Aboard the ‘Yowwes Maedya’, in third-class cabin number 78. Inside, two men sat almost side by side.
The room was filled with the cabin's standard furnishings, along with the personal belongings they had brought for this journey.
At the small table beside the bunk bed, the two men, dressed in identical suits, repeatedly tapped their feet, each lost in his own thoughts.
The long wait felt agonizing, especially since there had been no updates from the crew regarding the incident that had struck the ship several minutes earlier.
However, they were actually waiting for the arrival of the person who usually gave the order to move.
Tap…
The rhythmic sound of approaching footsteps could be heard; the two men immediately rose from their seats, their gazes fixed on the door to the left.
"Has he arrived yet?" the man in the bowler hat muttered hesitantly.
"..."
The man beside him remained silent for several seconds. As the footsteps drew closer, the dark-blue-eyed man in the dim room took two steps to the left and put on a half-top hat.
Click.
The door opened, revealing a man in a bowler hat, with several strands of hair falling over his gold-rimmed glasses.
The man's nerdy face behind the glasses stared at the two men before him for a moment before he took the initiative and approached them with steady steps.
The two men raised their hats simultaneously, as if reading each other's minds, before resting the hats against the left sides of their chests.
"How did it go?" the man asked as he put on his bowler hat.
The man removed his glasses as he sat on the bed after dismissing them.
"Fine," he answered flatly. "According to the information, the weapon really does exist, or that thing was indeed influencing the battle."
"So, it's true?" the blue-eyed man muttered.
He glanced to the right, sat down on a mahogany chair, and asked, "Does our client want that magical object?"
The man tossed his glasses out of the half-open window to his right without the slightest hesitation.
Splash.
"That night, she said there was an artifact she wanted," the man replied calmly.
The bowler-hatted man, Raki, raised an eyebrow.
"Are you capable of handling six captains on your own?"
Afalan Norwich nodded without hesitation.
"That is exactly what I want and have been waiting for," he replied.
Although the noblewoman had paid a fantastic price for this job, despite knowing that it was not worth it, ‘Jack the Ripper’, as Afalan Norwich was known, did not use his hounds; he wanted to see the artifact's capabilities with his own eyes.
The meeting had taken place several months ago, and this was the first time Afalan Norwich had been so eager to see the artifact shrouded in rumors.
"Yes, I have found what we're looking for," Afalan said calmly. "Therefore, Raki. If you want to know, I asked Chiquso to help us take it away."
Chiquso merely furrowed his brow, not daring to respond to the statement as a heated sensation constricted his chest and throat beneath Afalan Norwich's calm expression.
Sret…
Afalan reached into his coat pocket, his hand gripping something, a piece of paper neatly rolled up and sealed with a ribbon.
He pulled the small table closer and spread the map out wide.
"This is the layout of the ship. It's quite complicated, but I know exactly what I want to do."
Chiquso immediately asked for clarification, "I want a more detailed explanation; can you explain it in detail?"
Afalan Norwich nodded.
"Look at this mark." He pointed to the ‘X’ on the far right of the map. "You'll stand here."
The color in Chiquso's blue eyes faded for a moment.
'That's it? Surely I'm not expected to just stand there while he carries out the robbery? Does he intend to use me as bait, or is there another motive I don't know about?'
As questions churned in his mind, Chiquso stared at Afalan Norwich, waiting for him to speak.
Meanwhile, Raki was confused about what to do, fully aware that his own survival was at stake.
Seeing the hesitation in Chiquso's expression, Afalan quickly added:
"You just stand there and walk with the woman, acting like a couple, for at least fifteen minutes."
"That's all?" Chiquso muttered, seeking confirmation.
'A woman? He managed to find a partner for this job so quickly?'
Chiquso's thoughts drifted toward the nature of the collaboration between Afalan Norwich and the woman in question.
Raki leaned forward slightly.
"When will the job be carried out?" he asked.
Afalan stroked his long hair, thought for a moment, and said, "Tomorrow night, Wednesday night to be exact."
....
Far from the Caspian Sea, in the city of Layana, Havanuheta Province, Kingdom of Norn, on the eastern continent of Chynoria.
Monday, the 7th, 20:00.
After a long journey and, as they knew, having to wait two hours for the next train to arrive at every stop.
Two hours was more than enough time to deal with the matters occupying their minds.
This journey was not merely about visiting Meteor City; it was a search to uncover evidence of a mystery and history that had been erased from the world, or perhaps the opposite.
Meanwhile, Zavi had initially objected to the plan to stop in Havanuheta for several hours after the train arrived at Histis Station. However, at Celvira's insistence, Zavi reluctantly accepted the idea.
