[Xannos]

Mori stood there, staring at Lilae's back, lost in thought.

Inflicting pain was so... easy. It felt natural; good, even.

Is this who I am? Have I always liked this?

He felt Aura's hand on his shoulder.

"We should go."

"Sure," replied Mori.

They turned around and headed for the main streets, leaving Lilae behind.

Exiting the alleyways brought a nice breeze they couldn't feel earlier, changing the foul smell for something tolerable.

The road was significantly larger but had fewer people than he remembered while playing the game.

Mori pointed right, "Alright, you see the fountain there?" 

Where a few roads converged a fountain laid in the middle, a statue representing demonkind. 

It was a real demon from the demon realm holding a half-demon.

There were no real demons in this realm; or shouldn't be any at this stage, yet.

Both looked quite different, but it was beautiful in its own way.

"We'll meet there at sundown."

"Are we splitting up?" asked Maya.

"Yeah. Make sure to find out if this 'ferryman' exists. See you all at dusk."

Mori turned around and started walking down the street while the others tried to figure out what they wanted to do.

Finally. I won't be bothered for a while.

Walking down the street, he looked on both sides, most shops looked empty, barely any people in them. 

Most people who were shopping looked like human adventurers. They all wore DiveCore's colors, walking around like they owned the place.

His heartbeat sped up at the sight of that logo, his gaze blank with rage. 

He took a deep breath.

Everything in due time. Whether it's now or in a few days.

While walking, he opened his profile and looked at his professions.

Everything was at level 1, and most of these professions he knew he'd never level up. 

[Woodcutting][Mining][Gathering][...]

He wasn't paying attention to the street until that one shop caught the corner of his eye.

It had a giant parchment paper with a rune in the middle of it. 

He went toward it, opening the door which rang the bell attached to it.

The air inside was dry, it smelled like any old library, with a stronger accent on the ink with its distinct smell.

There wasn't much inside besides some paper, ink or feathers to buy, it all looked the same to Mori.

He could hear someone running from the back, all the way to the door behind the counter.

It slammed open, revealing a younger man with horns. He looked exhausted, with dark bags under his eyes.

His right hand seemed to be uncontrollably trembling, as he held it with his left.

"Welcome to Engrave Encounters! Anything you need for your inscription deeds!"

Is that really the name of this place?

"I'd like to learn the inscription profession."

The man's eyebrow arched. "For what purpose?"

"Is it a problem?"

"Well no, but, most people disregard it nowadays."

Mori's expression displayed genuine surprise. 

Then again, I played this game solo, so I don't really know what the 'meta' was.1

"Inscription is one of the best professions. Whoever doesn't think so is simply stupid," said Mori.

"RIGHT? RIGHT? Oh man, I'm telling ya, ever since these humans arrived nobody paid attention to inscription. I'm barely keeping this shop running."

The man's tone had suddenly changed for something more casual.

Mori didn't mind, rather, he thought he was lucky to find someone passionate.

"I'm level 1 in inscription. I have no money, but I could really use a teacher to get started."

The man looked Mori up and down.

"Well, it's getting late..." the man was biting his lips, in thought. "Okay, let's do it tomorrow. I'll teach you, but if clients come around, they'll be my priority. "

"That's perfect with me."

"Just curiosity, but are you looking to seal your cursed energy?"

Is it that obvious?

The man continued. "Ah, don't worry. I don't mind it. It's pretty weak, but I'm assuming you're hiding most of it with that cloak."

"I'm using this cloak, and under it chains with sealing properties. The chains are restraining and undoing them every time I need my arms is tedious."

"Hmmm." the man was in thought, staring at the ceiling.

His gaze went back to Mori.

"The art of inscription has its uses. It's a lot weaker than the enchanting profession, but a lot more versatile and precise. With inscription, you wouldn't need to do dungeons to drop soulstones on monsters to recharge anything."

The man was now pacing back and forth behind the counter, his face brightly smiling.

"You could even absorb that energy... Why didn't I think of this?! If enchanting can do it, so can we... But how? We'd need something to inscribe on, with a big mana capacity. If we found something specifically good with cursed energy... How much are we dealing with? Can you show me?"

Despite his exhausted face, the man truly looked energized by the conversation, his eyes wide open and his smile shining brightly.

"I can't," Mori pointed toward the windows. "It's too much. You'll get unwanted attention."

"Ah don't worry, I sealed this shop with a lot of different things when the humans came. Your energy shouldn't leak out."

"Alright."

 Mori undid the cloak, letting it fall to the ground. His arms were then reabsorbed by the chains swirling around his chest.

As the cloak dropped on the floor, the air became heavier. Breathing was more laborious as if Mori's energy replaced the oxygen.

The man's hands were on the counter, as he struggled to stay up. He was sweating, and his eyes were stuck on Mori. 

He had a wide smile, his eyes were wide circles. He looked entranced by the display.

As he looked toward the windows, Mori could see the inscriptions on the walls activating, probably keeping his energy in.

After a few seconds, he picked up the cloak and put it back on.

"This... This-THIS is amazing. I've never seen that much energy. Your mana is pure cursed energy... and that's with the chains?! You must be quite strong... We'll need stronger inscription than what I did here. Man, just absorbing this will require quite the artifact."

"So I take it you'll teach me inscription?"

"Oh.. yes, come back tomorrow," absently said the man. "What ink should we even use? We could inscribe the chains... his skin? Oh the pain, but maybe he'd do it... If he doesn't mind the pain we could carve his skin... I do have the right feather for it... oh where did I put it..."

As Mori headed for the exit, he stopped muttering. 

"Ah! What's your name? Forgot to ask. I'm Xannos."

"Mori."

"Make sure to come back tomorrow, Mori!!! Ah, where's my skin-carving feather... I always lose it when I need it..."