The Deceitful One



"Huh?" Bryan looked at him and inquired, "How long has it been since I entered the bathroom?"

The store manager looked at Bryan as if he was looking at an idiot, "It's barely been a minute. Did you really want to use the bathroom?"

Bryan smiled awkwardly, "Haha, I'm pretty quick at everything I do."

With that said, he rushed out of the restaurant. The store manager looked at Bryan's departing back and shook his head in disappointment, "Tsk, tsk, I pray for your wife."

Meanwhile, as Bryan exited the restaurant and crossed the street, he couldn't help but sigh in relief, "Thankfully, no more than a minute passed here."

Benny who was sitting on his shoulder, giggled, 'Imagine if days or even months passed by and Donald was frantically searching the whole city for us?'

Bryan looked at Benny and then both burst into laughter. The people walking by the street were giving them weird looks. After all, when had they ever seen a man laughing with a cat?

No, more importantly, when had they ever seen a cat laughing?

The duo walked towards the car and saw that Donald was still waiting for them outside.

The latter smiled, "That was quick, Master Tony."

Bryan's eyebrows twitched, "Eh… It is what it is."

Donald opened the door for Bryan to sit. After that, he hopped onto the driver's seat. He looked at Bryan and asked, "Shall we head towards the University of Nadir?"

"No need," Bryan shook his head, "Let's just go back home."

Donald nodded, "Yes, sir."

He turned the car engine on and drove towards Calm Springs.

…

Monday, 16th July 1582.

Ladies Dormitory, University of Nadir.

Inside the bedroom of an apartment on the 6th floor, Grace slowly opened her drowsy eyes. She rubbed her eyes as she slowly sat up on her bed.

As she looked at the morning sun through her window, she couldn't help but mumble, "That was such a weird dream…"

It was not the dream about her family that seemed peculiar to her. But the one in which she met Bryan!

When she thought of him, her lips quivered, "Bryan…"

She was heartbroken when she received the news of Bryan going missing after his teacher, Detective Watson's funeral. Initially, she thought that he would soon return.

But days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months. It had been more than a year since his disappearance. And just like everybody else, she too slowly accepted the fact that Bryan had perished.

And now after more than a year, she dreamt of him! She didn't know if this was her missing Bryan too much or any other supernatural incident.

She pondered about the dream she had for a long time until she finally made up her mind, "It doesn't hurt to go to that cafe."

Being a Rank 1 Transcendent, she knew just how dangerous certain things that appeared mystical or supernatural could be. The dream she had last night, felt exactly like one of those things!

However, she had learned to take care of herself and also utilize all her Illusion Path abilities efficiently. She was confident that should anything happen, she would at least be able to escape with her life.

That is why she decided to go to the cafe. She got up from her bed and entered the bathroom to freshen up. After taking a bath, she wore a comfortable pair of pants and a white tunic.

She refrained from wearing any of her fancy dresses that could hinder her movements. After becoming a Transcendent, she learned to become alert at all times.

Grace left her dormitory, carrying only her handbag. Inside the bag were a few books, her make-up items, and finally a Rank 1 pistol artifact!

It took her about ten minutes to reach the cafe just outside her University's entrance. When she entered, she first looked around the cafe, hoping to find a familiar face. However, she didn't find whom she was looking for.

'Maybe he's not here yet…' Grace consoled herself. She still didn't know whether Bryan was still alive or dead. Or if that dream last night really meant anything. However, she still had a small ember of hope burning in her heart.

A hope that perhaps her friend still hadn't died.

A dejected sigh escaped her lips. She walked to an empty table and sat down. After ordering a cup of coffee, she looked out the window and continued to fidget from time to time.

Another ten minutes passed. The coffee on the table was left untouched and had now gone cold. Grace's expression had turned gloomy.

She couldn't help but think in her mind, 'Bryan's probably dead… What could a stupid dream possibly mean?'

