Season 3, Chapter 4
Decisions.
Haze flies through the skies on his broom, the recent events fresh in his mind as he grits his teeth in annoyance. "Who cares what they think? I'm doing what I have to do," Haze mutters to himself angrily, trying to convince himself. "I don't need them or anyone else," he adds as he soars through the late evening sky. The moon climbs in the distance as he travels for a few hours before landing by the Black Bulls' hideout.
He hears a branch rustle and turns to see Millie approaching. "What do you want?" he asks roughly.
"Sir, I just wanted to inform you that I believe I may have found a way to—" she begins gently.
"Not now. I need to rest," he cuts her off and heads on inside, slamming the door in her face. "A-all right, sir," Millie softly replies, taking a few steps back before turning her head to the star filled sky. She touches her bell, and out comes a bulletin board with notes and pictures attached, connected by strings. "I'm missing just a few key pieces of information, and I might be able to figure out his mystery," she softly mutters, glancing at the door again. ("I should let him rest. I might figure this out and find another way to help him,") she thinks to herself, touching her bell again and pulling out the bulletin board with the notes and details she has gathered about Kyle Menercy and Fredrik Arcian.
Millie turns and looks up at the moon, letting her mind wander for a moment. The images of Asta catching her during the fight against the Reaper Skull flashes through her mind, and Millie squints, remembering the battle against that devil and what she had said: ("I trust my master.") Millie shakes her head violently. ("What the hell is wrong with me? I can't just trust like that, not so nonchalantly, or else…") she thinks as the image of her hand piercing Sara's chest surfaces, and she remembers her sister, Malissa before she shakes her head again.
Millie takes a deep breath and sighs heavily to center her self. ("I should keep busy,") she mutters before spreading out her wings and takes to the sky.
The next day is dawning, with King Julius sitting at his desk, going through paperwork as Marx enters. "King Julius, sir, this report came in last night. I'm sure you'll want to take a look," Marx informs him.
"Oh, really?" Julius says, taking the report and glancing over it for a good moment. "I see… hmm," he mutters.
"What do you make of it, sir?" Marx asks.
"I'm not certain, but it does seem like whoever has been causing trouble may be the same person Noelle and Magna encountered in the frozen forest," Julius mentions.
"Everything does seem to match," Marx adds.
"It sure does," Julius finishes.
"And what should we do about it, sir?" Marx asks.
"That, I'm unsure of. I'll need to think it through. For now, it appears this person possesses immense magic ability and can vanish without a trace. Tracking them down will be quite difficult," Julius admits while thinking things over.
"I'll have to consider this carefully... hmm. Well, aside from that, this team clearly went out of their way, and the information about those creatures is certainly important. They are well deserving of a star," Julius notes.
"Right. I'll notify Jack the Ripper immediately, sir," Marx says, leaving the office, allowing Julius to think.
"I hate to think that another threat is looming so soon after everything that happened in Spade," Julius muses to himself, gazing out his window at the kingdom, where the sun shines brightly over the land.
Sunlight filters into the Royal Library, where a black, two-tailed cat sits on a desk, reading through archives behind an iron gate. A metal plaque hangs outside the gate, reading: "Restricted Section and Archives—Requires Specific Authority to Enter."
("So, Haze's primary suspects are Kyle Menercy, Fredrik Arcian, and Kyle Kersty. On the surface, they only seem to be acquaintances, but based on the secret expeditions Haze has brought me along on, it seems like all three are involved in some kind of criminal activity,") Millie thinks to herself, examining their files. She finds nothing of note—no records, not even suspicions. A door opens, and Millie perks up, glancing at the windows, realizing sunlight is streaming in. ("It's already day?") she thinks, using her mana to float the documents back in place. She climbs the bookshelf and, once at the top, looks around until she sees a small shadow on the wall. She heads straight toward it, pushing a parchment aside and squeezing through a hole that leads inside of the wall. she climbs up bit and she squeezes out through another hole beneath the roofing and pushes her upper body out of the wall before unfolding her wings and flying down into the alley below. She yawns heavily and stretches. ("I'd better get going,") she mutters to herself before stretching her wings wide and taking off into the skies above. As she flies her mind wonders.
("Fredrik Arcian and Kyle Kersty must be quite adept at covering their tracks. Despite having so many goons doing their bidding, I can't find a single leak of information anywhere. They must govern quite a bit of loyalty,") Millie ponders as she continues ahead.
