The droplets of rain slid down the window. They whistled through the street, swaying the drenched curtains of closed stores. It was Tuesday. The lunch break would start in a few minutes.

Aeryth watched sorrowful weather. It brought her a sense of peace and calmness. Her mind reiterated the words she had read from the codex. A notepad sat on her lap, stabbed and scratched by the nib of the pen as Aeryth vigorously wrote down the definition from the codex—of the runes, of the spells, of the families—subconsciously. The bigger part of her mind was held solely by the rain.

The first part of destroying a spell was to understand it. This codex began from the very start as if created for someone who had not heard of magic before. It went through the journey of a young mage as she stumbled upon one mystical tragedy to another. Weeping, crying, she trod the dark, misty waters of a land barren of life, and of the discoveries she made in her hiding from the books of the dead and desecrated scholar of that land.

Aeryth cared little of the story. But she was learning the spellcraft, like how a mage was supposed. In the last two days, she had read a large portion of books.

And came to an understanding of spell crafting. This codex only explained nine of the twelve families of runes—the nine necessary to create a spell.

The base of any spell was a rune of power, or many runes of power, which changed the mana into an energy necessary to cast a spell.

Each family had many different sub-families, though she didn't delve into that part still.

Her pen came to a halt. She had been writing without a pause for an hour at this point. The weather had barred the frequent students from attending the library today.

Her fingers throbbed from the effort. She looked down at the notebook. It was gibberish, unreadable, even by her. Not that she was doing to read. It was just how she recalled and collected her memories in a sequence. A few more rounds should be enough to remember it for a long time.

Tock! Tock!

Someone knocked on the counter a metal ring, attracting Aeryth's attention. She stared at him, a grin on the boy's face. Aeryth raised her left brow, "Yes?"

"Here to return this." His voice was elegant and confident.

"There should've been a packet," Aeryth muttered in a mechanical tone.

The boy's expression fell. "Right, I should have it somewhere here. Please wait." He left and returned to his seat. He had a group of friends who laughed with such joy and elation that Aeryth felt bad, "Please don't talk loudly in the library," but the job was a job. She had practiced her voice to perfection. It echoed crisp and clear, nothing like old hags from her village.

They settled down, still a few snickers and swears hurled at the blonde boy reached her ears.

What was that about?

Aeryth wondered.

Back to peace, she looked outside the window. Water puddles all over the street, water pattering down.

Her hand began again.

The bell rang for the lunch break. Aeryth didn't put the break sign since she was not going anywhere.

Vik walked over to her after minutes or so. "Rare to see you alone during lunch."

"It's raining, so Sera must've... I don't know, she must be busy or something." Now that she thought about it, she didn't know what Sera did. From their conversation, Aeryth could piece that Sera's work might be related to fighting monsters or people.

Vik nodded. He looked out the window. The glass was stained with water reflecting in his eyes. "Can't go outside to eat in the rain either. You should've brought something along."

"I am not hungry," Aeryth replied. "What about you?"

"I have an umbrella," Vik grinned like a cat, "I will not mind taking you along with me."

Aeryth shook her head. "I am fine. As I said, I am not really hungry. But, I am very grateful for the offer."

"Ooof," he made a sound, looking at the table where the boy from earlier sat, "That gotta hurt."

"Hurt?" Aeryth tilted her head.

"It's nothing. If you're not going anywhere, I'll excuse myself. Be back soon." He saluted.

Aeryth nodded. "Vik."

He stopped mind turn, eyeing her in confusion.

"Don't tell Sera about me not having lunch," Aeryth had noticed, Sera somehow always knew whatever happened in the library.

"I... don't understand," Vik mumbled, composing himself.

"You do. And I don't like the idea of being watched, so stop telling her whatever happens in the library."

He hesitated. "Or what?" He asked, taking a step back. He knew of her outbursts a few times it had happened.

She must be paying him a lot of money for the information, otherwise he wouldn't have stood in a confrontation.

"Nothing. I would rather not fight," Aeryth sighed. "Go have your lunch."

Vik turned and left. The air would be awkward or hostile for the next few days, Aeryth assumed.

I can talk to Sera directly. Why is she even doing this?

