"I plan to open a tavern in Backlund. I'd like to invite you to be my employee."
Sairuis kindly poured Amon a glass of soda-bean juice.
"You want to hire a Thief as an employee?" Amon smiled, picked up the drink, and took a light sip. His expression suddenly froze.
"Cough—" Amon set the cup down. "This is the specialty drink of your tavern?"
Sairuis changed the subject: "I don't care about most of the tavern's property. And I'm sure you don't either. As for the few valuable things—you can't steal them."
"Is that so?" Amon smoothly let himself be distracted. Without a hint of emotion, he stole the taste from his mouth and casually tossed it out the window.
"Blehh—!"
From downstairs came the timely sound of an innocent passerby crying out in misery and vomiting.
Sairuis snapped his fingers, and a synthesizer appeared beside him. He spread his hands, signaling that Amon could give it a try.
Amon reached out to steal it—but the synthesizer didn't transfer over. Instead, he grabbed a handful of interwoven blue, purple, and green light-clusters.
Immediately, deep cuts split open along Amon's left hand, as though slashed by sharp blades.
"That's what happens. The power of Hunt punishes you according to the extent of your theft."
"Hunt…" Amon tasted the word. "How interesting."
This time, instead of directly stealing the wounds, he tried to deceive them into healing.
"…Hmph. Before we continue, could you please remove this energy?" His ability to cheat reality had clearly failed.
Sairuis withdrew the power of the Path of Hunt. "Here's the deal. I'll tell you some things about THEM—knowledge that's common sense where I come from. In return, you'll work as an employee in my tavern, and I'll provide you with protection."
"I don't need your protection." Amon studied his restored palm, clicking his tongue in admiration.
"Is that so? You should be cut off from your true body now, shouldn't you?" Sairuis paid no mind to his refusal. "Once you gained that mask, you stopped being His avatar—you became a complete individual. And how does He treat thieves other than Himself—especially 'interesting' ones? I think you know that better than I do."
Amon fell silent.
"That's also why you maneuvered me into getting rid of the other Amons at the scene, isn't it?"
Amon stayed quiet for a long time, then finally said: "We need to define what this 'employee' means."
Such an obvious loophole—of course Amon wouldn't overlook it.
"Of course."
…
After a period of negotiation, the two reached a partial agreement.
Amon smiled. "Do we need to find a high-sequence Sun Pathway Beyonder to sign a contract? I have someone suitable."
"No need. I have a more suitable… divine choice." Sairuis rejected Amon's "kind offer." He certainly didn't believe Amon was that considerate.
Amon raised an eyebrow. "A god? Heh, that's interesting."
"Well then, before we sign the contract, let me tell you the things you're curious about." This had been one of the conditions they agreed on earlier.
"First, you need to understand the concepts of Aeons and Paths."
"Aeons…" Amon repeated the term.
"I know what you're thinking. It's not what you imagine."
"Is that so."
Sairus pulled out a pair of black-rimmed glasses and, from who-knows-where, a blackboard. "Let's continue…"
After spending some time, Sairuis explained to Amon what Paths was, and what an Aeon was.
Amon pondered. "So, right now, I've stepped onto the Path of Elation? Why haven't I heard of these things before?"
"Perhaps it's because, in this world, there used to be no such thing as Paths."
"Used to be no Paths?" Amon glanced at Sairuis, then suddenly understood. He chuckled. "Roselle once wrote many novels—some of them were about transmigration."
"Perhaps you could also call me an outsider."
"Hm…" Amon lowered his head, playing with the mask in his hands, staring at the twelve vividly painted Time Worms circling its surface.
"What is it? You want to try it—experience the power of the mask?"
"I am a little curious." Amon didn't hide it.
"Heh. Sign the contract first. You'll have plenty of time to play later."
Amon lifted his head, a hint of something unreadable in his gaze. "Alright."
"Then next—we sign the contract." Sairuis stood up.
"To an Aeon?" Amon also stood, the two facing each other.
"Yes."
Sairuis raised his hand. A strange power linked them together. Instantly, Amon felt the surrounding scene twist. Distorted lines of every color floated before his eyes, making him slightly dizzy.
Sensing the energy, Amon asked: "Which Path is this power from? Is it Order?"
"It's Harmony—blended with Order." Sairuis explained.
Amon nodded. Sairuis continued the ritual, a melody of Harmony flowing from his lips.
"O soul of triple visages, bear witness to our vow.
Brand our tongues and palms with hot iron, so that we may not weave lies, nor swear false oaths, nor betray our promises."
Sairuis had intended to use his own grasp of Harmony, taking himself as the witness, to impose tuning and oath upon both him and Amon.
But as soon as he spoke, he felt a gaze—a gaze cast across infinite distance.
Both Sairuis and Amon's consciousness wavered. Reflected in their eyes was Xipe, the Many-Faced One, smiling with closed eyes.
Using Sairuis as the tuning note of Harmony, guided by his prayer and invocation, the Aeon of Harmony descended into this universe.
Damn. I've become an undercover agent. That was Sairuis's true thought.
[Oh no, the boss has entered the chat.]
(End of Chapter)