Eric and Adrian walked through the crowd. The crowd was thick, so they had to push and weave carefully, often bumping into people, but thanks to the string that Eric had shaped out of his Aura, they didn't get separated.
"Will we be meeting someone else?" Adrian asked after they finally carved out a little space.
"Yes, I've sent a message to my friend using Meditation Aura to meet us at Visie's place. He's quite eccentric and crazy—he always speaks without thinking—so no need to mind him or anything he says."
"So, anyone can come to this place as long as they have Meditation Aura? Even criminals, serial killers, rapists, and whatnot? Shouldn't crime be thriving here? But this place looks quite peaceful."
"Yes, anyone can come here. There are no restrictions for anyone, but this is only because this layer is authorized and protected by the official institutions of Lumenia. There are patrolling Aura users always on alert to prevent any crime. If a high-ranking Aura user comes and attacks, they can call for powerful Aura users themselves to come and assist. As long as someone isn't too much of a big criminal or isn't doing anything wrong, then there's no problem."
Adrian simply nodded his head and continued to walk without any questions. He was saving all his questions for when they reached the safe place that Eric had spoken of.
After taking several left and right turns, they finally reached a tent made up of black cloth. It seemed to be in a very secluded spot, as there were not many people around.
Eric walked forward and set aside the cloth on the entrance using his right hand. Adrian did the same. The inside was quite dark, making him unable to see his surroundings clearly. However, the burning incense gave off a sweet scent that made Adrian's emotions calm down and made him feel at peace.
Suddenly, Adrian felt a tap on his shoulder. His head instinctively turned left, but there was no one. "Haha, he fell for it," a sweet feminine voice entered Adrian's ears from his right side.
A flame sparked up on the ceiling of the tent, making Adrian able to see the inside. Adrian turned his head right and froze. What he saw was more than he could have ever imagined. There was a round table with a black cloth on it. On the table was a black crystal ball with white light shining in it. On opposite sides of the round table sat two women. Let's talk about the woman closer to Adrian first.
She had long purple hair that cascaded down to her waist. Her hair was smooth as wool. She turned around and showed her face. Her purple eyes were big and shiny as a kid's innocent eyes. Her plump pink lips were enough for anyone to blush after seeing her face—so did Adrian.
Her chest wasn't much to speak about; it was just medium, but her body structure was perfect with curves. She wore a purple bodysuit with a dark purple hood over it. Her playful smile made Adrian's heart flutter. She had no makeup on her face, showing her true beauty with no shame.
Adrian couldn't think or move for a few seconds; he was captivated by this gorgeous woman in front of him. He soon noticed a purple bubble floating above her left shoulder. This made him remember something. Didn't Eric say that there would be a male friend of his here too? Where was he then?
Adrian turned to Eric, who was standing silently at the left side of the round table, and was about to ask, but before he could say anything, Eric looked at the gorgeous purple-haired woman and said, "Max, turn back already."
"Max? What? How does a gorgeous woman have the name of a man? Can it be that she has a rod instead of a hole?" Adrian asked himself inwardly. The gorgeous woman chuckled and spoke with her cute voice. "You're right. I've had enough fun."
Saying that, the purple bubble floating by her shoulder entered her body again, and steam started to come off her entire body as her skin turned a little red.
Her long hair started to shorten and became a little rougher, turning into the short hair of a man. Her big eyes narrowed and became much sharper compared to before. Her curvaceous body type turned into a muscular body type. Her medium chest flattened. In just a few blinks of the eye, the gorgeous woman became a handsome and strong man!
Adrian's eyes widened as his jaw dropped open in shock. He couldn't believe the scene that had taken place in front of him.
The handsome man stood up and walked up to Adrian, offered his hand, and introduced himself. "Hello. It's nice to meet you. My name is Max Water Charles. I am an Aura user of the Quantum Pathway. I have the power of the Property Aura. My rank is Lysi Nova. You must be Adrian. Come sit, and let's continue your basics."
Adrian's body was shaking as he shook his hand. This Max man right here was as tall as Eric, towering over this little boy, but unlike Eric, he was very friendly and optimistic. His smile could make anyone feel protected, but Adrian was feeling complicated things. Only one question formed in his mind.
