Aleister explored most of the castle whilst following Gilmore and Master.

“How do you like it?” Gilmore asked as they stopped in front a large wooden door.

With a wry smile, he held out his thumb up and said, “It sure is a castle.”

Master chuckled. “And which place do you like more, this, or the manor?”

“Uh,” Aleister paused before answering, “If I say your manor, do I get free access to the garden?”

“No.”

“Do I—”

Master cut him off. “You don’t get anything.”

He clicked his tongue, but still answered. “Well, I haven’t actually seen the rest of the manor, but I think I do prefer the manor design wise, but there’s this sort of rich atmosphere here that I can’t quite explain. Like, the air feels heavier and even just walking takes more effort. I assume that its one of the effects of the Anima Caligo.”

“This place was built for functionality over style anyway, but you’re only partially correct,” Gilmore said. “Anima Caligo only exists here because of the Vitreus in the first place. It’s only natural that a physical manifestation of pure anima would radiate with such potency at its source. Its effect spreads across all of Osetia with thin whispers across the entire empire, but to a much lesser extent.”

“Thankfully, its transportable in small quantities, or else it would force me to live in this dreary place,” Master said.

“Like, with a lid and jar?”

She rolled her eyes and pushed the door they were standing in front of open. Stepping into the room revealed crystal throne. From it, he received a familiar feeling.

“Leftover chunks of the Vitreus created this Throne,” Gilmore said as he hovered around the chair.

“Why don’t you go ahead and sit on it?” Master said.

“Are you trying to kill him?” Gilmore said in dissent.

Master shook her head. “He isn’t going to die from it.”

“Fine, maybe he won’t die, but he’ll become injured, or even crippled from it.”

“I’ll just heal him back up,” she said.

“Don’t sit on it just yet,” Syn said.

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Aleister almost choked on his own spit. “What? Where are you?”

“I’m in your bag.”

“How did you even get in there without me noticing?”

“You know what,” Master said after a brief pause, “I’ll even let you choose any material from my garden after I heal you back up.”

Although curious to when and how Syn, got into his bag—and tempted to check if she really was, Aleister instead focused his attention and said, “As much as I appreciate that very kind and generous offer, I’m afraid I’ll have to decline politely, because I can’t be healed if I end up dead, now can I?”

“Don’t worry,” Gilmore said, “There wasn’t even a choice for you to begin with because as long as I’m here, I wouldn’t have let you sit on the throne, anyway.” He waved his hand and ushered Master to travel in front of him, which she did even if with reluctance.

“If he doesn’t want to sit on the throne, I wouldn’t force him,” she said.

“Are you sure about that?”

Master brushed her hand through her hair. “Of course I’m sure about it, after all I don’t want him dead, which is why I offered him such generous benefits.”

Gilmore smiled and said, “Well that is quite the relief to hear.”

Aleister stayed quiet and just followed them into a hidden entrance behind a wall covering tapestry. A few moments later, they entered a narrow room decorated with fractalized crystals. Gilmore muttered something underneath his breath and made wide hand movements once again. This time, the Anima Caligo surrounded them, putting them in some sort of bubble. The room rumbled and shook as the fractals lit up with brilliance.

The soft tremors continued. Gilmore stopped waving his hands while Master simply closed her eyes. The two of them just stood there in silence. This left Aleister in complete confusion, and he couldn’t find the courage within himself to speak up. Instead, he stood there with them. However, he couldn’t seem to keep himself still, and fidgeted all over. He stretched his arms out and cracked his knuckles before tilting his head back. He shook his head and blinked multiple times, unable to understand what happened. The space above him had increased.

“Uh,” Aleister tried to speak, but hesitated, unable to find the words he wanted to get out.

With a smirk, Gilmore said, “So you finally noticed.”

“What is happening?” Aleister asked.

“This is actually a magical lift powered by the Anima Caligo,” Gilmore said. “And right now it is taking us down to Crystal Lake.”

Aleister nodded, not questioning the exact process of how it works because he knew the answer wouldn’t be satisfactory, mostly due to him being unable to understand how any of it works.

Instead, he turned his attention back to Syn. “Like I asked before, how exactly did you get into my bag.”

“When I came back from my travels, you were asleep,” she said. “So instead of waking you up, I just snuck my way into it.”

“Ok, and then why didn’t you tell me you were in their when I woke up?” Aleister asked.

“Because I thought it would be more entertaining and dramatic if I spoke up without your knowledge,” Syn said, the smile on her face blatant.

Aleister rolled his eyes. “Fine. I can accept and appreciate the flare for dramatics. But now I have another question.”

“Of course you do.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that I’ll be more surprised when you don’t ask me a question,” Syn said.

“I guess that means you’ll be waiting a while, huh?” Aleister said. “Anyway, I wanted to ask about what did you mean when you said to not sit on the throne, yet. That means that I will sit on it eventually, right?”

“If you know the answer, then why even ask the question,” Syn said.

“So I could confirm if my answer was correct or not, but now that I know it is...when do I get to sit on it?” Aleister asked.

“Ask again in a couple of years.”

Aleister sighed and went back to standing in complete silence.