The shift was over at six. Aeryth left the library and made her way to the Yura’s Kitchen. Nothing exciting happened in the past week except learning to control life powers, which so far had been underwhelming. But she was hopeful. She could grow a seed into a plant now. Not big enough to be worth anything. And it died as soon as she stopped feeding it mana.

“You’re early,” Yura said.

“I came over after the shift. If I went to the hearth’s quarters, this place would’ve been twice as far.” Aeryth replied, taking a corner seat on the counter. “Can I study here?”

“Go ahead.”

“Thank you,” Aeryth whispered. She had a book on local flora and fauna that she was halfway finished.

“Didn’t take you to be an alchemic type,” Yura commented after a while. Probably bored from sitting idly.

“I am looking for something, though I am not sure if I will find it in one of them,” Aeryth replied. Something that the strider had informed her about. She had no clue what it was.

“What?”

“An ErGoal,” Aeryth replied. A sigh escaped her lips. For the past five days, she had been searching through every book she could get on the related topic. But, not even an ancient relative of said things was mentioned in any of the books in the library.

“ErGoal,” Yura hummed. “Are you sure you’re not mistaken? Igoal, Goal, Logol. They can be confused with one another.”

Aeryth commanded the system in her mind. The floating screen manifested in front of her.

[Assimilation Quest:

Consume Grade II Elixir of ErGoal Heartstone.]

“It is ErGoal,” Aeryth replied. This was done by Strider. According to him, what he saw was not this simple task, but to make it easier for a fledgling, it was his job to turn it into an easily understandable quest. He also informed her that drinking this potion would boost her assimilation to forty percent.

“Assimilation Quest?” Yura knitted her brow.

Aeryth nodded. She didn’t really need to hide it from Yura. It was not some secret; she would eventually need to ask for someone’s expertise since books had once more failed her.

Yura had a conflicted expression on her face. “ErGoal had gone extinct a millennia ago.”

“It can’t be,” Aeryth whispered. Her heart grew heavier. “I mean, I need it. System says it's the only way. How can it be extinct?”

“I must be going senile, then. Continue with your search. Perchance, they have risen from their unceremonious tombs,” Yura shook her head.

“Can you tell me about the ErGoals?”

“They were an ancient race,” the stranger said. She wore the realm traveler mask, which made her voice indistinguishable. It was hard to tell if it belonged to a male or female. “Born from Giant’s corpses, used the power of death, and went extinct in the Dusk War.”

Aeryth blinked. When did she come here?

The stranger looked toward Yura, “And they are indeed extinct still.”

“Rightfully,” Yura grumbled. “They were nightmares for sure.”

“Wait, but… then, how will I progress?” Aeryth mumbled.

The stranger shifted her attention towards her. “That is indeed a worrisome matter.”

Aeryth closed the book. Took a deep breath to calm her heart. “I just need to find a heartstone. Not a living, breathing monster. Heartstones do not decay.”

“That much is true,” the stranger agreed, “Heartstone can last for an eternity, shall it be left untouched, or so the saying goes. Chances of one surviving are unlikely due to the Dusk War, but not a zero.”

“What was the Dusk War?” Aeryth asked.

“Hm…” the stranger hummed. “You can find out something on your own, I am su… maybe not. The books regarding the war and that era have been restricted from the public unless you’re a state-sanctioned scholar.”

Yura let out a whistle, “How come I have not heard of this?”

“It’s been in effect for two decades now,” The stranger giggled, “You must’ve forgotten about it.”

“Wait, why is it restricted?”

“Not something you should care about,” the stranger replied. “The Dusk War is a restricted topic, so thread carefully.”

“That solves the mystery of why I couldn’t find anything about it,” Aeryth nodded. Although, the revelation only keeled her heart deeper into the worries. She shook her head. “I will think of something.”

“I am sure you will,” the stranger turned to Yura, “Are your stingy hands unwilling to serve us today?”

Yura scoffed. “Your little stomach can never hurt my bustling business,” and she ventured into the kitchen. However, she did complain about the rising prices of the ingredients as she left.

