Feyne stepped forward two paces and brushed the dust clinging to her dress. "Huh… thankfully that group is gone. And that person, is he alright?" she asked while glancing at Albert.
Albert heard her, his face filled with surprise, and answered without turning around. "That… is not his real body."
"Then where is his real body?" Luke asked, his tone filled with curiosity.
From the side, Feyne and Moreira also turned their heads, drawn to the topic and momentarily forgetting the misunderstanding and conflict from earlier.
Albert shrugged briefly.
"No idea," he replied flatly, then added, "Ask the person over there." His index finger pointed toward Zavi.
"Hmm, he really is different from my friends," Albert thought with a faint smile.
A few seconds later, Zavi approached the four of them while supporting Carlz's body on his shoulder.
"Do you want to give me another revolver?" Zavi raised the silver revolver in his hand, his tone half joking as he stared blankly ahead.
But there is an advantage to getting a free revolver. I do not need to spend money on bullets.
Albert then let out a soft laugh.
"Just take it. There are still plenty left in the storage warehouse." He turned and smiled at Feyne and Luke.
They returned his smile warmly and thanked him, realizing that without Albert, their lives would feel unbearably empty, remembering the incident when he took them in.
"So, what are you going to do with that person?" Zavi asked in confusion, raising his index finger to point at Moreira, who was standing right beside Feyne.
"Moreira, huh? I feel like I have heard that name before."
Caution and suspicion dominated Zavi's thoughts at that moment. Yes, he remembered it, or perhaps the name had crossed his mind before, but where?
"I cannot remember, but one thing is certain. That person has a connection to Zavi back then."
What am I hearing wrong? Why are my body and legs suddenly trembling?
Zavi frowned as sweat began to dampen his face. His vision suddenly blurred, and for a moment he saw the four of them swaying.
"Damn… my head suddenly hurts so much. Is it because of the rain earlier?" he muttered inwardly.
He immediately stepped forward two paces, still supporting Karl body even though he knew it was only a replica.
"Tch, that person kicked me really hard there. I can still feel it even now." Zavi imagined it like an egg falling and shattering.
The corner of Zavi's lips twitched. He tapped Albert's shoulder with his index finger about three times, and Albert immediately turned around.
"What is it?" Albert asked, lifting his shoulders slightly.
For a moment, Zavi's gaze shifted to Moreira, who had been looking at him with a friendly smile for several seconds.
'Perfect timing. Thank you, sir. I can avoid that question.'
Moreira glanced left and right, slowly slipping his right hand into his trouser pocket. But the movement was noticed by Feyne, who had been standing beside him the entire time.
"What are you trying to do?" Feyne hissed, her eyes widening as she bit her lip.
Moreira quickly raised both hands, then clasped them behind his back.
"It is nothing, ha ha ha." He smiled, thinking that trying to escape from here would be a bad idea.
Besides, he did not know whether his friends had managed to escape either, and wondered whether this encounter was merely a coincidence.
Meanwhile, a strange question suddenly crossed Zavi's mind, making him want to ask it directly.
Zavi walked with trembling steps toward Moreira, stopped right beside him, and whispered something.
"Come with me. There is something I want to ask," Zavi said softly.
Moreira's eyes widened as he stared at Zavi's face, already concluding that he was hiding something important.
Reflexively, he swallowed and replied in a voice that was barely audible. "Alright, if that is what you want…"
"But I am not a bad person," Moreira added with a slightly panicked tone.
Zavi immediately turned around, stepped forward, and stopped right beside Albert.
"Alright, I will handle that person myself. Thank you for the gift," he said politely.
"And, I think… that person," Zavi whispered softly, trailing off.
Albert, hearing it, only gave a small nod, not quite believing that Zavi was planning something so absurd.
He stared ahead, speaking inwardly.
"Hahaha, this person… and the sense of comfort when I am near him can heal my heart that has long been shattered after that incident. Is he the one who can find the answers I have been searching for all this time and my purpose in life? If so, I want to always stay with you and help you from the shadows."
He smiled faintly.
Even though they had only met and gotten to know each other a few days ago, Zavi was certain that Albert was the only person in this world who truly understood his condition, or rather, placed genuine trust in him.
Albert responded with a nod. A few seconds later, he and his two companions turned around, no longer paying attention to Moreira, and headed toward their home in the Tezny district.
The three of them quickly said their farewells to Zavi and left, leaving the two of them standing on the quiet, deserted night street.
Tap... Tap... Tap...
