Lucien walked through alley after alley, his journey home leading him out onto a much wider road. He crossed a connecting brick bridge, beneath which ran an excavated trench serving as a pathway for Steam Locomotives. With the residual aroma of spices from Broad Street still wafting around him, he exhaled in relief as the remnants of soot, coal dust, and the lingering smell of saltwater from Columbus Port finally fell behind his steps. Only the Hatred that hung in the port air still felt attached to him.
The small leather box containing the Flawless Mirror began to feel heavy in his hand. He was wary, even though he had entered the Old Quarter, the feeling of being watched had not vanished. His adrenaline fueled tension transformed into a cold vigilance, as new threats could emerge from anywhere in Columbus Capital.
Stone fences and the distinctive oriel windows of the Old Quarter greeted him once more, replacing the dull brick facades. Here, the damp scent of residual rain mixed with the aroma of pine and the faint warmth from neighboring homes. The dominant sounds were now the gentle creak of the occasional passing carriage and footsteps that were no longer hurried. He realized how easy it was to forget the hustle and tension of Broad Street and Columbus Port with all their business from the tranquility of the Old Quarter.
Lucien walked past the last few blocks, and soon after, the familiar wooden door of their small home was before his eyes. As he stood at the threshold, a sense of safety, like a warm blanket, began to envelop him. He took another long breath.
He reached for the brass doorknob and pushed the entrance door open. The soft pine scent and faint aroma of tea in the air were still detectable, dispelling the street smells that clung to his coat. Only warmth and silence greeted him.
"Lumi," he murmured, removing his boots.
"Meow," Lumi meowed softly in greeting, then returned to her peaceful slumber. The white, blue-eyed cat, which had been on the dining table earlier, was now curled up into a small snowball on the thick woven carpet beside the warm fireplace.
"I'm back, Aunt Flo!" Lucien exclaimed, his voice filled with a tone of relief. He placed the cold leather box on a small wooden table in the living room and was met with silence. It was certain that his aunt was still busy in the basement. He sighed again, noticing the pepper residue that might be on his hands. He walked toward the small kitchen area and turned the cold water brass lever to draw water. He cleaned his hands with a bar of soap, ensuring no pepper residue remained. Once he felt clean, he returned to the living room, carefully picked up the mirror box, and walked toward the basement stairs, descending the same creaking steps with the special wall.
The atmosphere of the basement was the same vibes as when he had left it, the flickering oil lamps hanging low, the neatly arranged racks of colored glass bottles, and the sharp odor produced by the alchemy process. Florence Faraday was seated on a high stool in front of her workbench, her back to Lucien, a dip pen in her hand.
Lucien stepped forward, placing the box on the table near the basement entrance.
"You took a long time, Lucien," Florence said without turning around, her tone gentle.
"Did something happen on the way?" She asked while writing on a sheet of thick linen paper.
"It's nothing serious, Aunt Flo," His voice carried a slight hint of nervousness.
Lucien watched every movement of his aunt's pen over the thick linen paper as he grew more nervous.
Florence put down her dip pen, the light scratch indicating the endpoint of what she had been writing. She picked up the paper and slipped it into the mouth of a small iron embossing press in the corner of the table. With one steady press of the lever, she then embossed a seal on the lower right corner near her signature. She folded the paper with a neat movement, ensuring its contents were sealed. She reached for a red wax container, allowing a few drops to fall on the folded paper's edge, then with precision, she pressed a stamp engraved with her intricate initial onto the hardening red wax, creating a neat embossed seal.
She placed the letter in her desk drawer. She finally turned around, her sharp blue eyes, framed by the small round glasses, immediately piercing Lucien's golden eyes.
"Is that so? Lucien, you know you can't lie to me, don't you?" Her tone was gentle, yet full of concern.
Lucien, who was about to ask what the letter was for, seemed to choose to hold his intention back.
"There was a little trouble, Aunt Flo. Two men on Broad Street were watching me, and they blocked me on the way home" He stood tense and appeared nervous under his aunt's gaze.
"They knew about this mirror?" Her tone is soft and attentive, yet slightly confused.
"Not entirely, they only knew it was a valuable item. Perhaps the rumors on Broad Street attracted their attention, Aunt Flo," A faint grin crossed his face.
"I ran to avoid them" He briefly recounts the incident without mentioning what happened to the thin figure with hesitation.
"Is that so? You aren't hiding anything, are you?"
Florence, who knew Lucien's nature of not wanting to trouble her, focused her eyes on Lucien. Her blue pupils narrowed, and she took a long breath. She used Perception, an Authority of the Truth Uniqueness, which can penetrate the thin curtain between words and Lucien's true intentions.
Florence was someone who had successfully passed Phase One, the basic level of Truth Uniqueness, gaining the Perception Authority after her Advancement. This ability disregards the subjective interpretation of the real world, instead seeing the structure of reality called the Wireframes of Truth. She could see the geometric structures that form reality based on truth.
