There was a small part of Vex that knew there was something bigger here to worry about. They had some of the answers, but they didn't have all of them. The idea that a dungeon had tried to copy his bonus room, of all things, and that that had somehow leaked into the local area — that explained some of what was going on.

But it didn't explain everything. It explained the mana acting strange, and the appearance of magical creatures that acted as though they were simply part of the town. There was still the question of the strange behavior in the townspeople, the sudden appearance and disappearance of people in the inn...

And none of that told them how they could fix the situation. Maybe the only way to fix it would be to go on ahead to Elyra and complete the dungeon there, where the real bonus room would be.

Maybe.

But there was new magic here. Magic he'd never seen before — magic he'd never even heard of. The glyphs he'd seen were nothing like the runic inscriptions he'd been taught, and they were nothing like any mage used to cast spells, as far as he knew. He was reminded of the glyphs he'd painted into the sky, back when Misa had summoned a copy of him. He wondered what path he would've needed to take to learn about them so much earlier in his life.

New magic was important. If he could understand this form of magic, he might be able to change everything. His family would have to listen to him, then, and he'd be able to pluck his little brother away from them; all of his siblings, even, if he could convince them to listen—

"How may I help you?" A light, polite voice sounded, and Vex blinked as he glanced up at the shopkeeper.

Quite literally up, actually. The shopkeeper was almost as tall as Derivan was, and even taller if you counted the feathery antennae. They were lithe and slender, but their true build was hidden in an enormous amount of fluff, and Vex resisted the desire to ask to pet it.

"I'm, uh, looking for some painting supplies," Vex answered. He glanced around the shop, his eyes widening a little in wonder; for all that they were still on the city outskirts and the shop seemed old and unremarkable on the outside, it was warm and cozy within.

Part of it was the mana. The magic here was warmer, somehow, in a way that was comforting; it weaved in between every item in the shop. And the shop seemed to have almost everything — Vex had chosen this one for being the closest one that seemed related to magic with brushes visible through the window, but inside, there were all kinds of artifacts. There were small, complicated-looking mechanisms and a variety of gems; even small pieces of weapons and armor, lined somewhat haphazardly on the shelves.

The shopkeeper was watching him patiently. "What sort of painting supplies?" they asked, and Vex realized he'd gotten distracted. He flushed a bit.

"For something like the... light glyphs? Sorry. I'm new here."

"Ah! Are you a visitor from the Roads, perhaps?" The shopkeeper gave Vex a friendly smile. "I suppose I should have guessed. Things must seem quite different here. Your magic does not work the same way, if I understand correctly?"

"Yeah!" Vex perked up slightly, though a part of him wondered how the shopkeep could possibly have known. "We use runes, but they look different from yours."

"We call them Signs," the shopkeeper said with a chuckle. "But a glyph is a good name as well, I think. I would teach you a small lesson in magic, but alas, I have been told I must charge for that, and that it is 'bad business' to simply teach."

"I could pay," Vex said hopefully.

"If you are from the surface, you cannot," the shopkeeper said, though they spoke kindly. "We trade in mana slivers here — fragments of mana that are deposited when any great act of magic is performed. We give to the mana, and it gives to us in return."

They paused, then chuckled. "Though perhaps that was not its intent, when it first began awarding them."

Vex had so many questions. "What kind of great acts of magic?" he asked, almost tiptoeing so he could lean in closer. Derivan watched him, though he was only peripherally aware of the fact, and let out a small, fond chuckle.

"Now that would be telling." The shopkeeper managed to smile with a sort of flourish at the end, sweeping their head forward so their antennae dipped down in a makeshift bow. They glanced to the sides, as if checking to see if anyone was watching, and then leaned in to whisper. "New paintings, usually, or great new works of art. Sometimes it's the discovery of new Signs, or simply two existing Signs being combined in a new way..."

"You can combine them?" Vex said, his eyes wide. He flipped open his notebook again and began scribbling notes. "How?"

"Everyone has their own methods," the shopkeeper said with a light, airy sort of chuckle. "And the results are always slightly different. Some practitioners believe there exists an innate talent within people, but I think that is rather foolish. Whatever magic you create is yours; the biggest problem, I believe, is that people try to copy others.

"Magic comes in two parts. One part in the mana in the air, yes, the source of all things magical — but the other part comes from you. Your own interpretation of what magic is. What mana is. There are always rules, but the rules are yours, and yours alone."

There was a small silence after the shopkeeper spoke, where their words hung in the air like the stars in the sky; the way they spoke had a certain enchanting quality, though it didn't seem magical in nature so much as just something that they truly believed. It resonated with the mana in the air, almost, like it was about to begin coalescing into a spell.

