《A Clean Slate》


 Prologue

    I never thought such a day will come. I sometimes, briefly, imagined what it will be like when the end of times will come, how I will react, what I would do. But now that I am facing it, I cannot help but let a small deprecating laugh leave my lips. Well¡­ The end of the world is very underwhelming. I always taught it would be something horrifyingly grandiose, something chilling and inescapable¡ªLike a devastating earthquake, for example, or a flood, or the planet imploding from the inside out¡ªNot¡­ This. ¡°It is so quiet.¡± I murmur. From the balcony of my house, I can spot the town plaza, it was once bustling with activities but now it is eerily quiet. The streets are devoid of any passerby, the shops, and living complexes are closed with no living soul inside. This sinister atmosphere would have paired well with a dark weather¡­ But no. The weather is great with a deep blue sky and the sun shining as brightly as ever. Birds are also soaring peacefully above the building. Someone oblivious to the situation would think that, maybe all the citizens of the city were still asleep, or all this was a dream. It is funny how a two months ago my only worry was if I would be able to perfect the flora bonding ritual before the graduation ceremony of the last years. Yet here I am, wondering if I will even live through this day. The ¡®Corrosion¡¯, or whatever it is, has spread all over the continent since a few weeks now and the emperor decreed the immediate evacuation of all the cities. Now we are all being evacuated underground. Who would have thought? The great Nch¨¡re Empire, prosperous and peaceful for centuries, is being attacked before my eyes and it is losing. Though the attack took everyone by surprise, and many don¡¯t even know what is attacking us, the empire should not have been so defenceless. I mean, countless technological breakthroughs have been made since the unification of the continent, without forgetting that millions of sorcerers have been trained in the mystical arts, from combat and defence magic to the many other esoteric ones. How could we have been taken off-guard? Is it really how it is going to end? This is so unfair; I am not even a hundred years old, and I am going to die like this? I flinch as I feel a firm hand gripping my shoulder but immediately relax as I turn to see my mentor looking at me in the eyes. His tidy robes are dishevelled, and the locs of his hair are all over his face, giving him a wild look, and his usually taciturn expression is now replaced with distress, or is it fear? Now that I think about it, never saw teacher so afraid before¡­ Well, maybe he did have such an expression when that one experiment with a spirit crystal I conducted went south. ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to space out Vyswe¡¯eyaga,¡± he says as he nudges me to follow him, ¡°we must leave, now.¡± ¡°Has everyone been evacuated yet?¡± He looks me from the corner of his amber eye, the golden light in his pupil dims a little. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°What even is going on, Teacher?¡± I ask as I follow him. ¡°What are we running away from? Why don¡¯t we fight back?¡± ¡°The less you know, the safer you will be¡­and there is no fighting what is happening, trust me child.¡± He turns to look at me once again, maybe to make sure that I don¡¯t stray too far from him. We make our way to a flight of stairs leading underground, which is surprising since most of the more dangerous magical constructs and other top-secret projects are operated down there. It naturally makes it a place prohibited by the public but is utterly flooded with citizens right now. I stare awe-structed at the gigantic tunnels; they seem to have been carved out from the very earth¡ªthey probably are. The air here is stale and dry, and as we are being navigated by the city guards through the long and complex network of tunnels, I cannot help but be impressed by how well maintained they are kept given that they look thousands of years old. Back in history lessons we were told that the web of chambers and tunnels run over the entirety of the four continents, which is phenomenal given that we are talking of hundreds of million square kilometres of land each. A tremor suddenly goes through the whole tunnel, making a cloud of dust fall on our heads. This causes a small surge of panic among the people who let out frightened shrieks. My unease grows. What could possibly be happening above ground to cause such a quake. They soon lead us to an engine, several meters long made up of carriages connected to one another, which seems to float a few meters from the ground, the ¡®Spirit Crystal-powered locomotive engine¡¯, as they call it. There are three main modes of transportation in the Nch¨¡re Empire, the SCPLE is the most used given that it is cheap and quite fast. The many dimensional waypoints around the empire are used only for emergency interventions like evacuations and sometimes the quick dispatch of the imperial army. Lastly there is flight, but it is only accessible to practitioners of the mystical Arts. I softly nudge my teacher by the elbow as we take our sits. ¡°Where are we being taken to¡­or is it something that I don¡¯t need to know too?¡± He tiredly looks my way but does not point out the accusation in my voice. ¡°Somewhere safe¡­ hopefully.¡± The last word wasn¡¯t meant for me to hear but I heard loud and clear¡­ Very reassuring. This is the first time I feel such uncertainty in Teacher¡¯s voice, him who is always so confident in whatever he does and seemed to be the most knowledgeable person in the world, for me anyway. Our ride, to wherever we are going, lasted exactly ten minutes before the engine completely stopped, meaning that we travelled for thousands of kilometres, meaning that Zinri¨¨m was abandoned to whatever fate it is now facing. As we are escorted out of the carriage, we walk in four straight lines inside through a large tunnel leading to an even gigantic underground facility. There are numerous glyphs and runes inscribed on its walls, so much that I can barely identify any of them. A group of soldiers take over from the one who escorted us. The one in the lead, a colonel judging from the bracer on his arm, turns to us. ¡°All those under 100 years old, please follow the Sergeant here¡±, he says implying to the man next to him. ¡°Magister N?n¨¨ please follow me.¡± He adds while walking directing in Teacher¡¯s direction. I anxiously look over at him, but he simply nods. ¡°Teacher?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡± His attempt to calm me have the opposite effect. He gently holds my face in the palm of his hands, ¡°I had to make sure you were safe... That you would have a chance at survival.¡± ¡°What do you¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªYou must listen Vyswe¡¯eyaga. Few of us will survive this, in fact more the one third of us will die today or worse, so you must be strong. I know this is a lot to take, but you must promise me you will do your best to survive.¡± He brings my face closer as tears threaten to spill from my eyes and places a soft kiss on my forehead. ¡°I love you, child. I blessed God every day for having you in my life, and I bless him still that I get to say goodbye.¡± He gives me a sad smile then hugs me. What? I try to shake my head, but he holds it tightly. ¡°One day, maybe, you will understand what had to be done¡­ But no matter what happens¡­ Promise me you will try to move on and to live a long, long, happy life. Do not dwell on the past¡­ Knowledge is a powerful weapon, and some things are better left unknown¡ªnever to be discovered.¡± I don¡¯t know what to do or say, I am too confused and overwhelmed by this sudden farewell. All I manage to do is hold him as if my life depended on it. ¡°Don¡¯t go¡­¡±, is all I manage to say. Tears quietly glide down my cheeks, I feel ashamed to behave so childishly in such a situation. ¡°Surely, there is something I can do. I am an accomplished sorceress¡­there must be something I can help with. Please.¡± ¡°There is nothing left to be done, I am afraid.¡± We are interrupted by the Colonel who urges Teacher to follow him as another tremor goes through the bunker. He has no choice but to comply as he gives another fierce hug, I take in the sweet scent of acacia as he holds me, and the moment is gone as quickly as it came. Our time has run out. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ I am the last to join my group. ¡°Hey! Are you okay?¡± I turn to the owner of the familiar voice. Zaylany, he walks to me with a worried expression¡ªDid he see me cry? I will be mortified if he did¡ªI touch my face to make sure it is not wet with tears as he comes closer. ¡°Hi.¡± He is a tall, muscular fellow, with rich tan skin, a charming smile and a jubilant personality. He has this ability to make you feel like the most interesting person in the world, always so friendly and kind and smiling, even now. His vibrant green eyes skim up and down my body, the golden light in his pupil is not as bright as it usually is. Sabar, Zaylany¡¯s little sister, come next to me, hold my hand and gives me an encouraging smile. She is the female version of her brother, a quieter version too. ¡°I¡­ really don¡¯t feel like talking right now.¡± I sigh. He nods in understanding, giving me the space. ¡°At least you have this handsome, charismatic big brother as company, if I were in your place I would be relieved.¡± He says with all the seriousness in world. His sister snorts at his words, but still, his attempt to lighten the mood makes me smile a little. He must be no less confused and scared as I am, having also been inexplicably separated from parents and family, but he still tries to be strong for me and Sabar. This gives me a bit of courage for what will come next, whatever it is. The atmosphere is even darker than it was in the train as we follow the Sergeant. Some try to ask questions or make sense of what is happening, but their queries are answered with silence. The soldier places his hand on the wall, it opens to a smaller cave, some sort of¡­ warehouse? Rows and rows of stone boxes adorn every side¡­ Wait, not boxes¡­These are coffins! Gasps echo in the cave. A woman makes her way inside after us, not a soldier, and I know her. ¡°Magister Namna?¡± She gives me a tight smile and only acknowledges me with a small nod. ¡°I know that many of you children are confused and I wish there was more time to explain¡­ but we are on a tight schedule. So please, make your way next to a capsule and make yourselves comfortable inside.¡± To that, becomes pale and even more agitated but the soldiers who followed Magister Namna do not leave us the time to say protest and shepherd us each to a ¡®capsule¡¯. As I approach my sarcophagus, I am stunned by the plethora of runes it bears, enchantments for strength, stealth, vitality, protection and so much more. The sarcophagus itself is made of Vrost, the strongest metal to be ever discovered. What are these things? ¡°The capsule will keep you guys in a comatose state while sustaining your body¡± says the professor from somewhere in the space. ¡°Comatose? For how long?¡± asks a girl behind me. ¡°For however long will be necessary.¡± she replies softly. I find myself inside a capsule directly in front of Zaylany¡¯s, Sabar to his right. He turns to me, winks, and whispers ¡®Sweet dreams¡¯. I roll my eyes at him. The lid of the sarcophagus closes, with me inside. I feel the cave trembling, a seism more powerful than the earlier ones and much, much closer too. Harrowing dread grips my heart like a vice. And the last thing I remember is the hand of Teacher, Patting my head gently, Telling me that everything will be alright¡­ As I fall asleep. ?This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

 Chapter 1

    Years later


    Ah¡­My head hurts.


    I should really think about finding time to rest sometime later. I gently massage my temple with my right hand to soothe the pain.


    Glancing once more at the ancient texts laying haphazardly on the table and I swear I can feel my headache worsening. Translating, or more accurately, my attempt to translate, the books of the Nch¨¡re empire have been slow but steady.


    There are very few of us historians, barely two hundred of us, who can do it. Given that many of the Nch¨¡ren records were jealously kept in ruins so difficult to access due to the ridiculously complex warding Arrays, which are still a dilemma for our present sorcerers to decipher.


    The scares scripts obtained were found by cheer luck.


    It is clear that the Nch¨¡re Empire was the only power of the time; hence their language was the sole one spoken and written in that era. The lack of any other language led to conclude that the people of the time spoke one universal language which is the complete opposite of the present times.


    Archaeologists also discovered that the Morian constructed underground tunnels disseminated throughout the whole continent, maybe even in the neighbouring ones too. Many of them held technological and magical wonders, with books and artifacts of unimaginable value, both cultural and monetary.


