“Who was that Elf? It seems like you knew him,” Sylvia asked me casually.

“That’s because I do. He is a merchant who frequented the port near my village. My mother would sell her manaweave and other clothing to him every year,” I told her. “Oh, and he will also be opening up a merchant company soon. I already invested in him so that we can use him for the foundation when he gets settled in.”

Sylvia nodded her head at first, then stopped and gave me a confused look. “Wait, what? You just casually invested in a guy you hadn’t seen in years?”

“Don’t give me that look. You hired Squeaks on the spot, didn’t you? I hadn’t seen him in years either. I’m just trying to cover our bases. Having a merchant company in our back pocket is a must if we are to do business on a bigger scale,” I said in my defense.

Sylvia looked unconvinced but shrugged anyway. “I think Squeaks was a different case, but you aren’t wrong about needing close ties to a merchant or a merchant company. So, thanks for that.”

I grinned slightly. “Did you learn that in your new class?”

She just rolled her eyes. “Maybe I did.”

Sylvia, upon learning about the Dragonheart Foundation and what it would entail to run it, decided to enroll in extra classes at school. Most of them pertained to being a merchant, but they did cover aspects of running a business and the things that needed to be done. Apparently, if a student graduated from the program and received letters of recommendation from teachers who were also merchants, they could even get a permit directly from the kingdom to immediately open a business with a tax-free incentive for five years.

Not that we needed that. The foundation won’t have to pay any taxes on account of being a charity. And the fact the queen was directly involved with us also helped.

Either way, I was very thankful that Sylvia decided to do that of her own volition. I was confident that I could manage a small group of people efficiently and even scale that up to the size of a small company, but our plans for the Dragonheart Foundation were way out of that scope. I also personally didn’t know very much about the business side of things, only the bare necessities, so having Sylvia learn about that would be a great boon for our furture.

My position will handle the more… hands-on type of problems. Or at least that’s our tentative plan.

After my reunion with Aien, we spent the next hour or so wandering around as we did before. We picked out random things that caught our eyes but no purchases that exceeded a few silver. Mostly just small knick-knacks from other countries or food that smelled good. That was until I spotted something that caught my eye.

I approached the stand, and the silver weapons and armor sparkled in the afternoon sun. Most, if not all, of them, were of entirely different design and material than what could be found in Luminar. The sabers, short swords, halberds, spears, bows, and arrows were elegantly crafted. Appearance was at the forefront of even the most basic dagger. The distinct features of Dwarven Steel and craftsmanship were nowhere to be seen. It was an arms merchant dedicated to High Elf gear.

The High Elf merchant just finished talking to a group of adventurers as she walked over to me, spreading her arms wide across the table. “See anything you like, Sir?” she asked with a practiced smile.

“Just a question I would like answered for the moment. You are from Tel’an’duth, right?” I asked. The merchant nodded, seemingly interested in my question. “Then tell me, does the military use helmets? I’m sure they do, but the High Elves I’ve seen do not.”

Well, that’s because they are the elites of the elite, so I can hardly lump them in with the regular rank-and-file troops.

“They do, yes. But it also depends on the Elf. Some really do hate wearing helmets. Even a slight feeling of the cold metal on their ears would be uncomfortable; others don’t mind. The sensitivity of ears is different for everyone. Like I’ve heard that Wood Elves absolutely refuse to wear helmets, even in Syn’nari’s military,” she said with a shrug as she rubbed her ears.

“I see…armored masks are common then?” I asked.

“Well, not in the military, no. It’s not uncommon to see adventures or personal guards wear them,” she explained.

“Then, what would you do if you were an Elf with very sensitive ears in the military or just looking to wear a helmet?”

The merchant put a finger to her chin. “Well…there are a few things you can do. We do have helmets for many different designs and styles. I would start with those first. On the more extreme end, some people purposely damage their ears by rubbing them to the point where they feel next to nothing.”

I blinked in shock. As an Elf who once had damaged ears that caused me pain and discomfort for years, I could not even fathom damaging them on purpose. That sounded like utter insanity to me.

Ah…wait, I guess I do know an Elf like that.

The merchant chuckled. “As I said, Sir, those on the more extreme end do that.”

“Hey there, you bastard, and what do you think you are doing, huh?” Padraic called out from beside me.

I held up a dagger and waved it around in the air. “What does it look like I’m doing?” I said with a sly grin.

Padraic let out a low grumble and scowled. “I thought we had a promise,” he nearly spat, clearly jealous.

I chuckled, and he narrowed his eyes at me. “You…you are messing with me, aren’t you? This is serious business we are talking about here! Just give me some more time. I can easily outcraft and forge any Elf that ever lived.”