Does he have a rod in his female form?
Max showed him a chair on the right side of the round table, opposite Eric's seat.
Adrian then looked to his right and saw the second beautiful woman. She had been silent all this time and had her face concealed by a hood. The only thing that was visible of her face was her lips, which had black lipstick on them—just that convinced Adrian that she was a beautiful woman, but after the… weird transformation just now, he didn't trust anything for now.
"Visie, take off your hood now," Max said to the hooded woman in front of him. He had put his legs on the round table, and his hands were behind his head. Eric had turned completely silent now. He was nothing like when he was in his Mike Jackson persona.
The hooded woman raised her left hand and took off her hood. Adrian was ready for anything now, even if she had eight red eyes or a mouth as a nose—he was ready. However, she was another beautiful woman.
Visie was a lady with a beautiful face and a mature aura around her. She had black eyes and slender long black hair that cascaded down to her shoulders. She had put on black eyeliner, black eyeshadow, and a little black blush, giving her a gothic vibe. She wore a black gown underneath her black hood. After she took off her hood, her gown was revealed. She had exposed some of her chest—enough for others to look at it while talking to her, making them unable to focus on her eyes. She also had a curvaceous body.
She turned her head toward the one who was blushing hard and wasn't even able to look at her, but he wasn't gonna make the same mistake. What if she also turned out to be a man?
This doubt of his was felt by Eric, and he assured him beforehand. "You do not need to worry. Visie is a woman. She is also not from the Beauty Pathway or using any other means to become a man."
The means naturally meant relics
Adrian heaved a sigh of relief. Max chuckled a little at Adrian's reaction.
Visie turned her head to gaze at Adrian, making Adrian feel a little embarrassed. He wished he could have worn better clothes or combed his hair better.
Visie opened her mouth and spoke in a sweet voice. "Hello, Adrian. My name is Visie. I am a seer who works here. I am an Aura user of the Mind Pathway. I have the power of the Connection Aura, and my rank is Lysi Nova too. It is nice to meet you. Your basics learning was interrupted, I heard. Hmm… You do not need to be embarrassed, little boy. Please look at me."
"Haha." Adrian could only chuckle as he looked down with his red face.
"This is not gonna work," Eric commented as he turned his head and gazed at Max. Max understood what Eric wanted him to do.
He propped his back straight and put his legs on the ground as he raised his left arm and put it on Adrian's left shoulder. His purple Aura came out of his hand in the form of a liquid and entered Adrian's body. Soon, a red cherry-coloured bubble came out of Adrian's shoulder, making him calm down and stop being embarrassed anymore. Adrian was shocked when he realised that he was no longer blushing or feeling any kind of lust, shyness, or anxiety. He stared at Max with a disbelieving gaze.
"How? What is the power of your Aura? This is awesome!" Adrian exclaimed with a smile on his face.
"Max's Property Aura is quite complicated, but let me explain. At Lysi Nova rank, he can take out any properties of any object or person in the form of a bubble. He can have five of these bubbles at max. If he were to get a sixth bubble, the first bubble will return back to where it was taken from. He has named this application of his Aura 'Editing.' Just make sure to not break these bubbles, or else the properties in these bubbles will act on you but with twice the force."
"Can he use his Aura on himself?" Adrian asked with curiosity in his eyes.
Eric nodded and answered, "Yes, he can. He calls it 'Self-Edit.' In this, he takes out one of his properties and allows changes to happen to his body to give him results. However, there is something special: he can even take out his properties of not being able to do something. Don't think too much about it right now. What he did just a few minutes ago was that he took out his property of being a man, turning into a woman. He had to put it back in his bubble to become a man again. If he were to take out his property of not being able to change his gender, he would be able to change his gender at will without putting back the bubble."
"Wow, you have such a complicated but fun ability. I'm jealous," Adrian said to Max while chuckling. Max agreed with him while also laughing. This was the silent start of their friendship.
This friendship would go to unimaginable heights in the future. But for now, Adrian would continue learning his basics.