Abraham entered the bookstore exactly as noon struck, his small figure catching Aurora's eye quickly.
"Oh, aren't you adorable!"
Walking over and bending down in an attempt to pick up the child, her hand was slapped away, a sneer coming over his expression.
"Save it for your husband, lady. I didn't come here to be coddled."
Aurora's face crumpled at his harsh words, a fragment of a memory tugging at her consciousness, but she disregarded it easily.
Ignoring the various words that the elderly woman said to scold him, the black-haired boy walked through the shop with pinpoint accuracy, locating Eleanor in a matter of seconds.
Sighing hard, he jumped up in the chair across from her, drawing her gaze away from the book she was reading.
"Time to talk."
He interlaced his fingers while leaning against the chairback, his eyes staring upward at the ceiling.
The blonde priestess observed him silently for a few seconds before speaking aloud.
"You're quite blunt…"
Shaking her head and placing the tome about the formation of the Great Beyond to the side, she took a deep breath.
"Do you have any answers to the questions I posed?"
Hearing her words, Abraham, taking the opportunity to mock the girl who had asked so much of him, smiled.
"Why would a wittle baby like me have such knowledge…!"
Eleanor groaned, her tense nerves unwinding into bands of annoyance that drained her energy.
The boy snickered, holding up his pointer finger.
"I'll give you this information for free this time as a down payment; however, in the future, when you become one of those big, bad Angels, I expect a fitting punishment for myself."
As he spoke, he readjusted his seating position, making himself appear taller even if he was in the body of a mere child.
"You're interested in the Angel that ascended to your dimension in January, correct?"
The blonde girl nodded, realizing that her motives had been understood from the generalized question she wrote.
"As you know, when a false Angel reincarnates into a dimension, they will normally inhabit the body that they once drew breath in, allowing seamless control over the vessel. Yet, all those months ago, I had heard a certain rumor that struck me as odd."
He paused, noticing the priestess's expression of deep concentration.
"The false Angel who was to be reborn had their mortal body cremated before they could be reanimated."
Eleanor knitted her brows, a thought instantly shoving its way to the front of her mind.
That shouldn't be possible… If there were no body, then it would be impossible to resurrect, right?
Abraham could easily discern her confusion, and the corners of his smiling lips wilted a little as he responded in a serious voice.
"What you are likely oblivious to is that these false Angels have the ability to incarnate into any deceased creature, regardless of species or core concentration. Therefore, with the fullest of my insight, I assure you that the Angel who reincarnated earlier this year was, in fact, forced to inhabit another deceased body."
Finishing his statement with a profoundly smug look across his face, he leaned back, waiting for the girl's reaction.
She, wide-eyed and uncertain, pondered for a moment before speaking aloud.
"Is there anything else you know about the Angel? Their name, mentor, history, or any other details, however insignificant?"
Eleanor wasn't entirely sure if the boy knew about the Angel's disappearance in the Dimension of Waves, and unless he informed her of such, she would keep him in the dark.
"I believe it was a woman… Yes… Her name was Esmerelda, and she was taught by Ariel herself. I had never met her in person; however, what I clearly remember is her extreme maternal instincts… It was said that if there was a lost child within ten kilometers of her, she would take them under her wing. I, of course, hid from her with all my might for the 300 years that she was in power."
He shuddered as if a nightmare flashed in front of his eyes.
The gray-eyed priestess stored the information away, making note of the strange quirk that Esmerelda had exhibited.
"Thank you for your detailed answer, Mr. Abraham."
She bowed her head slightly, making the boy chuckle and rub his neck in embarrassment.
"I'm not one of those Angels or even a deity! No need to bow to little ole' me!"
Eleanor smirked as she kept her gaze pointed towards the floor.
Flattery works well on him… Maybe he'll forget about the extra payment if I just throw in a few more compliments.
Straightening her posture once again, she placed a friendly smile on her face and moved on to the next topic.
"Then, for my second question, do you have any information about that owl?"
The small boy's expression fell, a sigh escaping his lips.
"Other than the Kingdom of Nature to the East, where the spirits of animals reside, and Osiris, there should be no owls within the Great Beyond. If you saw one within the walls of this city, it could only be the messenger spirit that feasts on divinity."
He looked over towards the notably empty bird cage in the corner of the library—the lack of the feathery creatures inside the Kingdom at the End was always something he considered odd.
Eleanor didn't trace his gaze; instead contemplating his words internally.
Could it truly be Osiris? If so, then why? I didn't summon him, nor do I even possess divinity!
Rubbing her glabella, she noticed Abraham was waiting for another question patiently, his tiny fingers rasping against the chair's armrest.
"Mr. Abraham, before I ask my third question, I have another thing to ask about what we just discussed."
She watched as he nodded, his expression calm yet expectant.
"That creature flew into my window and stole a letter of mine, presumably to deliver it. In that scenario, I didn't summon it, nor did it siphon off any divinity within me. Not that I have any to offer in the first place. How could this be explained if it truly was the devouring owl itself?"
Abraham scowled as if greatly troubled by the question, staring off into nothingness for a few moments before speaking in a hesitant voice.
"It's not possible to explain it… I have no idea…"
He exhaled hard, expressing his disappointment at how, even after thousands of years, he was still not omniscient.
Eleanor frowned at his uncertainty.
He's been here longer than all but the True Angels and Death… If he doesn't know, then I'll have to ask Lady Ariel in my letter tonight.
