We took a table in one of the bustling rooms of an inn not far from the Citadel's central district.
Rilay had already managed to order half the menu.
The food arrived quickly.
For a while, we just ate.
Until the conversation gradually turned to what had been hanging in the air for some time.
Scarlett put down her spoon.
"We need to discuss The wind testing chamber.
I looked up.
The table immediately fell silent.
Rilay stopped chewing.
Orpheus leaned back in his chair.
Karina looked at us calmly.
Scarlett continued:
"We're ready.
I shook my head slowly.
"I'm not sure."
She frowned.
"Why?"
I set down my spoon.
"Because readiness isn't just about core level."
I looked at each of them.
"Yes."
"We've all reached the Flame core level."
That was true.
Over three months of endless tasks and training, each of us had managed to break through.
But…
"The next level is Heart," I said.
"And there's a huge gap between them. You could have noticed that yourself by checking your Bond."
I folded my arms.
"Maybe we should wait."
Scarlett was silent.
I continued:
"At least until each of us has made half the progress toward the next stage."
"Then our chances will be much better."
"Otherwise, we might just die on the way."
No one spoke for a few seconds.
Then Scarlett said quietly:
"No."
I looked at her.
"No?"
She shook her head.
"We have to go as soon as possible."
I frowned.
"Why?"
She looked straight at me.
"Because otherwise we'll keep putting off this decision."
"First for a month."
"Then for another month."
"Then for a year."
Her voice was calm.
But I understood immediately.
She's in a hurry.
I looked down.
Her sister.
If things go the same way they did before…
She'll soon enter the Spire too.
I exhaled quietly.
"I understand."
I looked up.
"All right."
Scarlett relaxed a little.
"Really?"
I nodded.
"Really."
Orpheus suddenly raised his hand.
"I have an idea."
We turned to him.
"What is it?"
He paused for a moment.
"A few days ago, I overheard some scouts talking."
"They were discussing the ruins east of the Citadel."
Rilay leaned forward with interest.
"Ruins?"
"Which ones?"
Orpheus shrugged.
"They called them…"
He thought for a moment.
"The ruins of the Whispering Stone."
Karina frowned.
"I've never heard of them."
"Neither have I," said Orpheus.
"But the scouts said the place was strange."
"Old stone structures."
"And a strange, mesmerizing whisper emanating from them."
He looked at me.
"I don't know exactly where they are."
"But I think…"
He smiled slightly.
"You'll be able to lead us there."
He tapped his finger on the table.
"Your ability to find things."
I thought about it.
It was… possible.
Orpheus continued:
"We'll go there."
"We'll clear out the ruins."
"If there really are strong monsters there, we'll get a lot of cores."
"And maybe we'll find artifacts."
Karina nodded.
"It'll be a good test."
Rilay smiled.
"And it sounds really cool."
Orpheus finished:
"And when we get back…"
He looked at Scarlett.
"Then we'll start preparing for the journey."
"To the Hall of Wind Trials."
I looked at the team.
Each of them was already there in their minds.
I smiled quietly.
"Alright."
"Then first…"
I raised my mug.
"The Ruins of the Whispering Stone."
The team smiled.
It seemed…
our next destination had already been decided.
We made the decision pretty quickly.
No one wanted to head to the ruins right away.
After the tournament, the hospital, and several months of endless quests, even we realized-we needed a break.
In the end, we decided to set out in early May.
A few days of rest.
And then-head east.
To the ruins of Whispering Stone.
When we finished eating and went our separate ways, everyone had their own business to attend to.
Rilay headed straight to the training ground.
Orpheus went about his business and told us not to lose sight of him.
Karina was planning to visit the Citadel Library.
She was interested in the scouts' reports on the eastern territories.
As for Scarlett…
Scarlett simply said she had things to do.
And she disappeared somewhere in the city.
So I suddenly found myself with some free time.
And along with it-a rather difficult task.
