“The Overseer is part of Soulblade.”

My mind whirled in confusion. “How did you…”

“I found the note.” He shook his head. “I found other things too. That’s all I know, so now let’s get to talking information about Soulblade since you’ll need it.”

I blinked, nodding slowly as he sat down next to me, looking at the city in the distance.

“Soulblade is after you Sybil, I don’t understand why the Overseer didn’t just kill you himself however…” He frowned. “He is a careful man, and I think you should keep that in mind.”

“Right…”

“Soulblade is a syndicate of assassins.” Wendell continued. “I don’t see why they are going after you in such a roundabout way. If they really wanted you dead…”

“They would’ve come already?” I asked with a frown.

“Indeed, but this is not a reason to not exercise caution. Whatever the Overseer is doing it cannot be good. Soulblade is also deeply interested in the Dark Hollow and its power, once they managed to get a creature of the Dark Hollow into a city, which nearly destroyed it.”

He rubbed his beard.

“My only advice is to take care of yourself.”

“Is that all?” I asked confused. “I knew they were some sort of group, and you… you barely gave me any information.”

Wendell smiled. “Most of the information I have is most likely out of date.”

I turned to the city lights in the distance, as I digested the information. Things seemed a bit annoying, but I still had a question.

“Why does this medallion have the Soulblade?”

Wendell studied it with great interest, holding his gaze on it at the moment. “Do you really want to know?”

I nodded.

“Soulblade is based on the Soulblade.” Wendell chuckled. “It is a medallion of a member of Soulblade.”

“And… where is the Soulblade?” I asked with a frown.

“Soulblade, the blade is currently, as of a few decades ago, the Mayor’s personal Relic. It is the weapon I tried to kill him with.” He spoke looking off into the distance.

I blinked. “Second Grade Relic, Soulblade?”

Wendell nodded. “Indeed. A terrifying thing. But its mana consumption is nasty.”

“So you held… the Soulblade…” I said, blinking for a moment feeling lost.

Wendell harrumphed. “Bah, not important. What I am trying to tell you is that the organization, Soulblade, is something you should be careful of. If they really wanted to, they might be able to kill me, so take it from me. The Overseer is up to no good.” With those words he stood up.

I took a breath. “Right… would it be possible to hunt them down before that happens?”

“If you find their base of operations first, yes. And so that brings us to what happens now.” He looked at the city. “We are leaving the Grand Checkpoint, and you will need a guide to help you get acclimated to the town life,” Wendell explained. “Unless you want to wander off, but I recommend against it since it is important to me that you don’t get found out.”

“Right…” I stared off into the distance. I thought about Soulblade, but also the fact that The Overseer was… “I’d appreciate that.”

“Good.” He chuckled. “It has already been arranged.”

I gave him a strange look as he gestured for the other two Supervisors to approach. They walked towards me, Revy in particular seemed a bit odd.

“How has it already been arranged?”

“About that…” Revy spoke up. “I have contacted a friend, and he will be…”

“He will function as your guide.” Wendell finished for Revy. “Unfortunately, Revy will be coming with me along with the other surviving Supervisors from the Grand Checkpoint.”

I blinked. I didn’t expect that. But that sounded troublesome. First was the issue with Soulblade, then the ongoing issues with my identity, and after all my thoughts were finished, there was only a single reaction; my eyebrows curled into a frown.

“And this person…”

“He does not know you are an Ascended.” Wendell informed simply. “However, now is not the time to worry about that. We have to get going. Revy will explain to you a few things about the city on the way there.”

Wendell turned around, gesturing for me as I stood up. And at that moment I felt a sudden pulse of pain travel through my head. For a moment I felt dizzy as I caught myself. I hadn’t rested in so long. But I had to calm down and relax. My body felt sluggish, and I staggered for a moment. Revy gave me a concerned look but I shook my head.

I was… tired. All of the fatigue had finally caught up to me. And after the conversation regarding the Overseer finished, it came in full force. I hadn’t slept in a long time…

We walked in silence as we moved towards a large metal box with wheels ⁠— a vehicle ⁠— a tool I knew of but had never seen. I hesitated for a moment, before following Revy in clambering onto its metal back. I sat down on the hard metal as I took in the surroundings once more; the flowing wind, the city lights in the distance, and the massive size of Armag Hollow, I felt as if there were no restrictions; I felt free.

I got comfortable on the back of the truck, as Wendell sat behind the driver’s seat. Finally, the vehicle came to life with the sounds of mechanical roars, and Revy turned to me.

“Well, where should I begin… How about hearing about the currency? Ah only if you are… you know, able to listen.”

I nodded. “I am…” I closed my eyes for a moment, reveling in my tiredness as I felt so close to falling asleep, but then I blinked. It wasn’t the time just yet. “Let’s start with the currency.”

