Kael decided to extend his stay in Lumara. The information about Kira deserved to be dug into further before moving on. An intelligent half-demon, potentially still loyal, represented too important a piece on the board to be ignored.
The next morning, he changed districts and settled into a smaller inn closer to the center, The Leaning Grimoire. From there, he could easily reach the archives and the taverns frequented by former intelligence agents.
He spent the morning wandering the discreet black market behind the main square, where not only artifacts but also "information" were sold. After subtly buying a few worthless rumors to mask his true intentions, he slipped a question to a rat-faced informant:
"I'm looking for traces of a certain Kira. Half-demon, active during the war. Got anything?"
The skinny man with yellowed teeth narrowed his eyes.
"Kira? Not a name you say out loud… Ten silver pieces and I'll give you a lead that might be worth something."
Kael paid without hesitation. The informant leaned forward:
"Three years ago, a guy matching his description was seen in Lumara. He went by 'Kaelan.' Black hair, gray-red eyes, thin scar on his left cheekbone. He hung around the warehouses near the river, where shipments from the Borderlands arrive. He was looking for ancient grimoires, especially those on demonic contracts and memory seals. Then he vanished again."
Kael felt his interest grow. Kaelan. The name was too close to his own to be a coincidence.
"One last thing," the informant added, lowering his voice even further. "This Kaelan… he asked a lot of questions about the Soul Prison spell Elara used. Like he was looking for a way to break it from the outside."
Kael thanked the man with a nod and walked away, his mind racing.
That afternoon, he went to the warehouses mentioned. The area was busy: dockworkers, merchants, mana-powered golems loading and unloading crates. He sat on an overturned crate, pretending to eat a piece of bread, and observed.
Nothing obvious. No clear signs. Yet he could sense something in the air — a very well-hidden residual trace of demonic mana, almost imperceptible even to him.
As he was about to leave, an old woman selling dried herbs nearby suddenly spoke to him:
"You're looking for someone, traveler? You have the same look he did."
Kael slowly turned toward her.
"Him?"
"The young man with the sad eyes. He used to come here a few years ago. He didn't talk much, but he paid well for information on ancient seals. He said he had a debt to someone who had been sleeping for too long."
The old woman smiled, revealing missing teeth.
"He left for the north, I think. Or maybe he's still around somewhere, waiting. People like him… they never really disappear."
Kael inclined his head in thanks and slipped a coin into her wrinkled hand.
That evening, as he returned to The Silver Lantern, he stopped once again on the illuminated bridge. The cool night wind made his cloak flutter.
Kira was alive. He was almost certain of it now. And it seemed he had spent these years looking for a way to free him — the Demon King.
A cold, satisfied smile appeared on his lips.
"So you didn't forget your master after all…"