The Trader let the silence stretch just a moment longer before parting it with his voice. "Greetings, beautiful ladies." His lips curled in a faint, measured smile. "I am the Trader."
Neither girl answered.
Rogue's knuckles whitened as she gripped the blanket tighter around herself. Her wary green eyes never left him, tracking every faint shift of his cloak. Blink sat stiff beside her, lips pressed into a hard line, her breaths shallow.
The calm haze he'd pushed over them wasn't strong enough to smother their instincts. Fear still lingered in the corners of their eyes, sharpened by confusion.
Rogue tilted her head slightly, never breaking eye contact with the figure. It was subtle, but Blink caught it.
She shifted, letting her hand slip down toward the sheets. A faint violet shimmer stirred at her fingertips, almost invisible in the half-light. The space beside her warped, the beginning ripple of a portal forming—silent, discreet, meant as their escape.
The Trader's smile deepened, amusement flickering in his crimson gaze. He lifted a hand and snapped his fingers. The sound rang clear and sharp.
Rogue's breath hitched. Blink's portal fizzled out instantly. But it wasn't force that stopped them. Their bodies were free—untouched.
Instead, something unfamiliar pressed into their minds. Sudden, heavy, undeniable. Fragments of knowledgeslid into place as though they always have been there.
Rogue clutched at her head, eyes wide. Blink flinched back against the headboard, one hand covering her temple, the other trembling in the sheets.
The Trader lowered his hand, the faint glow fading from his fingers. "I dislike repeating myself. Explaining the same things again and again. So, I placed the truth straight into your minds. Who I am, what I can do, what is my purpose, it's already there in your mind."
Rogue frowned, still clutching the blanket around her. "So you're… like a genie, then? Only without the lamp and without three free wishes. Instead you… trade."
A small smile touched the Trader's lips. "Correct. I fulfill wishes, but never for free. What I give must be matched by what I take. You decide the price—what you're willing to offer—but it must be of equal worth. That is my law, the principle of equal exchange. Nothing less, nothing more."
Despite her nerves, Blink finally spoke, her voice low and tight. "If that's true… then prove it."
Rogue glanced at her, then back at the cloaked figure, with narrowed eyes. "Yeah. Talk is cheap. Anybody can say they're some deal-making spirit. Show us something real."
The Trader tilted his head slightly, the faintest curve at the corner of his mouth. He let their demand linger in the air for a moment, then gave a small nod.
"Very well. Proof. I can understand why you doubt me," he said evenly. "So I will allow this much—I will grant one free wish of both of you, without taking anything in return. What I will grant must be normal, nothing crazy. Think of it as a test of truth rather than a gift of power."
His crimson eyes shifted between them, steady and unblinking. "You may speak together and decide. Then tell me your wishes, and I shall make it so."
Rogue and Blink looked at each other.
Seeing that they were on opposite sides of the room, the Trader snapped his fingers once again. The wooden frames groaned softly as both beds lifted from the floor, hovering weightlessly. Sheets and pillows shifted but did not fall, held neatly in place by invisible force.
With a controlled motion, the two beds glided across the floor until they touched, merging into one larger frame. The moment they settled, the glow faded, and the new double bed rested solidly against the floor as if it had always been there.
Both girls startled at the sudden movement, clutching their blankets tightly. Rogue's eyes widened, caught between disbelief and unease. Blink sat straighter, her pink hair falling forward as she pressed her palm to the mattress, testing its firmness. It was real—no shimmer of illusion, no wavering edges.
The Trader's faint smile returned. "Now you can speak comfortably."
For a moment, the two young women simply stared at each other, as though waiting for the other to say something first. Finally, Rogue exhaled through her nose and muttered, "Well… guess that answers if he's bluffing or not."
Blink's lips pressed together, but she gave a small nod. She shifted closer, pulling her knees up beneath her blanket, then glanced cautiously toward the Trader before leaning slightly toward Rogue. Their voices dropped low, whispers exchanged in hurried fragments as they began to debate what they could possibly wish for.
Meanwhile, the Trader lifted his hand in a casual sweep, and a chair materialized out of thin air. With another faint gesture, his form shifted. The faint transparency of his body thickened, the ghostlike haze retreating until his cloak and figure appeared solid once more.
He lowered himself onto the chair with deliberate ease, folding one leg over the other. The four leaf clover grimoire that had floated behind him settled against the armrest, its pages still turning slowly of their own accord.
Rogue and Blink turned in his direction, their expressions softening just a fraction. The shift in his form—the solid outline, the absence of that eerie transparency—made him seem less like some haunting spirit and more like… something tangible, grounded.
Rogue let out a slow breath she hadn't realized she was holding, her grip on the blanket loosening slightly. "Well… at least he doesn't look like a ghost anymore," she muttered, half to Blink, half to herself.
Blink nodded quickly, shoulders easing as the tension bled from her posture. "Yeah… that's… better," she whispered, though her eyes stayed fixed on him with wary fascination.
The fear hadn't vanished, but there was a sliver of relief now—just enough to let them think instead of simply panic. Wrapped in their blankets, they shifted closer, whispering hurriedly to one another about what to wish for.
Their whispers slowed, tapering off into silence as they reached an agreement. Both Rogue and Blink lifted their heads at the same time, their eyes turning toward the Trader.
Rogue shifted slightly, tightening the blanket around her shoulders. "I'll go first," she said, her tone steady.
The Trader inclined his head, a small gesture bidding her to continue.
Taking a breath, Rogue met his crimson gaze. "I want money. Transfer the maximum amount you can—straight into my bank account."
The Trader's brow rose, amused by the straightforward request.
Rogue caught the look and huffed softly. "What? Even if you're a fake, I'll still get money out of it. It's a win–win deal for me."
Blink said nothing, watching quietly as the moment stretched.
The Trader's lips curved faintly, he raised his hand and snapped his finger.
Immediately, on the bed Rogue's phone buzzed. She grabbed it quickly, eyes flicking down at the screen. The numbers staring back at her made her breath hitch.
Her thumb froze over the screen, the glow of the digits reflecting in her wide green eyes. She blinked once, twice, as if her vision had blurred—then brought the phone closer to her face just to be sure.
Six. Zero. SIX ZERO's. Commas neatly in place, the kind of balance she had only ever seen on news reports about lottery winners or billionaires.
"Six hundred… million?" Rogue whispered, the words barely slipping past her lips. Her grip on the phone tightened as though it might vanish if she loosened her hand.
Blink leaned in, her own breath catching as she glimpsed the display. "It's real…" she murmured, almost to herself. Her fingers brushed against the phone for just a second, testing if it was some kind of illusion—but the numbers didn't flicker, didn't fade. They held steady.
Rogue's mouth went dry. She swallowed hard, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders again, though now it was less for protection and more to anchor herself. Her heartbeat thudded loud in her ears.
Across from them, the Trader simply reclined in his conjured chair, one leg crossed over the other, his crimson eyes steady and unreadable. To him, it was as if transferring a fortune worth lifetimes had been no more taxing than exhaling a breath.
The silence stretched. Then Rogue let out a shaky laugh, half in disbelief, half in awe. "Well… guess that answers if you're fake or not."
Blink, still staring at the phone, whispered, "Afterall nobody would send 600 million just to prank us or anything."
The Trader's faint smile didn't change.
------
CHAPTER:- [104- AN UNEXPECTED SURPRISE] IS AVAILABLE ON MY P@TREON