When he returned to Ashe's house, the moon was already high. The moon showed only half that night, an incomplete image of what it used to be a few days ago.
Siderius had gone to this world unknowingly for almost two weeks. For an old soul like him, time passed by too quickly to notice.
Ashe's house was still lit this late. As usual, Siderius took a look inside her house first, ensuring his own safety.
She kneeled peacefully in front of the fireplace, probably still trying to fuse her Aether.
It was not easy to elevate one's soul for a beginner. But Ashe had the hard work down. Without effort, nothing could be accomplished.
He went inside the house and Ashe noticed him immediately. Ashe's senses were sharper, a neat trait for walking the truth-seeking path.
"Master!" Ashe smiled gently.
Siderius nodded. He kneeled down beside her.
"How does it go?"
"It's hard… I can see and sense the Aether but it just won't merge with me. There is something blocking it."
"What is blocking it?"
"I…I don't know for sure. It feels like needles stinging into my head. And I keep seeing the images of my family. Their unnatural appearances."
"It's a natural response. Elevating one's soul is facing one's demon. After all, in your veins flows the blood of chaos."
"I do have a doubt, master. You taught me the concept of Aether and the way to acquire True Aether. But why 'True'? Are there any other types of Aether?"
"You are bright, young one. There are.
Aether is the backbone of reality. True Aether is only an aspect of it. True Aether is the rules of the universe, how the world operates.
But rules need to be upheld and rules can be broken. Those are the other two aspects of Aether.
You should not be concerned about them for the moment. It will only distract you from fusing with the True Aether.
In time, I will tell you.
For now, the only thing you need to do is to walk the Truth-Seeking Path."
"I understand, Master."
"So tell me. Did the buffalo quarters sell well?"
Ashe's eyes lit up and she went to her bed. She pulled out another metal box beneath. A smaller box than her previous one.
"I was shocked when I saw the big quarters of meat you left. I have never seen something like it for a while. People were fawning over them in the market.
In the end, I got three silver coins for them. Can you believe it? Three entire silver coins! That is three hundred bronze pieces!"
Siderius observed Ashe's joyfulness. He wondered how different she was from the days in her clan. She had so much joy from just a tiny bit of wealth.
Life really could change people, making them see the world in another light, making them happy for different reasons. Siderius found this fact amusing.
In the box were three shiny silver coins. Different from the crudely made bronze coins, silver coins were crafted with care and skill.
They had ridges on the edges and a simplified symbol of a tree on them.
Mother Tree, a concept of faith unique to this kingdom. It was told that Mother Tree was what fueled the life of everything and everyone.
Mother Trees were usually bigger than normal trees and could get as big as a few hundred meters tall. Then those trees could spread their foliage out to an entire area, completely shielding the land from the harsh weather above.
Its leaves and branches breathed life into the air. Its very essence brought magic to the land. And in turn, created witches.
The Mother of Tree granted the power of magic. That was what the story told.
There was no Mother Tree in Mucktown nor in any town near it.
The most famous tree was the Golden Delight in the capital of Eldoria. It was rumored that the tree was made of pure gold and it could produce golden apples every year.
Eldoria's unimaginable wealth and prosperity came from the Golden Delight.
Or simply, it was what the Monarchs wanted its people to think.
Siderius didn't believe a single word of it. It was all propaganda to him.
This town was the best example of the true reality. Meats were rare, people were poor and lives were hard. Beggars died every day due to starvation.
And the commoners were barely hanging on.
The tree symbol on the coin wasn't depicting Golden Delight but rather a more ordinary but much older Mother Tree.
The Tree of Woe. This tree also had a tale tagged along with it. Instead of the neverending gold apples, the Tree of Woe could cry.
And whenever it did, a disaster would surely strike Eldoria. It acted as a warning for the kingdom. But because of that very reason, people were scared of it.
The rulers of this kingdom carved its image on the silver coins to remind everyone of its irreplaceable role.
Siderius truly wondered how much of these tales were true and how much were fabricated. He had a hunch that these trees might have a very large connection with the witches and their strength, one way or another.
After all, they wouldn't spread these tales for no reason.
Soon, he would pull away all the veils of lies and find out the truth. Soon...
Siderius picked up the coins to examine them. The craftsmanship was incomparable to his old world but it was definitely coming from an experienced craftsman.
But these were too much for two buffalo quarters.
"You forgot the Rules of Exchange, Ashe."
"What do you mean, Master?"
Ashe widened her eyes and tensed her shoulder. Her big eyes made sure he knew she was worrying a lot, afraid of disappointing her master again.
"Everything has a price, my apprentice. And when you receive a good price out of nowhere, you have lost more than you know."
Siderius lifted up his scarf and covered his face.
It was then that Ashe's door was kicked open by a group of thugs.