As soon as Miles told him what he was going to do, Diego left the apartnt building and stepped out onto the cracked sidewalk, his boots crunching against loose gravel as the last remnants of daylight bled across the skyline.
The sun dipped low, painting the horizon in streaks of orange and violet, while the towering city lood like a silent sentinel against the coming night.
Most players had already retreated to the [Safe Zones], unwilling to risk encounters with Beasts and Monsters that started roaming the streets lately by night. But Diego had ti. Especially not now.
He checked his wristwatch and noticed the date. March the 26th of 2025, almost a month after Miles had disappeared, due to his [Hidden Quest].
Now that he had co back, Diego had to make sure he would not be separated from his best friend – his brother – unless sothing really bad struck. And because of that, a smile crossed his lips as he noticed that the items he had ordered from Mara, the city’s most renowned craftswoman, must have been ready by now.
With a final glance back at Miles’ apartnt, he pulled his hood over his head and started walking.
The streets were eerily quiet, save for the distant echo of wind whistling through broken buildings. Diego moved quickly, weaving between alleys and past makeshift barricades where scattered groups of players huddled in the waning light. He ignored their hushed voices and wary gazes, his destination close.
A few blocks later, he arrived at a small shop tucked between two reinforced buildings that were made into makeshift safe zones, untouched by the system, but well-guarded from the nightly dangers by its keepers, whom none of the players dared to speak of.
Maybe that was why Mara’s shop was so safe, but Diego dared not to ask. The shop’s neon sign read: Mara’s Crafting & Enchantnts.
Diego stepped inside, the familiar scent of slted tal and rare herbs filling his lungs. The dim lighting cast flickering shadows across the cluttered workshop, where shelves lined with trinkets, enchanted weapons, rare artifacts, and peculiar flasks surrounded the space.
Behind the counter, a short, silver-haired woman sat hunched over her worktable, goggles pushed high onto her forehead. She looked up at him with sharp, knowing eyes and smirked.
"You’re early." Mara’s voice was as dry as ever, but there was a note of approval beneath it. "Shop’s not even open for business yet."
"Couldn’t wait." Diego shrugged, stepping forward. "When are you going to drop this silver hair thing? You know that you don’t look like that character from G3’s novel, right?"
"When are you going to stop being so nosy, Dee?" Mara glared at him, but suddenly, a heartful laugh escaped her throat, lodious and at the sa ti a bit hoarse. "I know I’m not like her, but I like cosplaying, what about it?"
"Just kidding, Mara." Diego chuckled. "It looks good on you." He smiled.
"Keep flattering like this, kid, and you’re going places..." Mara exhaled, a soft smile curling her lips up as she reached beneath her workstation, and slid a small wooden box across the counter. "They’re done."
Diego flipped open the lid, and his breath caught for a brief mont.
Inside the velvet-lined box rested two silver rings, their tal polished to a soft gleam. Embedded in each was a single delicate feather, golden with an ethereal shimr that seed to shift in the low light.
"Just like you asked. These are the only two feathers of the [Skyborn Finch] I’ve ever co across. The little bastard got itself killed by a mana storm, so consider yourself lucky, because the thing is tough as nails to kill, if you don’t have a flying skill." Mara leaned on her elbow, watching his reaction.
"And they’ll work?" Diego traced a finger over one of the rings.
"What kind of craftswoman do you take for?" Mara scoffed, her lips splitting open in a grin. "With the catalyst and the ingredients I used to forge it, these rings will work just fine. They link their wearers’ emotions to one another. If one of you is in danger, stress, injury, panic, or whatever kind of distress, the other’s ring will glow bright red. And I also put a little trick in it, just because you’re a good kid and client."
"Good. And what’s the trick?" Diego nodded, smiling wide as he closed the box.
"They can also tell if one of the wearers is lying," Mara said, adjusting her goggles. "Not easy to imbue a skill in it, but you know just how aweso I am, right?"
"Figured as much." Diego smirked. "Thanks, Mara. You’re aweso!"
"You really like that Miles, guy, right?" Mara studied him for a mont, her smirk fading into sothing more serious. "Just... Don’t overexert yourself, okay?"
"He’s the only family I have, Ma..." Diego’s fingers curled around the box. He knew what she ant. This wasn’t just a simple tracking charm. It was a tether. A permanent connection between two people, tying their awareness together in a way that most players wouldn’t be willing to risk their sanity. "I can’t afford to lose him again."
But that was exactly why he needed it.
"You’re a good kid, Dee." Mara held his gaze for a mont longer, then patted him on the head, fondling his hair. "I know I’m not cheap, but if you need anything, you know where to find . Miles too, I an... If he’s your friend, he can’t be a bad dude."
Diego smiled as Mara’s calloused hand played with his hair. After a few seconds, he thanked her, and turned to leave, stepping back into the cooling air, tucking the box securely into his inventory.
"With that, it’s one problem solved." He hushed to himself, his smile fading. "Now... Off to the Seers."
The walk to the Seers’ headquarters took longer than expected, but Diego didn’t mind.
The further downtown he went, the more evident it beca that this part of the city was different.
Unlike the outer neighborhoods, where there were more ruins crumbling down and survivors scraping by, this area had been truly reclaid. The Union Guild and so other factions cleaned the whole place masterfully, reinforcing the buildings lining the streets, their windows enchanted with powerful barriers.
Floating lanterns hovered in the air, casting a soft glow that pushed back the darkness.
This side of downtown was the heart of the Seers’ domain.
And at its center, right across the invisible border that the main square represented, stood a repurposed high-rise, its once-shattered windows replaced with panels of reinforced glass. Vines and bioluminescent flowers crawled up the exterior, casting the structure in an eerie glow.
Unlike the crude fortifications of the Union Guild, on the other side of the border, the Seers had taken a different approach, blending nature with magic to turn their ho into sothing both beautiful and impenetrable.
Diego stopped outside the entrance, glancing up at the towering building. A deep breath steadied him. Then, he pushed open the heavy double doors and stepped inside.
The lobby was a stark contrast to the ruined world that struggled to keep standing outside. Warm light bathed the polished floors, and tapestries woven with arcane symbols hung from the walls. A few Seers sat in quiet discussion on a corner, their eyes flickering with unnatural clarity. They all paused as Diego entered, their gazes lingering on him just a fraction too long. Then, A woman approached from the far end of the hall.
She was tall, draped in flowing silver robes that shimred as she moved. Her hair was an inky black, cascading down her back in intricate dreadlocks that accentuated her ebony skin, and her violet eyes glowed faintly with the sa eerie luminescence that marked all Seers.
Diego recognized her imdiately.
Nadia, the leader of the Seers.
"Diego." She stopped a few steps away, tilting her head ever so slightly. "What took you so long, dear boy?"
"Hey, Nadia. Long ti." Diego forced a smile, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Sorry, I had a few... Things."
"You ca alone." Nadia studied him for a mont before speaking.
"Yeah, well, Miles is... Busy."
"And yet, you seek knowledge on his behalf." Her lips curled slightly.
"Sothing like that." Diego’s jaw tensed. He hated how easily she read through him. Even though he knew that the Seers were a neutral faction that ant no harm to the other players, he could not help to shiver at the sight of them.
"Co." Nadia nodded once. She turned, gliding toward a spiral staircase leading further up.
Diego followed without hesitation. Whatever answers she had, he needed them.
And whatever he had to pay for it, he wasn’t leaving without them.
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