Year 8 – Autumn, Lunaris Academy
The red moons hung low over Lunaris, bleeding faint light through the glass domes of the Market of Petals. Below them, Ketsuraku sat in meditation—half his body glowing with Blood Qi, half shrouded in Void.
His astral form stood beside him in another world entirely.In the reflection realm of the River of Blood, hundreds of cauldrons hovered in the air, connected by crimson threads like veins. Each pulsed with life, refining potions one heartbeat at a time.
He stirred two worlds at once.With his physical hands, he wrote the last pages of his trade application.With his astral ones, he lifted vials from boiling crimson light.
When the process completed, he made a small gesture—his two selves aligning for an instant. The potions from the astral world shimmered, pixelating into red code and reappearing beside his body on the desk.
The System flickered faintly before his eyes.
[System Update]New Ability Unlocked – Cross-World TransferYou can materialize alchemical items from your astral domain into the physical realm.
He smiled faintly. "Alchemy with delivery included."
The Bureau of Commerce
By dawn, Rosa stood waiting for him outside a floating spire of marble and gold: the Bureau of Commerce.Its surface reflected the twin moons, inscriptions of a thousand trading pacts glowing faintly like constellations.
Rosa waved a stack of forms.
"Don't say I didn't warn you. Getting a permit here is harder than brewing a god's blood.""Then it's a good thing I have both hands free," he replied, lifting a vial that shimmered with living code.
Inside, the hall roared with merchants, scholars, and nobles showing off wares. Each stall gleamed with floating banners—contracts written in light, deals sealed with symbols.
Ketsuraku and Rosa stepped forward, placing a box of crimson vials before the judges.
"Applicant: Ketsuraku Van Helsing, House Sanguis. Product: Blood-Void Recovery Vial," a clerk read aloud.
The panel watched, unimpressed. The central mirror glowed, scanning the potion's aura.For a moment, it flickered—then burst into symbols of crimson and silver, swirling in approval.
"Purity: 94%. Stability: 87%. Anomalous code trace—acceptable."
The voice of the mirror deepened, turning almost sentient.
"Tell us, applicant. What is profit to you?"
Ketsuraku looked into the reflection and saw his astral self standing behind him. Both answered together.
"A reflection of effort. And a seed for creation."
The mirror cracked, glowing from within like a molten gem.A new sigil burned itself into his license form—the mark of Blood and Void entwined.
[Quest Complete – Trade Permit Tier I Acquired]Access to the Inner Market granted.Reward – Guild Slot × 1 | Astral Trade Link Activated.
The Rival in White and Crimson
As he and Rosa turned to leave, a hush fell across the hall.Descending the stairs came a girl with white hair, each strand tinted faintly pink under the moonlight.Her eyes—one blue, one red—carried the weight of someone born to command.The crest of the Finance House shimmered on her chest.
"Impressive," she said. "You've turned imagination into inventory."
Rosa crossed her arms. "And who are you supposed to be, our auditor?"
The girl tilted her head slightly.
"Luminous Akari Noctelle. 4th-year Finance Division. You're selling astral goods without a trade guardian—dangerous."
Ketsuraku met her gaze.
"Dreams are just markets that haven't opened yet."
For a heartbeat, the corners of her lips curved.
"Perhaps I'll invest when yours does."
She walked away, her silver heels echoing like a metronome of fate. Rosa exhaled sharply.
"I already don't like her.""That's because she didn't try to charm you," Ketsuraku murmured.
Rosa glared—but smiled all the same.
The Night Bazaar
Later that evening, they set up their new stall beneath floating crimson lanterns.Above the counter hovered a glowing seal—the official mark of Lunaris commerce.Ketsuraku's astral projection worked silently from the reflection world, delivering each freshly brewed potion through small crimson gates that blinked open beside the counter.
Customers gasped as bottles appeared from nothing.Rosa laughed softly, taking payments with a silver scale enchanted to measure truth.
"You're using yourself as free labor," she teased. "Do you pay your soul overtime?""Only in dreams," he replied.
Sales boomed. Nobles, adventurers, and scholars lined up to buy. From the balcony above, Luminous watched quietly, a holographic data screen reflecting in her eyes, calculating every move.
The System flickered again.
[Skill Progression]
Alchemy level 1 – 42% Mastery
Silver Tongue level 1 – 19% Mastery
[New Feature Unlocked]Guild Formation (Prototype)Eligible Name: The River Syndicate – Pending Approval Tier II.
As the last lantern dimmed, Rosa leaned on the counter beside him.
"Not bad for two people who barely know each other.""Maybe we knew each other before," he said quietly.
Rosa blinked at him, puzzled.
"What's that supposed to mean?""Just a thought."
He looked toward the twin moons, one red, one white, hanging side by side in the sky—just like two pairs of eyes he couldn't forget.Somewhere deep within the River of Blood, the current pulsed once, as if amused by destiny's slow game.