“Maybe we should pay for our food…” Aeryth mumbled. She was starting to worry that this free food was hurting Yura. After all, Aeryth never saw any customer in the kitchen.

“Haha. I am sure she is glad to have people talking to her, and I alone have lost enough money in hopes of free food the two of us cannot eat back in a decade.”

Aeryth nodded. “I hope you eat back every jade you’ve lost.”

The stranger laughed louder. “You heard the young one, Granny.”

“Not happening. I’ll close the shop next year and retire for good. No one comes here anyway. The Magic rice tradition should become a memory. One that is remembered fondly by those who have partaken in it. Instead of what it was becoming now.” Yura returned with the cooker.

“I hope you find peace after closing the shop, Miss Yura,” Aeryth said. For some reason her heart pained at the thought of shop closing. She hated the idea of people leaving. No matter how little she knew of them. Once the shop closed, she might never see Yura again.

“You gonna cook?”

Yura’s words jolted her out of her daydream. Aeryth shook her head. “I doubt I can do it.”

“Give it a go. I am sure she won’t mind paying for your learning experience,” Yura said, her eyes shining greedily.

“Uh, I can afford my food… and Miss Stranger’s as well,” Aeryth said. “Even if I am somehow able to cook it, it wouldn’t be as tasty as last week.”

“Miss stranger? That’s a fancy nickname, straight out of a serial killer story,” The stranger nodded.

“It’s not my fault you refuse to tell me your name,” Aeryth replied. “At least you can give me your mask name.”

The mask names were the names that people had over the mask, which couldn’t be traced to the original person unless they had help from the commission.

“Miss Stranger is fine,” the stranger said, “I prefer it over my actual mask name. I might change it to Miss Stranger if we meet again.”

Aeryth looked at the cooker. She didn’t know what was a big deal about the name. “Wait… are you a mass murderer or something?” Aeryth mumbled. It would make sense then. Her eyes widened. “S-sorry, I didn’t mean to say that out aloud.”

Miss Stranger just laughed. “I don’t mind. Doubts are a natural part of life; better to have them than be blindly trustful. But, I don’t think a mass murderer is sane enough to hold a conversation without giving themself away.”

Yura rang the cooker with a spoon, “I don’t have all night.”

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“It’s hard to hear your voice over a store full of rowdy customers, Granny. Speak louder,” Miss Stranger mimicked, screaming over the people and catching the spoon flung at her by Yura. “Why don’t you prepare rice today, Granny? Nothing still compares to it, and I am sure Aeryth would love it.”

“Fine,” Yura nodded. She picked up the cooker and went inside.

They sat in silence. It was not uncomfortable. The stranger drummed her finger over the counter while she packed her book in her handbag.

“That flower is very pretty,” The stranger commented.

Aeryth looked down at the lightning flower. “It truly is.”

“Where did you find it?”

“It’s a secret,” Aeryth replied, smiling slily.

“A secret, huh?” The stranger nodded. “What can I do to get it on the secret?”

“It’s just a flower,” Aeryth replied.

“I can tell when a child is trying to lie, you know,” Miss stranger leaned back into her chair. “I like flowers. I have a garden full of them. They are colorful, their fragrance brings me peace, and they shine under the moon. Among them, there’s a small bush of Aurora; they blossom red under the blue moon and violet under the white moon—one the prettiest things in the world in my eyes.”

“The white moon…” Aeryth whispered, “That’s sad to hear.”

The white moon only shone one day of the year. And that was in hail season, so it was extremely hard to see them. She imagined having a flower blossom in that season would be even harder.

“Because of it, the Violet Aurora is the rarest flower in the world. Amongst nonmagical flowers, that is.”

“I’m sorry, but I cannot tell you anything about the flower. I do not want to tell you lies, and I cannot trust you enough to tell the truth.” Aeryth replied. She felt wrong for saying, but telling her that only she could create this flower—or could create only one such flower—was dangerous.

“No worries. I have chosen to hide myself first, so distrust is only natural,” Miss Stranger straightened. “So, are you willing to exchange it for my identity.”

