Chapter 11: The Eyes of the Hidden World
The Midnight Exchange had fallen strangely quiet.
Not completely.
Merchants still called out their wares.
Customers still wandered between the shops.
From the forge district, the rhythmic clang of hammers still echoed through the streets.
Yet beneath the ordinary noise, an invisible tension had spread.
Everywhere Fenrir walked, eyes followed him.
Some were curious.
Some were cautious.
Some held undisguised fear.
Fenrir noticed all of it.
He lowered his voice.
"Am I really that strange?"
Sebastian adjusted his white gloves.
"To be precise, your aura is."
"And what exactly is my aura?"
The old man glanced at him.
"Aura is the reflection of one's existence."
"Humans possess one."
"Supernatural beings possess one."
"The stronger the being, the more overwhelming the aura."
Fenrir frowned.
"So why are they staring at me?"
Sebastian remained silent for a moment.
Then he spoke.
"Because your aura feels… ancient."
"Ancient?"
"Very."
He looked ahead.
"Some of the beings in this market are hundreds of years old."
"A few are over a thousand."
"Yet your aura feels older than all of them."
Fenrir's steps slowed.
'What exactly am I becoming?'
For the first time in a long while…
That thought frightened him.
As they continued walking, they eventually reached the heart of the Exchange.
A vast plaza unfolded before them.
At its center stood an enormous silver clock tower.
The structure rose hundreds of meters into the air.
Countless gears turned slowly within its framework, producing soft metallic sounds.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
Fenrir nodded.
"It is."
Sebastian smiled.
"That is the Clock of Eternity."
"It has stood here since the founding of the Exchange."
"Nobody knows who built it."
"Not even the Master."
Fenrir looked up.
For some reason…
The tower made him uneasy.
Almost as though it were watching him.
Then—
A pulse echoed deep within his chest.
Thump.
Something stirred.
Ancient.
Endless.
Hungry.
The feeling disappeared as quickly as it had come.
Fenrir frowned.
"What was that?"
[Unknown.]
'I'm really starting to hate that answer.'
"Sebastian."
"Yes?"
"How old is this place?"
The old man thought for a moment.
"Over five thousand years."
Fenrir nearly tripped.
"...Excuse me?"
"The Midnight Exchange predates most modern civilizations."
"Many empires have risen and fallen while this place remained."
Fenrir stared.
'I expected centuries… not millennia.'
Sebastian chuckled.
"You'll become accustomed to things like this."
"I somehow doubt that."
Suddenly—
A woman stood before them.
No.
She hadn't appeared.
She had been there all along.
Fenrir simply hadn't noticed her.
She was breathtaking.
Long crimson hair cascaded to her waist.
Golden eyes shimmered like molten sunlight.
Her elegant black dress carried an air of authority and nobility.
Everything about her radiated beauty.
And danger.
A terrifying amount of danger.
Sebastian immediately bowed.
"Lady Seraphina."
The surrounding crowd quickly lowered their heads.
Fenrir blinked.
"...Should I know who this is?"
Sebastian nearly choked.
The woman laughed softly.
"No."
"You shouldn't."
Her golden eyes remained fixed on him.
They were strangely intense.
Almost affectionate.
Fenrir suddenly felt uncomfortable.
Very uncomfortable.
The woman stepped closer.
One step.
Then another.
Until she stood directly before him.
She slowly raised her hand.
Then gently touched his cheek.
"..."
"..."
"..."
The entire plaza fell silent.
A spoon dropped somewhere in the distance.
Clang.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Fenrir looked at Sebastian.
The old man looked as though his soul had left his body.
'Why does he look even more shocked than I am?'
"What… is happening?"
Sebastian didn't answer.
Because he didn't know either.
Lady Seraphina slowly withdrew her hand.
"My apologies."
"You simply reminded me of someone."
Fenrir frowned.
"I don't think we've met."
"No."
"We haven't."
Her smile deepened.
"Not yet."
"...What?"
She completely ignored the question.
Instead, she took his hand.
A small black ring suddenly appeared in her palm.
She placed it in his hand.
"A gift."
Fenrir looked at it.
"What is this?"
"A spatial ring."
"...A what?"
"It stores objects."
Silence.
Then—
"It does what?"
She giggled.
"It appears Lord Lucien wasn't exaggerating."
"You truly know nothing."
Sebastian finally regained his senses.
"Lady Seraphina…"
"Why are you giving him such a valuable treasure?"
She glanced at him.
"Because I want to."
"..."
Apparently, that ended the discussion.
The old man looked as though he might cry.
A spatial ring was an artifact worth a fortune.
Yet she had casually given one away to a complete stranger.
No.
Not casually.
Almost… eagerly.
It was bizarre.
Seraphina looked back at Fenrir.
"What's your name?"
"Fenrir."
"Fenrir…"
She softly repeated it.
As though savoring every syllable.
A strange warmth appeared in her eyes.
"That's a beautiful name."
For some reason, Fenrir suddenly had the urge to run.
'Why do I suddenly want to get away from this woman?'
He had no idea why.
But every instinct in his body screamed danger.
Not physical danger.
A completely different kind of danger.
Then—
The air changed.
A terrifying pressure descended upon the plaza.
Everyone looked upward.
A man stood atop the Clock of Eternity.
He wore simple gray robes.
His hair was completely white.
And his eyes…
They were entirely silver.
No pupils.
No irises.
Only endless silver.
The moment he appeared—
The entire Exchange fell silent.
Every being present bowed.
Angels.
Demons.
Vampires.
Werewolves.
Everyone.
Even Lady Seraphina.
Only Fenrir remained standing.
Because he had absolutely no idea who this person was.
Sebastian's voice trembled.
"The Master…"
Fenrir looked at him.
"The Master?"
"The founder and ruler of the Midnight Exchange."
"...Oh."
A second later—
"WAIT WHAT?!"
The old man slowly descended from the tower.
He didn't walk.
He simply appeared before them.
Space itself seemed to bend to his will.
His silver eyes settled upon Fenrir.
Silence followed.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three.
Then—
The old man smiled.
A warm, grandfatherly smile.
"Welcome… Young Sovereign."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
"...Excuse me?" Fenrir asked.
Gasps erupted throughout the plaza.
"The Master called him Young Sovereign!"
"Impossible!"
"That title disappeared thousands of years ago!"
"It can't be…"
"Who is he?!"
Shock spread through the crowd like wildfire.
Even Lady Seraphina's smile disappeared.
For the first time since arriving…
She looked genuinely shocked.
Sebastian's jaw slowly dropped.
Somewhere in the crowd, someone fainted.
The Master ignored them all.
His silver eyes remained fixed on Fenrir.
"I've waited a very long time to meet you."
Fenrir blinked.
Then pointed at himself.
"Me?"
"Yes."
"You're sure?"
The old man chuckled.
"Quite sure."
Fenrir looked around at the thousands of eyes staring at him.
Then back at the old man.
He had exactly one thought.
'My life somehow became even more complicated.'
Then—
For the briefest moment—
The Master saw it.
A darkness.
A void.
An endless abyss sleeping deep within the young man's soul.
Watching.
Hungry.
Ancient beyond comprehension.
His expression changed.
Shock.
Disbelief.
Then….
Fear.
It vanished in an instant.
No one noticed.
No one except him.
'Impossible…'
For the first time in over three thousand years…
The Master of the Midnight Exchange felt fear.
Because he had looked upon something that should not exist.