    Since then, it has been a wild chase for the Holy Grail.


    I am distracted from my contemplations by the abrupt entrance of an intruder in my tent.


    ¡°I would¡¯ve never believed years back that it was possible for someone to die because of some old dusty books¡­Until I met you, Kayin.¡±


    I turn toward my uninvited guest. He looks me down from his position, his arms crossed. Ike is what I like to name, the stereotypical man. About 1.80 meters of pure lean muscle, an angular jaw adorned with a well-trimmed beard, and a shiny bronze skin. His gait might appear intimidating, with severe hazel eyes to many, but it sure as hell does not deter women form fawning all over him.


    All the opposite from my¡­ lanky physique.


    Lucky bastard.


    ¡°Are you worried about me? Never thought you could be so caring¡± I say with a smirk.


    He rolls his eyes at me then reveals a gourd, certainly filled with palm wine. ¡°What about a drink?¡±


    I put down the book that I was holding back on the table and we both step out of the tent. I am met with a cold frigid early morning air, it is still dawn, so the camp is quiet. I take a deep breath, inhaling the delicious scent of moist earth after rain.


    We sit down on a patch of grass not too far away from the camp, it displays a splendid view of the sun rising above the dense rainforest, the chirp of birds and rustle of tree branches soothes my tired overworked mind, if not for all the mosquitoes and predators lurking in the darkness I would have enjoyed sleeping in the open here.


    Ike lay his spear near him; with such tenderness and care you will think he¡¯s handling a sleeping child. He then hands me a wooden cup and pours down some wine in it, then he pours one for himself.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    ¡°So¡­¡± I start after having a sip, enjoying the sweet burning sensation flowing down my throat, ¡°How was the scouting? Any dangers ahead?¡±


    He empties his cup and fills it once again. ¡°All¡¯s clear¡­ as far as the scouting party went, but there were some areas of the underground chambers that were completely flooded though, and we can¡¯t be certain that will be no danger lurking in.¡±


    ¡°Can we ever be?¡± I ask rhetorically. ¡°Then it¡¯s decided, we depart today.¡±


    He nods. ¡°It¡¯s for the best, with the non-warriors we might be able to reach it two days from now¡­ Maybe less.¡±


    Of course, warriors and their superior physical might be able to cross ridiculously long distances in mere minutes, that¡¯s how the reconnaissance team was capable of scouting the path ahead in a single night. That¡¯s how unfair life is; some get the power to level mountains with their bare hands, while others don¡¯t.


    Ike sits back up in one fluid motion, stretching his body.


    ¡°Bah! What¡¯s the worst possible outcome? We could die¡­or find nothing. On the other hand, we might find some new old, dusty books to add to your collection.¡±


    He lifts his hand in surrender as he glances at me and sees my exasperated look. ¡°Come now, we both know to whom any of those ancient texts will be useful, Mr. Sorcerer, so you will understand that I¡¯m not particularly thrilled to risk my life on this stuff.¡±


    ¡°But here you are, risking your life anyway¡­.¡± I droll.


    He shrugs, ¡°Your money was very persuasive on the subject¡­and dying is also part of the adventure, I guess.¡±


    It takes every self-restraint in my body to not snort. I sit up too, dust the back of my trouser and walk toward the camp. ¡°Let¡¯s get going, then.¡±


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~


    I tiredly wipe the sweat of my brows as I navigate through the dense jungle. Reaching at my side, I grab my gourd and greedily drink the sweet, fresh water it stores.


    I¡¯m exhausted. It has been 14 hours since my expedition team and I have been traversing the jungle. So far, we have been able to steer clear from any predator¡¯s territory and have not encountered a single Juju, things have been going smoothly.


    Still, ¡°Are we ever going to reach the entrance of these tunnels? And before nightfall at that?¡± I grunt to no one in particular.


    ¡°Just a kilometre or two and we¡¯ll be there.¡± Answers Ewa as she turns, her brown eyes in my direction. I grunt again and she laughs.


    ¡°Feeling tired Bossman? Do you perhaps want me to carry you on my back?¡±


    I ignore her jab.


    Ewa is the head scout of the expedition, her natural furtiveness and speed allows her to walk undetected in environment, for the few years that I¡¯ve come to know her, she cannot be found if she doesn¡¯t wish to.  That makes her an even deadlier warrior, she could sneak up on me without my awareness and slit m throat before I could perform any sort of sorcery.


    Having left the front of the group to my side, she playfully elbows me at the side, several times. I glare at her, but she ignores it.


    She seems completely in her element. The sweat glittering on her ebony skin makes her shine, I catch a bead of sweat roll down her forehead, trailing from her delicate face to her slender neck and disappearing in the folds of her tunic.


    My eyes immediately go back to hers. She is staring at me, grinning and conspiratorially waving her eyebrows. She clearly caught me gawking at her, but does not seem disturbed, no, she is enjoying it.


    She passes a hand across her short coyly hair, feigning to smooth them out. ¡°Don¡¯t be shy Bossman, you can enjoy the view¡­ which I mean, me¡­ as much as you want.¡±


    I attempt to give her the most annoyed look I can muster which is an utter failure apparently because she just giggles, elbowing me once more.


    Long, arduous hours later. We finally arrive at the entrance of the site.


    Rejoiced, I insist that we proceed inside at once. Many object, obviously, but a compromise is made in the end.


    A small group will venture into the dungeons; it¡¯ll consist of Ike, Ewa, myself, and two other warriors and three scholars, while the rest will remain camped at the entrance.


    So, after resting for a few more hours and stocking up with food, water, and other supplies.


    The exploration begun.

 Chapter 2

    I am surrounded by complete darkness.


    For a while I lie still, my heart drumming so loud I can feel the reverberation throughout my whole body.


    I was never really scared of the dark, even as a kid I was never unsettled by it, but now? Now it terrifies me. My heartbeat increases as the seconds goes by; my breathing is erratic. I don¡¯t seem to get enough air in my lungs.


    No, not nearly enough.


    Is this what a panic attack feels like?


    I reach out in front of me, trying to touch something, anything. Then I am met with an obstruction, all around me. Am I in a box?


    Then I remember.


    The attack on the empire, the evacuation, the underground facilities, the coffins we were put into, the earthquake.


    Teacher!


    How long did I sleep? Is the attack over?


    I need to get out!


    Right now!


    I reach for my spiritual essence; I¡¯ll blast this wretched thing open if I have to.


    But my coffin starts to glow, or more precisely, the glyphs engraved in it. And then the lid opens on its own. I step out, and I am met with more darkness.


    The cave which was once brightly lit up now have only a few fluorescent stones, barely illuminating the walls of the chamber.


    I retrieve my staff from my Subspace and make it glow. Then carefully look around me. Everything seems to be as it was before I entered the coffin, the room is filled with sarcophagi neatly arranged into rows, and like mine, they each inhabit a living, sleeping person.


    I spot the one directly in front of mine, Zaylany¡¯s sarcophagus, I walk toward it and try to open it. But it is sealed shut. I try imbuing it with my essence.


    Nothing happens.


    I turn toward Sabar¡¯s sarcophagus but achieve the same result when I try to open it too.


    Perhaps each sarcophagus responds only to the essence of the person it hosts. Which means that I cannot open the sibling¡¯s¡ªor any other¡¯s¡ªuntil they wake up.


    ¡°Zaylany, wake up! Sabar!¡±


    Nothing


    ¡°Hello? Nap time¡¯s over ¡­ Rise and shine sleepy heads¡±


    After several attempts to rouse them, I am forced to give up. The only explanation I can come up with is that no one sleeping in these things can be awoken by an external stimulus.


    After further inspecting the whole chamber, I realised that I am unbelievably the first one to have woken up. It is a bit unnerving.


    Why am I the only one awake?


    Where are the adults?


    Slowly, very slowly, I feel my panic rising once more. I am restless and my breathing is becoming tedious.


    No, no, this isn¡¯t the time to lose my cool.


    In a situation such as this, Teacher will say that the best strategy would be to calmly assess the situation and review my options, then plan from there.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    I count to five then slowly breath in and out.


    My predicament is a strange one. I don¡¯t know where I am exactly, what is going on outside, how long I have been sleeping, and if the danger has been cleared out.


    The ¡®Capsule¡¯ as Magister Namna called it, worked splendidly. It kept my body in a pristine condition. But it will not last. Now that I am out, I will slowly go hungry and thirsty as time goes by. And I refuse to go back in that thing. Who knows if will put me to sleep for a long time or if it¡¯ll work at all, it might have been designed to operate for a single use only.


    There is nothing else in this chamber except the capsules of the other sleepers. It¡¯s funny that the elders devised such an invention as the capsule but did not think of stowing away supplies for when we would eventually awake. So as¡­ you know¡­ not to¡­ die. Maybe they thought we will not have any problems to fend for ourselves.


    This means that whether I like it or not, I will have to leave this place.


    Letting out a nervous sigh, I walk toward the exit of the chamber¡ªor what I remember to be the exit. The wall is unblemished, except from the many warding Arrays adorning the surfaces of the chamber. There does not seem to be a door at all.


    As I examine the engravings, I spot a particular glyph, pour in my essence, and the wall opens.


    I step out of the chamber and immediately after I¡¯m out, the wall closes itself again. I suspect there is concealment sigil, making the very existence of the secret chamber undetectable from any form of scrying or other divination spells.


    The bunker is empty, not a soul to be heard or seen. The facility must have been evacuated sometime after we were put to sleep. I check the walls of the bunker, hoping to find any other hidden cave. If there are any, I did not find them. I take a mental note to examine every warding Array in here. I¡¯m certain that there were numerous other batches of youth, they must have been kept here too, it¡¯s just that I can¡¯t find them yet.


    After further investigation of the whole area, I concluded that it was very well empty ¡ªhaving found absolutely nothing.


    This left me with no other way but explore outside¡­ in the tunnels. My hold on my staff tightens, I counted to five and breathed in and out slowly.


    I read once that one of the great fears of humankind was the fear of the unknown, that it took a lot of courage to challenge it.


    Now I understand.


    To not have any idea of what I could face, it, it¡¯s petrifying.


    But I have and can do this. I might not be the strongest sorceress of my time, but I am strong enough to protect myself from danger¡ªor run away if I cannot surpass it.


    After all, I have been taught by the very best the Nch¨¡re Empire had to offer.


    One thing at a time, first I find drinkable water, after, I find food. I hope by then the others will be awake, if not¡ªI shake my head. Don¡¯t overthink.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~


    The air is humid. It smells damp and mossy.


    The tunnel is flooded, not by much but the water is high enough to completely immerse my sandals and reach up to my ankles.


    I frown I bit at this but decide against casting a levitation spell, it will be a waste of essence. I dejectedly move up the small stream, aiming to reach its source.


    The walls of the tunnel have aged, though they are in excellent condition and will be standing for more years still, this indicates that many decades have passed¡ªno¡­ centuries.


