Saharan Successor

Vol. 1 -Chapter 9 - First Death

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Mathias didn't bother himself to think too much about his new weapon and its mysterious past, opting instead to explore around the periphery district of Titan, which seemed like a city of its own in a way.

Many interesting shops appeared in his sight, which enabled him to fill up the unknown locations on his map interface. From taverns to clothing shops, moving randomly toward the shops spread around the district. All of these locations gave Mathias the feeling he was alive right in this place.

The children moved around the alleys cheerfully, playing various games unknown to Mathias, to the older people who were too slow to react to their surroundings.

As he traversed those streets, he had this sensation that the people welcomed him. Even the thugs let him walk past them without finding a problem with him.

In this way, he kept his path steady, undisturbed by anyone, and arrived in front of a small building that had several decorations on the windows, but nothing extravagant like in Titan's center where every single building emanated splendor.

Looking around the building to check if the location was right, he spotted a placard with the name of the place [Night Fay Tailorshop], and with this discovery, he also received the system notification about his Quest Progression.

[You have arrived at Night Fay Tailorshop.]

'This is the place I was looking for. Now, all I can hope is not to encounter someone as crazy and annoying as Corvus. She should be a wizard, so her class and etiquette should be above Corvus', yet I can't say for sure.'

Getting himself mentally and physically prepared for a new questionable meeting with someone he had small information, to none. Following his preparation, he knocked slowly on the door because of the closed sign he noticed on the door.

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Along with the knocking of the door, inside the tailor shop, in a small room, a woman was reading a book shining with a white-purple light until she heard the door knock.

This woman raised her head, and her snow-white face showed a visible curiosity for the newcomer. Next, she extended her slender milky hands that began giving off white-purple energy, which slowly morphed into a small mirror showing a person, precisely Mathias, who was waiting at the door quietly, for something to happen or a response.

Seeing Mathias, who she had never met before, made her slightly confused and asked herself what the reason for Mathias's visit was.

"Why didn't anyone tell him that I only open my shop for business on Mondays and Fridays? Sigh, I have to stop from my studies to see what this guy wants from me. A break once in a while is good for my mana."

Ending saying that, she extended her hands, and the white-purple energy began appearing in her hands. Quickly after their appearance, they moved to the door, unlocking it.

She called out to Mathias outside with a resonant tone that seemed to contain a mild derisive undertone.

"The door is open. Make your way inside." said the woman while walking toward the counter of the shop and taking a seat on a wooden chair.

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Hearing this voice that belonged to a woman, which matched his quest description, he carefully entered inside the building, leaving his worries outside.

While inside, he could see this woman with raven black hair, milky white skin, and violet eyes watching him closely. A pair of eyes that made Mathias feel a bit awkward, as if they were familiar to him.

'This girl, why do I feel like she is someone familiar? She looks very similar to a character from "The Witcher". Yennefer? Did those developers really put her in their game because she is right in front of me now.' thought Mathias while observing this woman closely.

Aside from her face that held a slightly long nose and thin, soft lips, covered in faint lipstick.

She had pronounced cheekbones, natural perfectly trimmed eyebrows emphasized with charcoal followed by long eyelashes, and petite hands.

With each moment Mathias took to look at her with surprise, he could see that Fayrene wasn't tall, having an incredibly thin, slender waist and legs. He took his time to approach the shop counter, where Fayrene was as if he was doing it on purpose.

"Will you stop looking like at me? If you only came for this to check on my looks, then you are all done here. You can get out." said Fayrene to Mathias in a slightly displeased tone while looking at him from her shop counter.

"Ahhh, wait, sorry if I offended you. You look like someone I know, and this caused my sudden surprise. Hence it looked like I was staring at you. Ahem, I assure you. I have no bad intention on you, lady Fayrene.

"Am I familiar with you? Oh my, how cute. Is this a new pickup line that appeared in Titan to get me to react? You too are not half bad." said Fayrene with a giggle while staring at Mathias's face that showed calmness and seriousness.

'Weird. This guy didn't even react to my compliment? Also, he doesn't seem to be trying to pick me up.' thought Fayrene while giggling on outside.

"Lady Fayrene, I didn't come to make a fool of myself and pick you up without even knowing you for one day. I came to you with the request of you helping me learn magic."

