The road to the inn was desolate.
Aiden had to return in order to take whatever belongings he left inside the room. At the beginning, he feared being associated with the seekers.
"I thought you were upstairs," the inn keeper said, who was sitting outside on the small stone fence surrounding his inn. "Don't wander around, boy. There are dangerous people in these places."
Aiden looked with confusion at the inn keeper and the unscathed inn. He has smashed through its doors earlier, and there should have been signs of battle following his crates slamming the shadow creature.
"Have you seen my friend?" Aiden asked. "A man my height, with a mottled beard. I think you know him. People call him Rabbit Jack."
"The na doesn't ring a bell," the inn keeper said with a raised brow. "Is he from around these parts?"
"He's a tar who lives on the edge of the world."
"I would certainly rember soone that crazy," the innkeeper chuckled. "I'm sorry, mate. If he ca yesterday, I would've rembered."
"Uh," Aiden paused. "What about a Lycanthos? A creature of shadows?"
"A creature of shadows? Ah, you an Shadowkins. Last ti I've seen one was a few months ago," the innkeeper pondered. "The sa for the Lycanthos. I usually avoid them, y'know."
"I can relate," Aiden said with a smile. "My mory is a little foggy. Can you remind how I ca to the inn yesterday?"
"Were you drunk, lad?" the innkeeper asked with a hearty laugh. "You ca alone, equipped for doomsday and pale enough to prove you've had reasons for it. You paid and left on the spot, and that's it."
"I guess I was indeed drunk," Aiden said with a smile. "Oh, one more question: was there a beautiful woman here at the inn yesterday?"
"Ah, yes," the man answered dreamily. "I think she was a Skyweaver, but it was my first ti seeing one, so I can't be sure."
"Skyweaver?"
"A race of beautiful won with angelic faces and white wings," the innkeeper said. "She ca in alone, but I think she already left her room."
Aiden received the information he needed to make a plausible deduction. He has indeed erased Jack and the rest form reality and mory, and in turn erasing their actions.
There wasn't a fight yesterday, as far as the innkeeper could tell. The inn was safe and sound, and the strange woman also passed by.
Aiden guessed that the inn was restored because it was close to the Perfect Erasure event.
The mories of Jack and the rest were erased from everyone who knew them, and they were replaced with dummy mories like Aiden booking the room himself or even paying when he had no money.
A terrifying ability.
A cruel end.
Aiden closed the door behind him, and looked at the room. It was empty, except for a small bag filled with items he stuffed to fool Jack.
"Why did you have to betray ?" Aiden muttered, speaking toward the empty room. "Although I doubted a kindhearted man like you exist, but… it still stings."
Jack chose to save himself.
Aiden did the sa.
There was no hatred in his heart toward the man.
But there was also no guilt over having erased him.
Aiden slumped on the bed, which Jack has claid for himself a few hours ago.
In such a short amount of ti, his world changed — again.
"What am I supposed to do now?"
Aiden had no purpose in this world, nor a plan to follow. He knew nothing. However, sothing within him also yearned for an adventure that transcended worlds.
Despite the fear he experienced earlier, it still made him feel alive. It was the first ti that Aiden experienced such an emotions of despair, thrill, and defiance.
"Am I little crazy?" Aiden questioned. "Maybe I landed on my head when I first arrived to this world.
Seventeen years in the slums made Aiden dream to see the rest of the world. He heard stories and disbelieved them, but secretly hoped they were true.
One ti, he heard a story about his father.
One of the few that his mother shared — albeit it took three bottles of whisky.
His mother said that she t his father wounded in an alley, surrounded by over thirty n. He was the only conscious one among them, having defeated them all.
"I bet he was badass," Aiden muttered with a smile. "Mother believed that he abandoned us, but I rember her telling that he was off on a dangerous job."
His normal life looked dull in comparison to the stories that he heard about his father.
But now, Aiden had a story of his own.
A story about how a desperate wish made him defeat a tar, a shadow, and a werewolf.
The story rested like a gem of pride within his chest, making it swell. It belonged to him — an achievent that would make others drop their jaws.
"I wonder what Nail would say about this," Aiden wondered.
Then, he paused.
"If I can erase people and mories," Aiden muttered to himself, and then gulping hard, "wouldn't it be very possible to bring soone back to life?"
The possibility was absurd, but tempting.
Aiden imagined Nail standing beside him as they challenged the Hungerborn. In his vision, he saw Nail wearing robes of a mage, carrying a large to that radiated with runes.
"He would love this world," Aiden muttered, before he allowed himself to rest on the bed. "Neil would have been a better choice to be sent here, wish-master."
The moonlight seeped through the window, casting long shadows on the wall. Aiden watched the rustling leaves create a srizing image on his ceiling, and allowed himself to fall asleep.
[---]
Aiden was back on the road the next day. Although he was tempted to ask the innkeeper for a job, he realized that the inn wouldn't exist in a few days.
Thus, he left the inn after leaving a warning.
If the innkeeper listened, then that would be great.
If not, he would listen when he sees the crawling wall of darkness.
Bamba was still in the stable, sohow not having been erased. It cooed toward Aiden the mont it laid eyes on him. Despite his wariness of the giant bird, Aiden realized that he needed to get to the city soon.
The two were on the unpaved road again, with Bamba dragging the carriage behind it. Aiden placed most of the items in the cart in his storage space, making Bamba run twice as fast.
On the way, Aiden saw a few hitchhikers.
But he would never give a hitchhiker a ride.
Not without the strength to handle any trouble.
The long road winded around a mountain, surrounded by trees from both sides. Bamba grew tired and had to rest, but that left Aiden facing against a two-headed Hyena.
The blade in his hand rested comfortably.
Despite having no moonlight to aid him, the movents were still partially engraved into his bones.
The monster attacked.
And the sword danced in response.
A long gash appeared on the monster's shoulder.
It tried to escape, but Aiden had to eat.
He finished off the monster with a few more strikes.
[You have defeated Two-Headed Hynea.]
[Your Moonlight Dance has improved.]
[You can now loot the monster.]
"Loot?" Aiden muttered with confusion. "I didn't know I can loot things, but I don't think that it has any pockets. Um, how do I do this?"
After a few embarrassing attempts of talking to himself, Aiden realized he needed to touch the monster directly to prompt another ssage from the system.
[Do you wish to loot Two-Headed Hynea?]
[Yes / No]
"Yes," Aiden answered.
The mont he answered, the monster began to dissolve. It turned into a red mist that scattered everywhere. The stench was horrendous, but it quickly scattered with the wind as a few items replaced the corpse.
Aiden stared at the three items now on the ground.
A few coins.
A red gem.
And… a big plastic container with the words "Hynea at" written on it.
"I want to question the logic behind this chanism," Aiden muttered. "But that Hynea at is looking juicy as hell."
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