"I am so sleepy. Where have you been?"
Lottie's eyes widened and drooped. It's almost midnight. Not that she would get a decent sleep, but she needed it. And she needs her brother to wake her up once she gets a nightmare episode again.
"Lottie! You won't believe what happened!"
Levi was so excited. After what he witnessed, he could just not keep quiet.
Clythar pulled Levi's hair and covered his mouth with a bread. He widened his eyes at him and sharpened his look, a warning for Levi to keep his mouth shut.
"Hmm... What happened?" Lottie asked as her eyes finally rested.
"Nothing you should worry about," Clythar exclaimed, his tone up. "You should rest now. I will wake you up when 'that' happens."
Lottie fell into a deep sleep, her breathing soft and steady. As peace settled around her, Levi and Clythar leaned in close to each other. Their voices dropped to urgent whispers— a tense, hushed battle of words taking place between them.
"You did not tell me you have a talent! That is so amazing, bro. You should have asked the scout to recruit you instead of punching him!"
Clythar flicked Levi's forehead."He was an a**hole! I'd rather die than work for someone like him. And I am in the dark about my talent just as you are," Cly countered.
Cly's eyes shifted to the peacefully sleeping Lottie. Later, she's going to be profusely sweating, facing her head left and right, until her whole body gets chills. Then, she is going to have to have a needle inserted to wake her up before she dies out of fear. When she wakes up, she is going to be exhausted and desire sleep once again. The cycle repeats.
Clythar peeks inside the suitcase. He groaned in exasperation.
"What do you think, Levi? Should I register in a guild? How about I just rob banks in Ormasse?"
Levi threw the bread he was eating at Clythar's forehead. It was a bullseye.
"Idiot. You have a chance at a better life. You have to join a guild and rock it out!"
Clythar was weighing the pros and cons of it. Indeed, being a registered ascendant was a much more noble and decent income source. However, being great at it is going to take time. He needs to master his talent to produce great results and earn a large sum, and it might take years. He is not going to wait that long to finally heal his sister.
Cly walked out of the house to breathe some "fresh" air. He stretched his arms and arched his back. His joints popped and his muscles breathed a sigh of relief as the soreness from tonight's events lingered away.
He thought he could stand upright, watch the night sky, and feel the breeze peacefully, but no. The smell of cigarette smoke hit his nose. He followed the smell and found a man sitting on the ground next to him, smoking.
Clythar's forehead crease. He distanced himself a bit, wary of what this unknown man might do.
"Who are you?" Cly asked.
The man did not answer. He looked at Cly and breathed out some smoke. Cly coughed hoarsely. Meanwhile, the man ground his cigar into the dirt, the embers fading out. Then, he slid inside. Levi was caught off guard and choked on his food. The man went straight next to Lottie.
"Hey!" Clythar exclaimed. "What do you think you're doing?!"
Clythar held the man on his shoulder. The man, with quick reflexes, held Cly's wrist and pinned him down on the ground. Clythar opted to call Wendy, yet the man stepped on his throat so that he could not even think in his head.
"You're weak, but we can work that out."
Now, Clythar could see his appearance more clearly. He was wearing ragged clothes. His gray shirt was torn at its hem, and his brown pants were ripped. He had brown skin that was covered in grease. He had a full beard and mustache, and his long black hair was unkempt. Yet, he looked to be a young adult.
He was probably one of the residents of this city, most likely a beggar.
The man looked at him dead in the eyes.
"Trust me, and I will heal your sister. Don't trust me, and I will choke you while I heal your sister. Choose."
"He will heal my sister?" Clythar thought.
At least both choices include healing his sister.
"The first one. He chooses the first one!" Levi answered for Cly since he was choking.
The man retrieved his foot. Levi helped Clythar up while the man stared at Lottie. Or rather, beside Lottie.
"Go away," the man said, his voice firm and commanding.
He glared beside Lottie, where there was nothing but air.
"What is he doing?" Levi whispered at Cly.
"Like I would know," Cly answered.
Both of them just stared at the man while he talked to the air.
"Go away. I command you, or your soul shall never know peace," the man uttered once more.
Nothing was happening. Literally, there is nothing! Was he joking with them?
The next thing, the man breathed a sigh of relief and turned to them.
"She is alright now. Let her replenish her energy, and she will be on her feet," the man declared.
Levi and Clythar were discombobulated. Their gazes shifted from the man to Lottie and then back to him again. Nothing seemed to be different.
The man knew exactly what they were thinking.
"If you are in doubt, you are free to observe the whole night. She will not have a nightmare, I give you my word." He breathed deeply. "If she does, I shall compensate you enough to heal her."
Clythar scoffed.
"That's... fair enough. Deal!"
Clythar offered his hand, but the man just stared at it. Clythar felt awkward, so he retrieved his hand. Then, the man walked past them. Before he could actually walk out of the door, he turned back.
"However, if she's healed, I am going to expect compensation from you," the man added.
Clythar's eyes widened. He immediately fetched the sack of money he had robbed and showed it to the man.
"I know this is not enough, but if she's healed, then this is all yours. I will pay the remaining fee afterwards," Clythar offered.
"I don't accept money for compensation. Just use that to feed yourselves."
More than Clythar, Levi was overjoyed that he snatched the sack of money from Clythar. Meanwhile, Clythar could not help but question him.
"Then, what do you want?"
The man's lips curved into a smile.
"You will go to the capital with me and join my guild."