One more thing, he had obtained what he had always wanted.
Information.
"May I ask something?" Aaron suddenly asked.
Walking along a quiet road, beneath bright street lamps and the laughter coming from the houses along the roadside, Celvira spontaneously slowed her pace.
The corners of her lips nearly lifted as she said, "If it isn't too much trouble."
Aaron fell silent for a moment, then two seconds later, he asked seriously, "Actitus... what kind of person is he?"
Celvira was rendered speechless, her steps slowing as she lost focus.
'What is he talking about? Does he mean he knows some important information about him that he himself wants to obtain?'
Of course, as a third-level evil spirit, Nammeridya, Celvira knew a little about human actions out there. Beyond that, she did not truly understand them and wanted to find out everything by becoming human herself.
She knew that humans could become demons, or even something worse than demons themselves. She had seen it, she had studied it, she had embedded it in her memories, and humans were truly unpredictable creatures.
Celvira looked at her pale hands, though they were covered by lace gloves, before slowly turning toward Aaron and answering with a smile, "He is the type of person who ignores everything around him in order to achieve his goals. However, if he feels comfortable with someone, he will do anything for that person, even willing to sacrifice himself for them."
Aaron did not simply accept those words, even though they came from an old friend whom he felt he knew well.
Zavi Actitus's identity remained a mystery, and Aaron himself admitted that this was the first time he had ever dealt with a man as cunning as Zavi.
Aaron smiled as he continued walking.
'She's right, that man is here of his own accord.'
After thinking for a moment, Aaron suddenly realized that Zavi was indeed similar to him.
A life that neither of them wanted controlled by others was something they both yearned for, even though neither of them yet understood the true meaning of adulthood and the harshness of life.
Seeing this, Celvira sighed, lifted her foot, and followed Aaron.
...
Separated from the others, Zuhen, Zavi, and Felina stood in a stuffy, suffocating room, unable to see anything, not even their own bodies.
They had come there for a specific purpose: to wait for the other two people to arrive and have a conversation, a conversation so important and sensitive that it required extreme caution, even though their location was far from the eyes of the city's spies and residents.
"Shouldn't you tell me about that advancement ritual?" Zavi muttered, seeking confirmation.
Without hesitation, Zuhen answered in his hoarse voice, "All right."
'How did Felina find a place like this?'
He glanced to the left; deep within the darkness, he knew Felina was standing there.
Although physical distance separated them, Zuhen felt a closeness to Felina, born from the life they had shared together up until now.
That was not exactly what was on Zuhen's mind at the moment, even though it was still connected to the two of them and himself.
"About that..."
After explaining the requirements of the ritual, which included the preparation phase and the act itself, Zuhen fell silent. The air felt heavier, while Zavi remained motionless, absorbing this important information for ten minutes.
He had partially, through conscious effort and partially by accident, perfected the first level of the ‘Error’ stage, yet he knew nothing about it. Zavi needed to perform the ritual, but the doubts that still haunted him held him back.
Those doubts went back to the beginning, to their time in Forgenate District. He had been certain that the search would succeed that very night, but reality had proven otherwise.
By moving from one place to another and taking actions that nearly cost him his life, Zavi had unknowingly perfected the basic ability of the ‘Prisoner’ class at its first level, ‘Error’.
In short, he had made an unintentional mistake that automatically strengthened the energy of progression and the refinement effect within his ‘Prisoner’ class, even as the risks increased.
Zavi appeared ordinary from the outside, but in reality, he carried something invisible to others. Yes, it was his worldly will and memories, which continued to change and weigh upon Zavi Actitus's own memories, replaying everything from the beginning to the final moments of his death, though not all of it.
None of this affected his daily life, but the mental and emotional burden he carried was more than enough to destroy his body from within.
As a resourceful man, Zavi managed to overcome it all as he navigated a world filled with mysteries and a history that only made him more eager to delve deeper into it.
After remaining silent for a moment, Zavi raised one hand and held his right arm for several seconds.
'How can I obtain this ability?'
Of course, Zavi was frightened after Zuhen told him the requirements necessary for the ritual to proceed smoothly and succeed as intended.
After considering it, Zavi decided to ask,
"Are you sure the ‘Prisoner’ ritual requires at least three people for the process to succeed?"
Without hesitation, Zuhen answered in a hoarse, flat voice,
"Yes, that's what that man said."
"I see," Zavi said softly.
From that moment, Zavi was rendered speechless as he covered his face with both hands until he looked like a worn-out piece of cloth.