The merchant just smiled wryly, seemingly unbothered by the statement. “Don’t worry, my short friend. I have no intention of wearing or using any of this. I’m just buying prototypes to see what I like, that’s all.”

Padraic crossed his arms across his barrel chest, mumbling incoherent things under his breath. “Besides, I saw you spying that silver saber over there on the back wall. Those gems and the handle look really nice. You want it, don’t you?”

“I don’t,” Padraic grumbled stubbornly.

“Then why were you staring intently at it, huh? Just admit that you want it, and I’ll buy it,” I teased.

“I…said I don’t want it…I can just make it at home,” he huffed back.

I let out a long sigh. “Get me that saber, please. I’ll buy it right now. As for the helmets, I would just like one of every style you have. Even the more unique or niche ones as well. Is it possible you could have the helmets delivered to the royal capital?”

Her swirling blue eyes went wide. “Ah…that would cost a lot, Sir, maybe over a gold just in shipping costs. We are talking about a few dozen helmets. But I can definitely see it through if you want.”

“Please do so. Ship it to Kaladin Shadowheart at Forward University,” I said as I laid a gold and large silver Mark.

“Kal—ladin S—sh-shadowheart?” the merchant said nervously.

“That’s right,” I said, moving my cowl to the side to show my face.

“You…you are the Dragonslayer—I can’t. I’m sorry—”

“Yo! What’s got your voice shaking like that, Linda?” a cheerful, familiar voice called out. “I even got you some lunch!”

The drapes covering the tent behind the merchant parted, revealing a High Elf woman with emerald green hair and eyes carrying a sandwich. The moment our eyes met, the smile on Esta Lunapath’s face melted away.

What are the odds? Lin already confirmed that this woman pretending to be an adventurer is a spy for Tel’an’duth. Who she works for directly remains to be seen, but I have a feeling this meeting was by coincidence. Or maybe this booth is a front for Tel’an’duth?

“Sir Shadowheart—it’s good to see you again,” Esta said with a strained smile.

“You as well, Esta Lunapath. Is your party safe and well?” I asked casually.

She chuckled nervously as the merchant from before quickly handed me the now-sheathed saber. “You actually remember my name? But, yes, thanks to you, Sir, they are all alive and still kicking. Has my cousin done anything to…?" she railed off with a worried look.

“Good to hear. And no, not at all. We just finished a transaction that I’m looking forward to seeing completed. Speaking of that, how long will it be?” I asked.

“One to two months, Sir,” the merchant responded quickly.

“One to two months it is. Thank you,” I said, along with a wave.

The two High Elves sent me off on my way with strained smiles. I retrieved my Dwarf friend and eyed Sylvia as she finished buying what looked to be an ornate dagger from another stall.

I handed Padraic the saber. “Here, you can have it.” He was quick to take it but still seemed disturbed about it. “Fine then, I’ll hold onto it if you don’t want it.”

I tried pulling the saber back, but it didn’t bunch an inch. Padraic was holding it tightly now. “Well, there’s no need for that…you already bought it, so I might as well take good care of it. Besides, you don’t use swords anyway.”

“Oh? But what if I just want to hang it up somewhere? I’ve been told my room is rather drab. I think a nice silver sword from Tel’an’duth should help with that,” I said slyly as I tugged back on the sword, only for Padraic to match me.

“What’s wrong? I thought you didn’t want it? If you just admit that you wanted it, I’ll give it to you.”

Padraic let out a low growl and threw his hands up, along with the sword. “Fine! Fine! I want the damn sword! Gah, you teasing me over this is making me more mad than the fact some Elves made a half-decent sword!”

“There we go. Was that so hard?” I said with a grin as I let go of the sword.

“I swear I’ll get you back for this,” he said with a finger pointed my way. “This new streak of yours is really something. Can you go back to being a grumpy and gloomy child who didn’t know better?”

“No, I don’t think I will.”

Padraic rolled his eyes and examined the handle of the blade. It was wrapped in a nice tan leather with white jewels set in the pommel and around the handguard. The blade came out with a satisfying sound as he unsheathed it and inspected the sharp edge. It glinted in the daylight and looked plenty deadly.

Although the blade seemed to favor form more than function. It had a more ornamental appearance to it. But I’m sure Padraic will be inspired to make a saber or two in the future.

“Are you finished?” Sylvia asked as she walked over to us.

“Yeah,” I answered, looking up into the sky. “We should probably return for the day.”

“We have been out here for a long time. Let’s meet up with your family,” Sylvia suggested.

