"Thank you, Mr. Finlay!" Lucien approached Mr. Finlay at the old workbench, taking in the sight of the shop filled with neatly arranged glass, bottles, large wall mirrors, and colored glass plates. The reflected oil lamplight created a twinkling labyrinth of reflections.
Mr. Finlay, with a warm, soft chuckle, turned and slid open a panel behind his workbench. From behind the panel, he took out a dark, hard leather box, resembling a small briefcase but more compact and featuring a single lock like a jewelry box. He placed the box carefully on the table and opened it.
"Wow…" Lucien gasped, staring at the perfect mirror with an expression of awe.
"This item…" Mr. Finlay said, his voice now slightly softer and filled with admiration.
"It's not just ordinary glass, Lucien. I personally polished it for three full days. There is no scratch, no distortion, no air bubble, no matter how small. Truly flawless…" He raised his gaze from the box. His brown eyes now seemed a little sharper, his pupils narrowed, and he took a long breath. His eyes met Lucien's, and in the momentary silence, Mr. Finlay saw a faint, cold, white-gold light. He gave a small smile and winked.
"Young man…" He said, his voice returning to its husky, warm tone, but now carrying a deeper meaning.
"You will be carrying something precious. This mirror, though perfect, is merely a tool. The most valuable reflection is the one you find within yourself. Never let the shadows of the past or the outside world obscure it."He gently pushed the leather box toward Lucien.
"Perfection, Lucien, is not the absence of flaw, but the strength to never let that flaw define you…" He then closed the box and offered Lucien a warm smile and familiar grin.
Lucien nodded, understanding that Mr. Finlay was speaking not just about the glass, but about something greater in his wise words.
"Of course, Mr. Finlay. Thank you for the advice…" Lucien took the fifty Mark banknote and the payment note from his pocket and placed them on the table beside the leather box.
Mr. Finlay took the money along with the note handed over by Lucien.
"Thank you, dear. Your aunt has paid one hundred Mark, and this is fifty Mark from you, so the total I have received is one hundred fifty Mark." He picked up the box and handed it to Lucien.
"Take this, dear…" With a gentle motion, he passed the box to Lucien.
Lucien took the box from Mr. Finlay's hand and placed it on the floor for a moment.
"The total price for the mirror and the box is one hundred forty Mark, so your change is ten Mark, correct?" He let out a soft chuckle as he said it.
"Correct, Mr. Finlay…" A happy smile spread across Lucien's face.
Mr. Finlay opened the small cash drawer beneath the table to take the change. However, Lucien interrupted him as something crossed his mind.
"Mr. Finlay…" Lucien interjected respectfully.
"May I ask for the change in smaller denominations? One Five Mark note and the rest in One Mark notes, if possible?" He tilted his head slightly, a small smile on his face, hoping his request wasn't bothersome.
"Of course, dear…" Mr. Finlay replied kindly with a soft smile, as if understanding the reason behind Lucien's request.
Mr. Finlay took one Five Mark banknote and five One Mark banknotes.
"Here is your ten Mark change, dear. one Five Mark note and five One Mark notes." He placed the money on the table, neatly separating the two denominations.
Lucien received the change, gathering them before slipping them into his coat pocket.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Finlay!" With his left hand, he picked up the small box he had placed on the floor, a wide smile on his face. Turning toward the shop's exit, he began to walk away.
However, before he could reach the door, Mr. Finlay offered him a little more advice.
"Be careful, dear. Broad Street always has curious eyes…" He glanced at the shop window for a moment, then looked back at Lucien with a steady, warm gaze.
Lucien nodded, then turned back and pushed the heavy oak wooden door. The small brass bell softly chimed, seeing off his departure, and he stepped out once more.
As soon as he stepped out of Mr. Finlay's glass shop, the sky in the Columbus Capital area began to look slightly brighter, with the sunlight becoming a little dazzling. Lucien did not immediately join the crowd. His sharp instinct, now reinforced by Mr. Finlay's warning, made him pause briefly. He looked across Broad Street, ignoring the shouts of vendors and the rumble of carts, searching for a familiar silhouette.
Right across the street, under the shadow of a dingy clock tower, the two figures reappeared. The large, broad figure and the skinny, lanky figure stood there, like two shadows that shouldn't exist under the dim morning light. Despite trying to blend in, Lucien's golden eyes caught a fleeting movement as the thin figure's head lifted slightly, confirming they were watching him.
They are still there.
