Arthur's expression shifted, the lightness fading from his eyes, replaced by something darker, something that carried the weight of everything he had witnessed, he explained that the ships were closing in, that Vestiges were everywhere, that the crewmates were dying around him, he let out a hollow laugh, a bitter sound that carried no joy.
"Not that it matters though, they are all illusions anyway, none of it was real," he said, his voice carrying a note of self-deprecation, "I fought with everything I had, but they were not like anything I had seen before, these were experienced warriors from a distant place, like Shenzhou, I could handle the Awakened and the Latent, those were manageable, but then there was an Enlightened."
Lucid listened, his attention fixed on Arthur's words, his mind racing as he tried to piece together what had happened, Alice's presence coiled inside him, and he could feel some of his suspicious thoughts loosen, making it easier for her to read them, but he had learned to keep them hidden, after a while of having someone look at the worst of your thoughts, you learned to shield them, to build walls that even a Primordial could not easily breach.
Arthur continued, his voice carrying a note of grim determination, "I used sword techniques, everything I had, and the last one, Tempest Reckoning, I moved with precision, but it was not enough, his name was Ling Wei, one of the Dao Mandate, he held a long spear, he was proficient in martial arts, he summoned a vestige that incarnated a dragon, and then the girl threw me a relic, something to aid me in combat, a Vestiege of the Chronicled class but even that was useless."
Lucid studied Arthur's face, the exhaustion etched into his features, the shadows under his eyes, the way his hands trembled slightly as he spoke.
Arthur had a somber look as he continued, "I do not know if I planned to die or not, but all I knew was that I needed to prove something to someone, and I charged recklessly, headfirst into the dragon, it shattered my cloned Vestige, and the Enlightened drove a spear into my stomach, it hurt, it hurt more than anything I had ever felt, and then I managed to channel the last of my fate essence into my fingers and blind him, and thanks to the chains you gave me earlier, I wrapped them around his throat and threw myself beneath the ocean."
He paused, his voice carrying a note of confusion, "It worked for a brief instant, he was still conscious, but then something came, it separated me from him, kicking him away from me and carrying me above the water, I suspected that it was you, but since you said you do not remember anything, then who was it."
Lucid came to a grim realization, his mind racing as he tried to process what Arthur had just told him, Alice's voice echoed in his mind, carrying a note of urgency.
"Do not listen to him, Lucid, maybe his mind was playing tricks on him, I am sure it was you who dealt with that Enlightened."
Lucid remained quiet, his thoughts churning, he could feel Alice's presence pressing against his consciousness, trying to push through his walls, trying to find the truth that he was hiding, but he held firm, his expression betraying nothing.
"Whoever it was," Lucid said slowly, "it does not matter now, what matters is that you are alive, and that we are both standing here, and that we have a chance to figure out what is going on."
Arthur nodded, his expression carrying a note of gratitude, but there was something else in his eyes, something that Lucid could not quite read, he looked away, his gaze drifting to the festival, the crowds, the chaos, and he knew that whatever was happening in Port Vexis was far from over.
Alice's voice echoed again, softer this time, almost gentle, "Lucid, you can trust me, I would never do anything to harm you."
She continued.
"Perhaps there is something you were not meant to remember," Alice said, her voice carrying a note of something that might have been guilt, might have been concern.
Lucid shook his head, pushing the thought aside, he would not let her get inside his head, not now, not when he was so close to finding answers.
A girl approached them, her face flushed with excitement, her hands clasped together in front of her, she wore a baker's apron, dusted with flour, and her eyes sparkled with a joy that seemed almost infectious.
"Hello, hello," she said, her voice bright and cheerful, "you must be visitors, my name is Petra, I am a local baker at the lower districts of Port Vexis. I have not seen you around before, welcome to Port Vexis, welcome to the festival."
Lucid looked at her, his eyes narrowing with suspicion, "Festival, what festival?"
She beamed, "Why, the festival of course, the one celebrating the revival of our town, you see the magistrate Celeste managed the economy, and now we have our biggest sale yet, everyone is talking about it. Like how suddenly foreign deals and aid came in due to the kingdom of vex which have had a history of not particularly having the best interest in this town."
'Elara...' Lucid thought.
Lucid and Arthur exchanged a glance, the same thought passing between them, this was not normal.
She looked in to the distance for a bit searching for something distant in her memories.
"There is also someone, a business women who has reversed the whole economy around as well... she did a heck of a better job than that scummy generous scoundrel."
Arthur spoke, his voice inquiring and careful, "and who was this person, do you know their name."
The girl shook her head, her expression carrying a note of confusion that seemed genuine, "No one seems to know, they just appeared one day and suddenly everything got better, it is like a miracle, like someone answered our prayers."
She skipped away, disappearing into the crowd, leaving Lucid and Arthur standing in the middle of the bustling festival, surrounded by the sounds of laughter and music and the chaotic energy of commerce.
The magistrate took the stage.
Celeste stood at the podium, her pristine blue robes hanging loosely on her frame, her hair ragged and unkempt, her eyes dead and distant, she looked like a shell of the woman she had once been, her composure shattered, her authority diminished, she spoke in a monotone, her voice carrying the cadence of someone reading from a script they did not believe in, her words were ceremonial, hollow, devoid of any real meaning.
Lucid looked around the town, the buildings that had been shuttered were now open, the streets that had been empty were now crowded, the economy that had been dead was now thriving, but the people, the people did not seem right, their movements were too coordinated, their smiles too wide, their laughter too loud, it was as if they were all performing, all playing a role in a play that had been written by someone else.
Then he saw her.
At the edge of his vision, beside a tree near where the magistrate gave her speech, stood a figure, a cap pulled low over her face, a satchel slung over her shoulder, brown hair peeking out from beneath the brim, freckles dusted across her cheeks, it was unmistakable, it was her, the merchant girl who had scammed him, the one who had led him into the alley, the one who had been at the center of forsaken rift he had initially jumped through.
He took a step forward, his body moving before his mind could catch up, his intention clear, he needed answers, he needed to confront her, he needed to know what she knew.
Arthur pulled him back, his hand gripping Lucid's arm with surprising strength. "Wait," he said, his voice carrying a note of urgency, "look."
He pointed toward the center of the festival, and Lucid followed his gaze, his eyes widening as he saw what Arthur was indicating, a huge fish, a pearly fish, its scales shimmering in the afternoon light, and beside it, pushing it forward with obvious effort, was a figure with golden hair, a familiar cap pulled low over his eyes, a smug grin spreading across his face.
Valen.
"Impossible," Lucid whispered, his voice barely audible over the sounds of the festival.
Valen was supposed to be somewhere else, he was supposed to be planning their next move, he was supposed to be scheming and plotting and doing whatever it was that Valen did when he was not around, and yet there he was, in the middle of the festival, pushing a pearly fish that looked exactly like the one they had caught.
"What is he doing here," Arthur asked, his voice carrying a note of confusion.
Lucid shook his head, his mind racing, "I do not know, but I intend to find out."
He started walking toward Valen, his steps purposeful, his eyes fixed on the golden haired figure, the crowd parted around him, the sounds of the festival fading into the background as he focused on his target, he needed answers, and he was going to get them, one way or another.