Aeryth sighed. Went back to scribbling. Since she couldn't bring the codex with her, this was the only way to progress right now.

In her heart, there was an echoing fear, growing heavier every minute. There was no way she could learn magic this easily. Of course, she was not learning it. But knowledge was precious. No way it could be this easy. Her heart was not at ease. She tried telling herself there was no hidden price, and, yet, it didn't help with the dread in her heart.

Aeryth sighed. "It's fine."

Tonight, she would start the spell-breaking part. Only the spell regarding illusions.

"Aeryth!" And the window burst open. Aeryth almost fell from her chair, except it was too heavy for her to fall over. Still, her side hurt as her hip bone met the armrest. She hissed, starting at the drenched, fiery red-haired girl.

"Shocked and rocked, one point to Sera," Sera jumped inside.

Why are all the windows in this place completely open? Aeryth shook her head. "You'll wet the floor," Aeryth said, to no effect.

Sera shook her body like a wet dog. "It's raining. Of course, the floor gonna get wet," she shook her a little more and let out a breath. "Don't worry about it. I got good news for you."

I have a feeling it's probably bad news. "What is it?"

"I found a spell breaker in the realm traveling commission and even booked an appointment. If we use him," Sera leaned closer and whispered, "we can break the illusion easily."

I should've expected this. Of course, Sera's going to think of a solution. What should I do? I cannot tell her about the Codex. She will ask a lot of questions, and if I make her suspicious, she might get upset with Tor, and less likely but possibly chance, she might find Fiya.

"Can we afford him?" Aeryth asked. I just need to prolong this for a few days, once I can break the spell myself, I can step away from her questions without worry.

"No clue. That's what we are going to discuss. Let's go."

Aeryth sighed. She couldn't think of a way to step away right now. "Then, we can only ask." Aeryth decided going along with Sera was best, lest she told the spell breaker more than he should know, or agree to something absurd. "I don't have an umbrella, and it seems you're in the same boat."

Sera grinned. "That's nothing to worry, I got you covered."

Aeryt felt no assurance from her words. "Covered..."

"C'mon, let's hurry. I'll ask someone to cover for you."

Aeryth nodded. She shut the notebook.

"What's that about?"

"Gibberish," Aeryth replied. "Nothing of interest."

"_I _thought I saw a rune on the page." Sera's eyes narrowed. She took a step forward.

"Sera, you're wet. Don't you dare come closer to me," Aeryth warned.

"I smell a secret."

Aeryth shook her head. "Here, if you want to have a look at my shameful writing, go ahead." She stretched her hand.

Sera waved her hand. "It's fine. Why do you have to be serious all the time?" She muttered under her breath. "Anyways, let's go."

Aeryth nodded. They walked out, Sera informed the guardsman at the entrance to keep an eye out.

They stopped at the door. Air struck Aeryth's face, her black hair fluttered in the air. She used her hand to cover her face. "You're going to ruin my dress." She was in the white tunic she purchased that day. Now that she had four sets of clothes, she was having an easier time.

"Why are you not wearing the dress I got you," Sera asked, as she stepped into the rain.

"The dress you lent me money for is expensive, so I am saving it for now. Once I can purchase a better soap to wash it without feeling a burden, I'll wear it."

Sera's expression shattered and froze like she had just been rejected by her crush.

Aeryth didn't say anything. She was grateful for the help, but she was going to repay the money.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"I see. Once we get the treasure you can wear it without worry," Sera smiled. "Anyways, come with me."

"As much as I would like to step into the rain, I have my job to do for the rest of the day."

"You'll not feel anything. C'mon, I have something cool."

Despite Aeryth's reservation, she stepped down the steps onto the wet floor. She saw Sera's eyes. Her left eye was glowed, and a four-winged turtle rune weaved in her iris. White in the fiery red.

Aeryth stood stunned in the rain, a magical umbrella formed over her head, water rolled off it. She blinked. "That's..." Aeryth was at a loss for words. She had seen a warding skill before. Spells, too. But this was on a whole another level. "Really impressive."

Sera grinned victoriously. "Hehe, told ya. You don't even realize how cool this is, really. Only a trained mage will." Her voice filled with pride.

