The road was narrow and quiet, lined by tall, crooked trees whose branches reached overhead like bony fingers. They were no longer within the city’s limits. The cobblestone had faded into packed dirt, and the lamps gave way to shadows. Insects hummed, and the night air carried the scent of moss and old bark.
Noah walked in front, his hands in his pockets, his posture relaxed. Cordelia followed a step behind, arms crossed, while Lys lagged a little, her eyes fixed on Noah’s back.
He glanced around and smirked.
"This place... reminds you of something, doesn’t it?" he asked without turning.
Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Like that time we got ambushed by mercenaries. Except now we’re the ones doing the ambushing."
Lys tilted her head, confused. "Eh? What are you talking about? Ambush? Her expression was bright, innocent—dangerously out of place.
Noah looked at Cordelia. Cordelia looked at Noah.
"We’re just reminiscing," he said casually.
"Mhm. Just silly memories." Cordelia added, her voice deadpan.
Lys blinked, visibly more lost than before. "I don’t get it, but okay..."
Noah chuckled. "Before the academy, I worked as an adventurer. Just for a month to make some quick coin. One of the missions was to escort a noble’s convoy. Paid well. But we got ambushed."
"That’s dangerous," Lys said, frowning. "Did anyone get hurt?"
"No. We handled it. Got thirty gold out of it." He gave a half shrug, as if thirty gold wasn’t a lot.
Lys gasped. "Thirty? That’s a fortune!"
"It really is," Cordelia nodded in agreement.
Both Noah and Lys turned to look at her.
"What?" she asked, annoyed.
"You dropped two hundred gold on earrings," Noah deadpanned. "You could feed a family of five for years with that."
Cordelia rolled her eyes. "They were pretty, okay?"
Lys, still caught in her admiration spiral, leaned closer and whispered loud enough for Noah to hear, "So... you want to have three kids in the future, Noah? I’ll write that down."
Cordelia choked on her breath.
In the distance, the faint sound of wooden wheels over gravel echoed through the trees.
Cordelia narrowed her eyes. "That’s her."
Noah’s crimson eyes gleamed under the moonlight.
The carriage approached slowly, lit by two arcane lanterns on either side. It was an elegant design—black wood with silver trim, the symbol of necromancy etched subtly along the frame. No doubt it belonged to a noble family deep in that craft. The driver, an old man in a long coat and gloves, handled the reins with practiced calm. Through the side window, they caught a glimpse of Saphielle.
Her pale fingers delicately clutched the Hollow Echo, the artifact resting on her lap like something sacred. Her eyes were closed. She looked serene... deadly calm.
"She’s really doing it," Noah muttered.
Cordelia frowned. "So that’s her house route?"
Noah nodded. "The necromancer estates are always outside the city."
"That’s dark," Lys whispered, her expression troubled. "Are we really going to... rob her?"
Noah shrugged. "She’ll be fine. And she won’t lose anything she wouldn’t have wasted anyway. That item can’t do what she thinks it can."
"She wants to bring someone back, right?" Lys asked.
"Her master," Noah confirmed. "But using the Hollow Echo with necromantic magic? It’ll backfire. Best-case scenario, she gets a whisper from a soul. Worst case? She loses control of the artifact and becomes a living echo herself."
Lys paled. "That sounds... awful."
"It is," Cordelia said. "Which is why we’re helping her by stealing it first."
"...That’s twisted logic," Lys mumbled, still following behind them.
They kept to the side of the road, hiding in the trees. The darkness covered their movements. When the carriage passed their position, Noah raised a hand.
"Gaia," he whispered.
Noah turned to her. "Your spirit. Use Gaia to raise the road. Cut her path."
"O-oh! Right!" Lys nodded quickly and called out, "Gaia, help us block the road!"
A low rumble spread under their feet as the ground ahead of the carriage suddenly rose into a steep mound. The horses neighed in panic and the carriage jolted to a halt.
"Nice," Noah smirked. "Now, masks on."
All three of them—Noah in his suit, Cordelia in her dress, Lys the same.
Just as they stepped out of the shadows, ready to surround the carriage, they noticed something was off.
The window was empty.
Only the old driver remained, standing beside the carriage, arms crossed.
He looked at them with a puzzled expression.
"You folks from the auction too?" he asked calmly, tilting his head.
Noah stepped forward. "We have... business with Lady Saphielle."
The driver gave a polite nod. "Ah. I’m afraid the young lady said she’s not to be disturbed for the rest of the night."
Cordelia leaned in close to Noah, keeping her voice low.
"Now what?" she whispered.
Noah’s crimson eyes stayed fixed on the carriage, on the empty seat where Saphielle had just been.
"Truthfully?" he muttered back. "I don’t know. This never happened in the game."
The silence between the masked trio and the carriage driver stretched for a few seconds longer than comfort allowed.
Then, the driver stepped down from his seat—slowly, deliberately.
His eyes, sharp and unreadable, locked onto Noah.
"I said," he repeated, this time with a firm edge, "no one is to disturb the lady."
From under his coat, the man drew a short, gleaming sword. His stance shifted subtly, weight forward. A trained fighter. A seasoned Augmentor.
Cordelia narrowed her eyes.Lys tilted her head in confusion, but her body had already shifted into a defensive stance, the three spirits around her glowing faintly.
"He’s serious," Cordelia murmured.
"Guess he is," Noah replied, stepping forward. His coat shifted with the motion, revealing the glint of his own weapon at his side.
But even as he moved, his thoughts turned inward.
’Something’s changed. This wasn’t part of the route, and this guy? He didn’t exist in the game. Damn it...’
’Alright then—first the butler. Then we chase down the goth. She can’t be far.’