Emerald Twilight

"Because they're coming after you too!"

Such a sentence instantly jolted Klaris' brain, and a plan instantly formed in his mind with the help of Magnus' and Restiel's cognitive abilities.

They all filtered through their options, thinking about possibilities, and where to go.

"Very well," Klaris answered Amini, as the desperation wormed its way onto the man's face.

"We can escape, but give me a moment."

Klaris then began to whisper,

"I am the thief of mirrored creation,

The cloned child,

The descendant of greens,

And the walker of reflections."

The world instantly blurred, and Klaris found himself standing before a Magnus of the past. He lunged forward and instantly snatched a certain Scroll into his hands.

The Magnus of the past flinched, but as he saw Klaris' face, he couldn't help but ask, "Mirror World Thief?"

Klaris nodded.

"Alright... I wish myself luck then. It should be that escape plan, right? To think that I would have to resort to such an item... just what happened?" Past Magnus muttered to himself as Klaris redid his invocation.

Past Magnus' worries weren't his problems at all.

In the next moment, he was back.

And he was holding another Scroll.

"Here, I have a One-Time Transport Scroll." Klaris made a swift introduction, "I'm pretty sure you know how it works. I can give it to you if you give me the information now."

"Yes!" Amini nearly screamed, "That's perfect... Perfect."

Amini then reached into his clothes and produced an item from his bloodied pockets. It was a folded piece of paper about the size of a card. A piece of paper that contained what he knew.

"Take this! It's all that I know! Please give me the Scroll. I can't die yet!"

Klaris tossed the Scroll to Amini just as he accepted the piece of paper. Amini busily went to writing down the details needed for the One-Time Transport Scroll to work. While Klaris unfolded the piece of paper that he was given and read through its contents.

[[ On Emerald Twilight ]]

[[ A secretive organisation that hunts down necromancy powers. Driven by a deep hatred for such powers, they scour the world, looking for any hint they can get. ]]

[[ Once they find a target, they stick to that target until they achieve success in their elimination. They are currently targeting me (Amini) and you (Klaris of Thawsore) due to us coming into contact with the Ring of Undead Fate. If not for you stealing such a ring, the Emerald Twilight wouldn't be able to catch wind of its presence. ]]

[[ They're now hunting the family who had issued the search for the ring, and once they're done with them, we will face their full attention. ]]

Just as Klaris finished reading, he witnessed Amini disappearing in a flash of light. Klaris himself suddenly felt chills across his spine.

Something was lurking within this hotel's walls!

Feeling the tension, Klaris switched with Magnus and then grabbed the sleeping Javelin from the bed.

He fled outside, through the balcony and into the room beside him.

And from there he hid.

Silence pervaded, as Magnus tried to act the part of a cat owner sitting at the balcony of the hotel room. He petted Javelin and did his best in acting.

Just then,

A person emerged from his previous room and glanced outside the balcony. The two locked eyes for a moment.

Magnus tilted his head as he surveyed the woman before him. Long green hair, green eyes, and seductive features.

"Have you seen anyone jumping off of this window?" She asked, her voice ringing in Magnus' ear as if it was forcing him to puke out the truth.

"None, madame." Magnus spat out his words without his control.

"What's your name, boy?" She asked.

"Magnus Avary." He replied.

"Ah," The woman seemed to nod in understanding, and the bewitchment seemed to have disappeared, "You're that gravity young man from the Starry-Eyed Bout. Fancy meeting you here,"

"I wanted to enjoy a few nights of relaxation," Magnus smiled, still inwardly terrified of whatever power that was.

'If she asked the right questions, I would've been doomed... thankfully she doesn't suspect me after hearing my name,'

"Then I hope you do get that time to relax." The woman said as she turned around with grace and disappeared into the room.

Magnus still wore a confused yet curious look on his face as he muttered the words,

"Who was she?"

He was acting.

You know, just in case.

"It's a good thing she didn't wake Javelin up," He sighed in feigned relief.

.

.

.

That little bit of extra acting that Magnus put in was worth the effort, although he would have no way of knowing it.

The woman, Codename: Blaze, was a member of the Emerald Twilight. She was there on orders to clean up certain undead candidates who had come into contact with a powerful artefact called the Ring of Undead Fate.

It was an artefact that would instantly interweave one's fate with the undead. It was impossible to escape it once it has woven fate itself.

There will come a time when the person who comes into contact with the ring becomes something of an undead. It was inevitable.