I walked through the central district of the Citadel, looking at the endless stalls.
Weapons.
Armor.
Potions.
Monster materials.
Food.
Tools.
Everything you could possibly imagine…
if survival was your main goal.
I stopped at one of the display cases.
And sighed.
"Great."
I scratched the back of my head.
"And what on earth could I give Scarlett as a gift?"
I knew nothing about her.
Well… almost nothing.
She was a good fighter.
She hated losing.
She was stubborn.
Back home, she was from the wealthy class.
And she always looked like she knew exactly what she was doing.
I walked past a few more shops.
Knives.
Raincoats.
"No…"
"No…"
"Definitely not…"
I stopped in the middle of the street.
"Damn."
I didn't even know what she liked.
Maybe…
books?
But I'd never seen her reading.
Jewelry?
I tried to picture Scarlett wearing a necklace.
…that makes sense.
But maybe it's too simple.
A weapon?
She already had an excellent rapier.
And giving a weapon to someone who trains with one every day…
is like giving a blacksmith a hammer.
I sighed.
"Why is this so hard…"
The city was bustling all around me.
People who had just woken up were discussing their tasks.
Merchants were haggling over prices.
Some were laughing.
Some were arguing.
Life in the Citadel went on as usual.
And there I stood in the middle of the street…
trying to come up with a gift for a person
about whom I knew almost nothing.
I had been wandering through the market for what felt like an eternity.
At first, it was even interesting.
Looking at the stalls.
Listening to the merchants.
Evaluating the items.
But after an hour…
then two…
it turned into torture.
I stopped at yet another display case.
This time, silver jewelry was neatly laid out there.
Rings.
Pendants.
Bracelets.
The vendor perked up immediately.
"For a girl?" he asked with a sly smile.
I looked at the jewelry.
Then I pictured Scarlett.
…no.
"No," I said and walked on.
The merchant sighed in disappointment.
I walked slowly down the street.
The sun was already setting.
There were more and more people.
But there was only one thought in my head.
Nothing fits.
I stopped.
And let out a heavy sigh.
"Fine."
I ran my hand through my hair.
"I'll try again tomorrow."
Sometimes you just need to…
stop thinking.
I was about to turn around and leave.
"Hey."
I stopped.
The voice was calm.
A little hoarse.
I turned around.
A man was standing behind me.
Around forty.
Unremarkable clothes.
A dark raincoat.
An ordinary face.
So ordinary that it was hard to remember.
But his eyes…
his eyes were studying me intently.
"You're Oscar, right?" he said.
I tensed up.
"Let's say so."
He smiled slightly.
"I recognized you."
I said nothing.
He continued:
"That performance at the tournament."
"In the semifinals."
He whistled softly.
"Good fight."
I didn't answer.
Conversations like this happened often in the Citadel.
But still…
there was something strange about him.
The man calmly continued:
"You've been wandering around here for almost two hours."
I frowned.
"So?"
He shrugged.
"And in that time, you haven't bought anything."
I narrowed my eyes.
"Are you following me?"
"Observing," he corrected calmly.
"It's my job."
"Job?"
He smiled slightly.
"I help people find what they're looking for."
I folded my arms.
"And what do you think I'm looking for?"
He answered without hesitation.
"A gift."
I froze.
He continued:
"And a gift for someone…"
"...about whom you know almost nothing."
I stared at him for a few seconds.
"You know too much."
He smirked.
"No."
"I'm just good at reading people."
He tilted his head slightly.
"And I know a place…"
"where you can find things…"
"that aren't available in this market."
I frowned.
"Like what?"
He said calmly:
"Rare artifacts."
"Strange relics."
"Things of the ancients."
"Or…"
He paused.
"Just unique things."
I was silent for a moment.
Then I asked:
"And where is this place?"
He looked around.
As if checking to see if anyone was listening.
Then he said quietly:
"Under the Citadel."
I felt something tense inside me.
"You mean…"
He smiled slightly.
