any land as a Knight”, the Advisor asked.

“I did not”, Adrith answered once more.

“I see, what order do you come from?” The Advisor asked once more, now scanning the names more.

“I am from the order of the Knights of Fellwinter”, Adrith responded.

The Advisor shook his head, “I see no such order here”.

The Advisor continued to look through the book as he then made a note of something, “This is strange. None of these names are known to be from any order”

The Advisor continued to look, now much more concerned as he then questioned, “Who among else did you know from your order?”

“Well there were quite a few of us. However, of some of the notables I can remember, Trevor Rockwell was one”. Adrith gave the man one name for now so he could try to find him.

The Advisor began to flip through more and more pages. It took multiple minutes as he used much of the same information, and then came up with the same conclusion, “There are multiple people here with the same information”.

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The Advisor began to become confused with much of the information. He looked over the pages, and yet many of them had the same information. None owned land. None were of an order. And all were knights. He looked up to Adrith as he asked, “What is the meaning of this?”

Adrith tilted his head as he said, ”I don’t know what you mean”.

The Advisor looked back to his tome as he began to look through it once more. His brow furrowed as he seemed almost unable to figure out much more. It seemed all the information was the same. With nothing helping determine the differences between them. Lord Michael then spoke, “Is there a problem Advisor”

The room ran cold. It felt as if a shadow closed the room as Lord Michael spoke. Adrith looked to the Lord and saw his eyes were locked on the Advisor. Scrutinizing any and every action he is performing. The Advisor looked up, a cold sweat ran down his brow as he saw the stare of the Lord. He slowly began to stand up as he swallowed the saliva in his mouth, taking a moment before he spoke, “I-I am unable to find much difference between many of these accounts as. Seems some of the books may have…”

The Advisor then stopped talking at that moment. The room began to feel heavier as pressure began to build as now, the weight of the world was set on the Advisor. “Then I suggest you spend more time searching for his accounts”.

The Advisor nodded his head as he said, “I-I shall my Lord”.

Lord Michael then spoke, “All of you are dismissed for now. Knight Catulus, you shall stay within this building until an account on you is found”.

Then his eyes casted down onto Adrith as Lord Michael continued, “Pray you say who you are”.

With that last word, the guards began to push everyone out of the room. Evelyn was made to leave the building as Adrith was escorted to a small holding room. It had a single wooden bed, and a small open grated window. Adrith was put into the room as the door shut, he turned to see the thick wooden door was closed and locked.

Adrith took in a breath and laid down onto the bed, as there was low light cutting through the window. As now, all he could do is wait.

A loud banging began to ring out in the room as Adrith was woken up by guards coming into the room and yelling for him to wake up. Adrith jumped to his feet as he asked, “What?”

“The Lord wishes to speak with you”, the Guard answered simply as he then started to march Adrith to the Lord’s office once more. Adrith could see dawn had just broke, he thought about where Evelyn was now.

The moment Adrith was forced into the room, Lord Michael was looking out of his large window and onto the morning city as he spoke, “You may go guards”.

The men bowed as it left Adrith in the room with Lord Michael, and then in the corner of the room the Advisor that was there yesterday. Lord Michael looked to the Advisor as he said, “You may begin Advisor”

The Advisor opened the book, “Adrith Catulus, you are a Knight, of no order, and own no land, correct?”

Adrith nodded his head, “Yes that is correct”

“Have you worked with the lord of your time in a significant capacity?” The Advisor asked now seeming to look through the books.

Adrith took a moment to clear his voice to make sure his voice was cleared of his morning grogginess, “During my time, much of our knights had constantly worked to clear the dungeon. We worked quite a bit with the guard to fight against much of the waves of monsters. With one of our biggest contributions we had helped build the large wall that surrounds this inner city”.

The Advisor began to nod as he began to look through the book. Adrith saw the tome the Advisor had was somewhat darkened and blackened. Multiple pages even seemed to be a little more darkened and even crumbly and damaged. The tome was much larger as Adrith saw every now and again different illustrations were shown of buildings and other things.

Adrith waited as the Advisor then spoke, “It seems a few groups were accounted for this work. Were there other things that you have done that may be accredited to you?”

Adrith took a moment, “Hm, there were multiple times when I had helped with potion deliveries between the Lord’s manor and the Crimson Flower alchemy shop”.

The Advisor begins to look through the book, yet he finds nothing. He sighed as the Advisor began to stand, to reveal that what he was sitting on was a pile of tomes and books. Many of them are darkened and damaged, much of which now seems to be damaged in a similar way. Now seeing them, Adrith knew that they must have been damaged by fire.

After a bit of time, the Advisor finally nodded his head, “Yes, I see, the Crimson Flower. There are many interactions, I see a few about some potion purchases. Hu, I see there are a few things I wish to ask, did you know what was being transported between them”.

Adrith took a moment to think, “Yeah, they were detection potions for shapeshifters”.

Both Lord Micahel and the Advisor looked toward him and spoke in unison, “What?”