“I’m telling ya’ I seen it my damn self! You sail far enough north and you’ll see it for yourself!”

An old man raved on while waving a cheap flagon around, spilling wine onto the floor of a humble tavern.

“Ya’ ain’t see shit, ya’ fucking liar. Ain’t nothin’ up north but violent waves and fog as far as ya’ can see.” A naysayer waved his hand dismissively.

“As I said, I saw it m’self! It wasn’t but a brief glance but I saw it with my own two eyes.”

“And what was it that ya’ seen?”

“Grey rock.”

“All you saw was a rock?” Someone snickered.

“No, not a rock. It were these odd towers, bigger than any castle ya’ ever seen. Look like a damn sculptor carved ‘em or somethin’.”

“So a mountain?”

A few people in the tavern began to laugh before turning back to their meals or drinks.

“No! That was no damn mountain I tell ya’! And there was somethin’ else in the fog too, somethin’ that didn’t want me there! I could only see it for a moment before I woke up at the harbor with my ship intact. But I remember seeing eyes, a pair of yellow-”

“You probably got a little too drunk and sailed in a circle, old man. Now shut up will ya’, I want to eat in peace.” A burly man grumbled before filling his mouth with a spoonful of porridge.

As the room settled down, two individuals entered the tavern but strangely enough they didn’t draw any gazes.

“This isn’t what I had in mind when you said our isolation would be ending, Father.” A young woman with long black hair said. Her beauty was more than enough to cause a commotion but no one seemed to even notice her.

“Well…I’ve had to adjust some things.” A man wearing a black cloak that obscured his appearance replied.

As the two sat at an empty table, he removed his hood, revealing hair that was as dark as the young woman with him. The strangest thing about the two would no doubt be their yellow eyes, but even more importantly, the man only appeared to be a few years older than the woman.

“Adjust? Adjust what?” His daughter inquired.

“Well, I don’t want to give you an unfair advantage but I’ve chosen to make a competition for all of you to compete in. There’s even a prize and everything.”

“Okay, that sounds fun, what are the rules?”

“No, no, no, I can’t tell you that.”

“Then how are we supposed to tell if we’re winning or losing?”

“I’ll have the Envoys keep track of your score and whoever wins will find out at the end.”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“But, if the twins participate it’ll be a bit unfair, won’t it?”

“That’s why they’ll have special rules and a lot of Envoys keeping an eye on them.”

“And what about Liliara? She’s only interested in ruling over people.”

“I know, that’s why she’ll also have her own set of rules. Don’t worry, I have it all figured out.”

As the two continued speaking, an old man who reeked of alcohol stumbled past them while mumbling incoherently. “I tell ya’, I’ve seen it...Damn fools won’t believe the truth.”

In his drunken state, he bumped into the table where the two black-haired individuals sat.

“Oh, my apologies I…” The old man stopped speaking as he looked at the young man who grinned at him.

“Why, if it isn't that poor sailor from before. After you sailed toward my city I didn’t think I would see you again and so soon at that,” The young man said.

The old drunk began trembling fearfully as the young man’s bright yellow-eyes fell on him. It felt as if his soul was being dissected and examined while stripping away any resistance he tried to mount.

“P-Please...I…I'm sorry...”

“There’s no need to apologize. Though, maybe you should cut down on your drinking habits.” The young man softly laughed.

His “suggestion” rang in the old drunk’s head like an order that had to be carried out no matter what.

“I won’t ever drink again! I swear!”

“He’ll die from fear at this rate, Father.” The young woman interrupted as she watched the old drunk's face turn pale.

“Hm? Ah, sorry I didn’t realize.” As the young man finished speaking, the drunk felt his own free will return.

“Monster!” He shouted as he regained a hint of clarity. “You’re a damn monster!”

“Hey! What are you shouting at?!” The tavern owner yelled.

The drunk turned to reply, “This man is a monster! I saw him up north!”

“What man? All I see is the wine you’ve spilled.” The tavern owner frowned as he gestured toward the table.

The old drunk turned to look at the table only to find that is was unoccupied with only a small pool of spilled wine covering the table.

“B-b-but...he was...I saw ‘em! I did! He was here just a moment ago!” The old drunk pleaded as the tavern erupted with a mocking laughter.

“Get out and come back when you’ve sobered up. I can’t have you scaring the customers off.”

“He was there...He was there…” The old drunk muttered as he walked out of the tavern with lifeless steps.

“Yeah, yeah,” The Tavern Owner grumbled moved to clean up the mess with an old rag. As he wiped away the mess, he found a single handprint etched into the table.

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he began scrubbing it but soon discovered it was permanent.

“How many times have I told you bastards not to vandalize my tables!” The tavern owner shouted angrily before returning to the bar.

Meanwhile, his customers responded with confusion at his sudden accusation.

…

A little while later, the two “mysterious customers” could be seen walking along a dull coastline.

“So what do you think, Ravi?” Ira asked.

“About the competition or that drunk old man?” Raveria replied.

“I miss the days where my innocent daughter would reply earnestly without the sarcasm.”

“I think it will be good for everyone, especially Casimir.”

“Yeah, he’ll probably try the hardest and I know you’d gladly let him win.”

“Is that against the rules?”

“It’s not but if you choose to help him, don’t let him find out about it. You know how he gets.”

“I know...So, when does it start?”

“Soon, we’ll talk about all the other details later, for now, let’s return home.”

The two of them vanished from sight with only their footprints left in the sand which were soon washed away by the tide.