An Answer

Avic rummaged through his closet as fast as he could. He tossed clothes, bags, shoes, and a few other items aside as he searched. He knew it had to be there somewhere—the hint he needed to remind him of a small piece of his past. Finally, after over thirty minutes of searching, Avic's fingertips brushed against the leather covering of a small storybook. Quickly, he pulled it from the back of his closet and held it up before his eyes.

His eyes immediately brightened with glee. He had finally found it. The title, "The Legend Of The Three Vials", was written on the book's cover. Avic then ran over to a small table at the opposite end of his room before taking a seat and blowing the dust from the book's cover.

"This is it..!" He said to himself excitedly. "I knew I've heard of this before. The Three Vials Of Deus..! When I was a kid, mom gave me this storybook as a gift. She used to read it to me as a bedtime story every night before I went to bed!"

Avic then quickly brought out the other book he had found on the street before putting it beside his old storybook. He was now positive that his theory was correct. His storybook spoke about the Three Vials Of Deus, just like the book he had found on the street.

Avic had always believed that the story of the Three Vials Of Deus was only an old legend. In truth, part of him still believed that this was the case. However, he wanted to confirm it. If there was even the slightest chance that the vials were real then he was willing to do whatever he could to find out more about them.

"Damn it... How do I know if any of this is real though..? I mean, it's just an old book that I found on the street... No, I can't think like that. I remember the Old Geezer used to tell me that all legends were derived from something. Whether the legend is a lie or a secret truth, it has to come from somewhere!"

Avic's eyes then widened as he came to a sudden realization.

"That's it! The Old Geezer! He knows a lot about books and old legends! I'm sure if I ask him, I'll be able to find out a thing or two!"

Refusing to waste a single second, Avic grabbed both books and ran from his house as fast as he could. It was still nighttime as the moon watched him from the darkened sky. The cold night air hugged his lungs with every breath he took. His skin tingled and anticipation ran through his veins. The foundation of his dreams was hanging soundly in the balance.

A few minutes later, Avic arrived at a small house made of brick, stone, and thatch. Artificial lighting shone out from the windows, signifying that someone was still awake on the inside.

"Old Man! Are you in there?! Let me in!" Shouted Avic as he knocked on the door obnoxiously.

After a few seconds of unpleasant knocking, the door opened. However, to Avic's surprise, instead of being greeted by Amon, his eyes met upon Eliisabet.

"Avic?" She called.

"Eliisabet? Wait, am I at the wrong house? Man, I used up all my energy running all the way here..." Sighed Avic. "Okay, look! I need to get to Old Man Amon's house but I'm way too tired to run anymore. So if you don't mind, let me hop on your back and you can take me there!"

"Uh, Avic... I think you're confused. This is Mister Amon's house..."

"Wait, it is? The hell? Then what are you doing here?! Don't tell me you're secretly into old guys, Eliisabet?!"

Eliisabet's face was flushed red with embarrassment, "What?! Of course not! Don't get any weird ideas, Avic!"

"Then what are you doing here?!"

"I... uh..."

"See! You're too embarrassed to even tell the truth! Okay, just act like I was never here, to begin with! I can come back in the morning! I won't judge you for your life choices. It's normal to have questionable taste!"

"Avic! Stop! It's not what you think!"

"I know. It's probably worse."

"!!!"

"Ah. so it was Avic making all that noise. Makes sense," suddenly said a familiar voice from behind Eliisabet.

Avic then shifted his gaze to see Custos standing behind Eliisabet. This confused him significantly as he did not understand what either of them was doing at Amon's house.

"Custos? You're here too? Man, my head hurts now... Just what exactly is going on here?" He queried.

Before answering, Custos looked over to Eliisabet to see the embarrassment pressed against her face.

"Sigh... It's not a big deal, Eliisabet. There's no need to get all flustered over this."

"I know, but still..."

"Avic, the truth is, Eliisabet and I came here to convince Mister Amon to let you work at the tavern again."

"Oh... So does that mean Eliisabet isn't into old guys then?"

"Of course not!! That's what I've been trying to tell you!!!"

Custos then rose his eyebrow with a look of confusion on his face. He had noticed how free and energetic Avic was.

"Wait, what happened to your injuries..?" He queried. "I'm almost sure you were wrapped in bandages like a mummy yesterday..."

Avic shrugged, "I honestly have no idea. I was sleeping then when I woke up, I was as good as new. Anyway, that's not important right now! Where's Old Man Amon?! I need to ask him something!"

"Uh, he's in the study hall. Why the rush?"

Without providing any answers, Avic dashed past Eliisabet and Custos, running inside the house to find Amon. He sprinted through the dining area and kitchen before arriving in the study hall where Amon was located.

"Old Man Amon!" He shouted.

Amon immediately shifted his smoky grey eyes onto Avic with very little surprise. He then gave a bothered sigh before closing a book that he had been reading.

"It seems I won't get a chance to enjoy a proper book tonight," he murmured. "What do you need Avic? I already told Eliisabet and Custos that I have no intention of letting you resume work at the tavern. My decision is final."

Avic then threw down the two books he was carrying in front of Amon. Amon's eyes immediately broadened as soon as he saw this.

"I'm not here to ask you back for a job, Old Man. I want to know more about the legend these books talk about! I want to know about the Three Vials Of Deus!"

"Where did you get these books from..? And what happened to your injuries?"

"My injuries aren't important right now! But the storybook is mine and I found the other one lying in the street!"

"In the street you say? A book like this? That's nothing short of strange..."

"Come on, you Old Geezer..! Do you know about the Three Vials Of Deus or not?"

"Well, I know a little about them."

"Are they real?!"

Before answering, Amon petted his scruffy white beard. He then picked up the book that Avic had found on the street and began inspecting it.

"As far as I know, The Three Vials Of Deus are nothing more than a legend. There's no way to tell for certain if they're real or not."

"When I was a child, my mom used to read me a story about them every night before I went to bed. The story was about a legendary hero who wanted more power to sit on a throne in Fake Paradise alongside the gods. So he tried drinking from The Three Vials Of Deus to gain godly power to accomplish his goal. But he was driven mad by their power and was destroyed in the end."

"Yes, I believe that's the most common story. But there are many different versions of that story. No one knows which one is the real one or if the vials even exist in the first place. But why did you develop such a sudden interest in the vials, Avic?"

Avic's face contorted into a more serious expression. His eyes became filled with resolve and his fists were clenched with determination.

"I'm not giving up on my dream of bringing my parents back. I want to bring them back and I know that the answer to this lies within The Three Vials Of Deus. So I'm going to become a Sicarius and find the vials!"