Chapter 11: The Black Card
Inside the Aetheras Trading Company merchant carriage bound for the capital city of Lutherias, Dion sat staring at the black card in his hand. Meanwhile "snore... snore," Luna and Mei leaned against him from both sides, sound asleep with cute, smiling faces. Dion’s face looked utterly exhausted, heavy dark circles hanging under his eyes.
"Ugh... must be nice being them," Dion muttered in his head.
He looked back down at the shiny black card in his hand, which looked like something straight out of modern times even though it was crafted from magic crystal. Then he recalled what had happened before.
***
Flashback to two hours prior. Dion, alongside Luna and Mei—who was still wearing her hooded cloak, sat on a sofa inside the main office of the Aetheras Trading Company. Edgar sat across from them while a servant stood nearby, serving drinks on the coffee table. Once the servant bowed and exited the room,
"What is it, Mr. Edgar? Is there something you wanted to discuss with us?" Dion asked, having a general idea of what Edgar wanted to bring up.
Dion had already guessed that Edgar would ask about last night’s incident. Mei sat pressed tight against Dion’s side, keeping her head low to hide her face. Edgar didn’t answer right away. He simply sat in silence, arms crossed over his chest, eyes closed. Suddenly, click! the door swung open again. A company staff member walked in carrying a tray, placing it carefully on the table.
After the staff member departed, Dion glanced at the shiny black card resting on the tray, which bore a striking resemblance to a credit or debit card from his past life. Edgar opened his eyes and stared straight at Dion, making Dion swallow hard. Mei shrank back, looking tiny, while Luna pressed in closer as well. But then, completely out of nowhere, Edgar bowed his head deeply.
"On behalf of the company, I sincerely apologize to all of you," Edgar declared loudly.
Dion was stunned by the sudden gesture, as were Luna and Mei. They exchanged bewildered glances.
"Um... please raise your head, Mr. Edgar. Why are you apologizing?" Dion asked, utterly confused.
"Last night, a murder took place at our inn. Naturally, your security and comfort were compromised. As my guests, I owe you the deepest apology, both personally and on behalf of the company," Edgar said, bowing his head once more.
"There’s really no need to apologize, sir. Please raise your head, we’re completely fine," Luna said, feeling awkward.
"That’s right, Mr. Edgar. What happened last night wasn’t your fault at all," Dion added, standing up slightly to help Edgar lift his head by taking hold of his shoulders.
"Thank you for being so understanding about last night’s trouble. As a token of my apology, please take this. This card can be used at any Aetheras Trading Company branch anywhere," Edgar said, picking up the tray and pushing it toward Dion, Luna, and Mei.
"Um... what kind of card is this, Mr. Edgar?" Dion asked.
Before Dion could get an answer, Luna tugged his shoulder and whispered in his ear, "It looks valuable, Dion. Maybe we shouldn’t accept it."
"I was thinking the exact same thing," Dion whispered back.
"Please, I insist! If you don’t take this card, I will carry this guilt forever. Trust me, this card will prove useful to you in the future," Edgar urged relentlessly.
Confronted with a card that looked just like a credit card from his former life, complete with carved patterns resembling a QR code and crafted from flattened magic crystal, Dion hesitated. He had no idea what the card actually did, but seeing how persistent Edgar was, it was obvious the man wasn’t going to set the tray down until Dion took it.
Ultimately, feeling bad for Edgar, Dion took the card with mixed feelings. In reality, he was the one who should have been apologizing for destroying the door and damaging Edgar’s inn the previous night, not to mention the fact that the actual killer was currently sitting right next to him.
Seeing Dion take the card, Edgar let out a massive sigh of relief and regained his calm composure, though he didn’t elaborate on the card’s function. Out of politeness, Dion spoke up.
"Thank you, Mr. Edgar," Dion said, holding the card.
"Don’t thank me. I should be the one thanking you for accepting my apology," Edgar replied.
"Well then, Mr. Edgar, if there’s nothing else to discuss, we should head out to catch the carriage to the Lutherias capital," Dion said, clearly eager to make a quick exit.
"Thank you for allowing us to stay the night at your inn," Luna added, bowing her head slightly in gratitude.
"Like I said, no need for thanks. Are you catching a carriage from the central plaza?" Edgar asked.
"That’s the plan, Mr. Edgar," Dion answered.
