Batara put down his equipment and sat against the wall. He tried to process all that happened while meditating using the method he learned from the Anomalies of Mana book. He thought about his desperation seeing his party massacred right in front of him. How he was terrified and cant do anything to prevent the disaster beside running away. How he wasnt able to stop Pamme and even used him to save himself. Of all his reflections, the most frustrating part was that Batara cant even feel a slight sadness towards Pamme’s dead. Batara indeed didnt like Pamme’s personality to begin with, but this isnt how he imagined to part with Pamme, not like this. In the end, all he felt was pure guilt. He wished he had also been killed by the Giant Spider.

As Batara was very deep into his meditation, he heard an eerie whisper in an unknown language “Meus eveta…” Batara gasped as he snapped out of his meditation. He had never heard that language before and thought about who the heck whispered to his ear. He looked around and noticed it was already dark outside and he had been meditating for a couple hours. After his meditation, Batara felt that his head was completely clear and lighter than ever. Moreover, he felt a surge of power flowing into his mind, akin to a mana pool but not quite the same. Batara thought to himself “This must be the “Sakthi” mentioned in the book.” However, even though he felt lighter after his meditation, he still felt immense guilt for everything. So he decided that he would carry it for the rest of his life instead of moving on.

Batara felt extremely hungry after meditating so he decided to head out to find something to eat. He went downstairs and noticed that Isha was no longer at the inn. Batara then went to the merchant district and bought some steamed buns at the stall. He ate them while sitting at an empty spot around. The buns were very fulfilling as they are filled with various meats which were seasoned heavily. He never had something like this before back at Obenvale. Batara was deep in thought as he ate, thinking about what Lysandra said about getting stronger. During his recent adventures, he came to the unsettling realization that he lacked the strength to stand his own ground. Despite always trying his hardest, he always ended up relying on others. Batara thought to himself “Pathetic.”

As Batara contemplated on becoming stronger, he remembered about the scroll the imp gave him when bought his hooded vest. He picked it up from his magic bag and opened the scroll. The scroll contained a map of a location near Cedar Grove. The location was not very clear but it points to a strange shaped cave. Batara didnt entirely believe what the imp said about the artifact, but since it is close to Cedar Grove where he can do his general collection quest, he decided to visit it out of curiosity. He thought that maybe, just maybe, he could gain some power that he desperately needed.

By the time Batara finished eating, it was already quite late at night. However, he was not tired at all due to just waking up at noon and all his meditation. So he decided to stroll around Quarzith city at night. Unlike Obenvale, which was quiet with limited lights at night, Quarzith felt like a completely different world. The streets and buildings were illuminated with magic lanterns and people were still wandering around. The view was very unfamiliar to Batara, so he decided to put on his hood and walked quickly to avoid attention.

As he strolled, he ended up at the east side of the city. He was curious about the scroll he read earlier and looked around for the store where he bought his hooded vest. To his surprise, he couldnt find the store or even remember what the store or its surroundings looked like. Suddenly, Nyx appeared and sat on his left shoulder. Batara noticed it and said “Oh hi Nyx, are you hungry?” while rubbing its wings. Nyx replied “Ku ku.” Naturally, Batara didnt understand it, but he reached for his magic pouch and handed it some monster bait anyway. Nyx ate it willingly. Batara then remembered he wanted to turn Nyx into his familiar. So he looked around for a magic shop nearby and found it immediately. The magic shop still has the open sign up despite it being night so Batara entered through the door. The magic shop was very cramped with magic stuff. Books, scrolls, and stones were scattered everywhere. Batara tiptoed carefully to avoid breaking stuff while he looked around for the shopkeeper.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

In the corner of the shop, there is a young girl wearing a big hat with a lantern floating around her. She appeared to be studying and writing something. Batara then walked up to her and said “A-Are you the shopkeeper?” The young girl was startled and let out a cute little scream “Eeek!” as she looked up towards Batara. The girl fixed her voice, got mad, and shouted “Eh hem. What the fuck is wrong with you?! I cant sense your presence at all!” Batara thought for a young girl she had a very foul mouth. However, he only sensed trouble from her so he only replied “sorry” to avoid further conflict. The girl got annoyed by his weak reaction and replied “Why are you here!?” Batara replied nervously “I-I want to…” The girl shouted “SPEAK CLEARLY!” Batara immediately replied “I-I want to form a familiar pact.” The girl got confused and replied “At this hour!? Who would…” the girl suddenly stopped and pinched her forehead before saying “Ughh that damn old hag mustve forgotten to switch the closed sign again!” She then said to Batara “Listen. We. Are. Closed! So get your ass out of here!” Batara failed to see how that was his fault. However, since he didnt want to waste anymore time he decided to just turn away and leave.