Mathias said that he walked to the counter, and while observing Fayrene's golden nameplate and the black dress that accentuated her body curves, he placed Gabrils Seal gently on the counter.

Fayrene's demeanor instantly changed with the revelation of Gabrils's Seal. Her earlier playfulness when talking with Mathias vanished instantly, and with a serious tone, she asked him.

"Where did you get this? Don't tell me you are the nephews or a son of that crazy paladin? No, you don't seem like his son, you are about twenty, and he is in his 40s." speculated Fayrene, questioning Mathias' background, holding the seal carefully so she doesn't destroy it.

"You are mistaken. Gabrils gave me his seal to help me on my journey of learning magic. He told me you are indebted to him, and when he listened to my story, he had me meet you to learn magic from you." replied Mathias while smiling at her, finding her overreacting interesting, along with her mesmerizing eyes.

"This is good. I don't wish to meet Gabrils. After I failed my experiments and almost lost my life, I took it slower with my research. This is why I am indebted to him. The treatment he offered me is just too expensive, even for me as an arcanist, consequently, it seems I am indebted to him. Hah, you made me remember that cursed day." explained Fayrene while touching her right shoulder and most of her slender arm, covered by her black clothes.

"I am sure Gabrils wouldn't come finding trouble with you over a treatment. He probably wouldn't even bother with your debts if I haven't talked with him about my struggles with my starting journey. You don't have to worry about him or me. I am a fast learner, and any magic spell suffices. So, can you help me with this problem?"

Fayrene tapped with her red fingernail on the wooden counter, thinking of what Mathias said and his request, along with the opportunity to clean her debts with Gabrils. After thinking for a bit in silence, she nodded her head and suddenly looked directly into Mathias's eyes.

'This guy wants to be an arcanist? Does he even have the talent to become one? He seems more like a fighter rather than a bookworm. However, according to the Archmage, every human can awaken their mana core and start practicing magic. If he gets an A graded core, he might even get far in arcane magic.'

'Yet here comes the important question, I learned magic alone, can I even teach him what I learned from the ancient tome I've stumbled upon while searching around the old ruins near the village I grew up in when I was young?'

'There is so much I don't understand about arcane magic that I don't wish to kill him if he messes up the incantation or loses focus. *Sigh* I will give it a try, but I better remind him of the risk of learning arcane magic.'

"Are you sure you want to learn magic from me?" asked Fayrene while giving off a long sigh.

"Gabrils mentioned you, so it means he knows you are powerful." said Mathias with a calm tone when watching Fayrene's conflicted expression.

"I don't know? Am I powerful? I can barely use arcane magic to an amateurish extent, compared to the ancient mages of the first…" stopped Fayrene from continuing her phrase with a fearful expression.

"First what?" asked Mathias, while feeling puzzled about the change in her behavior and sudden break in her speech.

"It doesn't matter. It is just me blabbering about something from my magic tome. Do you really wish to learn from me, even though I am also at the start of my road in learning about the Arcana Arts?"

"If I don't try, how would I even know the answer? Just tell me what to do, and I will try my best." responded Mathias with an honest expression.

Fayrene took a bit more time to stare at Mathias, and with a sincere expression, she explained to him once again.

"I can't make sure you will not die in the process of awakening your mana core. I got lucky and awakened it on my first try. The book talks about many people killing themselves in the process of unlocking the power of pure magic."

"Hmm, death? Lady Fayrene, don't you know I am a cursed one?"

"A cursed one? What's that? Did a hag curse you when you were young?"

"Haha, no, not like that. I am cursed never to die." said Mathias with an honest tone, keeping a lookout for any changes in Fayrene's expression.

The instant Fayrene heard that, she brought her hands toward Mathias, and with the appearance of a white-purple light in her hand, preparing something for Mathias, she said to him.

"If you truly are immortal, can you prove it to me? Can I use one of my abilities on you?"

"You what? Do you wish to kill me? Why? Are you crazy?" replied Mathias. Feeling threatened by this sudden change in Fayrene's behavior, he began walking toward the shop's exit.

"Wait, don't run! If you are truly immortal, someone who can never die, I want you to help me with my studies. How can you abandon your wish for knowledge so quickly? Would that be a shame? I can help you with your desire, while you can also help me in my study.

Stopping his retreat, he stared at Fayrene's beautiful face, along with her hand that gave off a white-purple energy light, and asked after some thinking.

