Crimson Forge.
"I'm tired." Letting out a long sigh at the very instant he entered the smithy, Valyr quickly made his way to the workshop section and took off the Half Wyvern Armor, making a mental note to repair them the following day. Fighting the urge to head to the living quarters and fall asleep, he went ahead and did some light stretching with his body.
Just as he was about to head to the bathroom to take a relaxing shower before bed, Valyr stopped in his tracks as he noticed another person inside the storefront. Slowly turning around to look at the man, wondering if someone was waiting to ambush him in the dark, he inwardly let out a sigh of relief once he found out the man was someone familiar to him. "Just arrived right now?"
"Nah. I've actually been waiting for you for quite sometime." Shaking his head in response, Wells slowly stood up from where he sat before moving closer to Valyr. "After all, I felt like I had to inform you regarding blacksmiths that could take your place as soon as you came back."
"Did you find one?" In response, Valyr raised his eyebrow in curiosity, only for him to let out a peal of laughter once Wells nodded at his question. Not long after, Wells let out a bit of laughter as well, the joy radiating from Valyr at this moment being somewhat infectious.
Nevertheless, at some point, the two of them stopped laughing, looking at each other with faint smiles on their faces.
"Well, it's already late into the night, so tell me more about it the following day." As Valyr said these words, a thought popped up in his mind all of a sudden. With the faint smile on his face gradually disappearing, he looked at Wells in the eyes as he posed a question to the man. "Speaking of which, why are you still up? Though I do understand you needing to tell me about what I asked you as soon as possible, we could've just talked about it the following day, no?"
"Of course." Wells nodded, his expression calm. "However, that's not the main reason why I'm still up."
"In fact, I have a feeling you already know why."
"I already know…" Muttering part of Wells' last statement to him, it did not take long for everything in Valyr's mind to click into place, a bitter smile appearing on his face not long after. "I see."
Taking in a deep breath, Valyr sorted out the thoughts in his mind for a bit in silence before eventually telling Wells what he wanted to know. "This is about the group of five, right?"
"Yeah." Wells nodded.
"Remember what the leader of the group said back in the coliseum? Specifically, their purpose in coming." Nodding back, Valyr posed another question to Wells, prompting the latter to go silent for a bit as he pondered over the question.
"If I remember correctly… they said they were there to escort you to Algerie Kingdom." Hearing Wells' response to his question, Valyr nodded in agreement.
"Exactly. Now, do you remember the task your family gave you involving me?" At this question, a look of confusion appeared on Wells' face, wondering what Valyr was trying to imply with his words. Though, once he thought about it a bit more, a look of understanding replaced his confusion as his mouth turned slightly agape.
"Are you telling me… their purpose in escorting you to Algerie Kingdom is due to the Myriad Prodigies Tournament?" In response to Wells' question, Valyr beamed a grin before nodding…
Only to let out a bit of laughter soon after.
"Oh, how I wish that were to be the case," he said soon after, returning the expression on Wells' face back to that of puzzlement. Looking at Wells for a bit, Valyr went silent as he pondered whether or not to tell the former regarding the main reason for the five's appearance.
Letting out a low sigh, Valyr made up his mind as he looked at Wells with a neutral expression. "The five didn't come here to escort me to the kingdom due to the tournament. It's for something else."
"Have you heard of the Four Pillars' Inheritance?" As this question came out of Valyr's mouth, Wells lightly nodded.
"As someone from a noble family, I have knowledge regarding the inheritance, yes. Though, how does that relate to…" Just as Wells was about to ask the connection between the five and the inheritance, everything clicked inside Wells' mind once more as his eyes widened in shock.
"Are you saying… you're a candidate?" Asking this question to Valyr, Wells felt like there was a chance it could be a repeat of what Valyr did earlier with the task his family gave him. However, unlike earlier, a solemn expression appeared on Valyr's face as he slowly nodded.
"It's actually the reason why I've been asking you to find a blacksmith that could take my place," Valyr said to him. "After all, once I head to Algerie Kingdom, who would be the one forging equipment for the Crimson Forge?"
"In any case, on the day after tomorrow, I'll be leaving Clossbay City for a long time." Saying these words, Valyr inwardly sighed. "Perhaps, I might not even come back to the city at all."
"I know your family told you to stay by my side and persuade me to participate in the Myriad Prodigies Tournament under their banner, but you could always not do that, you know?" he said.
"You could always choose to stay here and ponder over the way of the spear at your own pace. I could even give you the Crimson Forge as a whole so you don't have to worry about money and shelter."
"Or you could choose to follow your family's wishes and continue accompanying me so we could head to the kingdom together. It's all up to you." After these words, Valyr remained silent, silently telling Wells that he was now being given a choice on whether he should stay at the city, or whether he should continue tagging along with Valyr.
Then again, ever since the two of them reunited, Wells had already come to a decision on what he should do. Thus, with a smile on his face, he said something to Valyr that made the latter chuckle in response.
"I've made my decision."
"And that is…?"
"To accompany you, naturally."
"I had a feeling you'd say that."
