After returning to the dining area I saw that Ayumi, Shinso and Carter had started eating the salads they had prepared. They had left me a spare bowl. With a light, relieved sigh I approached the table and sat down, pulling the salad over to me.
"When you dice the blananas the spines naturally fall off." Carter noted, shoving a forkful of the meal in his mouth.
"Good to hear." I replied, hesitantly lifting my fork and stabbing a blanana and some of the melon Carter had sliced up. After about five minutes of silent eating, Carter looked up from his plate and nodded his head.
"After our meal I'll need you to come with me for something important." Carter pushed his bowl forward. It was empty now, the rim and inside coated in purple and green juices.
"What things?" Ayumi asked, looking up from her meal. Carter, who appeared to be in a hurry, gestured outside. On the cobblestone street outside Parterre de Fleurs was a rental carriage, with two steeds leading it. The coach appeared to be a young man, his brows furrowed as he appeared to be grumbling to himself.
After we all finished our salads we put the wooden bowls in the sink and headed out, stepping into the rented carriage. Carter sat in the front seat, while me, Ayumi and Shinso crowded in the back, our shoulders pressing tightly together.
"To this address." He gave the coach a note, with an address inscribed in messy hand writing. The man stared at it for a few moments before nodding.
With the crack of a whip, the horses were sent forward, walking down the cobblestone streets. Outside, almost everyone was clad in wintergear. I saw children playing with snowballs and laughing. Thick trails of smoke rose from chimneys that protruded from the roofs of houses.
"I remember when I could see the sky without smoke, now it appears to be our friend since the revolution." Carter chuckled deprecatingly as he looked out the window.
"Reovlution?" Shinso asked, raising an eyebrow. "An Industrial Revolution, not a revolution a coup would instigate. I moved here from the east with my father from the Adligon's territory. When I first lived here everyone seemed to be fifty years behind everyone else, but after the Katshin Empire started exporting goodies of all sorts was when Seraphis Kingdom got so wealthy."
"I mean, we did see a refrigerator in the apartment room." I said, stretching in the confined space.
"Y'mean The Automated Beverage and Victual Cooling Machine?"
"Yeah, whatever it's called." I rolled my eyes, a small smile tearing at the corners of my lips. At that moment, Carter pulled the sound-proof insulated barrier separating him from the carriage driver out.
"You said you were from an alternate place, what's it like there?" He asked, resting his hands on his chin as his freckled face tore into a smile.
"Well...it's a lot more advanced than here to say the least. I still haven't gotten used to many things." Shinso replied, looking out the window. As far as the eye could see was the bustling environment of Seraphis Kingdom.
"But I can't help but begin to...like it here a little."
"Anyways. Back in our world, horses and carriages are pretty much useless, we have cars that can take us to wherever we're going ten times faster!" Ayumi smiled.
"Wow..." Carter's eyes widened in fascination.
"We also have more variety in our markets. We don't have food with eyeballs or spikes that leak blood." Shinso added.
Carter fell silent, after a few seconds he chuckled. "You guys seem to have it all, I'm jealous."
"I mean..." Shinso looked down at the floor, sighing softly. "You guys have powers here, but...none of you seemed to be shunned for having them."
Carter frowned. "Actually, we are."
"What?" Shinso looked up, his expression turning slightly pale.
The man's voice lowered to an almost conspiratorial whisper. "We're not official meta-humans, or metas as Aaron would call them."
"Does that...give you trouble?" The indigo-haired boy asked another question.
"Yeah, we're always at risk. We don't use our abilities around large groups of people, or even small groups. We're just a group of lone crimefighters."
"Like vigilantes? We have those back in our reality." Ayumi stated.
"A little...except, we take the same burdens of regular metas." Carter frowned. "We can still lose control, we still have to make the same sacrifices...just because you work in the shadows doesn't mean you're immune to them."
The entire carriage fell silent, only to be pierced by the carriage-driver's voice. "We're here."
Carter peeled back the insulated barrier and gave him a warm smile, tossing him a gold coin. "For ya' troubles."
The carriage driver nodded, his expression unchanging as he sent the horses forward with the crack of a whip. The address Carter had taken us to was a house cramped in the middle of an area that appeared run down. The streets were littered with garbage protruding from the snow, and a stray cart or two could be seen wandering around, looking for places to hide from the cold.
"This is where I wanted to take you." Carter approached the door of the house.
Knock knock knock, knock knock knock, knock knock knock. The man knocked three times rhythmically. Behind the thick wooden door, I could hear muffled voices and sounds. The lights could be seen being turned on behind the thick curtains, and the sound of footsteps approaching the door accompanied it.
After a few moments, the door opened slowly. Aaron peeked out, his lips curling into a small smile upon seeing the guests. "Well, come on in."
Aaron opened the door wider, allowing the four of us entry. The inside of his house was homey yet simple. There was an overall lack of furniture aside from a kitchen table, chairs and a sofa, but a large amount of dusty books could be seen scattered across the mottled wooden floor.
"Don't mind the place, haven't cleaned in a while." The man took a few steps towards the sofa, plopping down in front of the fireplace. After a few seconds his gaze fell to Carter, his eyebrows furrowing
"The potions from the Mother Nature Church?"
Carter nodded, opening his bag and taking out the three bottles of viscous liquids of different colors. "All of em'."
