After leaving the association, he returned to the inn to relax and try to understand what he would do next. Back in his rented room, Nova unrolled the scroll and examined the route as well as the other contents that were written in it, he needed to know exactly when he needed to be there and what he would need to do.
The creature was in a nearby destroyed district outside of the city, where many dangerous beings usually reside, be it monsters or other types of creatures.
while reading, he noticed that a part of the scroll talked about transport, which would be after getting what they wanted from the creatures, they would move through the lower district, passing near some of the darker part of the city before heading to a heavily guarded facility that was usually used by the association. It was the perfect place for storage, especially if people did not visit it often.
He sighed and was about to close the scroll when a flicker of blue light drew his attention. Levan materialized beside him, making him jump in surprise.
"You really need to stop appearing out of nowhere. I am too young for a heart attack," he said, his tone annoyed. He was clearly fed up with being jump-scared, even if it was not intentional.
Levan looked at him from head to toe, his eyes scanning the scroll in his hand, with his arms crossed. "Sorry about that. I will work on it, I did not intend to scare you, you plan to go through with this plan of theirs, don't you?"
Nova sighed as he listened to him, then nodded. "For now. I need proof if they have connections to the Order or are otherwise doing wrong things. There are always two sides to a story; you know that. We need to make sure that we have everything right; we cannot jump to conclusions. If they are just reckless hunters trying to seize power."
"I need to know that too. If what the one who gave me this mission said is true, then I will have to put a stop to it. I cannot just ignore it, then again, he might be wrong as well," He added.
Levan nodded in understanding; he could see why Nova was a bit skeptical about the situation. "Then we should prepare better. I sense something unusual about this mission. That creature they want to take—it is not just any monster; it cannot be given how interested there are in it."
"What do you mean by that? Do you know something that I do not, Levan?" Nova asked, as his eyes narrowed and Levan glanced at him.
Levan hesitated a little before nodding and answering him. "Its presence… it feels ancient. Maybe even powerful in some way, I have been around for a while, I know a lot so I know what I feel, though I may be wrong as well. Be careful, Master. You might not be the only one hunting out there tonight."
Nova tightened his grip on the scroll as he listened to Levan's words. He understood where he was coming from and had grounds for his suspicions. If this mission was more than it seemed, he would find out soon enough and he hoped deep down that things would not go sideways, though that was likely to happen.
With that thought, he got up and prepared for what was coming. Midnight was approaching fast and he did not have time to waste.
While he prepared, Levan lurked in the shadows, keeping an eye on him. Despite his nature, he had a bad feeling, a nagging feeling that something was not right, that something was not going the way it should.
He glanced at Nova as he tried to use his abilities, controlling it in a better way while handling the staff, which he was still getting used to. There were two ways in which he could use his magic: through his bare hands or through the staff, to both amplify and help him control it.
"The more you fight, the more experience you gain and the stronger you will get, the more abilities you will be able to discover within yourself, Nova. A bit of advice: do not withhold your power from the world, do not try to hide how strong you will get or have gotten, that often comes back to bite you in the ass, there is nothing togain from hiding other than the thrill of the mystery," Levan said to him.
Nova passed what he was doing and glanced at him with a subtle nod in acknowledgment of his words, he could see the sincerity within his words, knowing he was only looking out for him, despite the short while they have known each other.
As Nova continued trying to control his current abilities with the staff, his eyes began glowing purple as he saw a glimpse into the past Nova's life. His eyes widened when he saw the life he lived, it was far worse than his, the life he came from, a life where you wished things were different. He saw a part of his past, one where the previous owner was mocked, laughed at, and bullied, all because he was the illegitimate child of a powerful man. He would change that.
'Seems like you were the misfit of your family, but had much harsher treatment than I did, do not worry, this may be my body now, but that does not mean I will forget you, I will fix your problems and get you the justice that you deserve, you will not be forgotten, I just need to get the start of my life here secured,' He thought, with a resolve to fix that which was broken, something that would usually be left alone, but in his case, he would not.
A while after Nova was finished, he glanced at the time and saw it was time for the mission to get started, so he grabbed his bag and left his room, heading to the location not far outside of the city walls, with Levan trailing behind him, within the shadows.