The authorities and Central Guild had declared his village's destruction as the work of an "Outer God." They didn't both explaining it to him, after all he was a traumatized child. He was the lone survivor of the massacre; left with nowhere to call home, and a dark flame burning within the bowels of his soul.
Argo lifted the pendant around his neck and examined it. It was made of a material similar to silver, giving off a metallic luster and feel. The pendant itself was crafted to resemble a miniature sword with its blade broken.
He frowned, because throughout his life he had no clue what the emblem represented. The textbooks at the village, nor Helkon or Mister George could figure out what it represented. He never really tried to think too hard about it, and kept it hidden around his neck under his shirt.
Tied along the same necklace was a small band of silver, Miss Amber's ring. The only remaining memento left to remember her by. He tried foraging through the ashen remains of his home for anything left behind. But his search was fruitless, the intensity of the flames reducing everything to dust.
Argo sighed, trying to recall the words of the lady who had razed his village with blood. Something referred to as an Outer Deity had placed its interests on him. So much so, they had decided to decimate his home and force him into entering Halcyon. A twisted path he willingly followed, because while it was within that being's plans, he wished to gain power that would kill that thing.
Only by avenging the deaths of his family and village could Argo allow himself to rest in peace. After all, he had let her in. Despite cold logic telling him that it could've been anyone, and her control was absolute, guilt gnawed at him. It was only a matter of time before their souls would torment him beyond the grave. Or was he punishing himself for his own lack of power?
Argo didn't know.
***
The next day, Argo mulled over the information available to him regarding Halcyon Tower.
His information about the trials of the Tower were sparse, but Helkon and the village did give him some information.
First of which that surprised him was that Halcyon had no entrance. Anyone that simply placed their hand on its marble walls and channeled mana, would be granted entry. It made regulating the Tower difficult, and the organizations that attempted to seize its entrances fruitless.
Upon entering, they would enter the First Floor and receive access to the Records, and by extension their Inherent, Traits, and Skills. While their wording was ambiguous, he could distinguish the Records to be the interface or medium adventurers could use to view the latter. They also highly emphasized upon entering all adventurers would receive a quest.
The quest upon completion would allow an adventurer to ascend in Rank, and allow them to leave the Tower. Based on previous conjectures, it was confirmed that the quest is shared by every adventurer within the floor. It served as a force to unite the humans inside toward a singular purpose, a unity that would be required in the impending future. Upon the quest's completion those that didn't participate would receive a new one and those that did would ascend.
The perils of the Tower shouldn't be underestimated, as Helkon made sure to lecture Argo about. Once entering the floor, an individual is unable to leave unless they complete the quest. In other words-
'The Tower is a death trap.'
The Tower was first and foremost a trial, created with the sole purpose of testing the humans inside to determine their worth. Creatures created by Gods or corrupted by Outer Deities existed in a delicate equilibrium with the adventurers inside.
"The abominations that run rampant, the vileness of fellow humans, and the treachery of the quest make the Tower truly a blasphemous hell. Created by Gods? Bah! Forged by demons I say."
Under a drunken stupor one night Helkon would declare, finding humanity's exaltation of the Tower disgusting and repulsive. As someone who braved the First Floor and ascended in Rank, his opinion does have its own weight. He always wondered why Helkon refused to attempt the Second Floor and spent the rest of his life journeying the seas. Was it because of his cowardice? Or was what he experienced inside the First Floor truly horrifying?
***
Instead of heading directly to the Tower, Argo decided to tour the small seaside village. After living in the village for so long, his thirst for adventure and exploration had reached an all time high. And despite the guilt that slowly gnawed at him, he tried to find something to distract him.
HIs thoughts drifted to the tales Helkon would tell when he used to visit the village.
There was one particular tale that stuck out to him because of its bizarreness. He told of a ghost ship that would roam the waters, appearing in different seas irrespective of distance. It was manned by a crew of corpses, described with rotting skin clinging to old bones. When encountering a vessel with live humans, they would butcher the crew and wear their skins. Using some abhorrent power they would adopt the likeness of the dead crew, and continue their eternal voyage using the skins of humans to satiate their bloodlust.
Argo couldn't help but shudder, remembering how the tale would keep him awake at night. Helkon bellowed in laughter when he thought the kids had believed him, calling them out for being too naïve. Truly a shameless drunkard.
He stepped out of the inn, trying to stretch in an attempt to ease the pain of his aching body. His back and sides were aching from the wooden board of a bed from last night, and to add on his stomach began to grumble in protest.
Instead of eating from his rations, he used the excuse of touring the village to find a better meal to satisfy his hunger. After all, the monotonous life of living in a farming village with little to no excitement gave him high hopes for this small village. The sights from last night were already deeply ingrained in his mind, the jubilant atmosphere and the variety of people that interacted with one another.
