Revenge pact

SPLASH

Emerging from the depths of a cold and dark lake, Adonis and Naomi surfaced, and with a sharp gasp, sucked in as much air as their lungs could hold.

"A-adonis, where are we?" Treading water to Adonis's left, Naomi shivered, the cold clearly affecting her.

No longer adorned in her bridal attire, the young lady now wore a long black cloak that concealed her body, without anything beneath it, and sported a black hawk mask, all in stark contrast to her previous appearance.

"The black market." Similarly, the boy had undergone a change of attire.

Replacing the bloodied chiton and toga, he now donned a black tunic, matching pants, and a black cloak. Completing the ensemble was the same hawk mask, uniting their appearances.

"Follow me!" Adonis accelerated and began swimming towards the distant light from the market's plaza.

***

While the guards within the city continued their search for the pair, Adonis found himself immersed in a black market, indulging in yet another shopping spree.

This time the child bought:

25 Healing potions (Low Grade) ; 3 Healing potions (Mid Grade); 10 Strength enhancing potions (Low Grade); 21 Mana replenishing potions ( Low Grade); 25 Stamina potions (Low Grade); 15 Flame ball magic scrolls (Novice Level); Mid-sized storage ring; permanent hair dye (silver); Iris changer (violet); Roman Gladius (Mid Grade); Spatha (Low Grade); Roman spear (Mid Grade); Katana (Mid Grade) (not purchased from Old Man Masamune); 10 Magic crystals (White Rank); Magic staff (Purple Rank); 4 Barrier gems (Yellow Rank); 2 Communication mirrors; 3 Mana binding Bracelets (Master Level) ; 3 Aura binding Bracelets (Master Level); 10 Mana and Aura binding Bracelets (Expert Level); 30x30m protective fabric (Low grade). Total: Around 50,000 Gold coins

However, this time the boy opted out of having his fortune told, mostly because the woman was dead but also because of the words that constantly replayed in his head.

During his spending, Naomi was oddly quiet and stuck close to the boy as they roamed the streets of the black market.

***

As soon as the two exited the large building that sold the magic fabric, the boy suddenly fell to his knees and screamed sorrowfully.

"AHHH!"

Alarmed by the boy's howl, Naomi jerked her head down.

"Adonis!?"

Clutching his stomach, Adonis emitted a pained wail, drawing the attention of several masked onlookers who cast a range of curious and concerned glances in his direction.

Witnessing his distress, Naomi's demeanour shifted to one of panic.

She swiftly crouched down, her focus entirely on determining the cause of the boy's agony. She began her investigation by gently shaking him in an attempt to elicit a response.

"Adonis, what's wrong ?" Feigning composure, she continued to gently shake him.

The boy looked up at the teenage girl, his eyes overflowing with clear tears and his pale cheeks a bright red.

"My money! I spent so much money!" The boy whined as he jumped into the girl's arms.

{Cheapskate.}

***

For a span of ten minutes, Adonis mourned the loss of his vanished gold, weighed down by its absence. Eventually, he mustered the will to move forward, his explorations of the market devoid of a specific destination.

The pair continued to wander aimlessly through the bustling plaza until their attention was stolen by a shabby stall.

The establishment was overseen by a cryptic young man sporting a lion mask, capturing Adonis' curiosity.

"Magic beasts?" Adonis whispered as he read the Latin sign.

Naomi's expression became dark as she heard the boy's words.

'Magic beasts are extremely sought after and rare... Selling them out in the plaza is illegal, he should be selling them in the spire with the other special items. Once the Black market authorities find out what he's doing... he's dead.'

"Hello, little one. Looking for a pet?" Noticing the boy's gaze, the man in the lion mask asked with a hint of nervousness.

'This could be an opportunity to buy a beast for a decreased price. A little risky, but it should be worth it.' Adonis concluded before he approached the wooden stand.

On the merchant's table stand, were multiple drawings of strange creatures along with their names in Latin, Norse, and Japanese as well as a number: the price.

Adonis' eyes darted around the many different drawings as he identified each of the beasts.

'Caldrius, Catoblespas, Calydonian boar... Most of these are hard to tame or expensive to tame.' The boy sighed as he continued to look at more drawings.

{Why do all these beasts start with C?}

'I mean, what more did I expect? All the strong beasts are kept deep within in the spir-' The boy's train of thought was abruptly derailed when his gaze came to a halt on a question mark symbol, accompanied by a staggering price tag of 57,000,000 gold coins.

'An unknown magic beast... with that high a price?! That's enough money to support multiple noble families!'

"What's this?" Adonis asked curiously as he looked up to face the young man who smiled back nervously.

