The songs of early birds could already be heard through the window of Nexus' room. He woke up lazily and got out of bed. Passing by his desk, he reached with his hand and shook the small bell resting on it.

He stopped before the grand mirror, a bit later the maid came inside to draw him a bath. After dismissing her, he spent half an hour bathing himself. When he stood up, he picked black pants, a white long-sleeved shirt, and a long black coat. After wearing them, he slipped inside his dark leather shoes.

Before leaving his room, he picked the luggage near his door. Three days had passed, and he needed to leave today for Serlune. The traversal would take him numerous days even while using an 'enhanced' vessel.

After a series of corridors and one stair flight, Nexus found himself before the old study of his father. He knocked and waited until he was granted permission to enter.

"Yes, Nexus comes in." Selim's voice came from behind the door.

Inside Nexus found his uncle seated on a chair and perusing several documents which seemed to be mission reports. They were most likely from his subordinates, although Selim and his team met no real obstacles thanks to their covertness, one couldn't say that they had taken total control of Brightmoon Island. After all, the royals of Brightmoon were incredibly difficult to infiltrate.

The political structure of the Overseas Islands went like this, each island was independent. Their governing structure was either a council or royalty. In Brightmoon's case, it was royalty. The Vhan royal family was a family of knights and sent its members to become the city lords of the various cities. Their core was in the Brightmoon Royal City, located in the center of the Island.

Because of this, although nobles were easy to replace surreptitiously for shadow walkers, the same couldn't be said about city lords, not to mention invading the royal city and replacing its rulers.

Selim looked up from the documents toward Nexus who had just entered.

"You are ready." A statement. Still, Nexus answered. "I am, I will leave for the port in a few moments. I've come to inform you of my imminent departure."

"I see." He became thoughtful. "Well, let's hope that it will be a fruitful mission." He concluded meaningfully.

"Indeed" Nexus assented.

"If there is nothing else, I am leaving."

"…Be careful and smart," Selim added awkwardly as if unused to having to worry about people anymore.

Nod.

With crisp turning motion, Nexus left the study and the awkward atmosphere created by his uncle.

He went outside and entered the carriage. Naturally, it was driven by a shadow puppet. The streets were sparse of people as it was still quite early in the morning, because of this the traffic was quite smooth.

Inside the carriage, Nexus removed one of his black gloves. On the skin of his right palm, there was a tattoo showcasing a resplendent longsword. This tattoo had an uncanny resemblance to Dell's sword.

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In reality, it was indeed the same sword. The sword was a magic artifact imbued with three enchantments 'Cut', 'Blur', and 'Keep'. As far as artifact went, it could be considered a low-grade mystic artifact. The first two enchantments respectively increased the cutting damage of the sword and made it near impossible to follow. As for the last enchantment it allowed one to keep the sword on one's body under the form of a tattoo.

Truly, it's not surprising the shadow walkers lost miserably all these millennia ago. The mage civilization is truly not to be underestimated, seeing as they produce things such as artifacts. It was like to nouveau rich trying to show off their riches in front of old-money families.

Nexus was respectful of the mages' might. Such a civilization would have naturally invented ways to defend against mind enslavement, right? At least that's the hope that Nexus nurtured all these years. Coming into contact with mages or their heritages in Overseas Islands was difficult nowadays. It was truly a blessing to fall upon such an opportunity.

I am sure uncle tried to find an old mage sanctuary when he first arrived on Brightmoon, but obviously, he wasn't successful. From the archives of the Bartons, only knights were ever based on this Island.

Light flashed in his eyes, and he put back the glove on his hand. Suddenly, the carriage came to a brutal stop. With a skillful distribution of weight, Nexus was naturally not affected.

He drew the curtains of the carriage and looked toward the source of the disturbance. It was a man looking to be 40 years old who had chased a kid down to the road. Despite the brutal beatings of the man, the kid simply crouched down in the middle of the streets, using his whole body to cover the bread he had just stolen.

Nexus's brow rose while observing this scene. The man should be a baker, and that kid the thief who just stole a piece of bread from him.

As if finally realizing the place he was in, the man instantly fell on his knees before the carriage.

"Milords, excuse this old fool for barring the way. This thief made this old fool incensed making him forget himself!" The Baker pleaded, fear coloring his red face.

Nexus descended from his vehicle and calmly walked toward the man. He casually threw a single golden coin at him. The man quickly grabbed it before looking confusedly at Nexus.

"This should cover the cost of the bread stolen."

Startled, the man replied nodding like a parrot. "Indeed, milord is most gracious." After saying his piece, he threw a killer gaze toward the kid one last time and left. Nexus focused on the kid and knelt next to him. He was a small boy, malnourished and dirty.

It was certainly not because of the kindness of his heart that he helped the kid. Instead, it was because one of his abilities allowed him to discover something interesting. The ability was called shadow perception, it was an ability unique to him. Of course, other shadow walkers could learn it too, but that was only if he taught them. In any case, shadow perception allowed him to perceive hidden knowledge. As a knowledge's zealot, no ability could have been more suitable for him.

He sensed a hidden power of some sort in the kid which was the reason he even got out of his carriage.

"Do you want to come with me?" In the ears of the boy, this voice couldn't have been more tempting. It promised safety and a place to be.

Nexus had used another ability, shadow voice. This particular ability was taught to him by his uncle. It allowed the user to imbue intentions, emotions, or even images in their voice. As long as the target was weaker than the user, they would believe those images and thoughts to be the product of their brain. Hence, this ability was quite handy, allowing the user to manipulate their target like a puppeteer.

"Yes, I want to!" No hesitation, the boy decided to follow this noble. He had saved him and wanted to give him a home.

"Very well, I will send you to my mansion as soon as I reach my destination. There, you will be brought to my uncle, Selim Barton. He will take care of you." A smile appeared on Nexus' face.

The boy nodded.

They went inside the carriage and the interlude came to an end. The driver brought them to the port area after 20 min. Getting off, Nexus signaled the driver and gave him a paper containing his message for Selim.

"Bring him to the mansion." The driver nodded mechanically.

Satisfied, Nexus entered the sea market. He needed to pass through it before he could reach the docks. At this early hour, the vendors were already set up for the day. Early buyers were already negotiating with vendors making for a bustling picture.

Nexus walked calmly avoiding the crowd, sleeping past people gracefully. He was like a phantom in their perception, a shadowy silhouette in the corner of their eyes. Before long he finally reached the port.

He could already see numerous vessels coming and going with various cargo. Nexus frowned slightly searching for the expected contact. His brows relaxed as he found him hidden in an inconspicuous place. His shadow perception once again showcased its usefulness. With purposeful steps, he crossed the distance between them and reached the man.

The man was looking to be 30 years old, this indicated that he was already quite advanced in years before he was turned into a shadow walker as the transformation allowed one to regain their youth.

"What sharp senses, I didn't expect a youngster like you to be able to sniff me out. Impressive, as expected of Selim's nephew." The man praised unrestrainedly.

"You're too gracious." Nexus answered calmly, indifferent to praise. The man saw his temperament and nodded in appreciation; this kid was unlike the others of his generation. They were all undeservedly arrogant.

"You've come at the right time or ship just docked." The man pointed toward a newly arrived vessel. It was a huge thing with an ancient vibe. Also, it was one of the few legacies the mages had left in the Overseas Islands, Enchanted Vessels. They were built and imbued by mages with spells. Making them the fastest and most secure way to traverse the sea. Naturally, only a person with considerable wealth and power could own one of these in the Overseas Islands.

The name of the vessel before them was "The Bravest."