"Yes."
"The black market."
I said nothing.
This place existed only in rumors.
Some said they sold forbidden artifacts there.
Others said you could buy items from an ancient civilization there.
Still others said it was best never to go there.
The man noticed my expression.
"Don't worry."
"They don't let beginners in there."
He paused.
"But I can make an exception for you."
I narrowed my eyes.
"Why?"
He shrugged.
"Because I think you're quite solvent."
He held out his hand.
"Well?"
"Do you want to take a look?"
I thought for a few seconds.
Then I exhaled quietly.
"Alright."
The man smiled.
"Then let's go."
He turned and headed toward a narrow alley between the buildings.
I followed him.
We walked a few blocks.
Then down another alley.
Then down a flight of stairs.
And another.
The deeper we went…
the colder the air became.
And the fewer people there were.
Finally, the man stopped at an old metal door.
He knocked three times.
A second later, a small peephole in the door opened.
A pair of eyes looked at us intently.
"Who is it?"
"A visitor," the man said calmly.
The eyes studied me.
Then the door slowly opened.
And before me lay a passageway…
into the Citadel's black market.
The door behind me closed with a dull metallic clang.
I took a few steps forward… and stopped.
The black market turned out to be much larger than I had expected.
The underground hall stretched far ahead, branching into dozens of narrow streets between the stalls. Stone arches supported ancient columns, and instead of the sun, everything was lit by strange lamps-some glowed blue, others greenish, and a few emitted a dim purple light.
People were walking everywhere.
The Awakened.
Merchants.
Some shady characters in cloaks.
Some faces were hidden by masks.
The smell here was strange-a mixture of metal, dust, and old magical artifacts.
The man who had brought me here stopped beside me.
"Welcome," he said calmly. "To the Lower Market."
I slowly looked around.
"Impressive."
He nodded.
"But before you start looking around…"
He turned to me.
"A word of advice."
"Choose wisely."
I raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
He pointed to the nearest bench.
There were several artifacts lying on the table.
One of them looked like a black amulet with red veins running through it.
"Some of the things here…" he paused, "…aren't exactly safe."
I grunted.
"How not exactly?"
He replied calmly:
"Some might drive you mad."
"Some might kill you."
I stared at him for a few seconds.
Then I said:
"Very reassuring."
He smirked.
"I warned you."
"You're on your own from here."
He nodded slightly and walked away, disappearing into the crowd.
I was left alone.
And I began to walk slowly between the stalls.
At first, I carefully examined everything around me.
Rare blades.
Strange artifacts.
Monster cores.
Parts of creatures I didn't even recognize.
Some items looked as if they hadn't been made by humans.
Sometimes the merchants would offer something.
"An artifact that boosts mana!"
"A blade of ancient forging!"
"A relic from an ancient era!"
I would stop.
I would look.
But almost immediately, I would move on.
After a while, I caught myself having a strange thought.
Actually…
the selection here wasn't all that different from a regular market.
Yes.
The items here were rarer.
Sometimes more interesting.
Sometimes clearly older.
But essentially…
it was all the same.
Weapons.
Materials.
Artifacts.
It was just another category being added:
items of unknown origin.
I stopped at a stall.
On the table lay a strange dagger with a purple blade.
I stared at it for a few seconds.
Then I shook my head.
"No."
I sighed.
"Fine."
I ran my hand through the back of my hair.
"Looks like I'll have to keep it simple."
If I don't know anything about Scarlett…
then I need to pick something useful.
Something that isn't just a trinket.
I started walking slowly between the stalls again.
And now I was looking for just one thing.
An artifact.
Something small.
Practical.
And rare enough…
to look like a real gift.
I was about to walk past another row of stalls when I suddenly stopped.
One of them stood out from the rest.
No weapons.
No cores.
No monster parts.
Just… artifacts.
A table.
Shelves.
Racks.