Edgar paused to think for a moment, looking at Dion, Luna, and Mei standing politely before him.
"Wait here for just a moment," Edgar said.
Edgar walked to the door, stepped outside, and closed it behind him. Yawn... Dion stretched his body and let out a heavy yawn. Moments later, Edgar stepped back into the room.
"As luck would have it, one of my merchant carriages is heading to the Lutherias capital. Why don’t you join them? They’re departing in an hour," Edgar said as he sat back down.
"Oh, no need, sir. We can just take a passenger carriage," Dion offered.
"Don’t be modest with me! They aren’t carrying too much cargo, so there’s plenty of room for the three of you. Go ahead and get ready; the carriage will meet you at the plaza," Edgar insisted, leaving zero room for refusal.
Though he wanted to decline, Dion, along with Luna and Mei, ultimately accepted Edgar’s kindness. Afterward, they left the merchant company building, bought a few things at the first-tier market, and met up with the trade carriage at the plaza an hour later.
***
Back in the present, Dion kept staring at the card in his hand. Deprived of sleep, his mind began drifting back to his previous life.
One day, inside his apartment, Dion or Marcus, as he was known then, sat with a pounding headache, looking at the credit card bills scattered across the table. Those credit card debts were lingering remnants from his marriage; though he had paid off a portion of them, lately he could only manage the monthly minimum payments. His already haggard face looked even worse with dark bags hanging beneath his eyes. As he sat there overwhelmed,
Ding... dong!
The apartment doorbell rang. Marcus pushed himself up from the dining table and walked to the door. Peering through the peephole, he saw a beautiful young woman, roughly two years younger than him, standing outside holding a container of food. Marcus unlocked the door.
"Whoa... Marcus! Why do you look like you’re on the verge of death?" the woman asked.
"I couldn’t sleep last night. What’s up, Nora? Surprised to see you here," Marcus answered.
"Nothing strange about a sister checking in on her brother! I brought food. You haven’t eaten yet, right? Let me eat with you," Nora said, stepping inside.
As she walked over to the table and spotted the stack of bills, Nora’s jaw tightened. She turned to look at Marcus, who walked past her and sank back into his dining chair.
"Come on, Marcus. Set all those bills aside for now. Let’s eat first," Nora said, sitting down across from him.
"Yeah... but the due date is tomorrow, and my paycheck only came through partially," Marcus said quietly.
"How much is it even?" Nora asked, grabbing one of the statements.
Nora’s eyes widened as she scanned the pages, a massive list of completely unnecessary, expensive items purchased with credit cards, not to mention fine dining receipts, luxury gym memberships, and endless other charges spanning two full pages.
"What on earth is this?! Are you still paying for that woman’s lifestyle?!" Nora asked, furious.
"No... these are leftover expenses from before the divorce," Marcus answered limply.
"Good grief... I told you from the very beginning that she was only after your money and never truly loved you," Nora replied, annoyed.
"Drop it, please. My life is already ruined, don’t add to my heavy heart," Marcus said, rubbing his aching head.
Nora immediately went silent. She stood up, walked into the kitchen to grab two plates, and returned to the table. Sitting back down, she opened her Tupperware and served the food onto the plates.
"Sorry... I’m just upset, that’s all. You’re going to be happy in the future, Marcus. But remember, next time, be careful with women. If someone treats you like a doormat from day one, walk away," Nora said.
"Yeah... thanks," Marcus replied faintly.
"Alright, eat up," Nora said, sweeping all the bills out of Marcus’s way and taking his pen.
***
"Dion... Dion!"
"Ugh..."
Dion woke up and opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Luna and Mei’s faces extremely close to his.
"Uh... right. I’m in another world now," Dion muttered in his head.
"We’re almost there! Ready to go shopping, hehe!" Luna said happily.
"That’s right. We want to look around and buy supplies. Luna and I were talking about it, most importantly, clothes for a disguise," Mei added.
At the mere mention of shopping, buying supplies, and looking around, which clearly meant buying completely unnecessary things, Dion reflexively glanced down at the shiny black card in his hand.
"Alright... if this card turns out to be a credit card for the Aetheras Trading Company, I’m throwing it away. This time around, I’m not playing the doormat to satisfy anyone else’s desires," Dion muttered in his head, filled with firm resolve.