The three of us started walking, but I suddenly felt… weird. It was familiar, but it was a feeling I hadn’t felt in many years. I looked around, and the stalls and people started to distort somewhat.

Sylvia was also looking around in confusion. Padraic moved on, none the wiser to what was happening. “What is—Kaladin, are you seeing this?” she asked.

“I—am…” my words trailed off as I watched Padraic take another few steps and disappear completely.

The space around us warped even more until it felt like we were in a tunnel, surrounded by all the merchants and people…yet…we were on the outside of the tunnel? I couldn’t place the feeling precisely. Everything was wrong. My point of view seemed distant, and the hustle and bustle of the outdoor market faded away.

“Kaladin, something is—” Sylvia stopped mid-sentence.

Her crimson eyes went as wide as saucers, fear gripped her facial features, and sweat dripped down her face. I flicked around, sensing an overwhelming presence in that space that was not there before. My heart thumped in my chest as I looked directly at a burly man.

His skin was dark like that of someone from the Dunes, and he even wore gold and white silks from that region as well. His bright hazel eyes seemed…odd, unfathomable, as if they were hiding something, yet no matter how hard I focused, even with my Dragon eye, I could not make sense of it. And a deep-seated feeling assaulted my gut as my instincts screamed at me. If I put mana into my eye to use Soul Sight, I felt as if I would see something that might just kill me if I was lucky.

He sat behind a wooden booth with a welcoming smile. “Come, come, my boy, it has been far too long! Welcome back to Deguzman’s Emporium of Wonderful Things!” he boasted loudly.

“Deguzman…what are you doing to Sylvia?” I hissed.

The enigmatic man shrugged playfully. “I’m not doing anything to her. She is simply reacting to my presence, you see. Even though she is a just descendant, our Packs are opposite of one another, so my power has no sway over her.”

Packs? Opposites? What does he mean?

I looked over to Sylvia, and she seemed to be here, in this weird, distorted place. But she was so afraid she either could or would not even move an inch. She didn’t even look me in the eyes and just stared forward and at the ground.

“You…what are you actually?” I asked carefully.

Deguzman waved my question away and motioned for me to come closer, which I did. Just like the last time, I felt if I disobeyed the man, it would all be over.

“You are here asking silly and useless questions at the reveal of our great union! Come take off that hood, and let me get a good look at you, Kaladin Shadowheart! It has truly been too long!” he shouted with a jolly chuckle.

He looked me up and down as if appraising me. I could feel his intense gaze, and he smiled softly. “Yes, yes, you have grown into quite the man. To think you even slayed a real Dragon and got that nasty injury healed! I’m also delighted to see my services proved useful to you when we last met.”

“Yes, thank you for those items. Without them, I would have died,” I said simply.

Deguzman chuckled again. “Yes! My foresight is truly immaculate!”

“So, this, what are you doing? Why have you come to me again?” I questioned.

Deguzman looked hurt and stood back sharply. “Why, my most valued customer, do I need a reason to see you again?”

I held back the anger in my chest and glared at him. “Are all beings such as yourself always this cryptic?”

That seemed to surprise Deguzman as the smile was wiped off his face. He furrowed his brows and narrowed his hazel eyes in concentration, not at me directly but at my hand. A grin spread across his face as he let out a boisterous laugh.

“Haha! I see, I see…how funny,” he said seemingly to himself. He waved at me again, and his usual jolly smile returned. “Then, in that case, would you like to know?”

“Yes.”

Deguzman nodded and placed his large palm on the wooden counter in front of him. When he moved it away, an all-white book appeared. It seemed unassuming at first, yet it had all my name on the front…

How…

“Go ahead, open the book, and read it. Any questions you have will be answered. That is a guarantee,” he said softly.

I reached out my hand; my sight seemed to be sucked into the book, almost like when I stared too deep into someone’s soul. But right before touching the cover, I jerked my hand back on instinct. My gut churned, and my body screamed at me once more not to touch the book.

I looked up to find Deguzman just grinning away. “This book…why didn’t you offer it to me before?”

Deguzman nodded his head as if he was impressed by my question. “Because I already know the answer to whether or not you would open it or not. If you were going to commit suicide, you would have done so long ago. And your body is right, Kaladin Shadowheart. You should trust that feeling more often,” he said in a much more serious tone.

Suicide…? Does that mean if I touched the book…Would I die? What… is all of this? Just what is this thing?

Deguzman shrugged, grabbed the book, and casually placed it behind the counter. He placed both his palms on the table and leaned toward me. “Our first meeting was by chance, Kalaladin Shadowehart, but it is true that I have sought you out this time. I’ve come to you with…information, I suppose.”

