Death, Devotion, Dissonance

"Lord mage, we're here!"

A deep, but servile voice woke Endra up.

Groggily, Endra peeked out from a bundle of blankets. Momentarily, he found it hard to understand where exactly he was. A small, box-shaped room; curtains covering a window; and a short, squarish door with the bearded face of a man peeking out of it.

'The trip…' he sighed.

"But by the Empress, you sleep like a log," the driver laughed. "You were completely out of it for the two-day ride. Even wondered if you'd died, but your breathing was fine so I let you be. Hope I didn't do anything wrong."

"Mno… No," Endra slurred and shook his head.. "But two days?"

"Yes, sir. We're at the gates of Ankelite already. They'll be checking for your papers. Wanted to tell you that," the man said and resumed driving.

"Fuck…"

The last thing he remembered was hiring a carriage driver and then thinking how bumpy the ride was.

He then wondered what he could do to make the trip more bearable, but at some point, he'd fallen asleep. Not just asleep, completely unconscious. The driver must've checked up on him to make sure he was fine, but Endra knew nothing about that.

"Never thought the most difficult thing I'd do after reviving was to manage sleep."

"What's that, lord mage?"

"Nothing, just thinking out loud."

Endra could sleep as a spirit, but not when he was in Evin's head. He could pretend to do so, but it wasn't the same thing. So, he lived life as Evin, as if he didn't sleep. He dosed off a few times, but those were light ones. He even wondered if he didn't need to sleep. Perhaps some perk he received thanks to his unusual circumstances.

"I definitely need to reconsider that…" Endra said.

The driver peeked back, but Endra only shook his head.

He really needed to do something about his habit of speaking out his thoughts. It wasn't a problem when he was a spirit and a voice, but now he was a proper member of society.

Shaking his head, he looked outside the carriage.

They were fast-approaching the gates of Ankelite city, with a few other travelers walking near them. A guard was walking among them, asking them their documents.

When the guard came to Endra's carriage, he pulled out his papers from his storage ring and was admitted. Of course, the process wasn't difficult, considering he was a rich local.

"Would you like me to bring you somewhere, Lord Mage? It's free service. You've been the best customer I had in years, after all. Aha-ha-ha," the driver asked.

Endra looked at the address that Twelve gave him. It was on the other side of the city, inside the district of 3rd grades.

'It can wait,' Endra decided. "I'll get there tomorrow by myself.'

"Bring me to the Mage Academy."

"Aye, sir."

Endra slouched back into his seat, and sighed deeply.

He delayed his arrival a lot. He was like an over-eager tourist, who couldn't help but see every sightseeing spot in his path. It was honestly fun, seeing the new sights… but he couldn't enjoy himself fully. The heavy conversations he'd need to were like clouds in his little core.

"Well, there's no delaying it further," Endra muttered.

The driver did not glance back at him this time, realizing Endra was just talking to himself.

Endra reprimanded himself again for thinking out loud.

The streets of Ankelite were bustling. A couple children ran behind the carriage, both swearing curses at each other; stall owners shouted out to nearby pedestrians, holding their greasy products by their hands; a driver of some important looking carriage was arguing with the city guard; and from somewhere, a waft of shit was spreading through the air.

The filth of life surrounded Endra and he felt a sudden tinge of nostalgia.

Although he lived till the 21st century on Earth, he still couldn't feel at home with the clean and civilized feel the city centers had. Often, he found himself looking for interesting people or places in the city outskirts or the slums.

He even half-seriously considered moving to Edmund's house. The Academy dorm was nice and convenient, but the place was rather boring. It was especially boring for Endra, who was more interested in people rather than luxuries.

But when he thought about it, Edmund's neighbors weren't the most breathtaking people either.

'Ah, whatever,' he thought… then smiled since he didn't sigh that out loud.

As he was patting himself on the back for his achievements, he saw a rather congested stall. A number of people were surrounding it, but the whole vibe felt off. Looking closer, Endra noticed that the people were just lurking around the stall, not really buying anything. Another look told him that all the people lurking around were men.

"What's going on there?" Endra wondered, before the reason became apparent to him.

An almost dramatically eye-catching woman was working the stall. Honestly, that was an understatement of her beauty, but Endra wasn't someone who was so weak to looks.

He could only smile wryly and forget about the matter.

"But why is no one buying anything from her?" he wondered again.

Normally, they'd at least be flaunting their wealth, however shallow that may be, but these men, they only seemed happy to lurk around her.

Endra looked closer to her wares and saw a sign.

"The Brown Awakener. Exotic eastern drink. Popular in Tower City. Refreshing and invigorating."

'Huh.'

On the woman's stall, a few devices were placed. A good look told Endra that a few of them were magical devices, a boiler, a shredder, and some other device. Nearby, a few glass containers were placed, holding brown beans inside them.

"Coffee!" Endra realized.

"Driver, drop me off here," he said.

"Don't think it's a good idea, chasing that woman over there," the driver replied tauntingly.

Apparently the man was keeping an eye on Endra. The man was too damn perceptive for his own good.

"I just want the drink," Endra said, to which he only received a knowing smile.

"Just stop," Endra said. "And thanks for the ride."

Ignoring the man's jeering smile from behind him, Endra approached the woman's stall.

A few eyes from the men came towards his way, some curious, some jeering.

'Mind your on businesses,' Endra thought to himself and asked the stall owner.

She truly was a beautiful woman. Endra even wondered why there were so few people around.

"What can I do for you, sir?" the woman asked.

The way the woman called a teen like Endra 'sir' without batting an eye showed her professionalism.

"How much for a cup?" he asked, nodding to the coffee.

"Depends on the type, sir. Raw, with milk, with sugar, or with both?"

"Raw."

"4 silvers, sir."

Endra understood why no one was buying anything from the place. Even for Endra, a mage, 4 silver wasn't cheap. It would be weird if anyone around could afford a drink like this.

"The product comes from far away, sir. Please be understanding," the woman added.

Endra nodded and produced 8 silvers. "Give me two cups."

The woman seemed surprised, but managed to keep it in and started working on the coffee.

The jeers of the surrounding men fell on Endra, but he paid them no mind. He found a seat, and casually watched the stall owner work. She really was a professional. Endra felt happy, managing to find this place so randomly. He didn't care how a coffee stall suddenly appeared in Ankelite city, he only worried if it would disappear someday.

He was excited, smelling coffee for the first time in ages, but his mood felt wrong all of a sudden.

'Ah, I'm delaying my arrival again,' he realized. 'Fine, fine. I'll get there after this.'

Sighing, he decided not to think about things again, and focused on the two cups of coffee in front of him.

"Your coffee, sir," the woman spoke.

She honestly sounded too formal, but looking at the men around, Endra guessed it was a defense mechanism of some sorts.

"Thanks," Endra nodded and gleefully took a sip from one of the cups.

It was definitely coffee. Not some magical bullshit coffee exclusive to Alvox. Real, proper coffee.

"What's your name again?" Endra asked.

"Rhea," the woman's face fell somehow. "Sir."

Endra didn't care for her misunderstanding. It would get resolved by itself soon enough.

"Well, Rhea. Tell me in advance if your stall's going to relocate to somewhere."

Saying so, Endra smiled and started walking towards the Academy.