Shu was not alone in sensing the mana trace of a teleportation just outside the Ouroboros guild house. Caia turned her head aswell, furrowing her brow. ”Is it commonplace for people to teleport around like this? I thought it was frowned upon in larger townships and cities such as this?” Shu asked, and Caia shook her head.

”It's my mother... now of all times, why does she... she must have a good reason, as usual.” Caia looked over at the collapsed adventurers. Fiona leant against Brock and both were sound asleep. So was Vorna and Trevor. Although they were less Inebriated than Brock and Fiona, the two were nonetheless rather smashed. They hadn't even made it to a bed.

Only a little while had passed since the meal, and it was barely evening. Milly had brought Max upstairs and he was fairly sure that the two of them were sleeping off the days stress aswell.

”As I expected, only you were unaffected.” Caia commented offhand as the door creaked open.

He smiled faintly. She was good at subtle magic. Clearly she didn't want the other adventurers to wake up during Elana's visit.

After the initial meal, the group had retreated to a private room so that they could indulge themselves fully and converse more openly, without worrying about prying eyes. This had proved beneficial to him aswell.

It would seem odd for a bunch of A rank adventurers to drink in public with what appeared to be a child. Mayhap someone might grow suspicious, or at the very least pester them with annoying inquiries.

Caia rose to her feet. ”Mother, it's been awhile.” Caia said, bowing slightly.

Shu adjusted the spectacles on his face as the woman entered. She looked much like Caia. Tall and beautiful and quite well-endowed, the woman walked like a river flowed, her colorful robe gliding gently across the floor in a mezmerising way. She stopped after a few steps, and it was then that Shu noticed another presence right behind Caia's mother.

There was something oddly familiar about that shadow...

”Caiana, you've been busy haven't you? I got your letter from that girl today. It was a most interesting letter.” The womans eyes fell onto Shu, who straightened his back and walked forward.

”Greetings.” He said simply, reaching out a hand. Momentary surprise flickered across the elven womans face, but she recovered quickly, stretching out a hand of her own, which Shu grasped.

”Pleased to finally meet you. I am Elanalue Doralai Thewenys, the 3rd Elder of the whisperwood clan and Caiana's mother.” Mana flickered, shooting from Elana's hand into Shu's body, probing. Shu grinned up at the woman before countering the sense spell.

”You are quite good. I should've expected as much from Caia's mother. I am Shu.” Elana opened her mouth, then closed it again before studying him with even more care than before.

”Excuse me for a moment.” Shu said.

[Noise cancellation barrier]

[Circle of Sanctuary]

”There. No need to wake those guys up. Now show yourself.” Shu said, his eyes moving past Elana to the almost invisible shadow that clung to a crack in the wall, unseen by all except him.

From that tiny, shadowy crack emerged a crooked shape clad in a black cloak. Elana whipped around, her eyes widening. ”You... followed me?”

”Didn't mean to be rude Elana. It seems we had the same objective in coming here though. Following that mana trace.”

Elana's hard eyes softened a bit as she turned back to Shu.

”It's just granny Bathilda, no need to be alarmed. Still, I am surprised you noticed her. She can be like a ghost sometimes.”

”Granny Bathilda?” Shu asked, curious now about this woman. Her skill was not ordinary. The cloaked figure stepped forward, removing her hood to reveal a wrinkled old face. Not exactly what Shu was expecting. Why did he feel such a sense of familiarity from her?

He cocked his head. ”Do I know you?” He said. Moving forward, the old woman did what none expected, and fell to her knees infront of Shu, bowing her head as grey hair fell to cover her face.

Tears fell from her face, dripping onto the floor in the utter silence.

”Master, It is I, Nithra.” She said, her voice quivering. ”Re..reporting for duty, at last.” She continued, her voice cracking as she shook, then sniffled quietly, the tears continuing to fall.

Shu's mind went blank, but he acted instinctively, stepping forward and placing a hand on the kneeling womans shaking shoulders.

”Is it really you, Nithy?” He asked. His voice sounded weak to his own ears. ”Rise, get up already. There's no need for this.” He said.

What the actual fuck was this? An NPC from Edge online, one of his personal NPCs from edge... why was she here? Why was she old and decrepid and not dead? Why was she crying?

”A thousand years...” the woman said, finally bringing up a sleeve to wipe at her face before she once more stood. ”For a thousand years, I have waited for you, my Master.” Nithra said, standing tall now as her tears dried.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Shu noted the two elven onlookers. Caia looked puzzled, Elana looked... very surprised, to say the least, and perhaps a little scared.

”Nithra?” Elana questioned, and Nithra directed her gaze towards the elf. ”My apologies for lying to you Elana, my name is not Bathilda, but Nithra, and I have kept much from you over the years.”

”What exactly are you? I thought you were old for a human, but a thousand years, you can't mean...” Elana said, her eyes flicking from Shu to Nithra and back growing wider and wider by the second. Caia was a perceptive woman, but it seemed like her esteemed mother might be an even more perceptive individual.

If all people were as perceptive as these two elves, Shu would have a hard time mingling in society. ”You can't be... the Sister of Death, Nithra Blinkstrike? But if you are she... then he is...”

Elana said, shock evident on her face. Nithra merely inclined her head in response.

”Caiana,” Elana said, and Caia startled. ”Yes?”

”That Lisa girls tablet reading shocked me greatly, you know? It said.... it said she was favoured by the Master of Pandemonium...” The silence that followed those words, was long and painfully awkward.

Two pairs of shining, pale blue elf eyes turned to gaze at him, and he couldn't help but shift uncomfortably.