"I'm not sure if I'm being honest with you... It was one of the most heavily guarded eggs in the Spire, no one knew anything about it. Getting it was such a hassle." He sighed.

"May I see the egg?"

"Sure!" The man said enthusiastically before he reached for a small egg from under the counter.

The egg appeared smaller than a typical chicken's egg, its surface a deep pitch black adorned with several delicate silver swirls. Emanating an eerie aura, it held an air of mystery.

{...}

'The feeling from this egg... It's familiar?'

"Since we both don't know what it is... Can I buy it for a discount?" Adonis said trying to keep a poker face.

He really wanted the beast, something about it drew the cheapskate in.

The merchant's face twisted as if the boy's words had physically hurt him.

"But think about it... Any item above one hundred thousand gold coins has to be sold in the spire, and you stole said item from the Spire. No one in the plaza will be willing to spend anywhere close to fifty million... And anyone who is even remotely interested would rather take their chances and steal it from you."

"Then I can just take my business elsewhere to another branch." The merchant smugly countered.

"That is true... But an item of this price and rarity will be blacklisted anyone who tries to sell it will be instantly suspected of its theft. "

After tons of debating and negotiating, the two settled on a price of twenty million gold coins for the mysterious beast.

***

This time the boy took two hours to mentally recover from the huge blow to his wallet the mysterious beast had just cost him.

While making their way back towards the pier, Naomi, who had remained mostly silent throughout their time together, finally found her voice and chose to speak up.

"Adonis."

"Yes?" The silver-eyed lad replied, trying to mask the pain in his pockets.

"Won't they still be looking for us when we get back to the city?" She finally voiced what had been bothering her.

"We won't be returning to Phyla. The whole reason we came here was to take advantage of the transport system of the black market. " Adonis remarked in a nonchalant manner, his pace coming to a halt as he directed his attention towards the dark and cloudy water below.

"Makes sense," She breathed out a heavy sigh of relief.

***

Minerva City- Minerva Kingdom, Caelum Empire. (Empire's capital)

Still dressed in their dark black market attire, Adonis and Naomi emerged from a wall in a dark alley as mana particles before their bodies slowly returned to their original states.

"AHHHH!" A cry of agony escaped the girl's lips as her limbs completed their painful manifestation.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it the more you do it." Adonis chuckled as he waited for Naomi's sense of balance to return.

"The more I do it?" Naomi asked frightenedly.

"Yep! So, what do you wanna eat!?" He licked his lips greedily and began walking away from the towering stone wall.

"..."

"Hm?" Noticing the absence of anyone beside him, the boy pivoted to find Naomi standing still, her gaze locked on the ground.

"Have your joints not fully manifested? That's strange they're supposed to appear before your skin." Studying the teenage girl intently he muttered.

"How can you be so casual about all of this?" She uttered solemnly, her gaze remaining fixed on the ground.

"About what to eat? I mean this is the capital... There are many options."

"NOT ABOUT THE FOOD! MY MOM IS DEAD I'M AN OUTLAW AND I HAVE NO HOME!" Naomi's mask of strength finally shattered, and she let out a piercing scream.

Tears streamed down her face, baring the depth of her emotions.

"...So?" The boy replied nonchalantly as he blankly stared at the girl.

Taken aback by the boy's apparent indifference, Naomi found herself staring at him in disbelief for a few moments, struggling to put her thoughts into words.

"So?! SO?! This is all your fault! You're the one who decided to play hero! You're the one who made me make that promise!"

Resting his hand against his chin, the boy assumed a contemplative posture, delving into his thoughts regarding the events of the past few months.

"Hmm... My only mistake was not killing Quin at the bar. Other than that, that was all your fault."

"Had I not stepped in at the bank, you would've still married that creep; the only difference would be you'd be critically hurt. Your mother would still stop you from going to the wedding, and she'd still die. So had I not existed in this equation everything would not only be the same they'd be much worse...Quin would still be alive, your mother would be dead and you would've probably killed yourself out of guilt a few months into your marriage."

"Put simply Naomi... You were too weak."

"..."

"So tell me, Naomi, is that the outcome you would've preferred?" Adonis asked coldly.

"I-" No matter who she wanted to blame, the girl couldn't deny that Adonis was right, cruel but right.

"All of that is in the past and we can't change it... You have two options, will you fall into despair or will you use this experience as motivation to improve and get stronger? I won't blame nor judge you for whichever option you choose..."

Adonis turned away from the teenage girl and continued to walk towards the grand city's main road.

"I'll wait for you at Dale's Inn for one week... Come to me if you pick the latter."