“You can put me down. There is no need to hurt yourself anymore,” said a little girl barely ten years old. Her half-dark green, half-dark red hair flowed down the woman’s shoulder who was currently carrying this girl on her back.

“Wounds on your legs say otherwise,” Olivia replied while holding the girl tighter. Carrying a child piggyback wouldn’t be a problem if the terrain was even, unlike this rocky one filled with jagged stone edges at every third step. Olivia had already lost count of how many times she got her foot stuck between the rocks and stumbled. The entire bottom part of her pants was riddled with cuts. As for how her legs looked, she didn’t dare to check.

“Then why can’t you make us float like before? It was cool and you don’t need to carry me at all!” The little girl innocently asked while her head peered over Olivia’s shoulder.

“Because I lose the sense of reality when I do that. It will take some serious practice before I can do it without suffering any drawbacks,” Olivia calmly explained. She didn’t want to go into detail to make the little girl feel bad. But when she changed the gravity of her own body for a minute, she couldn’t hold her balance afterward for three hours straight. And she can’t directly affect others without physical touch, so the girl on her back hasn’t experienced anything strange afterward.

[Patience, child. In time, all paths would provide you no resistance.]

Hearing a neutral and alien voice inside her head, Olivia’s face fell.

“Shut up and leave me alone,” Olivia mumbled quietly.

[By the time I will be no more. Not before I ensured that thing hadn’t poisoned your mind.]

“Then do it and leave. I don’t want anyone staying inside my head,” whispered Olivia, fully knowing that her words were heard by the little girl.

[I cannot leave yet, child. Every step you take, every path you choose, I must be there to guide you. Until you find the right one, I must be there.]

Olivia felt a sudden headache, making her involuntarily stop in place. The more of those words appeared inside her mind. The harder her consciousness fought to stay intact. Every single letter this strange being spoke carried an incomprehensible pressure with them, slowly etching hidden meanings within her consciousness.

“Just stop, please,” Olivia pleaded, unable to handle it anymore. This wasn’t the first time she’d heard from this being. But every time, she thought she could handle it. The sentences would become longer and more muffled, denying anything she hoped to have grasped.

Ever since she’d decided to cross from the Third to the Fourth Stage and exited that strange place… She, after hearing that first word: ‘Warlock’, kept listening to all these incomprehensible murmurs which, over time formed words she could understand.

After standing still in one place, Olivia waited patiently to see if the voice had anything else to say.

“Again, hearing those inner voices?” Words of a middle-aged man reached her ear, “I got those sometimes too. Annoying bunch, I tell you!”

This further killed Olivia’s mood, and even the girl on her back showed how uncomfortable she was.

“What you are hearing aren’t inner voices, Kraguil,” Olivia spoke, “They are other people trying to wake you up.”

A middle-aged drunkard acted as if she had revealed to him a great secret that was troubling his whole life. He looked stumped for a second, but the next moment, he took another gulp from his ever-present flask and went back to his usual drunken behavior.

“Even if they are. They can’t be worse than sober mornings,” Kraguil stroked his long beard and then pointed his index finger at Olivia and, in all seriousness, added, “Nothing is worse than sober morning! Keep that in mind.”

Olivia just ignored him and kept walking. But the girl on her back couldn’t hold her curiosity, “Why is this person following us? He is strange.”

Before Olivia could answer, Kraguil beat her to it, “Because a great person named Veles said to provide her with good protection. And I’m doing just that,”

Just a mention of Veles was enough for Olivia to shake her head in annoyance, which the little girl caught on and seemingly made a face that had just understood something crucial.

“You surely are doing great work,” Olivia rudely commented and just kept pushing forward. Pretending not to notice that every step Kraguil took was clumsy beyond one wildest imagination, yet every single one made its mark on point.

When she woke up practically in the middle of nowhere and was basically abandoned by Veles, she first checked her storage ring, where she found a bunch of messages and useful guides—some of which astonished her with how helpful they were. And one on the top was to seek this drunk old man and hand him a couple of letters.

At first, Olivia was fine with that. She clearly remembered how Veles described Kraguil as someone who was practically immortal as long as he was drunk. She didn’t mind this detail and was certain it wouldn’t be that big of a deal. After all, he was supposed to be a very old person. He should know how to behave in his particular situation.

But no… how drunk he was all the time exceeded all her expectations. He basically stayed on the edge of total blackout. His steps were always a dead giveaway, and his overall body movement suggested a high percentage of alcohol constantly coursing through his bloodstream.

However, his speech and intelligence always stayed intact. Although, he does blabber nonsense from time to time and was most of the time ridiculously annoying. Olivia had to admit, Kraguil, for sure, was a specimen of his own.

