Asher bit his lip and glanced over his shoulder.
He had failed again. No sign of her…
"Dahila, please…" he muttered, exasperated. His clothes were acting up again—specifically, the windbreaker layered beneath his cloak. "Your timing is getting worse." Of all moments to interfere, this was not the time.
He grit his teeth in frustration as the garment tugged at him, stubbornly pulling him back.
'It's so persistent…'
Then he paused, eyes narrowing. It wasn't just pulling—it was pointing.
There, standing across the square, was a woman clad in silver armor. Her hair had grown, brushing past her shoulders, but otherwise… she hadn't changed.
His windbreaker fell slack. The hood behind him fluttered in the breeze. A soft spark lit the air beside him—an orb phasing into existence.
[Audio Playing: "No.1 Party Anthem" – Arctic Monkeys]
The woman seemed to be searching for someone.
♫ She's a certified mind-blower…Knowing full well that I don't…May suggest there's somewhere from which I might know her ♫
Her head snapped toward the sound.
In fact, everyone turned.
Asher's eyes widened. Time slowed.
♫ Come on, come on, come on…Come on, come on, come on…Number one party ant— ♫
The orb vanished in a blink. One of the armored men shouted, "It's music!"
Asher didn't look back. He just cursed under his breath.
What had just appeared was the only Echo Asher owned—Boomlet. And it just so happened to be the signature item of—
"Saint Zerei is here!!" someone yelled.
Nephis narrowed her eyes as the shadowy figure fled into the crowd. She took one step forward to pursue—but hesitated.
"Please, Saint Zerei!" a voice called. "Just one song!"
"Sir Zerei! I was there in today's Honey Beatdown!"
Too many people were crowding in now. She couldn't waste time. Not when she was looking for him.
Asher clenched his jaw. [Boomlet], in essence was just an audio player. It could play back any recordings in his mind. And since, Memories in truth are always stored somewhere in the brain. He could play any audio that came to his mind.
He most used Boomlet for songs but, there were times when Dahila took over boomlet, allowing itself to spark into existence and playing whatever it wishes.
This was... precisely one of those scenarios!
And since, people in the forgotten shores can't listen to music normally, listening to his music was a luxury. A big one at that.
He darted down a narrow path, then cut sharply left. pushing himself upward as he took a small leap, scaling half the wall.
He jumped. The wind carried him.
He grinned, looking below. It was his windbreaker.
Memory: [Spirewind Mantle]
Memory Rank: Ascended.
The sky weeps for the fallen, but the wind knows no grief.
Drift, and the earth shall not claim you.
Burn, and the flame shall pass like a whisper.
Freeze, and the frost shall thaw away. ]
Memory Enchantments: [Climeveil], [Whisperglide], [Stillborn Tempest]
This was the memory he was awarded by the spell for 'killing?' the spire messenger.
[Whisperglide]: "Allows the bearer to glide silently across distances, carried by unseen currents. While airborne, motion generates no sound."
This was the enchantment that made his current predicament possible.
"Saint Zerei disappeared!"
"Aw, come on! I wanted to hear the rest of that song!"
"As expected of the elusive saint—he only shows up when someone's about to get stomped at the gambling den!"
Asher's lips twitched a bit as he caught that last line.
The Chief of the Artisans, Kido, stared at the strange plant in front of her and sighed.
It had been a while since Seishan requested this creation. And honestly? It was a pain.
Unlike the usual fruits she crafted with her Aspect, this one was different. Complicated. Annoying. She had to design a plant that used raw bone as fertilizer.
Kido rubbed her temples. Concentration was hard enough—but it didn't help that he kept dropping by at the worst times.
Now that she thought about it… it was weird he hadn't shown up yet.
She groaned. There he is.
Without looking up, she reached under the table, grabbed a sealed canister, and placed it on top of her workbench. Then calmly resumed transplanting a strange sapling.
A second later, the door slammed open. A white-haired boy stumbled in, panting slightly, one arm braced against the wall.
"Don't shout, Asher," she muttered. "If Gemma catches you in here , he might get the wrong idea and kill you."
Asher grinned. "You wish. I don't go down that easy…"
He flopped into a nearby chair, wiping the sweat off his brow with a random cloth.
"I just got chased by like... thirty people," he muttered. "For music."
Kido's face twitched. "I still don't get it." Orıginal content can be found at 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩~𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢~𝔫𝔢𝔱
He blinked. "Get what?"
"How you even find my room. Outside of a few Artisans, no one should even know this place exists."
Asher gave her a sly grin and swiped the canister off the table. "It's a secret."
He patted his pockets. His grin vanished.
She didn't look up. "What."
"I might've… left my soul shards somewhere. Can I pay you later?"
Her gaze snapped to him, eyes narrowing like a predator's. "One hundred percent interest. Per day."
Asher shivered. "T-That's a bit extreme, don't you think?"
"If you don't pay in ten days," she continued sweetly, "I'll send Gemma. And the entire Hunters and Artisan unit. After you."
The shiver grew worse. "H-Hehe, no need to go that far. I just took a canister of wine."
Kido's mouth curled into a dangerous grin. "On the Forgotten Shore, that's a luxury. You do understand supply and demand, don't you?"
"I'm from the Outskirts. I barely understand indoor plumbing."
An apple smacked him in the face.
He blinked and looked down at it, dazed. "Was that… necessary?"
"Your common sense seems to have been stolen by that apple," Kido said flatly.
Asher held up a finger. "Actually, can I get a few more? Hou asked me to bring some ba—"
Another apple hit him.
He gave up trying to dodge by the sixth.