Sen was standing near the inn window. To his side was his nightly friend. Its constantly shifting body of darkness and an expressionless face were still a mystery to Sen. Its height was still the same from the last time he saw it which was quite strange as it always seemed to grow taller every time they met. It had become a norm for him now to expect it every night and today was no different.
He was still locked in the room by the man. The drunk man was sleeping on the bed ,his snores airing the ale smell all over the room.
Sen was not worried of the man. If he was here to kill him he would have done it. All he carded about was the figure in front of him.
" Since you're not going to tell where I can find her … " he paused to a sighed. " tell me what you are. " he said staring at its silver eyes.
The figure stared back. Even in the moonlight the only thing that Sen could make sense of were its eyes. It had no mouth ,no ears and it rarely moved from the window where it usually spawned.
" I know you were during the incident… and I now that u tried to help me."
" So tell me what you are or who you are. Or anything, anything at all."
Silence was the only thing that answered Sen followed by a few faint snores from the man. The creature's and Sen's silver eyes glimmered in the moonlight, one filled with a blank the other with impatient curiosity.
Sen was about to turn away from the creature when he heard a low and fragmented hum.
Sen's eyes widened as he turned back to the creature trying to make sense of the hum. At first it was sharp high pitched and irritated Sen's ears. Then gradually it took form though fragmented.
" You… chan—. " Sen heard.
" …u've change…"
Then suddenly the humming stopped. The figures eyes slowly pulsed in a silver hue as staggered back supporting it self along the window.
" Are you okay?" Sen asked as he extended his hand to help it.
Sen's hand rested on its shoulder. It was cold with a swirly feel coursing through its surface. This only applied to his left hand.
His right hand seemed to be pulled deeper into its silhouette body. An echoing force pulsed from the creature as it pulled his right hand closer. His fingertips gradually sank into the body of the figure getting warmer every second. Deep in the creature's body the rune on Sen's right hand glowed brighter with a thread like energy getting drawn from his hand.
Sen was holding the figure in his hands his right hand lunged deep into it. He gazed at it's fading silver eyes as the creature started to dissipate. Like a jigsaw puzzle, fragments of the figure started to fade into the moonlight. Sen's eyes widened with worry as he shifted his gaze to the night sky.
" It's not morning yet." He thought looking back to the disappearing creature.
In previous visits, when Sen was still recovering, the creature usually started to disappear nearing dawn. As of now the sun's rays had hardly cast the Earth's final shadow onto the horizon and it was already disappearing.
" What's happening to your body? The sun is not up yet." Sen said as he looked at the figure.
The creature's body was down to its face. Its eyes were practically snuffed out with only a small flicker deep in its eyes pulsing. It looked at Sen who was holding its head in his hands.
Suddenly Sen heard a hum. It was clear and had no noise attenuating it. It felt familiar as it reverbed in his mind.
" Krona—Speci "
Then the figure's faded into the moonlight with nothing left.
Sen was left his hands extended as though he was holding something fragile in his hands. He stared down to the floor with no motion as though frozen in time.
" What was that voice?" he thought.
" It's the same as the one from then." His thoughts drifted back to when he was still in the miasma event and heard something say " Run".
" Krona—Speci?!"
" What's that?" he thought trying to fit the name to any context he had read before.
Sen rose from where he was kneeling and strode across the room towards his desk. He was immersed in thought of the early disappearance and fading of the figure then followed by a familiar voice such that he didn't notice the desk until he hit it.
" Ow! Ow!"
He took a seat down rubbing his foot which was now in pain from the impact. It was still dark and apart from the moonlight that lit a section of the room there was hardly anything Sen could see. His mind was still boggled by the word. He had never seen or heard the word before .
" Maybe some old language or a place "he thought trying to make sense of it.
" Also, why did it disappear so early?" he wondered.
With a sigh Sen gazed at the window why the figure had spawned.
" I'll ask it tomorrow. " he said as he rested his head on the desk as he closed his eyes.
" There is no tomorrow for it." Sen heard a voice in the dark. He was startled as he quickly turned to his bed.
The air hung thick and chill with a stench of ale reeking from the man now rising from it. He walked to the window his sword cluttering with every step. He then ran his fingers over the window where the creature had supported itself before disappearing. A small flicker of light blue dust rose as he withdrew his hand from the window.
Sen's eyes followed the man who was now sober, completely different from the one he had met who was tipsy with every step. He could hardly see his face. He watched the man walk farther from the window and was now standing in front of him. His hands rested on his swords hilt as he gazed at Sen.
" Did you… did you see it?" Sen asked the man.
" No. " he said.
" I can't really see emotions." he added.
Silence grasped the air. Sen's was speechless his mouth stuttering trying to find the right words to say.
" What do you mean? " Sen asked.
" It's a little complicated now but… " the paused as he narrowed his eyes looking at Sen.
" There was something's … no… ,someone's will that residing within you and whatever you were talking to over there was its emotions. "
" Will, Emotions ? Your not making any sense , and how do you even know that? "
The man sighed as he looked at the frantic boy panic. He understood what he was going through. It was hardly three weeks after he had experienced a traumatizing event, lost his entire village and almost died. That was a lot for a fourteen year old.
" As you know arcane is more than just power. It also a manifestation of one's will which is felt through their arcane. That's how I now that you were talking to someone and that's how I know it isn't coming back. "
" That's because whatever it was, its arcane signature has disappeared with it. Even the one you were emanating. "
" What?! "Sen asked his eyes wide and mouth agape.
" I was … ? "
" Huh, I guess you never realized. " the man said as he moved towards the door.
Sen was still in awe. He had never felt anything different neither did those around him. Or maybe, or maybe they knew and never told him. He didn't know.
" So then what is Krona—Speci? " Sen asked the man.
" I don't know , you tell me kid. "
The pale fingers of dawn crept through the warped wooden shutters, casting soft golden slivers across the dusty floorboards. The scent of still lingered in the room.
Outside, muffled clinks of buckets and murmured chatter hinted at life slowly stirring as the inn doors opened for the day.
It was a new day , quiet, unsure. Sen gazed at the man open the door his eyes sharper than last night. His eyes were set with determination . Before he left the door he said.
" You stay here , am going to get a drink. "