And so, Revy began to talk to me about human society outside of the mine, about Armag Hollow ⁠— my birth place and the place I was completely alien to.

* * * * *

Lyonel had received a communication from his long-time friend, someone he hadn’t heard from for well over three months now. And he didn’t know how to feel about it. Unlike him, Revy had actually landed a position as a Supervisor in the Grand Checkpoint, while he was sort of in reserve. He wouldn’t have the chance to go there for possibly years, and yet he was still a Supervisor. Just to some extent, a lesser one⁠— and that brought him to the odd communication.

He paced around near the edge of the town he lived in, it was the biggest town in the region of Armag Hollow; Kilead. Unlike the other towns, it was actually bigger than some cities, the only difference between the two is that cities had the machinery to produce Artificial Relics. Not like it mattered to Lyonel, he saw no difference between Kilead and other cities he had been in, the only thing that mattered to him was the odd communication.

Revy wanted him to train someone, or rather to help someone. It was a Supervisor that was suffering from amnesia? He hadn’t been explicitly told that, other than that she was particularly odd and had little to no knowledge of how society worked due to some odd reason. Lyonel had agreed to Revy’s request because they were friends. But admittedly he did hope to perhaps score some points with the female Supervisor and get some form of recommendation. So that by the time she was back, Lyonel might be able to get a position inside the prestigious Grand Checkpoint.

And so he was nervous. Lyonel fidgeted with gloved hands, combing his black hair back as he made himself look presentable. The communication had come this morning in the form of an L code, and now it was noon. Lyonel thanked the fact that he had his watch on him, or he would actually have no clue. At one point he had gone to sleep at noon thinking it was midnight⁠— a very necessary investment if he felt so himself, otherwise he would have to rely on the multiple clocks strewn throughout Kilead to be on time for this.

He adjusted his coat, checking his watch once more before leaving the town walls. There were a few guards out on the wall at this time of day, as the Monsters of the Dark Hollow were⁠ — nonpresent for the most part. Lyonel looked back at the cobbled streets and yellowed lights of his home, there was a single reason he had lived here all of his life. It was the closest settlement to the Grand Checkpoint, and the Grand Mine, where folktales were real, where nightmares existed.

After walking for a minute he saw the glitter of lights over the horizon. The lights themselves couldn’t be seen due to the plateau, but they were there. The Grand Checkpoint, the bastion of humanity, and the wall that kept the beasts of the Dark Hollow from pouring into the region. Lyonel felt like he was so close to his dream, and now he had a chance. Even though he was a Supervisor, he wasn’t a seasoned veteran, but that would soon change.

He just had to guide her appropriately, and eventually, he would be just like his heroes.

Lyonel closed his eyes and waited.

* * * * *

The vehicle roared as it made it through cobbled roads in the direction of the closest town. While I digested Revy’s words to the best of my ability, being honest everything sounded like common sense. If anything everything seemed more relaxed than how things worked in the Grand Mine. The currency was coins, similar to the ones I had found inside of the subterranean vault, except it was⁠— well after seeing one, it seemed almost murky, not a sparkling gold. Ignoring that, things in the camp worked through favors. It was complex and stressful, and having a bad reputation could get you killed. But outside, in Armag Hollow, from the sounds of it, it all seemed to work through transactional value. And that was simple enough.

Revy seemed to grow nervous as he sensed my disappointment, and so I decided to stop asking him questions. It didn’t seem like a big deal anyway after knowing I was going to have some form of guide. I didn’t know what to expect, the only real problem was the fact that I apparently had no money whatsoever. Revy didn’t have any to give me either, Wendell just laughed and said nothing.

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So in the end, it was an uneventful conversation. I ended up watching rocks in the distance that we passed by. The world around seemed so dark except for the lights from nearby towns and cities. Apparently, we were heading to a town, but it was massive. Spiraling buildings of multiple stories, neverending lights that I could see from the distance⁠— and so, it seemed that the journey was going to be long.

The wind rustled in my hair, and for a moment I felt relaxed. The destination was far away… Slowly, my eyelids closed as I laid closer to the metal trunk, and tiredness began to catch up to me once more. I was… exhausted. I hadn’t slept since leaving Laiken, I had taken down the camp, I had fought the Commander, I had killed the Mutated Hollowed Charger as well, and I was… tired.

But everything was done now. I could finally rest.

My eyelids fluttered, and at that moment, the vehicle came to a stop, maybe fifty meters away from the city.

“Here we are,” Wendell said. “It is time for you to get off Sybil.”

I blinked. “Seriously?”

* * * * *

Lyonel blinked as he saw the military truck in the distance. It seemed like he wouldn’t need to wait for too long. His heart rushed as he began to walk in its direction, he could hear a small argument happening between a woman and an old man. The woman sounded a bit annoyed, but the old man laughed it off as if it didn’t concern him, and finally, Lyonel saw all of them.

