Stray

Entering the side of an unpopulated street, Seth quickly changed his appearance to normal, as well as his clothes, before donning a simple black cloak and walking back out.

Following the main street, he slowly walked towards the city outskirts trying to follow the way he remembered from his past life.

Turning a corner, he felt a hard hand pressing on his shoulder and a hoarse voice speaking in his ear.

“Friend, this is not a place where you should be. Turn around if you know what is good for you.”

Seth smiled under his cloak at the sense of deja vu he suddenly got and stopped before asking: “You got me, but is there a way for me to be allowed entry? I need your services after all.”

The hand slowly left his shoulder, allowing Seth to turn around and see a man of small stature wearing a similarly simple black cloak. His face was not visible, even from a close range, the light of the street lamps only shining on the man’s back.

“And what would a noble from outside Hope want from us? I’m sure you have other ways of obtaining whatever you need.”

Seth looked surprised at the man figuring his identity in a moment, frowning slightly as he asked: “What gave me away?”

A small chortle sounded from under the man’s cloak. “Hehe, if one smells and walks like a noble, what else could he be? Also, considering you choose to walk in here and I haven’t seen your face before, you must not be from Hope. I’ve already been as kind as possible, so return to your inn. It would be a shame if something happened to you before the meeting.”

Seth smiled, now understanding why the man eventually allowed him entry in the past. His status then was a lot different than it was now. He also probably acted more like a homeless person than a noble.

Removing the cloak covering his head, Seth smiled and said: “You are not wrong, but Jackal, I still need to see your boss. Can you do me a favor and let me in?”

As his words ended, he quickly pulled a bottle of wine from his storage space, extending it towards the man.

Jackal removed his cloak, fixing his only remaining eye on the bottle in Seth’s hands. Not accepting it yet, he looked curiously towards Seth and asked: “You seem to know a lot more than thought about us, outsider. How would I know you won’t make any trouble once I let you in?”

Seth created a tiny blade of destruction in his hand, allowing Jackal to see it clearly, before saying: “Because if I came here to create trouble, you wouldn’t have been able to stop me.”

Jackal looked at the blade of destruction and nodded, taking the bottle of wine and covering his head once more. “Fine. Follow me.”

Jackal took Seth through several abandoned streets, keeping silent the entire way. Seth also didn’t try to make conversation; after three or so minutes, they arrived at an inconspicuous tavern.

Jackal stopped and pointed towards the door. “The boss is inside. I need to return to my post, but please don’t make trouble for me, or the boss might also cut out my other eye.”

Seth chuckled and nodded before making his way toward the door. Once he walked past it, he entered a large tavern full of people eating and drinking merrily.

When the sound of the door opening resounded throughout the tavern, all eyes turned towards Seth, and all the voices inside stopped, the smiles on everyone’s faces disappearing simultaneously, replaced with wary looks.

The sudden silence was broken by a loud and bored voice coming from the main counter of the tavern. “Did you get lost, kid?”

Seth turned towards the voice, only to see it belonged to a thirty’s something woman. She was resting her head in her hand’s palm and looked at Seth indifferently.

Her long amethyst-colored hair made Seth freeze for a moment, his thoughts traveling back to his time inside New Hope City in the past timeline.

The woman’s eyebrows rose in irritation once he noticed Seth staring at her like an idiot, and she said: “Yo, brat, I asked you a question. Make me repeat myself, and I’ll kick your ass right out of the pub.”

Seth returned from his little trip down memory lane and shook his head, slowly approaching the counter.

“I’m not lost, just in need of a favor. As far as I know, this place would give a chance to anyone without a place to go.”

The woman looked Seth up and down as he approached, the irritation on her face not disappearing as she asked: “And how are you someone without a place to go? You’ve obviously arrived here with one of the other kings. If I had to guess, you must be from either Loss or Wrath since they were the last to arrive. Also, can’t you see that you’re making my customers uncomfortable?”

Her words gained a threatening tone as she added: “Go back to the inn before things turn ugly.”

Seth didn’t mind her threatening words the least and continued slowly walking towards her.

“You would be wrong in your guess. I’m from neither Wrath nor Loss. I came here following them, so I’ll give you that. I did promise Jackal that I won’t make any trouble here, so you or your customers don’t have to worry about that. I’d like to know if miss Alice would be willing to join me for a drink. I have a proposition for you.”

The boredom disappeared from the woman’s eyes at the mention of her name, and she finally lifted her head from the palm of her hand.

‘If this brat knows my name and is not scared, he must be an ascended. Someone from Oath daring to walk into Hope?’

