Main Player Syndrome Alert

Her eyes connected with the floorboards first, then mine. Piercing, but…drained of light. Not searching for anything entirely. Our eyes just hapapned to connect.

She had on uniformed attire, academic like it seemed. I tried to read her face, expression, but it was harder to do so with Vanity. At least with her, the eyes betrayed her under her blindfold. But with this one?

It was unreadable.

At all.

She had silver hair, which I would've confused for my own, but not radiant like mine. It was long, cascading down to her waist. Even the pale skin along with the pale lavender eyes. She looked like a ghost.

A damn good one at it.

She took a step, but the commotion never dared to come back. Everyone stared at awe. I tried sensing for her mana, because if you can make everyone shut up like I did once, you have to be strong, right?

But nothing came back. I couldn't sense any direct mana from her. Why?

Even with the way she was dressed, I would try to eyeball and say she was a Mage, Archmage even. A far more advanced class, but the lack of mana confused me.

Strange.

She felt like a patch note I forgot to read.

She approached both of us, but broke eye contact past me and slithered past Vaniti and I. Vaniti gave me a puzzling look, and I only shook my head. Her passing by, she might've been the same height as Vaniti herself.

When I thought all of that dramatic entrance was for nothing, I planned on heading out. The commotion didn't return, but it wasn't like I was going to stay and wait for it to come back. Whatever that Ascendant quest is sparks my interest heavily. We need to go while the sun is still out and bright.

One more final step, and before Vaniti and I could leave, my ears twitched.

The receptionist spoke, in a hushed tone.

"...hm? You just passed him, he's the one who took on the quest."

What could that possibly mean?

I turn around anyways, Vaniti did as well and we stared at the woman who had just past us. She approached us, analyzing. There's not a single inch her eyes did not see of us.

I try my usual gimmick, a polite wave and smile.

"U-uh…hey? How are you?"

She only stares.

Okay…now I'm creeped out.

She holds out her hand instead, a black leather glove. My tail goes for the subtle shake, but she slapped it away instead.

Vaniti twitched, her fingers becoming unclenched, ready to cast at my command…or her own when she decides enough is enough. I look at the woman, and her face is still unchanged, no different expression.

"The quest," She…says. Her voice is different, familiar, but different. Not like in the cheesy…long lost friend, not like that. But her voice and tone, it just scratches a familiar itch in my brain.

"Hand it over." She demands.

Oh…she must be talking about the Ascendant quest.

Oh…no.

Don't tell me wer are going to be fighting over this quest…?!

Well, look here miss, if you wanted it…you should've came here earlier! First come first serve! I'm going to give you a piece of my mind!

"I have…completely no idea what you're talking about," Comes from my mouth instead. I reflect her expression, and she seems to becoming a bit more agitated…or irritated. Let's say both.

She doesn't respond to my denial, however. Instead, she blinks.

Once. Slowly.

And then, in the quietest voice I've ever heard in a room this loud, she speaks.

"You're out of sync."

My eyes widen, and I'm taken aback. Out of sync?

I could only shake my head, I thought…I thought it meant something else. Surely that's not what she said, right? No…she did say that…my mind is stuck in video games entirely I forgot to cross the line between those phrasings…and real life.

I coughed, clearing my throat to hide my sudden shock. "Look, not here to give the quest. You're more than likely to come along with us, however."

She looks at me, then Vaniti, and then back to me.

"Refuse. If you fail to hand over the quest, I'm afraid I'll have to—"

"Have to what? I like threats."

I step closer, and she doesn't back up. I practically look down at her, and she looks up at me. The tension is so high right now it could clear this entire building.

All it needs is just one spell.

One spell to set off the entire thing.

She blinks, eerily enough. A long one, and then sighs.

"You're not worth my trouble," She says. Going on to move past us. She slightly bumps into Vaniti's shoulder…and Vaniti in return…doesn't do anything.

I don't think she recognized she did that on purpose.

But…to that extent, if I couldn't sense any mana from her, than I doubt that Vaniti was able to see this women…at all.

Wait, so would that mean the moment she heard me get into conflict, she insticintvely was ready to engage, even against someone she couldn't see?

Vaniti's eyesight is a little bit tricky, she's allowed to see everywhere. Without a blindfold, she was mostly overstimulated, so basically everything looked too bright or too heavy for her eyes. But since every little thing carries mana, then she would be able to see them.

Down to the molecular level…which I suppose if she squinted real hard to see that. But regardless, she sees us as mana outlines. Think…x-ray or night vision…just a tad bit more complex and complicated.

This is everything I know off the top of my head, but even then, the premise of that still fascinates me. It's almost like Vaniti just…knows now. I can't tell if that's scary, or dangerous.

But while I'm at it, I might as well ask her.

"Was…was that a friend of yours?"

She shakes her head, "I assumed she was a former familiar towards you, but I could not see her."

And then, in a hushed muttered tone.

"At least directly."

Figured.

With that settled, we might as well head on and do the quest.

Ascendant Quest.

Solve whatever the fuck is causing the delay of other quests in Aurea Islands.

Starting…now.