Val on the other hand was finally able to let down his guard and relax, sitting in what was the tavern attic. Bernice had been no nonsense about where she wanted him to stay, and Val felt gratitude toward the stern woman for what she was doing, since he couldn't go back to the 'rat's den.' However, he could not help feel out of place in the storage room like space.

Sitting near the attic window and eating some grilled chicken with rye bread, Val could see the sun slowly going down in the distance, meaning night time was not long off. It was a comforting thought, considering this meant that he had survived the day. He realized now that he was stuck in the middle of something bigger going on, and from what little he had made out in the conversation between the two men earlier, he was just a small part of it all. The only thing he could be thankful for was that he wasn't just being dumped back on the streets to fend for himself.

Moreover, thinking back to what had happened to him downstairs, Val realized he had encountered some kind of magic user, giving him some idea of what he needed to focus on next if he wanted a trump card. However, he had no idea what the older man had done, even though Val knew 'something' had been temporarily done to stop his movement. Thankfully, when he left the room, the effects including the various colors in the 'dark sphere' in his mind had completely gone away.

Val decided that he needed to figure out the 'magic' thing as soon as he could, since he felt like he had almost lost control of the 'warm' feeling earlier. It had intensified constantly, almost instinctively, until it suddenly stopped. Unfortunately, the only thing he knew so far was that the 'warm' feeling was necessary for the dark sphere to show up in his 'mind's eye.'

He sat down cross legged and tried to make himself relax, trying to figure where to start. Ideas from earth swam through his mind, including everything from various religious concepts like enlightenment to meditation 'cheats' used in various web novels. The mix of information was bizarre for the current Val, but the general idea he got from them, was that most people on earth believed magic was manipulated by one's thoughts and maybe emotions. Val compared it to every time the 'warm' feeling had hit him throughout the day and realized that he had some intense experiences in some of instances.

Logic told him that emotions were at least one of the triggers, but figuring that out needed experimentation. While he had no desire to put himself in danger again, he tried to see if he could simulate the feelings again. Closing his eyes, he focused on slowly clearing his mind, emptying it of unnecessary thoughts. When he could finally hear his heart beat slowly in his ears, he began recalling certain memories. Particular ones stood out, including his 'Awakening' and seeing the dead body this morning. There was fear, worry, anger, and even grief as he parsed out his emotions during those events. Val tried to immerse himself in those feelings, while reaching out to find the 'warm' sensation again.

At first, it was like swimming in a void, not knowing where he was going or what he was doing. However, as his memories became more vivid, the could feel something spreading out from inside him, almost like he was breathing it out. The soothing feeling became stronger as he reached for it, but just as he thought he had a handle on it, it vanished. Breathing out deeply, Val opened his eyes, irritation and satisfaction written in them. He was frustrated that the 'warm' feeling did not remain but happy that his idea had been correct. So, he tried again, taking a bit longer to get the same feeling again, but this time it seemed as though the feeling was a bit more familiar than before. Val kept at it for a while, losing track of time and eventually falling asleep as exhaustion from the long day got the best of him.

The next thing he knew, a creaking noise woke him up from the corner he was curled up in. Almost as a reflex, Val scrambled to sit up, tossing off the thin blanket he had wrapped around himself. He could barely make out his surroundings with the moonlight leaking in through the mostly closed window. There was no one else present, but the creaking noise got louder, making Val remember the sound the hatch to the attic entrance had made, when Bernice brought him up here.

Crawling past some old chairs and tables piled nearby, he made out where the hatch was. Candlelight was shining through the hatch, which was mostly open. In the yellow glow, Val saw Fen's head sticking out of the hatch, looking around. When he caught sight of Val, the older man spoke softy. “Boy, Bernice is lookin' fer ya. Tol' me to take ya to see someone, waitin' for ya in the back.”

Val knew it was probably late at night, considering he did not near any noise coming from below. That meant the tavern had probably closed for the night, which made him both curious and worried about who wanted to see him this late. Since being left in the attic with some food, no one had bothered him, almost as though he was an afterthought.

Suspicious, he quietly followed Fen out of the attic, quietly climbing down the ladder. The hallway on the second floor was mostly dark, leaving the only source of light as the candle that Fen was carrying. The man didn't wait for Val to fully get off the ladder, before he started heading towards the staircase to the ground floor. Val trotted to keep up. The tavern was quieter than he expected, and by the time they made it to the kitchen, Val realized it was much later in the night than he had thought. There was no one else present, and it looked as though the tavern had closed for the night. The only other source of light in the whole place other than Fen's candle were the embers still glowing with warmth in the two fireplaces.

The feeling of unease kept growing, but Val didn't think anyone would be willing to do something here in the Hungry Mare of all places. When Fen walked out the tavern door, he looked back briefly to make sure Val was keeping up but did not say much more. As he followed, Val finally worked up the guts to ask, “Where's... where's Mistress Carlen?”

There was no one out in the back yard other than Fen, and the danger signal that had been dully flashing inside of him went off in full force. Just as finally stopped, he heard movement off to the left side, behind him. He turned his head, just in time to catch sight of someone he had hoped to never see again. The bulky figure of the bald man from the morning lunged out from the dark and grabbed Val from behind, lifting him up, while covering Val's mouth and nose with a cloth of some kind. Val had just enough time to yell once, before his voice was muffled. “Noo...mpphhh!”

As he struggled in the man's arms, Val realized the cloth had something on it as bitter smelling fumes filled his nose and mouth. Terrified, he felt the 'warm' feeling suddently ratchet up, spreading across his body. However, he could not stay conscious enough to focus, as his vision began to go blurry. The last thing he saw was Fen standing nearby, the man's face still scowling, and the last thing he heard was Fen asking, “This the brat, right? Where's my Tals?” Then, everything went dark.