Chapter 173 - Please Enlighten Me

Vern checked the corridor for any presence and exited the maintenance room when no one was looking. The top two floors were now bereft of raiders, but that guy down in the bar still had a line of sight everywhere except the rooms.

Pulling up the collar of his coat, he tried to make himself as inconspicuous as possible and descended the stairs. I have to get closer.

Fortunately for him, the last man by the bar looked elsewhere—distracted. Vern took the chance to make his way to the ground floor, which was still filled with a dozen people going about their business.

Except, no one even tried to move towards the exit, nor did they look at the black-purple-robed man and completely ignored him. Could they already be under this guy's mental suggestion or something?

Kind of like how that Walter guy did it to everyone, including myself?

Their whole kit as an observer was downright terrifying for anyone not equipped to go against them. Fortunately, this didn't happen a couple of days ago. Without Axiom's singularity, there was little to no chance of him surviving this unexpected disaster.

Regardless… he shook his head and focused on the task at hand. I have to do something about this right now. The impatience on the man's face was more than clear, and if Vern dilly-dallied any longer, he would have to deal with things going in an unexpected direction. He didn't want that.

Taking a deep breath, he suppressed that tiny voice in his head telling him this was foolish and too big of a risk and resolved himself. In the process, he took off the vigil's badge hanging on his neck but left the mirror amulet and made himself generally look more naive.

Without any more hesitation, he relaxed his stern expression and walked over to the black-purple-robed man, grabbing the seat right next to him.

Hollering at the bartender, he casually ordered, “Hello, can I get some Ginger Beer?”

The bartender, who was cleaning the glasses, nodded at him. He poured one in a tall chalice, and slid it over.

Vern paid the usual for this non-alcoholic beverage, relaxed, and sipped. While doing so, he stole a glance to his left, only to snap his gaze back to front when the masked man caught him staring. Still, he was sure that the man's eyes were glued on him, and he'd more than grabbed his attention.

Reaching out to his own star, he very deliberately linked and unlinked himself with Axiom's singularity every few seconds. However, this time, the motive was different. He didn't want to completely avoid the illusion. He wanted to know if and when he was being pulled into one. Then, if needed, play along with it.

Nothing yet, he evaluated as his mind raced through the possibilities. I need to try harder. He'd thought it would be a habit for them to manipulate anyone that dared to come close to them. Seems not.

So, he repeated this routine—sipped some drink and then stole glances. Every time, he abruptly looked away when the man stared back. When it finally seemed like he'd tipped the scales and angered the masked man for good, Vern made a show of gathering his courage, leaned in, and whispered, "Are you…are you one of the enlightened ones? An Observer?"

His face was a mask of awe and reverence as he stopped being discrete about his adoration and stared at the man greedily.

Before long, a hoarse voice answered him, "What if I am?"

"Oh, lady-above! I—I knew I wasn't imagining things! These…these people really can't sense you, right? They…they don't even know I am talking to you!?"

It was actually a bizarre feeling. No one seemed to register their conversation. As if now Vern was pulled into being ignored by them.

Yet, the response he got was a cold one, "Stop bothering me," said the man, waving his hand, "I don't have the patience to deal with a mundane."

Well, at least he doesn't think I am an observer. That was a good start for his script.

"But…but, sir, I am not like them. I—I can see you! I can sense you. I am special. If…if you can help me open my eyes, I would…I would do anything!"

That 'special' seemed to have touched a nerve as the man suddenly raised his eyebrows behind the mask and looked at him like he was an insect, "You think you're fucking special, huh?"

The man took out his hand from his robe and extended it towards Vern, "Let me show you just how special you are!"

Vern's blood ran cold. No!

Only by sheer will did he manage to not physically recoil away from that hand. He skipped the setup and jumped right to next tactic—one that was supposed to be used to a better effect once he laid the foundation of this act. But I can't let him touch me, no matter what.

