Sarina had previously seen a fair amount of people who came in and out of the tavern, mostly mortals and a few magicians, but none of them caught her eye. What made her approach Briego was due to his appearance, age, and the actions done by the bartender.
The bartender had kicked him out, mentioning how he should've learned the hour of operation of the business, which told Sarina that this man frequently overstayed his welcome at the tavern. Furthermore, the bartender's action was too relaxed, as he had done this multiple times. Briego appeared haggard and disheveled, his hair was extremely unkempt, and it was visible that his hair contained split ends, making it look extremely unmanaged. His bushy beard was long with no signs of trimming, his shoes looked as if they were about to fall apart, and his clothes were stained and contained some holes in them. He had deep wrinkles at the side of his eyes, deep smile lines, and concave wrinkles on his forehead.
With all these qualities, it was easy to assume that the man had no support. Someone at his age should have settled and had a family ready to welcome him. No person with a warm home would be in such a state. Of course, exceptions existed, but this was highly unlikely. If so, Sarina was well prepared to give up and find someone else. She knew that such people wouldn't listen to whatever she had to say. At best, she would've dropped two mana stones before fleeing quickly. At worst, the situation might have turned violent, resulting in injuries, but she was fairly confident in evading attacks from a drunk man.
What confirmed Sarina's speculation was when she entered the small house and mentioned family in front of the man. At that point, her gamble bore fruit. Then it depended on the words she would say next.
She deliberately had told her story about her brother and parents that were killed during a beast tide, as she knew that a huge majority of deaths was a result of it. Thus, there was a high likelihood that her story would strongly resonate with the man, especially in his drunken state, where people were at their most vulnerable.
Briego leaned against the wall, his head hanging low, only supported by his right hand as his left hung low, his fist clasped into a tight fist. A myriad of past memories flowed through his mind as he regretfully lived through them once more.
"Haha."
Briego laughed, but the source of laughter didn't come from a place of joy.
"I can only blame my own inability… Now the weight of their deaths is carried by me. Truly pathetic! As a result of the battle, now I'm crippled, unable to further advance. Now look at me, I'm truly worthless!"
Sarina's gentle voice resided: "It must've been hard on you."
Briego suddenly, with an outburst of anger, roared: "What do you know? I've talked too much this time. Now, if you know what is best for you—"
Sarina interrupted: "What would Anna and Altan think if they saw you in your state, Briego? Would they be proud of the man that stands before me?"
Briego raised his head and looked at Sarina fiercely. "Shut up! What do you know… you." The words that left his mouth grew weak on their tail end. His fierce expression had subtly changed, his eyes growing hazy.
"Milagros, Marcos, Salem, and Dylan, they sacrificed themselves in order for you to live, but is this how you waste your life?"
"I know! I know! I'm not worth much, useless, they shouldn't have died, it should've been… me." Briego's legs grew weak. They had started to subtly shake. He looked at the open palms that were now in front of him; his nails were full of ridges, and dirt had accumulated on his long fingernails. His expression had twisted, he gnashed his teeth as extreme guilt coursed through his body.
"What do you feel now? Regret, sorrow, anger, guilt, anxiety?"
"I—" His body trembled.
"What if there was a way to make those who have died due to your inability not roll and scream from their graves from the decisions you've made? A way to make your deceased wife and child rest in peace?"
Briego tried to remain standing, but the strength from his legs was quickly disappearing. He slowly slid down from the wall he leaned on, both of his hands covering his forehead. He shook lightly; he wanted to compose himself, but he couldn't.
"The heavens have long abandoned a fool like myself. There is no way. There is no path. There is no light." Briego's words carried a defeated melody that softly engulfed the tiny house.
"Only those who aren't capable would resort to muttering such phrases. But Briego, I have not abandoned you. I have a way, a path, and a light to guide you."
Briego sat on the floor, his upper half resembling an arc, his head looking straight down with his hands, complimented by his hunched back.
Briego responded bleakly: "What can a cripple like me even do? Furthermore, you are just a simple mortal."
