Taking a stroll through the city felt so good, my body’s only aches were from laying for so long. Still, I was unsure about one thing: how did my wound heal so fast? Especially after the healer said I was resistant to healing magic. Must have been some other form of magic in that temple I vaguely remember.
I sighed. The sooner that letter was sent, the sooner I could return to normal—no more worrying about dreams, nightmares, curses or witches. I wanted to go back to normal in the fastest manner possible as there was something I intended to do.
I found myself on the quiet North Bridge Street, a road I seldom travelled on and on the side of the city opposite of the Main Bridge. The guild wasn’t far off in this direction. Just a short walk, and I'd find the alleyway that cut across to the guild’s front door. The wide, paved street was empty of carts and crowds, an unusual sight in this city.
Small groups in colorful robes occasionally passed by. Those must be young apprentice mages I thought, all hurrying toward the academy. I was sure because I had seen her in a robe like those. It was still an odd view for me because, except for her and her father, I had not had any contact with other mages up to now.
The training grounds where the knights trained were on the opposite side of the city. So, I could not help myself but to look up. The same morning sun rose over the baston city of Odder, but this part of town felt like a different city altogether.
Dodging several robed figures, I stumbled into a lush garden, overflowing with rows of flowers, each petal ablaze in vibrant hues of crimson, azure, and gold. At the garden's end loomed the magnificent Imperial Magic Academy of Odder—a multistory building of grey brick with illustrious bronze roof tiles. I stopped for a second hesitating. After almost dying the other day there were some lingering regrets in me, one of them being Lana.
As I stood at the gate, the thought of returning to the dungeon nagged at me. But then, another thought hit me—I was going to see her. With renewed confidence, I strode through the Academy gate, my mind fixed on giving her the red pouch and finally confessing my feelings.
That is, until I remembered the pouch was still in my cell’s crate back at the dungeon. I came to an abrupt stop, huffing in frustration. With an awkward spin, I turned around and headed back. Nothing’s lost, I told myself. I’ll see her when Roycroft comes to deliver the supplies, so I’ll grab the pouch then. A vein throbbed on my forehead, but I pressed on.
The courtyard ahead buzzed with activity, students and scholars moving between classes. As I approached, I noticed the famous Mages’ Garden, every flower shimmering with magic, their beauty almost too perfect, like something out of a dream.
"How vain do you have to be to enchant flowers that are already beautiful?" I muttered under my breath. Then again, most mages I knew were eccentric. Maybe this was just one of their quirks.
I had never set foot in the Mages’ Garden before, but it was a popular spot for dates. Now that I was seeing it up close, I understood why. The thought stung—reminding me that I was still too much of a coward to tell her how I felt. I gripped my yellow cape brooch tightly, silently vowing to bring her here one day, even though she had seen it countless times.
As I wandered through the streets, my gaze was drawn to the towering Magus Tower, its peak pointing directly at Odders' most infamous feature: the colossal white mana singularity. Its swirling energies floated high above the city like a second sun, radiating light and power that made everything below seem small.
Occasionally, the singularity would condense, raining down pure mana crystals. I knew from painful experience—having been smacked in the head by one—that the bronze tiles of the Academy often clanked under such showers. Living near the inner city meant you'd grown accustomed to that noise.
Walking beneath it always gave me an eerie feeling, like being an ant under a giant's foot, waiting to be crushed.
"It really makes you feel small, doesn't it?" a girl's voice suddenly interrupted my thoughts.
"Yeah, it does..." I replied without thinking, still staring up at the massive singularity.
My brain finally caught up when I realized who had spoken. I nearly snapped my neck turning to face her. "Y-you’re the witch!" I stammered, recognizing the cloaked girl with bright yellow-blond hair.
"Who are you calling a witch, you cretin?" she snapped, her eyes narrowing as she pointed a finger at me. "Get over here! I need to touch you!"
My mind short-circuited. "T-touch me?! What do you mean, touch me? On top of being a witch, you're a weirdo too!" I backed away, raising my hands defensively.
Her face turned beet red. "Not like that, you pig-headed human! I am a maiden—a maiden, you hear me!" She composed herself, then lunged toward me again. "Now come here and let me touch you!"
Panic set in, and I bolted. "As if! You're just going to drag me back into that nightmare!" I shouted, sprinting down the street like my life depended on it.
She chased after me, her voice breathless. "Stop! We’re being followed, you dimwit! I’m not going to touch you, just listen!"
"You're a liar!" I yelled, my heart pounding as I picked up speed. Despite having been bedridden for days, I ran faster than I thought possible.
"You're making a scene!" she wheezed, but I could hear the determination in her voice as she tried to catch up.
Desperate, I shouted, "Help! A perverted woman is chasing me! She wants to grope me with her weird hands!" Laughter and cheers erupted from the onlookers, amused by the chaos.
I risked a glance back—only to see her veer into an alleyway, two hooded figures following close behind.
****
Still on the lookout for the weirdo witch, I realized that I was not far from my destination. My eyes just needed to make out a certain gap between some of the building around here.
