They spoke and discussed several important matters before the meeting was adjourned. Freya and Zack stood up as they bade the Architect farewell. They began to slowly dissipate as Kharon pushed himself up from his seat. His grey eyes scanned the room as if looking for something before they turned to the door. He took slow steps towards it as he walked out of the room.
'I should do a bit more runeweaving before I sleep. Tomorrow will be fairly busy with the new recruit's trial. I also need to try completing the rooms to make the Eclipse Sanctum more comfortable to live in, create premade runeweaves for Zack and so many other things...'
Kharon sighed as he opened a door. The smell of ink and parchment filled his nose as he walked to his desk and took a seat. His eyes hovered a certain spot as he turned towards the parchments on the desk and began his work.
...
As his eyes slowly opened, Kharon lifted his head off the desk as he looked down to see small pieces of parchment. Several symbols had been carefully drawn on them. Kharon placed his hand on one as he felt the soft texture of the parchment. He quickly picked up the others as he sealed them into a pouch of sorts.
'Zack should be satisfied with these ones. They are not my best work, but they will do.'
With a yawn, Kharon stood up as he stepped out of his workshop. He walked past several rooms as he smiled at his work. Each one was painted and had some furniture. The varying colours and textures contrasted against the dark, gloomy mansion but also stood out positively.
'I just need to buy more furniture and I will finally be done. I wonder if Zack and Freya will stay in their apartments or come and live in here. Either way it doesn't matter. They could always change their mind; the decision wouldn't be set in stone. But I still find myself wishing that they choose to live here. Even though my path would disagree.'
A faint, growling sound could be heard as Kharon stared down at his stomach. He sighed as he made his way to the pantry. As he looked through his options, he decided on Aethergrain Porridge as he picked up the bowl and carefully warmed in on the Aether Hearth. After a few seconds, he picked up his steaming hot bowl and walked out.
He took a bite as the sweet, savoury taste of the porridge travelled through his body. He walked towards a new room as he sat at a long, obsidian table. Placing his bowl down, he finished his meal in silence as his eyes lost focus.
'Zack and Freya will probably be hunting by now. Once they come back the next candidate, Philip Graystone will go through the trial. I hope he is a good fit for the Null Order, we need as many capable people as we can get.'
Finishing his meal absent-mindedly, Kharon stood up as he washed his bowl and vanished. He stood in the middle of a clean, furnished room as he walked towards a door and phased through it. As he looked back at the door, he saw the number ten written at the top. His body began to turn faint until he was completely gone. Kharon began phasing through the floor as he passed several apartments with people resting or engaging in other activities.
Kharon reached the ground floor as he walked through the building and went out onto the streets. His eyes darted around before his body began returning as he walked cautiously. He took a step at a time as he admired the starry sky. The rift seemed to stir, but nothing happened. Feeling his heartbeat quicken Kharon held his chest and chuckled. He looked up menacingly at the rift as he whispered, "Try that again..."
The rift remained unchanging as the stars twinkled in unison. Kharon spent his time walking through the streets as he reached Glimmershade Market. He watched as people chatted and bought each other gifts. With an indifferent gaze, he looked away and focused on his task.
Walking up to a large shop, Kharon spoke to a worker who was carefully arranging a table. He stood in silence for some time before the man noticed him.
"Sir. You are here again! How may I help you today?"
"I need to buy bedframes. And mattresses if possible. I need at least ten of each."
The short, bulky man looked a bit surprised but quickly replied, "Of course sir. Please follow me inside. I will show you our best models."
Kharon followed him as the man presented him with a wide selection. He looked at each one without any external changes as the man began fidgeting with his apron. Noticing the change in his behaviour, Kharon asked, "Are you ok sir? You seem unwell."
"No, no I am fine sir! It's just very warm in here don't you think?"
'Warm? My aether is not warm. If anything the room should be colder. Something seems off with this man. He always seems nervous when I am making a purchase. Could he be trying to scam me...? No, that can't be. I would be able to tell if he truly had ulterior motives. Maybe I just make him uncomfortable. My aether signature is quite strange after all.'
Kharon moved away from the man as he said, "I apologise if I was too close. It wasn't my intention to make you feel unsafe."
The man's eyes widened as he quickly uttered, "No sir. It has nothing to do with you. I must be tired from all the working. And the weather isn't making it any better."
"Would you like me to get you something? A snack could help you feel better."
The worker's face turned bright red as he said, "That wouldn't be necessary sir. I will be fine. Umm, do you like this bedframe sir? It's one of our best models. It is capable of changing sizes and has various effects such as temperature control and sleep inducement. It's perfect for someone of your status."
Kharon nodded as he said, "I will take it. Do you have a matching mattress?"
"We do. Right this way sir..."
After a few hours, Kharon had managed to buy everything he needed. He looked down at his bracelet as the golden projection shone. He quickly returned to Zack's apartment before teleporting to the Eclipse Sanctum.He quickly set up each bed in their respective rooms before returning to his workshop.
'Who needs a room when you have a workshop. I can work and sleep here without being disturbed. Zack and Freya will be here shortly, so I should get things ready. Philip Graystone... I am curious about his character. Will he be calm and calculating or bold and cunning...?'
Kharon smiled as he slowly stood up. He began drawing a simple runeweave as he walked as the symbols of aether floated around him like moths to a flame. He focused on them as they began to converge into a large tapestry. As the tapestry formed, Kharon could see two people. Zack who was storing away a few beast carcasses and Freya who was changing into comfortable clothing.
Kharon looked at them both indifferently as he dispelled his runeweave. Slowly, he made his way towards the stairs. Each step he took seemed to echo as he entered the meeting room. Taking his seat, he slightly raised his hand. His ring began to shine with a faint white light as Zack and Freya's silhouettes began to appear. When they were completely formed, they stood up in unison and said, "Good evening, Architect."
Kharon gave them a curt nod as they sat down. As Kharon stared into space, he heard Zack call him as he asked, "Shouldn't you be going to Philip's apartment? I told you his location."
"I will do so shortly. While I am gone, you can take a look at the rooms and decide if you want one. You don't have to live here if you don't want to. But you are more than welcome to choose a room."
As he said this, Kharon began vanishing as he saw Zack stand up excitedly. He looked towards Freya who was still sat down as she smiled at him before he completely vanished. He quickly left Zack's apartment as his body turned invisible. He ran through the Eclipsed Hollow and went into Moonreach Commons. He looked around as he found his target. A few meters away, there was a large apartment complex.
Kharon reached it as he climbed several floors. Once he reached the right place, he tried to phase through the door but failed.
'He has reinforced his door using arcana. That is fairly impressive, but not unexpected.'
Smiling eerily, Kharon began drawing several complex runes as they flew around the empty hallway like a swarm of bees. The began converging as they formed a grand tapestry. The space around them seemed to twist and contort as Kharon placed his hand on the door. The tapestry of runes followed as they were swallowed by the door.
'I was expecting more of a challenge. I guess he will make up for it during the trial...'