Arthur's dark blue eyes met Seraphina's. He was lost for words, unsure how to react.
"I… recognize you," Seraphina said, her voice cool. She took a step closer, her eyes fixed on him. "You were the only one without a group at the training assessment."
Arthur nodded, his mind racing.
"Still, why were you following me?" Her guard rose again, her voice turning icy.
Arthur shook his head with a small sigh. He had to be careful. "No reason. The shop just seemed… interesting from outside." He tried a faint smile and took a half-step back. "But if it's a problem, I'll leave."
Seraphina paused, her gaze unwavering, as if trying to read something hidden behind his words. For a moment, Arthur thought she might press further, but eventually, she gave a slight, almost imperceptible shake of her head and turned away, apparently no longer interested in her stalker.
She began to examine a display of what looked like ancient, brittle scrolls at the far end of the counter.
Arthur let out a breath taking the chance to look around. The shop he had entered was dark, filled with towering shelves that threatened to spill their contents.
It smelled strongly of old paper, dust, and a faint, unidentifiable herbal scent. He could see countless small trinkets, amulets, and oddities lining the walls and crammed into every available nook, but nothing looked valuable at first glance.
Why would someone like Seraphina come to a place like this? he wondered.
His fingers brushed some small trinkets on a table – cold metal charms, smooth stones. The touch felt comforting, like his pendant.
But then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a faint glimmer, different from the general dust-laden dimness.
It was a ring, nestled amongst some tarnished silver brooches and what looked like dried herbs. It looked boring enough – a simple band of dark, matte metal. But the marking on the ring was what made Arthur's breath catch.
Arthur recognized this marking. After all, he had spent hours staring at the mysterious coin that Ezriel had left behind, trying to decipher its secrets.
On this unassuming ring was a complex symbol he'd seen etched on the coin.
He picked it up, his fingers closing around the cool metal, looking closer at it. There was nothing else notable about the ring – no gems, no intricate carvings other than that one peculiar symbol. But perhaps the shopkeeper could tell him more.
He took the ring and headed toward the front counter. It was empty at the moment, with only a small, tarnished brass bell sitting beside a stack of dusty ledgers.
Before he could even think to touch the bell, a door behind the counter creaked open with a groan, and a shabbily dressed old woman shuffled out. She was tiny, her back bent with age, her face a roadmap of wrinkles.
The old woman glanced at Arthur for only a fraction of a second, her expression mildly irritated, before her gaze flicked past him, scanning the shop. Seeing Seraphina was no longer in the immediate vicinity, she focused back on him.
"What do you want?" Her voice was raspy, like dry leaves, and held none of the pleasantries one might expect from a shopkeeper. Arthur, however, wasn't bothered by her lack of courtesy.
"This ring…" He placed the dark metal ring on the worn wooden counter.
Seraphina, having reappeared from the back, watched with a detached curiosity.
The old woman picked up the ring, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. "A Spatial Ring! Well, now. Looks like I underestimated you, boy. A discerning eye, you have."
Her tone shifted. "But I don't think you can afford this, even a small one. Spatial items are… expensive. This one, small as it is, is sixteen thousand solars. Gold."
Arthur, however, barely heard the price. He stood rooted to the spot, shock coursing through him.
"A Spatial Ring! That marking… it's the symbol for a spatial item!" The realization hit him like a physical blow. The coin… Ezriel's coin… it had the same symbol.
"I… I don't need it anymore," he stammered, shaking his head, his mind racing. He backed away from the counter, almost tripping over his own feet.
For a second, his eyes darted to the left, where Seraphina was now holding an old, rolled-up parchment, examining its seal with an air of concentration.
Then, with a mumbled apology to the startled shopkeeper, Arthur turned and practically fled the store, his pace quickening with every step.
He didn't stop running until he reached the familiar, creaking door of his home. He burst inside, startling his father.
"Arthur! What's the rush?!" Garron exclaimed.
"Nothing, Dad! Just… remembered something important I need to do!" Arthur called back, already halfway up the staircase, not daring to stop and explain.
He reached his room, slammed the door shut. The coin. He had to check the coin.
His hands reached for a wooden box he had hid in his room, taking out the coin. He stared at it, his gaze fixed on the intricate carvings on the back. The very first one was the same as on the spatial ring.
His hand went to his new sword. He hesitated for only a moment, then carefully drew its edge across his thumb. A thin line of red welled up.
Taking a deep breath, he held the coin flat in his palm and let a single drop of his blood fall onto its center, right onto the cube symbol.
For a second, nothing happened. Disappointment began to prick at him. Maybe he'd just been a fool, chasing shadows.
Then, the coin pulsed with a faint, internal warmth. The drop of blood, instead of smearing, seemed to sink into the metal, vanishing without a trace. The carved symbols on the coin's surface began to glow with a deep, midnight blue light.
Arthur felt a strange sensation, a slight dizziness, as if his mind was suddenly connected to something else, something… elsewhere. He focused, and an image bloomed in his mind's eye: a room.
"It… it really is a spatial item," he whispered.