Chapter 45 – The Man of Crimson and Black

Aiden didn’t know the reason, but he felt strangely compelled to agree to the man proposal.

For some reason, the voice of the man resounded clearly in his mind. It was as if his words possessed a kind of strange charm, able of affecting the mind of any listener. Unconsciously, Aiden was affected by his words.

Seeing Aiden nod, the man smiled elegantly and filled the two cups with the wine in the bottle. He then closed the bottle and it disappeared strangely. In the moment when the wine fell in the cups, a sweet and reinvigorating fragrance filled the surroundings, and all the people present in the bar unconsciously relaxed.

But even with it, nobody looked towards the table where Aiden and the man were seated.

Aiden unconsciously moved his hand towards a cup when the fragrance reached his nose, but the man, seeing it, only said two words.

“Not yet.”

Immediately, Aiden hand stopped completely. Then, like a lie, his hand retracted for itself.

Finally feeling something strange, Aiden woke from his stupor. Astonished, he looked towards the man with an expression of fright. Instinctively, he reached for the saber in his waist, only to remember that he left it behind.

“Hahaha, calm down.” Said the man, an affable smile in his face. “I only want to have a drink with you. Will you give me the honor of doing it?”

With a guarded expression, Aiden could only nod towards the man. For some reason, though he didn’t feel any danger from the man, he had the impression that if the man wanted to hurt him, it was enough with only to say a word.

Such sensation frightened Aiden even more, but the man only smiled seeing it, apparently amused after seeing his reaction.

“C’mon boy, don’t be nervous. I have not any reason to attack you. You can say that the reason because I’m here is simply coincidence.”

“Hmm.”

Only after a few minutes was Aiden able of completely recovering his calm. Strangely, he noticed that his drunkenness disappeared completely. He suspected that the reason was the wine inside the two cups.

The man took one of the cups from the table and shook it slightly. Aiden saw the wine inside the cup ripple strangely. An even stronger fragrance was released from it then.

Raising it, the man took a sip slowly with the same smile in his face.

Aiden could not help but gulp loudly seeing it. Ashamed, he lowered his face to hide his embarrassment, but the man only smiled seeing him.

“Three Souls wine. One of the bests in existence. It’s normal for you to be attracted to it. Don’t worry, I will allow you to drink a bit in a moment.”

Embarrassed, Aiden could only cough after hearing the man words. Of course, the man ignored Aiden expression and simply continued drinking his wine. Apparently, he wasn’t planning to say anything more.

Aiden finally lost the patience after seeing the man drink the wine slowly for almost five minutes. It was already clear that the man was not intending to initiate the conversation. Aiden even thought that the man would have continued drinking the wine for an hour if he doesn’t decide to speak.

“Sigh, can you tell me the reason because you are here mister? I sincerely doubt that you only came here to drink wine.”

“So you finally were unable of maintaining silence huh?” Laughed the man. “I thought that you were only going to stare me during all the night.”

“You…”

“Relax a bit, boy.” Smiled him elegantly. “Like I told you, I have no bad intentions towards you. You can say that I simply took an interest in you after seeing something interesting. Then, seeing that you were depressed, I decided to come here for a bit. Is it enough of a reason?”

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Aiden made an expression of doubt after hearing it. Though he wasn’t sure about the strength of the man, he was sure that there wasn’t anything in him able of attracting the attention on someone of his level. His words only served to increase the doubt inside him.

Perhaps it was the amulet?

The man seemed understand his thoughts, because he smiled mysteriously seeing his doubtful expression. Then, drinking a bit more of his wine, he asked with a relaxed tone.

“Why you don’t tell me a bit about your life, boy. I’m interested in learning a bit about you.”

Aiden was surprised hearing the words of the man. But after staying silent for a few minutes, he began to speak about many things. Aiden didn’t even notice that he was talking to a stranger about all the things he always hid from others.