All of a sudden, a middle-aged man wearing a fedora hat and black round sunglasses approached her and smiled, "Miss, is this seat taken?"

Grace snapped out of her daze and stared at this newcomer. The man had a neatly trimmed mustache as well as a goatee. He was wearing a three-piece black suit. His looks were decent, but it was the aura that he emanated that was charming!

She felt like she had never met this man before. But at the same time, she also felt a strange sense of familiarity.

She was about to leave this table entirely because she found no point in waiting for someone who was most likely dead. However, before she could speak, she heard the man say,

"Under the starry sky, a shadow runs unhindered across the plains;

"With every step he takes, empires fall in his wake;

"The gods weep and the kings take their last breath-"

"Ah…such a silent night… Such a silent death…" Grace completed the last sentence of the poem in a daze.

She looked at the middle-aged man, her eyes a mixture of shock and confusion. The poem that this man had just recited was the same one that Bryan had recited when she had gifted him the Mysitko Blade!

Grace's body trembled ever so slightly, "W-Who are you?"

The middle-aged man grabbed his fedora hat and brought it down, making sure that it passed by in front of his face.

When the hat had just gone below his chin level, his face had completely changed to that of someone much younger and more handsome! It was only visible for a split second, as the man's face could no longer be seen because he was now bowing.

When he raised his head back up again, his face had changed back to the appearance of a middle-aged man with a goatee.

However, when Grace saw the man's face contort and change for that split second, she couldn't believe it!

Earlier, she was skeptical, but now all her doubts were cleared. Her eyes began to water as she muttered, "Bry-"

However, before she could complete the name she was about to speak, the man in front of her cut her off with a smile as he introduced himself.

"My name is Anthony Wayne.

"It's good to see you again, Grace."

Tears streamed down Grace's face as she shot up from her chair and ran into Bryan's embrace. She suddenly had a feeling of deja vu. It was because the same thing happened in the dream as well!

"You're alive… You're alive… Thank the Goddess!" She spoke sincerely as she gave Bryan a warm hug.

Bryan patted her back and smiled warmly, "Yes, I'm alive."

The duo hugged each other for a long time. And when they finally separated, they had happy smiles on their faces.

As they sat down, Grace stared at Bryan's new face and was filled with disbelief. She couldn't help but ask, "That's no illusion is it?"

Being an Illusion Path Rank 1 Transcendent herself, she could easily figure out if something was an illusion or not. Well, as long as it was near her ranking level. But for some reason, she had an instinct that Bryan's face was definitely not an illusion.

Bryan nodded with a smile, "You're right."

Grace tactfully didn't inquire further. After all, everyone had secrets, especially a Transcendent. She then shot a barrage of questions at him,

"What happened to you? Where have you been for all this while? Do you have any idea what has happened in your absence? Everyone thinks you're dead!"

Bryan had already come up with an excuse before coming here. Hence, he replied calmly, "I have always been here in Nadir. After teacher's funeral, a High-String Transcendent approached me and proposed to train me for a year.

"When I asked him for the reason, he said that it was my teacher's last wish. My teacher didn't want me to do something reckless after his death. Hence, he had asked the High-String Transcendent for this favor."

Grace was shocked, "And this favor was to train you for a year? No, to be more precise, it was to keep an eye on you, right?"

Bryan smiled helplessly "That's right."

He then switched topics, "Anyways, how have you been? I can already tell you're very close to advancing to Rank 2."

Grace replied with a smug smile, "Hehe, indeed! I will be a Rank 2 in a little over a month."

"I'm happy for you." Bryan smiled genuinely.

The reunion of old friends continued for a long time as the duo spoke to each other about what they had done in the past year.

Bryan was simply lying through his teeth, however, he was very much interested in what had happened in Grace in the past year.

A long time later, Bryan asked her curiously, "What about Leah? Where is she?"

Grace's expression turned a little sad upon hearing her name. She smiled faintly, "Leah's already left Nadir."