The alleyway I sought came into view. Two small kids, no older than five or six, played in the middle of the empty street, rolling the remains of an old cart’s wheel with sticks in hand. The wheel wobbled toward me, and I stopped it with my leg.
The two kids raced after it, coming to a sudden halt as they noticed me. A boy and a girl, their clothes plain and worn, probably from the North Bridge district. Their bright, innocent eyes lit up as they smiled and extended their hands toward me.
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"Big brother, big brother—can we have a coin, please?" they asked, waving their hands eagerly.
No one could refuse that sight. "Here you go," I said, placing a coin in each of their small hands. Their eyes grew wide with delight as they stared at the coins, grinning with missing or growing teeth.
I couldn’t help but smile at their joy.
The small girl, still excited, began jumping up and down. "Big brother, lift me, lift me!" she pleaded waving her hands ups, her fingers spread widely.
Without hesitation, I lifted her onto my shoulders, much to her delight. The boy, wide-eyed, exclaimed, "You’re so strong, big brother!" as he grabbed at my cape while we continued down the street.
"If you train hard, you could be as big and strong as me one day," I encouraged, hoping he might consider joining the military academy.
"Really?" he asked in awe, his grin widening, missing teeth and all.
The girl began waving her hands excitedly in some direction.
Unsure what to make of it, I took it as a signal for me to let her down. I patted both of their heads before sending them off back to their play. As I turned toward the alleyway, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.
I made my way through the alley, and there it was—the guild house, with its massive two-winged front door. Stepping inside, I was greeted by the scent of smoke and thick chatter. Adventurers of all sizes and gear filled the room, chatting or scanning the job offers pinned on the large board, each paper stamped with the guild's seal.
I overheard two men murmuring as they discreetly eyed the board.
“That bastard swordsman with the black sword snagged the sweetest job. Who does he think he is?” one muttered.
The other responded cautiously, “Not so sure it’s sweet. Dealing with assassins targeting that mark is no joke.”
I glanced over, catching a glimpse of the imposing figure they were talking about—a man already leaving the guild, accompanied by a lady.
As I approached the reception, where a large man twirled his thick mustache proudly, I perused the job offers, curious about what the adventurers were discussing and what did adventurers from the guild actually do.
“—Escort for mana singularity harvest—1 spot—15 days contract—15 golder coins—”
“—Village of Oromo—Termination—Beardog pack—half a coin per head—”
“—Shattered Road—Singularity break—Party / Master or greater—1000—”
“—Bodyguard—Tenray route—30 days contract—High priority—Threat / Grandmaster or greater…” I began reading, but the paper was snatched off the board by a short woman wearing the guild insignia. She moved behind the counter next to the mustachioed man, her annoyed expression indicating I should deal with him instead.
I let out an audible “Tch” before moving to the counter over handing him the letter bearing the Lord Commander's insignia. Despite his intimidating appearance, he turned out to be surprisingly cordial and polite. After finishing whatever clerks do, he courteously escorted me to the door.
On my way back to the barrack’s dungeon, I found myself lost in thought, wondering what did the witch actually want from me. What was the point of me seeing that dream? As I stepped back into the alley to make my crossing toward North Bridge Street.
"Enemy" echoed in my head.
Instantly irking me to turn and look behind me.
A shadowy figure streaked toward me, its dark claw outstretched. On instinct, I leaned back just in time to dodge, but the creature's claw snagged the brooch from my cape.
Reacting on pure reflex, I reached out, my hand latching onto something—a leg? The sudden tug halted the creature’s flight mid-air. My eyes traced the outline of a body cloaked in shadow, barely visible but unmistakably real.
It wanted my brooch? Now that I could see it more clearly it was a person. I noticed its distinctive black mask, marked with three white lines above the right eye and matching lines beneath the left.
The shadowy creature thrashed wildly in my grasp, trying to wrench itself free.
"No, you don’t!" I growled, fear mingling with rage at the thought of losing the brooch. My other hand shot out, desperate to seize the creature for good.
But as soon as I touched it, its warmth dissipated, and its form dissolved into a matted sludge of darkness, slipping through my fingers and melding with the shadows around me. To my disbelief, another body materialized from the shadows a few feet away.
The shorter and nimble creature, now terrified shrouded itself fully in darkness, poised to leap again. With catlike agility, it cleared several paces of distance in a single bound.
I felt the wind brush past my face as I pursued it like a hound, my armor clanking with each thudding step. But the creature’s speed made me question whether I could ever catch it.
“Give it back! It’s from her!” My voice echoed through the narrow alley, a mix of desperation and fury.
With one last powerful leap, the creature vaulted off a crate and grabbed onto a pole protruding from a nearby wall—a sign for the "Dancing Rat Inn." It spun around the pole in a full circle before launching itself toward the roof, leaving me glaring up in frustration. But the pole, strained by its motion, snapped, and the inn's sign plummeted straight toward my face.
“Give it bac—” I started to shout, but my words were cut off as the "Dancing Rat Inn" sign slammed into my head, and everything went black.
