Nebula had vanished. This was a significant problem.
"Cleia… I told you to keep an eye on her, didn't I?"
Aurora's voice was low, laced with a sharp, quiet delicacy. Cleia looked down, the weight of guilt evident in her slumping shoulders.
"Yes..." she whispered.
"She was my new subordinate," Aurora continued, his eyes narrowing slightly. "It hasn't even been three hours and she's already gone? May I ask how it happened, Cleia? How do you lose track of a sleeping dragon of that size?"
"I don't know… I just went to grab her a glass of water for a second, and when I came back, she was gone."
Aurora sighed, maintaining that calm tone that was more unsettling than a shout. "What do you suggest we do now?"
"We could gather information around here," she replied, trying to regain a shred of pride. "A dragon certainly won't go unnoticed. But..." she hesitated. "We'd have to enter human cities."
Aurora remained silent for a moment, weighing the idea. Then he spoke firmly: "I have no intention of setting foot in a human city. You lost the dragon; you find it."
"Ehhh? But why! With two of us, we'd be twice as fast!" she protested.
"Fine, fine," Aurora relented with a wave of his hand. "We'll do it your way."
A small, shy smile appeared on Cleia's face. "Excellent, Mr. Aurora! But you can't go around with your real face; it's too recognizable. You'll have to use Shapeshifting magic."
"You call me 'Mr.' and then address me so casually?" Aurora noted. Cleia looked confused, her features twisting into a silly expression. He shook his head, exhausted. "Never mind, just do it."
"Of course! You'll see, Mr. Aurora, I'll create the perfect character for you!" she exclaimed, walking away with her mind already racing.
Switched from casual to formal in a heartbeat? Aurora thought to himself. This girl has a grammar all her own.
He sat on an old chair nearby, letting the hours pass. When Cleia returned, she was beaming with excitement.
"Mr. Aurora! Here is the character you'll be imitating. I've prepared everything: an ID card, tax code, and a full backstory!"
"Good," he replied. "Let's see what I can do."
In moments, the magic flowed, and Aurora's appearance changed radically. His face became that of a young man with dark brown, wavy hair that fell messily over his forehead. Behind a pair of thin glasses, his bright green eyes shone with intense light. A detached expression, marked by slight dark circles under his eyes, gave him a tired but magnetic aura.
The outfit, personally chosen by him, consisted of a formal suit: a dark shirt, tie, and black vest. Over it, he wore a white lab coat left open. His right hand was covered by a black surgical glove. It was almost identical to what he wore in his previous life.
"How nostalgic..." he murmured. Then, he opened a portal to Valdoria. "I know the perfect guild for us to join."
They arrived in front of the Rokurokubi Guild headquarters. The sight was imposing.
"Good morning," Aurora said as they entered.
"Good morning," the receptionist replied. "What can I do for you?"
"We'd like to register with the guild," he answered curtly.
"Certainly. May I see your adventurer badges?"
"We don't have any."
"I see. Then I invite you to take a test for issuance. First, however, I'll need your identification."
Aurora pulled out his wallet and handed over the ID.
"Very well, Mr... Solas. And you, miss?"
"I already have one," Cleia replied, handing over her card with name, class, rank and guild inscription, althought she didn't had any guild name written on it since she didn't belong to any guild yet.
"Excellent. Please take a seat while you wait to be called, Miss Lazarin."
While Cleia sat down, Aurora was led to a laboratory. Waiting for him was a young woman of about twenty-five, with her brown hair tied back and a uniform similar to his.
"Pleasure, I'm Hinata. I'll be conducting your badge test today."
Aurora nodded and followed her into a spacious room. In the center stood a strange booth.
"Step inside," Hinata explained. "This machine measures the magical particles emitted by your body to assign you a provisional Rank. Don't hold back; release as much of your Aura as possible."
I shouldn't draw too much attention, Aurora thought instead.
He stepped into the box and sealed his power as tightly as he could. Lasers scanned every inch of his space. When the door reopened, Hinata consulted the data.
"In five seconds, you emitted 5,000 particles. One thousand per second. We'll assign you Rank 7-C for now. It's a great starting point."
In reality, it was far above average—an ordinary person usually scored a 9-A. Even while holding back, Aurora was an anomaly.
"Now for the Class test," Hinata continued in another room. "Do you have any class preference?"
"Healer," he replied. It was a rare and sought-after class; almost everyone preferred to be a Tank an Assassin or a knight.
"I'll need you to undress for the physical exam. If you feel uncomfortable, I can call a male colleague."
"Don't worry about it," Aurora replied, stripping down to his underwear and lying down on the bed. They certainly are polite here. If only Cleia could take a leaf out of their book...
Hinata closed her eyes and placed her hands on Aurora's body. A warm light erupted from her palms. As she analyzed his perfectly sculpted physique, a doubt struck her. Something is wrong... Is he using illusion magic? Or perhaps Shapeshifting? Could he be a spy?
The suspicion was faint, but as an examiner, she should have reported it. However, she shook her head internally. No, it's probably nothing.
"Alright, Mr. Solas. You have a perfect physique for a Knight or an Assasin but if you want the Healer role, we will proceed with that." Aurora didn't hesitate for a single second. "Healer," he confirmed, his voice steady.
"Very well. Please get dressed," Hinata replied, regaining her professional composure. "You may wait on the sofa with your companion. When your name is called, head to the pickup section to collect your Badge. If you are still interested in joining this guild, the registration center will then evaluate your application."
With that, Hinata left the room, leaving Aurora alone in the silence of the lab. He dressed with practiced, calm movements, straightening the white coat that reminded him so much of his past life, and returned to the waiting area. He sat beside Cleia, his gaze fixed on nothingness as they waited.
"Solas."
The metallic voice from the loudspeaker interrupted his thoughts. Aurora stood up and made his way to the distribution counter. As they handed him the card, his eyes immediately scanned the specs.
Class: Healer. Rank: 7-A.
"Not bad," he thought to himself, a ghost of a smile almost touching his lips. He returned to Cleia, who was watching him with curiosity. "Haven't you registered for the guild yet?"
"Actually, I have," she replied, swinging her legs slightly. "I was just keeping you company."
"Solas!"
His name rang out again, summoning him to the administrative center.
"It seems we don't have much time for ourselves," Aurora remarked with a faint sigh. "Well, I'm off. See you in a bit, Cleia."
At the registration desk, he was met by an elderly man with a face lined by time. The man took the badge, entered the necessary data, and in the previously blank space reserved for the Gild, he inscribed the name: Rokurokubi.
"Welcome to the guild," the old man said, returning the badge with a formal gesture. "You will receive a notification through your system whenever a new dungeon report comes in. You can choose to accept the offer and head to the site, or decline it. Now that you have the essential information, I wish you the best of luck, young man. Farewell."
After that brief conversation, Aurora returned to Cleia, his stride purposeful.
"We can return to Velgrastede now."