Ambient Mage

-Somewhere deep in the soul-

"Samantha?!"

A commoner man shouted for a woman.

"Hehe. Yes."

"Oh goodness there you are. Are you ready?"

"Yes, but the question is are you?"

The man nodded.

She pulled him along the forest to a riverbank.

"This is where I want to do it Cain."

"Alright."

"I, Cain, son of Adam, vow to lo....."

"I, Samantha, daughter of Arkis, vow....."

"I love you Samantha."

"I love you too."

She said as she tackled him.

As he fell holding her, his arms tightened around her before they slackened.

"Cain?"

Samantha pulled her head out of her lover's, now husbands, chest.

She watched as the blood pooled out from behind his head.

"Oh my Gods!!"

She shot up, still mounting him.

"Cain! Cain!"

She dismounted and began to prop his head up.

He watched her trying to move, to speak, but there was nothing he could do.

As she began to try to clean his wound, the riverbank gave way, and the bride fell away from the man still holding on.

However all she did was manage to flip him over onto his side.

She was swept away in the river's flow.

And the groom, was left only to watch as his wife was drowned, before bleeding out.

***

"A truly unfortunate end."

The man swung his scythe, cutting the two pieces of grass before snatching them out of the air.

"However, you may have use to his soul. Therefore, your souls may pass, but your memories are mine, this is your price."

The bride and groom's memories, foreign entities were moved into his soul.

***

*Fiadh's Pov*

"Hey Fiadh, I think I can get away with this, if I say that I woke up near a river."

"I'm sure you ca- oh, he fell asleep again."

I watched as his soul which had stabilized, began to become incongruous again.

"Hey Fiadh, I think I can get away with this, if I say I was taken by a mage from the mage tower."

"Yes, Lucas."

I didn't bother to try to finish as he fell asleep again.

His soul endured more disharmony.

Finally, his soul became more neutral.

And his body fell onto mine.

I would give him his due rest, as he wouldn't even remember this.

***

"There I've solved your problem." 

"What do you mean?"

I watched as Nyx's panther took him.

"You owe me one Fiadh."

"Do not call me that Night Goddess."

"Fine, you are afforded some respect, Dragon Goddess of Time."

"Do not forget, what I've done, this is no way a debt to you Nyx."

"Sure, as long as you would do the same."

"Always."

I felt her being disappear.

"Aaron, you better not have caused him any pain."

I muttered under my breath.

***

*Lucas' Pov*

Wha-What?

I was being dragged across the ground by a beast.

"What the hell?"

I strained my neck and looked up at the panther.

"Erebus?"

He slowed to a halt and dropped me.

'A human knowing my name? Curious, but I shall allow it, as your seat demands it.'

What?

"Sorry, could you explain."

'Human, you contain the magic power of my Lady. Therefore, your knowledge of my name is not heretiscism, but your privilege.'

I was confused.

Erebus certainly existed in the game, and so did the church of the night, but Nyx, the studio, made no existing connection.

I already had guessed it to a certain extent, since technically, Erebus is the son of Nyx.

But even in game, Nyx doesn't even exist.

'I'm sorry, but Lady? Not Mother?'

'Correct human, I have once been reffered to as "The Great Divine Beast of The Mother of The Night", but you may refer to me as required.'

'Do you have a preferred name?'

'There was once- no. You may refer to me as Nacht."

Interesting.

'Very well, I will see you in the future, my Lady has dictated it.'

I looked around and I was near a river bank.

Perhaps it was Nacht's speed, but I must've passed out.

Divine beasts are nothing to scoff at.

Well perhaps the first thing I should do is find a change of clothes.

My clothes given by Fiadh, or rather the training rags I had been in, were ripped up.

I glanced up at the sun, before guessing my rough location.

It was sometime in the early morning. Perhaps 10.

I was near a fairly large river.

I knew of the rivers, at least the ones this large from my studying at the duchy, but this one seemed familiar.

I began to walk away from the river.

Where there's water, there is sure to be human settlement, at least in the Masvis Empire.

I began to walk in no specific direction.

As a 4th circle mage and 4 star knight, I could survive at least a day, and certainly I could survive at least 3 without nutrition.

However the forest I was currently in had no shortage of edible shrubbery.

After about 2 hours of walking I happened across a village.

I thought perhaps it would've been smarter to walk the river's edge, as I clearly saw the river from the village's periphery.

The village had no defences, but the shade of wood told me two things.

The first was that I was fairly close to the capital.

The second was which family's territory I was in.

I was honestly shocked.

I wasn't sure how long the trip Nacht took me on was, but it couldn't have taken very long as my body wasn't very stiff.

Yet, I was on the other side of the empire from the duchy, from Fiadh.

At least I gained a goal.

I walked towards the village.

A few people saw me, and began to move towards their houses, not entering, but clearly afraid enough to do so, if I walked towards them.

"May I speak with the village chief?"

A slightly burly man walked towards me.

"That would be me."

He held a woodcutter's axe in his hand.

"What business do you have in our village."

His tone wasn't overbearing or endearing.