“So, lass,” said Kraguil, “Where are you leading us to?”

“Far north, to the Obsidian Plains,” replied Olivia casually.

“Good thing I’ve prepared enough fuel to last me in that wretched place,” commented Kraguil while taking another swing, “I hope you remembered to prepare enough ration for a very long hike. That place isn’t kind to any traveler.”

“I did,” Olivia simply replied.

“You said it like you’ve been there,” Kraguil continued, “Can’t really imagine a girl like you having any reason to visit that place…”

“That’s where I was cast away,” that was all Olivia said before picking a pace.

“I guess that means you regained a portion of your memories. Good,” Kraguil took a piece of paper and matched her steps. His drunken walk was as good as ever.

“He told you everything, didn’t he?” Olivia quietly asked.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“More than everything. If a time while I worked as Veles’s errand boy taught me something, it was that he was prepared for any possible scenario. You cannot imagine how many possibilities he has stated inside the letters you brought me,” Kraguil read the paper and continued, “No matter how many times I’ve experienced it, his ridiculous predictions are beyond my understanding…”

“I presume you aren’t going to share any of them?” Asked Olivia.

“No, I will not,” Kraguil rolled a piece of paper and placed it inside his inner pocket. “I’m here just to keep you company and protect you in case something you cannot handle appears. More than that will just hinder your progress.”

“What progress are you talking about…” Olivia grumbled under her breath. This wasn’t the first time this alcoholic had mentioned some kind of progress she was experiencing, and she didn’t like his secrecy at all.

Kraguil took his flask and attached it to his belt. Apparently, he had enough for now. “You might have missed it, but for the past two weeks, you changed a lot,” he said, his voice suddenly sounding a shade wiser, “Your behavior matured a lot. Let’s not even talk about your clear display of emotions. When you met me, you were nothing more than an emotionless brat in search of something. Yet, here you are. Rushing into a fire to save a random child.”

Olivia was lost for words and decided to stay quiet. What Kraguil said was entirely true. She herself had noticed subtle changes she experienced in a very short time. But deep inside, she felt that everything was natural and meant to be that way. Was she under some influence of the voice she heard? She didn’t know, nor did she like it…

However, the little girl quietly riding on her back managed to stir a strange sense of urgency in Olivia’s heart. She could still remember that burning building and the panicked screams as she dove into the flames to carry this little girl to safety. Even after almost two days spent together, Olivia couldn’t understand why she did that. It was like a gut feeling guiding her to do the right thing.

Everything after Veles had abandoned her feels so strange… so manipulative. “Was it you or Veles pulling the strings?” Olivia very quietly murmured. She addressed the voice inside her head, not really expecting to receive any answer.

But, surprisingly…

[Sweet wronged child. You ask, I fulfill. That’s the only way.]

Olivia wanted to call those words pure bullshit, but it was clear voice was taking its time to continue. It clearly learned its lesson not to overwhelm Olivia’s mind.

[The thing waving your strings also waves those belonging to the One Who Reached The End. Your paths have been interlocked since the beginning. You both are victims.]

After saying this, the voice retreated while Olivia took a few moments to stabilize her breathing. These words just puzzled her more and made everything much harder to understand. She mused over every single word, sinking deeper into meaningless speculations that led her nowhere.

“You okay?” Kraguil suddenly asked, bringing her out of her stupor, “You’ve been standing there for the past two minutes, totally absent-minded.”

“I’m fine. Just thinking about something,” Olivia replied.

“Great, but you cannot carry that girl on this rocky surface and be lost at the same time,” said Kraguil as he spread his hands in a gesture to help, “Come on, little lass, I will be your horse from now.”

Olivia glanced to the side and saw the skeptical face of the little girl. She felt it would be best to assure her of this drunkard, “He might smell strange and look like he would fall on his every step, but you saw it with your own eyes he isn’t that simple. It would be safer for everyone this way.”

The little girl showed no protest and climbed off Olivia’s back. Before she could voice anything, Kraguil already grabbed her and placed her directly on his shoulders, ready to give the girl the ride of her life.

“Gotcha,” Said Kraguil as he took a few of his staggering steps. Yet despite it, the girl currently experiencing a shoulder ride didn’t do as much as a shake. “I’m good with this, I tell you!”

Obviously, the little red-green-headed girl had her eyes wide as saucers, both scared and astonished at the same time. She leaned forward and dug her fingers inside Kraguil’s long beard, fearing not to fall down.

“Wanna hear a story?” Asked Kraguil, “I know a good one about the greedy salamander who lost his hoard.”

