'Become… an Ascender?'
Lucian repeated her words in his mind. As a result, he wondered whether there was any credibility in her words—was there truly some hidden secret or technique that blessed one with awakening their Desire?
Currently, Lucian did not have the means to disprove it.
Information regarding the Tower of Desire was scarce in the backwater town of Stonekeep. Unless you were from a prominent family, a major guild, or simply had resourceful connections, the best you would get is general information, such as: the tower appears narrow, but it's all an illusion. In actuality, each floor of the tower is as vast as a country. General tidbits like that were what kept the hopeful common folk like him fed.
Passing up an opportunity to glean the secrets that could lead him to awakening sounded foolish. He couldn't possibly decline such an offer!
"I'll pass," answered Lucian indifferently.
The two older women weren't expecting an answer like that; their bewildered expressions spoke volumes. A short, awkward silence replaced the intense air of the lair for a moment.
Lucian sighed, feeling the need to explain himself. He added, "Look, your offer does sound appealing, but this is Stonekeep. Scammers and swindlers run rampant here. How do I know you're not trying to use me?"
Aurora clapped her hands, finding Lucian more amusing by the minute.
"You got a good head on those shoulders, Luci."
"Luci?" Rather pissed at the situation, Lucian frowned.
The boss of the Dragon's Den finally reached her limit and slammed her desk, causing both of them to flinch instinctively. Her left eyelash twitched before she spoke in a testy tone.
"I can assure you her words are true, Lucian. Have you not pieced it together already? Aurora here is, in fact, an Ascender—a powerful one at that. Don't forget that you work for me. You've completed odd jobs for me before; just think of this as another one. As a matter of fact, think of this as a breakthrough because your very life could change here. It's about time you start giving back to me and the orphanage for what we've done for you, don't you think?"
Lucian's breath was caught. Lady Kuro had never pressured him this much; his heart swelled with guilt for making someone he was grateful to so frustrated. However, what brought him back was the revelation that the northerner was an Ascender.
In front of him was an Ascender—a real Ascender, and one that was supposedly powerful. His brown eyes lit with the same look children have when meeting their heroes as he gathered his words.
"Miss Aurora," Lucian began speaking to her with more respect and then added excitedly, "You're an Ascender! What's your class? Wait... Could you display your Talent?"
Talents. The abilities and special powers an Ascender possesses. Naturally, there was a large variety of Talents in the world; each Ascender was blessed with their own power unique to them. An Ascender's Talent corresponded to their Desire. If a person desired to save lives, their Talent would grant healing abilities, and if they desired battle, it would be more destructive and offensive. In essence, one's Desire predetermined their Talents.
Aurora smirked, enjoying his admiration, and said in a cool tone, "Sure, I'll show you."
As she said that, golden sparks enveloped her, making her clear brown skin glow with a soft radiance. One moment, there was a flash, and in the next, a child no older than six or seven appeared before Lucian.
She had short raven-black hair and a gray wolfskin coat that was clearly too oversized for her small frame. The little girl appeared like a miniature version of Aurora! In addition to her crimson eyepatch covering most of her face, little Aurora had a cute, youthful demeanour.
"Whoa!" Lucian couldn't help but gasp in amazement, "You're actually the real deal. I've never seen an Ascender in person."
Little Miss Aurora carried a smug smile—which looked adorable from Lucian's point of view—and brushed imaginary dust off her shoulders. Lady Kuro tsked clearly not fazed, as if she was watching a stage play of sorts.
"Now, back to business," Little Miss Aurora said, still donning her childlike form, "Sure, the mission is dangerous, but I'll do my best to protect you. Besides, I just need your expertise in this field; leave the heavy lifting to me."
An easy job? Something so rare did not exist in Stonekeep, but he previously thought the same about Ascenders who didn't stray from their pursuit of ascension. There was also a high probability that he could awaken his Desire if he decided to follow through with her plan.
'Wait, was this the "opportunity" that Lady Kuro was referring to earlier?' Lucian finally grasped the meaning behind her words. He glanced at the child, Aurora, and raised his hand towards her.
"I'll give it one more try… Please, show me the path to ascension."
"Looks like this genius is yet to admit defeat," Aurora quipped, shaking his hand in return. "To a prosperous partnership, Luci."
Lucian's smile was as bitter as ever when he heard that "Luci" name leave her mouth again. However, this time, she wasn't an intimidating older woman, but a youthful brat. He leaned towards her after the handshake was over and lifted her like a trophy.
"Hey!" Aurora yelped with flushed cheeks. She squirmed like a caught animal, kicking her feet frantically, but her small limbs failed to reach him.
A satisfied grin appeared on Lucian's face at the sight of her helplessness. It lasted only a moment, though. Aurora paused and paid close attention to his face.
Feeling a sense of unease, Lucian asked, "Is something the matter? Hey… You better not be thinking about spitting on my face. Seriously, I will throw you."
"Not a bad idea," she said in return as if he had suggested that, "Those marks under your left eye, though… I feel like I've seen them somewhere before."
Raising a brow, Lucian paused until he realized that little Aurora was talking about his birthmark. Two dark starlike shapes of equal length and size were situated under his left eye. He often wondered why he had them and asked Lady Kuro about it many times, and each time he would receive the same answer:
"I don't know. Try asking your parents. Hahaha!"
A cruel joke, since she knew Lucian had been raised in an orphanage his whole life.
Before Lucian could speak, Lady Kuro interjected, "You should really put her down now. She may be a child—and act like one at times, but Aurora is older than me. Treat her with respect, Lucian."
"Huh…" Lucian blurted out, giving Aurora an awkward glance. Who, in turn, curled her lips and crossed her small arms. His arms trembled as he felt himself breaking one of his principles instilled by the orphanage.
One of the golden rules of the Red Cross orphanage was to obey and respect your elders!
Lucian gently placed her down and returned to standing by the wall—still as a statue.
"Alright, I'll leave Skirk's gang and the capture of the Rogue to you—" Lady Kuro was cut off by the booming ringing of etherite crystals behind her. The crystals were reacting to the activity happening above them. It was an alarm of sorts that would alert Lady Kuro to situations taking place in the Dragon's Den.
Lucian tumbled over as a tremor shook Lady Kuro's office, and at that instant, Aurora's eye darted upwards, and she vanished into specks of golden light.
"Upstairs!" Lady Kuro screamed, firmly gripping her desk as another tremor shook the entire office. "Go! Now!"
Her frightened expression spoke volumes about how serious the situation was. Lucian lifted himself and made a break for the staircase. He was rocked left and right, back and forth by the continuous shockwaves. The pungent smell of smoke filled his nostrils as the temperature increased at each step he took.
'Did the Skull gang retaliate? They have never done something like this before!'
Lucian reached the surface, but the scene that appeared before him made it seem like he had never done it. Instead, he must have been dreaming, because the sight of the Dragon's Den burning ferociously came to view. A large crowd of bystanders watched the scorching pubs with bewildered looks, and some even dared to cheer and record as if it were a bonfire.
In the distance, Aurora stood before the smouldering entrance, breathing heavily. Her form had returned to her previous state; her carefree attitude, however, was replaced with a dreadful expression. Her tangerine eye lit with a frustrated glow.
At that moment, Lucian's eyes widened as the backdrop of the world disappeared from view when he saw that Aurora was holding onto an item in her hand—an item he recognized very well.
Black headphones, drenched in blood and sparkling with green gemstones…