Shadow Slave

It was winter in NQSC, but here in Bastion, the weather was warm and mild. Nephis did not receive a lot of opportunities to take a leisurely stroll around town, but she remembered enjoying the thriving atmosphere of the swiftly developing city during her last outing, which was... about a year ago, now?

The city sprawling around the beautiful lake had changed tremendously since then. Of course, Nephis was familiar with all these changes - she gazed down upon the bustling streets of Bastion often from the tranquil height of her heavenly island, studying the lively flow of human activity from a distance.

Every time the Ivory Tower returned here, the city seemed different. The humans, however, were the same.

Sadly, Nephis did not enjoy diving into their liveliness today. She was still recovering from the battle with Condemnation, after all.

Her stroll was not entirely for leisure, either.

She had left the castle with a specific purpose in mind.

Nephis had long been searching for a talented enchanter, She and the Fire Keepers received plenty of Memories by slaying Nightmare Creatures, sure, but those Memories were too dependent on the whims of the Spell. Very few of them sulted her needs perfectly, or were powerful enough to make a difference.

That was where Awakened enchanters could help. The problem was that craftsmen capable of forging Memories, or even enchanted items, were extremely rare. Most of them belonged to the Valor family, and while Nephis could easily commission a Memory from her own clan... that would defeat the purpose.

It was precisely because her most powerful Memories were either known to or directly created by the Great Clan Valor that she was searching for an independent enchanter in secret.

Yesterday, Cassie informed her that their search had finally borne fruit. Not only that, but the person in question resided right here, in Bastion... and as a cherry on top, he even happened to possess an extremely rare affinity to shadows.

The last part was of no importance for the commission, but given the sudden entrance of the Lord of Shadows on the stage, Nephis was curious to learn more about this unusual element and its nuances.

Therefore... Cassie had decisively sent her to meet the enchanter personally. Nephis was not sure why she had to go herself, but since Cassie assured her that this person could be trusted to keep a secret, she arrived at the place late in the evening - knowing her friend, the man would have passed an extensive background check, so there was no reason not to.

That said, it wasn't easy for Nephis to walk freely on the streets of Bastion. Her fame was too great to remain unrecognized. So, she used several cosmetic Memories to slightly alter her appearance... even then, she had only ventured out after it was already dark.

at the cosy brick cottage, and then at the sign hanging

Emporium: Café & Memory

simple cottage like that and make a living by doing peaceful things, away from

it seemed so...

exactly how this humble enchanter - and most people in the world - lived.

true, but very few people lived in a cottage quite as unique as this one. Cassie had warned her that it was a strange kind of Echo. Otherwise, there was a risk that Nephis would misunderstand things and accidentally burn it to the

prepared herself mentally for the awkward feeling

A moment later...

was the sound of plates

looking down in

a stunned expression. He seemed to be... a very clumsy person, to have tripped

last long on the battlefield... which was

for a few moments, and then the young

smiled at her as if nothing

to the

Nephis was momentarily stumped.

of forging powerful Memories, she had

had not expected was that the shopkeeper would be so young, delicate...

of course. And yet, the proprietor of the Brilliant Emporium stood out even among them... most Saints

eyes were like darkly glistening gems. His raven-black hair was carelessly gathered in a knot, and there was a subtle sense of

was like an elegant porcelain doll

so unlike the rugged handsomeness of the seasoned warriors Nephis usually encountered. More than that... the

Antarctica, there were even plenty of Masters who had Ascended out of necessity, not choice. Someone with a Utility Aspect did not have to wield a sword, and many lived without experiencing much strife

Or even none whatsoever.