Chapter 19 #2
“Each district is named after the first letter of one of Magicslan’s ruler’s children,” Stasia explained. “The number represents the order they were born in. So, for example, V6 is named after Violetta, the ruler’s sixth child.”
“Twelve children?” I asked quietly, unable to hide my surprise.
“Seriously?”
I wanted maybe two someday.
But twelve...
“Well, considering he’s been married twice, twelve is actually pretty reasonable,” Stasia said casually. “Don’t forget—mages live much longer than humans.”
She pointed farther down the street.
“Violetta’s district is mostly home to witches, spellcasters, and seers.”
“Actual seers?” I asked skeptically. “Or is that more of a marketing gimmick?”
“It doesn’t get any more real than that.” Stasia smiled. “Most seers fall into two categories: those who see the future and those who see the past. But how far they can see depends on the development of their dimensions.”
She shrugged.
“It’s basically another form of magical ranking.”
“So a highly developed seer could see my entire past?”
I frowned.
“All the way back to my infancy?”
“Think bigger,” Stasia said.
“They could see every one of your past reincarnations.”
“Holy shit,” I whispered.
What if that was exactly what I needed?
Find a powerful enough seer.
Learn about my past.
At the very least...
They could tell me who my real parents were.
“Hypothetically,” I began carefully, “if I wanted to meet a seer, how would I find one?”
“You’d go to Violetta’s district and visit the information center. Registered seers offer their services through it.”
That sounded surprisingly simple.
“But without an Istarus resident card, most of them won’t take you as a client.”
“How do I get a resident card?”
“After the Selection Trials, every student receives a temporary resident card. It comes with an allowance account and access to the evaluation system.”
“Wait.”
I blinked.
“So I’m actually going to get paid?”
“Exactly.”
Stasia nodded.
Then her green eyes suddenly lit up, and she gave my arm an excited tug.
“There!”
She pointed farther down the street.
“That’s where we need to go.”
She pulled me toward a two-story building built from deep burgundy brick.
The window frames.
The fence.
Even the smallest decorative details.
Everything was gold.
Near the entrance, I noticed a sign.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t understand a single word.
Everything was written in Urpis.
Maybe I should ask Airis if he could teach me at least the basics of the language.
Inside, the building looked more like a jewelry boutique than anything else.
Unlike the stores I was used to in Vuduarus, though, none of the jewelry was locked behind glass display cases.
“Welcome to Madame Croix’s shop,” a slender woman greeted us as we stepped inside.
The moment I looked at her face, I nearly froze, desperately trying not to let my shock show.
Her skin had a bluish-green tint.
Delicate traces of fish scales shimmered across her cheeks.
And instead of hair, long octopus-like tentacles cascaded over her shoulders.
“We’ve just received talismans from the newest collection,” the shop assistant continued, thankfully ignoring my reaction. “They’ve been especially selective about their owners lately.”
With smooth, graceful movements, she led us toward several display shelves and gestured toward them with a hand adorned by long, slightly curved nails.
As I stepped closer, dozens of pendants set with different gemstones came into view.
Every single one had its own unique design.
No two were alike.
“At the moment, we offer talismans connected to the magic of each of the eleven worlds,” the woman explained.
“And how exactly am I supposed to know which one belongs to my magic?” I asked.
“They’ll react on their own.”
She smiled.
“A talisman always chooses its owner.”
Stasia had already told me that.
Meanwhile, she was carefully studying every pendant.
I followed her example.
Each one was beautiful in its own way.
Yet none of them called to me.
Maybe because some part of me still refused to believe any of this.
“I think I should start with the green stones,” Stasia murmured as she moved toward a display filled with emerald-colored gems.
“My magic has a green aura.”
She examined one pendant after another without choosing a single one.
I let out a quiet sigh.
This was probably just another way their world encouraged people to become more spiritually aware.
Otherwise...
Why was everyone here so superstitious?
The shop assistant seemed to notice my skepticism and stepped closer.
“A talisman won’t choose you unless it comes into contact with you.”
“I just...” I hesitated, carefully choosing my next words so I wouldn’t offend her.
Or sound rude.
Then—
A strange sound reached my ears.
A soft splash.
As though someone had dropped a pebble into still water.
I turned toward Stasia and realized she had already wandered over to the display with amber-colored stones.
The sound came again.
Louder this time.
The moment Stasia noticed one particular pendant, she reached for it without hesitation.
The pendant held a yellow, teardrop-shaped gemstone embraced by a curved silver line that resembled a smile.
“That’s not a talisman for water mages, is it?” Stasia asked, looking up at the shop assistant.
Leaving my side, the woman walked over to her.
“That contains a Metis stone,” she explained. “It originates from Vuduarus magic, but it also shares an affinity with Tutuarus.”
The woman studied Stasia’s slightly confused expression with quiet curiosity.
Meanwhile, I mentally tried to remember which power belonged to the second world.
Then I remembered the end of Airis’s explanation.
Tutuarus.
The World of the Voice of Knowledge.
Did that mean Stasia’s abilities belonged to two worlds at once?
“I didn’t even know hybrid talismans existed,” Stasia admitted, ignoring the questioning look I gave her.
“We only began creating them two years ago,” the woman explained, “when more mages connected to multiple elements started appearing.”
“So it’s actually normal to possess two different kinds of magic?” I asked immediately.
“Perfectly normal,” the woman replied.
“As long as the abilities are compatible with one another.”
Her attention shifted back to Stasia.
“What form would you like your talisman to take?”
“A necklace.”
The woman flicked her wrist.
A delicate silver chain instantly appeared, fastening itself to the pendant in Stasia’s hands.
“It’s beautiful,” Stasia said with a smile as she clasped it around her neck.
The woman turned back to me and nodded toward the display.
Suppressing a quiet sigh, I returned to studying the pendants.
Silence settled around us.
Heavy with expectation.
At least for everyone except me.
I still wasn't convinced these talismans were real.
But if Stasia truly had been chosen by a hybrid talisman...
“Has there ever been a case where a talisman chose a mage whose magic wasn't connected to it?” I asked after noticing one of the stones glimmer faintly.
I frowned at it.
Maybe I'd imagined it.
“Impossible,” the woman answered without hesitation.
“Power always finds its origin.”
“And always returns to it.”
I tore my gaze away from the pendant and was about to move on when a quiet crack echoed through the room.
Everything seemed to freeze.
A pendant set with a deep burgundy gemstone, framed by a golden horseshoe-shaped setting, shifted ever so slightly.
“You’re a fire mage, correct?” the woman asked with a smile before nodding toward it.
“It chose you.”
“Pick it up.”
Still convinced this was all part of an elaborate marketing trick, I reached toward it.
But before my fingers could touch the pendant—
Something struck my palm.
I gasped.
Another pendant had flown straight into my hand.
A glossy black gemstone wrapped in a silver serpent rested motionless against my skin.
As though it hadn't willingly leapt into my hand only seconds earlier.
When I looked back at the shop assistant, she had gone completely still.
Shock had erased every trace of composure from her face.
“What kind of magic is this talisman connected to?” I asked immediately.
I glanced toward Stasia.
The warmth had vanished from her green eyes.
“Death.”