The man in front of her had lost all hope. Not a single sliver of shine was held in his eyes. It was clear that he wasn't going to free himself from his burdens. What Sarina needed to do now was give him the push he needed. She needed to put sweet bait in front of his eyes.
"Well, you'll see for yourself." Sarina then moved further into the small house, making her way over the disorganized mess and fixing her destination on the quill that sat on the floor. She picked it up and made her way to a small wooden table that contained a glass container with half a quarter of ink left and a book that was open.
"What are you doing?" Briego slightly took a glance up. He heard Sarina's footsteps in confusion at what she was doing, but he had no energy left to oppose her. Just as quickly as he cast his upward gaze, it came down; he was reliving those painful moments.
Sarina opened the glass container and dipped the quill into the leftover ink, holding it with her right hand. She began to write something. After two minutes or so, Sarina finished her endeavor and ripped the page.
Throughout the whole process, Briego had sat there quietly. He noticed Sarina's presence coming closer to him, prompting him to look up at her.
"Here, this is my sincerity." Sarina then extended her hand and held the piece of paper with her pointer and thumb.
Briego read its contents. Slowly, his eyes widened in shock: "This... This is a heart spell!" He quickly yanked the paper out of Sarina's hands as he re-read the torn-up page. To his surprise, the contents were still the same. This was a heart spell!
"How did you manage to get your hands on this? If the clan finds out about this, your destination would be the grave." At this moment, he was confused yet excited. Hadn't this mortal girl just given him an extremely good spell? Then he thought about it more and asked, "Girl, who are you really? To be able to write this spell, you aren't simple." He began to evaluate Sarina. Maybe she was a daughter of one of those good families within the clan and liked to dress up as a mortal for some twisted fun. Many thoughts began to appear in his mind.
"It seems I haven't introduced myself. I am Ciel, a disciple of a 5th-circle magician," Sarina revealed with a light smile.
Briego gulped, his Adam's apple moving up and down. "What is a disciple of such an existence doing in this place?" Briego thought a 5th-circle magician was the pinnacle of existence in this world! A dragon amongst men, someone extremely powerful that ruptured seas and split mountains! An existence such as a 5th-circle magician was held in high regard; only those with exceptional talent would reach such a realm. To simple people like Briego, reaching that realm was far from impossible. He could only watch in the shadowed sidelines in inaptitude.
Not even the clan leader was a 5th-circle magician. To him, it was strange for someone of that caliber to be seemingly situated nearby. Based on the spell she had just given him, it might as well be true. How could she casually write a heart spell when it normally took many contribution points to exchange one from the clan? Realizing this, he didn't dare breathe loudly. "Ciel," who was standing, looking down on him, appeared more like a tiger cub, and far behind in the shadows, a ferocious tiger protected her.
Sarina observed with a light smile, nodding in satisfaction in her mind. With just some simple words, she had made the other party divulge his thoughts. Sometimes, it was far better to let people overthink a situation than to actually explain it—especially if those words were completely made up. The more he thought over Sarina's situation, the more afraid he would grow of going against her. Of course, she would not correct him. The higher the prestige the man built in his head regarding Sarina, the more it benefited her.
Seeing that "Ciel" slightly smiled at him without saying anything, he spoke:
"Madam Ciel, why is your honorable self in this clan?" Seeing that "Ciel" might be a disciple of a 5th-circle magician, he quickly changed the way he addressed her. In an instant, the roles of power had switched.
"I'm on a mission as of now. Currently, Master has made a shelter near the forest south of the clan's territory," Sarina spouted her lies with a straight face.
"Mission? What kind of mission?" Briego didn't dare express himself outwardly. If the madam standing before him didn't specify, then he wouldn't bother touching the subject.
"Wait, her master is south of the clan…" Briego put the dots together. Her master was obviously observing the Spring Clan from afar. Since the neighboring clans were located from north to west, only the south was left without any conquered territory. "If her master is watching from afar, then obviously he has his eyes centered on his disciple or maybe the Spring Clan? Is this related to her mission?"
