The one who greeted them was a man who appeared to be in his early fifties. He had long hair streaked with gray and a thick beard of the sa color. His eyes were deep and sharp as if they were not rely looking at them but dissecting them, trying to trace their origins, their history, perhaps even the very place where they had been born.
Yet beneath that intense scrutiny, his body stiffened almost imdiately. It was subtle, but unmistakable.
He was observing sothing about them that forced him into silent readiness, as if he had sensed a threat he could neither na nor asure yet for now.
"What can I help you with?" the man asked in a cold tone. "This is just a potion shop. I only sell cheap potions."
Erend, Eccar, and Aesa exchanged brief glances. The man spoke as if he did not want them lingering in his shop any longer than necessary.
"Um… we're not here to buy potions," Erend said carefully.
"Then you may leave," the man replied without hesitation.
"Are you Dave?" Eccar asked.
The man fell silent. He stared at them tensely for several long seconds.
That was enough. The silence confird everything.
"How do you know my na?" Dave asked at last.
"Your old friend, the carriage driver, said you might be able to help us," Erend answered.
"Ah…" Dave let out a sigh. It was not a sigh of relief. It was a helpless one, heavy with resignation, as though he already understood that once his na had been spoken, there was no turning back.
"Fine. Have a seat."
Erend, Eccar, and Aesa took the three chairs placed in front of the desk. They knew they had co to the right place. It was good that they did not have to spend ti persuading him.
Dave sat behind his desk and regarded them with those sa deep, calculating eyes.
"So?" he prompted.
"We need information about sothing," Erend said.
"I assud as much. What do you need?"
Erend's expression grew serious. "This will be a highly confidential transaction. I hope you can keep it that way."
"Of course," Dave replied easily, nodding once. "That is the first rule of my business."
"First," Erend continued, "we want to know what kind of world this is."
Dave blinked several tis. Silence stretched between them.
He looked at Erend, then at Eccar, then at Aesa, as if gears were spinning inside his mind at terrifying speed. With each passing second, his face grew paler. His eyes widened slightly.
After several long monts, he managed to steady his breathing.
"You… you three…" he said slowly, "you ca from another world?"
"Yes," Erend answered calmly. Eccar smiled faintly as if amused by his expression. Aesa simply watched Dave with her usual cold expression.
The stakes shifted instantly.
From the mont they entered, Dave had suspected sothing unusual about them. His experience had told him they were using so form of concealnt Magic to blend in. He had sensed the distortion around their presence.
Now he understood why.
They were not simply powerful outsiders.
They were world travelers.
Beings capable of moving between worlds were exceedingly rare. So rare that most people believed them to be myths.
But Dave knew better. Impossible did not an nonexistent. And now, three of them were sitting in his shop.
Imdiately, Dave did not want to make these three angry. His instincts scread at him that offending them would be a fatal mistake.
Whatever concealnt they were using, whatever pressure he had sensed beneath their calm presence, it was not sothing an ordinary mage—or even an extraordinary one—should provoke. He didn't even really know what their business was here.
So he chose the safest path. He would cooperate.
He leaned back slightly in his chair, though the stiffness in his shoulders did not fully disappear.
"Very well," he said in a asured tone. "I will explain. But understand sothing first that this knowledge is not sothing I usually give away cheaply."
"We're not here to bargain over coins," Eccar replied with a faint smile.
Dave studied him for a brief second, then nodded once.
"This world," Dave began, "operates on three primary systems of power."
He was certain that this kind of thing that beings from another world wanted to know more about.
Erend listened intently. Aesa remained perfectly still.
"First is structured internal energy cultivation. Every living being possesses internal energy but not everyone refines it. Through discipline, breathing thods, and body conditioning, one can build a core—an internal reservoir. The stronger and purer the core, the greater the physical and mystical capabilities. Strength, speed, durability, perception… all of it scales with cultivation."
He paused briefly to observe their reactions. They seed fascinated.
"Second," Dave continued, "is sigil-forging. This is an external system. Practitioners carve, inscribe, or imprint magical sigils onto weapons, armor, objects… even onto their own bodies. These sigils draw in ambient Magic energy and convert it into specific effects like enhancent, elental manipulation, spatial distortion, or sealing techniques. The complexity of a sigil determines its power. High-tier sigil masters are rare and highly valued."
Eccar's eyes sharpened slightly at that.
"And the third?" Erend asked.
Dave's expression grew more cautious.
"Spirit-binding contracts," he said quietly. "This world is rich in spirit entities—beasts, fragnts of ancient consciousness, elental beings, and things far older than recorded history. Through ritual and negotiation—or force—people with abilities bind these spirits into contracts. The spirit grants power, abilities, or knowledge. In return, the contractor must uphold certain terms."
Aesa's gaze cooled even further. "And if the terms are broken?"
"The backlash can cripple the soul," Dave answered without hesitation. "Or worse."
Silence settled again in the small shop.
"These three systems intertwine," Dave continued. "A cultivator might refine internal energy, engrave sigils onto their blade, and bind a storm spirit to amplify their attacks. The strongest individuals in this world are those who balance all three."
He leaned forward slightly, his eyes narrowing.
"But inter-world travelers… that is not one of our systems. We have no knowledge of them."
The aning behind his words was clear. They did not belong to any structure he understood.
"Next, tell us about the history of this world. I'm not talking about the history that all people know," Erend said.
—
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