Tales of Aria: The Legend of Damiano's Disk

Chapter 9: Annoying And Nosey Zoe and Alex spent all night walking through the In Between.

Considering that the stars were always out and the lighting remained constant, it was difficult to tell when the days ended and the nights began. Alex was equipped with a sword secured to his back. On his waist was a sack. Strapped to Zoe’s back were her scythe and the sack she had stocked before setting out.

The two were on their way to a portal very distant from the Spade headquarters. After some time, the lack of sleep began to catch up with them. “Let’s stop to rest for a while,” Alex suggested.

Walking slightly ahead of him, Zoe turned her head to respond. “I’m tired too, but we can’t afford to lose any time. Every second is valuable.” She looked forward and continued to walk.

Alex was disappointed with this answer, but complied.

“You’re really determined,” he said. “Roshan is lucky to have you as a friend.” Unsure of how to reply, Zoe said nothing.

“So that guy that brought you the fragment,” Alex went on, “what makes you think he’s not cut out to be a Spade?”

“It was a gut feeling,” Zoe responded. “He was so... oblivious. He didn’t even realize he had the ability to use Light magic.”

Alex was intrigued. “Then, how did you know?”

“He read my emotions,” she replied. “I’m guessing his center has been active from birth. I used a counter-spell to block him and he was completely baffled. Trust me, he’s better off just staying in Aria and having nothing to do with the Spades. I can’t see how he’d benefit our organization anyway.”