Time passed quickly as they rode the carriage. Ashe was the only passenger this time, and the driver didn't bother to talk to him. Arriving in the city, he immediately headed for the guild building, as if he hadn't seen the corpses the day before.

This time, Ela didn't show up. It seemed like she was resting today. Instead, there was another blonde-haired, middle-aged woman. She seemed like a pleasant person as she took the details of the mission the boy had completed in a few words. Then she took the mushrooms herself and gave Ashe 13 green orbs.

From the Sugar God mission, he had a total of 7 orbs. He spent 3 on new clothes. Accordingly, he had 17 orbs, of which 14 were green and 3 were stone. Ashe hadn't accumulated much wealth, but being clean and having a full stomach was enough.

Before returning to the tavern, he embarked on new missions. He took into account the previous strategy and applied the same methods. He officially took on the Eclipsed rank mission and memorised the ones for Eminent.

When he finished everything he wanted in the guild, he then moved on to observing. The chaos that had been there a moment ago seemed to have subsided. There was no more noise or crowds, and at first glance, calm had returned.

'I wonder how the situation is going?' Ashe thought and went to the tavern. Along with sleeping, he also wanted to clean himself with soap. Only after resting would he start a new mission.

Gragas met him at the tavern doors. The man frowned as soon as he saw him; his eyebrows lowered and his lips pursed. Then he snorted, said nothing, and opened the door for the boy with a grin.

Ashe looked at the man's behaviour with suspicion. 'What does he want? Why is he looking at me like that?' With the thought left unanswered, he immediately entered the room, took a bath, got into bed, and didn't leave the bed until evening.

Later he got up, left the room shortly, and chose the Dragon Labyrinth as his direction. Dragons didn't exist in this world; it was nothing more than a given name, and that's why the boy was interested.

Coming out of the tavern, he saw Gragas outside again. This time, he was painting the walls and talking to two teenagers. A boy and a girl. Brother and sister. Their conversation with Gragas sounded emotional.

Ashe thought it was none of his business and avoided them altogether.

Yet, a harsh voice followed behind.

"Boy, stop for a second." It was Gragas calling out to him.

"What do you want?" The boy stopped and looked at the bearded man with an annoyed expression.

"The children need help, and a slacker like you could provide some help." It was a demand that, given Gragas's rigid nature, didn't sound like a request.

"Me, a slacker?" The boy laughed. He shook his head as if he had heard the biggest lie.

The children approached him as if he were their last hope. Desperation and sadness were evident on their faces. The twins were holding a pouch in their hands, probably with money, and whatever request they had, they were going to pay.

"It's worth listening to," the boy thought, not taking his eyes off the bag. "You have a minute," he announced and listened attentively.

The girl explained. "Our half-brother is missing."

Then the boy continued, looking more nervous. "He was supposed to return yesterday, but we... we still don't know where he is!"

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The sister extended what was said, unable to hold back her tears. "He was going to Dreadvale to trade."

These words hit Ashe especially hard. Then its weight moved to his heart, and the sword, which was an object separate from his body, he seemed to feel to the last atom.

While the siblings held each other's hands, Gragas came up behind them, standing with a worried expression. The children pleaded to Ashe at the same time. "Please look for him; see if he's okay?"

The brother added, whispering, telling himself and his sister. "Our brother is strong. He will definitely come back, no matter what happened." As if he was convincing himself, which, judging by his tears, was clearly not working.

The girl nodded; she wanted to have faith too, but her childish heart, terrified by the danger, couldn't calm down.

A storm was brewing in Ashe's mind. 'Ezio.' He hadn't been named, but he knew it. This was a man from whom he heard many stories. Among them were the stories of his siblings, who he had hoped would become Binders.

It turned out that he was missing. He hadn't returned home when he should have been even earlier when he lost his sword. 'Maybe he didn't turn back. He still went to Dreadvale and is just being extra careful,' the boy tried to convince himself.

He didn't want his little act to cause so much damage. 'The road to Dreadvale is safe. I have encountered nothing that could have caused him harm.' The children's cries woke him from his defensive thoughts.

For some reason, the voices changed. It didn't rise; it didn't fall, but it became deeper and more painful.

After looking around, he sees a new silhouette near the edge of the street. The children were running towards him. It wasn't Ezio.

He looked like a butler, a clean-dressed, white-haired old man. He leaned on a crutch with one hand and looked wistfully at the siblings.

The children's emotions virtually exploded at the sight of him. The street was transformed by their pleas, but nothing could drown out the man's low words. "We found Ezio. You must see him for yourself."

This one sentence remained in space. It froze like a moment that should have existed forever. All of Ashe's hypotheses were shattered. He could no longer justify himself. Ezio was dead, and he was without his only means of protection because of him.

'I killed him!'

A heaviness rose from his stomach and went for his throat. He had seen many corpses before, but the thought of Ezio's lifeless body almost made him gag. It was a reaction that went against his nature. It was a moment that transcended his morals.

Ashe was Hope, and he was Despair. He was the Chosen One, who had to save the world. He had to protect people and fight evil. Ezio had told him that he believed in the Chosen One. He had hope for him and for the future the boy would bring.

But Ashe had failed to live up to his faith. Because of his actions, the person who trusted him died like that. It was a turning point in his mind, a painful one.

'I have to see. I have to see for myself.'

So he did, following the butler and the children with Gragas. But they were running because the siblings were too emotional to walk. This helped Ashe hide his feelings and regain his composure.

At the end of their run, they found themselves in front of the mansion. It was huge, if not enormous, but it was certainly extensive. A large circle of people had gathered in front of its silver gates. The sounds of crying came from inside, and the children halted at the sight of them.

Their appearance drew the attention of those present. It would be difficult to capture the emotions experienced, especially since Ashe had seen none of them.

His eyes were moving in one specific direction. On the object, that was the reason for this entire gathering.

Lying on a wooden plank was a young boy. His thigh and half of his hand were completely eaten away. He had shown no mercy to his adversary, and he was dead. His face was sad as if the difficulty of parting with the world was still visible. He hadn't given up on life until the last moment.

They couldn't find the sword with the person. Of course, they couldn't; it was still wrapped around Ashe. Ezio's death caused a sea of emotions. His eyes didn't leave the body, and he had to use all his strength to keep his heart from racing.

Then it seemed to him that strangers were looking at him and the sword hanging from his new trousers. Perhaps it was panic that made him think like that.

For Ashe, it seemed that they discovered the cause of Ezio's death and had the culprit in front of them. They looked at him as if they recognised the sword.

Ashe, who should never run away from problems or rivals, ran away immediately. He couldn't imagine having to hide from anyone after the Chancellor, but the fact was there. He was dashing off not only from the family, who might recognise the sword, but from himself as well.

'I can't stay here.' He realised he had to leave the city. If there was even the slightest chance that Ezio's wealthy family would pursue his footsteps, then this seemingly huge city wouldn't be able to hide him.

The means of concealment given by God would prove useless. Ashe was running, carrying a silver sword with him, and was about to leave Zalindar urgently.