The shackles on Shannon’s wrists clanged together as Sarah led her up the stairs and out of the dungeon, and the sound reverberated harshly in the stairwell. Shannon didn’t yet know exactly where she was, but the dungeon was spacious, and the prison food was some of the best she’d ever eaten—it seemed likely to have been leftovers from a meal on a higher floor. She suspected she was being held in a noble family’s house. If this Victor guy was highborn, that explained why the bandits found it tricky to meddle in his affairs.
“Hey, Shannon,” Sarah whispered, turning her head.
“Yeah?”
“What’s it feel like to be immortal?”
It was clear that Sarah was not asking solely out of curiosity. Considering her circumstances, it was a natural question. Her mother had an incurable disease, and in trying to heal her, Sarah had sacrificed numerous people. If her mother were immortal, then Sarah wouldn’t have to fear her mother’s death.
“What’s it feel like?” Shannon echoed. “Well...it’s like I’m on the side of the road, watching people walk by.”
“Huh?” Sarah gave her a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”
“Normal people like you are limited by their lifespans. I think that’s why they keep moving forward. They just push on, day after day. That’s because there’s an end to it all: death. They want to enjoy the journey and grow while they can, because they know that one day, it’ll end.”
“I kind of get it, but I kind of don’t.” Sarah stopped walking and just stared at Shannon. She was trying hard to understand such an abstract concept.
“It’s amazing. Because people have limited time, they live their lives to the fullest. Everyone has a shining soul.” Shannon put her hand on Sarah’s chest. “But being immortal, I’m just an onlooker. No matter how much I pretend, in the end, I don’t belong with other people. Time works differently for me. Yes, immortality means that I don’t have a limited lifetime. But it’s like a prison that I’ve been in for so long that I can’t see the value in living anymore. Sarah, would you continue on a journey by yourself if you didn’t have a goal, or if your friends found out and you had to leave them? Would you see meaning in continuing on and on?”
Sarah didn’t respond. She seemed to have understood what Shannon meant about the meaninglessness and emptiness of her existence; her confused expression had turned to one of pity.
“Well, that’s what it’s like,” Shannon said conversationally, as if it were a trifling matter. She had long been accustomed to being an onlooker. “I guess it makes me want to find even just a little meaning in my life, so I talk to a lot of different people and go to a lot of different places. The goal of my journey is to die, but I meet people along the way. I see them running at full speed on the road next to mine, and I want to join them—I want to get involved.”
“I...see.” Sarah didn’t say anything more. Perhaps learning that immortality wasn’t as lovely as she thought had disillusioned her. That, or she pitied Shannon.
For all that eternal life was meaningless, empty, and sad, Shannon did have fun. Her journey in search of death was full of excitement, and meeting people made her feel alive. That was something that she was certain united normal people and an immortal person like her. And while their journeys looked very different, in the end, everyone was marching toward death. The average person coveted immortality, the immortal craved death... The grass is always greener on the other side.
“Can I ask you about your mom?” Shannon asked.
“Go ahead.”
“What kind of person is she?”
“Well, she’s kind and gentle, and she doesn’t like getting angry. But if I do anything dangerous, she gets angry anyway.” Sarah giggled before continuing more seriously. “By the time I came home from school, she had already contracted the disease. She had kept quiet about it because she didn’t want to worry me. That part wasn’t very kind of her.” She wiped at her eyes with her sleeve.
“She really loves you.”
“My mom’s an idiot, really. She’s bedridden now and growing weaker. But I can’t go see her or else I’ll get infected.”
“I see...”
Sarah nodded. “Anyway...I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize. You know, I deliberately let you knock me out because it was the most convenient thing to do.”
“Huh?! What?!” Sarah’s voice rose, approaching hysteria. “B-But I’m good at sleep spells! My teachers praised me for that!”
Shannon laughed. “You’ve still got a bit to learn. If you can detect the mana fluctuations in the moment a spell is cast, you can tell what type of spell it is.”
Sarah’s eyes narrowed to slits, and she shivered. “Yikes. Ancient mages are terrifying.”
“I’ll teach you my magic if you like.”
Sarah paused. “Okay, if the opportunity arises.”
During this conversation, they came to the top of the stairs and found themselves at the start of a long hallway. Sarah led Shannon down the hall until they stood in front of a huge door. So far, Shannon hadn’t sensed any other people around. She wondered if the immortality research was being kept under wraps and therefore hidden from view. Perhaps the building wasn’t Victor’s home but a secondary residence dedicated solely to research?
Sarah took a deep breath, then looked at Shannon and nodded. Shannon nodded back. Victor—no, Orlando’s soul—was on the other side of that door.
Shannon’s journey had been long. On several occasions, she had confronted Orlando’s past hosts but failed to discover how to end her immortality. In none of those cases had Orlando’s soul managed to transfer all of his knowledge to the host. Every single one of his hosts sought immortality, and they all had something about them that reminded her of him. But surely, this time, he had some kind of information.
Shannon would end things here. Her mind sharpened, focused singularly on her goal. Her heart thumped in her chest, and her skin felt hot. Finding an end to her immortality was her dearest desire, and she was going to question him about it.
When she saw Shannon’s hopeful expression, Sarah’s mouth dropped open. “You’re the first person I’ve brought here who looked happy about it.”
“Oh, you can tell?” Shannon asked. When Sarah nodded, she giggled. “Then I bet I made you feel better.”
“Now that you mention it, maybe.” She paused. “Okay, I’m going to open the door now.”
“Yes, please!”
Slowly, the door creaked open to reveal a spacious chamber reminiscent of a throne room. A red carpet stretched straight across the room; flags and swords hung on both sides, and suits of armor stood at attention. At the front of the room, a man sat in a chair, flanked by two brawny soldiers.
“You’ve done well to deliver her here,” said the man, who had long silver hair and sharp eyes. He rested his chin in his hand and looked at Shannon.
Sarah sank to one knee as if to prostrate herself. “Lord Victor, I have brought Shannon.”
“I appreciate your efforts. You are a hardworking witch.” Victor looked Shannon up and down disparagingly. “Now then, you must be the immortal mage. You appear to be far more vulgar than I expected.”
“Thanks for the compliment,” Shannon trilled. “I rather like being vulgar.”
“Sh-Shannon!” Sarah gasped.
“You’d do well to curb your arrogance,” Victor bit out. “You may be long-lived, but it appears your intelligence never developed. It truly seems that there is no one more suited to immortality than myself.”
“You’re pretty haughty yourself. Just as I’d expect from Master Or...Orlan... Huh?”
Shannon realized something then. At this distance, she should have felt Orlando’s presence coming from this Victor guy—but she couldn’t pick up a whiff of her former master. Not even the teeniest hint. Not a single micron.
“Um... Uh... Is that possible?” Shannon muttered, tilting her head in bewilderment. Could someone other than Orlando crave immortality this much?
“You look troubled. What, pray tell, is the matter? Are you only now realizing how outmatched you are? It is not often that a traveling plebeian has the opportunity to meet the likes of me. I am, after all, Lord Victor Odim.”