Meanwhile, Lydia walks the streets of Gaiza Village in the Common Realm, not too far from Nean Village. She's on patrol, her mind drifting back to earlier that morning, when the sun had just risen. Lydia had landed outside the gate of her parents' house, dread settling in her stomach, knowing what the summons was about. She takes a deep breath and walks up the path to the house, reluctantly climbing the steps to the door. The butler opens it and greets her.
She turns left and steps into the living room, where her mother and father sit, drinking their morning tea. "Mr. and Mrs. Serenify, your daughter has arrived," the butler announces with a neat bow.
"Thank you, Richard, you may leave," her mother says, turning her attention to Lydia.
"Now, Lydia, take a seat, dear," her mother says, and Lydia sits down on the couch opposite her parents.
"Now, Lydia, care to explain your sudden absence at the dinner party the other day?" her mother asks.
"Well, I just... I just had to get out of there," Lydia replies.
"Had to? Without notifying me or your mother? You realize you made us look like fools in front of both Kyle Menercy and Fredrik Arcian. I'm amazed they've decided to keep their offer open for you," her father says.
"Wait, seriously?" Lydia asks, surprised.
"That's right. Now, you need to go over there, accept the job offer, and sincerely apologize," her father orders.
"But Father, I have a mission I need to get to," Lydia protests.
"Your family comes first. Getting the chance to work with Fredrik Arcian alone is a great honor and would reflect well on our family. You do understand that, don't you?" her mother reminds her.
"I know that, but—" Lydia starts.
"No buts. The family's reputation comes above all else. Understood?" her father states firmly.
"Yes, Father, I'll go as soon as the mission ends," Lydia promises.
"Lydia," her father begins.
"Please, just let me do one last mission," Lydia pleads. Her parents exchange looks before turning back to her.
"Very well, you can have one last mission, but you are to go straight to Fredrik Arcianafterward. Understood?" her father says.
"Understood, Father," she replies.
Lydia's mind returns to the present as she walks through the bustling village streets, the market alive with people from all walks of life, children playing around.
("What do I do? I don't want to change jobs. I like being a knight,") she thinks to herself.
"Lydia," Selena utters, pulling her from her thoughts. Lydia looks at her.
"Are you all right? You seem a bit absent-minded today," Selena says.
"Oh, I apologize. That wasn't my intention," Lydia replies.
"Did something happen at your parents' place today?" Selena asks.
"What makes you say that?" Lydia responds.
"Well, you've been off ever since you got back," Selena notes.
"Oh, that... well, this is my last mission," Lydia explains.
"What? That can't be! Why?" Selena asks.
"I'll be joining Kyle Menercy's business, which means I'll have to quit being a Magic Knight," Lydia explains.
"Is that what you want?" Selena asks.
"Well... family comes first," Lydia replies reluctantly.
"You guys, look!" Galgaria says, running up to them.
"What is it?" Selena asks.
"It's a glazed starfruit! It's so yummy," Galgaria says, taking a bite.
Lydia forces a brave smile, her eyes darting between Galgaria and the sky behind her. She sees two familiar figures flying on a broom in the distance, getting closer. Lydia waves her hand and calls, "Alisa, hi!" Alisa glances down and descends, landing near the group, with Tory landing just behind her.
"Oh, it's you! Nice to see you again," Selena greets as Alisa lands.
"Hey, what's going on? Are you making deliveries today?" Lydia asks.
"Well, yes. Only small ones today," Alisa replies, her usual stern demeanor softening slightly.
"Did something happen?" Lydia asks, but before Alisa or Tory can answer, a woman's voice is heard in the distance.
"Victor! Victor!" a lady calls out, searching around frantically.
"Is something wrong?" Selena asks.
"We should check it out," she adds, and the girls nod to one another before rushing over.
"What seems to be the problem, miss?" Galgeria asks.
"Oh, it's my son, Victor. He ran away, and now I can't find him anywhere," the lady explains with concern.
"We'll help you look for him," Selena reassures her.
"Oh, yes, if you could, that would be more than welcome," the lady replies, just as Tory and Alisa run up.
"We can help look too. After all, we're pretty much done with today's deliveries. Besides, we'll find him faster if there are more of us searching," Alisa adds.
"That would be great, thank you," the lady says gratefully.
"Are you two sure?" Lydia asks.
"Of course, we are," Alisa replies confidently.
"Then it's settled. Lydia can go with Tory and Alisa. That way, there's a Magic Knight on each team in case something happens," Galgeria suggests.
