"Welcome in the golden city." said Crisis, her wavy black hair flowing across the throne she was seated upon, her eyes a few feet above Leyk and Avere who were struggling to look at her without feeling overwhelming intent and presence, as if the golden sun itself was shining, be it without any real light, causing them to look downwards for now, Crisis quickly tuning it down a bit.
With neither of the two saying anything the relatively small girl quickly continued, her childish face shining in a weird light as she still sat upon the still flame of gold formed as an eternally imposing throne.
"I have been awaiting you for quite some time after I was asked to care for you." she said, seemingly having decided not to hide all that much, Avere's eyes glistening after she had said that, his mouth already moving to ask, the information now eternally inside his mind, but unable to ask before Leyk interrupted and posed the question both of them yearned to find the answer to, not really caring about the difference in rank, something that had always been inherent to Cades as well.
"Sadly" she began, her voice of a slightly lower pitch than before, as if hiding a hint of frustration, neither of the two noticing with their current thirst for this information she was seemingly about to disclose, " I only know that a man came here a few months ago, his face hidden with a cloak and intent that I did not look through, giving me some things in return for taking care of you and" she hesitated for a mere instant, " train you for whatever you decide to do." she ended her telling, not entirely the truth, not entirely lies, the two that had been listened understanding, but Avere quickly asking something else, having found out a lot about higher ranks and divine entities already, be it only the higher echelon rather than the lower ones.
"What did they give you?" he asked without thinking.
"Nothing of much importance, a parchment inscribed with a benevolent spell that helped a new ally of mine, a coin I can use to get a favour, not much more." she answered nonchalantly, her left hand going into a pocket hidden within her black dress and seemingly fidgeting with something round and relatively thick.
"A coin?" Avere inquired, having heard about gods and other entities using coins for favours from the great pillar of experiences back when he had gone through all the suspects and those that could have done it but wouldn't have done it, most likely still having left a few out though, but choosing not to inquire further, Leyk looking both confused and interested, most likely going to ask Avere of what he knew later on once they were out of the throne-room.
"Yes, nothing of importance right now, but indeed a well price for what I am intended to do with you." she began, somehow looking straight into both of their eyes, a golden compass with elegant markings and impressive lettering now in her left hand as she turned it around and around over and over again, her hand expertly repeating the very same gesture as she collected her thoughts for a mere moment before finally continuing on.
"Do you have any questions before I pose a few of mine, her head staring intently at Leyk who Avere was now looking at as well, his face slightly perplexed, Leyk not really noticing anything because he was too engrossed in the conversation, trying to figure out as much as he possibly could, but having found there was not anything to ask, simply shaking his head, same as what Avere did a mere moment later.
"First" she began, ripping her golden gaze off from Leyk who was still confused and in a bit of a perplexed state as he listened intently, her gaze now directed at Avere as her fingers expertly continued their movement with the golden compass she wielded.
"I assume Cades is not able, or perhaps not willing to show himself?" she inquired, not receiving an answer as Leyk had not yet been made aware that Cades had arrived in this realm already and Avere did not know if Cades was able to communicate outside of the realm of experiences, the silver ocean as it had been called by some.
"Well, no matter" she quickly interluded once more, her next question being soon to follow, her gaze once more directed at Avere, seeing somethign deep inside him that not even he was aware of, making his heart feel heavy, his lungs as if they were filled with a thick liquid like tar, his eyes heavy and dry, burning as after a long night filled with the heat of the summer when one did not dare close their eyes.
"Who did you contract with?" she asked, her eyes showing genuine confusion at something Avere, now free of the tormenting and absurdly powerful gaze, was painfully unaware of as it seemed, the silver of his body, or rather, the cadon, only being silver in colour, having begun to slightly waver as a few drops were now rolling down his hanging arm, dancing over the bone of his index finger before he noticed and they were absorbed into the tip as if it was a dry bigger droplet absorbing a smaller one that had dared come too close.
Avere, feeling that it was almost useless to hide such a thing, the queen surely being able to find out later on when he used the material that supposedly consisted of experiences and souls themselves, or when he talked with Leyk about what he had gone through, which he surely did intent as he had a feeling the two of them could very much help each other, responded freely and nonchalantly, his voice not stuttering, bright as the day, but timid as should be.
"I made a contract with the greater pillar of experiences, though I guess a contract isn't entirely fitting." he explained, the eyes of the great queen thinning a bit, her pupils now slit-like as she stared deep inside him once more, seeing something he was still unaware of, as if a hole was burnt through his body.
Indeed, there was a hole inside his chest, a few inches deep, a few inches wide, circular in shape, in a place that was not vital in the short term, the stomach-region, but quickly healing either way, Avere realizing after the deed, not even being angry, just flabbergasted, a but of apathy appearing in his heart once more.