Briego couldn't believe the situation he had just found himself in. This seemingly mortal girl had a high likelihood of being a disciple of a high-class mage.
His previous thoughts had stopped momentarily. If this girl was really a disciple of such a noble existence, and if he were to offend her and, in turn, offend her master who backed her, he would be in grave danger. As of now, he hung onto a rope that might break depending on his next moves. Relief now washed over him. He thanked the heavens that he didn't actually try to rob and chase "Ciel" away.
Briego recollected his thoughts and thought back to "Ciel's" actions. He found them strange—wasn't she trying to help him? Why did she give him the spell?
Briego cleared his throat: "Madam, why did you give me the spell?"
Sarina replied flatly: "It was just a simple action to show my sincerity towards you. Master had imparted some of his knowledge and told me to seek allies within the clan. What I gave you just now was one of the myriad of spells my master possesses."
Excitement started to brew in Briego's heart.
"Just one of the myriad of spells?" The clan was stingy when it came to spells; they could only be traded with contribution points. When Briego was younger, he had spent three years trying to get enough contribution points in order to obtain a heart spell. But "Ciel" had written one down casually and had basically said that there was much more in store.
"Allies? It must be something related to her mission within the clan." Briego decided not to bring it up. Since "Ciel" was being vague about it, she most likely couldn't reveal its contents, or there just wasn't enough trust between them.
Briego found his cognitive ability speeding up as he began to sober up due to the absurdity of the situation.
Sarina looked at Briego, whose eyes began to clear. "Your fissure isn't impossible to fix."
Briego called out, unable to hold his emotions: "What?"
His crippled fissure was a result of that bloody day. He had heard that not even the famous doctors of the region could fix a crippled fissure. In other words, if one were to damage their fissure, unless they encountered a rare magical herb such as a spiritual golden rose, it was impossible to fix. But now, "Ciel" had told him that there was a way to fix it.
His broken fissure was a reminder from that day. Every day, when he inspected it, he wanted to punch himself in frustration. It was the thing that held him back greatly and a source of immense shame. He started to look at his crippled self in hatred, unable to advance to the stage he had previously reached. This obstacle made it so he couldn't properly join a team, accept missions from the clan, or gather mana stones, contribution points, and materials. In other words, his broken fissure stopped him from making a considerable earning.
What made him livid was that despite his sacrifices, the clan had never cast a glance at him. To them, he was simply trash. He was thrown to the side, unable to escape this downward spiral.
"Is there really a way?" Briego sighed as he held his heart in hope.
"There really is a way. 5th-circle magicians are great people that us insignificant characters can't comprehend. I gave you a small appetizer of what my master is capable of. Just do as I tell you, and you'll be able to reap many rewards."
Briego's heart pounded heavily. "Ciel" was giving him an opportunity of a lifetime. Although her mission was shrouded in mystery, he did not care. Just helping this madam would result in him reaping extreme benefits and possibly being close to a 5th-circle magician. This was an opportunity of a lifetime.
All his regrets, his sorrows, his guilt, all the tears he had shed in the past—his teammates, his wife, his son… All of it would be left in the past. He could start anew and see what the future held.
"Altan, Anna, I'm truly pathetic, but it seems you can truly rest in peace. Do not worry about this useless drunkard. I will remember your deaths forever, engraved in my heart. It seems heaven always leaves a way. It must be due to your best wishes for me to live on. Haha." Briego thought happily.
"So, what do you say?"
"I accept."
Sarina nodded. "Good."
Her efforts were not in vain. She had successfully dangled a piece of hope that Briego could hold on to. As they say, to live without hope is to cease to exist. Sirius had once believed, and in his worst nightmares, hope came to exist, removing his mental blockade. Now, Briego had found his hope to exist once more.
As for restoring his fissure? That would never happen.
The hope she provided wasn't a bright shining star, but a light ball that, if one peered inside, would only reveal emptiness.