“Fine, kid. You got my interest. Let’s go in the back.” Said Alice before turning towards the rest of the tavern: “As for all of you. Stop acting like scared puppies the moment someone unfamiliar walks in.”

After snorting once, she walked towards a room in the back, not even turning to look at Seth again. Seth chuckled and followed after her.

Once in the backroom, Alice sat at a small table and motioned for Seth to do the same. “Tell me, kid, what’s an ascended from Oath doing all the way here?”

Seth smiled and sat down, staring into Alice’s emerald eyes as he said: “What else other than attending the meeting.”

“The bloodsuckers? I know that Oath doesn’t suffer from an infestation like the rest, so why the interest? Or are they really sent by you?”

Seth shook his head and said: “They are not from Oath, but that’s not why I came to visit you.”

Alice looked annoyed once more at Seth taking the lead of the conversation but decided to let it go for now and asked: “Then what do you want from me?”

Seth slowly created a destruction orb, allowing it to hover over the table in front of him. Alice’s eyebrows rose once more, knowing that the academy had no knowledge of destruction, and she asked: “Since when does….” Her words paused as she looked closer at the small sphere of destruction energy.

She suddenly stood up, surprise clearly showing on her face. “Fourth shell? But how? You can’t be someone from Death Kingdom.”

Seth smiled at getting the reaction he wanted before nodding and taking his energy back. “Indeed. I’m a fourth shell destruction ascended, but at the same time, I didn’t come from Death Kingdom. As for how? Let’s say cultivation comes as easily as breathing to someone like me.”

Alice regained her composure after hearing Seth’s boastful words and snorted as she replied. “Brat, it’s quite impressive of you to reach the fourth shell so young that I’ll give it to you, but don’t you think you’re getting too big for your britches?”

Seth chuckled and nodded: “I might be, but I’m still one shell ahead of you, aren’t I?”

Alice scoffed again, looking quite irritated at Seth being right, and she quickly changed the subject. “So, that deal you mentioned. Are you trading destruction knowledge?”

Alice’s face didn’t change in the least, but Seth knew how interested she was in reaching the fourth shell. Deciding to check her aura, he could clearly see it shining with excitement and anxiety.

Taking a book out of his storage space, Seth threw it on the table, right in front of Alice, and said: “Not really. Consider the knowledge as a greeting gift.”

Alice’s mind froze; all the plans she made only to get that knowledge from Seth suddenly became utterly useless. She dumbly stared at the book in front of her for a moment before eventually picking it up.

Opening it to the first page, she quickly read through a few lines and could immediately confirm its genuineness.

“You’re giving me this?” she asked, her face clearly displaying her doubts.

Seth nodded and said: “Of course. Didn’t I just say so? I hope that gift will make you carefully listen and consider my following request.”

Alice placed the book down and said seriously. “Speak. If I can help you and it doesn’t go against my principles, this knowledge is enough for me to do it. What do you want?”

“You.” Replied Seth.

Alice’s serious expression crumbled immediately, and she blushed as she said: “I don’t - “

Seth chuckled, interrupting her, and said: “Not like that. I meant you and your little group of mercenaries to become my allies.”

Alice cleared her throat, trying to clear away her awkwardness, and asked: “A- and what does becoming your ally mean?”

“In the future, having a few worthy allies in hope kingdom might come in handy for my plans.” Seth then looked towards the book on the table and said: “And I’m never stingy with my friends. I have all the knowledge you need to cultivate to the sixth shell.”

Alice maintained her calm after her earlier display and said: “I can’t say I’m not tempted, but you still haven’t explained what you will want from us. Also, you haven’t even told me who you are. Are you really an ascended from The Academy?”

Seth smiled and shook his head. “I used to be, but not anymore. I left Oath quite a while ago.” Sitting up from his chair, he bowed toward Alice and said: “Pardon my rudeness. My name is Seth, and I’m the current king of the Kingdom of Endora. A pleasure to meet you, Princess of the Life and Death Kingdoms, Alice Luna.”

A stunned expression appeared on Alice’s face as she stared into Seth’s eyes, his identity coming as a complete surprise to her, as did the way he knew hers.

Sighing lightly, Alice gave Seth a resigned look and asked: “How do you know who I am?”

“The emerald eyes of the Life royals paired with the amethyst hair of the Death royals. Only a blind person wouldn’t be able to figure out your identity. The stray princess of Life and Death.”

Alice sighed again and motioned for Seth to sit down. “Fine. Even that knowledge, paired with the fact that I can’t fight you and win, is enough for me to accept your deal, but I have a question.”

“Ask away.”

“What the hell is the Kingdom of Endora, and how come you’re its king?”