Overhearing the locals, Argo discovered the village was called Mardon, and its main commodities lay in seafood. From fishes to crustaceans they sported a variety of fresh catches. As he explored the village, he couldn't help but be further amazed by the setting around him.
Narrow cobblestone pathways lined the village walks, with signs of weathering from the elements. Seagulls circled around the docks, calling out before diving into the sea or annoying nearby fishermen. A salt-laden breeze would sift through the streets, carrying sounds of laughing children and vendors. The white stucco houses were roofed with red brick, accentuating a classical but beautiful color pallet, that paired well with the simple architectural style.
After walking for an hour, he found himself inside a tavern, and despite it being around noon was filled with patrons. Rambunctious laughter echoed inside, filled with fishermen boasting or sailors fighting the temperature of the room was slightly higher then outside. The smell of alcohol and sweat pervaded the air, prompting Argo to gag. He had been drawn in by the lively tales of the seas, reminiscent of Helkon's exploits and neglected to realized he was underage.
Before he could quickly leave, he felt someone grab the edge of his shirt. His heart tightened, unwilling to be the butt of a sailor's joke.
"Hello sir, are you here to eat or drink?"
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A soft voice questioned him, and he glanced back his ears turning red.
He laughed, trying to dispel his own awkwardness, "No, I was just leaving."
The voice belonged to a young woman about his age if not older, with black shoulder-length hair tied into a neat ponytail accentuating her collar bones and slim neck. What unnerved him the most was her eyes seemed like a prism, absorbing while reflecting a multitude of colors giving the impression her eyes contained a galaxy.
"Wow, your eyes are really interesting," they commented in unison.
"Huh?"
Taken aback by the strange unison, Argo blushed and immediately try to leave. His social skills were definitely not up to par as a country bumpkin, less so with those of the other gender.
In fact the comment about his eyes reminded him of the strangeness of them. Back at the village there were a multitude of different traits that came about as a result of mana or environmental factors. But the X-shaped pupils he possessed serve to brand him as an outlier, and gave off a somewhat creepy impression to others. He himself knew he was self-conscious about it but he tried to not let it bother him.
At the worst possible time his stomach let out an audible groan, and Argo couldn't stop from cursing himself.
'Dammit why now?!'
He tried to cough and sneak his way out when the grip on his shirt tightened.
"Ah, right this way sir." Her voice was outwardly soft, but it hid a strictness that forced him to comply. Argo couldn't believe a young girl's voice could contain so much strength.
'Huh?'
Before Argo knew it he was sitting at the bar with a delicious looking plate of food before him. According to the lady it was a form of seafood paella, in which rice is combined with seafood such as shrimp, mussels, and clams with a variety of spices and oils to create a harmonious blend.
For some odd reason the lady from earlier was sitting next to him, eyeing him as if he was going to bolt without paying.
"I'm not as shameless as I look."
Argo pleaded noticing the glint in her expression, and he even found himself a little ashamed.
'I was duped by her charm, this dish costs more then the inn from earlier.'
After lampooning in his mind, Argo hesitantly picked up a spoon and dug in.
A variety of flavors exploded in his mouth, with each grain of rice absorbing the tantalizing flavors of garlic and paprika. The plump shrimp, succulent mussels, and flakes of white fish all served as a complement to the rice that was soaked in broth.
After not having a decent meal for the better part of a week, this dish was a godsend. He could feel himself shedding a tear as he demolished the plate in seconds. Paired with a sugary drink reminiscent of the sour taste of lemons, he felt his taste buds exploding.
After finishing he let out a content sigh, before forking over the payment. He could feel his very soul wince at the exorbitant price of the meal, which maybe to others was just a daily expense.
"Sir, are you an adventurer?" The waitress asked, curious look on her face. Most of the people that came to the lands hosting the Tower of Halcyon were without a doubt adventurers. Someone his age carrying a sword around was evident of this; but it was also an anomaly.
Adventurers were just a centralized term for anyone attempting, or cleared the trials. More distinguished titles such as saints, mages, clerics, and heroes were reserved for more powerful humans.
Argo winced, forgetting she was next to him throughout the whole spectacle. He was a little curious why she was still there as well. His heart almost skipped a beat when they made eye contact. He almost grew suspicious she was trying to get him to spend more money/
"Ah, no. I plan to enter the Tower tomorrow." He replied a little shamelessly. Being referred to as an adventurer felt a little strange, as he was still just a kid. He had never even swung a sword in his life.
She nodded, but for some reason never broke eye contact. For a second her prism-like eyes exuded a mystical energy when staring at him, before he quickly looked away breaking the extended eye contact.
Argo's eyes twitched, noticing her unyielding gaze. "Uh, why do you keep staring at me like that?"
"Sorry!" She apologized quickly, seemingly unable to tell that her gaze was anything but inconspicuous. Argo started to wonder how she managed to attract businesses. Did she use a forceful tone with any potential patron, or stare at them with those strange eyes?