"Can I walk?" Aeryth asked.

"Yeah, I mean, if you need to stand, this is a useless skill."

Aeryth took a step forward, the ward followed. Her first few steps were hesitant, filled with worry if she walked too fast, she might get wet, but soon, she walked at her normal speed.

"How does this even work? I have seen people use warding skills before, but they had to stand and create a rune, though I couldn't see runes before awakening, to make a barrier," Aeryth marveled. One day, she would create a barrier like this. Even though she didn't want to admit it, it was something she looked forward to. The day she could cast spells on her own.

"That's how everyone does, but I am trained by great mages, so I do better than them. Though, this four-winged turtle is a watered-down variant of something very different," Sera looked at her, eyes filled with joy and pride. "I created this on my own."

Aeryth nodded. She couldn't imagine what Sera felt right now.

"No researching, no snipping old spell. I sat down, and I had the idea of creating a small barrier like a turtle that followed, and I did it. I haven't shown it to anyone still, you know. You're first."

"Why?" Aeryth asked.

"Because... as unique as it is, once I show them, they will surely replicate it. Everyone is smarter than me, after all. I want to feel this joy, the fact that I am the only one who can use this skill. It's great, even if I cannot show it to others, because I am afraid. You cannot use magic, so you're a safe bet. And I really really wanted to show it to you. You like magic as much as after all."

Aeryth took a deep breath. "You sell yourself short, Sera. There's no way anyone can just replicate what you've created."

Sera chuckled. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make the air gloomy. Ah, you must be hungry, right? Let's go and eat. My treat."

"I can pay for myself," Aeryth uttered.

"Oh? I am just paying back for the ice cream, you don't get a choice."

Aeryth shook her head. She didn't argue. She had lost too many times in the past. "I could've bought you the most expensive ice cream in the city, and still, you'd have repaid me ten times the amount."

"You said something?" Sera quirked her brow.

Aeryth shook her head. "Where are we going? No, an even bigger question is why are you drenching yourself in this rain? Is this how you will meet the spell breaker?"

"I can dry off myself anytime, so it's not really a worry. And I like it."

"Of course, you do." Aeryth's eye flicked down at the Sera's legs. "What about the dirt?"

"It's just RTC, not some fancy restaurant. They will not care."

"But I do." Aeryth's voice hardened.

"Woah, scary." Sera backed off. "Chill out dude."

Aeryth regretted her words. For one thing, it was rude. Second, Sera stomped her foot into the puddle and washed off the dirt. "Happy?"

"Do I look happy?" Aeryth retorted.

"I hope one day you will." Sera beamed, "Gotcha."

Aeryth fell quiet. She didn't think she would. There was no reason for her to be happy. All her family, and friends, people she cared about were gone. Nothing in this world came even remotely close to filling the hollowness inside her.

"Sorry," Sera mumbled, noticing her expression. "At the end of the street, there's an interesting place, we can have our lunch there."

----------------------------------------

The said interesting place was as barren as Tor's smithy, along with an old woman espousing Tor's age.

"Hello, Madam Granny." Sera waved in.

Aeryth stood quietly, noticing the frown on the Old woman's wrinkled face. She beckoned Sera closer, who walked oblivious.

BAM!

The newspaper stick broke on Sera's head, who froze in her spot for a moment. "That... hurt." She uttered, taking a step back, her face turned red as she fought down the tears, but the old woman smacked her a second time.

"That hurt! Crone!"

"That's what you get for dirtying my floor!"

Sera looked down at her foot.

The old woman pointed at Aeryth, "Learn from your friend. She stopped at the entrance."

Aeryth nodded, though she had only stopped because she could feel the wrongness, but it was not at all related to dirtying the floor.

"I'll burn your shop down, one of these days," With those words, Sera turned, letting out a hmph. "Let's go, Aeryth, we will eat anywhere but here."

"Aw, is Sera feeling embarrassed?" The old woman looked at Aeryth, "Should I tell her about that Sewere incident?"

Of course, Sera froze. She turned mechanically. "I was just kidding. Of course, we are going eat here, the best restaurant in all of Forge."

Aeryth took off her shoe and followed behind Sera. They stopped at the counter.