"It's true, Aunt Flo. I've told you everything that happened." Lucien answered his aunt's question nervously, which Florence's eyes could read.
To Florence, Lucien was no longer just her nervous nephew, but a trembling Wireframe of Truth. She clearly saw the faint, cold, white-gold light, the characteristic of a Light Uniqueness user, and her vision went beyond that. She didn't just hear his slightly shaky voice or catch the evasive movement of his eyes, but saw and understood the structure of the lie itself.
Right around Lucien's chest, where the withheld truth resided, Florence saw microscopic cracks, structural weaknesses in the layers of his brain that were attempting to construct an incomplete narrative. The hesitation manifested in her eyes as unstable lines of energy, a visual chaos that shattered the harmony of Lucien's body Wireframe.
"Lucien, tell me what you haven't told me. My eyes cannot be deceived by you" Florence said, with a non-accusatory but slightly cold tone to Lucien.
"I'm sorry, Aunt Flo. Actually, both of them were Phase One Uniqueness users. The broad figure was a Matter Uniqueness user, and the thin figure was a Flesh Uniqueness user. The thin figure who confronts me…" Lucien took a long breath.
"He experienced a Vessel collapse after using instant Healing. He seemed to be experiencing Phantom Itch and he couldn't detect the Afterimage I used to escape, because perhaps madness was starting to gnaw at him." He finished his sentence awkwardly, finally meeting his aunt's blue eyes, awaiting her reaction.
Florence closed her eyes for a moment, processing the heavy information. When she opened them again, pure concern flooded her blue gaze. She stood, stepped closer to Lucien, and her hand touched Lucien's shoulder gently, but her grip was firm, making sure her nephew was alright.
"Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?" She asked with a tone full of worry.
"I'm fine, Aunt Flo," A soft smile touched his lips.
"How is your Vessel? You didn't hear any whispers?" She asked again, her voice still filled with the same concern.
"No, I used my ability carefully," His smile widened further at his aunt's sincere attention.
"Good, then. Just keep remembering not to overuse your ability, Lucien." Florence smiled with relief, her fingers caressing Lucien's shoulder.
"Thank you, Aunt Flo." He thanked his aunt, remembering that she was the only person in the world who genuinely cared for him.
Suddenly, Lucien remembered something.
"Oh, here is the remaining change, eight and a half Mark" He reached into his right pocket, pulling out banknotes and coins, and showing them to his aunt.
"Eight and a half Mark? What did you buy with one and a half Mark?" She raised her left eyebrow, her gaze turning slightly suspicious.
"Ah, I'm sorry, Aunt Flo. I bought Black Pepper Powder to throw it into the thin figure's eyes." He raised his hands and scratched his head with a renewed nervous tone.
"So that's why the Flesh Uniqueness user used instant Healing, is that right?" Florence confirmed with a slight shake of her head.
"Y-Yes, I'm sorry, I didn't know he was a Flesh Uniqueness user before." His tone carried a hint of guilt.
"You truly are unique, Lucien. You even thought of that while being watched by them? I never doubt your wild intuition, but you must be careful not to get into trouble," She stated firmly, returning with a small smile on her face.
"Of course, Aunt Flo," He nodded his head,
Florence turned her back, looking as if she could not believe the conversation she just had with Lucien.
"Now go back to the upper floor and rest for a bit. We might start your Advancement Ritual later in today, if sunlight can pierce through these gray clouds." Florence returned to her high stool, then closed her eyes to rest in the basement, her workspace.
"Alright. Have a good rest, Aunt Flo," Lucien replied in a soft tone to his aunt.
"Thank you, Lucien." Florence acknowledged him with closed eyes and appeared very tired.
Lucien then turned around and immediately went to the ground floor, crossing the alluring stairwell again. He headed back to the door to hang up his coat, then went toward Lumi and lay down on the thick woven carpet, embracing her.
"Lumiiiiiii… I missed you! It was so terrifying outside, Lumi." Lucien buried his face into the cat's soft fur.
"Meow…" Lumi responded with a small purr, as if understanding the fatigue and tension Lucien had brought from outside. She rubbed her small head against Lucien's chin.
He took a long breath, the faint smell of black pepper powder in his hanging coat pocket still lingering in his imagination. He closed his eyes, allowing the silence of the small house to slowly chase away the noise, danger, and hateful gazes from Columbus Port. The day had certainly been full of surprises. He knew the world he had to face would never be easy. He hugged Lumi tighter, a silent promise to continue the struggle in their small sanctuary.
While embracing Lumi, who was comfortable on his chest, Lucien reached for the thick book he had left earlier, "Stairs to Miracle." He leaned his back against the sofa, reading the flowing, winding, and highly aesthetic Mourish script again, and let himself sink into the book. However, the cat's gentle purring, coupled with the warmth of the carpet and the scent of pine wood, worked like a spell. As time passed, the lines of text began to blur in his eyes, and before long, he fell asleep peacefully with the book resting on his chest.