—Magaska will take, humm, a mint and lemon tea!! And also a carrot cake with lemon frosting too!! —Magaska, sitting in a cafe among several cafes in the entertainment sectors, reviewed the menu of the different desserts and drinks.
—Hello Magaska, sure, I’ll bring it to you soon; is your chocolate stage over? —A young lady with brown hair and a thick body greeted Magaska, taking the menu.
—Mhmm, chocolate no longer has borders for me or for Varneth!! —Magaska, confident in herself, snorted through her nose while Varneth was also proud.
—Oh hoho ho, but there is still a border, little friends. —The young waitress pointed her hand to a shelf next to the cafe’s cash register; on it, a long pastry covered by a black and matte layer of chocolate sat on the plate like a monarch on his throne.
—OOOOh, a… that is… —Magaska and Varneth languished before the imposing presence of the pastry that they hadn’t tried yet.
—That’s right, adventurers, you are in the presence of “COUNT VON CHOCOLOVE”. ADMIRE AND DESPAIR. —The young waitress waved her menu at the pastry.
—Ugh, Ma… Magaska will not be defeated…. we still have to defeat the count… Varneth, the carrot cake will have to wait, THE COUNT MUST FALL TODAY!! —Magaska bought the chocolate-covered pastry, and together with Varneth they enjoyed it cheerfully for a couple of hours.
—Thank you very much for your preference, take care and we hope to see you soon!! —The young waitress with a huge smile dismissed them satisfied.
—Magaska comes out Victorious!!!! —The young girl left happy and wobbling from the place.
—Hahah, Lucia… that was just the last eclair that was left from the morning, it wasn’t the count or whatever, you shouldn’t scam the little one like that. —An elderly man was cleaning a glass with a rag; he leaned on the counter and said to the young waitress.
—Mhh, I’m not scamming her… you didn’t see how she left here… that was genuine joy… he, he, I was an adventurer once… but the difficulty eventually was too much and I fled. —The girl walked to the counter limping on her right leg.
—That little one is an adventurer? —The manager looked at her from the store a little worried; Magaska still hadn’t left and was hovering around the candy stores around, a thread of saliva fell from time to time; the vendors seemed to know her, so with each purchase they gave her an extra one of the newest candies from the store she visited.
—Yes she is… I don’t know how she has done it but… she is even even more cheerful and innocent than when she arrived. —said Lucia.
—Yes, I remember, before she spent hours sitting in the corner just looking at the letter, sometimes she ordered and sometimes she just stared… but it worries me, a young woman like that should go home and dedicate herself to being a child; being an adventurer has become very dangerous; there are young clients that I haven’t seen in several days… Enrya, listen to me, I hope they are just back home. —The old manager turned around and put a pile of clean glasses in the display case.
—Yes… I hope they are okay… Good luck, Magaska. —Lucia welcomed a group of adventurers who were entering the place with her usual smile.
—Varneth… all these candies are too many, maybe we should share them…. Hum, yes, you are right, let’s take half to the kids, this time you give them to them, Mina wants to chat more with you… —Magaska ran through the halls of Thar-Abbys among the people at a normal speed, she seemed just a young child without any worry in the world.
—Yes, I have no problem, Magaska will be by your side if you are scared.. But Mina is incredibly kind.. Well, when she isn’t angry, and when she gets angry, Bam!! He, he, but Magaska likes it because she always tries to contain and not to kill… Magaska doesn’t like it when people die, that way it doesn’t give you a chance to fix your mistakes. —
Magaska stopped at the stop where a tram adorned in bronze reliefs was carried by pink levitators; a sweet bell rang and the doors opened, people got off and Magaska got on with the others; taking a seat at the end of the tram, Magaska settled down next to the window.
—Humm, what does Magaska think of Jacob… at first it gave me chills, I felt that Jacob wanted to put Magaska in an alcohol jar.. BRRRR, but Mina advised me how to talk to him, and Jacob just asked me how I felt, it was strange but it was nice that they listened to me… He is very kind and explained a whole loooooot of things about the world, many felt different and others I hadn’t even thought about, he is also a good person, although Nana scares me, I would like to talk to her and meet her… —
The journey continued and Magaska still remained seated, her trip would last at least two hours; she could go faster on foot, but she liked to see the city, and with the rain, it was an interesting landscape; soon Magaska could hear a private vehicle, the Geotechnia motorcycle of Ithil passed by the tram at full speed, just toward the commercial district.
—That was Ithil and Inola!! —Oh, they left, that bike is fast, I bet I can beat him in a race!!, eh, Ithil? … hum, it wasn’t easy, to fit in with him, at first we fought a lot, but Ithil is smart!! And he fitted in and found ways to use my abilities; he made me know that there are things I do in the team that the others depend on, Magaska understands that it is very important!!
—Mmm, Inola, he is more or less new, but Magaska thinks there is something curious about Inola, he isn’t bad but something is different, as if he pretended that he is Inola, already being Inola. Hummmm, Magaska is confused but trusts him anyway; he is good and I think Inola loves us a lot, that is enough for Magaska!! —Snorting and victorious, Magaska looked out the window one more time where some men were shrinking and taking refuge from the rain in front of a burning barrel in a Thar-Abbys alleyway.
—And Leonidas… he gives me a lot of sadness… Magaska feels that behind those shields, happy faces and all those guffaws, Leonidas is curled up at the bottom of a cave, where we can’t reach… after what happened in Nivoria it was even more visible; Leonidas doesn’t want us to reach him… Of course Magaska is worried, brother Leonidas is good people and cool, he deserves to be happy. —Magaska looked at her reflection in the window, where Varneth was reflected instead of Magaska.