When I opened my eyes, splattered on the ground the witch’s grinning face met me once again. Ah, so she had lost her pursuers and came back after me looking for a chance to pounce. I could respect that determination.
I calmly waited for her hand to lay over my face—
Everything went dark. I was pulled back into the nightmare.
This time, it was different. There was no thunder, no rain—only the soft sobbing of a young woman. I soon spotted her, sitting alone on the stairs. It was her—the goddess from the nightmare. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks.
Seeing her like this for the first time, face to face, felt surreal.
“You’re the one who’s been calling me, all this time.” My voice came out harsher than I intended.
She squinted, her eyes brimming with tears. “Finally, we meet after all these years. I can finally speak to you.”
Why did she look so happy to see me? It infuriated me.
“You’re happy? After tormenting me with that nightmare, over and over again?” My voice rose with anger, and her expression stiffened.
“My time here is limited. You need to listen—”
“Listen to you?” I spat. “You’re a witch who cursed me! What should I possibly listen to?” She opened her mouth to speak, but my rage cut through. “Did you listen when I cried, night after night, trapped in that nightmare? Was my suffering enough nourishment for you, witch?” Every word felt like it weighed a thousand pounds on my chest.
Her face twisted with pain. “I didn’t know…”
“Didn’t know? I almost jump… I almost died from the shock and pain the first time I saw it as a boy. If it hadn’t been for Mauricio, I wouldn’t even be here!” Just looking at her made my heart ache.
She winced, her hands clenched tightly. I wanted to escape, like I had before. “I don’t know what your goal was. All I know is, if you wanted to kill me, that girl could’ve done it a hundred times by now. But this is the last time we’ll meet. Roycroft, one of the greatest mages to ever live, will break your curse, witch!”
She suddenly spoke softly. "Roycroft is such a powerful mage that he managed to tamper with my seal, planting the nightmare spell and other mind-altering ones, unknowingly setting it to break in the future... leading to your death."
What? Roycroft? I froze, my mind reeling.
“How many times has he ‘broken’ your curse, Valens? Is this the first time? Who told you that you were cursed in the first place?”
Flashes of memories surged in my mind—a strange déjà vu.
“No... Wait, you’re messing with my head!” I tried to hold on to my doubt, but it was slipping. “My father—he wouldn’t—No! My father would never allow this!” I shouted, desperate to cling to anything solid. “Your lies won’t work on me!”
“VALRIK LIES! HE IS NOT YOUR FATHER, YOU PITIFUL BOY!” Her voice broke into a sob. “Turn around, and face your equally pitiful mother.”
“Mother?” I turned.
That feeling in my chest... I knew she wasn’t lying. She was my mother.
The woman I had watched die countless times in the nightmare was my mother. And now, she threw herself into my arms, weeping.
I tried to speak, but she placed a trembling hand over my mouth. “Listen to me… my time is running out. I need to try and redo your seal—that’s your only chance to live. You must come to me.”
“You… you were trying to save me?”
Her lip trembled as more tears fell. “I don’t even know what I want anymore,” she whispered. “As much as I want to save you… I can’t stop hoping you’ll save me, too.” She looked up at me, eyes pleading. “There’s no end to my selfishness, Valens. I can’t stop myself from burdening you with this. Please, come and save me. I don’t want to die alone. I don’t want to be forgotten. You’re the only one who can do it.”
Her words hit me like a wave. My blood boiled, the same fire that burned in the nightmares when I tried and failed to save her from that man. But now—now I had a chance. This time, I could really save her.
“I’ll save you, Mother. No matter what.”
Her body started to wither in my hands, and the space around us distorted.
“Our time is up,” she said, her voice fading. “Whatever you do, don’t let Roycroft get his hands on you… or it’ll all be for nothing.”
“Wait! Where do I go? How do I find you?”
“The girl—my emissary—she will guide you. Trust her. You’ll have no other allies.”
Her form crumbled like sand slipping through my fingers. “Mother!”
Her voice still echoed. “Valens… don’t go near the priests of the Tri-God. Your seal’s only purpose is to hide you from a god—the God of a Thousand Calamities.”
Everything warped around me, pulling me into darkness.
When I opened my eyes, I was upright, held up by something. My face was drenched—sweat, water, I couldn’t tell. A metal gauntlet slapped my cheek. The girl was gone.
Through my hazy vision, Valrik’s face came into focus. “You alright, Valens? Can’t even deliver a letter without getting into trouble, huh?” He chuckled, but the sound made my skin crawl. Even in my dazed state, something felt… unsettling.
Valrik’s expression shifted, his eyes gleaming with interest. “Turns out you weren’t imagining things. There was a girl—a witch, actually.”
I must have flinched, because he added, “We’ll get her soon, don’t worry. Did she do anything to you?”
That look on his face...
“I…”
“What were you muttering about in your sleep?” he asked.
“Nothing,” I mumbled, my throat dry.
But the longer I looked at him, the more sinister his features seemed. Something deep inside me stirred—I’d seen that expression before. This had happened before.
My mother hadn’t been lying. And this was no dream.