The royal palace of Aerion was never truly dark.
Even at midnight, light bled from its marble halls gold and violet hues that shimmered across fountains, banners, and the countless guards who never slept.
But in one room, the youngest prince could not rest.
Raelion Voss stared at his reflection, flexing a hand that felt… alive. His muscles moved smoother, stronger, as if every thread of fatigue had been erased. The echo of the Muscle Harmonizer potion still sang faintly in his body. Hours had passed, yet its effects hadn't faded.
He clenched his fist. This shouldn't be possible.
That shop that impossible place in the old quarter defied everything he knew about power.
"Still awake, little brother?"
Raelion turned. His sister, Princess Selene Voss, leaned casually against the doorframe, dressed in a midnight-blue robe embroidered with tiny phoenix feathers. Her expression was soft but sharp.
"You look like someone who found a god and lost an argument," she teased.
"I might have," he muttered. "Selene, listen. You won't believe this."
"Oh, this should be good," she said, walking in. "Let me guess you found another one of those 'mystic snake-oil' alchemists again?"
Raelion exhaled slowly. "No. This one was real."
Selene laughed — a light, elegant sound. "You said that about the flying potion last year. You remember what happened to the garden?"
"I'm serious this time." His eyes glinted. "There's a place in the merchant district. It calls itself The Shop of Creations. It wasn't there before — I'm sure of it."
"Shops appear all the time," she said.
"Not like this." Raelion's tone sharpened. "They sell anything. Anything you can imagine as long as you can pay the price."
Selene tilted her head, now interested. "Anything?"
"I tested them. Bought a tonic they called it a Muscle Harmonizer. It works. I've never felt this balanced before. And when I asked for more…" He hesitated, searching her eyes. "They said they could enhance my awakening."
The teasing in Selene's smile vanished. "That's not possible."
"So I thought. But they quoted a price like it was an ordinary service. Twelve hundred gold to make my strength amplification rise from twofold to two-and-a-half."
Selene blinked, processing the words. "Raelion, even our royal researchers can't touch awakening cores. Do you realize what you're saying?"
He nodded. "I saw their confidence. They weren't bluffing. The woman Chrysalis Hendrix, from the fallen Hendrix family was assisting there."
Selene's eyes widened. "That Chrysalis? The prodigy who lost her dual powers?"
"The same," Raelion said grimly. "She serves there now. Which means that shop isn't ordinary."
A silence stretched between them. Then, a new voice broke it.
"Indeed, it seems… far from ordinary," said King Vaelor Voss, stepping into the chamber.
Both siblings froze, bowing.
"Father," Raelion said quickly, "I"
The king raised a hand. "Relax, my son. You did not hide this from me. The palace has ears, and this one is worth listening to."
He motioned for them to continue. Raelion recounted everything the strange shop, the confident shopkeeper, the oppressive aura that neutralized his own strength, the promise of the impossible.
When he finished, the king leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled beneath his chin.
"A place that claims to defy the limits of awakening…" Vaelor murmured. "If true, it is both a blessing and a threat."
Selene frowned. "Should we investigate it? Seize it?"
Raelion shook his head. "You can't. The place has rules and power. When I tried to test my aura, it crushed it instantly. The shop itself silenced me."
Vaelor's brows drew together. "It silenced a prince of Aerion?"
"Yes," Raelion said quietly. "It was like standing before a god."
For the first time in years, Vaelor's calm mask cracked — not from fear, but intrigue. "Interesting. Very interesting."
He turned to his advisors, who stood quietly near the walls. "Spread word among the court. Casually. Let the rumor breathe."
"Your Majesty?" one advisor asked.
Vaelor's eyes gleamed. "We will not move against it not yet. If this place truly grants miracles, the nobles' greed will reveal its truth faster than any soldier. Let them go and see for themselves."
Selene sighed softly. "So the royal family starts a rumor now?"
The king smiled faintly. "Rumors are more efficient than decrees."
The Rumor Spreads
By dawn, servants were whispering in the corridors. By noon, knights spoke of it in the barracks. By dusk, the markets buzzed with the same question:
> "Have you heard of the Shop of Creations?"
Some said it appeared only to those who sought change. Others swore it glowed with golden light at night.