And all of it was filled with rings, amulets, pendants, bracelets, and dozens of other small items.
Each of them radiated a faint magical aura.
I froze for a few seconds.
"…Damn."
I slowly moved closer.
And only then did I realize why this place looked so strange.
In all the time I'd been in the Spire…
I'd found only three artifacts.
My sword-Noctis Terror.
The Scarlett Rapier, which appeared in my soul arsenal after I killed the Hoofed King.
And the ring that my team and I found during one of our raids.
Three.
Over the course of months.
And here…
there were dozens of them.
Maybe even hundreds.
I slowly scanned the display case.
"How long did it take people to collect all this…"
"A long time," the voice said calmly.
I looked up.
An elderly man was standing behind the counter.
Gray hair.
Slender fingers.
A calm, attentive gaze.
"First time here?" he asked.
"Yes."
He smiled slightly.
I looked at one of the amulets.
"Are they all real?"
"Most of them."
I raised an eyebrow.
"To be honest?"
He shrugged.
"Some of them are ancient."
"Some are just rare."
"And some…" he paused, "are better left alone."
I decided not to press him.
Instead, I began to examine the display case closely.
A ring that boosts regeneration.
A mana conservation amulet.
A poison resistance pendant.
A recovery acceleration bracelet.
Useful items.
Very useful.
I picked up one of the amulets.
And almost immediately noticed the price.
I whistled softly.
"Expensive."
The old man grunted.
"Artifacts are always expensive."
I scanned the other price tags.
And quickly did the math.
Even with the tokens we'd earned over the past few months…
I could afford no more than three.
And that's…
if I spent it all.
I sighed.
"Great."
"Just great…"
I kept looking.
One amulet.
A second.
A third.
But every time, something didn't sit right.
Too ordinary.
Too narrow in ability.
Too strange.
I had almost decided to leave…
when the old man suddenly said:
"Maybe…"
"this one will suit you."
He bent down under the counter.
And pulled out a small box.
He set it on the table.
He opened it.
Inside lay a strange object.
A small purple crystal eye.
It looked almost alive.
As if a light were moving slowly inside it.
I frowned.
"What is this?"
The old man shrugged.
"Good question."
"We found it among some ancient artifacts."
"But no one ever figured out what it does."
I raised an eyebrow.
"And you're selling this?"
"Of course."
I carefully picked up the object.
It was cold.
Very smooth.
I concentrated.
And moved it into the arsenal of my soul.
Usually, information would appear after that.
A name.
A description.
An effect.
But now…
nothing happened.
Empty.
I frowned.
"Strange."
The old man said calmly:
"That's why it's cheaper than the rest."
I was silent.
And at that moment…
something inside me stirred.
A subtle sensation.
Barely perceptible.
Intuition.
Instinct.
That very same…
thing that sometimes emanated from the Ash Wanderer.
I looked at the violet eye.
And suddenly realized…
that I had to buy it.
Why?
I had no idea.
But the feeling was too clear.
I looked up at the old man.
"How much?"
He named a price.
I thought for a few seconds.
Then I nodded.
"I'll take it."
The old man smiled.
"Excellent choice. I was starting to think no one would buy this crap…"
I picked up the item.
And put it back in the arsenal of my soul.
When I stepped out of the shop…
only one thought was spinning in my head.
It looks like… I've finally found a gift for Scarlett.
As I left the black market, I turned around several times.
It wasn't easy to remember the way.
Stairs.
Alleyways.
A metal door.
But I tried to memorize every turn anyway.
For the future.
My intuition told me this place would come in handy again.
When I stepped back out onto the streets of the Citadel, the air felt unusually fresh.
I shoved my hands in my pockets and headed home.
Only one thought was spinning in my head.
I hope my intuition didn't let me down.
The next few days passed… quietly.
Scarlett hardly showed up.
She'd disappear somewhere in the city in the morning and return late at night.
Sometimes we ran into each other at training.
Sometimes at dinner.