Planning ahead what to tell the angelic woman, she kept a checklist in her head of mission-critical knowledge that she thought would be of help to her.
"Then, for my final question, I asked for a brief summary of the people who reside in Infinium. I've been tasked with getting to know large groups of them, and I've been wondering who exactly I will meet."
At her words, the boy perked up considerably, as, when compared to the other two topics, this one was a walk in the park that required far less premeditated thought.
"Easy enough. I'll give you three of my favorite names that would be happy to know a girl like you without any ulterior motives…"
He paused, afraid that she would kick him for his implications.
She, well-versed in the deeds of some of the former sovereigns of the world, simply sighed and gestured for him to continue.
"Well, I'd first recommend the former King of Dreams, Norman Reed. Near the end of his life, his mental state began to deteriorate; however, here, it's as good as new. He's extremely knowledgeable in combat and never turns down a spar. As a blessed of the God of Dreams, he can also help you prevent nightmares and provide clarity on your life before death."
Eleanor nodded, familiar with the name.
He predated Lord Quinn and only died about 15 years ago, shortly after Aaron was born. He ventured into the Abyss but was overcome by terrors almost instantly, dying in the line of duty…
Abraham didn't stop, continuing from where he left off.
"Next, I'd have to say Arven Krun. He was the last survivor of the fallen Dimension of Night that was destroyed after the God of Darkness was slain. Nice guy overall; however, you mustn't comment on his appearance, or he'll likely pummel you until you're truly dead. He enjoys a drink or ten and is prone to helping children in need regardless of their dimension of origin."
The blonde girl paled slightly.
He'll kill me if he learns that I'm somewhat related to the man who killed his god, leading to the death of his world…
Quietly shaking, she listened as the man in a child's body recited the last name he had in store.
"Finally, the person I recommend the most out of thousands of souls would have to be Marcus Twynam. He died before his family's disgrace and therefore was spared from an eternity of hellfire; however, if you do meet him, you'll likely notice the mental scars that his great-grandson's actions left on him. Besides that, he is one of the gentlest spirits I've ever met in these lands, his heart as vast as the waves of our homeland. Do not judge him for Augustus's crime, or else you will never again have the chance to meet a man whose sheer presence is as compelling as his."
She nodded, lost in thought once more, as the boy leaped upward from his seat, a yawn escaping his lips and his eyes fluttering shut.
"Thank you, Mr. Abraham, for sharing your knowledge with me."
Taking a moment to thank him for his goodwill, she pursed her lips before adding to her previous sentence.
"Is there anything other than my future favor that you'd want? You've given me more information than I expected, and as such, I want to reward you."
He turned his gaze over to her, a thought crossing his mind.
"Can you tell me how you died? I'm quite curious, given the vast amount of mana circulating in your core."
Eleanor raised her brow in surprise, his words outside of anything she had guessed he might ask.
It wouldn't be impossible to explain… As long as I don't tell him about Aaron, then it'll be fine.
Nodding more to herself than to him, she opened her mouth to confess the truth.
"I looked upon a deity and was killed for my insolence."
Gazing up at the boy as she spoke, she blinked as he took a step backward in shock, his jaw falling open in awe.
"W-which deity was it? How did a deity break through the Gates of Heaven into the Dimension of Waves? How is your soul still intact? Where did it appear?"
Before she could even think of a response, she was barraged with more questions, their answers too complex and impossible to relay in a short time.
"Would you believe me if I said I don't know how to answer any of those questions?"
She put on a neutral smile, sighing as she did so.
Abraham chuckled, a soft lamentation coming forth.
"I suppose I would…"
Giving him another smile, half-grateful and half-apologetic, the blonde-haired girl stood up, stretching wide with a slight groan escaping her lips.
The boy watched her silently before changing the direction of their conversation as it neared its end.
"Miss Lynn, should I contact you through a specific messenger or would any suffice?"
He watched as her expression folded.
"What other messenger would you use? Aren't there only three of them, with only one being easily accessible?"
At her words, the black-haired boy laughed aloud, his fingers snapping together and an indistinguishable murmur departing his lips.
Eleanor could tell it was summoning magic; however, the specific chant was too quiet for even her perfect hearing to catch.
As he moved his right hand slowly, a black flame erupted into life, its heat weak but its smell extremely intense.
It reeks of campfire!
Covering her nose, she looked at the boy in bewilderment before speaking her mind.
"What is that…?"
Hearing her strange voice, he laughed at the way she sounded when her nose was pinched together, his answer coming out soon after.
"It's a personal spirit that I harvested from the catacombs. It's called the Flame of Rest, and whenever I burn a message with it, the information will instantly transmit into the recipient's mind. Whenever I summon it, my chances of fading into nothingness increase; however, that is my goal, so there are really no negatives."
The girl pondered his words for a moment before uncovering her nose.
"Could I summon one like that, too?"
She wondered if it would be more efficient to find a creature whose negative effect relied on the wielder being permanently dead, allowing her to exploit its ability for free, similar to how Abraham was taking advantage of the smelly flame.
The boy shook his head, a wry smile betraying how funny he found the idea.
"Impossible. These spirits despise those with divinity, and you, having been slain by a deity and working as an Angel, ooze it like no other I've ever met."
Allowing the Flame of Rest to dissipate, he wiped the sweat caused by the creature's heat away from his forehead, deciding to sit back down and relax for a few more minutes.
Gazing up at the girl, he noticed a look of utter shock on her face.
"I-I ooze divinity?"