    Patches of moss cover the walls here and there; the space is quiet except for the even trickles of the stream and the splashes I make as I walk further.


    I don¡¯t like that this place is in complete darkness, the soft light emanating from my staff makes me a very visible target but it¡¯s not like I can walk blindly in the dark. For good measure I superpose wards around myself¡ªto prevent being taken out by surprise.


    After some time, I finally get to the source of the stream, it comes from a small crevice up the roof. The moss growing around proves that the water is at least not poisoned. I cast a spell to make sure it is drinkable, which it is, then use another to mould a chunk of the wall into a gourd store the water.


    I decide to have a small break and drink a bit. With a source of clean water secured I could cast a spell to sprout some edible herbs and fungi. Those type of spell do not cost much in spiritual essence but demand a certain level of control and concentration.


    I tear a piece of cloth from the inferior part of my robe and collect the herbs. Now I have food and water.


    As I sit and rest, I can¡¯t help but contemplate on the situation.


    The way things seem to be the attack on the empire by that unknown force caused its demise. Everyone talked of a Propagation, but what kind of propagation? A disease or an infestation maybe? Still, it couldn¡¯t have done that kind of damage. It had to be individuals.


    But who could those attackers be? As far as I know the Nch¨¡re Empire was the sole power of the world. Another country could not have sprouted out of nowhere without the Empire taking notice, unless¡­ it was a coup? But even then, there would have been whispers of it running around. Afterall, such things simply don¡¯t just pop out of thin air, there will always¡ªalways be signs.


    It still doesn¡¯t change the fact that the Empire fell, and the attackers must have been so overwhelming that the elders had no other solution but to find a way to save the younger generation. If not, the elders would have come and fetched us a long time ago¡­ they probably¡­ are all already dead.


    The taught of teacher¡­ lying dead somewhere, it has a way of making my heart clench.


    No, the mere taught is too painful to bear.


    I will not acknowledge it until I have undeniable proof.

 Chapter 3

    I went back into the hidden chamber of the bunker and unfortunately, there was no one to welcome me. Everything is as I left it, hundreds of coffins neatly arranged into rows and columns with mine being the sole one with an open lid.


    I can¡¯t help the wonder why I woke up. Surely the elders must have designed these capsules to make it so everyone would wake up at the same time, right?


    I sigh deeply, my voice echoing across the chamber. At this point, I have no choice but to find a way out on my own.


    But before leaving, I examined as many warding Arrays of the bunker as I could. These Arrays are the culmination of centuries of research by the collective work of millions of sorcerers over the years. It will be impossible for me to deactivate all of them on my lonesome without setting off the protection mechanisms, which might very well kill me, I don¡¯t even intend to, but with my knowledge on wards and the different types of Arrays used in them, I am confident that I can identify the runes for concealment and find the other rooms safekeeping the other survivors.


    It took me two days.


    In total there are exactly twenty rooms in the bunker, each filled with a thousand of capsules.


    Of them all, I am the only person awake.


    From what I observed, my capsule is no different from the rest, so it couldn¡¯t have been a malfunction. Maybe it¡¯s just a coincidence.


    My rations are ready and there¡¯s nothing else to hold me back. I¡¯m as ready as I can be.


    My plan is quite simple; considering that the tunnels run over the whole continent, I remember reading from history books that there are numerous exit-points every few kilometres, so, I¡¯ll walk as far as I¡¯m capable of and if I¡¯m unable to reach one of them by that point, well... I¡¯ll just carve a way out with magic.


    It has been three days since I left the underground bunker. So far, I¡¯ve not encountered any too distressing danger. A few magical underground dwellers here and there but nothing I couldn¡¯t take care.


    I also found the remains of one of the SCPLEs along the way, it was laying there in the middle of the road. Of course, I could not leave it unexplored, and I did just that. From its state I concluded it had derailed, which was strange because I never ever heard of it derailing back in the Empire.


    So how did this happen?


    My question was answered when I found the first skeleton, then the many others after it.


    The SCPLEs was attacked, and it resulted in its derailing.


    I suddenly felt weak in the knees but forced myself to stay standing. Among the remains, I identified many belonging children... so many children.


    Not all of us were not lucky enough to make it out.


    Before leaving, I made a prayer for their souls, hoping for their safe travel to the Spirit realm, then to incinerated the remains.


    My journey through the tunnel since then remained uneventful.


    Until two days ago, something both intriguing and terribly mundane happened.


    I found a group of humans.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~


    I never thought I, in my thirty-five years of life, would ever feel glee and apprehension at the sight of humans... Living, breathing, conscious human beings. The strange mix of emotions was... overwhelming.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    I was overjoyed at the sight of people like me. Finally, I thought. I would find answer, I will finally know what happened after my long years of sleep, I will have my peace of mind once more, all my problems will be over.


    But then suspicion crept into my mind. I did not know them, they looked unfamiliar. It¡¯s to be expected, after so many years the world would¡¯ve obviously significantly changed from what I used to know. And I couldn¡¯t be sure if these people were trustworthy enough. I wasn¡¯t just going to walk up to them and say something like, Greetings! Pleasure to meet you. How many years has it been since the Nch¨¡re Empire fell. My name is Vyswe¡¯eyaga by the way.


    What were they even doing underground? Are they looking for something?


    No, it will not do. I should first keep my presence hidden from them and observe them. Then, I will go and meet them... maybe.


    And it has been two days since.


    I was right to not immediately reveal myself.


    From what I¡¯ve observed these people are from a totally different era from mine.


    Firstly, I attempted to eavesdrop on a few of their conversations but I could not understand a single word of what they said. Back when I was a student, there was no mention in the archives of any other language spoken in the past except The Tongue. Even before the founding of the Empire, everybody spoke the same language.


    Secondly, these people in themselves are strange. In their midst is a young man who is white, from head to toe, and a skin the colour of an ivory statue¡ªthe only normal thing about seem to be his eyes which are brown.


    Of course, even among the citizens of the Nch¨¡re Empire there are people with different shades of skin colour; ranging from ebony to the lightest shade of caramel, but never as white as this man is. He is the most bizarre and fascinating person I¡¯ve ever seen, and he¡¯s a sorcerer too. I can feel the powerful flow of his Spiritual essence from where I am, and I¡¯m decently far away from them. If not for the fact that he needs to eat, drink and rest like everyone else, I would suspect that he¡¯s some kind of spectral being... or a Genie, but he doesn¡¯t have long pointed ears, so... no.


    Though the white man is the most eye-catching oddity, he isn¡¯t the only one. Half of the group have strange energies. It isn¡¯t Spiritual essence, I¡¯m sure of it. And the energy is also different from the power possessed by a Genie, they get the power from their home world and not from the Spiritual Realm like humans and some beasts do. No, the essence these people possess comes from somewhere in deep in them, but it is also deeply entwined with the world.


    This¡­ This is so interesting.


    As far as I know every human being has a bond to the Spiritual Realm, it is that bond that gives us Spiritual essence and it is also through it that sorcerers can replenish their depleted essence. This is also why people with stronger bonds can practise sorcery while those with weaker ones cannot.


    These people on the other hand might not be practitioners of the mystical Arts but they¡¯re powerful in a different way. Especially the tall man with the spear, my instincts tell me to avoid a fight with him.


    I am pulled out of my pondering at the sight of a woman behind me. She¡¯s among the people with unknown energies.


    She tried to sneak up on me, and it activated the protection ward I placed on myself and violently repelled her. Which is why she¡¯s now laying several meters away from me.


    Did they know of my presence all along?


    How did she even get here before mine noticing it?


    Then I hear shouting.


    Two other men with unknown energy converge on me, they¡¯re trying to surround me. I swing my staff at them as I call upon the winds which pushes them back, then I levitate away from the encirclement. The woman tries to stand up, but I mould the earth to trap her feet in it, this breaks her momentum, and she falls back on her knees, I trap her hands too.


    The men are back onto their feet. One is running toward the woman, probably attempting to aid her, while the other is lunging at me¡ªthey¡¯re fast, faster than any normal human should be. Still¡­ I use my essence to combust the air, creating a wall of fire between the woman and her helper.


    By that point the first one is already dangerously close to me, I float further away as I point my staff at him. He must have seen through my attack because he dodges to the left before the gust of wind reaches him. He¡¯s now close enough to swing his sword at me, but also too close to have enough time to dodge an attack, no matter how fast he is. With my staff firmly in my grip, I mutter an incantation. As his weapon closes in on me, the protection ward activates and violently pushes his sword back. Now he¡¯s completely exposed as I complete my chant, a bolt of lightning crackles out of my staff, striking him as he falls unconscious.


    I turn toward the other two but they¡¯re back amongst their group.


    Someone is missing¡ªthe man with the spear! I instinctively look behind me and he¡¯s there, staring at me with an unreadable expression.


    By the time I swing my staff in his direction, he has already snatched it out of my hands and thrown it away. I hold my right hand out at him, preparing to throw an energy beam at him, but he also grasps my hand and turn it to another direction, the beam collides with the tunnel¡¯s wall.


    His spear is at my throat before I can try anything more.

 Chapter 4

    What just happened registers a minute too late in my head.


    He¡­ neutralized me in seconds.


    When did he even get here?


    True, I¡¯m not exactly the battle-oriented type of sorcerer, but still¡­


    The man looks me in the eyes as he says something, slowly. He watches me expectantly, but my lack of a reaction makes him raise an eyebrow.


    He motions toward his group several times with his chin while saying something again.


    Oh. Is he telling me to follow him there?


    I point at my staff which is now laying a few meters away from us, he gives me a blank look, I stand my ground and mirror the expression. He sighs, then motions for me to take it¡­ I think. I cautiously look at him again, then lift my hand in the direction of my staff, which then floats toward me¡ªslowly, I don¡¯t want him to think I¡¯m trying to attack him.


    With my staff in hand, we walk toward his group, with him following closely behind me. The white man doesn¡¯t wait for us to come to him though, he joins us midway in rushed steps.


    He¡­ He seems excited. Like a little boy who can¡¯t wait to hold his favourite toy. He appears incapable of staying in place, constantly gesticulating, and animatedly talking to me¡ªas if I could understand him.


    I am... I don¡¯t know how to feel about him. He clearly doesn¡¯t give a care about the fact that I attacked his friends¡­ even if it was in self-defence.


    Still, shouldn¡¯t he be a little warry of me¡­ but then with a bodyguard as strong as the one behind me I guess he doesn¡¯t need to.


    He pauses his gesticulations when he realizes that I don¡¯t understand what he says. Curiosity and wonder can be read on his face like an open book.


    My shock is definitive at the next sentence coming out from his mouth¡­ which I understand¡­ Somewhat.


    ¡°Kan hiu hiere wuhat I saie?¡±


    I am stunned to silence for a short while. His smile is radiant as he notices the surprise painting my face.


    ¡°Hiu ondirstand! Grate skyes hiu rwilli ondistand me! I¡ª¡±


    ¡°You speak the Tongue? Who are you?¡± I say as slowly as possible. He excitedly nods to my questions.


