Karmen's expression sobered instantly. "That man was originally sent by a rival noble house in Vex, seeking my downfall. But that noble house has deep ties to an underground association that deals in illicit deals and, more importantly, researches Fate Theory and the rifts. It is an organization of assassins, but they go much further than what they seem on the surface." He leaned forward, his voice dropping. "The man in black. He is not after me anymore. Not truly. The trial is over. My personal thread to that withering is cut. He is after the anomaly that cleared the rift. He is after you, Lucid. He said the name. The Chapeau. They are a very real, and very dangerous, organization. They collect anomalies, unique Fate phenomena, and those who cause them. They will not stop."
"Your thread to the withering is cut? What did he want with it though?" Lucid asked, trying to grasp the concepts.
"It is complicated. They are not just assassins. They research fate theory and rifts. They go inside rifts and exploit Mother Fate's threads, to erase someone's existence from the world entirely, or to weaken them, ultimately making them attract the Withering."
"The Withering," Lucid repeated, the term now heavy with new meaning.
"It is that corrosive Fate Essence Ivy had placed upon my family, a legacy from my late grandfather's failed ties with Materna." Karmen explained. "Though I was supposedly fated to live, the attack created a contradiction in the threads of fate. It half erased my being, making me sick, prone to non-existence, and yet I still existed. A living paradox. That is what made me a target for their research, and what made that rift form around my memories."
Lucid started to piece it together. Because of that rift he had cleared in the town square, he now had the eyes of a shadowy organization on his back.
"Talk about unlucky," Lucid muttered under his breath.
"But do not worry. Their direct influence is not that strong within the borders of the Kingdom of Vex itself. They operate more freely in the lawless edges and other realms."
"Why do they belong to Materna?" Lucid asked, assuming a connection.
"No, they are from another kingdom entirely. Though it is on the far end of the Scattered Realms. You would need to travel a great distance to get there. It is called Ater. For political reasons, they are technically considered an empire but also call themselves a kingdom due to their recent invasions into other realms' lands."
"So I am safe here?" Lucid said, a hint of desperate hope in his voice.
"Well, not quite," Karmen chuckled, but the humor did not reach his eyes.
A knock resonated through the study door.
Both of them jumped slightly in their seats, the tension of the conversation making them skittish.
Alice, noticing their reaction, laughed softly within Lucid's mind. "Oh my, Lucid. Have you not gotten over your nerves?" she teased.
"Shut up!" he yelled back internally.
"Come in," Karmen called out, the phrase one he had uttered countless times in another life.
The door opened. An orange-haired girl, wearing a crisp and clean maid's outfit, entered carrying a silver tray with a tea service. Her movements were quiet and precise.
"Jane!" Lucid exclaimed, the name leaping from his lips before he could stop it.
The girl startled, nearly dropping the tray, her eyes wide as she looked at the unfamiliar young man who knew her name.
"Do not scare her, Lucid. She does not know who you are." Karmen said gently, then added with a faint smile.
"I mean, look at her. She really does look like a mouse when she is scared." Lucid nodded in confirmation.
As Jane carefully put down the tray on a side table, she hurriedly stepped behind Karmen's chair, peeking out cautiously at Lucid.
"My, Lucid, she really does," Alice confirmed inside his head, amused.
But looking at her now, alive and well, Lucid could not help but feel a deep sense of relief. Amidst all the loss, she was perhaps the only person from that cycle he had managed to save in the end. Maybe she was supposed to be alive in every version, but seeing her lose her life before his eyes had filled him with a guilt he had carried like a stone.
"It was not your fault," Alice chimed in, sensing his turmoil.
"Yeah. That is what I like to tell myself as well," he thought back. "But I am glad she is here."
"Jane, please prepare the guest room. It is quite late," Karmen instructed. "Do not worry. This guest of mine should be on his best behavior this time."
"No way, Master," Jane said, finding her voice. It was softer than Lucid remembered. "I heard from my superior, the butler Gerald, that he ordered twenty sheets in one evening, thrashing around the room and making weird noises. Young Master, this person is indecent. Gerald said those same words."
'That damned butler!' Lucid yelled in his mind.
Alice chuckled again.
Lucid stood up, straightening himself and stretching his arms. The familiar aches were mostly gone, thanks to Alice's ministrations.