"That's a beautiful thought," Vex said softly, but he was watching the mana in the air. "Do you cast with your voice, then?"

"Do I?" The shopkeeper laughed. "Ah. Perhaps I have revealed too much."

"I'll come back and pay you some slivers when I get some," Vex said, determined, and the shopkeeper seemed to grin at him.

"Confident," they said cheerfully. "But I like that kind of confidence. Perhaps a free gift, to get you started on your journey? Or perhaps we could call it an investment, if you can truly gather slivers with your magic."

The shopkeeper walked purposefully through the shelves, their steps surprisingly light; despite their size, they didn't make a sound on the admittedly creaky wood of the floor. They scanned the shelf of brushes carefully, before selecting one and presenting it to Vex with a flourish.

"I'll skip the spiel about how it's ethically sourced," they said cheerfully. Vex blinked.

"Do I need to worry about... ethically sourced paintbrushes?" Vex asked, sounding vaguely worried. He hadn't known that was a thing he needed to worry about.

"Not when the Roads are down," the shopkeeper said with a wink, to Vex's relief. "Take your time and experiment. It may take you weeks to understand what Signs are like, and even longer to get your first slivers. But if you truly love magic, you'll find your path, just like I did."

"I don't know how long we'll be staying..." Sev had walked into the shop with Misa shortly after Vex and Derivan had, although neither of them said anything until now. He had been staring at the store's products with some fascination, and only spoke up now, his brows furrowing slightly in concern.

"If you are from the Roads, then I should let you know that time does not work the same way once you cross the boundary," the shopkeeper said helpfully. "You will have plenty of time to do whatever you came here to do... Well. I suppose with most of the Roads not operational and one barely functional, that time displacement is less of a guarantee... But that particular function remains, to the best of my knowledge."

"What do you mean, barely functional?" Misa asked, looking up from the small statuette of a cat she'd been peering at.

"The remaining Road only works some of the time," the shopkeeper said with a small shrug of their shoulders. "It is inconsistent, and sometimes deposits visitors far away from their intended destination. Sometimes it leaves those walking it as... mana-ghosts, shall we say; some creatures of magic cannot be properly translated into the lands beyond the Roads, and can only exist as manaforms until they return."

"What?" Misa asked. "Is that going to happen to us?"

"You are not creatures of magic," the shopkeeper said with a light chuckle. "So no, it will not. I would not worry overmuch; those that are mistranslated often make their way back, soon enough."

"I guess that explains the raids?" Sev said, uncertain. The shopkeeper cocked their head in curiosity.

"What are these... raids... you mention?"

"We came here from a town called Fendal," Sev explained, exchanging glances with the rest of the party briefly. Vex shook his head; he didn't have a problem with explaining to the shopkeeper what they were doing here. "They had complaints about their stores being raided... amongst other things. We were investigating the problem when we ended up here."

"Hm," the shopkeeper said. "I believe we have had similar issues. Perhaps it's best you find our mages; they will be able to tell you more. The city hall is near the center of the city, if you are in need of directions."

"Thank you," Sev said with a slight bow of his head, and he glanced at Vex. "You ready to get going?"

"Yeah," Vex said, then glanced at the shopkeeper. "Thank you for the paintbrush," he said, as sincerely as he could manage. "And for all the advice about magic."

"Practice your glyphs diligently," the shopkeeper said with a wink.

"I will," Vex said with a small smile.

Sev led the way out of the store, with Vex the last to emerge; he kept looking back longingly into the store, spotting a few magical artifacts he wished he could afford to purchase for later study. Once he had earned a few slivers, he told himself — though he was quickly distracted by Sev talking.

"The time displacement thing," Sev said. "It feels a little... convenient, doesn't it?"

"I'm not complaining," Misa said with a shrug.

"There was a time displacement in as well," Derivan said. "Perhaps it is simply another symptom of the bonus room leaking out?"

"The shopkeeper mentioned they're having similar problems here, too," Sev said thoughtfully. "But the way he explained it didn't really feel the same..."

"Oh!" Vex realized, and when everyone looked at him, he blinked, scratching his frills in embarrassment. "Um. I just realized I forgot to ask for the shopkeeper's name. I'm gonna go ask real quick."

Vex ran back over to the door and poked his head into the store; the chimes over his head rang again as he pushed over the door, and the shopkeeper raised a single fluffy brow at him. "Back again already?"

"I forgot to ask for your name," Vex said, embarrassed. "You helped me. I want to at least know your name. I'm Vex."

"Ah, of course," the shopkeeper said with a chuckle. "You may call me Anyati."