As for what Blaze had done earlier with her questions, it was the work of the artefact she had around her neck. It was a necklace called Truthseeker, and it worked well when worn by people with good looks. The better the looks, the stronger the effects.

The only problem would be the Curse that comes with making its Blessing function— the requirement of having green hair and green eyes.

Thus, Blaze had to dye her hair regularly and wear contact lenses whenever she had the artefact on her.

Otherwise, she would be greatly weakened or something weird would happen to her, which was turning into a frog.

Thus, she was surprised to see that the ghost of the arena had been sitting right in front of her upon asking for a name. So much so, that her mind flew towards the boasting she could do when she gets back.

'I found him! Before anyone else, I'm definitely the first.' She laughed inside her head. 'I should have taken a photo for proof.'

Magnus was just that famous for being able to disappear from the eyes of even a 3-star threat. It baffled many people, and left many more wondering where he stayed when he does not appear in public.

His fame was also the reason why Blaze lost all suspicions for him. His Blessing was well known to be gravity-based, and his hiding abilities was only because of a faction behind him.

Her target had nothing of the sort, only relying on themselves and their Blessings.

At least, that was what she knew.

Nonetheless, with Truthseeker, she confirmed that her target had not left through the window. They likely used some special technique to disappear from her eyes.

'It's likely a companion... that man called Klaris from Thawsore...' Those were her thoughts just as she heard Magnus whisper,

"It's a good thing she didn't wake Javelin up,"

It made Blaze smile as she sighed,

"Ah, youth,"

She had a pet cat once upon a time too.

.

.

.

When Magnus was sure that the woman was gone, he decided to go to a different hotel. He hadn't rented the room beside him as he had not expected such an event.

On top of that, he was saving money for his tuition.

Just as he was about to stand up, however,

Poof!

Yet another Scroll appeared in his face.

[[ Personal Trial Scroll: Hiding Rats ]]

[[ You have encountered the faction chasing after you, and you have knowledge of their intentions. Keep your suspicious identity a secret and survive for the next thirty hours. ]]

[[ Await their penalties, for they have issued a Scroll against you. Wallow in despair at the helplessness of being alone. ]]

[[ Reward for Completion: One-Time Blessing Enhancement Scroll ]]

Magnus was stunned, "There it is,"

The reason why factions were a must in this world of Blessings and Curses.

Magnus bit his lip.

"Scroll Issuance,"

Something that is only possible with a large enough amount of people all working towards the same goal or facing the same predicament.

It was all about the numbers.

The more people there were, the better the rewards for either side. After all, with large amounts of people, many were going to die.

And as they die due to a Trial, all their powers will be delivered to the Trials to be recycled as rewards.

That was the theory. The theory of the cycle of power. Just like the water cycle, but for individual strength.

Magnus took one glance at the reward and was further stunned into silence. Such a Scroll would be a blessing from the heavens.

"And all I need is to survive for thirty hours?" Magnus cackled as he floated down to the streets of Quarteridge.

He found a new hotel and booked a room. There, he summoned Restiel out and assimilated Javelin once more.

After that, he disappeared into the alleyways that he had been living in for so much time recently.

And so, the hours went by.

Magnus would often see that green-haired woman's face as he went around. They clearly had a way to track him down, but it didn't seem to be as great as Amini's. They were left circling around the city as if they were patrolling and not searching for their target.

Frustration kept growing on Blaze's face, making Magnus inwardly laugh as he avoided looking at her.

Just in case she could sense his gaze.

.

.

.

Meanwhile, in Midseer.

Amini appeared out of thin air after using the One-Time Transport Scroll. The familiar and clean buildings of the city appeared before his eyes as the cold pervaded his entire body.

He needed to go home, pack up, and then go into hiding. With his Blessing, Versatile Prophetic Observation, he could avoid any prying eyes as long as their intentions were clear to him and he knew of who they were.

He had faith in his own abilities.

"Thankfully, that rat bastard had something useful. I was right to go to him," Amini wanted to swear at Klaris, cursing him to the heavens for stealing something he shouldn't have, while also thanking him for his ability to keep him alive.

"It's all that damn ring's fault! Who wears such a dangerous ring out in public for people to steal?!" Amini also wanted to curse the family clan that had hired him.

If not for them, he wouldn't be in this predicament.

"It's a good thing I had information that Klaris wanted..." Amini sighed as he began running to his flat at the middle areas of Midseer.