This time it was one of those hotel rooms, not the typical kind but the luxurious kind with large space, and could most likely be mistaken for an entire mansion considering how the geographical and architectural structures of Fragr interwove to form unique structures in places that wouldn't be capable of such a feat alone had it not been for the fact that this was just simply… Fragr.
The room of this hotel extended out into a large terrace, a pool, a wide enough field, and a little garden filled with exotic plants. It was evident that this hotel room was for VIPs only. The extent the hotel went into creating this room was above and beyond; so much effort to create a masterpiece that merged seamlessly with the other architectural structures–the hotel wasn't one building. It was like a tree; forming roots that extended to levels below the one they were on and branches that extended towards the sky as if reaching to encompass it with its meager might.
It was an impossibly marvellous sight, a depiction of the height humans had reached in engineering and architecture. One of the living masterpieces of this era; a grand hotel built on one of the few intact castles of Morgur, The Sovereign.
Andrew sat on the balustrade at the edge of this particular room, a "room" no different from a small estate back at Grede–it was a room that branched out of the main structure of the hotel, meaning it was at a great height with nothing but a blurry shadow cast by the hotel building itself below him. He wasn't afraid; in fact, he felt solace.
The obscurity below didn't scare him, for he didn't give his mind the chance to create such valid but unnecessary fear, for there was something far more beautiful for his eyes to behold.
From where he sat, most of Fragr was visible. Words couldn't possibly desire to describe the sight he beheld. The eyes were necessary in order to give substance to any possible description of Fragr.
The complex entwining of buildings and architectural structures, the way they fused into one, was like the intricate engine of a machine. It was a complex beauty that could only be appreciated by those who understood how impossible such a formation was and, somehow, someone still made it a reality. It was simply… wonderful. No extravagant words were needed. The beauty of Fragr wasn't in how extravagant it was but in how simplicity wove itself into a complex beauty that was even deemed impossible by many.
"My fucking God! You nearly broke my skull, you mad woman!"
"Call me names again and I'll make sure it isn't 'nearly'. I'll be sure to be thorough with it this time. Try me, I dare you."
An argument rang out from the sitting room. A large brown door made from some high-quality wood led into the sitting room from the terrace. It was wide open now, allowing Andrew to merely glance behind him to see the blonde, tied to a support pillar, arguing with Isabella, who held a silver-colored metal rod with a sharp end in hand. He didn't know where she got this new weapon from.
"Why aren't you nullifying our abilities anymore? Too scared or what? Thought you were daring." Isabella pressed her metal rod on the piece of bloody wood that was still protruding out of the blonde's thigh, causing more harm to the injury in his leg.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck! Fuck you!" The blonde screamed in both anger and anguish, pulling his binds with intense force, and when he realized he didn't have the raw strength to escape his binds, he pulled himself forward in a rapid motion with the intent of sinking his teeth into Isabella's flesh.
This did not end well for him because Isabella merely took a step back to evade the rabid action of the blonde. With Isabella's personality, she wasn't going to let it go so easily.
A slap, carrying a not-so-ordinary force, landed on the blonde's cheek, sending his head jerking back roughly. For a moment, Andrew was afraid his neck was going to snap. Thankfully, that also didn't happen.
Man, she is one hell of a person. Andrew immediately started taking notes. In no way did he want to offend Isabella. In fact, even if he did, he was going to immediately accept his fault. No way in hell was he going to have any physical confrontation with such a person.
Isabella squatted down in her robe attire–which she still wore over her true clothes–to stare at the half-conscious blonde on the same eye level. Her right hand grabbed hold of the blonde's neck in a firm grip as she forcefully made the half-conscious and extremely pitiful young man look straight into–what Andrew was sure was–a pair of bright emerald eyes filled with venomous madness.
Andrew felt like he wouldn't be surprised any longer if Isabella did anything crazier–though he hoped she wouldn't do anything crazier.
"Stranger, you really made a terrible impression on me. Your first impression was a horrible one, to say the least… but we can reconcile, dear stranger. I can give you a second chance, after all, I'm not a heartless monster." Isabella's nails clenched deeper into the side of his neck.
"What… do… you… want?" The blonde struggled to say through his clenched teeth as the intensity of the pain tore at his mind.
He wanted to scream but he was afraid that such vulgarity would only bring him more anguish than relief–this mad woman before him did look like she'd condone such behavior.
"You see, it isn't that hard to be cooperative, is it? Why don't we start with the simple things. Like," releasing her firm grasp on the blonde's neck, she moved her hand to his injured thigh and pulled out the protruding piece of wood.
AHHHHHHHH!
"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" The blonde didn't even care about what Isabella might do to him because of the way he shrieked right in her face. The pain was just too much for him to care about any further consequences.
"Nothing. Alright. There, you are healed. We can finally begin." Isabella stood up.
"Huh?" The blonde was stunned. Indeed, he had no injury anymore. Only the bloodstains on his trousers, the bloody piece of wood and the torn part of his trousers were the proof that he had indeed been harmed.
"Regeneration?" He stared at Isabella in shock.
"Technically," Isabella shrugged while replying vaguely. "Now, answer me honestly or else… I don't think I need to utter anything more, dear stranger? Brilliant! Now then, what's your name? Be prompt with your replies."
