CHAPTER 188: CHAPTER 188 – SHADOWS AMIDST THE LIGHT

The morning sky over Anarets was a pale blue, bright and cloudless. Small birds flitted between the rooftops and low towers of stone buildings. The market was coming alive again, filled with the aroma of spices, toasted bread, and burning wood. In the distance, the temple bells rang softly, marking the start of the day.

Stacia and Alicia sat at a small café on the edge of the plaza, beneath a thin orange canopy that swayed gently in the breeze.

"The herbal tea here is pretty good," murmured Alicia as she stirred her cup, warm steam rising lazily.

"I think it’s too sweet," Stacia replied, lifting her notebook and scribbling something with a small magical pen. "But the atmosphere is perfect for reading. Not as noisy as the market, not as quiet as the library."

Their table was set off to the side, near a small park where children played and mothers sold vegetables. Through the trees, sunlight danced on the cobblestone streets. Anarets truly was a city unlike any they had visited before.

"So, where to after this?" Alicia asked, resting her chin in her hand.

Stacia closed her notebook, her gaze turning toward the distant Hunter’s Guild tower. "I want to check the mission board again. But... before that, there’s something I want to see."

Alicia raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Last night, while I was reading at the inn, I found a reference to an old temple in the northern part of the city. Supposedly, it was once used to seal away an unknown magical flow... before it was abandoned." Stacia looked at Alicia seriously. "I think that place may be connected to the dimensional communication magic I’m working on."

Alicia sighed. "An old abandoned temple? Full of possible traps and restless spirits? Sounds like Sylvia’s kind of place."

Stacia chuckled softly. "Maybe. But I think it’s important. I just want to examine it, nothing too deep."

Alicia took her final sip of tea and stood up. "Alright then. Let’s go find a shadowy place that may or may not be cursed. Why not?"

They walked along increasingly quiet streets toward the northern part of the city. The buildings here looked older, their stones covered in moss, and their wooden windows creaked when touched by the breeze. Lush trees grew along the building walls, giving the sense that nature was slowly reclaiming the area.

Soon, they arrived at an old, rusted iron gate. Beyond it, a narrow path led uphill through a wooded area. At the top, the silhouette of an ancient building could be seen; its roof partially collapsed, but the stone walls were still standing firm, as if defying time.

"There it is," Stacia said softly.

The gate wasn’t locked. With a bit of force and a loud creak, they stepped onto the rocky path. Tall grass brushed against their legs, and the air buzzed with the sound of insects.

As they reached the front courtyard of the temple, the air turned noticeably cooler, as if the place held memories from the past that refused to fade.

The temple was built of dark stone, now overtaken by massive roots. Its towering pillars were cracked, yet still upright.

They walked forward slowly, unease creeping in.

"Should we really go in?" Alicia asked, her tone laced with doubt.

"We’ll just check the front. We won’t touch anything."

They stepped inside the temple. Though the ceiling had collapsed in some places, the main hall remained intact. The walls were covered in ancient, barely legible murals, but the lingering magical aura was strong enough to make their skin crawl.

Stacia stopped in front of a large magic circle etched into the floor. Around it, old crystals lay shattered and blackened.

"This... this is summoning magic," she murmured. "The structure... but I don’t know what it was used to summon."

Alicia approached. "Are you sure we shouldn’t just tell Sylvia about this?"

"Not yet. I need to understand it first. If this can give me a clue, it might help accelerate my dimensional communication magic."

Suddenly, a faint whisper echoed behind them like a breath of wind carrying a voice.

Alicia immediately turned, her hand gripping her magic staff.

"Stacia. This place... isn’t completely empty."

They stood back to back, on high alert.

But the sound vanished as quickly as it had come. Nothing emerged from the shadows.

After several minutes of tense silence, Stacia finally said, "Let’s go. That’s enough for today. It’s too dangerous to investigate further without preparation."

Carefully, they exited the temple and made their way back down the path toward the city. The sun had begun to tilt westward, and long shadows stretched behind them.

Back on Anarets’ main street, the bustle returned, as if the eerie world of the temple had just been a passing nightmare.

They went straight back to their inn. Thankfully, it was a nice one with a bath. They both went to wash up, rinsing off the exhaustion and unease of the day.