Was this ploy from the start for this flower? No, she couldn’t have known I had it last week.

“No,” Aeryth said. But she couldn’t risk her safety. As much as her curiosity was eating her from inside, taking such a gamble was an unwise choice.

“It was a jest,” the stranger waved her hand, “Still, your flower is enthrallingly alluring. Try not to lose it.”

Aeryth was also worried about the same, but so far, no one seemed as entranced by the flower as this stranger, but that might be due to her being abnormally perspective in magic. “I am trying to come up with a way to secure it.”

“What did you come up with?” The stranger leaned forward.

Aeryth shifted deeper into her seat. “I was thinking of recreating the mask rune, but for the flower. But, so far, I have not been able to feel the markings of it.”

“The mask rune…” the stranger mumbled. “As far as I understand, the mask rune is a storage rune. If you use something like that, then you will have to keep it hidden all the time, as you will risk it being stolen from your chest by a thief. They have skills capable of hiding them in plain sight. And there’s another problem, even if we forget the thieves for a moment. If you keep it on your chest, you risk catching the eye of someone, say a sire of nobleman, who would not hesitate to force you to give up the flower. And in that scenario, you will have no choice.”

Aeryth nodded. “Are you suggesting I keep it hidden all the time? Like it is stolen, even though it is mine.”

The stranger shook her head. “I am just stating a probable situation. But yes, I see this flower as something precious and beautiful enough to get you in trouble, if not today, then tomorrow.”

“Why do I have to hide my own thing?”

“That, too, is the natural part of life. You hide your precious jewelry or risk attracting bad attention. It is not so different than that, except it might be more precious than some gold jewelry in the right eyes.”

But Aeryth liked wearing it on her chest. It was beautiful. Why couldn’t she? “Even if it is natural, it’s wrong.”

“So is a monster killing a traveler on the roads, but we cannot do anything about it. So you make a choice,” the stranger let out a sigh. “Of course, you can keep it on. It is not my place to say anything, but are you strong enough to stay clear of a noble family.”

Aeryth shook her head. She wasn’t. She was not strong enough to fight that army of knights that would swarm her at one command.

“I know you will make the right choice. You’re smarter than stubborn, right?” Miss Stranger's tone suggested that she was trying to console an unwilling child. Aeryth had dealt with them. She was not among them, at least, she believed herself to be.

“I will hide it for now…” Aeryth replied.

“As for a storage rune, talk to the Dwarf Blacksmith named Tor. If he finds you likable, he might be willing to etch a storage rune for the flower. And try not to trace the mask rune. It’s guarded heavily. The backlash can put people into a comma.”

“What?!” Aeryth said in horror. That was what she had been doing for hours a day.

“You must’ve failed to threaten its integrity,” the stranger chuckled. “Sometimes, inexperience is a blessing.”

Aeryth breathed a sigh of relief. “Why is it guarded so heavily?”

“The realm traveling commission’s pride is its anonymity. And if you can read the mask rune, you can easily steal the mask. Every mask is intrinsically tied to a member, so every crime committed while wearing that mask will be pinned on the owner. In return, the commission is relieved from the worry of members sharing their mask with others.”

“It seems more important than I gave it credit for.”

“It is. Without it, the frowning faces of the wealthy would make it impossible for the commission to function as it does now. It couldn’t be a neutral entity, impartial to everything but skill, as it presents itself to be if members had to choose their quest based on their species and gender.”

Yura returned as they continued to chatter about the workings of the commission.

“This is…” Aeryth couldn’t even find words to praise the divine taste of the food. “How did you even make something so good.”

Yura shot the stranger a proud grin. “These old bones still have more strength than those nail-polished ones.”

“You cooked it?” Aeryth asked.

“Of course,” Yura’s face brightened even more. “Without using any additional tools.”

Aeryth nodded, “But I didn’t hear any hiss.”

“There’s a sound disruption ward in the back. To save us from having our ears ruptured by the sound,” the stranger said, “And I held back last week.”

“Jealous much.”