But mostly she was busy with her own things.
I didn't ask.
I wasn't sitting around doing nothing either.
Training.
Sparring.
Working with mana.
I continued to develop my control over fire and wind.
I tried to come up with new spells. When my Essence awoke, I was imbued with the basic methods of using fire and wind magic.
But to become more skilled, I had to figure out the optimal way to use magic on my own-one that went far beyond the basic level and suited only me.
And every day I did one more thing.
A routine thing.
Almost pointless.
I called out to the Ash Wanderer.
I closed my eyes.
And tried to find…
my parents.
Or my sister.
Every day.
The same result.
Nothing.
Sometimes I tried to talk to the mask.
"Hey,"
"Wanderer,"
"Are you there?"
There was no answer.
The mask…
was silent.
Ever since I lost consciousness in the arena.
And then…
the morning of April 25th arrived.
I woke up.
I just lay there for a few seconds, staring at the ceiling.
Then it suddenly hit me.
"Oh."
"Right."
My birthday.
I sat up in bed.
The room was quiet.
I looked around.
Scarlett's bed was empty.
"She left early…"
I shrugged.
Nothing unusual.
I got dressed and went out into the dorm courtyard.
And stopped.
The whole team was standing in the courtyard.
Karina.
Rilay.
Orpheus.
And…
Scarlett.
Everyone looked at me.
And then Rilay said loudly:
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
I froze.
Karina smiled.
"Happy birthday, Oscar."
Orpheus nodded.
"Happy birthday."
Scarlett also said calmly:
"Happy birthday."
I stared at them for a few seconds.
"You guys…"
"Are you serious?"
Rilay put her hands on her hips.
"Of course we're serious!"
"Do you think we're animals or something?"
Karina chuckled softly.
"Although Rilay might have forgotten."
"Hey!"
"That's not true, I was told about it a couple of days ago-I wouldn't forget something like that!"
Karina handed me a small box.
"Let's start with the gifts."
I looked at her in surprise.
"Did you really prepare this?"
"Of course," Karina said.
I opened the first box.
Inside was a leather bracelet with a small blue stone.
Karina said:
"This is from me."
"It slightly enhances your ability to control the wind."
I raised my eyebrows.
"Seriously?"
She nodded.
"I've noticed that you handle fire with greater mastery."
"But the wind is harder for you."
I smiled.
"Thanks."
"This is really useful."
Rilay immediately handed me her gift.
"My turn!"
I opened the small package.
Inside lay…
a pair of black leather gloves.
But not ordinary ones.
Metal threads were neatly stitched onto the knuckles.
And on the palms-reinforced inserts.
I looked at her questioningly.
She smiled broadly.
"I noticed that you sometimes fight with your bare hands."
"When a sword is inconvenient."
She added proudly:
"I ordered these gloves from a blacksmith."
"They withstand magical heat and amplify your strikes. Like any piece of armor, it simply blends into your Essence when you summon it, so the look of your armor won't change at all."
I chuckled.
"You gave me… fighting gloves?"
"Exactly!"
I nodded.
"Thank you."
Orpheus held out his gift.
A small box.
I opened it.
Inside lay a small gold ring.
I looked up.
Orpheus said calmly:
"If you fill it with mana…"
"it begins to glow."
"It lights the way."
I slipped the ring onto my finger.
"Thanks."
I looked at Scarlett.
She was standing a little to the side.
Her arms were crossed.
"What about you?" I asked.
She replied calmly:
"Nothing."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing?"
She shrugged.
"Just…"
"Happy birthday, Oscar."
I looked at her for a few seconds.
Then I shrugged.
"Thanks."
Rilay clapped her hands.
"Great!"
"Now for the most important part!"
I sighed.
"Food?"
"Food!"
Karina smiled.
"We've already picked out a tavern."
Orpheus nodded.
"Let's go."
And our whole team headed out into the streets of the Citadel.
To celebrate… my birthday.