“That was all she disclosed to me during our little chat. With how they have been working on trying to catch this criminal for some time now, I would assume they have plenty more information and evidence at their headquarters. It may be best to go there directly and use your status as guild master to squeeze whatever they know out of them. After all, you are a ‘target’ it seems, and so how can they reject you.” Zeno grinned, seeing how overtaken Lumi was by the events of the situations that had just transpired. This bustling rage she had flowing was worrying, but seeing how much it impacted her made him think how invested she would be. ‘They must pay at all cost, whoever this eXodeus is’ Zeno thought to himself, remembering the state Raoul was in, the corpses, and now Lumi. Things were so messy and distasteful that they must be rectified.
“She seemed on her toes and elusive, only telling me what needed to be known to have a general idea of what we were dealing with in this case. But after this I'm sure her tune will change.” Zeno paused from speaking after noticing a decrease in temperatures near his midsection. Shifting his attention towards the direction of the coldness, he would find Lumi holding an obsidian yet clear-like structure with the same symbol on the stone he was holding engraved on it. Her fingers were outlining its shape as in a repetitive movement.
“Going to the nearest Rune Knight outpost would be the best option for now.”[ Zeno said softly as he saw Lumi turn and start walking ahead. Following her, Zeno turned and saw the Rune knights in the area gathering everything and started to head up. Another group of mages showed up to handle the fallen tree. They soon would fall out of Zeno’s sight as he and Lumi continued to walk onward.
As they were walking, Lumi asked him an interesting question while also expressing her thoughts and feelings on the matter of the religious figures and the seraphin. It made Zeno chuckle seeing her get so worked up, but he could understand her distaste towards such beings. The deception and manipulative power they have over others reminded him of the fairies who invaded his home way back when.
“As to why I came here, well, I was forced to come to the north to learn how things functioned here and interweave myself into society. Primarily to build up my reputation and status as a means to prove my worth to one called ‘Mother’ and report back my findings, but I often delay that process because it is a hassle” Zeno shrugs his shoulders, then places his hands behind his head as he continues walking side by side with Lumi.
“To be honest with you, I was born a human and got changed into a fae against my will. So I have very limited knowledge about being a fae, even more so a fairy. Most of my knowledge comes from books I read at my old home and the stories of the fairy elders in the deep green. Learning my own body through experiences and testing out what I'm capable of has been enough for me for now, but I yearn for a better understanding of myself. So, seeing these priests worship a divine entity like Illumin and praising it, is so far beneath me, I cannot even grasp the thought of attempting it” Zeno laughed to himself and shook his head.
“Many of the religious views that circulate around Orchida fall flat to me like raindrops. I have only come to believe in what I can interact with and alter or visually see myself for it to matter. I cannot trust much now. I certainly won't waste what little I have on something like religion”. The fae falls silent, leaving only the ambient sound of the people in the bustling town to be heard for the moment.
“I seek to become a full-fledged fairy, but things are going a tad bit slow with my research on that process. I hope fate is kind enough to guide me gracefully to the next stage without too much trouble.” Zeno paused abruptly to look around. There was a lot of life surrounding them, but there was an oddity looming. A presence that disturbs the natural form of mana, pollution of some sort. Zeno could not pinpoint it, but he stayed alert. “I wish I understood more about this whole Illumin thing, but it all sounds like people grasping at hopes rather than an actual being of power” Zeno scoffed, waving his hand, gesturing his annoyance.
“I went to a church before to listen to a few sermons about this Illumin, but it's never stuck with me and nobody has detected my real form, so I haven't had any problems so far here in Orchida…”
The presence grew closer, as if it was encircling them and slowly closing in, but nothing strange could be visually seen in the surrounding area. Just the normal town folk going about their mundane lives.
“Beware Lumi, something is off around here. I can see black particles disappearing and reappearing constantly as if something is moving really fast. We are close to the Rune Knights outpost, so let's handle this quickly”
Zeno walks ahead of Lumi, looking around, seeing the particles surrounding the outpost.
“The main source of it comes from inside our friendly neighborhood, Rune Knights Den”
Zeno looks back at Lumi before walking into the building.
Wc 933