"Good." Aaron straightened his back as he took the bottles, laying them out on the table. In my peripheral vision, I could see Shinso and Ayumi's curious gazes following Mr. Aaron's movements as he prepared whatever he had arranged for us. He took out a small necklace with a white pendant on the end, dangling the object from his wrist.
After a few silent seconds, he looked up at us with a small smile. "You once questioned how I knew your names..."
The pendant dangling from Aaron's wrist began to vibrate and shake as if an electric current was charging through it. I watched, enraptured, as the pendant lit up with an ethereal white light.
"Take a seat before me." Aaron said in a low voice. Me, Shinso, and Ayumi hesitantly approached the table and sat down in front of Aaron, all staring at the vibrating charm which had begun to shake.
"What are you doing? What are these potions?" Ayumi looked down at the three bottles, cocking an eyebrow.
"Pathway potions." Aaron replied, his expression still eerily solemn. "We shall use divination to find our answers."
"Divination?" Ayumi's body tensed slightly. "Is it...painful?"
Aaron shook his head, his lips curling into a faint smile. "No, it's not painful in the slightest. It's indirect, so you won't suffer any negative effects."
"Oh..." The black-haired girl slouched her shoulders slightly, sighing. "So...these potions. What will we do with them?"
"Once the revelation reveals my answer, I shall give you your corresponding potions."
Shinso looked down at the numerous bottles of ethereal, glowing liquid. He felt a strange surge in his gut, and a strange urge to reach out to them. A chill ran down his spine upon receiving such thoughts.
"Ms. Ayumi Tagasuri..." Aaron's voice seemed to grow ethereal, resounding in all our ears like a whisper without the direct confrontation.
"Yes?..." The girl with rounded glasses raised her hand, gazing at Aaron with a hesitant expression. She curled her lips inwards as she waited to receive more information.
"I see a radiant, benevolent soul, one that secretes compassion and empathy. Upon the ravings I have deduced..."
Aaron suddenly pointed to the potion of ethereal yellow liquid. "The Saint Pathway shall be yours to claim."
Ayumi gazed at the bottle of yellow liquid, her eyes widening in fascination. "Why...me?"
Carter, who had remained silent for a majority of the experience, parted his lips and spoke. "Last night Catherine shared knowledge regarding Sealed Relics, it would have corroded your soul if we didn't make these arrangements beforehand."
"Take your potion and drink it, Ms. Tagasuri." Aaron spoke again, his radiant voice booming in her ears. The girl nodded her head slowly, a tiny amount of sweat accumulating above her brows as her face reddened slightly. She slowly grabbed the circular bottle and unscrewed the lid.
Before she directly consumed it, she gazed at the older man and asked another question. "Will it...taste bad?"
"Pathway potions are tasteless."
"Oh...good to hear."
Ayumi took a deep breath and began to drink the ethereal yellow potion. Her eyes widened upon tasting nothing in her mouth, but still feeling the liquid slosh around in her mouth. After the bottle was completely emptied, she put the bottle back on the table, her hands trembling slightly.
"I'm...d-done." Ayumi said with a small, hesitant smile.
"Good." Aaron smiled softly. He then continued. "But unfortunately, such exertion of spiritual methods can be draining. So giving you two your potions will need...alternate methods."
The ethereal glowing in Aaron's eyes disappeared as he leaned back in his chair, breathing softly.
"Catherine can take it from here."
At that moment, Catherine stepped into the room. She was clad in a multilayered, complex purple and blue dress. Atop her head was a small, elegant hat, and the lenses of her rounded glasses had been polished to a bold extent.
"That outfit, for divination?" Carter asked as he raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into his usual Cheshire smile.
Catherine sighed softly, smiling back at the man. "I assure you, divination and Pathway selection is an event, not the average activity. One must be prepared."
"Prepared? I don't see much preparation aside from wardrobe preparation." Carter let out an amused chuckle.
Catherine revealed the inside of her dress, showcasing a large amount of pockets within the silk interior. "I chose the outfit with the most pockets."
The black-haired woman approached the table and smiled at me and Shinso. "Who's first?" She asked.
Shinso raised his hand. I could see a large amount of uncharacteristic eagerness in his usually dull eyes. "I'll volunteer. The process seemed easy with Ayumi."
"Excellent." Catherine smiled as she reached into the pocket of her dress, taking out a small wooden box the size of a lunchpail. It was dark brown in color, and its surface was painted with numerous intricate purple runes.
"Divination can come in many forms, shapes and sizes. One of those forms..." She opened the box, revealing a deck of cards—all black in color.
"...are cards."
"Cards?" Shinso crossed his arms as he raised an eyebrow, his previous demeanor overlapping with one of skepticism. "So I can use divination on regular cards?"
Catherine shook her head, pulling out the deck. "No, you can't. These cards represent aspects of the world, and showcase all the known Pathways."
"So...what card I pick is the potion I'll drink?"
"Again, no." Catherine shook her head, spreading the deck along the wooden table. Aaron and Carter watched the scene with passive expressions.
"Pick three cards at random. Don't decide, let your hands move in an instant."
Shinso raised his right hand, slipping three cards out of the deck in quick succession. After doing so, he looked back up at Cattleya for further guidance.
"Now, flip the one farthest from you."
Shinso nodded, flipping over the card. It showcased an image of a soldier clad in fiery, purple-flamed armor. In his left hand was a fiery sword, and in his right hand was the bloodied head of a dragon.