    ¡°Yes! Yes! Have stoudid iet fur ears.¡±


    It does not sound like it. Is what I want to say but stop the words before they live my lips. I cough a little instead.


    This isn¡¯t the time to be rude.


    The man with the spear says something to the white man, to which he nods at. He gazes at me with a curious determination in his eyes.


    ¡°Pweas, fullo us.¡±


    ¡°¡­What if I don¡¯t want to¡­ am I your prisoner now?¡±


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    He urgently shakes his head, the white locs on his head following the motion. ¡°No, no. Not plisoner¡­ Fri-end!¡± He hesitates as he tries to form his words, ¡°We learn, learn from¡­ hiu, pweas. Not going to ham. Plomyse¡±


    It doesn¡¯t sound like a lie¡­ or at the very least he believes what he says. I glance at the man behind me. He says I am not a prisoner, but I doubt his bodyguard would allow me to leave so easily.


    So here I am, among people I neither know nor trust.


    They decided to take camp here. While I¡¯m sitting on a stool I moulded out of the earth, quietly observing their work.


    The white man and two of the men I previously fought are in charge of raising the tents, the woman with ebony skin is making a fire, a black pot is sitting next to her¡ªso she¡¯s making the food too. The tall guy with the spear is not doing anything, he¡¯s leaning on the walls of the tunnel¡­ Staring menacingly at me.


    I stare back for a while before spotting two other people, a man and a woman, they¡¯re older than the rest¡ªabout 300 years of age¡ªwho are equally not doing anything. I sense spiritual essence emanating from them but it¡¯s too weak to qualify them as sorcerers. They behave the same way the white man acted with me a while back. They discreetly glance at me before looking away when we make eye contact¡­ maybe they want to speak with me but are hesitant.


    Now that I think about it, everyone here to have their eyes on me, some more subtle than others.


    I feel exposed, surrounded. It¡¯s uncomfortable.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~


    About half an hour later the camp is ready, we¡¯re sitting in a merry circle around the campfire with the white man and the spear man at my right and left respectively, the ebony-skinned woman is next to the former and the other two fighters next to the later, followed by the two seniors. A bowl of suspicious-looking soup has been served to everyone, me included. I slowly swirl the bowl in my hand, debating whether or not I should taste it. Instead, I raise a sceptical eyebrow at the white man.


    He clears his throat and turns to face me. ¡°Wi apologize forattacking hiu. Thought tha hiu was a spi. Mi nameis Kayin¡­ [Ka-yin]!¡± He repeats his name for me to pronounce it. I copy the pronunciation as accurately as I can, and he nods in satisfaction.


    Then he goes on, ¡°Mi teamand I are researchers. Wiwantto learn more about anancient civilyzasion called Nch¨¡re¡­ Disis why wi are here.¡±


    My stomach clenches at the mention of my homeland. As I thought, the Nch¨¡re empire doesn¡¯t exist anymore.


    I try to rein in the torrent of emotions in me.


    ¡°Ancient?¡± My face is a blank mask as I ask, ¡°how ancient are they? Of how many years are you talking about?¡±


    They exchange glances, some warry, some disbelieving, and some being a mixed of excitement and disbelief¡ªcourtesy of Kayin and the two seniors.


    ¡°So¡­ Hiuare really one ofthem? A Nch¨¡ren?¡± asks the senior lady.


    ¡°Answer my question! Please¡± I can¡¯t keep my voice from cracking at my last word.


    There is a pregnant pause.


    Finally, Kayin breaks the silence, hammering the last nail to the coffin of my hope.


    ¡°About 6000 years¡±


    6000 years?!


    The number feels like a punch in the gut. For a moment I can barely think, I can¡¯t speak. The earth has swallowed me, and I feel myself falling, falling, falling¡­


    I don¡¯t want to believe it. So long could not have passed¡­ right?


    The average lifespan of a Nch¨¡ren is about 300 years, while a sorcerer can live up to 500 years. Assuming that those who were not sleep induced survived the attack, too long would have passed.


    Which means¡­


    Everyone I knew is dead, my homeland does not exist anymore, and I was sleeping while all this was happening!


    Someone touches my shoulder. I look up to see Kayin, watching me with worried brown eyes.


    I stand up and run to a nearby wall, I have just enough time to bend over as I vomit.


    It¡¯s interesting that I barely have anything in my stomach but can still regurgitate something. And as I stop, my nausea has not receded one bit, in fact I feel like vomiting again.


    This¡­ This is a nightmare¡­ it has to be. It can¡¯t be possible. The Empire couldn¡¯t have collapsed like that, so abruptly, so¡­ easily. Everything and everyone I know could not have disappeared like that. Maybe¡­ maybe this is a hallucination, I must have breath in the fumes of a concoction I was brewing at home.


    It¡¯s then that I remember of the thousand¡¯s other survivors, blissfully sleeping through all this. But when they will wake up¡­ and learn of the fall of their homeland, of the death of all their relatives and loved ones.


    A shiver runs down my spine.


    Oh My God.

 Chapter 5

    It takes me some time before I muster the strength to return to the camp. Thankfully, none of them tried to seek me out.


    As it turns out, they did not even move out of their respective sits. All eyes are on me the moment I sit back down. I make use of all my self-control to keep my features as calm and composed as possible, my gaze never straying from the campfire.


    No one utters a word, Kayin and the two seniors exchange unsure glances, their eyes seem to silently debate on what to do next. In the end, it¡¯s Kayin who goes initiates with the conversation. He tentatively turns toward me, as if not to scare me.


    ¡°I donot imagine wuhat hiu mustbe filing¡­ I donot noh wuhat tosai, rwilly¡ª¡± He hesitates before adding, ¡°¡ªHiu are Nch¨¡ren, are hiu not?¡±


    I don¡¯t say anything for a few seconds, letting the question sink in. For an instant I wonder if I should be truthful or come up with a lie, but then¡­ Does it matter?


    ¡°I am.¡±


    This time, they all share the same expression¡ªDisbelief. Even that calm spear guy is no exception. Maybe they don¡¯t believe it, that someone of a bygone era still lives, I would be sceptical too if I was in their shoes.


    Kayin releases a shaky breath.


    ¡°How¡­ How do hiu live still?¡± asks the senior man. ¡°Can hiu¡ª¡±


    He is interrupted by the tall spear guy who says something¡ªthat of course I don¡¯t understand. And from the general reaction, either from what he said or the act in itself, it must be quite unusual or pertinent, if no one tries to contradict him. Kayin appears reluctant, he looks at me once more then sighs in resignation.


    ¡°Hau discortius of us, assaulting hiu withso many kuestions,¡± he says apologetically. ¡°Hiu mustbe quite tired¡±


    ¡°Please allau us to give hiu atent tosleep for the night.¡±


    I am grateful for the respite, so I don¡¯t object. I nod in confirmation.


    Kayin leads me to a tent, the largest one, and I assume it might be his. The whole tent smell of ink and old paper, and there are books positioned about everywhere¡ªDid he not place the tent barely an hour ago, how did he manage to mess up the area so quickly?


    There is a thin mattress and blanket laying at the corner of the tent, which I make beeline toward on sight. As I sit on it, I realise Kayin has yet to leave, he¡¯s still at the entrance of the tent. He opens his mouth to say something, but the words seem to have died in his throat. He shakes his head and leave.


    I can¡¯t sleep.


    I have been laying completely still for hours already, searching for a slumber which I think is running away from me.


    I tried not to think of my homeland and the fact that I will never see it again¡­ that I will never see Teacher again. I now wish dearly that Sabar and Zaylany were here, with me.


    I usually quite liked my solitude, but now¡­ Now it feels oppressing, I would give anything to not be alone here, at the mercy of my own thoughts.


    I gave up searching for sleep. All that I do now is lie on my back and absentmindedly staring at the roof of the tent. From the quiet outside, the other occupants must all sleeping now. The only noise breaking the silence being the wind hurling in the tunnel and the crackle of the fire outside.


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    What would Teacher do in my place?


    Why did this happen?


    What should I do now?


    I allow my mind to wonder on the day everything went wrong.


    The Propagation. That is the cause of everything.


    Which means that I need to know what happened. But with so many years having passed will I even find any clue?


    My only solution then is that strange lot out there. The white¡ªKayin did say he was a historian so he definitely has more information about what happened, and even if he does not his people must have collected and recorded some information about it.


    Leaving me with the minor problem that is language barrier¡­ I could ask Kayin about it. He might want something in return, though.


    I wouldn¡¯t mind, as long as he¡¯s reasonable of course.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~


    After spending fruitless hours laying without a wink of sleep, I finally decide to explore my temporary shelter¡ªby which I mean snooping around Kayin¡¯s stuff.


    I¡¯m usually not the type of person who touches other people¡¯s belongings without their permission, but since I¡¯m on unknown territory surrounded by strangers ¡­ I guess this counts as a pass. It is necessary to understand exactly what kind of company I am in the presence of.


    If Kayin ends up being offended by it¡­ well, he only has himself to blame. No one asked him to just drop his belongings around like that. Additionally, he gave me his tent, so he has no right to be angry that I encroached on his privacy.


    Hence, I stack a few books laying around and make myself comfortable on the mattress.


    I can¡¯t help but gasp as I open the first book, then the second, then the rest of the stack.


    These are Nch¨¡ren literature books.


    I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised that Kayin is in possession of these, he said that he¡¯s a historian after all.


    What is funny, though, is that most of the books are copies


    What is funny, though, is that most of the books are some of the more popular novels that were available at the time, fiction, non-fiction, and some contemporary tomes.


    The rest, I believe, are notes written by Kayin himself, since I am utterly unable to read them. He must have cross-referenced our books to come up with these.


    Seeing the familiar scripts of my homeland makes me feel strange, it¡¯s like there is something stuck in my throat. Maybe it is nostalgia, or sorrow¡­ perhaps a mix of the two.


    Now my eyes begin to sting.


    Not wanting to return to a state of self-pity, I decide to put the books back in their place. And with nothing else to do I opt to go out instead. By this time, everyone might still be sleeping, which is fine by me.


    I was wrong, not everyone is asleep. A few meters away, at the campfire, sits the stoic spear guy doing nothing but drinking from a gourd¡ªand I doubt it¡¯s water. It appears that he¡¯s the first to be wake up¡ªor he didn¡¯t sleep at all.


    For a moment I find myself hesitating, wondering if I should instead return to the tent. But then why should I do that? I¡¯m not scared of him. Sure, he is intimidating and definitely someone not to mess with, especially with the strange power he possesses.


    So what?


    Thus, with a reinvigorated determination I walk straight toward him¡ªthe campfire, I mean¡ªand take sit on a stool directly in front of him. He looks up and acknowledges me with a nod, which I return.


    We sit in a comfortable silence, him quietly drinking whatever alcoholic beverage he has and me observing him.