So, he let just a bit of that real fright escape into his body language, clutched at the mirror amulet around his neck, and pleaded, "Please, wait! Listen to me. I'm not lying. My…my family used to be very close with an enlightened one. I have their heirloom. It—it tells me about the exploits of enlightened ones. I just…I just need someone's help—your help, to open my eyes truly!"

The man's hand, which was heading straight toward Vern's head, suddenly stopped in its tracks. Vern took this chance to further sell his story, "If I miss this opportunity to ask you, I—I don't know when I'll ever come in contact with another enlightened one after this. I just…just can't resist it."

Those eyes behind the mask suddenly narrowed, and he asked, his hand still outstretched, "Heirloom? Exploits? What exploits?"

Vern's taut nerves suddenly relaxed, and he smiled internally, Can't resist the temptation of mysteries now, can you?

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

This also gave him some valuable information. Something a part of him was quite terrified about. It was whether they could 'read' the memories or not. Scrambling was one thing; even a child could destroy a masterpiece, but to understand the intent and ideas was a whole other game. Luckily, whatever sequence these people belonged to didn't work outside this logic.

They could erase memories but not read them. Because, if they could, then this guy wouldn't need to ask Vern about the bait he'd just laid out. The man would've instead continued his attempt to touch his head. Maybe they could do it in higher shades?

Regardless, this was Vern's plan. If he couldn't use his visions to full effect out here in the bar, then he just had to force this guy somewhere he could.

And what better to bait an observer with than an artifact of unknown quality? And he knew there was a high chance it would give the man a pause because one couldn't really just magically understand what an artifact could do. So, stealing it off of him without at least trying to understand its purpose and usage would be unwise, and it seemed this guy was…'wise.'

Not letting this hard-earned planning go to waste, Vern sweetened the bait, "It…it tells me how to unlock the full capabilities of the mind. How our eyes aren't the only things that are yet to open, but our minds, too. How there are thirty-six emotions, twelve billion colors, and…"

Suddenly, he lost his train of thought when he subconsciously unlinked himself from Axiom's singularity for a moment. To his left, a ravishing woman sat with excited eyes as she leaned closer, and her revealing black clothes further exposed her fair skin to his eyes.

Vern couldn't help but be taken aback. She's so…beautiful. Not just that, he hadn't expected her to be so interested in his little story. She was clearly annoyed a few moments ago when he'd asked her to help him enlighten himself, but her demeanor changed so quickly.

Well…did it really matter? Such a drop-dead gorgeous woman was showing interest in his story. Obviously, he was going to continue once he linked himself back to Axiom's singularity. He was sure that task couldn't wait—not even for this woman.

She suddenly closed in and whispered in his ear in a dreamy voice, "And what happened then…? You're not going to leave me hanging, are you? Tell me all about this heirloom and how to open one's mind. I can't wait!"

Vern's cheeks flushed as he took another sip of the beer to calm himself down. She is coming on too strong. He wasn't accustomed to courtship like that.

Regardless, he delayed answering her and linked himself back to his alternate singularity. The moment he did so…

.

.

.

Cough! Cough! Vern hacked, almost choking on his drink. What the fuck! he screamed in his mind as the inconsistency of what he felt in the last few seconds became clear.

The man sat there, looking at him with greedy eyes as Vern tried to gather his faculties. To make sure to respond appropriately, he linked himself again for but an instant, and that woman in black clothes was apparently patting his back.

Vern snapped himself back into reality as a shiver went down his spine. I need to finish this quickly!

This guy had conjured such a mind-bending illusion at the drop of the hat to get what he wanted out of Vern. What was worse, on the other hand, was that he felt like that woman had been there the whole time, and the entire context of their conversation was very different.

It didn't exactly change his memories, but it was close. Eerily close.

Thump, he forcefully set down his cup on the counter and wiped his face before turning back towards the man…or his womanly counterpart.

I should stay linked to Axiom for this and only let it go for the briefest of moments to peek at how he's trying to manipulate me.

