Gathering

Entering his house, Ethan went to the bathroom in his bedroom, closed the door and took a bath.

He didn't really need to bathe if he wanted to, after all, as long as he used his cursed fire, he could eliminate everything adorning his body, even germs and bacteria.

But bathing could also be called a form of relaxation to him, after so much happened today, he needed to clear his mind.

While in his bathtub, Ethan started thinking about the woman's memories he now possessed.

Elaine was a simple woman. She became an actress when she was very young, and by using some of the connections of her mother, she was able to participate in a piece in The Empress' Carriage, one of the most respectable theaters of Empress Borough.

After that, she continued working in The Empress' Carriage as a supporting actor. However, Elaine was a stubborn woman, as long as she wanted something, she would use all kinds of dirty tricks to get it.

This led her to commit grave mistakes, and she was fired from The Empress' Carriage for claims of sexual abuse.

She didn't have any family to speak of, only a brother that was now serving in the army. To cope with her loneliness, she offered big quantities of money to minor actors in the theater she started working at, The Parrots' Elysium.

And that's what she did tonight. She offered that youngster to help him become one of the main actors of The Parrots' Elysium, he accepted, and they went to her house.

In summary, Elaine couldn't be considered a very good person. But even then, she was not at all deserving of death. And that young guy she was having sex with, he certainly didn't deserve to lose all his sanity, being accused of a crime he did not commit.

"Why am I thinking these things? Why does it matter that they do not deserve their fates? The poor aren't born deserving of starvation, but it still happens." After eating Elaine's characteristic, Ethan found himself second guessing his actions, but he soon came back to 'normal'.

Finishing his bath, Ethan got up from the bathtub, going back to the bedroom.

"It's best if I don't do much in the coming days. Even if my performance was impeccable, the churches will come to realize that the youngster's mind was intensively corrupted, so they'll be on high alert." Reaching his bed, Ethan laid upon it, completely unclad.

"After becoming an Unwinged Angel, the cold doesn't seem to affect me that much anymore." And he drifted into sleep.

…

North Borough, Ethan's rented house, half a month later, close to the dusk.

In these two weeks, Ethan kept living his life normally, he didn't kill anyone, nor did he commit any crimes, and even then, he had already digested twenty percent of the Unwinged Angel potion.

"I'll have probably digested it completely by the next eight weeks." Ethan was currently seated in a reclining chair in his living room, he was reading a book called 'The Last Love' by a woman named Fors Wall.

The book was good to relax his mind and pass the time. It was about a young lady that decided to shove all the false love she received, until she found a young nobleman that truly loved her.

It was a simple romance novel, not even a bestseller. But Ethan enjoyed this one, as the protagonist reminded him of when he met his previous wife, even if she turned out to be a bit*ch in the end.

Closing the book in his hands, Ethan got up from the reclining chair and proceeded to his front door.

He would be participating in a meeting organized by a person known as the 'Eye of Wisdom'. This was a gathering Elaine participated in, it was also the place she was able to buy the main ingredients of her potion.

Charles' didn't know anything about this gathering, it seemed his research of the gathering's happening in Backlund were limited to those of the Aurora Order.

The only problem was that all members used iron masks and black robes that were given to them, and as Ethan did not have those items, he would be barred at the door.

'There's a man known as Kaspars that kind of works with the gathering's convener. Well… I think I should pay him a visit.' Picking his black top hat, Ethan was now wearing his completely black suit, trousers, boots, vest, and gloves.

Getting his cane from the hanger on the side of the door, and his suitcase on the living room's table, Ethan left the house, walking in the direction of Bravehearts Bar on Iron Gate Street in the area of Backlund Bridge.

Following the path in Elaine's memories, he quickly reached his desired location.

The bar was made of black wood, its big and heavy door having a similar outline as the rest of the structure. There was a seemingly two-meter tall, brawny man guarding it, but he didn't pay Ethan much attention.

Seeing the man ignoring him, Ethan passed him and opened the door. Inside, he saw two stages, there were people getting ready to start something with a bunch of rats and dogs on one of them, and two big men were seated by the side of the other.

The smell of alcohol and sweat annoyed Ethan a bit, but his expression didn't flinch.

Ethan started walking to the bartender, a young man with black hair and blue eyes, and when he reached the counter, he said, "Your best drink." throwing a soli to him.

The bar man caught the soli, and produced a wooden cup, putting a golden liquid inside.

Picking the cup, Ethan brought it to his lips and took a sip. The taste was good, but nothing compared to what Ethan had already tasted in his previous life, or what Charles' have had.