"Good point," Selena agrees, and they all nod in agreement. Moments later, the two teams are flying over their parts of the forest. Lydia looks ahead at Alisa, noticing she seems a bit annoyed.
"Uh, Alisa, you seem rather tense today. Did something happen?" Lydia asks respectfully.
"Well, where to begin..." Alisa mutters. After a brief explanation, Lydia's expression turns to shock.
"Haze did what now?" Lydia asks, looking over to Tory for confirmation.
"He did it behind our backs too," Tory adds.
"The worst part is he knew how much that place meant to us, and he still went behind our backs," Alisa grumbles.
"Did he explain why?" Lydia asks.
"He only said it's because we didn't help him look for Laura," Tory explains.
"Laura?" Lydia asks.
"A childhood friend of ours. She and her family died in a fire during the conflict in Spade," Tory explains solemnly.
"I see..." Lydia mutters, piecing together Haze's change in attitude over the past half-year. "But how did he even afford to buy land? The payment as Magic Knights is good, but not enough to save up for something like that so quickly."
"I've heard rumors... something about his father wanting nothing to do with him, and his mother is... well," Lydia thinks aloud.
"I don't know how, but he managed to get the money somehow," Alisa responds.
"And what are you going to do about it? I mean, something like this is too big to ignore," Lydia presses.
"We're not entirely sure yet. We've been so busy with work, there hasn't been time to come up with a plan," Tory admits. "But don't worry, he'll pay for this. We can't lose faith either. We'll just find another place nearby. I'm not spending the rest of my life on the farm," Alisa adds through gritted teeth.
Lydia is about to respond when a loud crash echoes in the distance. "What was that?" she asks as the group slows down, trying to pinpoint where the surge of magic came from.
"Let's check it out," Lydia says, and they fly over the trees, spotting a young man by a river, panting as he stares at a mark on a tree on the opposite bank.
The trio lands in the rocky clearing and approaches him. "Uh, hi there," Lydia greets with a bright smile.
The blond guy turns, wiping his forehead. "Uh, hi," he replies.
"Are you Victor, by any chance?" Lydia asks.
"Yeah, why? Who's asking?" he says, turning to face them fully.
"Oh, sorry! My name is Lydia from the Blue Rose Knights, and these two are my friends, Alisa and Tory," she introduces.
"What do you want with me?" Victor asks.
"We're looking for you at your mother's request," Lydia explains.
"Well, you can tell her I'm fine, and I have no interest in the family business," he says, turning back to the tree.
"So, you're turning your back on your family?" Lydia asks.
"Turning my back? No. I'm going to become a knight and actually make something of myself. Maybe even—anyway, I have my own path to follow," Victor responds, and his grimoire floats up as he shoots another bolt of lightning at the tree.
"I'm totally with you. You should follow your dreams, not just do what your family wants," Alisa chimes in.
"What? But what about the family?" Lydia asks, feeling her heart waver, thinking back to her own family's decisions that morning.
"Finally, someone gets it," Victor says, turning to Alisa.
"Yes! I'm following my dream despite the setbacks or what my family says. It's your life, after all," Alisa encourages.
"But... what about the family? How can someone just turn their back on them?" Lydia questions again, struggling with her own doubts.
"It's not turning your back. It's living your life—because it's yours, not anyone else's," Alisa replies eagerly.
Lydia's mind falters as she listens. ("What should I do? What Alisa is saying feels right... but my family will never approve...") she thinks while watching Alisa encourage Victor to chase his dreams.
CRASH!
They all turn toward the sound and see smoke rising in the distance. "What was that?" Tory exclaims.
"I don't know," Alisa mutters.
"That came from where Galgeria and Selena are," Lydia says with worry as she mounts her broom. "You guys stay here. I have to help my fellow knights; they might be in danger!" she says, taking off.
"Alright," Alisa says, exchanging a concerned look with Tory.
Victor glances toward where Lydia flew off and walks over to his broom leaning against a tree.
Meanwhile, with Galgeria and Selena, lightning strikes the ground, and Selena jumps out of the way just in time. "Careful, Selena! Are you okay?" Galgeria asks, standing ready with her grimoire.
"Yeah, I'm fine! But where did these things come from?" Selena asks, eyeing the massive stone structure hovering ahead of them. It's as tall as a tree, electricity and wind swirling around it, with a green, glowing core at the center.