    At least him and I would love to ask him about the inhuman strength his congener and him have. Where and how did they get it? Or maybe it¡¯s hereditary.


    The fact that I have been staring at him for a while now must have made him uncomfortable because he questioningly glances at me, then raises his gourd as he tilts his head.


    Is he asking me if I want a taste of his beverage?


    I am tempted to accept but knowing myself and my dislike of alcohol, I don¡¯t think he would take it well if I accepted his drink only to make .only to make weird faces once I had a taste. So, I decline as respectfully as a non-verbal gesture can.


    The silence goes on but is soon broken by the other occupants of the camp who are leaving their tents.

 Chapter 6

    Kayin is the first to leave his tent, he greets us with a smile on his face as soon as he sees us. He¡¯s quickly followed by the two seniors, who does the same.


    I don¡¯t see the young woman and the other two warriors. In fact, as I try to sense their presence in the camp, but they¡¯re not there at all.  They returned shortly after, though, and not empty handed at that. One of the men is carrying dead game on his shoulder, I think it¡¯s an antelope, it has already been exsanguinated and skinned. He quickly sets up place where he chops it into smaller pieces.


    I guess it will be the breakfast.


    But where did they catch that animal? As far as I know antelopes don¡¯t live in tunnels but in lush forests. The closest exit point of the tunnels must still be too far away to reach it, dozens of kilometres at least¡­ They could not possibly have covered such a distance, to and fro, in such a small amount of time can they?


    Or maybe they can.


    From yesterday¡¯s exchange, it was apparent that these people possess an energy very similar, but at the same different, to Spiritual essence which gives them a significant boost in their physical abilities, and not just the temporary augmentations obtained by certain rituals or the consumption of vitality potions, but something more profound. Something intricately etched into their very being.


    Them more I observe them, the more I am intrigued by their existence.


    Teacher used to say that the world is mystery that not even thousands of lifetimes will be enough to uncover, there are simply too much that we don¡¯t know, and what we do know¡ªeven regarding sorcery, is barely the tip of the iceberg. Teacher used to say that the world is a mystery that not even thousands of lifetimes will be enough to uncover, there are simply too much that we don¡¯t know, and what we do know¡ªeven regarding sorcery, is barely the tip of the iceberg.


    These people¡­ They are the proof of it.


    I am pulled out of pondering when the young woman thrust a bowl of soup into my hands. The act is so abrupt that it almost falls from my hands, but she helps me to catch it before it does.


    I try express my thanks with a grateful nod of the head which she replies with an amiable smile.


    Now that I take a closer look at her, she is beautiful, a really beautiful woman. No one would be able to guess that someone so pretty and slender hide so much physical strength.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~


    After eating, we are once again assembled around the fire.


    The atmosphere is a solemn one, a reflection of the conversation that is to come.


    I steel myself for it.


    As usual Kayin is the one to engage the conversation, he clears his throat to garner everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Wi have not properli presented each other, so I will stat there¡­ if hiu donot mind¡±


    The introduction goes like this; The senior mister and lady are Lateef and Abayomi, they are archaeologist¡­ and married. The tall spear guy is called Ike, the dark-skinned woman is Ewa, and the two other men are Gamba and Azikiwe, the four of them are Warrior mercenaries commissioned by Ike¡¯s expedition team for protection and heavy lifting.


    ¡°My name is Vyswe¡¯eyaga¡± I say after everyone¡¯s presentation, ¡°Nice to meet you¡­. I guess.¡±


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    With that out of the way, we dive right into the crux of the issue¡ªMe.


    ¡°So¡­ what are you planning to do with me?¡± I finally say after a short silence.


    Mister Lateef answers this time.


    ¡°Weare actually hoping hiu will tell us about hiu, how did hiu survive?¡±


    And here it is. I have been thinking on how to deal with this situation all night long, listing and reviewing all the possible outcomes and how I will react to them accordingly¡­ and the only solution that I found most appealing, was to be direct.


    I will firmly state my demands and honestly answer their questions, of course I wouldn¡¯t tell them everything¡ªI don¡¯t trust them enough for that, but I wouldn¡¯t lie either. Crafting a complex enough web of half-truths and lies would be difficult¡ªI am not that good of a liar to begin with, and I couldn¡¯t be bothered with anyway. I can simply refuse to answer a question if I don¡¯t like it.


    These people are my only source of information, so I have to do it right.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind telling you what you want to know¡­ but there are a few things I want myself.¡±


    I let my words sink in for a while.


    ¡°Firstly, I had like to learn how to speak, read and write your language. Then, I want to know everything there is to know about this era; the political and social state of affairs, the economy and everything in between¡­¡± After some hesitation, I add, ¡°And the sorcery too¡­ if possible.¡±


    ¡°¡ªOf course! Aniting hiu wuant.¡±


    Kayin answers a bit too quickly. I a little taken aback by how readily he accepted but nod anyway.


    Then after a deep breath. I tell them about the end of the world, the end of my world. I tell them about the evacuations across the continents, and how my fellow countrymen were taken to the underground bunkers, and finally, about the elder¡¯s last resort to protect the younger generation from what had happen.


    Not to say, but my knowledge about what happened is very limited, everything happened so fast I did not get the time to really understand much.


    ¡°It¡¯s been about two weeks since I regained consciousness. There was no point in staying back there¡­ so I left.¡±


    I was not particularly looking at anyone when narrating the events but when my gaze focused back on them¡­ I can say that I am more or less unsurprised that their eyes literally bulge out of their sockets.


    Then I am assaulted by a barrage of questions, mainly by the trio of researchers. They speak on top of each other, and so quickly I genuinely do not understand a word that is coming from their mouths.


    I patiently wait for their hysterical display to pass. At some point they realise how comical they must look and finally regain some modicum of self-control.


    ¡°So hiu are not alone? Uwer are the others.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am not the only one and no, I will not tell you where they are¡± I tell flatly.


    ¡°Why?¡± Madame Abayomi almost whine, which is funny coming from a mature woman like herself.


    I give her a dubious look, ¡°Umm¡­ Because I don¡¯t know you. You can¡¯t possibly expect me to tell, can you?¡±


    They can always try if they want, with the wards erected all over the chamber and the hidden caves, I highly doubt they will be able to locate them¡­ so it should be alrigth.


    Kayin nods several times at my statement.


    ¡°Of course, of course, hiu wantto protectthem. But I can assurehiu that wi donot wantto harmthem, wi¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªLike I said, I don¡¯t know you.¡± I say more firmly.


    ¡°That is all I will tell you for the moment, and don¡¯t forget there is still your side of the bargain to respect.¡±


    They all nod to my words.


    ¡°Do hiu mind if we discuss among ourselves¡± When I narrow my eyes Kayin hastily adds, ¡°I donot intendto dishonor our bargain, rest assured, we wantto learn from hiu as much as hiu fromus.¡±


    I am not sure if I believe him, but I should not appear too paranoiac. Hence, even if it makes me uneasy I leave them to their discussion.


    My wait is not long because they are done barely a quarter of an hour later. Their next question takes me completely offguard.


    ¡°So¡­ will hiu agree to go to the surfacewith us?¡± I think my lack of a reaction makes him panic because he goes on by explaining to me that there are, in fact, more members of his expedition team. They are apparently decided to divide themselves into two groups, one will stay aboveground while the other will explore the tunnels, and the second group found something of worth, they will call the first one to join them.


    But they found me instead, is what he does not say.


    He further adds that all the necessary materials needed to teach all I need is above anyway and that it will be good for me to be under the sun after so long, to see with my own eyes the world above ground.


    At this point it seems that he is just finding reasons to persuade me into following him, and I think he knows that too.


    Yet was it not my objective to go to the surface all along?


    If I am being honest with myself, I subconsciously tried to delay this moment as much as possible, I was scared of finding out how much the world had changed¡ªI still am. But I can¡¯t afford to stay afraid.


    I try to keep my breath from trembling as I sigh.


    It is high time that I face this new world.


    Let¡¯s hope this will go smoothly.

 Chapter 7

    I jump out of bed at the sound of shouts coming from outside. One of the mercenaries, Gamba, barges into my tent and the fact that I am half asleep and barely dressed seem to be the least of his worries.


    ¡°What is going on?¡±


    ¡°We are under attack.¡±


    I hastily wear my trouser and shirt, then my shoes. Now fully clothed, I follow Gamba out of the tent.


    I am met with total mayhem.


    Flying Junjus are spread all over the camp. They look like overgrown bats, except that what is supposed to be their heads is instead a patchwork of multiple eyes and razor-sharp teeth, and what should to be talons are instead replaced by hooves.


    They let out ear splitting cries as they wantonly attack anything that moves. Thankfully, the mercenaries¡¯ response was swift, they have already brought those who can¡¯t fight to shelter, only leaving the battle-ready once on the field.


    A dozen of mercenaries have taken position, aiming their arrows at the hideous creatures to shoot them down, but they are too swift and effortlessly dodge every projectile. At this point, swords and spears would be useless.


    I stretch out my hand as I call for the wind.


    In response, violent gusts rise and form a small tornado, sucking in the flying monstrosities. When I am sure that none has been left out, I change the structure of the wind to form a sphere of powerful gale, effectively trapping them inside.


    Then out of nowhere, an energy beam blasts through the sky straight to the horde of trapped Junjus. It does nothing short than pulverise them to smithereens.


    As I disperse the wind, the ashes of the calcinated Junjus with it.


    A heavy silence falls unto to the camp as every pair of eyes slowly turn toward the source of the blast.


    Out there, at the very edge of the camp, a delicate figure can be seen floating above the tents.


    With the soft light of the moon at her back, she appears no different from an otherworldly being, or a spirit of the forests, coming out into the night to protect her territory and its denizens from the vile monsters aiming to spread corruption into the world.


    Firmly cradled in her hands is a staff, the mystical power emanating from it being proof that its wood comes from a tree with all but mundane attributes. The staff in itself has been carved in a very simplistic manner; whereas its head coils in the shape of a crescent moon, its stem is wrapped by what seem to be an extremely light and translucent piece of cloth, which dangles loosely at its end.


    She slowly glides closer. Her body is covered by an ample beige robe which does a poor job at completely of her voluptuous figure, her pitch-black hair is styled into long braids down her waist that she allows to be carried freely by the soft nightly breeze.


    Her skin is the colour of an Oak tree wood, and her face is even more lovely; refined eyebrows, a small nose, full lips painted in a deep shade of black¡­ But the most attention gripping part of her face are her eyes, not because of the unfathomable mysteries and knowledge they seem to be the keepers of, but due to the vibrant golden hue of her pupils, surrounded by chestnut-coloured irises¡­ this, more than anything, amplifies the ethereal aura exuding from her.


    At last, she joins us on the ground, then observes the state of the area around her, finally, she turns her gaze toward the mercenaries which were fighting a while ago.


    She lightly tilts her head to the side.


    ¡°Are there any wounded?¡±


    Even though she spoke softly, her voice echoes across the area.


