Helikon District, Friday morning.
Walking through the quiet streets of the city's most spiritual district, Fors breathed in the fresh air and sighed happily.
She always liked the smell of recently fallen rain.
An umbrella in her hand shielded her from the still-falling drizzle.
Pausing for a moment, the writer looked up, and her momentary happiness wavered a little as she read the sign hanging from the steel gate.
Kerameikos Cemetery
'Did he have to choose a place like this for our first meeting? Wouldn't a café or a bookshop have been better? Or is he planning to deal with me and not have to worry about hiding my body? All he has to do is dig a little, and the problem is solved...' Fors sighed a little wearily as she entered the cemetery.
She wasn't worried about what would happen if Alan Campbell attacked her. After all, she had a guardian spirit with her.
Adjusting her laurel a little better, the writer walked in silence. Passing by several well-kept graves, she stopped for a moment when she saw a familiar, hunched-over man standing in front of one in the distance.
Taking a breath, Fors walked over to the man and stood beside him. Out of respect, she said nothing and waited for the man to break the silence.
Her blue orbs lingered on the gravestone for a moment.
Dorian Gray
Beloved Friend, Good Teacher...
Just below the gravestone, new light blue flowers rested.
'This must be another Abraham...' The writer showed no reaction, simply observing.
Finally, after a while, the silence was broken.
"Do you know why I called you here, Miss Lidia?" Alan asked calmly.
"No," Fors was honest.
The older man turned to look at her, a little sadness shining in his eyes. "I simply came to apologize to an old friend.
"From your accent, you're not from Lenburg; you came here recently. Isn't that right?"
Knowing what she had to say, she followed the script and was honest. "I'm from the Loen Kingdom, Backlund."
The man's eyes shone with acknowledgment: "Ah. I heard what happened there. I'm very sorry."
The situation there still resonated. He understood why she had left and come here.
Fors shook his head, "It's not a problem. I was fortunate not to lose a loved one, so apart from a scare and an unpleasant experience, not much else happened."
'Apart from almost dying...' She added in her heart.
"I see..." Alan murmured.
After a moment, he asked, "I assume that's where you became an Apprentice?"
This time, she nodded. "For a short time, I worked in a clinic. There, I met an elderly widow. I took care of her until the end of her days, and she also took care of me. The time I spent with her is something I will never forget. She became a second mother to me.
"Her name was Aulisa, an Apprentice. As her last will, she instructed me to take her characteristics after her death. She left me the formula for Apprentice and Trickmaster, a mystical item, and several books. She also told me about the Acting Method."
Raising her wrist, she presented her silver bracelet with three dark green orbs: "This is the item she left me. Originally, it had four stones, but I used one to escape from a tight situation, and since that day, I hear the ravings every full moon and blood moon."
She did not attempt to hide the fact that she knew what the characteristics were. She had to present herself as a good prospect, and withholding information would jeopardize that. She had to show off a little but not too much.
Of course, that lunatic had also explained that revealing the knowledge she possessed would arouse suspicion of the man. Knowing how reclusive the Abrahams are, that one had told someone outside the family of the acting method and the characteristics would attract attention, and they would wonder what this relative saw in her...
Although, she lied a little. Miss Aulisa only gave her the Apprentice formula. But there was no need to explain that.
Due to the dream manipulations, the Abraham in front of her would only be more confident of 'his' decision when he heard it.
Alan Campbell did not reply immediately. He looked at the bracelet for a few seconds before nodding. His eyes were a little wider than before.
"I see..." he muttered wearily.
His eyes closed for a moment. "You're quite young, and you're already a Sequence 8, not to mention that you already know the acting method. I'm sure you'll be easy to teach."
Dazed, Fors repeated. "Teach?"
Turning back to the grave, Alan murmured, "I promised myself that I would never take on a student because of what happened...
"But recently, I realized that I can't keep that promise, not anymore." He said with a little more emotion, returning his gaze to her.
Although his eyes still looked tired, they now had a certain spark of life in them.
"Lydia Storm. Are you willing to become my student?"
He had never mentioned that he was an Abraham or the family's status. Nor had he revealed why he was taking her under his wing.
But this was acceptable. The Abraham were not in a position to tell just anyone that they were part of the family. It was also very likely that the man knew she was withholding information but had not mentioned anything about it.
This, in the words of the madman, was mutual understanding.
