[Exaner Verestra
Lifespan: 22,3/202,3
Origin: Yellow Leaf City, Xen]
While Marcus and the servant still had not recovered, Olivier observed the latter, and his eyes of truth provided him with timely information. The servant's name was Exaner, and he was not much older than Marcus. However, what made Olivier thoughtful was the shown lifespan.
More than two hundred years. Could it be that the people in Exaner's home world naturally had longer lives? Thinking about it, Benjamin also had a lifespan of more than a hundred years even before he discovered the Café of Dreams. This was definitely more than a normal human should have. Perhaps this was caused by the different conditions of different worlds.
While Olivier was pondering this issue, he saw something out of the corner of his eyes. The shelf behind him consisted of numerous small compartments. They were numbered from 1 to 100. And now the number one was faintly glowing.
Olivier was slowly growing bolder when it came to matters concerning the café. He only hesitated for a second before reaching for compartment number one and taking out the things inside. There were a black key and a piece of folded paper. The key appeared familiar to Olivier. It was the same kind he used to return to the café from Sam's world. He put it aside for now and opened the piece of paper.
With a light thud a pair of unadorned grey rings fell out of the paper and landed on the counter. Olivier glanced at them for a moment before placing his attention on the paper, reading the blood-red text.
It was a contract with Marcus's and Exaner's names on it. It demanded that Exaner would help Marcus strive towards his goals. Marcus would pay Exaner with 0,5 years of his life for each year the contract was active. The conditions were not exactly strict. Additionally, the two young men would be provided with a pair of rings from the Café of Dreams which had the power to change the wearers' appearances to give them an identical look and allowed them to share memories.
Olivier didn't have much of an opinion on the contract. He was only amazed as the café seemed to hide endless mysteries. Olivier put the contract down and raised his head, noticing Marcus staring at him.
"Here."
Olivier didn't say much as he turned the contract around. Marcus approached with deep wrinkles on his forehead. He deeply stared at Olivier before moving his head towards the contract. As he read through the contract, Marcus tried to remain indifferent, but Olivier could see the shock in his eyes.
"And you say you are not a witch…"
Murmuring to himself Marcus went through the contract in his mind. He glanced over his shoulder towards Exaner who didn't dare to move from the sofa, obviously unable to come to terms with the situation.
Marcus was doubtful. Could this meek person really be of help to him? What could they do? Did they have the power to convince the senate? Or could they protect Remus? They certainly didn't look like it.
Although Marcus was doubtful, with everything that had transpired so far he acknowledged that he couldn't understand the magic at play. Perhaps this man, the barista, had a reason for his arrangements. If he could protect Remus, Marcus was willing to pay a high price. He didn't even bother to think whether this barista had any underlying schemes.
Thinking it through, Marcus grabbed everything from the counter and walked over towards Exaner, who eyed him warily.
"What do you guys want? Why did you bring me here?"
Exaner's voice was meek. As Marcus approached, he tried to keep his distance, sliding to the edge of the sofa. Marcus frowned faintly. Without the ability to communicate he didn't know how to convince the other.
"You both can read the contract."
Just then Olivier's reminder came from behind. Marcus froze for a moment before putting the contract on the table next to him. Together with one of the rings he pushed the contract towards Exaner. Next, he demonstratively put the other ring on his finger for Exaner to see.
The young man in rough clothes hesitated. He stared at the composed Marcus and felt a sense of strength in the other's eyes. Perhaps compelled by years of servitude, Exaner finally reached out with his hand. He pulled the contract towards him. In his eyes the text was written in his language.
Exaner shivered reading the contents of the contract. Especially the part about paying with lifespan made him feel as if he landed in an icy abyss. What did he do to end up in such a situation? Could he still go back?
However, thinking about going back Exaner recalled his life so far. Was it worth going back? After suddenly disappearing he could already imagine his fate. He would certainly be interrogated to death. His master wouldn't believe him even if he told the truth.
Exaner let out a defeated sigh. He realized that he didn't really have a choice. But at least he wanted to know what he would face. Thus, his eyes grew determined as he grabbed the ring from the table and put it on in one fluid motion.
Suddenly both Marcus and Exaner froze. Their gazes grew unfocused, their bodies shivering, their breath laborious. Memories poured into their minds.
Exaner was the first to recover. Not because he was more powerful than Marcus. But because the latter figured out how to regulate the ring, deciding which memories to share and which to withhold.
It took Exaner a few more seconds to understand this mechanism. When both young men stopped the transmission of memories the room fell silent. Exaner and Marcus stared at each other, unable to hide the shock in their eyes. For them the concept of other worlds was unimaginable previously. What they had just experienced had a profound impact on their worldviews.
"You are… quite strong."
Marcus was the first to speak. His pronunciation was shaky but he was able to use Exaner's language.
Out of all the strange things to focus on, what stood out to Marcus was Exaner's strength. Despite being a lowly servant unable to raise his head proudly, Exaner had the physical strength to wrestle with bears and subdue lions. He even knew some simple combat skills, a necessity to survive in his perilous world.
Exaner instinctively wanted to deny but no words came from his lips. He sorted through the memories he received and realized that the average strength of Marcus's world seemed to be… strangely weak?
"So, what do you want from me?", asked Exaner after a while.
Marcus hadn't really figured it out himself yet. The current situation was beyond his comprehension. All of his previous plans suddenly appeared insufficient.
With thoughts beginning to run wildly, Marcus sat down and began to talk to Exaner. The two began to exchange information, making light of their situation. Meanwhile plans formed in Marcus's head and were dismissed again as he gauged the newfound possibilities. He probed the abilities of the ring given by Olivier and realized that it allowed Exaner to perfectly replicate his appearance. Even Marcus would think he was staring at a mirror.
Using the abilities of the ring Exaner could replace Marcus. Slowly an ambitious plan formed in Marcus's mind. Once it had taken root it couldn't be eradicated anymore. It was time to aim for the position of Praecipio!
The praecipio was the leader of the emperor's guard. He served as adviser to the emperor and often even as the emperor's deputy. His influence in the empire was immense as he had power within both the military and the senate.
Yet the path to become a praecipio was fraught with difficulties. One had to make a name for oneself in the army, show strategic talent and commanding skills. Simultaneously social skills were important. One had to gain the support of various officials only to be granted a chance to even speak to the emperor. And all one's hard work before would be for nothing if one failed to win the emperor's favor.
However, Marcus was confident. With Exaner's strength he would definitely shine in the army while Marcus himself would bring the necessary social and strategic skills. If both their talents were combined, they had perfect conditions for success.
The more he thought about it, the more Marcus felt it was feasible. A spark of excitement formed in his heart. He immediately began to explain his plan to Exaner. With the help of memory sharing the latter quickly caught on. He was amazed by Marcus's ability to plan ahead.
It wasn't difficult for Marcus to convince Exaner. On one hand the servant didn't have much choice and on the other he also felt some anticipation. Wasn't this his chance at a new life? From a lowly servant he would enter a world where he was one of the strongest people. Exaner's defeated eyes regained their sparkle.
Finally, both men were convinced. As stated in the contract they signed with blood and from then on, a subtle connection formed between them. Their rise was about to begin.