Yura gloated the entire time they ate. The stranger was almost ready to lunge at her over the counter.

“Thank you for the food, Miss Yura.”

This week's dinner was even tastier than last week's. And much more enjoyable because the stranger could talk. Aeryth was glad to find that she was not as serious type as she had seemed last week.

The strange put two notes of one thousand jades on the counter, which Yura slid into the counter draw. “Thank you for your patronage,” she said. A gentle smile on her face.

“I can pay my part,” Aeryth said.

“It’s fine.”

“It is not,” Aeryth said sharply. “Last week was different. I cannot have a stranger paying for my food.”

“Am I still a stranger?” The stranger asked, half-jokingly.

“Yes,” Aeryth said.

“Then, how about we talk a walk? After that, you can pay me back for the food.”

“Why not now?”

“Are you really that against walking with me?”

“No…” Aeryth said unsurely.

“Let’s go,” The stranger left the seat and walked toward the exit.

Aeryth followed after a moment. They walked out into the empty street. It was nine by now, and few of the shops still open were preparing to close. The Stranger was taller than her. Or was it an illusion of the mask? Would the ring of truth save me from the effect of the mask? She wondered as they walked.

“I thought you had something to say?”

“I do, but it can wait. You seem curious about something.”

“How did you even know that?”

“Your face is very telling of your amusements.”

“I was on collection duty the other day, and they had me wear the ring of truth, which evidently forced me to speak the truth and warded me from any kind of illusion. So, I was wondering if it would let me see you past the illusion of the mask.”

“The ring of trust from the Collection office? Well done, surviving a day with those maniacs,” the stranger pondered over her question. “It is hard to say, but the mask is far cheaper, so I would assume it would be the one to fail.”

“Mask is cheaper?”

“Yeah, the ring of truth cannot even be replicated in this city. They would need to go to the Royal Capital for that. According to the commerce guild, it took two months’ entire budget to have them forged, and their budget comes with enough zero to make our eyes bleed.”

“I see…” Aeryth nodded.

“It doesn’t matter, really. From an ethical and moral standpoint, trying to peek behind someone’s mask is not much different than seeing beneath someone’s clothes. And the ring of trust is all about ethics, so a wiser question is, will it let you peep past someone’s mask without them knowing.”

“I am not going to try, not that I have a way to try.”

They took a left in the direction of the realm traveling commission.

Aeryth didn’t comment. She decided to be patient instead. “During my awakening, I used the lightning element, and when I gained mana sense, I was able to feel half the city. Do you think it is possible to replicate that outside the awakening ritual with the lightning element?”

This question had been bothering her for the past few days, but she didn’t dare to try it. The last thing she wanted was a Sera to find her either dead or half dead. Light had also warned her that she needed both her brain and heart function to self-heal, so recklessly trying her brain was a no-go.

“That is an interesting question. Assuming you’ve lightning affinity, I am against attempting it,” The stranger stopped. “Lighting is violent, and our brain is very delicate. Even a mildly powerful strike is enough to damage it for life, and most of that force is absorbed by our skull. Lighting will touch your brain. Only a madman will attempt something so dangerous.”

“I know it is dangerous, so I am asking for your opinion,” Aeryth replied.

“Thank you for trusting my judgment, but there’s not much to say. Do not attempt it without the guidance of someone very knowledgeable in lightning affinity, and who has tried and survived it before. It’s magic, so there’s a possibility it can work. It will work, given enough knowledge, effort, and ample time. But it is dangerous beyond your understanding at this stage,” The stranger stopped. They were in front of the Realm Traveling Commission. “For now, focus on the body, spell crafting, and fundamentals of magic. The mind is something you hone after all of them are mastered, not before. And certainly not at your age and understanding.”

Aeryth nodded. The stranger lowered to her eye level. Aeryth only saw black eyes; not much different from any person wearing the mask, yet there was something inexplicably dangerous about her. “I hope you will heed my advice.”

“I will,” Aeryth replied. Involuntarily, taking a tense stepback.

“Thank,” The stranger straightened, “I have a small favor to ask of you.”