'In this place, two people have ulterior motives and want to use each other.' Fors thought while feigning a little shock.
I use you, and you use me.
Her answer, like this whole interaction, had been decided long ago.
"Yes!" She squealed excitedly.
Alan smiled slightly and nodded, "So, as my first lesson, Miss Livia, leave the circus. You are too popular, and that can put your life at risk. We will discuss later how you can act as Trickmaster."
This time, she smiled with real happiness: "Thank you, Mr. Alan—no, Teacher!"
Securing their student-teacher relationship, Fors had to contain a sigh of relief.
The first step to becoming a peripheral member of the Abraham Family had been completed. Now she had to gain the man's trust...
Continuing her performance of someone with knowledge but not much experience, she asked, "Teacher, what you mentioned confused me the last time we spoke.
"Why would my life be in danger while performing at the circus?"
"Ah." Alan blinked a little, realizing that he had forgotten to mention it.
"Sorry, age is catching up with me. As a first class, let me tell you why you don't have to act as openly as a Trickmaster..."
Pausing at the end, he laughed slightly. "Sorry, but we can't talk about that here. It may be private, but it's better to be cautious.
"I have a good place for this kind of thing, come on."
Crossing his arms behind his back, Alan began to walk out of the cemetery.
'If I didn't have a guard in my reflection, I wouldn't be doing this in my life...' Fors thought as the corners of her lips trembled as she followed the man.
The first lesson she was taught as a child was not to follow strangers, and she was abandoning that lesson just now.
Lightning struck her, and she almost ate the gate in realization.
'Well... I think I abandoned that lesson a long time ago...'
...
On her way back to her apartment after her first class, Fors no longer tried to hide it, and her back immediately hunched as soon as she stepped inside.
It was only because she still valued her handbag that she hadn't thrown it to one side as soon as she crossed the threshold.
"Finally!" The writer grunted bitterly and happily as she flopped down on the sofa in the living room. Like her, her handbag fell next to her, and looked exhausted.
Fors remained like that without moving for a long time, letting her body become one with the extremely comfortable sofa.
After so much, her heart was finally at peace...
She no longer had to go to the circus! She was free!
Efforts do pay off in the end!
Well, at least she no longer had to act so intensely... Which was something!
Amongst these thoughts of victory, a sudden voice spoke to her side.
"Good job."
"Eeek!"
Startled but quickly calming down, Fors sighed slightly and turned her head, her eyes pure with resignation.
'Is it so much fun to scare me? My little heart can only take so much!' She cried inwardly as she looked at that expressionless face made of porcelain.
On the long sofa, where there had been no one before, now sat a woman with blue eyes and black robes, like a doll on a counter.
"My protection is no longer necessary," Wraith Sharron said serenely, her hands in her lap.
"Thank you for taking care of me," Fors bowed from her place.
Although she was still a little shaken, she knew that she would not have been so calm without this woman's hidden presence. So her words came from the heart.
Straightening up, the writer asked somewhat helplessly, "Do you have to leave now?"
Sharron nodded, "That's right."
For the hunt, only those who were mid-sequence could participate directly. Only a few low-sequence members could participate.
To her immense joy, she was not on that list. But at the same time, someone on it worried her...
Thud!
"Yi!" Another start and the writer gave her best friend a sharp look.
"What was that for?!"
Xio, who was wearing pants, a thick vest, and gloves, looked at her with her lips trembling a little. "Sorry, it slipped."
A decent-sized bag was at the sheriff's feet, guilty of the scare.
"Again?!" Fors looked at her incredulously, but after a few seconds, she could only bow her head and sigh wearily.
There was no point in fighting it anymore...
Gently shaking her head and putting the fright aside, the writer took her hand and squeezed it with a little force, "Come back safe, okay?"
Xio returned the squeeze and smiled slightly, "Of course I will."
Fors could only press her lips together a little. With the sheriff's hand still in her control, she brought it to her forehead and pressed it against it.
"May Steam protect you..."
With her prayer completed, Fors finally released her but maintained that posture for a few more seconds.
Xio's smile softened. Remembering the education she received in her training as a knight, she raised her blessed hand and brought it to her lips.
"Thank you for the blessing. I promise to return it," the sheriff whispered.
A soft blush covered the cheeks of the writer, who only snorted slightly.
"..." Sharron blinked slowly. Her eyes gaining a certain brightness.
