Chapter 174: The Search For Ascension

Olivia appeared in the alley with the flash of light usually associated with teleportation.

She allowed herself a slight smile as she looked around her surroundings. Ever since she'd gotten the ability to teleport, she'd been entering alleys even more than shady people.

She dismissed the thought and stepped out of the alley. This wasn't the time for that. She had things to do.

She walked down the street before stopping in front of a door. Above the door was a buzzing neon sign that read: 'Future Past Bar.' This was her destination.

She grabbed the knob and pushed the door open. As she entered, it was as if she had been transported to the past.

The bar was dimly lit, tiny yellow fluorescent bulbs shining above instead of the customary holo-capable neon lights. The walls were adorned with faded, vintage posters and dark, weathered wood paneling.

She sniffed the air, taking in the scent of old leather and spilled whiskey. It also confirmed what she already knew. There was only one person in the whole bar.

In front of the polished bar counter, rows of empty stools stood, each one an echo of past patrons who had long since departed. In the far corner, a dusty jukebox stands stood, its colorful lights extinguished.

Behind the bar, a single figure moved with deliberate, practiced motions. The bartender, a middle-aged man with a grizzled beard and deep-set, weary eyes, polished a glass with a clean, white cloth.

His clothes were neat but worn, a black vest over a white shirt, and a tie that's slightly askew. He glanced up as she entered the establishment, nodding at her in acknowledgement.

She nodded back and made her way to the bar. She sat down and for a moment, the only sound in the place was the distant hum of the bar's ancient refrigerator.

The bartender finished polishing his glass and dropped it behind the bar. Finally, he spoke to her. "Ma'am." He nodded.

She returned the nod. She wasn't here for the drinks. She was here for the bar's most popular product. Information.

"What do you have for me?"

The man reached behind the bar and retrieved a photograph of Veran Blackthorne along with a map of Southside.

"It wasn't easy retracing the steps that this man took through Southside but once we had a lead, the rest was easier to find." The bartender spread the map on the bar for Olivia to see.

Olivia noted that several locations on the map were marked, indicating the places visited by Veran.

"At first, we had trouble deciphering what he was looking for but by the time we found his fifth visited location, we had the thread connecting them together." The bartender pointed at a marked spot on the map.

"What was he looking for?" Olivia calmly studied the map. There was no rhyme or rhythm to the locations.

"Fountains." The bartender answered and Olivia raised an eyebrow. "To be more specific, private or pseudo private fountains."

Olivia knew that she had found an important clue. The well contained a supposedly common liquid like water and it was no longer a well. That meant it could in fact, be a fountain.

Private fountains meant that the well was not accessible to the general public. This supported the fact that the well had been moved and is now hidden.

"Which location is the one he visited the most?" Olivia asked.

"These two." The bartender pointed at two locations on the map. The two places were quite close to each other. One could walk from one location to the other within five minutes.

"However, this was the one he visited the most." The man pointed to the second location. "After a few visits to this place, his trail went cold."

Olivia sat for a moment, taking in the report. She quickly made a plan of action. She would visit the first place and save the second for last.

She stood from the stool, gathering up the map and photograph. She reached into her pocket and brought out a wad of cash. She dropped it on the bar counter and paused, holding the bartender's gaze.

"Not a word to anyone else."

The man nodded, seemingly offended by the insinuation. "We're professionals ma'am." He answered. "We know the drill."

With a final nod, Olivia left the bar. It was a short walk back to the alley. As she stepped inside, she considered the nearest alley she knew to the first location. After all, no one could teleport to places they didn't know or had never seen.

Within a moment, she selected an alley and in the next, she was gone.

**********

Olivia stepped out of the inn with a sigh. This location was a bust.

They indeed had a private fountain and she could understand why Veran had taken time to study it for signs of it being the well. Even she had almost been convinced that the fountain hid secrets.

The fountain was a classic, unassuming structure situated in the middle of the yard of the inn owner's private dwellings. The fountain had even been restricted from the inn's guests but with her Aura, gaining access had been trivial.

The first seemingly magical quality of the fountain was the centerpiece, a simple stone column with a few old decorative carvings, from which a gentle stream of water flowed continuously, creating a soothing, melodic sound.

When she had gone closer, the water in the fountain had surprised her.

The water had appeared to have a subtle, enchanting shimmer that caught the eye. The water seemed to sparkle with an otherworldly glow, as if imbued with a supernatural quality.

However, she hadn't been able to feel any extra vitality from it. After a long period of study, she had been able to glean the trick behind it. She was sure Veran had too but the man would have performed more experiments to determine that the trick was not in fact, another trick to hide the well.

The water's extraordinary effect was actually the product of light hitting the surface of the water, penetrating it and reaching the smooth, polished stones lining the bottom of the fountain. seaʀᴄh thё Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

These stones, each a different shade of almost glass-like white, had been meticulously arranged in a mosaic pattern. As the light struck them, they reflected and refracted light in different directions, creating the dazzling display of shimmering hues that danced across the surface of the water.

This had been the true source of the seemingly supernatural quality of the water.

With that mystery out of the way, she began walking to the second location. As she neared what looked like a private residence, she couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation.

This could be it.