"STAND RIGHT HERE!" shouted a man armed to the tee.

Yelling and shrieking filled the streets that have been dyed red.

"Did you really believe you could escape your master? It is time to die!" his last words echoed continuingly."Time to die… Time to die… Time to die…"

"NO!" Elene bursts, shouting at the top of her lungs..

A nightmare again thought the frightened mage as she left her bed to wash the sweat and tears off her face. Today was the day she would finally meet Eric.

He was the best ID provider on the continent, perfectly fitting the phrase, Practice Makes Perfect.. Eric was an old grey haired and green-eyed buffed grandpa working as a blacksmith during the day, and conducting his illegal business during the night. And the most important quality of his: kindness. It is hard to find such a characteristic in the underground missions where it was seen as a weakness, where kindness will end up killing you instead. But to a grandparent who almost lost it all, it was nothing short of being a must-have quality..

Anyone who didn't know the blacksmith would think of him as a cold giant, in reality he was so much more, and Elene knew. 

Problem is, the Elene that knew him, didn't exist yet. She was introduced to Eric by her former master for a mission, so the present Eric couldn't know her and she could not know him.

Meeting the old man was of a very high risk as she did not know if Ludwig kept his memories as well. Maybe he was looking for her, or setting up yet another trap for Elene 

.

It was a risk she had to take after all , getting that fake identity meant that Elene could do anything she wanted in a dozen countries without requiring the use of magic. Her resolve meant that she had to take those extra steps to have the revenge she had been dreaming for.

The day passed by very slowly in Venhir,the town Elene currently resides in. It was a small city, there was not much to be done here. There was no library, no magic festivals and no casino either, a very small and boring town indeed.

But soon the archmage will obtain what she needed to escape this absolute hell. 

On the way to the smithy, the landscape and the population changes , noticing a distinct pack of living beings. It was easy to spot the emptiness that showed not even a single soul wandering, indiscriminate of being animal or human.

Legends say it's to avoid being killed by a Vhamfer, a type of ghoul which was named after Eswere, Elene's birthplace. The Vhamfer were said to have white long hair to mock the king's bloodline, and red eyes that lust for blood, making Menhstir the worst country to go to when you had crimson eyes. Elene's magic disguise really came in handy all things considered.

The blacksmith's workplace was truly wonderful even at night, it was decorated with silver ornaments and magic gemstones all along the building. These gemstones had an important use to Eric's business, although they were disguised as worthless, they actually were imbued with several powerful spells.

On each façade of the building was a stone which allowed one to see the outside at all times, it was a very rare security type of gemstone that only the richest could ever dream of getting. Then other spells mostly were here to protect the smithery and the city in case of a powerful attack, it was a must have for a city which shared a border with a former enemy but only Eric and a select few knew of their existence. The city folks didn't know that the old grandpa had been looking over them for decades in a way they would never think of. 

One of the good advantages about going back in time was that the most important stone of them all was not invented yet : the suppression stone.

Through Elene's efforts and years of work from Ludwig's researcher, they had created a type of gemstone that could suppress all types of mana. Aside from holy powers, this stone would protect its' owner from magic and aura which were the most dominant types of weapons in Roscitan. However Ludwig had, at that time, sworn in a Soul Vow to only use it for the good of the people. One was given away to Eric for his help into making this project even possible, afterall to be able to suppress all type of mana, a MAGIC gemstone would need not only to be of the rarest purity but also to be manipulated in a very particular and dangerous way that only the old blacksmith could handle.

Three knocks on a weirdly placed stone later and the front door was opened, there he was. Although younger, Eric looked the same which made Elene smile for a bit. Well that's until his very low voice called her out.

"Hello there young lady, what are you doing here?" asked the buffed man with his business smile on.

"I need an elongated sword with an opal gemstone on the handle and three dragon rubies on the blade." she replied, deeply hoping that the line was the same as the one in the future.

A raised eyebrow followed by a chuckle startled the young lady, and without further ado she was guided through a secret path. The tunnels were much more shabby and narrow than Elene could remember, they probably were going to be renovated in the years to come remarked the mage.

The duo stopped at a wooden door which bore a three winged eagle insignia on it. There it was, the room she had visited so many times but now things were different and she had to remember that a single misstep or any suspicious behaviour could and would lead the witch to her death.

"I usually know my clients and they know not to share the password." muttered Eric in his moustache.

"Who do I have the honour to meet?" he continued, analysing the young woman from a distance.

"Oh where are my manners, take a seat first!"

This monologue reassured Elene, it meant that the blacksmith gave her a chance to explain her business. She could not block her sigh of relief but the mountain in front of her just laughed at it and waited for her answer.

"My name is Vera… no, my real name's Clarence De Vonche. I have fled my home and hope for a new opportunity in life. I wish to attend Halvahir's academy. But without my family knowing." 

And now it was time to slide a pouch of golden coins on the table next to him. The sound of the metal giggling pleased the old man.

The deal was done.