Five people, five Supervisors, all of them had a certain alert demeanor that he lacked. Or rather only four of them had such a demeanor. When he saw Revy, Lyonel noticed he seemed tense and avoided the woman that was speaking. She was young, and her hair was⁠— the underside was white? Lyonel didn’t know what kind of stress she had gone through to end up like that, but he still carried on.

Finally, the old man gestured to him, which he complied with given the information he had. He stood in front of everyone as the woman looked at him, her piercing blue eyes bore into him for a moment before she looked elsewhere. Lyonel felt a cold sweat for a moment, as the old man coughed.

“Lyonel.”

“Y-Yes?” He stiffened.

“You are Revy’s friend, and I’d like to thank you for doing us this favor.” He pushed the woman as she gave him a glare. “She is on vacation now, and she’s been working with us for so long she has forgotten a lot of things. So I hope you can help her to reintegrate.”

“Right…” Lyonel nodded at the man. The atmosphere was weird. “I’ll do my best.”

“Good, we have to get going.”

It was abrupt but with those words Revy, the old man and the other Supervisor that hadn’t spoken turned around and walked away. He heard Revy mutter something along the lines of good luck, which made Lyonel feel odd. Still, he turned to the woman extending his hand with a kind smile.

“I am Lyonel, and I will be your guide.”

“Sybil.” She grabbed his hand, roughly shaking it, she moved quickly. “Take me somewhere I can sleep. I have a headache.”

Lyonel blinked, feeling confusion. “Don’t you want to do something else first…?”

Sybil frowned at him, giving him a death glare and at that moment Lyonel felt fear. His entire being locked up and he couldn’t avert his gaze, inside of her sapphire-like eyes he saw death. He saw an inescapable abyss of burning blue flames, she did not care for him, she saw him as nothing⁠— what was happening⁠— and as soon as it came, it stopped as she sighed.

“Fine.” She looked to the city behind him. “I want to eat some food too.”

Lyonel stiffly nodded. “Y-Yes.”

It made no sense to him, but he dutifully turned around and began to walk as she followed by his side. She didn’t seem to be carrying any weapons, and even if she did it wasn’t something that was allowed. Aside from the standard issue sword of the Knights, weapons weren’t allowed in cities or towns, and sure enough, they reached the gate where a guard stopped them.

Sybil looked at the man before shaking her head with some confusion, but Lyonel made sure to observe her reactions as he heard what came next.

“We will need to pat both of you down.”

She instantly frowned but said nothing, something that Lyonel noted as they wandered off to the sides of the metal city wall, where the guard began to pat him down. As expected, he found nothing ⁠— it was just a cursory check rather than something in depth ⁠— then the guard wandered over to Sybil, Lyonel noticed her frown deepening. At that moment, the guard met her gaze and froze. A second or two passed before she looked away and sighed.

“Just get it over with.”

The guard nodded stiffly and patted her down very carefully. It took a few more minutes than normal, but eventually they were cleared. Lyonel was now confused. The guard had felt that intense feeling of fear as well? Sybil stretched with a yawn, casually as if nothing had ever happened and rubbed the back of her head for a moment.

“So what is the name of this city anyway?” Her voice was even friendly.

“Kilead.” Lyonel hesitated. “Though it’s a town, not a city.”

“Is it?” she asked with some confusion. “It’s rather big…”

She looked at him once more, her blue eyes seemed normal, and for a moment Lyonel felt cognitive dissonance. The person in front of him was young, perhaps barely twenty years old. She had a large scar running down her neck that he hadn’t noticed before, but she didn’t seem⁠ much different than him. That made him feel weird. What was that instinctual fear he had felt when he first met her?

Still, Lyonel decided to ignore it and nod amiably.

“Indeed. Only distinguishing factor between a city and a town is the ability to produce Artificial Relics, so sometimes the sizes are disproportionate.”

“That is interesting…” She pondered for a moment. “Well, we should go get some food. I haven’t eaten anything for over a day now.”

Her voice was friendly, and she seemed to have a sense of humor. Lyonel smiled, chuckling. Perhaps she was just tense after working so long in the Grand Mine that she just needed time to adapt.

“Sure, let’s go. What about your headache?”

“Ah that?” She shrugged. “It’s kind of going away now.”

Lyonel nodded, and continued on walking by her side.

He looked at her as she observed her surroundings, he saw the scar on her neck and did a subtle nod. The woman before him, Sybil, was surely a veteran amongst veterans. Perhaps she had even killed a Beast of the Dark Hollow on her own, something that not many Supervisors could boast of.

She was an elite.

Lyonel smiled. “I have the perfect place for food in mind.”