"I appreciate the kindness, but I have somewhere I need to visit," Lucid said.
Karmen looked at him questioningly, then his expression cleared with understanding. "Are you planning on seeing that young woman at the tavern? Rebecca? I paid for the renovations after you left. I believe she should be alright."
Lucid nodded and started towards the door.
"Wait, Lucid. You are not planning on going out like that, are you?" Karmen stood up from his chair.
Lucid paused with his hand on the doorframe and looked back.
"You look like an escaped convict," Jane stated bluntly from behind Karmen's chair.
'That woman. She was so compliant before. Perhaps she only acts like that around Karmen. What a pick me!' Lucid grumbled internally.
Alice, sensing his petty thought, chuckled gently once more. She was enjoying this mundane moment.
"What do you mean?" Lucid asked, looking down at his own clothes. He was still wearing the ragged clothes and trousers Rebecca had offered him he had entered the rift in, now torn and bloodied in places.
"As a thank you, why do I not have you tailored in one of my finest outfits? Gerald and Jane can help you," Karmen offered.
The next moments blurred into a whirlwind of activity. The stern-faced butler, Gerald, appeared with a measuring tape, his expression one of long suffering. He took Lucid's measurements with brisk, efficient tugs. Jane, with a hint of reluctant duty, assisted, her gentle touches on his shoulders and arms to position him making Lucid stiffen. Both of them clearly disliked the task, while Karmen sat watching the spectacle, a faint smile on his lips.
The first outfit was a well-fitted suit of deep black from head to toe, complete with a cravat.
"Too formal," Alice declared internally.
Lucid came out of the fitting room a second time, clad in a bulky set of polished ceremonial armor. He looked like a knight from a storybook.
"He is not going to war," Alice sighed.
The third time he emerged, he was wearing a set of striped silk pajamas.
'Is that even a thing in this world?!' Lucid yelled internally, staring down at himself in horror.
Karmen looked at him, bringing a hand up to his face to hide his expression. Behind him, Gerald maintained a stoic silence, but Jane failed to suppress a giggle. They were clearly having fun at his expense.
"Awww, so cute," Alice cooed from within.
"SHUT UP!" he practically screamed inside his head.
By the final fitting, Karmen was half asleep in his chair, expecting no less disaster.
Lucid stepped out.
He wore a simple, long-sleeved white button-down shirt of fine, soft cotton, tucked into a pair of well-tailored black trousers. His boots had been cleaned and polished to a subtle shine. The clothes were understated but of obvious quality, making him look like a young scholar or a minor noble from a reputable family. The only oddity was the faint, mist-like obscurity that still clung to his facial features, a lingering effect of his otherworldly origin.
He stepped out, reaching to tug at his sleeve nervously.
Inside his head, a warm wave of approval resonated.
"I confirm," Alice said simply.
"Hmm. You are going to be traveling a lot, I presume. Are you sure you do not want a sturdier travel tunic instead?" Karmen asked, getting to his feet.
"No. She approves. I will take this," Lucid said, a finality in his tone.
"Who is 'she'?" Karmen asked, one eyebrow raised. Jane and Gerald looked equally puzzled.
Lucid did not answer. He was already reaching for the door, ready to head out. As he did, Karmen stepped forward and caught his hand. He pressed a small, cool object into Lucid's palm. It was a necklace with a simple, silvery pendant shaped like a tiny, intricate gear.
"Lyle created this. It is a communication pendant. It will signal me if anything goes seriously wrong. It is also a token that allows you free access to the upper estates and my offices in the city." Karmen looked at Lucid, and for a moment, Lucid saw the Governor's son, responsible and measured. Lucid hated that look. It felt too much like a burden being passed on.
"Do not worry. If I run into him, I will signal," Lucid said, closing his fingers around the pendant.
Karmen nodded, standing in the doorway of the study. "And come visit me in about two or three days. I have much more to tell you. I am afraid my head is not in the right space just now, but I am willing to explain everything when I am in a better condition. I want to avoid giving you false information."
Lucid nodded, offering a brief, awkward wave before stepping out into the hallway and starting down the grand staircase, leaving the quiet study, the watchful maid, the stern butler, and the weary noble heir behind.