Drinking the beer in a few seconds, he put down the cup on the counter and said, "I'd like to speak with Mr. Kalilinin."

The bartender looked at him for a moment, seemingly analyzing every part of his being, and went on to say, "Billiard room 1."

Leaving the bartender, Ethan came in front of the door of billiard room 1, he noticed there were two men standing at the door.

Ethan looked at the men, and seemed to realize they wouldn't let him enter just by asking nicely.

Analyzing their expressions, behavior, and the many details of in their person, Ethan suddenly said, "An old friend of Mr. Kalinin has introduced me."

The two men looked at each other's face and said at nearly the same time "Leave."

'It seems this wasn't the right code, interesting.' Using his keen instincts and sharp vision of a Criminal, and Spectator, Ethan said in a loud voice, "What a pity. I thought Mr. Kalinin would enjoy making some quick pounds, well, how unfortunate indeed."

He then turned around and started leaving, when suddenly, a voice was heard from inside the room, "Let him enter."

When Ethan heard the deep voice, his lips immediately curled up into a smile, seemingly quite amused by what he heard.

When he became a Spectator, Ethan's analytical capabilities received an insane upgrade, it could be said that he wasn't too inferior when compared to some well established Mentalists from his past life.

From the way Kaspars acted in Elaine's memories, and from the way his subordinates showed themselves, Ethan knew that Kaspars was a man of business.

He wouldn't lose an opportunity to make some quick cash when it was presented to him on a silver plate adorned with jewels.

And with such an understanding of the target, Ethan knew the exact way he should behave himself to make the man do exactly what he wanted.

Concealing his smile, Ethan turned around and passed through the men guarding the door. They opened it to him, giving room for his entrance.

Inside, the room was very simplistic, it had a billiard table, some chairs, a mini-bar and some cues nailed to the walls.

Ethan saw the fifty-year old man with a brandy nose, known as Kaspars. He was currently playing with another man, and it seemed to be the man's turn.

"What do you want here?" Asked Kaspars with a not very friendly, but still minimally polite, expression.

"I have heard you have the capability to connect me with some people that gather near this bar some days." Ethan looked at the man playing, analyzed his behavior, and noticed he didn't really show any emotion to what he just said.

"Well, I do. But why would I introduce you to them?" Kaspars started looking at Ethan with a high level of suspicion, he didn't seem too fond of Ethan knowing his secrets.

Seeing Kaspars suspicious expression, he produced ten pounds from his inner pocket, putting on the side table by Kaspars' side.

"I already know the place these people gather, I also know they are going to do so tonight. However, it would be impolite to just appear without being invited, that's why I came to you first." Ethan's tone of voice was devoid of anything but calmness, all his gestures screaming the elegance of a reserved gentleman.

Seeing the ten pounds on the table, Kaspars motioned for one of his subordinates to pick it up, after not finding anything tricky about the money, he started walking to the room's door.

"Come with me." After that, Kaspars looked at one of the men guarding the door, nodding with his head.

Kaspars led Ethan to the bar's kitchen, entered an alley, and circled a darkened house.

Waiting for a few more minutes, Ethan saw one of the men that were guarding the door before, appearing once again. But this time, he was carrying a black hooded robe and an iron mask.

Picking the mask and robe, Kaspars gave it to Ethan and said, "Two pounds."

Ethan narrowed his eyes and looked at him, producing two one pound notes from his inner pocket.

Holding the mask and robe, Ethan wore them on his person, concealing his image completely. He then put the top hat on his suitcase, and waited for Kaspars to knock on the door.

Kaspars knocked on the wooden door, and soon enough, a small board on it opened, revealing green eyes within. The person behind the door scrutinized Ethan and said to Kaspars, "Stop bringing people without notice. If it weren't me, you would already be receiving quite the beating."

The person, seemingly a woman from their posture and tone of voice, led Ethan through the darkened house into the activity room on the first floor.

With a candle burning above a small coffee table, Ethan saw about eight people sitting in the chairs and sofas around the coffee table.

Finding a sofa by the side of the boarded window, Ethan sat on it, putting his suitcase on the floor by the side of his foot.

Observing the people around him, Ethan saw an old elder seated in a single sofa nodding at him, seemingly giving his 'greetings' to him.

Waiting a few more minutes, no one else showed up, and the elder proceeded to say, "I don't think anyone else will come this time. Let us begin."

With this, a man seated in a reclining chair on the other side of the room from Ethan, spoke with a deep voice, "I wish to buy the potion formula for Sequence 9, Criminal."