After their bath and change into clean clothes, their bodies felt much more refreshed. The herbal soap from the expensive inn still lingered faintly on their skin. Stacia wore a dark blue tunic with a thin cloak that fluttered as she walked, while Alicia opted for an ivory-white outfit with gold trim, a simple yet elegant style that stood out amidst the crowd.

Night began to fall over the city of Anarets.

The sky, once bright blue, had turned into gradients of purple and deep crimson, while crystal lanterns slowly lit up along the cobbled streets. The city’s main road filled once more with the scent of food, meat grilled over embers, thick soup steaming from large cauldrons, and flatbread baked directly on hot stones. The crowd stirred again, but this time in a different rhythm: more relaxed, more familiar.

"My stomach just realized it hasn’t eaten all day," Alicia said in a whiny tone, holding her belly, which had just growled softly.

Stacia smiled faintly. "You were the one shopping nonstop earlier, remember?"

Alicia scoffed. "That’s no excuse. I was maintaining balance between my mind and my wallet."

They wandered through the narrow yet lively night market alley of Anarets. Dim crystal lights hung from long cords stretched between buildings, creating the illusion of a manmade starry sky.

Food vendors from various races stood behind wooden carts or small tents. There was an elf with mystical mushroom soup that supposedly gave sweet dreams, a dwarf selling heavy meatbread filled with molten cheese, beastfolk offering spicy skewers coated in rare spices, and even an old human man with a giant pot of steaming seafood porridge that smelled divine.

"That one looks good," Alicia said, pointing to the beastfolk’s skewer cart. "Look at that smoke. Smells amazing."

Stacia nodded. "But don’t go overboard on the spice. Your stomach’s sensitive, remember?"

"If I faint, you’ll carry me back, right?" Alicia teased.

They approached and bought two servings of spicy skewers, served on large leaves and sprinkled with yellow spice flakes. The meat was tender, juicy, with a smoky and fiery flavor. Alicia teared up from the heat but smiled in satisfaction, while Stacia ate hers slowly, savoring the flavor while mentally noting the oddities around them.

Afterward, they stopped at a cold drink stall with some kind of grape juice mixed with lightly carbonated herbal syrup, served in stone cups with polished twig straws.

"This... is really good," Stacia said in surprise, eyes widening slightly.

"See? Sometimes the simplest things hide the most wonder," Alicia said as she sipped her drink contentedly.

They strolled again, drinks in hand. The street shops displayed all sorts of curiosities: tiny magic crystals, self-moving hand puppets, fabrics with patterns that changed based on light, and even a whole store of old books that whispered softly when their first pages were turned.

Anarets truly felt alive not just because of its liveliness, but because of the diversity of creatures and magic that soaked into the very stones of its buildings.

Yet deep down, both Stacia and Alicia knew the day wasn’t truly over. Thoughts of the ancient temple and the magic circle inside it still spun in their minds. It felt like something was unfinished... something waiting in the dark.

"Alicia," Stacia said softly as they sat on a stone bench near the central fountain, enjoying the evening breeze, "I think that place... doesn’t just hold secrets. It hides wounds."

Alicia turned, her face calm but her sharp eyes full of attention. "You think the place is dangerous?"

"Yes. But not because of evil creatures or traps. There’s something deeper. As if... that place remembers something it wants to forget. But it leaks out when we step inside."

Alicia nodded slowly. "We’ll go back. But later when we’re more prepared."

Stacia nodded. Night deepened, and they stood from the bench.

Their steps back to the inn were slower this time, unhurried. But not entirely at ease either. A faint shadow trailed behind not physically, but in their thoughts a remnant of the ancient temple they had entered earlier.

Once at the inn, they said goodnight and entered their respective rooms. The rooms were luxurious, with large windows facing the city, soft canopied beds, and small candles that lit themselves as night fell.

Stacia sat at the edge of her bed, opened her notes, and began rewriting the magical structure she had seen at the temple. Meanwhile, Alicia dropped her now-heavy shopping bag in the corner of the room and flopped onto the bed with a long sigh.

The night passed quietly, but their hearts were not quiet. This world was slowly revealing its hidden faces. And their journey had only just begun.