The sun slowly rose over the horizon. The streaks of it's golden glow reaching the cobblestone floor of Thera. One stray streak went through a narrow alleyway, hitting the face of a boy with a crimson scarf.
He felt refreshed. Way more than he should have. Though all his accumulated damage wasn't completely erased, they had reduced dramatically. Naren's curiosity was piqued. Briefly wondering how his body recovered, quickly broken by a strange weight on his lap.
Naren looked down at Vera. For a second he let her rest. Another second passed and he grew restless. Then another and he grew uncomfortable. He shook Vera.
"Wake up!"
Vera grumbled awake with a start. Still drowsy she looked at Naren.
"You have any idea who I am? To shake me?"
As the spell of sleep was slowly lifted, she was left to the bitter reality. Vera stared at Naren who was still yawning, slowly growing red from embarrassment before swinging her head away.
"So-sorry."
Naren got to his feet, yawning. He stretched while walking out of the alleyway. slightly hunched over, he held a hand over his stomach.
"Sorry princess. I didn't know who you were."
He cracked a smile, his eyes barely open.
"I'm gonna get food."
———————————————
The tavern was completely silent. Everyone inside kept to one side of the room, staying as quiet as possible. On the other side sat a single man with bandages over his right eye, hunched over and sleeping. Well, aside from two other's sitting at the table right next to him, a boy in a crimson scarf and a little girl.
The boy didn't even bother taking a look at the menu. Immediately putting it down after trying to read it through his half closed eyes.
"Whatever's popular."
The little girl, on the other hand, was carefully examining the menu. More specifically, the prices listed on the menu. As she looked through the numbers getting higher and higher, he stomach grew more and more empty.
"What's the cheapest thing-"
"Just get her anything from the kid's menu."
Naren pointed at the sleeping man.
"Also, he's paying. He owes me."
The waitress looked a bit shocked at this comment. She moved her gaze towards the sleeping man before swiftly bringing it back on Naren.
"Are-are you sure?"
"Yeah. Tell him the bills from Naren, he'll get it."
She hesitated. Her eyes wandered over the adjacent table once more, this time lingering for a second longer. Then she jotted something on a small piece of parchment before heading back to the kitchen.
"What was that? Do you know him?"
"Nah."
Naren sat with his hands outstretched. Tired as always. Yawning.
"What?! What if he wakes up?! I know you're a shaman and all, but—"
"Quiet down. He won't remember"
"What?"
"It's my spite."
"Spite?"
The waitress came back with the food and placed it in front of them. She took one more glance at the sleeping man before hurrying to the kitchen.
Naren raised his head up, sighing a little as if even eating was tiring.
"Alice said that everyone knew about spite's. Guess you're one in a few."
Vera went red.
"I-I don't know. Nobody ever told me."
Naren began eating slowly. Starting with the eggs. After a small initial bite, he continued eating them, leaving no trace behind.
"You know how shaman make contracts with magical beasts, right?"
Vera sipped some orange juice. The first sweet thing she'd had in a while. Before long the glass was completely empty, before she even touched her food.
"Yeah. I know that much."
"Well contracts are give and take. You get a fable—an ability from the beast—and in return you give something up, a spite."
Vera nodded, eating her pancakes. Naren shuffled a bit of the sausages into his mouth. Making a sour face he shoved them to the edge of his plate with the fork.
"Well, in return for being able to control and use reflections, I had to give up my presence. So normal humans forget me when I stop interacting with them."
Vera lingered on that. 'Reflections.' The teleporting made sense now. The shards of mirror on the floor, they were all creating reflections. But was that all he could do? Just travel through them? Though it seemed pretty versatile to stop there, Vera couldn't help but imagine all the stronger fables he could have had. Something a bit more useful to her.
"Everyone?"
"Basically. Even weak shaman will forget after a while. At least that's what Alice said."
"Who's Alice."
uttering those words, Vera froze. A tinge of red welling up on her cheeks. Burying herself in her food, Vera muttered something ineligible.
"What?"
Vera lifted her head slowly. Careful not to make eye contact.
"What's your name?"
Nonetheless, her eyes drifted towards Naren's face. On it, through his sleepiness, was a just a little bit of disappointment he couldn't hide.
"Naren."
Vera shook her head.
"No no. It's not like I forgot, you just never mentioned it. I think."
Naren didn't show a reaction, instead he continued his sentence, a slight smile still lingering on his face, attempting to mask a deeper tinge of disappointment.
"As for Alice."