"Who knows—" Galgeria starts but cuts off as she dodges another lightning bolt. "A better question is, how do we defeat it?" she yells, throwing her hand forward.
"Stone Magic: Stone Rain!" she exclaims, sending a barrage of pebbles at the golem-like creature.
"Damn! It has little to no effect!" Galgeria shouts in frustration as the creature levitates stones, forming an arm, and swings at the two knights.
"Watch out!" Selena yells.
"Water Creation Magic: Cascade Destroyer!" she shouts, sending four swirling jets of water at the golem's arm. The attack only slows the swing, and the golem sends a surge of electricity through the water, hitting Selena's hands.
She's flung back, landing hard on the rocky surface, ending her spell as the golem's arm comes crashing toward her.
"Selena!" Galgeria yells. "Stone Magic: Stone Rain!" She shoots stones at the golem's arm, but it's only enough to slow it down, allowing Selena to roll away.
Selena quickly gets to her feet and creates some distance. "Well, my magic is practically useless against this thing," she mutters.
"Yeah, and mine hardly has any effect at all!" Galgeria exclaims as both girls jump away from another lightning strike.
"We need to do something! We can't just run away, or this thing will head into town!" Selena urges.
"I know!" Galgeria responds, running around the golem and trying her spell again. It hits the golem, but only causes it to turn toward her.
"Crap!" she utters as the golem towers over her, ready to strike. "Vine Magic: Vine Whip!" a voice yells, and a pink vine lashes at the golem from the other side. Selena and Galgeria both smile in relief.
"Great timing, Lydia!" Galgeria says.
"No problem, girls. Now, what is this thing?" Lydia asks, dismounting her broom atop a boulder.
"We have no clue," Selena responds, dodging another lightning strike.
"We just need to kick its ass," Galgeria says, getting some distance and positioning herself better.
"And we should do it quickly, too, because I'm about to run out of magic," Selena exclaims, setting up some water to hover in front of her, trying to defend against the golem.
"Careful, Selena! You know lightning and water are a terrible mix," Lydia warns.
"I know! I'll be careful, I promise," Selena replies, just as the golem shoots out lightning at all three girls at once.
"Whoa!" they exclaim. Selena jumps out of the way while Lydia blocks with her vine, stumbling back a couple of steps. Another wave of electricity heads her way, and she's forced to block again, moving aside. Her eyes widen as she sees the golem throw a boulder toward her. She whips her hand up, sending her pink vine to fling the boulder over her head, but she loses her balance and trips forward.
"Oh no, Lydia!" Galgeria and Selena shout together. They hurl their magic at the golem, but it barely seems bothered. It starts to glow brighter, and its electric currents intensify, shooting out streaks of electricity in every direction at random.
"What the—? Did its power just increase!?" Lydia exclaims.
"This is bad, you guys!" Galgeria shouts. "What do we do? This thing's increasing its magic, and I'm almost out of mana," Selena adds.
Lydia pulls herself together and runs to avoid the golem's bolts. "Our only advantage is that its aim is poor," Lydia says, panting, as another shot bolts toward her. She blocks it with a vine, but the shot is stronger than before, knocking her back. "Gah!" she yelps. As she looks up, the golem moves in her direction, but a blast hits it from behind. Lydia turns to see Victor on his broom.
"Careful!" she yells, getting back to her feet.
"We tried to stop him!" Tory yells, flying up behind Victor.
"Stop!" a raspy, elderly voice calls out, and everyone looks up to the top of the hill.
"My project!" they hear the elderly, long-bearded man shout who is wearing a dark cloack.
"Your project?" Selena asks. "Don't tell me you made that thing!" Galgeria yells.
"Well, yes, but, uh, it got a bit out of hand," the man exclaims.
"A bit?!" Lydia yells as the golem readies another shot. She braces herself, swinging her vine harder to cancel out the blast, and runs out of the way. "Tell us how to stop this thing!" Lydia shouts.
"Well, I, uh—" the elderly man hesitates.
"What is it?" Selena yells, staying on her toes.
"But what about my project?" the man whines.
"Get over it! If this thing isn't stopped, a lot of people will get hurt—or worse!" Lydia tells him, dodging another blast.
"Fine, fine. The crystal in the middle! If you can get it out or destroy it, the structure will collapse," he finally tells them.
"But how do we even get to it? Nothing we throw at this thing is working!" Selena shouts back.
"No clue," the elderly man admits.
"Seriously?" the girls grunt together, keeping an eye on the threat.