Having done that, he stared at that bony mask and continued to bullshit with a smile, "Milady, this heirloom is something I received as a parting gift from my godfather—an enlightened one. He said it would make me the greatest among the stars, but only if I am willing to work for it.

Willing to find an opportunity to enlighten myself and then accept all the knowledge it has waiting for me once my eyes are open." It was so jarring to say those words while looking at that face and mask. Unfortunately, the situation demanded this of him.

The man scoffed, "Greatest among the stars, my foot. Mundanes get fooled so easily."

Vern winced, Did I overdo it? He was hoping to come off as a jaded man who'd gotten lucky, but it looked like that had instead caused his adversary to be suspicious of his heirloom's abilities. I have to fix this.

Yet, the lady on the flip side of the coin showered him with compliments in her silky voice, "Wow, I didn't expect you to be so powerful. You'll become a star, huh? Would you take me with you…? To the stars?"

Vern smiled sheepishly. "Mi—Milady, haha, I need your help first. To enlighten myself."

The man narrowed his eyes, and the woman spoke, "Oh, dear. That's not easy, though." She then looked distressed for a while before her face lit up, "But tell you what? I sense something. I think your little heirloom might very well hold the key to your enlightenment."

The man mumbled, "Well, even if it's just a low-shade artifact, it must have some kind of effect to allow this trash to notice me. Might as well take it from his hands."

She then extended her hand and said, "Give it to me for a second. I'll show you."

This fucker! Vern grimaced. This wasn't the script. He had to somehow change the course of their conversation. Taking a flustered sip, he gave himself some time to figure it out, and before long, he had just the idea.

His expression became indecisive, and he began to hesitate as he looked back and forth between his amulet and the man.

After a while, the woman prodded him again, "Hohh, do you not want me to help you enlighten yourself?"

Vern clenched his fist and closed his eyes before eking out a rebellious, "No! I'm sorry. I can't part with it. It's precious to me."

Hearing this, the man raised his eyebrows, "The trash can actually resist me? Mhmm, it might not be that useless after all…" he trailed off as his eyes turned greedy once again.

In tow, when Vern let go of Axiom's singularity for a second, the woman retracted her hands, a hurt and pitiful expression on her face, "I thought we had something going on between us. Do you not trust me?"

Good! Vern cheered internally. This was a direction he could work with.

After hemming and hawing for a bit, he responded, "It's…it's not that. I trust you. BUT! But I don't want to let all these people snoop on our little secret."

"They can't hear us," she countered.

"No, but if we activate the artifact, they'll notice us. Notice everything. Trust me, they will."

An annoyed expression appeared on the man's face, but the woman bit her lower lip and asked, "Then what do you say? Should we go somewhere more…private?"

Vern still couldn't believe how that line made his heart race, even knowing that this was all a sham. Fucking mind controllers, he grumbled. He really wouldn't wish it upon anyone to be their enemies. These guys had too much control over human emotions.

Maybe this guy knows how to incite lust, unlike the first one who focused on anger? That was the only explanation he could find for this absurdity.

Nonetheless, he didn't fumble at the last step. This was what he wanted. So, he continued to show his reluctance but acquiesced after a while, "Yes…that sounds good."

The man stood up from his seat, and so did the woman in the illusion in his place before she whispered, "Follow me."

Goosebumps arose all over his skin, but he kept himself in check and did what the man said. Just don't take me to one of the rooms I've already used, Vern prayed internally. That would complicate things.

Fortunately, it seemed the woman had plans for him, or rather, the man had plans for his body once he looted the artifact off of him—the disposal kind. He was heading towards the dark basement, after all.

They silently descended the stairs, and the woman led him deeper into the basement beyond the storeroom and even the boilers.

Vern suddenly halted, and so did the man, as well as the woman superimposed onto his position in the illusion as she turned back and asked, "Now, give me the heirloom. I'll help you open your eyes."

An overhead lamp behind them cast heavy shadows on Vern's face as he stood there, his hands in his pocket. Suddenly, two rings flared in this darkness, and he responded in a cold voice, "How about I close your eyes instead?"