* * * * *

My tiredness had been relegated to the back of my mind as I walked along the cobbled streets. The yellow lights were a bit hard to adjust to, but once I did all I saw was beauty. People casually walked the streets along with me and the Supervisor named Lyonel, sometimes giving us looks ⁠— not bad looks, but ones of respect.

The surrounding buildings weren’t completely made out of metal either, but something else instead. They sparkled like new with black or brown paints, I could see businesses, shops, markets⁠— everything around me looked so dazzling and pretty that I had forgotten about being tired altogether. Everything was new to me, and I enjoyed it.

I remembered what Wendell had told me when we first arrived.

Why the rush? Just be patient and relax, enjoy life a bit more, it doesn’t hurt. The Overseer won’t be acting any time soon, and as for Soulblade, there is nothing you can do about it.

And so I did. I finally accepted what Wendell had said. I couldn’t be bothered to think about The Overseer or be on edge all the time, and Soulblade… I definitely had to be careful, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. No hostile looks, nothing.

I had accepted the pat down from the guard that I had accidentally scared, and now I had decided I would be friendly with Lyonel and treat him as I did Miles in the past ⁠— as a friend, or at least someone I was on friendly terms with. I didn’t trust him, but I wasn’t going to place a barrier between him and me just because of that.

“You said you have the perfect place in mind, what place is it?” I asked as we walked.

He turned to me and smiled. “Do you know what Kilead is famous for?”

“No?” I gave him a weird confused look. “Why would I know that?”

“Oh right, I forgot about your situation.” He scratched the back of his head. “It’s famous for fish. It’s the only place in Armag Hollow in which they can be caught because there is a subterranean lagoon next to the city.”

The words rang in my mind for a moment. Truth be told I barely knew what a fish was other than an animal that lived in water, however that didn’t catch my attention. It was an animal that lived in the ocean⁠— at least according to my father’s journal.

“A lagoon…? Wouldn’t there need to be an ocean for there to be fish?”

He scratched his cheek. “The fish are bred and that’s how the population is maintained. It’s a small ecosystem, as how the fish got there… it’s a bit of a mystery.”

“I see…” I noticed he seemed a bit thrown off from what I had just said, which wasn’t good. “Well, I was just curious.”

“Right…” Lyonel looked away. “I hope my inability to answer that question doesn’t dissuade you from asking more. Truth be told I’ve always wanted to be a Supervisor working in the Grand Mine, so…”

“Is that so?” I raised my brow, it sounded a bit insane but I didn’t comment on it. “That’s nice.”

He nodded. “It is.”

And then there was silence as my mind wandered off.

“Lyonel…” I called.

“Yes?”

“How do you avoid getting assassinated?” I asked with some confusion, still thinking about Soulblade.

He halted in his steps, blinking. “Well… I suppose one should avoid being alone or in dark alleys. Firearms aren’t allowed in cities, so it’s best to do something like that.”

I nodded. “Right, that makes sense.”

“Why the question?”

I shook my head. “Nothing important, we should get going.”

“Yeah, okay…” He trailed off. “Let’s go then.”

We walked in silence for about a minute before we found ourselves in front of a large one-story building. I could see inside through the long windows and saw many tables and chairs, with people sitting down waiting with a small light on their table. It looked cozy, but that was about it.

“This is it.” He smiled.

Lyonel walked forward and beckoned me over as he opened the front door and at that moment, a pleasant aroma hit me.

I salivated as my eyes went wide.

This is…

I had never eaten a fresh meal before, and yet instinctually I just knew this was it. I froze before the door as Lyonel walked forward, he paused for a moment giving me a weird glance.

“Are you coming… Sybil?”

“Ah.” I blinked, snapping from my stupor. “Yes.”

I walked into the building, following after Lyonel as my heart beat excitedly. This was something I needed. I couldn’t wait to try whatever smelled that good.

* * * * *

Lothair smiled as he saw his target entering a restaurant, she seemed so naive, and her features stood out too. He observed her fidgeting as she sat down at a window seat along with a man. He saw the white underside of her hair, and he saw her azure eyes as well as the large scar along her neck. It was her. It hadn’t taken long for him to find her, a couple of hours at most. With the information provided all they needed to do was to watch the road leaving the Grand Mine of Armag Hollow; it didn’t fork until it passed through Kilead. But truth be told they had noticed her as soon as she entered the city.

It was time for payday. Now all that was left was finding a good opportunity to attack.

He didn’t understand why she wore Supervisors clothing, while in the picture she was clearly a miner. But even if she had somehow become a Supervisor, he was sure they wouldn’t fail at killing her. Their group was one of the best for the job after all, and their base was right here in Kilead.

Now all there left to do was wait.

And soon…

He looked at her for a moment before walking back into the shadows.

They would have the money they were promised.

The members of Soulblade did not know failure.