The iron gates of Warehouse Three opened with a hiss of well-oiled hinges, revealing the heart of Nachthelm & Co. Logistics. Inside, the gaslights burned steadily, casting warm amber light over polished stone floors and rows of meticulously organized freight. The scent of wood oil, canvas, and faint ozone from arcane seals hung in the still air.
Arthus entered without ceremony followed by Sebas, his charcoal coat brushed clean, gloves smooth and dark against his hands.
He didn't ask Roland and Mara to accompany him in the warehouses due to the nature of the business. So he had them wait near the carriage. The workers noticed him immediately, their movements becoming subtly sharper, more deliberate. He didn't need to raise his voice or announce his presence, everyone knew who he was.
Nachthelm & Co. had earned its reputation not through loud advertisement or public acclaim, but by moving things others couldn't quietly, securely, and without question. From Backlund's noble estates to the harbors of Pritz and the fog-draped edges of Desi Bay, the firm ferried high-value and sensitive cargo with precision. No records ever leaked. No crates ever vanished. And those who asked too many questions often stopped asking altogether. That's how it was before he inherited the company 5 years ago and still is.
A broad-shouldered foreman, Mr. Thorne, met Arthus near the freight ledger desk.
"Afternoon, sir. Pritz shipment landed early this morning two bonded chests, one armored vault-box, all logged and accounted for. Desi's batch was confirmed an hour ago. Sealed and untouched"
Arthus nodded. "Vaulted cargo?"
"Three items currently in temperature control. Two flagged under noble contracts. One commercially discreet"
"Good" Arthus passed him, boots striking the stone with soft weight. He stopped briefly beside a tall brass cylinder secured by triple locks and an alchemical seal, a courier vault. Its surface shimmered faintly, heatless, untouched by dust.
He ran one gloved finger along its edge, then turned toward the inspection alcove where clerks worked in silence. They handled ciphered routing slips and cross-referenced codes with a speed that bordered on a ritual. One clerk glanced up, straightened, but Arthus only gave a faint nod.
From the narrow metal stairs above, he surveyed the floor. Crates labeled in misdirection, guarded compartments hidden in plain sight, and a quiet rhythm to the movement of goods. The entire operation moved like a well-rehearsed illusion, not hiding what it did, but making sure no one knew what truly mattered.
Clients came to Nachthelm & Co. because their wealth, their artifacts, their secrets couldn't afford to be known and Arthus made sure they never were.
After a moment, he exhaled through his nose and turned toward the upper office. Nothing had gone wrong today. That was how it should be.
But even perfection, he knew, required constant inspection.
"Let's go back Sebas, I'm done with this week's inspection" said Arthus.
"Yes my Lord" replied Sebas leading him back to the carriage.
As soon as he left the warehouse he noticed it had started raining.
"Curse this country's weather!" cursed Arthus out loud. Quickening his pace, but the damage was done. He was drenched by the time he reached the carriage.
Sebas opened the door for him and he saw Roland and Mara already sitting inside perfectly dry. Seeing his expression, Mara couldn't help but tease him and said "Serves you right for making us wait so long!"
Arthus didn't give her the satisfaction of knowing that she got to him and remained expressionless.
"Are you alright Master? Your look a bit flushed? Have you gotten sick?" said Sebas while removing his glove to feel Arthus's forehead.
"It seems to be the case. I will call Mister Aberforth as soon as we reach home" Arthus responded by sneezing. He felt slightly dizzy.
Suddenly his hand glowed with a crimson glow which covered him completely.
…
Also in the Loen Kingdom's capital, Backlund. Inside a luxurious looking villa in the royal district.
Audrey Hall sat in front of a dresser. The markings on it were antiquated and there was a cracked bronze mirror on the surface.
"Mirror, mirror, awaken..."
"In the name of the Hall family, I command you to awaken!"
She switched between many different sayings, but there was no reaction from the mirror at all.
After more than 10 minutes, she finally chose to give up and pouted her lips in grievance. She said in a soft murmur, "Father was indeed lying to me. He always tells me that this mirror was the treasure of the Solomon Empire's Black Emperor, and that it is an extraordinary item..."
Her voice trailed off. The bronze mirror which rested on the dresser suddenly glowed with a crimson light that shrouded her completely.
…
In the Sonia Sea, a three-masted sailboat that looked like an obvious relic was navigating through a storm.
Alger Wilson stood on deck, his body undulating with the currents at sea, maintaining his balance easily.
He wore a robe embroidered with lightning patterns, and in his hand was a quirky-shaped glass bottle. Phenomena of the bubbles billowing inside the bottle, frost turning into snow, and signs of gusting wind visible alternated.
"Still short on the Ghost Shark's blood..." Alger murmured.
Then suddenly, a crimson burst appeared in the space between the glass bottle and the surface of his palm. In an instant, it enveloped the surroundings as well.
…
In the fog of gray mist, Arthus von Nacthelm regained his bearing. He came to a shocking realisation when he noticed the blurry image of a man right next to him and a feminine silhouette on the opposite side of him doing the same as well.
Immediately after, the three of them discovered another mystery person standing not far from them who was shrouded in a gray mist.
The 'mysterious person' was none other than Zhou Mingrui. He was similarly dumbfounded.
"Sir, where is this?"
Audrey and Alger were startled at first, falling silent in the process. Then, they immediately started speaking in unison.
"A-" Arthus also wanted to be involved but didn't know what to say and the shock was too much so he just waited for the other people to initiate a conversation while recovering mentally from this situation, completely unaware of the inner turmoil that troubled Zhou Mingrui.
After a few seconds of silence in the fog, Zhou Mingrui chuckled. With a low but not heavy tone, he calmly spoke the long waited words as though he was replying to the polite greetings from the visitors, "An attempt"
Then a feminine voice from before replied in a somewhat perplexed way "Sir, is the attempt over? Might you permit our return?"
This time Arthus actually took a good look at her features, well at least tried to with the presence of the mysteries grey fog. She was tall and blonde, that's all he could make out. He didn't even know if she was taller than him or not.
Zhou Mingrui's figure nodded and looked at the blond, chuckling. "Of course, if you make a formal request, you can return this very moment"
The silhouette representing Audrey seemed to be dazed, looking around as if trying to memorise every single detail in her head.
"This is such a wonderful experience... Yes, I have always been hoping that something like this would happen. I mean-I like mysteries and supernatural miracles. No, my point is-what I mean is that, Sir, what can I do to become a beyonder?" very straightforward, notes Arthus before striking in the conversation as well.
"This!.. I also desire to be a beyonder" declared Arthus.
This was very troubling, if only he had known beforehand that he would be pulled in this mysterious place alongside Audrey and Alger. He was very socially awkward and needed time to think beforehand to decide what to say. Hopefully he doesn't accidentally offend Klein and get kicked out from "The Tarot Club". This was a great opportunity for him!
Just as he was thinking that, the gray fog started to churn, giving him a fright but he soon collected himself. He watched as towering stone pillars erected around them which then were encapsulated by a magnificent dome.
Directly under the dome where the gray fog gathered, a long, bronze table appeared with ten high-back chairs on either side in a symmetrical arrangement, along with a chair on each of the two ends of the long table The back of each chair dazzled and shone faintly with crimson red, drawing the outlines of weird constellations that differed from reality.
Audrey and Alger took seats in their destined arrangement and Arthus sat on the seat right next to Alger's still not recovered from his shock.
Then I heard Audrey say "How fascinating…"
It was very awkward, as soon as she said that the whole place was enveloped in a pregnant pause. Fortunately the silence only lasted for a few seconds that felt like an eternity, broken by Alger who finally decided it was time for him to speak.