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Ronin had told his father and Donna that he would be travelling to Scirocco for the summer. Which was not really a lie, as he had to make a stop for the potion there.

It was only in Scirocco that the Potion of Illuminance can be found and distributed.

The Potion of Illuminance was the one that humans must take in order to survive in the darkness and poisonous rancid air of the Abyss. They were believed to had been made from a strand of Aurion’s hair itself, which was equivalent to a sunbeam too.

In order to survive the Sunless Realm, you need a piece of the sun within you.

However…

Would Ronin really need it?

After all, he was the incarnation of the Lord of Darkness himself, just stuck in a mortal human flesh.

But Ronin was only planning to take it just in case, and to be an alibi. After going to Scirocco, he will go for the Edge at the Kingdom of Welkin, and ride a Griffon from there to descend into the Abyss.

Upon reaching the merchant that sold the potions, he gave a look at Ronin and said:

“10,000 Gold coins.”

Ronin sneered. This crook was obviously trying to cheat him of the price because he was a Commoner.

But he merely said politely. “The tag said it was 1,000, Sir.”

“We were low on stocks so the price changed.” The man with scruffy white beard and eyebrows that covered his eyes said. “10,000 gold, take it or leave it.”

“Although….. That suit you’re wearing. It seems to be embellished by tiny pieces of black diamonds in the lining. That would suffice as payment.”

Ronin was wearing the suit that Cermin gifted to him in the Astral Ball. He had taken a liking to this suit but also found it practical to make people believe he was not a Commoner of they weren’t observant enough.

The potionmaster was the first to notice he was a Commoner, and that was because his eyes was skilled at looking at people he had encountered over the years in this business.

The black diamonds, or Carbonado as they were called, were even rarer than white diamonds but more impure and other mineral inclusions within it. Many still debate where they originated, as an aftermath of a meteor or a continuous lightning strikes.

There had never been, even in the existence of Diamant, a person with a Black Diamond Heartstone.

Ronin knew that this could be what he had ended up to if he was a hero. Instead of Obsidian, he could have been a Carbonado Hero mage.

But that was never his destiny, and he would not allow such a thing in the first place.

Even so, going back to the potion master wanting him to sell the black diamond suit…

“No.” Ronin said. “The price was 1,000, so that is all you will receive. If you insist on not doing so, well…..”

He grinned. “Just go to sleep.”

“You insolent Commoner—- Snore!”

After saying the word sleep, the old man had collapsed on his desk. Ronin took the potion without paying anything and left the shop.

Would he wake up or never wake up until Ronin tells him to? He doesn’t care, the old fart deserved it anyway.

As he went out of the store carrying the potion with him and going to hitch a carriage to Welkin…

Ronin felt that splitting headache again.

————————

“Your eyes… What happened to it? It’s black.”

One of Vyrill’s moss green eyes were missing, and the other one was replaced by a pure black Carbonado, with a single drop of white as the ‘pupil’.

Mephisto became a bit nervous with that strange eye. “Have you… Been infected for staying so long here?”

“Yes….. But this wasn’t caused by that.” Vyrill frowned. “It was the cure for the infection to not spread. I can still see with this eye even when it has become like this.”

Mephisto frowned. “Cure?”

“Yes. He wanted me to wash it in the Baptismal Grounds, but I declined. I do not want to be what he became. And so, he took my infected eye and dip it in the Baptismal, then put immense pressure so it instead becomes like this.”

Mephisto knew the Baptismal Grounds was the place where the Beacon of Light— or more accurately the Beacon of Fire— was in.

But Vyrill never mentioned about his eye, or about this person who cured him…..

“Who was it?” He asked.

Vyrill would not answer. Instead, he said.

“We parted ways. Our goals do not align, he was blinded by what the Baptismal Grounds could do. Must be because he dipped his hands into it and it changed him…. But it does not matter.”

“I will take you there. He was the one who took me there, and I shall do the same for you.”

Vyrill went to walk forward, and Mephisto followed, the Griffon following meekly too and scared at the sounds of the hellish domain they found themselves in.

“He was the first to learn the Truth because he encountered the boy earlier than any of us.” Vyrill continued to say vaguely. “However, he did not see the vision I had, that is why his views were askewed. We parted ways and must travel on opposite sides, but without him, I would have never survived to share this Truth with you.”

Mephisto really wanted to know who this ‘He’ that Vyrill was referring to, but kept quiet as he could tell it was a sore topic for him.

Vyrill then turned to him with a grim expression. “Mephisto… You said the boy wanted to become and Obsidian even when he becomes a Diamond. And what that simply needs was heating a cooling, right?”

“Y-Yes, well….. Why do you keep referring to Ronin as the ‘boy’ when he has a name—“

“Names have power. Especially the name of the person within that boy. It is all a farce, his current identity, a Lie. But nonetheless, it is not safe to bring forth the Truth within that Lie.”

Mephisto had always noticed Vyrill’s sudden obsession with truths and lies, always mentioning it in his letters and capitalizing them like they were proper nouns.

Proper names. Entities.

But he simply ignored it for a while, answered. “Yes….. Lava needs to be cooled in order to become Obsidian.”

“And for diamonds to be formed.” Vyrill pointed to his black eye. “Both heat and pressure is needed.”

“If he gets inside the Baptismal Grounds at the right moment, he will achieve what he desires. It must be avoided no matter what. But even if he did succeed…”

“There would still be hope to change him again. All that was needed was pressure. Immense pressure.”

Mephisto scoffed. “Ronin wants nothing of being a diamond. And it made sense, as diamonds are for heroes…. While he can never be farther than that.”

Vyrill went quiet for a while as they continued to walk and walk for what seemed like eternity, the surroundings never changing and still bleak and gloomy as ever.

With the help of the Potion of Illuminance, they can see through the darkness. But the aura was still different despite it.

It was still a place that was abnormally dark and cold.

Mephisto shivered, and when he did, Vyrill took off his coat and draped it on his shoulders. The meek professor shook his head and tried to give it back.

“No, you take it. I should have listened when you told me it would be cold in here, but I thought I had already worn enough. I should have brought more.”

“I’m used to the cold. You take it.” Vyrill said plainly.

That made sense too since he had lived here for a year now, so Mephisto didn’t argue anymore. He shook while asking. “So where do you stay—“

“Do you know why it was heat and pressure that causes metamorphosis?”

Mephisto was surprised by this question, since all Life Science professors should know the answer already. And Vyrill was one himself. So why…

“Not for stones, Mephisto.” Vyrill guessed what’s on his mind. “For people. For humans.”

“Heat of passion, and the pressures of trials. That is what changes us.” Vyrill said, looking at his own burned hand.

“The heat that changes your heart is your passion. Your greatest desires, you aspirations, your hatred and love.”

“The pressure was the sacrifices you make along the way, your suffering, the things you endured. Think of it this way with how the boy wants to he an Obsidian.”

Mephisto himself was a bit of philosophical type, so this intrigued him to indeed ponder a bit.

In order to turn into Obsidian, Ronin simply needs heat. Following the analogy, Ronin simply needed passion.

In order to become Diamond, however, Ronin needed pressure as well. Trials and challenges to endure, difficulties…

And was he really the type who would want to experience difficulties?

Most likely not. After all, he received everything he wants through his hard passion and hatred for that prince, whatever his reason may be. Vyrill implied vaguely it had something to do with him being the Lord of Darkness.

Ronin must be one to settle in just one path, stubbornly going for it and not choosing anything else. He was impossible to change.

He told Vyrill this, and he nodded.

“Yes. So if he could not be changed….. He could only be stopped.”