"...Well, don't think too much about it,"
I said, trying to shake off the heavy history lesson.
"The important thing right now is that the world is at peace. Mostly."
[Peace? The world is in pieces! Sigh. To think it would change so much.]
I let out another chuckle.
"Oh? How do you remember the world then?"
[At least not like this... I think it was more glorious—]
"Here we are!"
I stopped in front of a potion shop that looked like it was being bullied by its neighbors.
Wedged between two tall brick warehouses, the shop was so narrow it looked like it had been pressed into existence by accident.
The soot-dark walls of the warehouses leaned inward as if conspiring to swallow it whole.
Its wooden sign hung crooked on rusted chains, the paint long faded except for a faint emerald sheen that shimmered when the light hit it.
The sign read: {Redmoor Apothecary}.
[An Apothecary?]
"A former apothecary," I corrected.
"Right now, it only sells charms and talismans. Or so the sign says."
[What are you doing here?]
"I'm here to take my things back."
I stepped back a few paces and activated my soul perception. The world bled into darkness, and the vibrant, pulsing colors of will took shape.
I ignored the mundane hum of the street and focused on the second story. There, lingering in the back room, was a faint, dancing red aura.
'Alright. She's in there.'
[Is that her will?] Gisella asked, her voice dazed.
[...It is beautiful.]
'It's a headache,' I thought, deactivating the sense to save what little essence I had left.
[That's an amazing gift you have.]
"Maybe."
Sensing the shift in my mood, Gisella went quiet. I didn't head for the door.
Instead, I moved toward a nearby drainpipe and started to climb.
[?? Why not use the door like a civil person?]
"I am a civil person. And that door is a deathtrap. Walk through it and you'll be entangled in at least ten different spells before you can say 'hello.' Believe me, I'm speaking from experience."
The pipe rattled in protest, but I scaled it with practiced ease.
[You realize this is how thieves behave.]
'Quiet!'
I reached the second-story balcony and vaulted over the railing, landing softly.
The wood creaked, a sharp, traitorous sound. I froze. One second... three... five. No movement from inside.
I crept toward the balcony door, which stood slightly ajar. Inside, darkness pooled thick and heavy.
'It's a trap,' I thought.
'I know you're in there, Alex. Why turn the lights off?'
I reached into my borrowed coat and flicked a brass coin into the room.
Clink.
It skittered across the floorboards. Nothing. No spear, no net, no explosion.
[...If you're worrying about noise, the pipe made more than—]
'Quiet!'
I stepped inside.
The room was modest—a small residence above the shop. Shelves of bottled charms, a narrow table, and an overturned chair. I moved toward the table, found the lamp, and struck a match.
Flicker.
The lamp hissed to life, casting long, wavering shadows.
Suddenly,
Creak! Thud!
The balcony door slammed shut behind me. I spun around, sweeping the lamp's light over the wood. Empty.
"Alright, Alex," I shouted into the shadows.
"I'm a seasoned hunter now. You can't scare me with these little pranks of yours!"
Silence. Then, the heavy curtains over the balcony slowly pulled themselves shut, as if a ghostly hand were closing the scene.
"You know, I spent my evening in an abandoned castle's basement today. This much is nothing!"
Still no answer.
A cold, prickling fear started to itch at the back of my neck. I shook it off.
'No. Don't let her get in your head.'
"You know what? Let's play."
I turned my back on the balcony and marched toward the bedroom door.
"I know you're hiding in—"
La-lala-la!
The moment my fingers brushed the doorknob, music began to play. It was high-pitched, tinny, and impossibly eerie. I froze.
La-laaaa-la!
The tune wobbled through the air like a drunken lullaby. I bit my lip, snapping myself out of the trance, and shoved the door open.
The music got louder.
It was coming from a small porcelain music box on the dresser. Its tiny crank was spinning all by itself, singing that absurdly cheerful song.
"Alright… enough," I muttered.
I reached down and jammed the crank, forcing it to stop. The silence that followed felt heavy, like a physical weight.
I squinted. A shadow slipped behind the ajar closet door. Finally… gotcha. I lunged forward and yanked the closet door open.
POP!
I jumped back, my heart nearly leaping out of my chest. A spring-loaded joker face on a coil hissed out, a single card clutched in its wooden hands.
In bold red letters, it read: HAPPY BIRTHDAY.
The joker bobbed back and forth with a painted, predatory smile. I scowled.
"Is that all? Come out already."
La-la!
The music box on the dresser immediately resumed its song, squealing la-la-laaaa–la! I groaned, turning to kill the music once more, but before I could move, a voice boomed from right behind my ear:
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!"
"Wha—"
I spun around, terrified. Alex was standing there in a full, multicolored joker costume, grinning like a manic sun.
I tripped over a footstool behind me, my legs tangling as I began to fall.
"Hahaha! You fell for it!" Alex shrieked with laughter, a confetti popper in one hand. The music box played on, mocking me.
I clenched my fists, ready to snap at her, but suddenly my vision began to swim. A cold void opened up in my chest. The world tilted, turning grey at the edges.
Thud.
I hit the floor hard.
"HAHAHAHA! What were you saying? 'Seasoned hunter'?" Alex doubled over, clutching her stomach.
"Haha! You're just a kid, boy! Oh, that was the best!"
She wiped a tear from her eye, still giggling. "Hahaha... ha... ha."
Her laughter slowed as I didn't move. I couldn't move.
My body felt like it was made of lead, and a faint, shimmering golden light—my essence—began to leak out of my pores, flickering like a dying candle.
"Haha... alright, Kai. Stand up already. It's not funny anymore."
I remained still. A corpse in a borrowed coat.
Alex's face twitched. The confetti popper dropped from her hand.
"Oye... Kai? Is this your way of getting back at me? Because it's lame. Get up."
Silence. The golden essence continued to drift away into the dark room.
"Ah... shit!"