"I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Mirin, and my eyes are a little special."
She smirked, "They can look into someone's fate."
Argo almost laughed. Almost. Her deadly expression that surfaced once he almost let out a hint of a chuckle quickly silenced any further actions.
"Uh-huh, I'm Argo. Nice to meet you." He replied in a half-hearted manner, examining the grooves of wood at the bar.
"Trust me!" Her expression reverted, becoming softer. "That's why I pulled you in here, your fate is really interesting."
Her fingers started intertwine and she seemed deep in thought.
Fate? It was such an abstract topic it really never came to mind. The idea of one's future or path was out of their control, subject to some outer force was an alien thought to him. A dark crossed crossed his mind, almost prompting him to grimace.
He wondered if the Outer God taking notice of him was a result of fate. Or was it a convenient excuse to blame some abstract idea for what had happened. Regardless, Argo didn't believe in such an outlandish idea.
"A waitress turned fortune teller?" He couldn't help but slightly tease her. A women wielding such potent eyes shouldn't be bussing tables, and delivering food.
She quickly adopted an offended expression, "I'm not lying!"
Mirin turned to him again, prism-like eyes shining once again. For some reason Argo felt very uncomfortable.
Her eyes were very different from those of the women who had set fire to his village. But the feeling they radiated was similar; both seemed to strip his soul naked, exposing all of his secrets to the wielder. He couldn't help but believe her gaze had turned up a notch from earlier, like she had put more force into it to scorn him.
Eventually the glow subsided.
"The thing is, usually everyone's fate is really boring. My eyes display fate as strings, and each individual has their own unique string. It can vary from color, brightness, thickness all symbolizing different things. They all end up pointing to the Tower."
Her gaze looked up, passing through the tavern's window and looking at Halcyon in the distance.
She shrugged, "I don't know why they all point there."
Argo inwardly frowned deciding to entertain her thoughts. He contemplated that it might have to do with humanity having to combat the Outer Deities? Every human's fate was more or less linked to Halcyon? But fate being a tangible object was far too weird!
'Strings?'
Her eyes began to glow again, but not from her power. "But the interesting thing about you is your string is the most luminescent and thickest I've ever seen!"
Her smile widened and she began talking in excitement.
"I've never seen such a fate!"
At this point Argo was feeling extremely uncomfortable, trying really hard not to bolt out of the establishment. This random pretty lady was all of a sudden dumping on him her ability to look into fate itself? And to add on his fate was something so profound?
He knew people could develop abilities and Inherent's without ever entering the Tower and experiencing the trial but they were far and few between. He had never encountered someone unlocking such potential without entering the Tower before. Not that he had really met many people in his life anyway.
"Uh, do you have any idea what it could mean?" He was hesitant to hear her answer, but curiosity got the best of him. Who wouldn't want to know what their fate had in store for them? Supposing such a thing actually existed.
He almost regretted asking the question the moment it left his mouth, preferring to remain ignorant. Remaining oblivious to the bigger picture wasn't a bad thing sometimes.
Mirin frowned, "Hmm. I've never seen one like this but I can only interpret it to mean you have a bright future? I guess? Or maybe your life will be a lot more interesting then others?"
Her vague guess didn't serve to placate Argo's wariness. He even felt her musing were another part of her stunt to entice patrons.
"You're not messing with me, right?" Argo mused with a deadpan expression. "Is that your Inherent or something similar?"
She shrugged, "How should I know? I've never entered the Tower." Swiveling in circles on the barstool, it looked like she was trying to find an excuse to slack off. Bothering people about their fate was a very interesting way of going about it, though.
"If you're going to climb the Tower, have you registered with the Central Guild yet?" Mirin questioned him, scrutinizing his ragtag appearance from head to toe. "Do you think they'll let someone like you enter?"
Argo sputtered, "What's wrong with me?" Despite his disheveled appearance from traveling across the ocean on a boat, he didn't think he was doing too bad. Maybe it was because he didn't shower last night?
"I'm planning to skip that." He begrudgingly replied, feeling a little ashamed. Argo slightly regretted on skimping out for a place to rest last night.
"What? Do you even have any proper training or knowledge yet? You'll be killed!" Mirin replied in shock, nearly toppling from her seat. "Do you have a death wish or something?"
"I'm sorry I've got to go." He didn't bother setting up an excuse as he hurried grabbed his backpack and sword before bolting to the exit.
Argo didn't want to dive into that sore subject; he really didn't want to get involved with the authorities. Going through all the paperwork would crop him up for weeks, not including all of the standard instruction he would have to receive.
And that required money, that he didn't have.
The lady was nice, but her eyes were deeply unnerving. Argo felt that anyone would feel as uncomfortable as him if someone could distinguish their fate. He quickly thanked her, making a swift exit.
"Come again!" Mirin shouted as Argo departed, his figure disappearing swiftly. As he made it onto the street, once again surrounded by people.