The surroundings fell silent once more. Moreira stared at the backs of the three figures, then asked, "Are they all your friends?"
Zavi stared blankly ahead and answered softly.
"Maybe… yes."
Moreira was surprised.
"I am not sure if I am truly friends with them," Zavi glanced to the right, seeing the confused expression on Moreira's face as he tried to understand what was said.
"Ha ha ha." Unconsciously, Zavi laughed inwardly.
Then Zavi stepped forward without looking back.
"Do you want to exchange information with me?"
Moreira, who was walking behind him, reflexively stopped. His brows furrowed in confusion.
"What kind of information?" he asked, his hands already ready to move beneath his shirt and trousers, where his folding knife was hidden.
Zavi also stopped. He turned around, his eyes locking onto Moreira. "How do you obtain one of the fifteen existing abilities?" he asked. He hoped Moreira knew, and more importantly, was honest.
Moreira's expression changed. The confusion vanished, replaced by a flat, serious look.
"A ritual," he answered briefly. "And drinking certain herbal concoctions to increase the spiritual energy within the body." He paused before adding in a quieter voice, "I tried it once. But I abandoned the ability before I could fully master it."
Zavi frowned.
A ritual? Doing that means some kind of sacrifice…?
He cleared his throat and tapped his forehead once, producing a soft sound.
"How do you perform the ritual from beginning to end?" he asked. "And… does it require a sacrifice to succeed?"
Moreira reflexively lowered his gaze. His eyes fell to the tips of his shoes, where his toes moved subtly beneath the leather.
He did not want to talk about this with anyone. Not even with his three friends. He did not want anyone else to experience what he had gone through.
The reason he went out late at night and came to the city square was not because of the robed group, who had obtained information from somewhere, saying that there was someone who could remove the spiritual pressure in his body that was making it abnormal.
He hid his true purpose, replacing it with another excuse, that he wanted to sell his goods to others.
He only wanted to take his friends out of the orphanage. They were still teenagers, eighteen years old, except for Mitsu, who was already twenty years.
"I think," Moreira finally said, his voice filled with concern, "it is better that you do not do such a thing. I can barely endure thinking about what happened to my body since then."
"Yes. I am always filled with indescribable feelings. My body became weak, and every night, I am plagued by anxiety thinking about it. I do not know what to do, and every night, or rather when I try to sleep, I feel envy watching my friends sleep soundly. As for me, I only hide under a thick blanket, curling up and holding back my tears every night."
Zavi was slightly shocked. Not because the answer was vague, but because he realized that both he and Moreira had been used by the robed group.
Used as scapegoats.
"I know," Zavi replied softly. He looked straight at Moreira. "And… the sacrifice must be equivalent, right?" he asked again, making sure.
Moreira did not answer. He only nodded once.
That was how it was. A sacrifice in exchange for power.
But what were the steps?
Thinking about it made Zavi reflexively touch his chin.
"Should I ask him?"
Zavi glanced to the side.
Moreira stared at him sharply, as if trying to read his thoughts. "May I leave now?" he asked, his body already turning slightly.
Zavi nodded, granting a form of cooperation that could benefit both of them, while still thinking about something that troubled his mind.
Moreira shrugged briefly in agreement, then walked away, leaving Zavi alone on the street that had grown quiet once more.
I hope you do not do it, Moreira thought as he walked, occasionally glancing back. If you do… do not regret the consequences. And I hope that cooperation succeeds without betrayal.
He placed Karl avatar in a safe place, tried to wake him, and planned to attempt the earlier absurd idea. Don't know where his real body is now.
It might be nearly impossible, but if not, he would return home and attempt the ritual later, even though it required an equivalent sacrifice.
One hour later, Zavi finally arrived in the Chapena district, walking leisurely through the silence and calm of the night.
Tap… Tap...
He knocked on the door once before opening it and stepping inside.
"Dark…? Are they already asleep, and has she woken up from fainting?"
He closed the door again and did not forget to lock it tightly. Then, suddenly, something crossed his mind. Zavi glanced to the left, his mother's room.
Thinking to move forward and check whether his mother was alright and whether Karl earlier statement was true without deception.
"Alright… I will check it myself," he said softly.
His steps grew heavier, as if some burden was holding his body back. Zavi then stopped in front of his mother's bedroom door, checking whether she was asleep.
Knock… Knock… Knock…
Silence. There was no answer afterward.
Zavi swallowed, held his breath deeply, his hand ready to open the bedroom door.
Click.