He spoke about his childhood, his spirit, his meeting with Lia, the hardships of creating a spirit, the failure of the ritual, his wish for obtaining a spirit and many things more. He did not stop until after venting all the negative feelings inside him. All while the man simply was hearing.

The man heard attentively Aiden’s history, maintaining the elegant smile in his face. He didn’t interrupt even once, and only took a sip of his wine from time in time. Then, when Aiden finished, he put the already empty cup in the table.

Aiden only reacted after speaking about all his life. Remembering that he spoke about everything without any hesitation, he was completely frightened and tried to retreat from the table in a hurry, but the man, seeing it, only spoke calmly.

“Sit.” Signaled him, and Aiden sat down immediately. His body moving for without his orders.

The man ignored Aiden astonished expression and only kept his smile. Then, after thinking for a moment, he spoke again.

“Tell me boy, do you even know what spirits are?”

“Huh? Are not spirits amalgamations of laws between the body and the soul? Everybody knows it.”

“Bah! Who said it?” Said the man. “Amalgamations of laws? Do you even know what laws are?”

Aiden was surprised by the words of the man, but before he could answer, the man continued.

“Are spirits even that important? I didn’t understand why you are so fixated in them.”

“Obviously because it’s the only method to cultivate!” Said Aiden almost shouting. “It’s impossible become stronger without a spirit.”

“Bullshit!” Answered the man, the profanities coming from his mouth unable of tarnish his elegance. “How long ago was the first apparition of a spirit? 1700 years? Do you think that the people from before were unable of growing stronger then?”

Aiden made an expression of surprise and tried to remember about the records from before the spirit era. However, he was unable of remembering any clue about cultivation from back then. From the books he read, the first cultivator appeared when spirits began to appear in the world. There was nothing in his memories about a cultivator before it.

The man shook his head seeing Aiden expression. Then, he waved his hand and said.

“Forget it. Go, drink the wine. It’s time for you to go.”

“Huh?” Aiden was unable of understating the words of the man, but seeing the cup of wine and hearing him speak, he was unable to resist the fragrance and drank the content in a gulp.

Immediately, a cool sensation filled his mind and body. Aiden felt as if body had been imprisoned before and now was suddenly free. The sensation extended for all his body, filling it with a strange energy.

For a few seconds, Aiden was completely lost in the delightful sensation and sweet fragrance of the wine.

Then, when he finally pulled himself together, he found the man smiling meaningfully towards him.

“Go, I think that you girl is in a bit of trouble now.”

Seeing the elegant smile in the man’s face and hearing his words, Aiden took a moment to understand his meaning. However, when the man moved his hand, with a frightened expression, Aiden cried:

“Lia!”

The image of a red eyed girl with multicolored hair had been projected in his mind after the man waved his hand.

Jumping from his chair, Aiden ran towards the exit to the astonishment of all the customers. Ignoring the cries of the owner asking for the pay, he used all his strength to run towards home.

But before exiting the bar, he was able to hear the man to say something to him.

“Don’t you use the saber to wield the laws? Why are you unable of cultivating then?”

With that words resounding in his mind, Aiden left the bar behind.

…

After Aiden left the bar, the man continued seated in the chair, a hand holding his chin.

For a short time, he kept that position, a smile never leaving his face. But after a few minutes, he spoke.

“I will trust that you will not interfere with the boy, right?”

Nobody in the bar was able to hear the words of the man, though it wasn’t necessary. After all, the one who needed to hear it, was very far from here.

With a gaze able to cross through the boundaries of the space, the man looked towards a place in the deepest parts of the world.

There, a chubby woman answered with reverence.

“I understand, your highness. I will not interfere.”

Smiling faintly, the man nodded. Then, looking towards the place where Aiden was running, he left the bar.

“Spirits huh? I could not even begin to understand how someone was able to create something so interesting.”

Without paying attention to the people in the surroundings, the man spoke in a happy tone.

“I could not have imagined that a place like it existed… How is it possible that nobody knows about it…?”

Until the end, nobody in the city was able of detecting him.