He shuddered. His previous tired expression disappearing for a second.
"She's the devil. If you ever meet her, don't."
Vera didn't speak for a little bit, then shifted in her seat.
"So."
She had realized that her conversation with Naren was beginning to become a little smoother. The original apprehension she had towards him was now slowly being fanned away. However, no matter how comfortable she was, this topic was still a sore spot, especially for her.
"Why the Tomb of Atlas?"
"So I don't die."
The little girl almost choked on her food. She looked over at Naren who was peacefully eating his food, moving the sausage off the plate onto the table. The severity of death seemingly wasted on him.
"Die?"
"When you form a contract, the fable you get is the will of the beast. It slowly eats away at your soul."
He downed the water that was left untouched the whole meal. All in one go.
"Of course, it can be stopped. Just fulfill the rest of the contract. You have to do what the will you inherited wanted. Only when you fulfill those terms do you get rights over your body back."
Vera's eye's narrowed. A quiet realization hitting her. 'What exactly does he need to do in Atlas?'
Naren finished eating. A sloppy plate sat before him. Finishing some of the food, other portions left untouched. Shoving his plate to the side, Naren outstretched an arm, resting his head on it.
"Though there exists witches. There's no trial they have to go through, they're just born with it."
Vera shifted in her seat looking down. 'Witches'. Everyone heard of them. The pure epitome of evil. Just the presence of them was enough to bring about tragedies. Who wouldn't be scared of the mere mention of them?
"How lucky. Just like my sister."
The little girl was still looking up. The comment not registering in her head yet.
'Sister' Slowly Vera raised her head looking at Naren peacefully resting on the table.
"The same sister who put this damn curse on me."
His voice grew palpable with resentment. Suddenly the Naren Vera was staring at felt dark and oppressive. Her breathing grew shallow. She stared at the crimson scarf. Something about it made it impossible to think.
Then Naren turned to look at her and the presence was gone entirely.
"Anyways, Atlas."
'I have to get a grip.' Vera was hesitant to speak.
"Ye-yeah. We won't be able to get there without a sturdy ship. The black sea is a red zone after all."
Naren had a look of confusion from that comment. He got up, wanting to say something. 'What exactly was a red zone, or even the black sea for that matter?' But just as he was about to, the waitress came stumbling in, holding a piece of parchment in her hands.
"This is your bill, sir. The kid's pancake combo and a breakfast combo, that was all, correct?"
Looking down she noticed a couple sausages sitting on the table beside the plate. 'How picky'. She couldn't help but feel sad for owner toiling away cooking all day.
"My friend's paying."
Naren turned back to where he was pointing. The table was empty.
"When did he?"
"I'm sorry sir, but he told me that you were paying for him."
He turned his head back towards the waitress, plopping down onto his seat. 'what a witty guy.'
"In that case, can I get one more pancake combo? Might as well eat my fill."
The waitress hesitated standing there for a second. She had pursed her lips thinking. Then deciding to give them the benefit of the doubt, she emptied the table and left for the kitchen.
As soon as the waitress was out of sight, Naren stood up and tugged Vera's arm.
"Let's get out."
"Huh-"
"HEY! COME HERE!"
The massive owner came out of the kitchen right after the waitress went in. His potbelly emerging through his greasy shirt.
Naren pulled Vera tighter and ran.
As they burst out the front, the bandaged man was standing right there seemingly waiting for them. For a mere moment both him and Naren made eye contact. Within that mere moment, the man stuck his tongue out at Naren, mocking him, before turning away and leaving grumbling something to himself.
"Damn Charybdis dolls."
The owner came barreling out behind them panting. Leaning on his knees, the owners chest heaved. He propped himself up and waddled back into the tavern.
"Felix, hurry up and call the damn guards! I'd be damned to let a thief rob me dry?!"
———————————————
As Naren ran with Vera, they stopped dead in their tracks.
Around them, the city continued to move like normal. As if nothing out of the ordinary was taking place. People walked the streets, buying from vendors, kids playing around. However, something was indeed very very wrong.
The two stared up, a giant shadow loomed before them.
Sitting atop the city, perched on a rooftop, was a giant creature easily eight meters tall.
A jet black bird with hollow eyes. Its beak rounded to a point three feet long. The bird-like creature was hunched over, staring down at the mundane city.
Nobody looked up.
The vendors kept selling. The children kept playing. The factory workers kept walking. As if the shadow above them cast no darkness at all.
The bird tilted its head. Looking. Observing.
Then it unhinged its jaw and shrieked.