Merchants scoffed — until one of them, bold and rich, claimed to have seen it. He'd walked past an alley he'd never noticed before, where a sign of gold letters shimmered under sunlight.
And by the next morning, crowds began to gather.
Inside the shop, Ethan sipped tea, unaware of how famous he had become overnight at least until Chrysalis opened the door and froze.
"Uh, Ethan?"
He looked up lazily. "What?"
She pointed outside. "You might want to see this."
Ethan stepped beside her — and blinked.
A line. A literal line of people stretched down the street: adventurers with armor dented from quests, merchants clutching coin pouches, even a few robed scholars whispering excitedly.
He blinked again. "We're… open, right?"
Chrysalis smirked. "Apparently, the world thinks so."
The cube above the counter flickered to life.
[Reputation Milestone Achieved]
[Status: Recognized Establishment]
[Effect: Customer Flow +300%]
[Note: Host should not panic.]
"I am panicking," Ethan muttered. "How are we supposed to handle this many people?"
Chrysalis tied her hair back with calm efficiency. "Like any business, one customer at a time."
The bell chimed, and the first new customer stepped in a burly adventurer smelling faintly of steel and sweat.
"Uh, this the place that sells… everything?" he asked.
Chrysalis smiled mysteriously. "If you can pay the price."
Ethan whispered to the cube, "You really had to make us famous overnight?"
[Clarification: Customer satisfaction amplifies dimensional marketing.]
He groaned. "We're doing cosmic advertising now. Wonderful."
The day became a blur.
An alchemist came searching for a missing formula and left with a crystal that taught him a lost art of purification.
A noblewoman arrived asking for a charm to heal her ailing son she paid with three heirloom jewels and left weeping with gratitude.
A mercenary wanted a weapon that could never break; Ethan crafted one quietly in the Workshop while Chrysalis distracted him with talk of "processing fees."
Every transaction carried that same quiet awe disbelief, then reverence.
By nightfall, the street outside the shop still glowed with torchlight from those waiting their turn.
Meanwhile, in the royal palace, reports arrived from nobles and guilds. Some praised miracles; others raged about prices. One merchant swore the shopkeeper crafted items before his eyes. Another claimed the building itself breathed.
King Vaelor read them all silently, a smile playing at the edge of his lips.
"So, the world confirms your story," he said to Raelion, who stood beside him.
"Yes," Raelion said stiffly. "The shop exists — and it's thriving."
Selene, seated nearby, tilted her head. "Are you satisfied, Father?"
"Quite," Vaelor said. "For now, we watch. If this Ethan truly wields divine creation, then time will tell whether he is saint or serpent."
He looked out the window toward the glowing lights of the city. "And either way, Aerion will remember his name."
Back in the shop, Ethan leaned wearily against the counter as Chrysalis tallied gold coins into neat stacks.
"I think my soul's tired," he said.
"You said you wanted customers."
"I wanted a customer, not a parade."
She smiled faintly. "Be careful what you wish for, boss."
The cube chimed softly.
[Daily Revenue: 3 240 Gold]
[Creation Points Earned: 324]
[Reputation Level: Notable Merchant]
[Customer Satisfaction: 96%]
Ethan blinked. "We're actually making progress."
Chrysalis looked up. "What?"
"Nothing," he said quickly. "Just… cosmic accounting."
She rolled her eyes. "Go rest. I'll close up."
He nodded, smiling tiredly. As he turned, the cube flared brighter than before.
[Main Mission: Expansion Path Unlocked]
[Objective: Serve 50 Customers]
[Progress: 12/50]
[Reward: Shop Level 2 Upgrade – Access to New Functions and Dimensional Catalogs]
Ethan whistled softly. "Twelve customers done , huh? That's a great improvement ."
[Affirmative. Host's journey toward creation mastery begins.]
"Yeah, yeah," he muttered. "At least the reward sounds good."
Chrysalis called from across the room, "Talking to yourself again?"
"Just setting goals," he replied. "Fifty of them."
She raised an eyebrow. "Then we better rest well. Tomorrow, the line will be longer."
Ethan chuckled. "Chaos with profit," he said under his breath.
And somewhere deep within the shop, the runes pulsed in quiet agreement as if the building itself looked forward to its evolution.