"Great," Lydia mutters sarcastically, dodging another boulder. "What if I try something…" she whispers. Victor shoots another blast at the golem, but it immediately fires back at him and starts moving toward him.
"Careful!" Galgeria yells, shooting another stone spell at the golem, but it ignores her and keeps advancing.
"Damn it," Lydia mutters. She throws out another pink vine, wrapping it around the golem. The golem grabs the vine and tries to tear it off. Lydia pours more mana into it, trying to hold it back, while Victor fires another shot of electric magic, but nothing happens. The golem throws off the vine, turns toward Lydia, and sends another lightning bolt her way. Lydia is about to dodge when she notices something—then a blast of water intercepts the bolt.
"Lydia, what are you doing?!" Selena yells.
"Oh, sorry, and thank you, but I have a plan!" Lydia yells, running closer to Victor.
"What? You do?" Galgeria asks.
"Yes! We all need to hit it at once!" Lydia shouts.
"How can that help? Nothing's working on this thing!" Selena exclaims.
"Look at its shoulder! It actually got hurt. If we overwhelm it, I think our magic will break through," Lydia explains, readying her Grimoire as it flips to another page and begins glowing brighter.
"It's worth a shot!" the girls agree.
"You too, Victor! Let me bind it, and then we'll give this thing everything we've got!" Lydia directs.
"Right, I'm in!" Victor says, turning a page in his Grimoire.
Lydia takes a deep breath as the golem approaches. "Vine Magic: Vine Prison!" she yells. Fifty pink vines spring from the ground beneath the golem, twisting and snaking around it, trapping the golem within their grasp.
"Now!" Lydia shouts.
"Right!" the others respond.
"Stone Magic: Bouldering Shots!" Galgeria yells.
"Water Magic: Water Cascade Destroyer!" Selena calls out.
"Lightning Magic: Hundred Bolt Shots!" Victor shouts. They all aim for the crystal, but the field around the golem intensifies, sending out more lightning as it struggles to break free.
"It's not working!" Galgeria cries. Lydia gritsher teeth, looking at the Golem carefully. She can feel her vines tighten around it despite the increase in magic. "Yes, it is! Just keep going—give it everything you've got!" Lydia urges, focusing harder. She can feel her vines getting a tighter grip, and the stones are slowly pulling together.
he golem gathers itself and throws its arms up, blasting a wave of energy in every direction, knocking out all the teens.
Galgeria pants heavily, watching as the golem barely holds itself together, but it's already building mana again. "Oh no, I'm out of magic!" she exclaims. Then she sees Lydia use her magic and controlling her magic, her vine hurls a boulder dead center at the golem, knocking out the crystal, which falls to the ground and shatters on the stones. "That was everything I had," Lydia says.
"We did it, that was amazing, everyone!" Selena cheers. "Yeah, but we couldn't have done it without Victor. Thank you, Victor," she adds, turning to him.
"Well, we all did great," he says, blushing a little.
"There goes my project," the elderly man mutters, and they all turn to him.
"You can't be serious," Selena states, her expression turning to disapproval, along with everyone else's. The man falters under their glares.
"You know, I'm pretty sure the knights at HQ will want a word with you," Selena tells him.
"Uh..." the man stammers as the girls ready their spells.
"Let me handle this," Selena says, flipping to another page in her grimoire. "Water Magic: Restraining Coil," she chants, and a swirl of water wraps around the man, suppressing his magic and holding him still.
"Oh boy," he sighs. "What drove you to make something like this?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm tired of this place. It's about time that—" he cuts himself off, looking frustrated. "Like you would ever get it," he says, frowning and turning his nose up to the sky.
"Well, the interrogation team will figure you out and punish you accordingly," Galgeria states. She then turns to Victor. "That was amazing work back there. I'm surprised you aren't a magic knight yet."
"Yeah, believe me, I've been trying to convince my mother to let me join for quite a while now," Victor responds.
"You should talk to her again, and we'd be happy to recommend you to the captains," Galgeria says.
"What? Do you really mean that?" Victor asks, surprised.
"Of course, we're serious. You have more than enough potential to do great things," Selena adds.
"I agree, you clearly have a knack for this. Don't let your parents choose your path for you," Galgeria says.
"Yeah, it's your life, not theirs," Selena adds.
Alisa's eyes sparkle as she eagerly says, "This is amazing, Victor! You can follow your dreams now!"
