Chapter 16


    “I’ll heat food up. Care to join me for supper? There’s meat tonight,” vin offered, untying a wild


    fowl from his belt, an unexpected catch from his training in the backwoods. He didn’t ask about the


    maiden’s identity or purpose. He had an understanding with the old man. Silence was their pact, for


    eight years, it had been so.


    The old man barely lifted his eyelids, offering no response.


    After washing and changing into clean clothes, vin kindled the fire, prepared some vegetables,


    and stewed the wild fowl. The warm, inviting aroma filled the humble storeroom.


    "Smells good, doesn''t it? Old man, have some. Let it be our midnight feast," vin called to the old


    man.


    The old man paid no heed, continuing to lounge lopsidedly where hey.


    "I''ll eat first, then I''ll leave some for you." vin was truly famished, and he started to eat without


    further ado.


    But after just a short while, the old man propped himself up and wandered into the storeroom.


    vin shrugged and carried on eating. "I''ll be stepping out for a bit, so don''t go locking up in a


    hurry, eh?"


    He nned to sneak out at midnight to pluck the Viper''s Berry before anyone from Botanic Haven


    got to it first.


    Before long, the old man emerged from somewhere with arge, dark jug and sat down at the


    wooden table. "Fetch two cups," he ordered.


    "Are we drinking?" vin raised an eyebrow, slightly puzzled, but he fetched two cups all the same,


    along with a te of pickled vegetables. They weren''t fine ingredients, just leftover roots from his


    cooking that he''d washed and soaked in a brine jar. Sometimes, when he was too tired or busy, he''d


    just grab some pickled roots to gnaw on with some bread for a simple meal.


    The old man uncorked the jug, and the pungent aroma of strong liquor filled the storeroom. He


    poured himself a cup and filled one for vin, too.


    "Something troubling you?" vin asked, eyeing the clear and fragrant liquid in his cup with even


    greater curiosity. What was so special about tonight?


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    The old man lifted his cup and drained it in one go, tilting his head back and letting out a long sigh


    before topping up his drink.


    vin swirled the cup, taking a big gulp, and immediately, the fiery spice filled his mouth, burning its


    way down his throat and into his belly. There was a searing heat in his chest.


    "Hoo, that''s a strong brew," vin grimaced, for he had never drunk before. He hastily ate a few


    bites of the pickled vegetables to quell the burning sensation.


    The old man filled his cup again, then tilted his head back and downed another full cup.


    vin had known the old man for eight years and had never seen him like this. Could it have


    something to do with the girl from earlier? He nced at the cup in his hand, clenched his teeth,


    and gulped down the contents, feeling a rush of heat surge through him, warming his entire body.


    Upon reflection, the drink wasn''t half bad.


    The old man filled vin''s cup once more.


    "Have some food." vin said, pushing the te of vegetables toward the old man.


    The two of them, young and old, continued their meal in simplicity. Other than the asional word


    from vin, the old man remained silent, ever so silent.


    The girl from earlier hadn''t gone far. She had intended to leave, but when vin called out ''old


    man,'' she stopped just outside the rainy storeroom door, watching the shadowy reflections in the


    window from a distance.


    "Who is thatd?" Two figures appeared before the girl, a man, and a woman, both middle-aged


    with an air of formidable power. The drizzling cold rain seemed unable to wet their clothes; before it


    truly touched them, it evaporated in an invisible aura.


    Beneath their cloaks, their expressions were of shock. Could that boy really be sharing a table for


    food and drink with him? They could hardly believe their eyes. This old man had a past shadowed


    with mountains of bones and seas of blood; his notoriety terrified the world. Who would dare sit with


    him?


    "He''s only a Novice Mage, Stage III. Far too weak," the girl assumed vin was just a servant the


    old man kept, but what kind of servant would dare address him in that casual way? And what kind


    would have the privilege to share a drink with him? Could this boy have another identity? But then,


    why was his power so weak?


    The middle-aged man spoke gravely, "No one in the Cobalt Strike, including the Commander,


    knows his identity. This youngster probably doesn''t know either and just sees him as an ordinary old


    man."


    "He vanished ten years ago; the world thought him dead. If not for the Lord''s arrangements this


    time, we wouldn''t even know he was still alive." The woman looked toward the unmarked, solitary


    grave in the corner of the courtyard. Considering the legends, she sighed lightly. The saddest thing


    in the world, perhaps was this.


    The middle-aged man said, "The Shadowlord''s Tower needs him to return; it''s his duty to bear."


    The woman snorted, "If he refuses to go back, what can you do? Take him by force? You know his


    temper and his power. If he gets displeased, he could wipe us out with a flick of his hand."


    The girl murmured softly, "Let''s wait a little longer. I believe he still holds some affection for the


    Shadowlord''s Tower."


    "Mydy, we''re taking a great risk being here; we can''t stay long. If the Cobalt Strike finds us..."


    "He won''t make us wait too long."