"This was… delicious," Genevieve said in awe as she stared at the empty plate that she had just wiped clean. "You could be a professional chef."
"I'm just a guy who likes meat, but being a chef isn't out of the question," Aiden said with a pondering expression.
"You would agree to a career change that easily, but not go on a mission with me?" she asked teasingly. "I'm beginning to think that you hate me."
"I would, but anyone would find it impossible to hate someone as beautiful as you are," he said. "But I can be annoyed, and that's enough for now."
"You are annoyed by me?" she asked.
"Is that a real question?" Aiden looked at her with confusion. "You visited me multiple times, sent a shadow to threaten me, and even a goddess to guide me."
"I sent no goddess," she said with a frown. "You visited Lumen."
"As if you didn't already know," Aiden said while rolling his eyes. "Even if you didn't ask the goddess, you should know I visited her earlier today."
"Is that why you are annoyed?"
"I'm annoyed because I don't have the strength to stop you," Aiden said while looking at her. "Imagine my reaction when one of the most powerful seekers in Argan keeps chasing me, asking me to go on a dangerous mission with them."
"Most would be happy to join me."
"Not me. I just arrived in this city, and I don't know anything about you."
"I'm pretty sure you asked around," she said with a sly smile.
"I did."
"And what did you hear?"
"All stories that make you even more perfect: kind, powerful, generous, and impartial."
"Then, why are you still wary?"
"I just told you the reason," Aiden said with a smile. "I'm sure that beneath this persona that you have shown to others, there is something dark tucked beneath the seamless façade."
The Guild Master looked at him in silence.
"There is a limit to how much I would tolerate your remarks," she said.
"And there's a glimpse of the darkness I mentioned," Aiden said with a grin. "In a world where strength is everything, one cannot help but have a little pride that would corrupt their personality."
"I have been nothing but kind."
"And I thank you for that, but don't expect me to wag my tail and bark," Aiden said with a similarly deadpan expression. "Our interactions have been orchestrated by you, so do forgive me when I don't play by the rules."
She was silent.
"I want you on my side."
Aiden looked at her.
"How do I achieve that?"
Then, Aiden smiled.
"That's a good way to start," he said. "For starters, how about you drop the act?"
The Guild Master was silent. And then, she went through a silent transformation that did not escape Aiden's eyes. Her shadow grew darker, while her eyes blazed with desire.
Aiden could no longer draw a breath. The person in front of him morphed from a gentle stream to a hurricane of ambition. Her eyes looked past him, toward something that no one dreamed of achieving.
"I want to be the first to reach the Stillpoint," she said. "Once I set foot in a place that no one has reached, I will use the power contained within it to reshape the world."
Aiden managed to croak out. "Reshape it into what?" he asked, against his better judgment.
"I want to eradicate desire," she admitted. "For that reason, I need any strength I can borrow to reach the center before anyone else does."
[Desire Fragment: Genevieve Solmire]
[Type: ASCENSION]
["Reach the Stillpoint—the untouched core of creation, where all paths converge and the impossible becomes manifest."]
[Reward: ---]
[Failure: PERMANENT MARK OF STASIS (Inability to progress beyond current power level)]
Aiden stared at the window in silence. He knew this was coming, but he didn't stop it—he wished for it. He wanted to tie his fate to hers, in ways that neither of them could break.
"I will take you there," he said.
Genevieve looked at him in confusion.
"I will take you to the Stillpoint one day."
"Does that mean you will help me with the mission?"
"Not just the mission," he said, his expression dark. "That desire of yours—I will fulfill it for a price."
"What kind of price?"
"Your soul," Aiden said. "If I take you to the Stillpoint, I want your soul in return."
Genevieve looked at him with fear.
"You can't take it."
"Maybe not now—but one day. If you reach it yourself, then that's fine," he said. "But if I was the one to take you there, I want to own your soul. You will be mine."
Genevieve couldn't understand the man in front of her. His eyes betrayed no emotions and no mockery. He was confident and without a sliver of doubt about his ability to take her there.
"If you grant me that desire," she said. "Then my soul is yours, Mr. Devil in Disguise."
"That's not a bad name," he said with a smile. "But I have to warn you, Genevieve Solmire."
"Someone has been asking around for my name," she said with a smile. "What are you warning me about, Mr. Devil?"
Aiden stared at her with a smile.
"Careful what you wish for," he said and tilted his head with a smile.
Genevieve stared at him with a frown. The man before her, despite being so much weaker and younger, managed to make her afraid. However, she had no qualms about offering her soul to achieve her goal.
"Does that mean you will come with us?" she asked.
"I will," Aiden said with a nod. "However, I have my conditions."
"I will fulfill them," she said with a nod. "And… just a piece of advice. You can't obtain any Awakening Shards from unranked monsters."
"Uh, I already knew that," Aiden said with a twitching brow. "I was just out here warming up—you know, these monsters are too easy for me. I was just thinking about finding stronger ones."
Genevieve looked at him with a squint.
"You don't have to worry about that," she said with a grin. "The monsters we will face are a lot stronger."