Chapter 2: A Memory (2)

Ryker sighed and shook his head. He lowered his hands and wiped what remained of the water bullet from his face.

"… I don't know why you insist on marrying me, anyway." He mumbled beneath his breath.

His words were only meant for himself. He hardly breathed air into them. Yet, Jaana paused her half spin and glared at him. This glare, however, seemed much different from the others. It didn't carry the same playfulness and was even infused with a tinge of red.

The crimson flooded to her button nose, making it seem as though she might burst out into tears at any moment.

"Don't you ever say that again. Or this time, I really won't forgive you."

Ryker was stunned, not knowing how to deal with this situation. It was like Jaana had become a ticking timebomb that might implode with the slightest touch.

He panicked, jumping forward and grabbing her hands.

"Yes, yes. My fiancée is always right. No, my lovely future wife is always right."

Ryker nodded like a pecking chicken.

"Come, come. I'll take you to shop till your feet can't stand walking anymore."

Ryker grabbed onto Jaana's small hand, pulling it along as he strolled confidently down the rolling hills.

Jaana let him pull her along. Her free hand stealthily wiped at the tears that had almost fallen.

She looked toward Ryker's back with a complicated expression. Well, it seemed like she was looking toward Ryker's back, but what she was really looking toward was a small mirror that floated after him silently. It was so inconspicuous that it was easy to miss. Maybe even Ryker himself forgot about it a lot of the time.

Though Jaana thought this, she knew it was impossible for Ryker to forget about it. That small mirror might have seemed tiny and insignificant, but to Ryker, it was a darkness that perpetually hung over his life.

Well, those were Jaana's thoughts, anyway. Ryker never really complained about it.

One would think that the reason Ryker mumbled those words just now was because he felt inferior to his fiancée. But, this wasn't the case at all. He always told Jaana that he wanted to rule over the world. How could an Emperor of All not have a harem filled with women?

It was oddly because of this that Jaana was unwittingly drawn to Ryker. A man who could be so flippant with women yet push away a beauty like her was quite unique, don't you think? Didn't this mean that she held a special place in his heart and couldn't be treated like the others?

This thought made Jaana feel like she was walking on air. For a while, she forgot about that damned mirror and her almost shed tears. She smiled a gorgeous smile that shone brighter than the looming sun over the horizon. In all her daydreaming, she didn't manage to recollect herself until a bustling city appeared ahead of them.

Jaana's happier mood brought a smile to Ryker's face. When she was like this, she reminded him of that little girl that used to always cling to him in their youth. Maybe she was the only one that could make his heart soften.

Ryker took a glance at the long waiting line to enter the city. It was so early in the morning, yet everyone was already so eager.

Treasure City was an attraction that brought in people of all races and creeds. Its name, though, was purposely benign and bland. This was because Treasure City wasn't the only of its kind, it was rather a network of Cities.

Among Treasure Cities, though, this one was ranked high. It was an Eighth Circle Treasure City, making it among the cream of the crop. The people eagerly waiting here to enter the city, let alone appearing so early, had camped out at their locations for weeks, sometimes even months.

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When one laid eyes on the city, it became easier to understand why it warranted such fanfare.

The walls were tall, almost impossibly so. From the distance, they seemed to form their own mountain range, looming over everything.

Likewise, its gates were equally as grandiose. Carved of a single piece of bronze, they depicted all sorts of fanciful scenes. When the gates were closed, they fueled the imaginations of those who gazed upon them. But, when they were open, they led into a whole new world.

What was so magical about this Eighth Circle level Treasure City was the fact its inner streets couldn't be considered streets at all. In fact, the entire interior of the city was taken up by a massive bronze tree. It was the branches and canopies of this bronze tree that formed the 'streets' of this city and housed its various buildings.

This tree was a Mystery Type Spirit Beast known as the Treasure Tree. Thanks to this, it could act as both the transportation system and policing system of the city all on its own.

Mystery Type creatures weren't technically Spirit Beasts, meaning that they weren't truly alive – at least not initially. Rather, they were treasures forged by the hands of Mystery Crafters. When these treasures reached a certain level in their evolution, it was possible for them to gain sentience. This possibility of life and the fact Tamers could contract these treasures as well after their Awakening resulted in the community of Spirit Beast Tamers coining them as Spirit Beasts anyway.

This was all to say that this Treasure City represented the peak of society. So, one could imagine how those waiting in line felt when they saw two youths, walking hand-in-hand, bypassing them all without a thought of waiting for their turn.

The young woman had beauty that captured their hearts. But, the man she held onto with a childish innocence seemed perfectly matched to her.

He stood well over six feet, standing more than half a head taller than even the beauty by his side. His shoulders were broad and seemed capable of holding the world. He had a pair of blue eyes that matched the young beauty by his side, but his flowing black hair was in sharp contrast to her own delicately arranged white hair.

His features held a maturing boyish charm. His brows were as sharp as his jaw, accentuating the confident smile on his face.

One was free and unrestrained. The other was neat and meticulous. It was impossible to look at them and not think them to be young nobles of prestigious Clans.

When the stoic guards at the front of the city saw this pair, they stood a bit straighter and their salutes became more refined.

"Greetings, Young Master Valorian, Young Miss Farlen. Please enter."

"Ryker?"

Jaana looked toward Ryker with a hint of confusion on her face. He seemed to have frozen in place.

"Young Master Valorian?"

"Ryker?"

"Ryker?!"

…

Ryker shot up, his eyes flashing open. Looking at his dilapidated surroundings and comparing it to the memories of luxury in his mind, he didn't even have the strength to reveal a bitter smile. He had gotten too used to having these vivid dreams of memories that felt like a previous life.

This particular dream, though, he had the most frequently. And, even now, he wasn't sure why. There wasn't anything particularly special about that day, and the matters that landed him in this place didn't happen until months later. Yet, it was always this one.

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