Aurelius tried to think of what to say. Cade didn't seem to have anything either, so they both stood there in silence under the dark figure of Solomon.

"You understand common tongue, yes?" Solomon asked, more so mocking than curious. He hopped down from the ledge, and Aurelius was finally able to make out his features properly.

His strongly lined face was complemented by his penetratingly steady eyes. His gray hair was wild and disheveled but had seemed charming when coupled with his long, masculine frame and slightly hunched posture. The only thing he wore were large pants that were cinched with a drawstring and torn at the ankles. Compared to Aurelius, he barely had any scars except for two large ones on his torso.

He tilted his head as if stumbling on some peculiar discovery. "The woman is the stronger of you. Hmm, strange." Aurelius didn't have time to think about how he could know when Solomon waved a hand. "In any case, I bid you farewell, young travelers," he said wearily before jerking his head. "Now piss off. You are invading my privacy."

When Aurelius and Cade didn't move, he turned brusque in tone and expression.

"You were looking for me?" he inquired as he scratched at his clean-shaven cheeks. "Why?" He shot a piercing look at Aurelius, who kept himself from backing up. "Talk."

Aurelius bowed his head and addressed Solomon with as strong a voice as he could muster. "I am Aurelius, Son of Ares. I come seeking guidance, Master Solomon."

Solomon got a kick out of that, bursting into a long series of chortles. Aurelius glanced at Cade, unsure. She shook her head and shrugged. Solomon's laughter stopped abruptly, and his expression turned serious. Then he paced toward Aurelius, who

leaned back unconsciously.

They stood toe-to-toe and eye-to-eye, Solomon as tall a man as he. But Solomon looked at his hair rather than his eyes. He backed away, nodding, looking impressed. Could he see through the dye that had been reapplied just days ago?

"The Ender of Reigns at my doorstep," Solomon mused. Aurelius was stunned at his reputation having carried so far. Solomon looked him up and down. "All damaged," he uttered, stretching the words.

It took a moment for Aurelius to realize Solomon wasn't talking about his body. "You can... see it?" Solomon was even more fascinating than Gadreel. He must have been standing before the most deft essence manipulator alive!

"I see you're severely lacking in education, young man," Solomon quipped. "Your father would be very disappointed."

"My mother doesn't think so," Aurelius shot back with a low voice, getting a laugh out of Solomon.

"How did you find me?"

"Research and application. It took 2 months," Aurelius answered, downplaying its difficulty and the extreme luck in the hopes of peaking his interest.

"Oh, an intellectual, are you? Well, Son of Ares, you do intrigue me. I would be wholly improper to not accommodate an accomplished talent such as yourself," Solomon said, a hint of irony in his speech. "You can stay the night," he added coolly.

Aurelius felt a pang of panic. "What about my education? You won't teach me?"

Solomon put a palm forward, and Aurelius feared some kind of strike, but it was just a simple gesture. "We will discuss tomorrow morning. Do not push me. Understand?"

Aurelius was unsatisfied by the response but nodded eagerly.

"Does your woman speak?" Solomon asked, raising his brows. Aurelius was caught off guard by the question. Cade didn't seem to have expected it either, as she had been standing off to the side, letting them talk.

"His woman speak, yes," Cade shot back with a mocking, manly tone.

The reply got a scowl from Solomon. "Not very well."

"I'm sorry, she's not my woman," Aurelius tried to remedy the situation. "She's my companion. And she's the only reason I've made it this far."

"A companion, huh?" Solomon observed Cade, who stood with her arms crossed. "Well, I apologize. I did not know you had such a thing."

Solomon then passed them and showed them into his villa. Aurelius glanced at Cade, who rolled her eyes before they followed him inside.

The place was even larger than it looked from the outside. The interior was made of dark wood and had an ancient feel to it. There were dusty books with leather covers on and writing materials on tables. Animal hides and pelts as well as paintings hung on walls. And lastly, even sculptures and busts propped up on low pillars.

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"You made all this?" Aurelius asked, awed to the point of doubt.

"I collect and I dabble," Solomon answered as he headed for the spiral staircase on the mountainside wall that surprisingly also went down even though nothing outside indicated a basement. It must've been built into the mountain. Solomon went up and talked on the way as they followed. "It was once said that a man must be an animal or a god to live alone. I say, 'Why not both?'"

Cade sighed. Solomon gave her a contemptuous look, to which she replied, "Tired. Long journey."

Solomon shook his head, rambling something about manners and youth. He showed the second floor that housed the kitchen and dining room, the third that had piles of 'junk' and a wide balcony that was supposedly beautiful during summer.

Then he showed the fourth floor; that was where they would be staying. Before Solomon left them to settle in, he stated a few rules. "Do not go down from the first floor, and do not go up from the fourth. I eat breakfast every day at sunrise; it is imperative for a guest to join his host. If you are not there, I will consider it an act of disrespect."