Andrew finally decided that sitting on the balustrade and staring at the shadowy void wasn't that interesting anymore. He spun his body, climbed off the balustrade, and landed on the paved path with ease.
"Talen, Talen Fraglariss." The blonde replied with the most honest look he could muster; there was some kind of expectation hidden in his expression, as if he was waiting for his audience to realize something. He didn't have to wait long.
"The 'Fraglariss'? As in 'Fraglariss' the inventor of the 'Immortality Elixir'? The bastards that created some fake-ass longevity potion and refused to sell it to those they deem 'The Lower Class'? Are we talking about that same 'Fraglariss'?" Isabella's tone grew cold as her grip on her metal rod grew tight, veins popping up on the back of her palm as her gaze zeroed on Talen.
Fuck!
A universal exclamation that every intelligent creature understood. An exclamation that sang of the misfortune of man.
Talen stared at Isabella with soulless eyes; eyes that had immediately accepted the terrible fate that was about to befall him. He didn't even have any intent of struggling or fighting back anymore–it was hopeless. He fucked up.
I should have kept my mouth shut. Talen sighed inwardly.
"Isabella," Andrew called out from a few steps behind her.
Isabella turned to face him, her gaze still lit by a green inferno. Seeing his pleading stare, Isabella calmed down.
Of course Andrew knew the name "Fraglariss". Who on earth didn't know the name Fraglariss? A name that rang loud in this age, for a reason many also knew. The people that somehow created a medication that gave youth and extended the lifespan of people. They were considered miracle workers; saints that tapped into the divine powers using mundane means–but the science community obviously knew that wasn't it, as the same "elixir" was immediately replicated after they got their hands on one, thereby disproving the claim of "divine" power.
The only negative thing about the Fraglariss–which was the only thing that made them the enemy of the common people–was their refusal to sell their "precious" elixir to people they considered "low life."
An insult to those whom the words were referring to, but that wasn't what made it vexing–the elixir was meant to revolutionize the modern world, to bring forth a new age of man and… they just wanted to be selfish with it because of their narrow and shallow view of the world. You'd expect more from people that made such a great creation.
He thoroughly understood what Isabella wanted to do to this blonde that dared to have "Fraglariss" as his last name; anyone would have known Isabella's intent at this moment simply because they too would have had the same exact intent.
"Talen, is it? So, do tell us. What is it you want with us? First of all, how did you find us? To be able to pinpoint our exact location is quite the feat, don't you think so too, Andrew?" Isabella carried on with her interrogation as if the name "Fraglariss" had meant nothing to her–as if her initial reaction never happened.
"Find you? A grave misunderstanding here, it seems. No way in the hell was I seeking both of you. No offense but I don't even know who both of you are. I was just simply using my Rift to escape some ill-intent pursuers of mine when the fuck-ass ability decided that it was a great time to fail me. The failed Rift was what brought me to you. I had no conscious intent of meeting you." Talen sighed pitifully as his head dropped low. He really felt like he was quite unfortunate. One problem after the other, what the fuck did he do?
Andrew and Isabella shared a look before turning back to the blonde that called himself Talen. Both of them clearly were still very suspicious of him. They didn't buy his story but they didn't make that apparent.
"Some ill-intent pursuers, you say? A Chosen of your caliber couldn't deal with them easily? Wait, it might make some level of sense considering you don't even have an offensive ability." Andrew sighed as he thought about how pitiful this Taken was but quickly remembered that he didn't even know how to activate his own abilities.
"If they were ordinary people, that is." Talen retorted, feeling insulted by Andrew's words.
"Other Chosens are after you? What in the god's name did you do to piss them off? Sorry for asking such a stupid question. Your last name is already a valid reason to bring you to mother death. That actually makes sense." Isabella said with a contemplative look, turning to Andrew to ask for his opinion with a look. Of course, Andrew readily nodded his head with a similar contemplative look on his face.
"You guys have got it all wrong. And also, could you both stop forming your conjectures and just listen to me? Maybe then, you'd understand what actually happened and not what you 'thought' happened." Talen made a comment from the side to show his annoyance.
"What else could it possibly be, if not 'that'?" Isabella shrugged.
"Immortals. Beings similar to us that call themselves 'Immortal'. To be clear, I wouldn't say they are similar to us–they only share the trait of not being 'mundane' with us and nothing else; their means are something I've never witnessed." Talen began in a serious tone.
"What?" Both Andrew and Isabella muttered at the same time, confusion written on the face of both of them.
"Exactly. I was just as confused as you two when I learnt of them."
Again, Andrew and Isabella shared a look before Isabella replied. "Tell us everything you know about them."
"First, take off the binds. I promise to tell you everything I know."
"That's not a problem." Andrew answered as he moved forward to unbind the blonde.
"You'll tell us all you know, Talen. Everything, and not a single thing should be missing. I want the full picture." Isabella said seriously as she paced back and forth while Andrew loosened the binds of Talen.
"It's going to be a very long story if you want the whole detail. I could give you guys a summary though?" Talen said with relief as he could finally stretch his legs.
"That's not going to be a problem. We want the entire thing."