‘A favor?’ Nathan’s eyebrows were raised in question. This was the first time he saw Ayla being all serious and so he couldn’t help wondering what this was all about. He didn’t ask, obviously, and waited for her to continue.

Letting out a small chuckle at the awkward silence, Ayla exclaimed unhurriedly. “It’s a little embarrassing to say, but I need you to retrieve a certain item for me.” With her gaze locked on him, Nathan found it a little hard to move, and yet he felt incredibly at ease. “Of course, you will be greatly rewarded for your services.” She added as a playful smile emerged on her pinkish lips.

*Ba-dump*

Nathan’s heartbeat quickened and his blood boiled, ‘Yup, that’s the Ayla I am used to,’ he thought while averting his gaze. “Wha-” With one hand always on the ready to block his babbling mouth, Nathan refused to ask ‘What reward?’ and changed the question into something entirely different. Something that had been bugging him for a while now, something he wished to ask her since the very beginning, and something that was of the utmost importance.

“Tell me everything you know about soul threads.” Unwilling to lose control and ask something dumb due to his emotions, Nathan went ahead and asked what he considered to be the most important first. Even when Ayla made it quite clear she had a request for him, it would have to wait until later.

Ayla’s expression hardened, her gaze turning sharp as she answered. “If I were to tell you everything I know about soul threads, this conversation would last forever. Be more specific.” Nathan wasn’t expecting such an answer. Scratching the back of his head, he let out a small sigh as he pondered inwardly for a little while.

‘Figures… Should I ask her what they are, then? No, I can make my own conjectures about that…’ Thinking it would be a waste to ask something that wouldn’t be of immediate help to him, Nathan changed his question into something that might actually prove to be useful.

“Then, can you tell me what soul threads are used for?” After some deliberation and consideration, that was the question Nathan ended up with. Having already discovered the soul threads residing in his heart earlier, he might as well learn of their usage.

“Now, that’s a lot easier to answer,” Ayla said while nodding in affirmation. “Let’s see, soul threads have a lot of uses but in the end, it all comes down to three.” Turning her gaze absentmindedly at the ceiling, she paused intently for a moment before raising three pale fingers in succession, “power, information, food.”

Needless to say, Nathan was more than just a little confused. ‘Power, information, and food?’ The first two he could understand. Although it was unclear how soul threads could be used as a form of power, it wasn’t that surprising. Information, on the other hand, was understandable. After all, he had gained quite a few pieces of useful information from the blob’s memories. ‘Then again, why are memories attached to soul threads?’ he couldn’t help wondering.

With more questions than answers, Nathan ignored the first two for now and focused on the last piece of information. ‘Food? Soul threads are edible?’ Unable to even comprehend it, Nathan looked expectantly at Ayla’s figure, waiting for her to explain further.

Alas, “Second answer,” was all that Ayla added, smiling innocently in his direction.

Staring in disbelief at her pretty face, Nathan’s fists were clenched tightly as a “huh?” escaped his wide-open mouth. ‘That’s it? I learned nothing! Damn it, Ayla! You tricked me again!’ Feeling at a loss for words, Nathan facepalmed in anger. ‘Fuck! I am out of free questions!’ Having already asked two questions - the first one being about Chayum the last time he was here - Nathan was allowed no time to think properly before an unprecedented chill run down his spine.

“Now that I’ve answered two of your questions, you are perfectly aware of the third question’s consequences.” She said, her voice cold as ice. However, who could blame her for that? To Ayla, it seemed like Nathan was sneakily trying to weasel his way out of the ‘favor’ by changing the subject. And Ayla was having none of that.

“But don’t worry, I am no devil.” She added and her expression melted, bringing out all the charm she could muster in those puppy eyes. ‘Yeah, yeah… You ain’t no devil. You are a bloody succubus!’ Nathan’s mind screamed as he took an awkward step back. ‘I can’t even blame little Nathan if you look at me with those eyes!’ With a blush going back all the way to his ears, Nathan subconsciously lowered his gaze further.

“Hmm~” Tapping on the wooden table twice, Ayla weaved a strand of blue hair around one of her fingers and continued after some mild consideration. “How about we do it like this then? You can go ahead and ask me a third question. Once I give a sufficient answer, I will set the price as ‘a small favor’; does that sound fair to you?”

It was indeed simple, but all Nathan heard was the following. ‘Ask me a question, and I’ll send you off to do my bidding. UNPAID.’ Now, it might not be obvious at first sight, but he was in serious trouble. The moment Nathan agreed to do her favor, he would have to traverse the outside world where horrors of all kinds roamed. Was her proposed reward, a mere answer to a question, worth it? Or should he ask for something else? And if yes, then what?

Nathan wasn’t really against it though, he had been freeloading off of Ayla’s questionable kindness for a while now and wished to somehow return the favor. However, there was this small nudge coming from a corner of his mind, telling him something was wrong.

‘Come to think of it, what has Ayla provided for me so far?’ When putting two and two together, all Nathan ended up with was five otherwise useless questions, a book he could not read, and a pair of clothes. ‘Wait a minute…’ Feeling a pattern forming slowly, he pondered over the words Ayla said earlier.

