The sea voyage to Magitopia was a turbulent, week-long lesson in the capricious nature of the magical seas. For Seiji, it was a fascinating spectacle. One moment, the sun would beat down from a cloudless sky, the next, a squall would appear from nowhere, drenching the decks with cold rain. On the third day, a school of Kelpfins—serpentine creatures with bioluminescent frills and razor-sharp teeth—had risen from the depths, their coordinated attacks creating waves that threatened to capsize the Sea Serpent. Seiji had watched from the deck, his balance perfect on the heaving wood, as the ship's battle-mages unleashed torrents of fire and lightning to drive the beasts away. He analyzed their spellwork, the Vanguard system cataloging the mana patterns and efficiencies. It was all data, all valuable intelligence.
Throughout the journey, his interactions with "Alex" were brief but cordial. They shared observations on the weather, the stars, the nature of the sea monsters. She was sharp, her questions probing but never intrusive, her disguised identity a poorly kept secret between them. Seiji played the part of the quiet, observant traveler, revealing nothing of his true purpose.
On the seventh day, the fabled mists of Magitopia materialized on the horizon—not a natural fog, but a shimmering, opalescent wall that hummed with latent power. The Sea Serpent sailed through a pre-designated corridor, the mists parting like a curtain to reveal a breathtaking sight. The port city of Arcanum was a symphony of soaring white spires and floating gardens, where bridges of solidified light connected towers, and small, personal skiffs powered by glowing crystals zipped through the air. The very air tasted of ozone and petrichor, thick with ambient mana.
As Seiji prepared to disembark, "Alex" approached him one last time. Her cap was pulled low, but he could see the earnestness in her eyes.
"Mister Seiji," she said, her voice soft. "Our discussions have been… enlightening. I hope our paths cross again."
Seiji gave a slight bow. "The feeling is mutual, Alex." He reached into his cloak and produced a small, velvet pouch. From it, he took a simple silver chain from which hung a thumb-sized, perfectly cut ruby that seemed to hold a captive fire within its depths. "A small token. To remember the journey by."
Alex's eyes widened. She began to raise a hand in refusal. "I couldn't possibly—"
"It is merely a trinket," Seiji interrupted, his tone gentle but final. "A traveler's courtesy. Its value is only in the memory it represents." He pressed it into her hand, his fingers brushing against hers for a fleeting moment.
She blushed, a faint pink visible even in the shadow of her cap, and closed her hand around the gem. "Thank you," she whispered, before turning and quickly leading her entourage down the gangplank and into the bustling crowd of the dock.
As Seiji watched her go, he sent a silent command to the shadows at his feet. Zero. Have Shadow Three follow that group. I want to know where they go, who they meet. Their guards carry themselves like imperial knights. A flicker of darkness detached from his own and slithered through the crowd, an unseen predator on the trail of its prey.
Seiji spent the rest of the day immersing himself in Arcanum. He visited bookstores filled with grimoires chained to pedestals, their knowledge too dangerous for casual perusal. He walked through ancient village gates that were the original settlement, now preserved within the modern city like a fossil. He observed charm stalls where apprentices haggled over foci and mana crystals. It was a society built on and around power, but it felt… sterile. Ordered. It lacked the raw, chaotic vitality of Grimgar.
That evening, he took a seat in a quiet corner of a restaurant called "The Gilded Quill," known for its food infused with minor magical enhancements. He was studying the menu—Braised Cockatrice in a reduction of Fire-Blossom Wine—when a presence approached his table.
"Excuse me, sir?"
He looked up. The woman standing there was beautiful, but in a way entirely different from Riveria's ethereal elegance or Evelyn's serene divinity. Her beauty was sharp, intellectual. She had high cheekbones, intelligent grey eyes behind a pair of silver-rimmed spectacles, and hair the color of dark ash pulled back into a severe but practical bun. She wore the deep blue robes of a senior mage, but they were rumpled, as if she'd been working through the night. A faint scent of old parchment and lightning hung about her.
"The restaurant is quite full," she said, her voice a low, hurried whisper. "Would you mind terribly if I shared your table?"
Seiji's eyes, however, were not on her face, but on the subtle, almost imperceptible tremble in her hands. And on the cuff of her robe, where a tiny, intricate embroidery of a compass rose was glowing with a faint, urgent cyan light—a distress signal, cleverly woven into the fabric.
His gaze shifted past her to the entrance. Three men, also in mage robes but of a darker, more utilitarian cut, had just entered. They didn't look around for a table; their eyes scanned the room with cold efficiency before locking onto the woman's back. They were hunters. Their aura was not one of scholarly pursuit, but of sanctioned enforcement.
Seiji looked back at the mage. Fear was a stark contrast to the sharp intelligence in her eyes. He gave a slow, deliberate nod.
"Not at all. Please, join me," he said, his voice calm. He gestured to the seat opposite him.
A wave of relief washed over her features, and she quickly sat down, placing a worn leather satchel on the table between them like a shield.
As she pretended to study her menu, Seiji took a slow sip of his water. His mind was already working, analyzing the angles of approach, the potential escape routes, the power level of the three pursuers. They were strong, but not insurmountable. This was an unexpected variable, a crack in the ordered facade of Magitopia.
Interesting, he thought, a plan beginning to form. Let's make a little ruckus. It might be the fastest way to get an audience with someone important. He offered the mage a small, reassuring smile.
"It seems your evening is as eventful as mine," he remarked casually, his eyes briefly flicking towards the three men now slowly, purposefully, making their way towards their table.