Without giving her a chance to answer, Kraguil began, “There was once a red puppy-sized salamander. Ah yes, wait…” Stopped Kraguil, his head slightly tilted backward trying to match the little girl’s gaze, “What’s your name little lass?”

Finally, having a word, the girl replied, “It’s Mariel Crux.”

“Oho, that’s a nice name,” Kraguil continued, “Then let us continue little Mariel! This salamander like every other beast…”

Olivia quietly followed from behind, immersing herself in the story Kraguil was about to tell. If anything this drunkard was good at, it would be unbelievable stories he pieced together. Even before encountering Mariel, Olivia must admit that Kraguil knew how to kill time by getting a person lost in his storytelling.

At least the long journey she decided to take wouldn’t be boring…

***

“How effective,” Veles commented while holding a piece of paper, “I would never have thought you could get us this in less than a day.”

Facing Veles was Dalia, her silk-white hair touched the desk between them as she carefully inspected the papers.

Without even looking at him, she replied, “A person must be effective to be able to stay in this business for as long as I do. Still, some things must be checked twice. So please, make sure that everything is in order.”

Veles followed her instructions and checked the contents of the paper, this paper contained all the information about his identity. All details, of course, were fabricated to allow him to traverse without a problem and give him access to the basic faculties of this large city.

Having made sure everything was alright. Veles slid the paper back to Dalia, “I’m sure everything is on point. I trust your expertise on this matter,”

“Very well,” Dalia grabbed the paper and quickly glanced over it, “Are you sure that going without a last name is a smart idea? Not to be rude, but you don’t look like a nameless orphan, and most of the checkups require you to go through the lying test to confirm your identity…”

“You don’t have to worry about that. I’m pretty confident in my ability to pass silly tests like that one,” replied Veles.

“If you say so,” Dalia said. She then proceeded to clip a couple of papers together before handing them.

“This is for you, Mr. Veles.” She added, “Come tomorrow, and I will be handing you your ID stone.”

“Then,” Dalia checked the other stack of paper, “This one is for you, Mr. Davis Crux. I hope you have checked everything. And please make sure to read all the extra information about ‘your’ background if you aren’t confident in your lying ability like your friend Veles here.”

Davis, who was sitting just next to Veles, gave a small nod as he grabbed the papers. He looked slightly annoyed, like a child who’d just gotten a long homework he must complete no matter what.

“I guess that’s all for now?” Dalia asked.

“it should be,” affirmed Veles.

“Great!” Suddenly, Dalia’s demeanor changed. She went from her previous professional to a more casual manner, “I must ask. What did you do to get Tora this much fired up? The last time I saw her like this was when she read her first alchemy book.”

All of them looked Tora’s way. The alchemist girl was sitting alone on the chair in the corner as she immensely studied the dictionary Veles had given to her.

“I honestly didn’t expect her to be passionate like this,” said Veles. “I think the opportunity to learn something new has inspired her to push forward.”

“It does look that way,” Dalia added, “I’m not going to ask the details of the ‘deals’ you two have. So, if there isn’t anything else, I must ask you to leave. I’m quite busy these days…”

Veles didn’t mind her practically telling them to go away. Dalia appeared to be a really reasonable and hard-working woman. It was hard to blame her for anything, no matter how rude she appeared to be.

However, just as Veles was about to stand up, he remembered something, “I almost forgot. Alongside the wards that the estate you’ve rented us has, are there any anti-tracking ones?”

Dalia looked at him, her eyebrows raised. “No, those are advanced and not easy to come by, and they have many varieties. Are you perhaps afraid someone is going to track you down?”

“Nothing like that,” Veles shook his head, “I might have some items in my possession that contain a tracking spell on them. Because of that, I need a safe place where I can check them.”

Dalia made strong eye contact with the butler who was standing nearby with his hands resting behind his back. “We do have a room for stuff like that here…” Dalia unsurely said, “Tracian here can show you to it…”

“If you don’t mind, I would like to take you on that,” Veles said. He noted that he most likely was overstepping the boundary with this request, “I assure you, it shouldn’t be anything that would put you in any danger.”

“It shouldn’t? Means you aren’t certain…” Dalia said. “Never mind, Trician, please show our guests the basement.”

“As you wish, my lady,” Trician the butler bowed, “Please, gentlemen.”

Both Veles and Davis followed the butler’s gesture and followed his steps. It was about time to check those chests that Davis had taken from Koria’s library and whether Veles had taken something of value from the Mayor’s mansion…

Ever since they left that small town of Koria, Veles wasn’t confident in taking any of those items outside the storage ring. He was certain they weren’t simple goods...