It was something he knew all too well: an Identity Badge of the Demon Hunter Wizards.
Ruger had kept his badge on him ever since arriving here. The man before him had clearly only just taken his out, or Ruger would not have sensed it so late. It carried not only the aura of a Demon Hunter Wizards badge, but also the aura of a special material unique to a particular lineage of wizards, one he knew intimately and had never stopped thinking about.
Ruger took out his own badge as well. In the silent, ancient corridor, the two unfamiliar wizards faced each other. The badges in their hands shared the same aura, clearly having come from the curved horn of the same demon.
"My teacher died not long ago," the wizard opposite him said gravely.
"Ruger." Ruger raised his eyebrows and quietly gave his name.
"Soldrich."
The man wore a faint smile, but his eyes were cold.
"About five hundred and ninety turns of the Crystal Clock. Meditation and experiments occasionally threw off the count a little," Soldrich said gravely.
"About the same."
Ruger thought for a moment before answering.
That was the time the other man had recorded since the Demon Wizard's appearance-around six hundred days, in other words. Some wizards habitually spoke in terms of how many times they had inverted a Crystal Clock rather than how many days had passed. Most wizards who did not live beneath light stones relied on these little objects to count the days, and over time it became a habit.
Ruger had been keeping track of the days as well. Meditation and other matters inevitably caused a few omissions in his count.
His answer also acknowledged that he had experienced the same thing.
Soldrich drew a deep breath, then slowly let