With a sigh, Shu reached up and removed the concealment spectacles. He was about to pocket them when Nithra walked over and gently took them. ”Master please, let me help. These glasses, the enchantments... what a nostalgic feeling.” Nithra said, almost sighing with relief as she grasped the rather mundane enchanted spectacles in trembling hands. Poor girl. He couldn't imagine...

A thousand years. Just what the fucking hell was this place? This world.... this situation... What kind of sick god or goddess was pulling the strings here?

Pale blue eyes bore into him, reflecting shimmering candlelight. ”I am indeed Shugireth Darkstar, the Master of Pandemonium.” Shu replied.

There was no helping it now, so he decided to spill the beans to these two. Atleast the others were sound asleep. What would Milly think of him if she learned who he really was? And Max?

What about Lisa... that girl, for some reason he missed her alot. He didn't know what he would do with himself if that girl came to hate him... Given that that was how he actually felt, his previous actions were pretty darn stupid, weren't they?

”You're kidding, right?” Caia said.

”Someone from the age of legends stands before me. No, not one, but two individuals...” Elana muttered to herself.

”Just how much will the world change because of this, I wonder. Still, it has already begun, hasn't it?” Elana said. Shu nodded, and Caia shot a questioning look in her mothers direction.

”The Chain Emporium.” Elana said by way of explanation, and a look of realization soon dawned on Caia's face. She was quite smart, after all, and now that she knew the truth, she could quickly piece together all the small clues Shu had given her over the course of their time together on the road. Caia already had her suspicions and now they'd been confirmed.

After all, he had been rather candid when he expressed his vitriol for their practices, and his desire to take them down. Of course Caia would immediately grasp the situation, it was whether or not she would divulge these things to those around her, that worried him. After all, he had come to like Caia, and to trust her to a certain extent.

”Their destruction was a matter of course, though my work is not yet complete.” Shu said. ”You guys should know this. I intend to fight this pervasive, disgusting practice of slavery, and I want to offer sanctuary for the demonkin and others who might need it, like mistreated slaves and the like.” Shu said. The two elves looked at Shu, but said nothing. After having learned of his true identity, they became subdued and quiet.

He wondered what the present world thought of him, what rumors had made their way through the ages. How much had the stories been twisted by a millenium of retellings? Or had they perhaps been buried by time already? To obtain such info... this was the kind of thing for which he reasoned, he needed to enter a school and acquire common knowledge.

Perhaps he could simply seclude himself in a sufficiently stocked library and live the hermit life for awhile... but that was too boring for him.

Besides, he would probably learn alot more by simply mingling with his peerage at school, from their gossip and from lessons.

Nithra seemed to have picked up on something though. ”So it's still there? The Sanctuary? I thought I felt the faint hum of the core coming back online, but I thought it was just the delusions of an old woman...Tell me Master, is it there? Our home, is it still there? I haven't been able to get close to it no matter how much I tried over the years...” Nithra said, and Shu could hear the tremble in her voice, the torture...

”It's there, Nithy. I think you might like it now. The surroundings have changed quite a bit.” Elana and Caia huddled together, eyeing Nithra and Shu with wariness, but also a large degree of uncertainty.

”Perhaps we should leave...” Caia said finally. ”You clearly have much to discuss.” Elana continued. Shu waved a hand in dismissal. This is what he was afraid of, and it had happened after all. He had to contain the spread before his life as Shu, the demonkin boy was ruined completely.

”I'll take Nithra to the Sanctuary, but before that I need you two to swear an oath of secrecy. If ever you reveal my existence to anyone... no, I won't threaten you or anything like that... I just... want to live a normal life, can you understand this? I want to be a normal boy, have friends and live a relaxed life in peace. No more battles, no more struggles, no more grinds and no more horrible stress. I just want...”

”No, no, we understand.” Caia said, stepping forward as if to hug him. Then her eyes widened as if she just remembered who he really was. But, the woman pushed forward against her fear, enveloping him in a hug which was at first extremely awkward.

”It's okay, Shu... I'll keep my promise. The one I made in Harbrook, you remember? I'm sure my mother won't tell anyone either, and my lips are sealed. Just don't...”

”Don't what?” Shu asked, as the two seperated. ”Don't go wandering off again on your own. You should see Lisa again, that child really missed you...”

”I will, I promise.” Shu said. ”In fact, I'd been planning on going to school for awhile.” All three women in the room raised their eyebrows high at this statement. ”Don't look at me like that, it makes sense, really it does!” Shu said.

”And just how exactly, does it make sense for the bloody Master of Pandemonium, a fricking legend, a myth, an ancient fairy tale.... to go to school!” Elana exclaimed.

”Well... I kind of.. don't know anything about the current world, my common sense is all screwed up and even the names of the nations, countries and empires are all messed up ... And well, Lisa...”

”Okay, okay, say no more Shu.” Caia said, smiling for the first time since she had learned of his true identity. Caia took her mother by the arm and led her towards the edge of the barrier he had erected.

Caia turned towards Shu and said. ”Go, we'll take care of your enrollment, won't we Mother?” Elana, confused and clearly ruffled as if a hurricane had just swept her off her feet, nodded in a daze, letting her daughter lead her away.

Shu turned to the decrepid old woman, his heart clenching as he looked up at her wrinkled face, the sunken pits of her eyes and her gnarled and trembling hands...

”Come Nithy,” Shu said, his voice nearly catching in his throat as he extended a small pale hand towards her. ”Let's go home.”

”Un. Home.” Nithy replied, tears welling in her eyes once more.