    For long seconds no one answers. She turns her face at me, a question in her eyes.


    ¡°No¡­ No one¡­ Everybody¡¯s fine.¡±


    It is Ewa¡¯s voice which breaks the strange daze the rest of the mercenaries were plunged.


    She casually walks toward Vyswe¡¯eyaga and pass her arm around her neck in a half hug.


    ¡°Young lady, will you please stop with all your¡­¡± she wiggles the fingers of her other arm above their heads as she adds, ¡°¡­sparkling and enchanting¡­ the poor men over there will turn into brainless fools if you continue like that.¡±


    Vyswe¡¯eyaga frowns a bit then snort as she says, ¡°Eh? Why will it be my fault? I was just helping.¡±


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~


    It has been well over three months since my team and I left the underground tunnels, and not empty handed, if I can say it that way.


    A few weeks after our exploration in the tunnels started, Ike sensed that we were being followed by someone, as one would imagine, it was concerning. It was not like our expedition into the wilderness was a secret from anyone back in the Archaeology Institution but the presence of a potential contestant trying to sabotage us, or attempt steal any of our discoveries would have been problematic.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    It was preferable to not take any risks. Hence Ewa, with her unmatched stealth skills, volunteered in restraining him.


    The intruder turned out to be a young woman, not the kind of hardened assassin and spy I had imagined.


    The moment I laid eyes on her, I knew who she was¡­ I felt it in my gut.


    A Nch¨¡ren.


    The most powerful civilization of its era. It prospered for millennia, giving birth to the greatest thinkers of their time. They are at the origine of countless creations, architects of wondrous infrastructures, mechanical constructs, and many other inventions that, to this day, endured the trial of time. They were also the first sorcerers who devised a plethora of spells, potions, and rituals of all kinds.


    Six thousand years after their eradication, I am met with one of their kind, just a few meters away. A living, breathing Nch¨¡ren.


    I almost couldn¡¯t believe my own eyes¡­ maybe I was hallucinating or was I dead?


    Of course, it was known that the people in those times were long-lived, a couple of centuries at most, but not that long-lived. It was virtually impossible for any of them to have survived the descent of Defilement¡­ and to outlive it? It was inconceivable.


    She couldn¡¯t be one of them.


    But the way she wielded sorcery, her ability to use multiple elements, the golden pupils, it was all like the ancient texts described them.


    If this was a dream, I never wanted to wake up.


    I had so many questions to ask, so many mysteries that were yet to be uncovered¡­ I had to speak with her.


    I finally got the chance to, but then I found saw just how scared and lost she was¡ªshe slept for thousands of years and woke up in a world who changed without her noticing, I don¡¯t dare imagine how confusing it must.


    And then she says that there are more of her kind¡ªGreat God. It was the best day of my life.


    Then the worst day of my life when she refused to tell us where they were kept.


    It¡¯s not like I will harm them or experiment on them or anything more nefarious¡­ I just wanted to talk. Unfortunately, Vyswe¡¯eyaga was adamant on not saying a thing, not even a clue.


    My only consolation was her bargain with us; we would make an ¡®Oath of secrecy¡¯ about her existence and teach her everything she wished to know about this world¡ªto the best of our ability¡ªand she would temporarily stay us and teach me and a few others how to properly read, write and speak the ¡®Tongue¡¯, as she calls it.


    This already was an incredibly priceless opportunity, to learn about the Nch¨¡re empire by one of its very citizens.


    Still, the other historians and archaeologists of the party insisted that we at least attempt to find the resting place of the other Nch¨¡ren. It was unanimous, and even though I wanted to respect Vyswe¡¯eyaga¡¯s wish, I was curious too. So, we decided to discreetly send out scouts to check the tunnels from a twenty or so kilometres radius. Vyswe¡¯eyaga said that she left the place about a week after awakening and assuming that she walked throughout the whole journey, it couldn¡¯t have been far.


    After two weeks of search, we did not find the trace of a single bunker or hidden chambers.


    Well¡­ we did find the wreckage of one of the Nch¨¡ren¡¯s strange transportation device, and what¡ªwho it was transporting¡­ Unfortunately, many of such engines had been found throughout the years in the past, so it wasn¡¯t anything groundbreaking. The remains were also completed useless since most of the skeletons had completely turned to ash, further investigation showed that the process did not occur naturally¡ªthe transportation device was hot when we explored it, the ashes were warm too, and everything else had completely burned. All this showed that the fire was lite recently.


    It was fairly easy to guess who the perpetrator was, given that it was in the same direction Vyswe¡¯eyaga had come from. I probed her about it during our teaching sessions and she simply responded that it was the right thing to do and that they deserved a proper funeral¡­ She wasn¡¯t wrong, I guess.


    A month later she was proficient enough in our language to be able to casually speak with about anyone, though her accent was still present. Since then, she held on to her apprehensions no more and boldly questioned anything that picked her interest¡­ which was mainly; the abilities of warriors and the sorcerers of the new era¡ªtruthfully, she cared more about the warriors.


    I couldn¡¯t understand what she found so interesting in them, they are impossibly stronger than a normal human, yes, but that ends there.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Someone smacks me on the head. I turn to find the woman in question grinning at me, that same sassy grin she likes to give me.


    ¡°Were you listening to what I was saying Bossman? Stop spacing around.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m your boss, then why do you keep hitting me?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Nothing. What were you saying again?¡±


    A mocking smile spread on her lips.


    Tch, violent woman.


    ¡°Well, Vyvy and I were wandering if we could make a stop at the next village¡­ you know how we delicate ladies are sensitive to all this humidity and insects.¡±


    ¡°To be more specific she needs a place to restock her wine cabinet¡ª¡±, adds Vyswe¡¯eyaga from the side, she is still stuck in Ewa¡¯s hug.


    ¡°Traitor! We¡¯re supposed to be on the same side.¡±


    ¡°¡ªand I¡¯m curious about the village too. I wouldn¡¯t mind if we made a stop there.¡±


    As a reward, Ewa pats her head while nodding in satisfaction. Vyswe¡¯eyaga on the other hand does not look amused in the least, she has a sullen, but the plea of help is evident in her eyes.


    The gentleman that I am gallantly ignores her predicament. From my experience with women, it is always the smart choice to not get involve.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a village per se, more precisely it¡¯s the temporary settlement of a nomadic tribe of the highlands¡±, Ewa taps her feet on the ground, a sign for me to get to the point, ¡°The settlement also happens to be on our way to the capital, so, I suppose we could stop by, for a day or two¡­if they didn¡¯t leave yet.¡±


    ¡°Great! We will be leaving in the morning, yes? Then off to bed everyone¡±


    Ewa does not allow for objections and directly walk for her tent, freeing Eyaga in the process. She sighs in relief as she massages her neck.


    ¡°You sure have gotten close this past month,¡± I remark.


    ¡°She makes it difficult not to like her, in some ways, she reminds of another friend of mine.¡± Most likely another Nch¨¡ren, but I repress the need to ask her more about it. I have learned from the time we spent together that, though she is willing to humour us with questions about her homeland, anything too personal is where she draws the line.


    She observes me for a short while.


    To think that at the beginning, she would look at me like I was some kind of¡­ intriguing puzzle, I think?


    It was a bit uncomfortable at the at first, but since it was pure curiosity, I tried not to mind too much. Later when we could properly communicate, I took especially care to explain to her what is albinism and about the other congenital conditions I knew of. She proved to be very interested on the subject.


    I hear her sigh audibly,


    ¡°Remind me again, why am I following you to your capital?¡±


    ¡°Having second thoughts?¡±


    ¡°I think so. It¡¯s just¡­ there will be there will be a lot more of people there, and I¡ªI don¡¯t know if I¡¯m ready for that.¡±


    Understandable.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯ll be able to access a lot more records from the capital. My uncle is also there, and he¡¯s an Archivist too so I¡¯m certain he will be helpful.¡±


    I hesitate before adding, ¡°And I promise you, your presence will be kept a tight-lipped secret¡­ You won¡¯t be bothered by anyone.¡±


    She still doesn¡¯t appear to be at ease but nods, nonetheless.


    ¡°I will retire as well. Goodnight Kayin.¡±


    Then she is gone.

 Chapter 8

    ¡°Aah! My head!¡± I declare. ¡°It hurts so bad; I think I am going to die from overreading.¡±


    Teacher peers at me from his desk, then goes back to his papers.


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡± He answers in his usual impassive tone.


    I hate it when he talks like that¡ªand he talks like that all the time. This is so annoying.


    ¡°Yes! Aren¡¯t I supposed to learn sorcery, like¡­ real sorcery? The only thing even close to it that I did was sensing my essence and it was boring as hell¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªLanguage.¡±


    ¡°Sorry...¡±


    I fidget a bit on my desk as I ask, ¡°Why do I have to read all these old stories?¡±


    ¡°You cannot be a proper sorceress if you do not know the origine of sorcery, ¨¬nhg¨±.¡±


    You always say that.


    ¡°And I¡¯ll keep saying it till the day you stop whining about every single lesson.¡±


    My eyes widen at his words, then I peer suspiciously at him. ¡°Did you use magic to read my mind?¡±


    An exacerbated sigh escape from his lips.


    ¡°Had you properly read your textbooks¡­¡± He says as he sits up, ¡°You would know that the use of mind reading and mind-altering spells were forbidden thousands of years ago¡­ so no, I did not read your mind.¡±


    Teacher makes his way to my desk; he kneels at my side, and gently pats my head.


    ¡°You have an immense potential for sorcery ¨¬nhg¨± but before you can learn anything substantial you will have to go through the boring but necessary steps to it¡­ which include knowing your history. And¡­¡± He smirks slightly, then whispers. ¡°If you finish quickly I promise to teach you a real spell. What do you say?¡±


    ¡°Really? You are not going to change your mind, are you?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t. I promise.¡±


    I immediately go back to my book. ¡°Then I will be done by the end of the day.¡±


    ¡°You will also have to pass my little quiz too.¡±


    A groan of agony leaves my mouth.


    I should have known there was a trap somewhere. And the evil torturer that he is laughs at my misery.


    ¡°S¨²s¨´ n¨´, ¨¬nhg¨±. I am sure you can do it.¡±


    ¡°¡­That spell better be a super amazing one.¡± I grumble.


    ????????


    I jolt out of sleep. Not moving, just staring at the ceiling.


    When the drumming of my heart calms down, I reach out to my face and wipe away the tears.


    I have come to dread the time when I must sleep. During the day, I can busy my mind with studying and learning about this unfamiliar environment and its people¡­ but at night, I can¡¯t help but think, or dream, of Teacher.


    I miss home¡­ so much.


    I try to shake out the sad thoughts, there is no time to feel sorry for myself.


    ¡°Haa¡­ I need a cold shower.¡±


    I step out of the tent. The sun isn¡¯t up yet, there is hardly anyone up so early in the morning, except for the mercenaries that were assigned with guard duty last night. There are also a lot more of these ¡®warriors¡¯ among the guards, surely due to last night¡¯s attack. I greet some of them as I walk by, some try not to look in my direction, but I don¡¯t miss the curious glances they all throw at me.