"Aren't you a curious case?" the old woman said, "I'm Yura, you can call me Granny if you'd like."

"Miss Yura is fine," Aeryth replied.

Miss Yura nodded. "So, it is. I suppose you don't know about my shop, right?"

Aeryth nodded.

"We are—"

"Granny, we are in a hurry. You can explain some other time. Can we get something to eat?"

Yura nodded. "Fine. Children," She muttered under her breath, "not understanding the value of history and importance. How will she appreciate the food without knowing its history."

Aeryth sighed in relief.

Yura placed a cooker on the counter. "Go Ahead. Cook it." She went back to pouring the soup.

Aeryth eyes the ironware with interest and confusion.

"This is a magical cooker," Sera raised her hand, pulling back her sleeve. Aeryth was sure Sera had used another basic skill that she couldn't see due to a lack of mana perception.

"And to cook the rice, you need to strike the head," the head of the cooker was a flat plate, "with mana-enhanced fists."

Sera slammed her fist on the cooker. It was with enough force that Aeryth expected the entire counter to rock or even break. But somehow, all the power vanished as it touched the cooker.

Yura chuckled, still busy with whatever she was doing inside. "That's not enough, little girl."

Sera smiled. She continued to smack the cooker. She stopped after many consecutive strikes, wiping off the sweat from her head. "Try touching it."

Aeryth did. It was hot. She jerked her hand back. "This is smoldering hot."

"My power," Sera went back to the work again.

By the time Yura turned with two bowls of soup, the cooker was whistling.

"That's good enough," Yura waved her hand, forcing Sera, now drenched in sweat, to sit.

Sera heaved. She seemed happy. "When I came here the first time, I couldn't even make it hot."

"This is not impressive," Yura interjected. "

"let me enjoy my victory, hag!" Sera shouted. Her face smiling.

Aeryth didn't understand any of it, of course. But it was fascinating. Yet, she didn't want to under anything. If anything, it made her more apprehensive of Sera's company. One day she will vanish, without even saying goodbye. Never to see you again.

"Aeryth!" Sera shook her shoulder.

"Ah, sorry. I am fine." Aeryth replied automatically.

Yura dipped the rice into the cold soup. It was filled with vegetables and meatballs. "Have a go, if it tastes bad, blame your friend."

Aeryth faked a smile as she took the bowl. It smelled delightful, she wondered how much something like this was.

She mixed the rice into the soup with her spoon. It was thick, like ketchup, with a smooth texture, red—slightly on the orange side. Along with green spinach and vegetables, it looked like something she had only heard in stories.

She blew air and took a bite. Looked at Sera in horror. It was sweet and spicy at the same time. Her tired eyes opened wider. The slight headache and tiredness she felt due to lack of sleep vanished. Sera's grin told her enough, she knew what Aeryth was feeling. It was truly a magical dish.

Aeryth looked at Yura, "Thank you, Miss Yura." She said, lowering her head.

A hand patted her head. "We don't bow with food in front. Go ahead, finish your meal." Yura hobbed back inside.

"How did you like my surprise?"

"It's great. I don't remember the last time I felt this light."

Sera focused back on her food. She ate very calmly, something Aeryth had not expected.

Aeryth focused on her own plate. It was heavenly food. It must be exorbitantly expensive. That question gnawed her heart, but she tried to focus on the goodness of the food.

"We'll be taking our leave, Granny," Sera hoped of the chair.

Aeryth knitted her brow. "What about money?" Is this another borrowing situation?

Sera's eyes twinkled in joy. "It's free."

If Aeryth had left her seat, she might've fallen. "What?" She whispered in a low voice.

"Yeah. It's free. Well, not free, but if one can cook the rice with their strength, they can eat for free once a week."

"Really?" Aeryth couldn't believe her ears. This was the kind of food that people would start war over, and it was free. Again, the same doubt surfaced in her heart. Why was this place empty? Just like Tor's smithy, this was a place too good to even exist, let alone free.

"Yeah, let's go. If we are late, the spell breaker might leave."

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot about him."

"Power of miracle food," Sera said.

They walked out of the establishment and made their way to the realm traveling commission. Sera dragged her before she could even understand where she was being pulled. She and Sera were only one in the establishment without a mask. A customary veil for the members.