There were two rooms with single-person beds. Aurelius threw his bag onto the floor of his room. Then he went to open the wooden blinds in front of the paned window of his room and collapsed onto the surprisingly comfortable bed.

***

The next morning, Aurelius was in the dining room at twilight. Solomon arrived right at the time of the first rays of light. This time he wasn't shirtless. He had a robe on his shoulders, but it still left his stomach exposed. His eyes were pinched in a sleepy way, but they retained their steadiness nonetheless.

"Morning," he said, his voice even more hoarse than usual.

"Good morning," Aurelius responded with a respectful nod.

Solomon's eyes swept the room. "I don't see your companion."

"Ah, I'm sure she's... Actually, let me go get her." Aurelius was about to get up when Solomon put up a hand.

"Sit down. It's you I want to talk to in any case."

Aurelius gasped slightly. "Have you decided? About whether you will teach me or not."

"No." Solomon went to the kitchen. He rummaged around as he spoke. "Why are you at the dining table without food?"

"I was waiting for you," Aurelius answered, looking out of the window, "and I don't feel much hunger these days."

"A weird fellow indeed," Solomon said, seemingly to himself. "Have you not wondered why someone would choose to live here in the north on a continent so large? Why would someone come here where one has to huddle close to a fire for some warmth?"

"Not particularly. Sorry."

"It's because the animals here are more nourishing. They make you stronger. Northerners are a respectable people, choosing an existence of hardship for strength."

"I see..."

"Yes, quite honorable indeed," Solomon said under his breath as he sat down and laid slices of bread on the table with butter and sliced meats. He gestured for Aurelius to take a piece, and he did. Right as Aurelius took a bite, Solomon asked his next question. "What about the color of essence? Ever wondered why it has that delicate blue shade?"

Aurelius hurried to swallow the dry bread. "It's... Uh, I think I did," Aurelius said, his expression turning troubled, "when I was young."

"When was that? A day ago? Two?" Solomon raised his brows in expectation.

"6 years, I think."

"And as for your conclusion?"

Aurelius pursed his lips awkwardly. "I've forgotten." If this was an interview, it certainly wasn't going well.

"Mmm, I thought so."

"May I ask what you think?"

"I think it's like water. Whether one imitates the other or blue is the color of all that is fluid, I do not know, but those are my thoughts."

"Oh, that's—"

"Do you know where the word essence comes from?"

"I... do not." Aurelius lowered his gaze. "I'm sorry, I don't know even that which I thought I grasped."

"Mm, the term in the old days was 'the essence of nature'." Solomon ate his bread, shaking his head. "Oh, how distorted the world has become," he said as he chewed.

"The essence of nature..." Aurelius repeated. "So it is the foundation of the world?"

"You're not so hopeless after all," Solomon smirked. "How did you figure that I could help you regain your essence?"

"I had a vision in which I saw the corruption of my pathways. Before that, I had met a person who seemed to sense those pathways. I connected his usage of essence to mythical techniques, which led me to you."

"Gadreel, was it?" Solomon's knowledge about matters on the other side of the world continued to surprise Aurelius. He simply nodded in response. "He really was quite promising, but I hear he had quite the troublesome personality."

Aurelius stared off into space. "Yeah. Troublesome…"

"You were right about your pathways being corrupted. I've seen it before in enhancer addicts who cross the line." Solomon eyed Aurelius. "How many did you take?"

"Almost three."

Solomon's eyes went a little wider. It didn't seem likely that the man was capable of being more impressed than that. "And you're still on your feet. Thank your genetics for that boy."

Aurelius cleared his throat, his nerves on edge. "You said you've seen my condition before. Can you tell me how many recovered?"

"You mean got their essence back? As far as I know, nobody has ever done that. When you damage yourself like that, there's no return to who you were."

Aurelius took his hands off the table so Solomon wouldn't see them tremble. "But it's possible... right?"

"Sure, anything's possible." Solomon, said with a wave of his hand.

Aurelius didn't feel very reassured. Maybe Solomon was testing him. That was it. It was all about determination in the end.

But if not. If not...

'There may be no return to who I was, but I can become someone else,' Aurelius thought, squeezing his shaking hands. 'Someone superior to who I was.'

"I'll make it happen. I'll do it no matter what," Aurelius vowed, meeting Solomon's gaze head-on.

Solomon's lips curved. "Oh? And what will you do if you get it back? Repeat your father's mistakes? Defend the Zalfarian Empire by battling the Conqueror of the West."

"When I get it back, I'll do what I always meant to: shape a righteous world."

"I see. Then I'll provide guidance as long as you fulfill my one condition."

"Name it."

"You do what I tell you. You're free to break that condition whenever you like, but my guidance ends there. Understood?" Aurelius nodded. "Good, then I'll tell you one more thing. As per Solomonian tradition, if you stray from the righteous path at any point during my lifetime, I, as your master, will hunt you down and end you."