    Apart from the expedition unit I met in the tunnels and some close collaborators of Kayin¡¯s, none truly know who I am.


    I made it a point with him to have as few people knowing my identity as possible. I am well aware that my secret is bound to be discovered at one point, but people generally have a tough time to believe that something is real¡ªeven when it¡¯s staring right at their faces¡­ I mean, who would believe that a civilization they thought to be extinct for millennia is actually not completely extinct? It would be challenging even for me too to accept such a thing.


    And as far as they are concerned, I am just the weird sorceress they found underground.


    During my sessions with Kayin, he told me that in this era, sorcerers can wield only a single mystic art. This, more than the existence of warriors, surprised me the most.


    The mystical Arts are generally classified into two categories; firstly, there are the Elemental Arts, also known as the Primordial Arts, which is the manipulation of earth, water, fire, air, and lightning.


    Then there are the Occult Arts, this includes voodoo, dimensionalism, healing, and many more. Actually, any art which does not involve the use of the elements are classified under the ¡®occult¡¯ banner.


    So, what happened for sorcerers of this era to be limited to the use of a single art?


    Well¡­ Kayin also mentioned that, unlike us Nch¨¡ren, they do not need to use staffs or chants for spells, so I made a hypothesis.


    Sorcerers in my era uses chants to call upon a specific art, while our staffs help us to give it a direction, a focus. The only art in which we do not need either is when manipulating our raw Spiritual essence, since it already is a part of us.


    On the other hand, the sorcerers of this era are born attuned with a specific mystical art, so I guess chanting and using a staff is pointless in their situation. I had thought it would be a disadvantage for them but after experimenting with Kayin I understood it came with a certain benefit.


    The benefit being that they hold complete dominion over their attuned art.


    When I called for the wind during one of my tests, Kayin was able to easily wretch out my control from me, even when I was fully concentrated on it.


    This happened every single time.


    Meanwhile when he called for the wind, I couldn¡¯t do a thing, it was like the wind became an entity completely inaccessible to me, and the way he manipulated it¡­ he clearly did not look like he was giving it any special thought, it felt almost reflexive for him, like¡­ moving a limb.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    This is so very interesting¡ª


    ¡ªAnyway, I concluded that this age¡¯s sorcerers somehow¡­ Mutated? Or evolved? ¡­from what we used to be, relinquishing the ability to wield all Arts to mastering a specific one.


    Of course, that is with the assumption that all the sorcerers of this time have the same level of control over their art as Kayin¡¯s.


    Regardless of that, this¡­ it complicates things for me, it means that I will be forced to wield a single art¡ªin the presence of an audience that is¡­ but still.


    It is a bit annoying.


    In no time I make it to the lake. I take a quick dive in the waters then return to the camp; they must be preparing to leave by now. I was on my way to Ewa¡¯s tent and invite her to breakfast with me when I spot Ike, he is sitting not too far on a dead tree trunk.


    I do not quite manage to hide the smirk on my face when I walk in his direction, and the helplessness on his face at the sight of me almost makes me jump with delight, almost.


    Apart from Ewa and Kayin, Ike have become one of the people I enjoy being around with, maybe a little bit more than the former two.


    He is mostly a quiet person, the type of guy who does not speak except, when necessary or spoken to but in spite of his intimidating demeanour, he is kind. The proof of that being the fact that he tolerates me even at the times when I¡¯m clearly there just to pester him.


    I like him.


    ¡°Good morning, Ike¡± I say with an even voice.


    ¡°Greetings Vyswe¡¯eyaga¡±


    He makes some space for me to sit down.


    ¡°You know¡­¡± he starts when I am comfortably sited. ¡°Sometimes I get the feeling that you have some kind of vendetta against me.¡±


    I very slowly blink thrice at his words.


    ¡°Why would you think that?¡± I say as I tilt my head to the side. ¡°Might it not be that I just, very simply, enjoy your company?¡±


    He side-eyes me from head to toe.


    What is that supposed to mean?


    Clearly, he believes that I¡¯m just enacting an act of revenge, which is outrageous given that we barely know each other.


    It certainly is not because I¡¯m still sour about the way he manhandled me back in the tunnels, and that I am taking advantage of his kindness toward me to hound him every occasion I get.


    I¡¯m not that petty.


    ¡°I have known many women, girl¡­ They don¡¯t enjoy my company the way you do.¡±


    ¡°Then you clearly haven¡¯t known as many women as you think.¡± I drawl. His face remains impressively expressionless, still, he does not quite manage to hide the barely perceivable twitch of his eyebrow. ¡°And I¡¯ll have you know that I do not qualify as a girl, I¡¯ll be thirty-six in a few months.¡±


    Or maybe I already am?


    My calendar is completely muddled.


    ¡°And that is so unfair¡ª¡± I almost jump out of my sit at the sound of the new voice.


    I turn to face Ewa who came out of nowhere and is now sitting next to me. Great skies, she will give me a heart attack one of these days.


    ¡°¡ªYou look no older than twenty, yet you are actually our big sister? Where is the justice in that, hmm?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re the same age.¡± Ike says in a very serious tone.


    ¡°I am technically thousands of years old.¡± I rebuke. ¡°So I am older than you.¡±


    ¡°What? Your millennia long beauty sleep doesn¡¯t count!¡± Exclaims Ewa.


    She is probably right. During that period of stasis, I was isolated from the world outside, hence, I did not experience time like everything else.


    ¡°Maybe¡­ Now that I think about it, how old are you?¡±


    Ewa dramatically gasps as she places a hand on her chest.


    ¡°You did not! Have your mother never told you that it was rude to ask about lady¡¯s age?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know, I don¡¯t have a mother. And it is not rude since I am a woman myself.¡± I say with a shrug. And is she not the one who inquired about my age first? ¡°Nevertheless, there is no reason for you to be shy about your age, back home it is considered as a subject of pride you know.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ¡®ladies¡¯ go eat your breakfast¡­ before there¡¯s nothing left.¡±


    I narrow my eyes at Kayin, he is obviously trying to get rid of us.


    If he thinks that it will work, then he is in for a¡ª


    ¡°You¡¯re right! Come on Eyaga, I am starving.¡± She does not let me have a say and quite literally drags me away.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~


    The camp was packed, and we were already leaving by sunrise.


    The journey to the capital city of Bamen; Asso, is a long one, especially because the people in this age having a glaring lack of fast means of transportation. The most common mode of transportation being trekking.


    Which I am not a great fan.


    We are currently in the highlands but need to cross a river called Stu before being able to reach the capital. I wondered how we would cross it given that they don¡¯t use SCPLEs.


    So, I asked. Kayin said we will be carried by a boat to the other side¡­ A real boat!


    I have never been on a boat before¡­ I know what they look like, there are¡ªwere scale models of them in the Museums back in Nch¨¡re. They stopped being useful after the creation of the Spirit Crystal-powered locomotive engine, and anyone else who wasn¡¯t using them could just fly with sorcery¡­ or use the dimensional waypoints.


    The point is, just reaching the river will take us at least a week, then another two to reach the capital. And I have to walk that whole distance?


    Nuh-uh, that is not happening.


    I don¡¯t have the inhuman strength nor stamina the warriors have. Last time I saw one of them carry a game that had to at least weigh six time his weight, but the lack of strain and nonchalance with which he was carrying it proved it did not bother him in the least. I also saw Ike train together last night. I may not be knowledgeable in the art of combat, but I am damn certain it is not something a normal human can do. The most infuriating part is that no one seems to know why and how they are so strong. ¡®There are many theories of how and why warriors came to be over the years, but none are convincing enough, all that is known is that people with formidable physical prowess just appeared one after the other hundreds of years ago.¡¯ Kayin had said.


    Anyway, I can¡¯t walk so far for so long. I have never walked so far for so long. I am chubby for a reason. That is why I very clearly enumerated the several reasons why I cannot¡ªand will not¡ªwalk for so long. I had rather be carried like all the older folks.


    And Kayin being the smart, sensible man that he is, let me ride on one of their beasts. They are large, hoofed mammals, they are absolutely massive, with an imposing pair of horns atop their heads, they have wholly black fur and their eyes are of a deep crimson colour. Their appearance couldn¡¯t be anymore imposing, but apparently, they are pretty common, they are called Graes, and since they are huge and strong, resilient animals, they are used by people to carry heavy loads.


    And this group sure has a lot of baggage, a lot more than when I first encountered them. They must have found the ruins of the SCPLE¡­ A sigh escape from my lips at the thought, it was inevitable that they did. Still, I feel guilty for not trying to stop them, and leaving the surviving youngsters in those caves too. Maybe some have awakened already¡ªbut no, I would know if they did.


    Again, the sad thoughts don¡¯t stop from filling my head. So, I decide to observe the landscape instead.


    At least the view is nice from up here, I have a clear vantage point of the hills and valleys. The meadows are vast, their beauty breathtaking, and I can¡¯t help but appreciate the freshness of the air and the feel of the sun, warm on my skin.


    I could almost forget the long time I have spent underground; the air was stale and mossy down there. So many years indoors had paled my complexion a bit, but my capsule still managed to not make it too apparent¡­ That doesn¡¯t compare to being under the sun though.


    My gaze lingers on a silhouette in the distance.


    Far, far away, in the horizon a giant structure can be seen. It is so massively tall that its top is hidden up in the clouds, from hear it appears to be just a few centimetres wide but up close it must be enormous.


    ¡°Do you know what that fortress is?¡±


    I shift my intention to Kayin who is now walking next to the Grae I¡¯m riding on. I contemplate his question for a while, then nod my head.


    ¡°The Hanging gardens¡­ that¡¯s what it is called.¡±


    Kayin¡¯s eyes widen, his pupils turning into pin holes, ¡°A¡­ garden?¡±


    I smile wryly, ¡°You know¡­ a place where you grow crops¡ªfruits, vegetables¡ªall that.¡±


    ¡°I know what a garden is¡­¡±


    He falls silent after that, probably formulating his next question.


    ¡°I read that for centuries curious adventurers, historians, and research groups all over the world attempted to enter it, without success. Some sorcerers with flight abilities also tried to fly above it and access it from the top. But it¡¯s so high up in the sky that at some point they almost lacked oxygen¡­ Some were too stubborn and fell to their deaths.


    It¡¯s only recently that a joint collaboration of the four continents¡¯ best ward masters managed to unlock the wards and entered the first floor¡­ the remaining ones are still inaccessible yet.¡±


    I look back at the garden.


    ¡°Interesting, but not surprising. The garden was one of the most protected infrastructures of the Empire, even more protected than the Imperial palace and the Archives combined. After all, it is the place where all the known edible plants and medicinal herbs are cultivated and stored.¡±


    Kayin almost miss a step as he walks but catches himself on time.


    ¡°All the plants in the world?!¡± He practically shouts.


