Ikurus adjusted his pack and nodded.
"Let's head to the market, grandpa said the dignitary wants to try the nectar when we get back, but It'd taste better if we prepared it now and let it sit until tomorrow."
And together, the two stepped out toward the busy streets, the start of a very important day ahead.
Ikurus walked the busy streets of Veythros with Igris at his side. The morning sun lit the stone roads in warm gold, and the air was filled with the mixed scents of steam, spices, and fresh bread. Merchants shouted their deals over the noise of the crowd while children darted between adults in playful chaos. It was a city that always felt alive to him.
He slowed as he reached a familiar storefront. The cheerful pink sign of Mama Jelly hung above the door, and through the window he spotted a tray of freshly glazed Kolugi being brought out from the kitchen. They looked exactly like the donuts he remembered from Earth, soft and warm with the smell of sweet spice drifting into the street.
Without hesitation he stepped inside, purchased six boxes, and slipped all of them into his dimensional ring. The baker laughed as she handed them over.
"Back again already, little master? Your sweet tooth will be the end of me."
Ikurus grinned. "You say that, but you keep making them."
With his pastries secured, he made his way toward Danos Herb Store for the real reason he came out today. He needed ingredients for kings nectar. As he walked, he remembered the first time he brewed it at age ten.
Rokash had been so delighted with the taste that he finished an entire jug on his own. The drink was so potent that even cleansing fire could not sober him up.
It was a spell that burned impurities. Rokash used it to clean his clothes and cure hangovers. It worked for everything. Until Ikurus created kings nectar. After two weeks of drunken wandering and multiple attempts by the healers to bring him back to normal, Arria had severely limited her husband's drinking privileges. To this day, Rokash still pretended she had not.
Igris stepped into Danos Herb Store first, flashing the seal of House Veythros. At once, the owner Tyrion emerged from the back room. He was a wide shouldered man with bright eyes and a beard that smelled faintly of lavender.
"What brings you here so early, little lord? And did you bring that thing I asked for?"
Ikurus reached into his ring and produced a small bottle of kings nectar. Tyrion's eyes gleamed. He held the bottle up to the sunlight. The golden liquid glowed beautifully, shimmering with thickness and richness.
"This is incredible quality. Are you truly sure you do not want to sell the recipe?"
Ikurus laughed lightly. "Sorry, master Tyrion. I have plans for it of my own. That bottle is just for you to taste. But I do have another recipe for you."
He handed over a neatly folded parchment.
"I need a plant called Coffa. Grind the nuts into powder and follow the instructions there. I think you will enjoy the result."
Tyrion bowed deeply. "My store is yours. Whatever you need, name it."
Ikurus returned the gesture and stepped inside with Igris. For nearly thirty minutes they browsed shelves, gathering herbs, roots, spices, and materials. When they left, they carried several bags full of supplies.
But the moment Ikurus stepped outside, he froze.
A scent hit him like a hammer. Not a normal scent, not something any human nose could detect. This was energy. The raw, untamed scent of Ventris.
It slammed into him so suddenly that his skin prickled and his heartbeat spiked. His vision sharpened, and for a moment his bones ached with the urge to shift into his beast form.
He clenched his jaw and forced it down.
Something from Ventris was here.
And it was close.
Ikurus glanced at Igris. The old butler had stopped mid step. His sharp eyes narrowed at the change in the boy's expression.
"Is something the matter, my lord?"
Ikurus kept his voice steady.
"No, Igris. I just remembered something I need to check on. You can head back to the estate. Start the brew as soon as you return. I will check the batch and bottle it before I leave this evening. I have some business to handle in the market."
"Very well, my lord." Igris bowed. "We have around four hours before we must depart. Please do not wander too long. You know how Madame Celine feels about tardiness."
Ikurus smirked. "Don't worry, you know I'm the fastest in the house."
In a flash of red light, Igris vanished. His voice echoed faintly in the air. "Be careful, my lord. There are reports of Black Fang bandits operating nearby."
Ikurus exhaled. "Seems like I still can't hide anything from the old man. Alright then. Let us see where this scent leads."
He followed the trail with sharpened senses. The energy signature ran like a thin stream of smoke through the busy streets. As he walked, his thoughts drifted to old concerns.
There was a time he suspected Celine and Demetrius of being connected to Ventris. Later he discovered their link came from the Church of the Mother of Light. The church had risen right after Ventris vanished from the world. Azrael once told him that Ventris might have been involved in the disappearance of a patron god, and the deeper Ikurus dug, the more plausible it became.
The church itself was unusually enthusiastic about their matron deity, but posed no clear threat. Ikurus decided not to make a move unless they targeted him or those he cared about or unless he received orders directly from Azrael, who still had yet to contact him.
Celine was born under the church's divine order, which explained her intense prya signature similar to Ventris. But she had never harmed him and genuinely cared for him. He trusted her.
Still, Ventris' energy was nothing to ignore.
The trail pulled him toward a narrow alley behind a local pub. Empty crates were stacked against the wall, and the smell of stale ale hung in the air. The scent became overpowering here. He searched for a face to match it to, but nothing showed itself. He stepped deeper into the alley, his eyes sharp.
A voice slid out of the shadows behind him.
"You lost, Veyt boy?"
Ikurus turned.
A massive man stood at the mouth of the alley. Jet black hair. Hard green eyes. A body like a wall of stone. His height easily doubled Ikurus. A long pike rested against his back, and on his chest glowed the sigil of the Church of Light.
The same scent of Ventris poured from him like smoke from a burning forest.
With a snap of his fingers, more men stepped into view. They appeared from behind crates, from side doors, from rooftops above. Each one looked rougher and meaner than the last, iron weapons in hand and cruel smiles on their faces.
Ikurus blinked once, unmoving.
The alley had become a cage.
And he was surrounded.
Ikurus raised his eyes to the man in front of him.
"Why are men of the church surrounding me? If you know I am a Veythros, then you should also know that my house is one of your biggest supporters."
The man laughed softly. It was the kind of laugh that carried no humor at all.
"Yes, but the fact that you can even see me right now means you are dangerous. Our men use a cloaking spell that only those with extremely high power can detect. We are apostles, boy. You might be a child, but the fact that you can look straight at me while radiating no magic makes you a potential threat."
He leaned forward slightly. "Besides, a little noble like you will fetch a good sack of coin if we sell you, your organs could go for thousands."
Ikurus tilted his head. "Do you not think my family will miss me if I'm gone?"
"Maybe they will," the man replied with a careless shrug. "But noble children getting lost or kidnapped is a regular occurrence these days. Nothing unusual at all. And nobody would suspect members of the church."
He tapped the side of his neck.
A tattoo coiled there. A red viper with black fangs. The unmistakable mark of the Black Fang bandits.
Ikurus narrowed his eyes. "You know, most criminals do not tell their victims so much. You must be pretty confident."
"Oh, very," the man said with a grin. "I have been doing this a long time. Even blue core mages and warriors fall easily. You will be no different."
Ikurus slowly removed his cloak and dropped it to the ground. His eyes flicked around the alley, analyzing everything in a single breath.
Six men.
All exits blocked.
A faint distortion in the air. Mana channels disrupted by something. Likely anti magic bracelets. Enough to cripple any normal mage.
But not him. His energy didn't rely on the surrounding mana at all.
He rolled his neck and smiled. It was a dark, eager smile.
"Well then," Ikurus said as he clenched his fists. "Let's get started. I've been dying to hit someone at full force. I just hope you've made peace with your goddess."