—I understand, you love the kids a lot; hum, do you think they will accept me, Magaska? —Magaska, from outside the reflection, answered her cheerfully.
—Sure, Varneth, Magaska knows, today we can chat with them at dinner, they will be happy to be your friends too. —Varneth, excited, looked at the bag of candies she was taking to them, ready for action and with the courage that Magaska gave her, her plan to make friends with the kids started!!
—Hello Mina!! Magaska has returned!! Hummm, Varneth wants to tell you something, oo where are the others? —Magaska, cheerful, took two hops inside the house.
The roar of the Arkeorelics thruster thundered on the high-speed roads; Thar-Abbys allowed the use of rapid transport vehicles within the city since the 40 kilometers in the outer ring, 15 in the middle ring and 6 in the interior, each containing within it different sectors of the city, that gigantic urban sprawl stretched out in front of them, it seemed almost impossible that someone could import among so many people. Inola saw from the elevated road how they moved away from the entrance to the central tower.
Clinging tightly to Ithil, Inola felt the decrease in speed; the exit to the north sector of the city’s outer ring looked close; cold rain permeated Inola’s clothes, Ithil wore a leather jacket preventing the cold from entering; the nightlife of Thar-Abbys was a totally different animal to the boisterous halls and academic activities of the day.
—Ithil… is there a long way to go? —Inola, half-shaking, remained clinging.
—Oh, I’m sorry Inola, we’re almost there, I forgot to drop you off at your destination!! —
—Don’t worry, I’ll go to the evocator sectors, they are close… So COLD!! —Inola, shaking violently, sneezed from the cold.
—Ready, here I drop you off, this is the central road of the Santa Lucine Market. —Ithil stopped the vehicle; some men with merchant carts moved aside, the vehicle already at a total stop let Inola out.
—Sure… I’ll see you at the team house eh!! —A leather jacket hit Inola’s face; Ithil closed the small box of the bike from where he took the jacket.
—Sure Inola, I’ll see you there, maybe I’ll be late, see you.. Truuun.. ROOAMMMM!!!.. —Ithil activated his bike and set off from the place.
—Hum, yes…. Sure… I’LL SEE YOU THERE ITHIL …see… you… He left. —Inola remained at the foot of the market hugging the jacket with both hands, he turned around and removed his usual reddish poncho, his soft fabric shirt that he wore underneath was a little wet with the trip and his sweat.
—Humm, I’ll have to wash it… how do you wash leather??, better I’ll send it to the dry cleaners, well now let’s go buy… —Inola put on the jacket and started his tour in the market.
The corridors full of smoke and ropes reminded a lot of the distant Evookia, a place for people and another for spirits, not as merchandise but as a place of contact and cohabitation of both worlds; the corridors stretched for a good stretch; Inola’s true objective was one of the three doors that were in the market.
—Here is the blue door… I hope to be able to find a companion spirit, and rub it in Jacob and Lizva’s faces, he, he, he. —Taking a step forward, Inola entered the blue door to find a companion spirit.
A couple of hours later, Inola was sitting on a bench on the outskirts of the Santa Lucine market; the memory of every Evocator that attended the doors came to him while on his face an angry pout like that of a spoiled princess.
—How strange, this almost never happens, I’m sorry boy, there doesn’t seem to be spirits available. —Hahaha, it seems that no one liked you as soon as you entered they all left, let’s try later, son. —An apology, it seems that the spirits don’t favor you today, Evocator, those that are there refuse to contact you.
Without reaching tears, the pout stopped.
—Very well, you know that I don’t need a spirit, I can do it as always… —Getting up from the bench, he fixed his jacket and continued his trip through the market.
—I’ll buy an extra rosary and some ofuda scrolls… —Inola noticed at a stall how some trinkets were shining with a small ephemeral spirit attached to them; small bright lights of past resplendences flickered on glass and quartz crystals.
—Oh, Leonidas likes these, surely he will love them.. I’ll take a quartz one, the man is very strong, I bet he will break it while he sleeps.
—And this glass jar has a frozen spirit impregnated in it, surely Mina will be able to use it in her medicine; sir, I will take these two, and please, can I see that iron hammer? —Inola said to the man with dark skin and gray hair.
—Sure, daughter, I’ll prepare these for you, and take this hammer, it brings an ephemeral spirit of a feat of strength, it hits exceptionally hard. —The man gave him the hammer while he put away the jars.
—He, yes, sure, and those gloves? —Inola continued to watch the objects amazed.
—And those gloves don’t have a spirit… but they were made by one, they are good and have a little resistance to cold and heat, just a little. —The vendor gave the gloves to Inola.
—Yes, there is no doubt that Magaska will love them! I’ll take all this, sir… —Inola stopped a little seeing a mirror in the store in which his reflection appeared blurry and inconsistent.
—Eh? Ah yes, that is a possessed mirror, daughter, don’t trust it nor get scared; in it only lies and illusions appear. —Inola stared at that wooden-framed mirror, relieved that his image didn’t appear. —If I had appeared in the reflection, that would mean I am a lie. —Inola thought.
—Yes, it gave me a scare, here you go sir, thank you very much… hum… I’ll take the mirror too and this ghost charm for Ithil… —Inola looked at a small glass charm that shone in the darkness, took an ingot from his bag, and paid the man.
—Sure, my girl, do you want me to send it to your group’s house? —The man waited for Inola’s response.
—Ah… yes, yes I want to. —Inola was cheerful, so he decided to ignore the confusion; taking the purchase ticket, he began the trip back home.