The Stubborn Light of a Dying Flame [Isekai - LitRPG]

Bob spent most of the tour looking at anything but Lokan's tentacles. They weren't super gross or anything, but they kept moving as Lokan walked, and it was making Bob nauseous. Most of the buildings they passed were houses. It was too small a city to have a large market, and Bob was beginning to wonder if they even bothered with currency, considering the sheer lack of businesses.

"And over here," Lokan said proudly. "We've set up a—what was the word you humans used?—a cafeteria specifically for the humans of Jeshilon to enjoy cuisines from their home countries. I wouldn't think that they are perfect renditions of the dishes you enjoyed back on Earth, but the humans in this city tell me it is quite close. Would you like to sample the food?"

"Do you have burgers?" Bob asked, tearing his eyes away from a baby who was crying as they passed. "I don't know if you have beef here, but I'd take a chicken burger in a pinch."

Bob wasn't actually expecting him to have them. He wouldn't be surprised if the people here were just too polite to tell Lokan that his food sucked. He was too nice to have real enemies unless this whole tour was a sham. Honestly, the man could be described in a single word: desperate. He wanted to bring in humans so badly that he willingly overlooked Hoka's obvious lies.

"Of course, of course!" Lokan said quickly. "We've heard a lot about these 'burgers' from the residents. Many seemed to have different ideas of what a burger should actually look like. Are they a popular dish on Earth?"

"In some countries," Bob said, forcing himself to actually look at the man. "I'd kill for a cheeseburger right now."

"There's no need for that," Lokan said seriously, and Bob once again wondered if sarcasm was a foreign concept to him. "Humans don't need to work within the borders of Jeshilon. All guests eat for free, regardless of their age, gender or Class. All we ask is that you respect the laws of the city and follow instructions should a monster surge appear. Leave the fighting to Alathans."

"Sound's like a sweet deal," Bob said flatly. He would have been tempted by the offer if the whole place didn't creep him out. He didn't believe in free lunch. Just the promise of stable magic—particularly an unfounded rumor—shouldn't be enough to house them indefinitely. Eventually, Lokan would want something more from the humans and this whole system would break down.

While Lokan started listing off the wide array of human cuisine they offered, Helga moved to stand next to Bob, tapping him on the shoulder. "Are you noticing any of this," she asked in a low voice.

Bob nodded "How many have you caught staring?"

"Too many to count," Helga said, pretending to listen to Lokan's boasting. "Men, women, children. They're all staring at me like I've got something on my face."

This had been happening the entire tour. It seemed like every resident of Jeshilon was out to watch Lokan give his tour, but instead of looking at the man speaking, they kept their eyes trained on the new people in town, their eerie gazes sending a shiver down Bob's back. He felt like they weren't looking at him but into him. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something in this group wasn't normal.

A young girl in a small pink dress watched him with large curious eyes. She whispered something to her mother, pointing excitedly at Bob. The mother pushed her hand down and picked the girl up, whispering something in her ear.

Yep, there was definitely something off about all this.

"Maybe they're just nervous around outsiders?" Bob suggested generously as the woman disappeared down an alleyway.

Most of the players in Jeshilon were low in level, with some that were even below the First Ascension. They weren't the first group Bob had seen that ignored the tutorial in favor of short term safety, but it was the largest group he had seen in one place. Instead of gamers, this group looked like legitimate refugees.

How were there so many children?

"…any specific desires, just give the cooks your recipe and they will do their best to recreate it." Lokan finished his spiel, gesturing toward the entrance. "Shall we move inside?"

* * *

Patty settled into the seat next to Hoka as Kiori placed the hot teakettle on a folded cloth.

"Hurry up and get started," Hoka demanded. "We're on a time crunch here."

Kiori clucked her tongue. "You're as impatient as you were last time."

"Patty doesn't need the first half. The end of the world is coming, only the System can stop it, blah, blah, blah," Hoka said. "I can fill her in later. Lokan isn't as long-winded as you are."

"That is a statement I know to be false," Kiori said with a wry smile. "And I confess, I lied to you upon our first meeting. I will not be telling you the second half of the story, nor the first, for that matter."

Hoka narrowed her eyes. "We had a deal."

"A deal that I broke before it was even struck," Kiori said. "The first half of the story was a complete fabrication. I apologize for the deception, but it was important that you bring me the aces of the RemEmber guild."

Patty's eyes widened at the mention of her guild. She hadn't told Hoka that part yet—not that it was a secret or anything, it just hadn't come up in conversation. Had she been asking around for information about Patty and her friends?

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Hoka gaped. "You're joking, right? You couldn't have lied. You used a truth spell. I watched you cast it."

"I used a pretty light spell with a certain trigger word that I find easy enough to work into conversation," Kiori said mischievously. "You are somewhat gullible, I must say."

Hoka balled her hands into fists, her expression thunderous. "Are you looking for a fight, Kiori?"

Patty stood and backed away, not planning to catch a stray fist if this really did come to blows. Hoka was prone to rampaging when she was mad, which happened more often than the woman would admit.

"Had I told you the truth, you wouldn't have brought your friends," Kiori said. "And we desperately needed the help. If you sit, I will tell you the true contents of my vision, though they are not as… bombastic as the fabrication; true events seldom are."

Hoka glared at the woman for so long that Patty was sure she was going to start throwing punches, but she relaxed her hands and settled back into the couch.

"Fine," she said, her tone still murderous. "Have it your way but apologize to that one first. I wouldn't have brought her if I knew you were a dirty cheat."

Kiori laughed. "I would apologize for a great many things if there was time, but bringing her here is not one of them. There are a great many things she needs to hear, and I can tell her but a few in the short time our paths have crossed."