Lucien's heart pounded, but this time without panic. They thought he was just an ordinary teenager picking up an item for someone. That was a mistake they would have to pay for. Knowing he was being followed, he relied on his wits and the small denominations of money he had just acquired.
He spun around and walked back the way he had come before arriving at Mr. Finlay's Glass Shop, moving quickly and without hesitation. His eyes swept across Broad Street again, looking for the spice seller he had seen earlier, the young woman busy weighing her wares.
His quick footsteps traversed Broad Street until he reached a small table piled with burlap sacks and glass bottles, both large and small. The scent of cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom stung the air around him.
"Madam…" Lucien called out in a low voice, pulling out a few banknotes and separating two One Mark notes from his pocket.
"I need the spiciest and finest powder you have. Wrap it in a small paper bag, for two Marks only. Quick." He slipped the excess money back into his pocket.
The young woman, with rosy cheeks and her white apron dress, looked at the strangeness of his request, but seeing the banknotes Lucien was holding, she didn't ask much.
"For what cuisine, Mister? I have Black Pepper Powder imported from the Evermoor Nation, and it's very popular in the Capital of the Tharnheim Nation! This powder will make your tongue burn…" The young woman stated clearly, her eyes blinking meaningfully.
The name of the nation made Lucien pause—just for a heartbeat. Something flickered across his expression before he quickly smoothed it away. Whatever the thought was, he did not let it distract him.
"Alright, please wrap it up." His tone remained steady, even though his mood had been slightly shaken.
The woman deftly used a small wooden spoon, measuring the Black Pepper powder into a sheet of oiled paper tied tightly with string. Lucien handed the two One Mark banknotes he was holding to the young woman and received the small packet containing the black pepper.
"Here is your change. Be careful when using it, Mister. Make sure you wash your hands if you use it with your bare hands." The young woman warned.
Lucien merely nodded, tucking the packet of powder into his coat pocket, along with the remaining fifty cents in small silver coins. He did not waste a second. With the burning pepper powder in his pocket and the small leather box in his left hand, Lucien quickened his pace. He was now moving in a different direction from his way home, with a more measured stride, heading towards a small, sparsely-used alley intersection. Just as he turned, the path in front of him was blocked.
He was ready.
The two figures, the large and broad one, and the thin and tall one, now stood upright, blocking the sidewalk. Their long, worn coats looked shabbier and more menacing. The broad figure had short brown hair and brown eyes. Meanwhile, the thin figure had messy, shoulder-length blonde hair and brown eyes.
The narrow alley was illuminated by a single shaft of sunlight that had just pierced the clouds. The ray fell on a large, dingy glass window on the left side, reflecting onto the sidewalk. The broad figure stood on the side of the road touched by the light, while the thin figure stood slightly behind and beside him, observing Lucien's movements.
"Good morning, mister." The thin figure greeted, his voice husky and sharp, like scraping shards of glass.
"A bit too soon to head home, isn't it? We heard you just picked up something valuable." The thin figure continued in a playful tone.
Lucien's heart pounded hard, but his focus was on the packet of powder in his pocket. In his left hand, he was prepared to use his wits.
"Is that so? I didn't know this item was valuable." His voice sounded calmer now.
"May I pass? I'm in a hurry." He played along with the narrative given to him, surveying his surroundings and already planning how to use the terrain to his advantage.
"You're not going anywhere, Boy!" The broad figure snorted and extended his large hand forward.
Just as the broad figure moved forward to cut off his path, Lucien acted. He walked slightly forward to the left, and with his left hand, he lifted the leather box containing the Flawless Mirror and swung it with a hard motion towards the glass window on the right side of the broad figure, a provocative movement that forced the broad figure's gaze to shift and follow the box's trajectory.
The broad figure's eyes, accustomed to physical threats, automatically tracked the movement of the object he was after. He turned his head sideways, his focus fixed on the box's trajectory and the glint of light reflected by the building's glass.
The moment the broad figure's attention was locked on the point of light, Lucien channeled his Light Uniqueness. A pulse of warm energy flowed from his body into his right hand, then injected an intensity that surpassed natural limits into the sunlight reflecting off the glass. The light exploded in a searing white burst into the broad figure's eyes.
A basic-level user of Light Uniqueness can manipulate fundamental and reactive light. The Ability Lucien used is called Pinpoint Glare. He utilized the ambient light in the surroundings and enhanced its intensity with Pinpoint Glare.
