"What was that about?"
Indra shook his head, glancing at the pocket.
"I don't know? Do you think I can read people's mind?" Urek replied indignantly,
"Ugh, So frustrating! Why would she make a bet like that with me?"
Indra asked, blinking his eyes "What are you talking about?"
"Leave that thing aside baby, looks like you'll get your hands full on something soon." Urek's voice came a bit softer than before.
"Tsk… Why are you oldies talking in riddles Today?"
"You'll know soon"
Indrah shook his head while flying to the nearby land.
He wasn't too tired after the fight, just a few tears in his outfit.
"You know… coming out unharmed in a fight like that is pretty amazing," Urek said, pausing with a petty little laugh. "Hehe… even though I was stronger than you when I first reached the 21st floor."
The dull metal beneath him creaked slightly as he landed, boots scraping against the edge. Indrah folded his arms and scowled.
"Yeah? Save it. These eyes can seen through your bullsh*t"
Behind him, Urek was floating lazily with his hands behind his head like he didn't have a care in the world.
Indrah glanced back. "So? You're not gonna explain?"
"Nope."
"Really?"
Urek grinned. "You'd just ignore half of it anyway. Better to let it smack you in the face."
"…Great."
He turned around, only to freeze mid-step. Someone was already there; leaning against the far railing, arms crossed, hood down. She looked about his age… but there was something off. Not in a dangerous way, just sharp. Watching him the way a cat watches a bird with a broken wing.
"You took your time," she said flatly.
Indrah blinked. "Uh. Hi?"
Urek landed behind him and waved lazily. "Told you you'd get your hands full."
The girl didn't move. "You're Indrah, right? The one with the Contract of Falsehood."
Indrah's eyes narrowed. He didn't respond right away.
"…How do you know that?"
His voice was low now, more sharper than usual.
"That contract wasn't meant to be known. I doubt even King Jahad's aware of it."
She stepped forward, calm and steady.
"I wouldn't dare claim to know what the King knows… but I do know the Administrators are aware. After all, you made that Contract with the most supreme being in this Tower; The Caretaker, Headon."
Indrah didn't say anything. His expression stayed still, but the shift in his posture was clear.
"…So. You were sent by the Administrator."
The hooded woman gave a small bow.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Ehra, and I'm here on the orders of the Administrator of the 21st Floor."
Indrah's brow twitched. "Not this again."
"Is this your work, Urek?"
"Administrator's orders? I swear, this has nothing to do with what I was talking about," Urek added, stretching his arms behind his back.
Ehra chuckled. "He's right. This has nothing to do with him, or the Yeon Family Leader either."
Indrah scratched his head.
'What the hell does the Administrator want now? I already refused to take his test. That's supposed to be one of the perks of the contract I made with Headon…'
He glanced over at Urek, but the man had already floated up and away, mumbling something about getting out of here.
"Tch… figures."
Ehra rolled her shoulders. "Don't worry. This could be a mercenary job; That's if you're willing to accept it."
"A Mercenary, huh… I like the sound of that." Indrah tilted his head slightly, a habit he had whenever something genuinely caught his interest.
"So what's this about?"
Ehra turned without answering, her cloak swaying as she walked toward the far end of the land, Looking below the Clouds.
"Come. I'll explain on the way."
Indrah frowned, but followed.
Ehra stopped at the Floating Island's edge. She didn't say much; just raised her hand, palm open toward the sky.
"Anamnesis's Memories: Olden Path."
Indrah immediately felt the shift in the Shinsu Flow around him.
krrrk… tkk… tkk… krrrk…
Thin panes of glass began to form around them, one after another, layering like petals folding in. The light bent strangely inside it; Clear but hazy, like looking through water that wasn't quite real.
Then came the sound soft of Waves. Not crashing, just endless and steady. Familiar. But they weren't near the sea yet.
Ehra stepped forward into the center of the forming prism.
"There's a sea at the edge of this floor. Not many go there. Not many even know it's there."
The glass shimmered around her, threads of mist weaving along its edges.
"In the center of that sea, there's an island. Small. Hidden. The island has a village whose ancestors once guarded something..."
Indrah's eyes narrowed. "It's not some ancient creature that should've been sealed there, is it?"
She nodded. "Exactly. It's Supposedly wiped out during The 'Great War' but survived. Barely. It's been sealed somewhere on the island by One of Three Lords of the King."
A crack ran through one of the glass panes.
She looked at him. "Kill it."
More fractures now. It's unknown if it's The Shinsu concentration or their gaze clashing against each other caused the cracks this time.
Indrah clicked his tongue. "Tch… Of course. No map, no Guide, no details; Just throw me into it."
"The villagers may know something. Their lineage traces back to the original Seal-Keepers. Some records, maybe. Or stories passed down."
Indrah didn't respond for a while, just walked beside her in silence. The distant glimmer of water shimmered in the sky ahead.
"So, You're a Guide?" he muttered.
Ehra glanced at him. "I am. This isn't a test… You can always quit when you felt it was necessary."
"Yeah… thanks for caring about me."
CRACK.
The glass broke all at once, but it didn't shatter. It dissolved, slow and silent, like it had only been holding on for them to finish hearing her.
When the pieces were gone, they were standing above the Sea.
Low clouds hung near the water's surface. Far ahead, faint in the distance, was a single island; gray rock, patches of green, no visible dock.
Indrah looked around, blinking. It wasn't disorienting. It was just… there. Like he just walked out of a memory not his own.
He glanced sideways at Ehra. She hadn't moved. She was just watching the island.
'That weird spell… is she an Ancient's Host?'
A faint grin tugged at the corner of his mouth
'Alright… She's Strong.'