“You don’t seem confident in that answer,” I pointed out.

“Well, coming up with the right word is…tricky. But that doesn’t matter!” he said with a laugh, his usual jovial tone returned. “Anyway, you have two choices, and I would like you to pick which one you want first. One or two?”

“What do these choices entail…they aren’t going to do something to me, right?” I asked hesitantly.

Deguzman waved his hands again. “No, no, not at all! It is just information, that is all. One is…inevitable, and the other is just a show of good faith from yours truly. So? What will it be?”

I swallowed the spit polling in my throat. “Let’s go with number one.”

Deguzman let out a chuckle and leaned in again. “Yes, a fine choice! Now this one is just extra. The source is something I managed to find out on my own so that I can tell more than I usually can, haha! You see, the day before the week break coming up, there is going to be an underground auction in this city. One that is…less than savory.”

The break? A week-long break was coming up in just four days for the tournament. It’s said that it’s for the “contestants to rest and recuperate,” but everyone knows that wasn’t true. In reality, a fighter only needs about two to three days maximum to rest and be fully charged. The extra days were just to suck more money out of tourists so the kingdom and city could earn more taxes. It’s apparently been like that since the start, as both nations followed the same formula.

“Okay…and what do you want me to do about it?” I asked.

“Well, you don’t have to do anything. But I believe there at that auction, you will find something that is not like the others. One thing has you asking all kinds of questions, like who, what, how, and why? Whether you find the answers to those questions…well, that’s up to you. But it would be a good starting point for what’s to come,” Deguzman said with a shrug.

Another cryptic answer…is it because he can’t tell me or won’t tell me? Is he under the same kind of rules as the Moon Mother?

“And where is this ‘less than savory auction’ at exactly?”

Deguzman shrugged again. “I don’t know!” he said with a jolly laugh. “It hasn’t been announced yet, but I’m sure someone of your capabilities and connections will have no problems finding it. Although if I had to guess, it will be at night when the city sleeps. You should ask those who are intimate with that world more.”

I let out a sigh. I had yet to decide what to make of this auction or why Deguzman was telling me about it. But it would leave me with questions about the future. I don’t get it, but…

Deguzman never led me astray. He gives the same vague, cryptic answers as the Moon Mother, but he…he seems different. No, I can be sure that he is different from her. Just how, I don’t know.

I guess he did tell me to trust my gut, huh?

“Now then, for the second piece. You will have to defeat and destroy two things very soon. Make sure you do so,” Deguzman said casually.

“What? What does that even mean? What things? How soon? You said that this was inevitable, so how does that play a part in all of this?” I said a little more forcefully.

Deguzman scratched his head with a thoughtful look. “Mmm, how do I say this…these two things do not belong in this world and, therefore, must be dealt with. They will be such clear and obvious aberrations there will be no mistaking them. No matter where you go or where you hide, you will face them, and this is inevitable for you. If you fail to destroy them, you will die. It is quite simple.”

“Then why even bother telling me? Won’t it happen regardless of what you say?” I shot back.

“This is true,” Deguzman said as he rolled his hand. “But believe it or not, I am rooting for your success, Kaladin Shadowheart. After all, your success benefits me greatly. I’m even hoping for little Talgan over there to help you,” he said, his voice serious.

He knows even that much? He has to be a god of some type…there is no way he holds such power. Now that I’ve met and dealt with four Dragons, two of those being Dragon Emperors, Deguzman still seems to be above them.

I turned around, and Sylvia was still in the same position. Her arms were tight to her sides. Her fists balled so hard fresh blood trickled down from between her fingers and onto the dusty floor.

I looked back at Deguzman, and he just smiled at me. “And when you overcome this task and do what needs to be done. I will reward you with something you need the most. Although that reward might not come as soon as you wish, it will happen.”

The man leaned over the table and brought his face close to mine. “This is a guarantee. And as you know, I always make good on my guarantees, my good sir.”

I took a few hesitant steps back from his booth. There was no need to say anything more, and Deguzman just watched me leave in silence with a grin. Slowly but surely, as I stood next to Sylvia to check on her, the world started to refocus. The noise from the area returned, and Sylvia fell to her knees, gasping for air.

Tears dripped down her face, and Padraic suddenly called out to us, “Wah? Wait, what just happened? Your hood—how, why? Why do you two look like that?” he asked with worry.

People walking beside us gave us concerned glances, but I picked Sylvia up and let her rest against me as we walked. She was still showing signs of fear even though Deguzman was gone. Not even a hint of his existence remained in the arena.

“We need to go home.”