"ARGH!" The broad figure recoiled, his large eyes clamped shut. He let out a deep growl, his hands covering his face, and he stumbled backward due to the momentary blindness caused by the light intensity piercing his retinas.
In that instant, Lucien moved. He spun his body, taking advantage of the thin figure's blind spot created by the broad figure's body partially obstructing his view. Without wasting time, Lucien planned his next move. He used Flicker, one of his other abilities, to approach the thin figure by instantly and very briefly refracting the light around his body. This created the illusion of Lucien disappearing or blinking from one point to another.
The thin figure, not expecting the attack to come so fast, only realized the danger when Lucien was right in front of him. As he tried to retreat, Lucien's right hand, which was already gripping the black pepper powder, darted quickly towards his face. Lucien quickly clenched the paper wrapping tightly and thrust it at the thin figure. The attack landed squarely, going straight into his eyes and nose.
"AAARGGHH!" The thin figure screamed in pain, the sudden burning sensation crippling his reflexes. He fell to his knees, coughing violently and scratching his eyes, which were now red and watery.
Lucien, now in a position of advantage, took a deep breath. With both threats incapacitated for a few moments, he knew he had to flee immediately. He was about to run when he saw the broad figure and was nearly able to see again. He looked at the thin figure again and realized that the thin figure was a user of Flesh Uniqueness. The thin figure's hands and eyes emitted a reddish smoke, and the blood vessels around his eyes instantly swelled, demonstrating one of the Flesh Uniqueness abilities and indicating forced biological manipulation.
"Ugghh! Watch your back, you insolent brat!" The broad figure snarled, holding one eye while the other was already open.
Lucien then ran towards the end of the alley. He glanced back and saw the thin figure was nearly fully recovered, and the broad figure was already moving closer to the thin figure.
"You chase him first! That damn kid must be a Light Uniqueness user!" The thin figure hissed. Although his eyes were working again, the biological manipulation he forced too much caused him to experience side effects from his nearly depleted Vessel. He felt his heart pounding too hard, and his skin felt too tight, making his breathing irregular.
Lucien wasted no time. As he reached the first intersection, he crouched low and activated his Flicker ability. The light around him refracted instantly and briefly. In less than a second, he vanished from sight and reappeared around the next corner, effectively cutting off the broad figure's line of sight.
The broad figure was startled by the unnatural sight and reacted. Instead of running normally, he instinctively compacted the material of his shoe soles and the stone floor at his footing like anchors firmly planted in the ground. In a brief burst of momentum, he launched himself forward in one brutal, long stride, closing the distance that Lucien's Flicker had created.
The thin figure forced himself to keep up. He felt his Vessel twitching, accompanied by an unbearable Phantom Itch in his arm. He activated Life Surge to suppress the fatigue. It was not Healing, but a forced operation of his muscle system, heart, and lungs at their maximum biological limits. His heart thumped like a broken drum against his ribs, and the veins in his neck bulged. He managed to match the broad figure's speed, but he knew he was quickly approaching the point of Vessel collapse.
Lucien heard heavy footsteps behind him. He looked back and saw the broad figure was ahead of the thin figure, who was now scratching his arm while running. He knew the thin figure was paying a heavy price, and madness would soon overtake him.
However, the clever Lucien would use his wits one more time at the next corner. He would once again use Flicker along with another Ability, Afterimage. Just before Lucien reached the corner, he used Flicker to create a slight illusion for the large figure, knowing that the thin figure's vision was already blurred. At that moment, Lucien also left an Afterimage that appeared to turn left, but it was merely an illusion created with static light from Lucien's position to provide a false target and a brief window to deceive the broad figure and the thin figure.
"Left! He went left!" the thin figure screamed, his voice hoarse. His critical Vessel condition, combined with the obsession to keep chasing with Life Surge, made his mind vulnerable. In his eyes, the Afterimage was too perfect, which previously made Flesh Uniqueness users who should be able to focus on biological truth unable to detect the illusion of the Afterimage.
The broad figure did not question, trusting his partner because he knew he could be relied upon in this situation. However, the madness that was beginning to gnaw at the thin figure's brain made him useless in that situation, and both of them were tricked by Lucien's cunning.
Lucien, hidden in a shadowy alcove on the right side, sighed. Cold sweat soaked his back. He had won the short race, forcing his opponents to expend their energy and sacrifice their sanity, without draining himself.
He waited a few seconds, making sure the sound of the two pursuers running and groaning had disappeared. Lucien stepped out of the shadows, turned his body, and moved into the alley on the right, and escaped from the threat.