Sensing the tension lowering in the room, Patty reclaimed her seat, watching Kiori suspiciously. She was fairly sure she wasn't going to believe Kiori's information the first time, but now, knowing that she lied to get Patty here in the first place, it seemed even less likely that any of her words were credible. Still, Patty came all this way, she might as well hear the woman out.

"Now, I must first explain to you the nature of a vision, for it is often mistaken as fact," Kiori began. "Visions are not divine revelations from the gods or special sight that reveals the future. It is a form of insight. A sense that can be trained to see certain possibilities; paths that the future might take, given the right conditions are met. Sometimes, a vision doesn't show us the future at all, but a small insight into a truth that is hidden or a past that is lost to time. In this way, they can provide useful information, when wielded by one who knows where to look."

"And you know where to look?" Hoka asked skeptically. "After what, a month on Ember?"

"I will not explain that much," Kiori said. "I have many secrets, and I choose to only reveal the ones relevant to the two of you." She turned to look at Patty, her expression serious. "The second half of my vision does not involve you directly, but you will meet the one that needs to hear it. In addition, there is good you can do before leaving Alatha."

"No one leaves Alatha," Hoka said.

"If Patty plays her role, Alatha may cease to be. Is she does not, it may one day fall to ruins," Kiori said.

"So, you're saying they're screwed either way?" Patty asked, her brow knitting in confusion. "Then what's the point of telling me?"

"I didn't say that," Kiori said. "I said Alatha may be gone if you succeed, it may be destroyed if you fail."

"We'll all get out?" Hoka asked, sitting a little straighter in her chair. All of her anger vanished in an instant as she latched onto the implications of the woman's words. "That's what you mean, isn't it? Alatha will be gone because we'll all get over to Ember's side of the wall."

Kiori nodded. "Though some may choose to stay, eventually, the unclaimed territory will be claimed by its original keepers, should all things fall into place."

Patty repressed a sigh of frustration. It was the typical roundabout way of saying 'what comes will come'. In other words, all things come to dust, so all things will eventually end. It was circular logic that didn't prove anything.

Kiori looked pointedly at Patty. "It seems you need more concrete language. Very well, but know that everything I tell you is likely to change. The future is not set in stone, but there are paths we all must take to drive our journeys forward.

"The message I have for you is this: there is a crack in the boundary between Ember and Ashen. Close this, and the monsters will no longer spawn. Only those who have adapted will continue on, cleansing the land of the influence of the one with two natures. The one who shouldn't be here is somewhere in the northwest sea, sleeping on the back of an Elemental, though she may not be there for long. Go to her and tell her that she must climb the tower and change two minds to bring peace to the System once more. If she does not, the land—both inside and outside the anomaly—will fall to ruin as the clash of time and space leads to the fall of both worlds."

Patty frowned. "There's a tower in this game? Since when?"

"It's not a game," Hoka reminded her grumpily. "And this is a bunch of hogwash. You promised me a distinct path forward. Actionable steps. What the hell is a 'crack in the boundary' supposed to mean? 'Sleeping on the back of an Elemental'? What a bunch of bullshit."

Kiori shook her head. "There is little I can do to speak more plainly than this. I receive hints, images, small tidbits of information that I must pull together into the form of a prophecy. It is my job to gather them; it is yours to decipher them." She poured Patty a cup of tea, placing it in front of her. "And the further an event is in the future, the more difficult it becomes to see. It is not too different from life, I'm afraid."

Patty took the tea and sniffed it cautiously. The strong scent of mint overpowered the other herbs that Kiori had added. After a moment's hesitation, she took a sip. It wasn't mint tea, but it had a pleasantly sharp taste, like ginger and herbs. The liquid's warmth spread through her body, relaxing her but not enough to put her to sleep.

She turned back to Kiori. "It's lovely."

"You picked it out dear," Kiori said with a nod. "I merely brewed the tea."

"You added more herbs afterwards," Patty pointed out.

"Indeed."

Remember what I said, child. Kiori's voice entered Patty's mind. And remember your friends. Old ones—She turned and looked at Hoka who frowned back at her—and new ones alike. The world is divided. Only together can we overcome the shadows of the past.

Patty opened her mouth to respond but Kiori gave a gentle shake of her head. "I believe it is time for you to go. I have told you what I know."

The door opened of its own accord and Hoka didn't even question it. She stomped out of the room, not even bothering with a polite goodbye.

Patty stood to leave, placing the teacup back on its saucer. "Thank you for the tea."

"Of course, dear," Kiori said, pressing a piece of paper into Patty's hand. "I know you will use this knowledge wisely. The tea won't last forever, so try to find the crack as soon as possible."

"Won't last?" Patty asked, checking her System for status effect warnings, but she didn't see anything amiss. "What was it supposed to do?"

Kiori shook her head. "Only you can discover its purpose. That is the nature of insight." She led Patty to the door, opening it for her. Thank you for your gift of knowledge, Patricia Holland. We will use it well. The people of Jeshilon will not disgrace the faces we wear.

Before Patty could ask what that meant, Kiori had already closed the door, leaving her standing alone in the alleyway. Patty unfolded the paper and read it. It was the prophecy that Kiori had just told them, as well as an extra line at the bottom.

I don't know where the crack is, but it's likely deeper in the tunnels. Don't forget to bring Fluffy.

"Are you coming?" Hoka snapped, standing at the mouth of the alley.

"What?" Patty blinked, looking up from the paper. "Oh, right. Yeah." She shoved the paper in her Inventory, shaking her head as she followed the fuming Hoka out of the alley.