As Batara walked away, Nyx appeared again out of thin air and landed on Batara’s shoulder. The girl noticed it and shouted “WAIT!” Batara didnt stop and kept walking towards the door. The girl then ran as fast as she could and blocked the door before Batara. She then catches her breath while saying “Huf… I said… wait…” Batara finally stopped. The girl continued, “Is that a Misty Owl?” Batara didnt know what she was talking about and replied “I’m not sure.” The girl replied “What is it doing on your shoulder?” Batara replied “This is Nyx, my pet owl.” The girl was shocked and asked a bunch of questions in excitement “Your pet?? Where did you find it? What can it do? What did it eat?” Nyx suddenly disappeared again when the girl suddenly got close to it. The girl said “Whoa, where did it go?” Batara then said to the girl in a cold tone “I thought you’re not interested.” The girl snapped out of her excitement and said “Eh hem. It seemed I was too quick to judge you earlier. Come here, I can help you form a familiar pact.” as she walked back towards her desk. Batara wasnt very sure if he still wanted to deal with her after all her nonsense. However the girl clicked her lips and said “Tsk. I’m sorry alright. I got a bit of a temper.” The girl seemed to have calmed down a little so Batara decided to follow her to her desk.

The girl then said “My name is Illana Sol. You can call me Lana. I’m a magic scholar researching magic beasts and monsters under this shop owner’s apprentice. And dont you dare call me a freaking kid! I am a gnome and about the same age as you!” The thought indeed crossed Batara’s mind, but he’s glad he never said anything about her being a kid. Batara then replied “I’m Batara.” Lana seemed a little annoyed by Batara’s short introduction but she let it go since she’s only interested in Nyx anyway. Lana then continued “Your pet is not just an owl. It is a rare magic beast called Misty Owl from ancient times. There is not much information about it since its always mysteriously disappear when approached. Thats why I’m surprised when I actually see one in this era, not to mention engaging with a human.” Batara replied “So thats why he went invisible all the time.” Lana replied “Not just invisible. It reduces its body into the form of mist making its presence disappear completely.” Batara was amazed and intrigued by Nyx’s origin and nature but also wondered why an ancient creature decided to follow him. Lana then said “So do you want to form a familiar pact with the Misty Owl?” Batara nodded in approval. Lana replied “Alright, it will be a little hard since ancient magic beasts are known to have unpredictable ways of thinking. But, I have researched magic beasts my whole life so you dont need to worry.”

Hearing Lana’s words somehow made Batara more worried. Lana then grabbed a vial of rainbow liquid and used it to draw a magic circle. After drawing the circle for a while Lana said “That oughta do it!” She then said to Batara “Now call the Misty Owl so I can research- I mean form you a familiar pact with it.” Batara tried calling Nyx “Nyx, are you here?” Nyx suddenly appeared and stood on Batara’s shoulder. Batara asked Nyx “Do you want to be my familiar?” Nyx replied “Kuu” and fly towards the magic circle willingly as if it understood whats happening. Lana reacted “It seemed to be eager to be your familiar.” Lana continued “Now draw your blood and drop it into the magic circle. Here use this.” as she handed Batara a knife. Batara drew his blood from his finger following Lana’s instruction. As Batara dropped his blood, the magic circle glowed. Lana then said just before she casted the familiar pact magic “The shopkeeper was usually the one who did these pact magic. But I observed her long enough so just trust me.” Batara didnt believe what he just heard and shouted in panic “Wait STOP-“ just before Batara could stop her Lana casted her magic “Pact of The Unbound!”

The magic circle surrounded both Batara and Nyx radiating rainbow colored light. Lana seemed struggling to keep the magic intact. Batara tried to get out of the magic circle but his consciousness was slowly fading. Lana shouted “Oi dont go dying on me, oi!” but Batara fell unconscious.