"If I help you with your studies, does that mean I can have access to that magic book you talked about?"

"That… If you swear not to share the information about my magic tome and keep assisting me in my studies, I can let you learn arcane magic alongside me. What do you say? Right, I didn't even ask you for your name."

"I am Mathias."

"Mmhm, what do you say, Mathias? Will you join me in my studies?" asked Fayrene again, while her violet eyes started to give off the same purple lights like in her hand.

[Join Fayrene in her quest to arcane knowladge]

Rating: Secret

Fayrene, a simple girl from the Rural Village of Cicadrian who had the lucky chance of finding an ancient tome shrouded in mystery, studied this tome's content for two years, but her progress is still lacking, not being able to teach anyone about this lost art of magic.

After receiving Gabrils Seal, she agreed to let you study along with her to remove the enormous debt that she failed to settle with Paladin Gabrils.

Reward: ???

Failure: ???

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'What?? I don't even know the rewards or the consequences of failing the quest. Is this a bug or something?' pondered Mathias on this question before he responded to Fayrene's mad idea.

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"I don't know what to say.  We are talking about death here. While I might be cursed to never die for good, I will probably still suffer some nasty side-effects." replied Mathias after not backing away from the quest, not that he had a choice.

"Don't worry, Mathias. I will pay you back fully. I will tell you from the start, the magic tome I have is something ancient, predating the start of everything. The knowledge inside about pure magic is something even I can't comprehend. I am just an apprentice in terms compared to the master who wrote this tome."

'Sigh, should I do it? We are talking about magic here and a powerful one at that. I profited greatly from Corvus and his spear skills, and now I might profit even more from this woman. She even looks similar to Yennefer, something I can't complain about. The developer who made her character even buffed her various features, giving her many things to be proud of. My childhood dream was to be a magician. At least I will achieve it here.'

"Fine, I will do it, but you better don't force me around. Me dying for your studies because everything will crumble in this quest." replied Mathias at last while thoughtfully staring at Fayrene's face.

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[You accepted Fayrene quest]

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Hearing his acceptance, she gave him a sweet smile with her soft lips before the energy in her hands began increasing even more, emitting an intense white-purple light scaring Mathias into waving his hands in defeat.

"Wait, wait. You didn't even agree to my reminder. Let me prepare a bit. It is my first time."

"Mine too." said Fayrene with her sweet smile before the energy flew out of her hands in the shape of a missile before she called out the skill name.

"[Arcane Missile]"

'This chick, don't tell me the developers put Yennefer personality in her too? My little soul will suffer this year to learn magic.' thought Mathias while watching this missile moving straight for his heart.

[You suffered catastrophic damage!]

He felt a stinging pain that was worse than a migraine. His eyes kept watching Fayrene, who moved quickly toward him to grab him in her embrace with a worried expression.

"Wait, you don't seem to be an immortal at all! You lied to me. If I knew it would be like this, I wouldn't do it! Ahhh, what have I done?! I killed someone! I am a monster!"

With his last remaining strength, Mathias moved his hand to touch her delicate face, and with a pained tone from the hole he had in his heart, added.

"Don't worry, Fayrene, I am indeed immortal, so don't stress yourself too much. I will come to meet you again soon, so don't cry. Ahem, while I am away, can you prepare some food for me, okay? I think I will be done in some seconds."

Fayrene, who held Mathias in her hands, heard his words and nodded her head, and soon, she could see him disappear from her embrace like starlight scattering. Moving her hands to tighten her grasp on Mathias with a scared expression, as if she was just a traumatized girl.

Yet, Mathias's body began evaporating like a white mist formed by light, scattering inside the room until nothing remained of his body.

This mysterious disappearance filled Fayrene with hope, and she felt slightly better hearing Mathias's reminder about his curse of immortality.

"Will you not run after I killed you?" asked the lonely girl to herself while looking around the tiny particles of light gently landing on the ground and disappearing.

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Mathias, held by Fayrene, could barely keep his eyes open from the sheer pain he endured, and after he found the strength to remind her of his curse and place her heart to rest, he closed his eyes.

After that, his body began feeling lighter until he felt nothing, no pain or body movement coordination, just an awkward sensation of blankness that continued while a black notification appeared in his eyes for an unknown duration.

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[You died]