‘She said ‘greatly rewarded’ but didn’t specify what it was... This is Ayla we are talking about, she could give me another incomprehensible book to read and say ‘be grateful’ or something,’ Nathan’s mind spun as cold sweat emerged on the back of his head.

The more Nathan thought about it, the more ridiculous the end result appeared to be. Alas, there was nothing he could do about it. With that in mind, he lightly shook his head, showing signs of refusal as he opened his mouth to speak. “I don’t need the extra questions, neither do I want to be rewarded, but you’ll owe me one when I get back.” After careful consideration, he would rather have Ayla owe him a favor instead of something material.

Smiling lightly at Nathan’s words, Ayla defensively hid her bust and uttered in a playful tone. “I thou- I thought we were friends?! What are you planning on making me do, you beast!” Hearing her say that, Nathan’s mind went blank, as he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, instead, he pinched his nose and turned to stare at the ceiling. ‘What kind of sins am I paying for?’ He wasn’t going to fall for it. The more he played Ayla’s game, the more likely he was to make a mistake, and his current position allowed for no mistakes to be made.

“Haha, sure. If it’s fine with you, then it’s fine with me, but are you really willing to do me a favor?” Asking a second time just to make sure, Ayla’s piercingly white gaze was once more in full display. Her earlier charming self nowhere to be seen.

Letting out a small chuckle, Nathan answered. “Anything for you.”

~~~

*Click*

The front door to Ayla’s house slowly creaked open. Behind it, a slightly trembling Nathan made an appearance. Taking in a deep breath, Nathan surveyed the surroundings for possible threats and quietly closed the door behind him.

‘Calm down, just stick to the plan and everything is going to be fine.’ Ayla’s mission was quite simple actually, or at least the way she put it, made it sound easy. All Nathan had to do was go to the city’s Cathedral, retrieve an item for her and come back.

She even gave him a map! A makeshift map… Pulling out a crumpled piece of paper from his jeans pocket, Nathan glanced at its contents. ‘Cartographers all over the world will have me hanged if I call this a map…’ On the small piece of paper, Ayla had scribbled a path for Nathan to follow. She had already informed him this wasn’t the quickest way to the Cathedral, but it was the relatively safest.

‘I wonder how far it is,’ he wondered as his gaze fell into the distance, the mist shrouding the streets making it impossible to pinpoint the Cathedral’s dome protruding above the victorian roofs. Not that it would make any difference though, since Nathan could just follow the central road and still end up at the Cathedral’s steps. However, recalling Ayla’s words, ‘The main street is the most dangerous,’ he opted to follow the path she picked out for him.

‘Now then, I better be quick…’ Hardening his resolve, Nathan took a deep breath and took the first step through Erion’s eerily quiet streets. He wasn’t unarmed though; Ayla had given him permission to scavenge around the house for anything that might be of use for his journey. She didn’t directly tell him what to take, making Nathan wonder whether she actually owned the house or not. Who in their right mind would let a stranger scavenge their house for supplies, after all?

Wielding a kitchen knife in one hand, Nathan had only taken the bare necessities with him. This would be a simple trek through the city after all, and mobility was of the utmost importance. Carrying too much weight would only slow him down, lowering his survival chances. As he exited the house, Nathan made a quick account of the items he’d brought along.

‘A box of matches, a second knife just in case I lose the first, and finally…’ Looking at his right hand, Nathan marveled at the small wooden table-turned-shield. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a simple piece of wood fixed on his hand with loosely made strips of cloth. The makeshift shield would probably take no more than two hits from the rabid dogs before it was destroyed but well… ‘Better than nothing,’ thought Nathan and finally left the house’s premises.

Praying nothing would go wrong, his figure slowly faded in the mist, turning left on the first alley to appear before him.

Nathan wasn’t the only one praying though, Ayla’s eerily white gaze was stuck on his departing figure, observing him as he slowly disappeared from the window’s view. “Sigh…” Exhaling a mouthful of air, a chilly pale blue haze emanated from her mouth, freezing the otherwise normal window sill. Leaving the window’s side, she walked back to her comfy-looking chair, leaving behind a trail of ice particles with every step she took.

‘I wish there was another way, but…’ Picking up a piece of paper lying on her desk, Ayla inspected its contents while mumbling. “They are already moving…” Letting out another sigh, she sat down and looked at the ceiling. ‘I wish our little game lasts a bit longer...’

~~~

‘Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck… FUCK!’ Running for his life, all that Nathan could think of was curses. ‘Some safe route you picked for me! Damn it!’

*Awoooo!!!*

Who would have guessed? A reunion with the seven-eyed dogs was waiting for him just around the corner and, no more than five minutes after Nathan left the house’s compounds, he was already lost inside the maze-like alleys.

“Haaf, haah… Mark my words, Ayla…” Amidst his huffing and puffing, Nathan mumbled through gritted teeth. However…

*Grrr!!*

The sound of a rabid dog growling at the other end of the alley forced Nathan’s steps to come to a stop as he hurriedly turned around, intent on running away.

*Grrrr!!*

‘FUCK!’ He was encircled! Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Nathan’s gaze was turned at the gray sky as he lamented. ‘If I somehow make it out alive from this predicament, I swear I am making you pay for this…’

“AYLA!” Nathan’s scream resounded in between growls, but no one was there to listen.