With her tag completed, the Sheriff turned her attention to the woman in the dark robes and pointed to the laurel on her head.
"I've already prepared everything, let's go."
Sharron slightly nodded as her body disappeared from the sofa like a specter. The next moment, her reflection reappeared in the clean laurel before disappearing into its depths.
"..." Fors pressed her lips together a little. After three seconds, she murmured, "Is it normal that it doesn't scare me anymore?"
"Completely." Xio nodded in agreement.
...
Oldeah District, Auchiied. In the depths of the town, in a cellar...
Maric was sitting at a table with two other people, a red-haired man and a black-haired woman. With a deck of cards in his hands, he looked at the cards already on the table and narrowed his eyes slightly.
Rechecking his cards, he didn't change his expression.
Finally, after a few moments of deep consideration, he put them down, "I'm going to stay."
"You're cheating, aren't you?" Adryan, with bored scarlet eyes, looked at the black-haired woman on the other side of the table.
"It's not my fault you don't know how to play~" Flora laughed a little as she waved her cards around. Her gloved hand made her look even more elegant.
The redhead rolled his eyes but gave his dear worm the point.
This was the first time he had played poker. Created and sponsored by good old Roselle. Of course, it wasn't the first time he had played cards, but he was used to other kinds of games.
In his free time, he mostly played Broom at university with his friends and chess when someone brought the set.
Squinting his eyes slightly, the redhead looked down from the pleased dark-haired girl to his cards.
2♡7♤
An offsuit.
This was one of the worst hands he could have.
'This is bullshit.' Looking blankly at his cards, the redhead put them down.
"Out"
Smiling, Flora calmly placed her cards on the table. A perfect 21.
"If we were playing for money, you would already be bankrupt." She sang elegantly before chuckling.
This was the third game they had played since the man arrived, and Flora had won each one.
Without saying much and with a calm expression, Maric collected all the cards and arranged them. Quickly, he shuffled and cut them again, dealing them with hands full of experience.
'He doesn't show it on his face, but he seems to enjoy this. He mustn't have many opportunities to play with others than his zombies, and Miss Sharron doesn't give me the impression that she enjoys this kind of game...' The redhead thought curiously as he watched the man with the malicious eyes lift his cards.
Sighing slightly, Adryan was about to pick up his cards when one of the threads he had left outside broke.
Raising his head and focusing his senses, he heard someone walking. From the weight of their footsteps, they weren't very big.
Smiling apologetically at the zombie, he said, "Looks like we'll have to cut our game short."
"They arrived earlier than I thought," Maric replied calmly. A hint of disappointment seemed to dance in his voice, but Adryan wasn't sure.
Looking at the cards he was dealt, the zombie could only lower them with a slight sigh.
Two kings.
It was a good hand...
After a few moments, the door to the room opened, and a slightly short woman with blond hair and green eyes entered with a calm gait, dripping a little from the rain.
"Good night." Xio greeted with a slight nod as she closed her umbrella.
Sharron was reflected in the laurel of her hair, and in a moment, she emerged from it like a ghost. She floated to one of the free chairs and took a seat.
"Abraham has his suspicions, but is unaware that his decision to accept Miss Fors as a student was influenced by us…" She calmly informed.
Adryan smiled and couldn't help but laugh a little: " Hehe. Perfect. How that relationship will grow now depends on Miss Writer."
Getting up from his chair, he stood at the front and applauded happily.
The hunting party was complete.
"Dabrio Tamara is passing through five villages in the Oldeah District. Making sure not to always use anti-divination methods, he is leaving a 'trail' for our target. Who will undoubtedly be attracted to it~
"He will do this for a few days before stopping. During that time, you are forbidden to go outside.
"The main prey is Cristhian Tamara, a Sequence 4 Imperative Mage. As a Demigod of Order, he can detect the supernatural. That includes beyonders and their sequences..."
He paused for a moment before saying sweetly, "Lucky for us. That's only in the real world~"
Turning to look at Sharron, he held out his hand, "Could you, Miss Casper~"
The Wraith took a yellowing notebook from her robes—Feynapotter Children's Stories.
The smile on the redhead's face grew a little wider, and he put his hand in his pocket and took out a pair of dark golden charms with reddish edges.
With eyes shining brightly, Adryan hummed, "This is what we're going to do~"
Outside the building, the rain continued to pour down heavily on the town...