"Yes, don't let them hold you back," Tory agrees.
While they encourage Victor, he looks determined. "You're right. I should follow the path that calls to me the most," he says eagerly.
Meanwhile, Lydia watches them all and can't help but feel uncertain about her own situation. ("What should I do? I don't want to disappoint my family, but I really like being a magic knight,") she thinks to herself.
"Oh, Lydia," Selena says, snapping Lydia out of her thoughts.
"Huh?" Lydia responds.
"You know, you were really good at taking charge back there," Selena says.
"What?" Lydia asks, surprised.
"I agree, your attention to detail and quick thinking were really needed back there," Galgeria adds.
"Do you really think so?" Lydia asks, a little hesitant.
"Yes, it really suited you. I can't think of anything that would suit you better than this," Selena says.
"Maybe you could even become vice-captain or captain one day," Galgeria adds.
"I don't know about that, but..." Lydia mutters.
"But what?" Selena asks, curious.
"Nothing, sorry. I have an errand to run. Could you two take the old man to HQ without me?" Lydia asks, getting on her broom.
"Does this have to do with what you said this morning?" Selena asks.
"I'll explain later, alright?" Lydia says.
"Certainly," Galgeria nods, and Selena agrees. Lydia flies off, heading towards the capital.
A couple of hours pass, and Lydia lands in the higher area of the capital, walking down the streets. "Hmm, they mentioned he'd be around here today," she murmurs.
"Oh, Lydia, there you are. Have you come to learn the details of our arrangement?" a familiar voice asks. She turns around to see Fredrik Arcian standing there, holding a small flask that he quickly slips into his pocket. His smile is bright, but his eyes don't match it.
"Ah, Mr. Arcian, sir," Lydia says, giving a respectful bow. "I'm here to tell you that I must decline your offer, sir."
Fredrik's smile falters for a brief second before returning. "Have you told your parents about that?" he asks.
"No, I've decided this is my decision alone to make," she says firmly but politely.
"I must implore you to reconsider. Declining me could really hurt your family's reputation," he warns.
"I understand. But I know I'll make my family proud," Lydia responds, her eyes filled with determination.
"Really?" he says nonchalantly, though his smile never fades. He glances around at the people walking by.
"Yes, sir. Thank you for your offer and your time, both I and my family are truly grateful," she says, mounting her broom. "I'll be on my way," she adds, flying off.
Fredrik waves her goodbye, but once she's out of sight, his expression hardens with annoyance. "I'll give your family something to be grateful for, but none of you will like it," Fredrik mutters before walking off.
Meanwhile, Haze lands near an inn at the capital's outskirts, close to the gate. He walks inside. "Hi, Wilbert," he says nonchalantly, heading toward the counter.
"Haze, welcome back. How are you holding up?" the man behind the counter asks.
"It's whatever," Haze mumbles, leaning his head on his hand, lost in thought, his other hand gripping a bottle in his pocket.
Wilbert pours some liquid, and Haze's eyes flicker toward the glass of orange juice slid in front of him. "Some refreshment, perhaps?" Wilbert offers.
"Sure," Haze replies, drinking it.
"So, how's being a magic knight treating you?" Wilbert asks.
"Tiresome. They want me all over the place, not giving me time for anything useful," Haze mutters.
Wilbert considers Haze's words. "I see. Have you made any friends at least?"
"No. They're all just a bunch of annoying idiots," Haze grumbles.
"Idiots?" Wilbert asks.
"Yeah, especially the loud-mouthed one," Haze adds.
"Which one?" Wilbert asks, curious.
"Huh?" Haze turns to Wilbert.
"Well, rumors say they're all pretty loud," Wilbert jokes.
"Yeah, that's true," Haze admits, finishing the glass. He gets out of the chair and heads toward the stairs between the counter and the wall. "I'm going to take a nap in the room you lent me," Haze mutters, climbing the stairs.
"Alright, take care," Wilbert says, watching Haze disappear upstairs.
Haze walks to the door at the end of the corridor and crashes onto the bed by the window. He lies there silently for a moment before pulling the flask from his pocket and holding it above his face.
"Just add water and shake," he mutters, remembering the words of the man from the mossy hut. ("Yes, it'll enhance your magic abilities by a lot. This stuff is strong—be careful with it. A few drops should be plenty,") the man had said.
("I don't know what those guys want with this or what their goal is, but I must be on the right path. But it feels like I'm missing something... but what?") Haze wonders, before closing his eyes.