Before Aeryth even realized it, she was on the second floor of the Realm Travelling Commission building. Sera knocked on the door.

"Come in," a level voice called.

Sera opened the door and walked in. "Hello, Mr... Spellbreaker."

Aeryth held back a sigh. Of course, she should've seen that coming. "Hello, Mr. Silan," she said.

Silan was an average man in his late twenties. His pale face was covered in strings of symbol tattoos painted with pitch-black ink. He observed them both and drank tea.

Sera walked in. Aeryth followed. She looked behind her.

Sera took a seat. Aeryth had a feeling, this man had already written them off as a bunch of kids, trying to get attention.

"Hello," Aeryth tried again. "I'm Aeryth."

"And I am Sera, the one who made the appointment—"

"Speak of the task."

"Well," Sera's eye narrowed at the obvious rudeness. "So, there's this treasure."

"Sera, let me explain," Aeryth cut her again. Of course, she was just worried about what would Sera tell him. "So, a few days ago, we stumbled upon a ruin—"

Silan scoffed "Right. A nonmage, piss poor girl somehow found a ruin," he looked at her. He didn't hide the disdain.

Sera slammed her foot on the ground. "Listen, Silan Vilan, If you don't want to talk, then don't agree to meetings. I have other tasks to do."

Silan's aura flared. Though Aeryth couldn't feel it, she felt the chilling air, suffocating darkness creeping into the corner of the room. He stared at her. Aeryth ground her teeth and met his gaze.

There was a long minute of silence. She felt the coldness drip on her skin, yet it did nothing to break the staredown.

Silan looked away, "Freak..." he muttered under his breath.

Sera chortled. "Really? I thought you'd win against a non-mage."

"I can, but at the cost of hurting someone is not my style." He replied. He smiled, "Okay, I am impressed. I am listening, weave your fairytale."

"Listen," Sera stomped again, leaning over the table, but Aeryth reached over and grabbed Sera's shoulder. Squeezed it.

"So, we found a ruin a few days ago. There's a treasure inside, or so I've heard. But there's an elemental spell guarding the entrance. Can you break it for us? If so, how much will you charge?"

"Sit," Silan gestured at the sofa. "I'll explain how this works."

Aeryth took the seat on one side while Sera sat on the opposite.

"First, how many of you are there?"

"Just two of us," Sera answered.

"Okay so, this is how it works. Spellbreaking is a hard job and risky job. Failure is guaranteed disfigurement in the best-case scenario or even death. While there are hundreds of other scenarios, where a spell breaker would writh for their death, unable to find it."

Silan looked at Aeryth, and then at Sera. They both nodded.

"So, the risk makes it harder to find a spell breaker, since you were searching for one," Silan turned to Sera, "You must know, there's only one in the Lesterforge right now."

Sera nodded begrudgingly. Aeryth felt a spike of heaviness in her heart. He's going to ask criminal amount of money.

He chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll not ask absurd sum of money."

Aeryth's dread turned freezing cold. "You want part of the treasure." Sera looked at her.

"Smart," Silan twisted into a vile smirk. "I want equal part of the treasure, thirty-three percent of the treasure, or equal some of the money."

Aeryth's spine felt the chill as it traveled through her skin. "That's too much."

Sera nodded along with her.

"That's the standard price. Ask the commission if you want assurance."

We don't know what the treasure is, there's no way we can make that promise. What if it's something not sellable?

"What if there's no treasure inside?" Aeryth asked.

"You'll have to take a guarantee of it. If there's no treasure inside," Silan sighed, "I don't want to sound cruel, but the standard price in those cases is decided by the Grandmaster of the realm traveling Commission. It may range from ten thousand jades to a hundred thousand, given the complexity of the spell broken."

Aeryth took a deep breath. "So, it's a gamble."

"With my life on the line." Silan finished. "I am just being open about the clause as you both are very young and lack understanding of how this business works."

Aeryth nodded. "We'll have to think about it..." There was nothing else she could come up with.

Silan nodded. "I will leave the city Thursday evening, so decide that."

I have to try and break the illusion spell on Wednesday night.