A Risky Meet?

Akiol had his eyes closed. Aura was steadily rising from his body in strands. Occasionally one would snap and disappear, only for another new strand to take its place.

These strands seemed to want to weave together, as if to form a fabric. Yet each time they slowly moved to the other, they would snap before making contact. Akiol had been in this position for a while, yet nothing else interesting happened. Givale and Mira occasionally sparred, but rapidly grew bored of doing that and instead patiently waited.

Everyone remained silent in fear of interrupting. No one was aware of what was going through Akiol's mind. Just as they were mindlessly watching, the Aura all snapped at once and Akiol opened his eyes. Givale grew excited and rushed to meet him, but stopped dead in her tracks upon seeing the frown on his face.

Akiol's control over Aura had indeed increased, the strands were him thinning out his control as much as possible and moving it. With the practice he could already feel the changes in his control. Yet despite his improvement, no Strand of Existence made its presence known.

Was this the wrong route to take? If quality or quantity wasn't the answer, then what he could he be missing? Another application of Aura? He wasn't entirely sure how to go about searching for that.

Moreover a message from somebody had him bothered, he was second guessing whether or not he should ask them for assistance. What stopped him from dismissing their help all together was the strength they had. No doubt there was some benefit from gaining their might. . .

Pondering it for a bit longer he decided to take the risky move. It wasn't that he desperately needed the help. Rather he thought of it was an opportunity to see what they were capable of, and if they were a dangerous ally to continue having.

The individual he was referring to, or in this case individuals, was none other than Eternal Candle. He rarely used their connections with information, and currently was only in contact with a representative and Hank. Akiol figured it would be improper to ask Hank personally, since he seemed to be employed by Eternal Candle. So he contacted the representative with the information about his offer. It took a bit for a response, but Akiol found the response to be suspicious.

Eternal Candle wished to meet up in person, not via game.

The representative explained that the boss, who would be the one to consider this deal, was currently busy with various matters and couldn't afford to log in at the moment. Although he was busy, Terwin wanted to express his sincerity in handling this matter. What was troubling was the request to meet in person.

Akiol wasn't omnipotent, he couldn't predict their intentions. Additionally he was more helpless in the real world without the strength granted in game. Despite the rampant peace in the world, their weaponry wasn't something simple to handle. If Terwin had ill intentions, Akiol was unsure if he could escape unharmed.

Yet, he also needed to figure out what they were capable of. A moment like this was potentially an opportunity. Under the guise of friendly meetings, he could assess their potential danger. If they held any alternate ideas, ones that were harmful, Akiol wouldn't be afraid to cut off contact.

Having decided he informed the others, "I have some thinking to do."

Givale and Mira glanced at each other before disappearing. Akiol logged out with a swift motion and exited his gaming pod. Rolling his shoulders he examined his body's condition. A habit every time he logged out. He had already long since reached the limit to his physique. Without usage of other powers there wasn't a way to break beyond this limit naturally. Only forceful methods would exist, and Akiol already experienced the backlash upon using these.

As he moved to the livingroom he noticed how quiet everything was. Assuming the others were in the game he left a note at the table explaining where he was at. If anything were to happen, he would rely on them.

Making himself a bit more presentable he stared at the mirror. A frown formed on his face as he plucked out a few more hairs, "That's odd. . . have I been stressed recently?"

Inspecting the silvery white hairs he tossed them into the trash and moved towards the door. Feeling the air hit his face he spent a moment to take it in. Now that he thought about it, it's been a while since anything interesting happened outside of the game. Perhaps it really was like a second world.

Letting his mind wander as he walked let the time move faster. Soon enough he approached a location. Placing his hands behind his back he rested against a wall for a moment.

To his surprise the location Eternal Candle was located was quite far on the continent. It would take a few days to travel by car. However the representative stated they were willing to cover the travel costs. A token of their sincerity. Going as far as to pick him up personally. Was this just a method to lower his guard? Or a testament to his worth as a player?

Akiol could not dwell on this matter, for his ride arrived. A luxurious black car rolled up, the paint almost sparkling. Anyone who saw this car in their current location might think an important person was doing something shady. Entertaining these thoughts for a bit Akiol entered the car.

A certain part of him held awe with how it felt to enter the car. The overly comfortable seats, the way everything seemed to meld together. Was this how people felt being among the top of the world's economy?

Akiol chalked up this feeling to the remnants of James.

The driver eyed Akiol through the mirror, "You look a bit similar to your game avatar."

"Oh? I thought you would make a comment about how different it was."

"No. . . there's only slight changes."

"Interesting."

The driver changed the topic, "You ready?"

"Take me away."

"Terwin expresses his gratitude for you entertaining this process."

"You could say I was bit interested."

The car moved forward smoothly and gained traction on the road. Akiol was now on his way to meet with Eternal Candle personally.