A perfect balance struck between them.

"I am in need of directions, and a few answers."

"I can do that."

He lowered his axe, but didn't let it go.

"Am I in the Evenfold County?"

"That would be correct."

"Great at least I can get Claudia to get me out of here."

With that little utterance, a girl poked her head out from behind the chief.

The villagers also seemed to relax, and stepped just a few steps away from their houses.

"Um, do you know her grace, the Lady of the County?"

The girls face seemed familiar in my mind.

"I go to school with her in fact."

"Lies."

A man walked towards me.

Again another face I felt familiar towards, somehow.

"What do you mean? She definitely attends Atrevior."

"No, she has been back at the county for the last few days."

"Oh that's why she's been gone."

I began to think about how to get back to the school.

Claudia's whole family event, doesn't really matter in the game as long as the main character doesn't stand out too much, before the 2nd year.

I guess I triggered it by being awarded a title.

"Who are you?"

"Like I said just a student, oh well a viscount if that suits you better."

He recoiled at my words.

"Cain! He's a nobleman."

"You shouldn't get married near that river, oh and please send an invite to the Svarmet Duchy."

I don't know why I said those words, but it felt as if they were a married bickering couple.

"Samantha, how many times have I told you, you are not to interact with that boy."

"Chief, do you happen to know where the closest chapel with a priest is?"

"The closest one to us, would be the County's capital city. Every few weeks or so, merchants come and they take people and items to the county's capital."

"How far did you say it was?"

"Uh, 3 hours by carriage?"

"Thank you, would you mind pointing me in the direction, I am in dire need of new clothes."

He pointed towards the western side of the village.

"Head from the west side, and take the path."

"And take this, I'm not one to have my village be razed because I showed inhospitality to a noble."

He bowed before handing me a bag.

I looked inside and there was a spare change of clothes, likely his own, after he was done cutting wood.

"I'll make sure this town of yours prospers."

With that I vanished leaving the villagers with dazed faces.

And one girl chewing her fingernail.

"How did he know I wanted to get married at the riverbank?"

***

I arrived at the capital of the Evenfold county, Aries.

Aries is a large city that has many connections moving through it.

It is quite the prosperous city, as the Evenfold family has produced prodigies in nearly every category there is from the lowest of producers to the highest esteemed swordsmen and mages.

As I moved towards the gates, two guards who were lazing on their seats stood up.

"Halt. Show some identification, and state your business."

"I don't have any on me, but I am a student of the academy."

"Atrevior? Sure and I'm the emperor."

"I'm the newly appointed viscount. Does that help?"

"I'm sure you are, so what viscount moves without a form of identification?"

I was getting really annoyed with the guard that kept pestering me.

I looked at the other guard.

"I'm friends with the Lady that's currently here right now."

He stayed silent, as the other interjected again.

"Right, she would definitely know a villager like you."

"Do you see this sword?"

The sword that represented my position amongst the duchy.

"Oh you even have a fake blade, from which family is that? The Svarmet duchy? Right."

Fine. Be that way.

I blasted wind towards them.

I mean could they not see the sword I had?

Did their brains melt because they sat in the sun too long?

As I sent the wind obscuring their vision, I used .

It was easy enough to use it on those poorly trained soldiers.

I would have to let Claudia know about that security oversight.

Well whatever, I was in the city.

I walked around, before realizing the center market here had a piece from the game I couldn't miss.

It belonged to the alchemist shop.

The 'Tears of the Assolyne'.

A metaphorical tear of an eldritch being.

It would allow me to use a certain power later.

But being to obtain this now, would significantly boost my chances of using it.

If i could obtain it, I would certainly try to obtain the blood of the Gaiacyte.

With both I could ascend new levels of power, but that's later problems.

I walked into the center of the market area.

'Alley hidden by the closed down shop'.

As it was described in the game.

Sure enough.

'Alchemical treatments and tonics'.

Perfect.

I walked into the store and was amazed at the shelves of bottled items.

In game the only thing that we saw about this shop was the backdrop of the counter and the owner.

"Hey move away from the stock."

A burly voice called out to me.

I looked towards the shop counter to find a older man standing at it.

He held an eyepiece to his face as he examined a jewel.

"Yes, I'm talking to you, anything you can buy here, you talk to me first."

An interesting person.

Not condescending but self-important.

"So what brings you here?"

"Do you own this place?"

"Are you here to buy something or make small talk?"

"If I buy something, will you answer?"

He didn't respond, but continued observing the jewel.

"i heard of a bottled item here, that contained a black slime-like substance."

He perked up at that.

"Who told you something like that?"

it was my turn to ignore his question.

"Fine, at least show me some identification so I can point you out, if you commmit some kind of crime with it."

"Actually I don't have any."

"What kind of alchemist doesn-"

He said as he began to move behind the door beyond his desk.

"I'm no alchemist."

He stopped again.

He walked back out of the doorway adn up to the counter.

"Why are you trying to buy this item?"

"For the safety of those I care for."

I answered sincerely under the elderly man's eyes.