Zay had tried to ignore the message he saw when he woke up; he knew that either Rei or Naomi had found the "shrine" required to activate it. He had read the message that morning and understood what had to be done. Bringing up the Resonance Lens, he stared at the display.
[To activate switch 3, sacrifice a child to the Ancient Demon.]
He moved his hand over his forehead, closed his eyes, and leaned back against the wooden frame.
'To leave the Fourth Sequence, we must sacrifice a child. A child who will never know the joyful moments of life; but also, one who will never have to endure the pain and struggle either.'
He pondered for so long that, when he finally opened his eyes, the city of Harland had appeared in the distance.
"How long have we been gone?" Zay asked, glancing at Kade.
"We've been gone for... a little over an hour. The horses decided to be real slow today; I guess it's the heat. Once we arrive in Harland, I'll bring them to a pond the city provides for horses. Make sure you keep an eye on the priestess—and remember, nothing can happen to her."
"Yes sir, Commander, sir," Zay replied in a dramatic, drawn-out tone.
Kade chuckled. "Very funny." He rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the road, watching for any snakes hiding in the grass.
Zay felt a gentle breeze pass over him and the horses; he closed his eyes. His thoughts circled back to the message—how to activate the third and final switch of Sequence 4. In that moment, he made his decision. The sacrifice would happen soon. As much as he enjoyed relaxing in a mansion, he didn't want to spend eight months here.
He had said before entering the Sequence that he would return to Pluvialis to check on his family; he also needed to relay the unfortunate news of Silver's death. Beyond that, he planned to check in with Mike to see if he needed help setting anything up.
They had spoken briefly two months ago; the two had met at a bar in Gyro, where Mike was attending a meeting about a new job that would have him traveling across the ocean.
Mike told Zay about a woman he had fallen for and how he was saving money to buy a ring to propose. Zay had found it sweet and promised to help Mike in any way he could once he returned from the Fourth Sequence.
'I wonder what he'll need help with. He can do almost everything himself; still, it's always nice to have help. Since he helped me back in that Shattered Sequence, I'll be glad to help him build a house for his future family. It shouldn't be too hard, especially if we hire a few people to assist us.'
Zay sighed deeply, lost in thought. He also began imagining the story he'd tell his family to explain where he had been. He considered simply saying he'd been staying with a friend—Rei—whom he met in Gyro during his travels, but he wasn't sure if that would be all he told them.
Before he could dwell any further, he opened his eyes and realized the carriage was already entering Harland. He hadn't even noticed the noise of the crowd, too absorbed in his own thoughts.
Without another moment of hesitation, he stepped off the carriage and walked around. Kade followed close behind, hopping down and moving to open the carriage door. Ira stepped down, took a look around at everyone, and gave a small wave with a smile.
Whispers began to spread among the people of the city.
"Is that the priestess?"
"Who's that next to her?"
Two people sitting nearby glanced over their shoulders and spotted the priestess—but their eyes quickly shifted to Zay.
"Do you see that man?"
"I do… why isn't he wearing a tunic?"
The murmurs continued between the two and spread among the nearby citizens of Harland. Zay sighed and turned his gaze away.
Ira glanced around briefly before walking off, not wanting to draw more attention than necessary. Kade looked at Zay.
"Good luck. I'll be tending to the horses."
Kade made his way over and began removing the harnesses. 'Thankfully Harland has that pond close by so I can actually keep an eye on both the horses and the carriage at the same time. I'm not sure who designed it, but damn, they're a genius.'
Zay gave a small nod in Kade's direction before following behind the priestess.
"Where are we even going first?" he asked.
Ira stopped and turned to face him, looking up.
"We're going to Eros' Clothes. It's a store that sells clothing—more specifically, dresses, suits, trench coats, tunics. They also sell art: small paintings of flowers, vases, clouds… sometimes even animals."
"So why is it called a clothing store if it sells so much other stuff?" Zay asked, looking down at her and catching a glimpse of her full lips through the veil.
"Isn't it obvious? They mainly sell clothes, like I said. The art is just occasionally available for purchase." She turned back around and resumed walking, her hands folded gently near her waist.
'That… does make the most sense,' Zay thought, sighing as he followed after her.
...
After several minutes of walking through the city, Ira waved back at everyone who greeted her. They soon arrived at Eros' Clothes and stepped inside.
The man behind the counter wore a dark blue suit with a black tie. His silver glasses gleamed under the shop's lighting, and his dark blue trousers matched his suit. He looked up from the counter.
"Oh! Welcome! It's so lovely to see that the Order of Restraint is paying us another visit. What may I do for you this time? Does Mr. Richfield need a new suit? I already have his orders in the order list, it's arriving next week from overseas!"
"No, no. I'm here for my bodyguard. He left his tunic out overnight, and one of the children took it… so we're here to buy a new one," Ira replied, smiling beneath her veil. Despite the lie, her voice was smooth and confident, without a single stutter or slip.
The man turned his gaze to Zay, who stood silently behind the priestess to her right.
"Hm… that does sound like an issue. I'll take your measurements and check our stock, if that's alright."
Zay gave a small nod, not wanting to prolong the interaction, he disliked being in this city, especially with all the attention. The man walked over, reached into his suit, and pulled out a measuring tape, then began taking Zay's measurements.
After a minute, he slid the tape back into his inner pocket and closed his eyes.
"Give me a moment to go over the list." He turned quickly and returned to the counter, pulling out a piece of paper and reviewing it slowly.
He checked it twice before nodding. "We have three suits, four trousers, one trench coat, and three tunics in your size. I'll go grab them if you'd like to see them."
"Works for me."
The man nodded and disappeared to the back, returning swiftly with the items and laying them out neatly across a table.
Zay glanced down. There were two tunics made of brown leather and a third made of white silk. The three suits varied: one of red velvet, another of white linen, and the last of black velvet mixed with linen.
All four trousers were identical—black velvet. The trench coat was made of black linen.
"How much for all of this?" Zay asked, wanting to stock up on clothes for a while.
"It comes out to seventy silver; but since you're with the Order of Restraint, I'll offer a discount—let's make it an even sixty. Does that work?" the man asked, smiling warmly out of respect for the Order.
"That works perfectly," Zay replied, retrieving sixty silver from his Arbiter Vault and extending his hand.
The man reached out, and Zay poured the silver into his palm. "Once I count it, I'll bring you a basket to carry everything—it'll be easier that way."
He returned to the counter, placed the coins down, and counted each one until he confirmed the full sixty. Then, he headed to the back and returned with a woven basket designed for carrying clothes.
"Here you go," he said, handing it to Zay.
Zay placed the new clothes into the basket but kept out one pair of black velvet trousers and a black tunic. "Is there a place I can change into these?"
The man pointed toward the back.
"Just head to the back room, you can change in there."
Zay nodded, made his way to the changing room, and swapped his outfit for the black velvet trousers and white tunic. He tossed his old trousers into the Arbiter Vault before stepping out.
The man looked up, and his eyes widened. "Sir!"
Zay turned slightly. "Yes?"
"Do you perhaps need a job? I'm currently looking for someone to model our clothing. How would you feel about it? I'd be willing to pay twenty silver a week!"
The man's eyes gleamed as he scanned Zay—his tall build, long black hair, piercing dark amethyst eyes, and sharp features. The clothes fit him perfectly. The man remembered the brief glimpse of his lean, muscular frame from earlier and quickly corrected himself.
"N-No, wait—I'll pay twenty-five silver a week!" he blurted out, eager not to lose the chance to have Zay model and promote his clothing to the public.