    I frown at him, and he clears his throat in embarrassment.


    ¡°All the known plants of the world¡­ To us at least. With so many centuries having gone by, the flora must have changed a great deal.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course¡­ So¡­¡± He cautiously says, ¡°You know how to access it?¡±


    I shake my head, ¡°Not here Kayin¡­¡±


    He seems to realise where we are, then nods. But the dejection on his face is clear as daylight.


    He will later be even more disappointed when I will tell him that I can¡¯t access it. To be able to, a special pass is needed, and only the imperial botanists and the emperor himself are¡ªwere in possession of it.


    Kayin does not ask any more questions as we continue our journey through the highlands.

 Chapter 9

    We make it to the nomadic tribe¡¯s settlement sometime around midday.¡­ thankfully.


    The moment our caravan is spotted by their guards, a small crowd of people is formed at the entrance of the settlement. I can see some kids sneaking in the crowd, and I almost fall from my ride.


    The children¡­ some of them, they are standing as naked as the day they were born. How could their parents allow them to walk around like, are they not going to catch a cold?


    Thank goodness it is only the younger ones.


    But then I am proven wrong.


    Almost every one of them wear some kind of thick red piece of cloth with stripes on it, some garments have vibrant golden, dark blue, or white patterns etched on the red fabric. The men wear them tied around their waste, or have it strapped on one side of their shoulders.


    And the women¡­ while wear the cloth so that it separately covers their lower and upper bodies or in a one-piece set. Others have¡­ they have completely discarded the upper part of the garment, leaving their chests bare to the world.


    I can¡¯t help but stare at them and feel embarrassed at the same time too, even when I am not the one exposed. Strangely enough it does not seem to bother anyone, both from the people of the tribe and the people of our caravan, like... it is a normal thing.


    A man steps out from the crowd, form the strong peculiar energy coming from him, he must be a warrior. He is tall and very muscular, almost as imposing as Ike is. He also wears the same type of garments his tribespeople except that in addition to the red cloth, he is wearing a coat of animal fur and a headwear made of gigantic feathers. I think that it is obvious enough he is the chief.


    We stop at a non-threatening distance from them. Kayin marches forward to meet their leader. For some reason, the agitation has stop among the tribespeople, as if they are all holding their breaths.


    Kayin and the tribe chief stare at each other for what seem like hours, not moving a centimetre, not saying anything. As if they are gauging each another.


    Kayin is the one who breaks the long silence.


    ¡°We are the guests sent to you by the Most-High.¡±


    The leader remains quiet, he preferring to further observe Kayin, then his gaze focuses on our caravan.


    Finally, he responds, ¡°And we shall receive you in his grace.¡±


    I relax, as does everyone else.


    Kayin had also taught me this salutation. He said that if one day I ever found myself without shelter, I could go to anyone¡¯s door and greet them like that, and they would welcome me. It did not matter who I am or where I came from. We are all the children of Lord.


    In Nch¨¡re too we had a similar custom, even if we did not know them, we would welcome them without asking questions.


    Still, it was possible not to offer hospitality to someone we thought to be dangerous or ill willed, both then and now.


    It was also considered sacrilegious to harm one¡¯s host when being welcomed, a sin no different than kin slaying which could bring upon a cursed life.


    The tribe chief pats Kayin¡¯s back in a half-hug and motions him to pass with a smile on his face. We follow suit when he then acknowledges us with a nod of the head.


    It doesn¡¯t take long for the tents to be placed, it went quickly thanks to the tribespeople who graciously offered their assistance.


    I find it particularly interesting how the general mood changed, from weary curiosity at our arrival to excitement now. Maybe because they don¡¯t get the chance to see other people often.


    Life in the wilderness cannot be easy every day. I wonder why they would inflict such a harsh lifestyle upon themselves, why not settle once and for all?


    ¡°Excuse me. May I enter?¡±


    I close the book I was reading and look up to where the voice came from. There is a feminine figure standing outside, and I don¡¯t recognise the voice either, it can¡¯t be someone from the caravan.


    ¡°Please do.¡±


    The flaps of my tent are opened, to reveal a woman. She is young, according to this world¡¯s lifespan she should be in her mid-twenties I think, she is beautiful. She has the bronze skin and toned body which seems to characterize pretty much everyone in her tribe. Thankfully she is properly covered, she is wearing the same thick red fabric as everyone else, with the addition of strings of pearls and beads around her waist neck and forearms. Her hair is a mess of curls on her head which she wrapped around a silky yellow scarf.


    ¡°Hello, my name is Yango¡± she greets me as she extends her hand.


    I stand from where I was sitting to shake her hand.


    ¡°Vyswe¡¯eyaga, nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Oh! I have never heard of such a name, but it has a nice ring to it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°I here to check if you are in need of anything, we don¡¯t have much, but I will assist you to the best of my abilities.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Ummh¡­ I am alright, I do not need anything.¡±


    ¡°I hope you like it here, have you visited the village yet? I could show you around if you want?¡±


    I suddenly find my hands trapped in hers. Her enthusiasm is a bit overwhelming. I don¡¯t really want to explore the settlement now. Due to our arrival, I am quite certain that the area will be crowded, too crowded to my liking. I had hoped to explore after things calmed down a bit, but¡­ I don¡¯t find the heart to turn her down.


    I sigh internally, ¡°I would love that¡­¡±


    She did not waste time to drag me out and do a grand tour of their settlement. From their pen where they keep their domestic animals, to their smithy, then she presented me to their jewel makers and weavers, and so on. She ended the visit by showing the best spot¡ªalso her favourite one¡ªto have a panoramic view of the highlands.


    ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡±


    She curiously looks at me, then shrugs.


    ¡°Why do you and your people not settle in a single place permanently? Don¡¯t get me wrong, I don¡¯t mean to criticize your lifestyles, but it can¡¯t be easy every day.¡±


    She ponders on my question for a while, then looks me in the eye and shrug once more. ¡°It is true that constantly moving from place to place is not the safest thing to do in these days, especially with the presence of Junjus lurking in every dark corner¡­ But it¡¯s all we know, for generations we have been migrating according to the seasons, this habit is so ingrained in us that it¡¯s now part of our culture¡­ and I think that we have been so used to this that settling for good will feel too unnatural.¡±


    That¡­ is an interesting way of living.


    ¡°Since I answered your question, can I ask one of my own?¡± Yango asks.


    ¡°Hmm? Sure.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ Are you a sorceress?¡±


    I blink at her question, ¡°Why do you think that?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I have never seen eyes quite as peculiar as yours. It is usually sorcerers who have such¡­ eccentric appearances. No offence.¡±


    ¡°None taken. Do you usually encounter sorcerers during your travels?¡±


    ¡°More frequently than one would think actually, I think that practitioners of the Arts are unable to stay in one place, not all of them of course, but most seem to have this crave for adventuring.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± I raise an inquisitive eyebrow. ¡°¡­Then it must be quite convenient for you to have been born in a nomadic tribe.¡±


    Surprise spread on her face.


    ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°I can sense the flow of your essence, it¡¯s a much more dynamic than the others¡­ hmm¡­ I sense an affinity to¡­ water?¡±


    Her surprise turn into bewilderment. Her mouth falls open, she moves her lips, but no sound comes out of it.


    ¡°It¡¯s part of my abilities¡­¡± I have the strange feeling that for some reason, I did something wrong. ¡°What?¡±


    Yango crosses her arms over her chest with a deep frown. ¡°That was quite¡­ Papa Eidu said it¡¯s of great importance for a sorcerer to keep their abilities a secret. You need not had said it out loud, what if someone is spying on us?¡±


    ¡°I see, I apologize...¡± I pause before asking, ¡°Who is Papa Eidu by the way? Is he your mentor?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she answers with pride. ¡°He is a sorcerer too. He only the basics though, since I don¡¯t have his ability to speak with animals, the rest I figured it out on my own.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Didn¡¯t you say that it is unwise to reveal one¡¯s ability?¡± I ask evenly.


    Her eyes widen in realization, she hiccups and then looks down, she suddenly found the grass a lot more interesting.


    ¡°You¡­ You will keep it a secret, right? Papa Eidu will kill me he finds out that I outed him.¡±


    Given how small their community is, I doubt that there is anyone who does not know the art they both practise.


    ¡°My lips are sealed.¡±


    She thanks with a sigh.


    ¡°Oh¡­ I almost forgot, there will be a big party tonight and you¡¯re all invited to attend.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the occasion¡±


    She shrugs, ¡°Nothing really¡­ it¡¯s just an excuse for everyone to be together.¡±


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~


    The party is like every other party I have ever known¡­ Loud.


    The rhythmic beating of drums and flutes merge with the singing and laughter of people. A large bonfire has been lite at the centre of the village, people are dancing around it, adults, and children alike. Others are sitting on stools or mats placed a bit everywhere, contented to just enjoy their beverages and food while watching those dancing¡­ I am among those others.


    Ewa, whom I did not see since setting up the tents, is dancing around the bonfire with Ike. I cringe a bit at how awkward his dancing is, all the opposite to Ewa¡¯s graceful movements. He has the face of someone who wants to be everywhere but there, he must be doing it for the sake of Ewa.


    Not far from is Yango, she is also dancing with four other women, they are about the same age as her. She must have felt my gaze on her because she momentarily turns to my direction and shakes her hand at me, which I return.


    ¡°I hope you are enjoying yourself lass.¡±


    I turn at the owner of the voice; it is the village chief. He is holding a horn shaped cup which he takes a deep gulp from, then looks at me from the corner of his eye.


    ¡°I am, thank you for asking.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you drink?¡± He asks as he points the cup of water near me with his eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like alcohol. I am more of a sweet tooth.¡± I say as I show the food on my leaf, in it is a pastry they call Ntak. It is absolutely delicious. ¡°I¡¯d be grateful if you would give me the recipe.¡±


    ¡°Sure, my wife will be more than happy to share it with you. She has a great impression of you, talked about you for hours long to her co-wives.¡±


    I blink at him, not quite understanding what he means. ¡°Really? I don¡¯t remember being presented to her, though.¡±


    He fully looks at me, raises an eyebrow, then turn his gaze back to Yango and the group of women dancing with her¡­ Oh?


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re here to check out the truthfulness of her statements.¡±


    ¡°Yango is a very na?ve young woman, and tends to overly trust others, I am sure that you would understand my wanting to shield her from some aspects of life.¡±


    I absentmindedly nod as I finish my food. I don¡¯t take the insinuation that I might be dangerous to his wife personally. In fact, his intentions are commendable, but it is not exactly the best way to protect someone, he will not always be there for her.


    Eh¡­ It¡¯s not my place to judge.


    ¡°Then what¡¯s your verdict sir?¡±


    He is completely focused on his wives when he answers, ¡°You are not ill intentioned at least, but I feel that you are going to bring in a lot of trouble.¡±


    Huh?


    ¡°Are you saying that because of my appearance? That is not very fair.¡±


    ¡°It has nothing to do with how you look, call it a gut feeling I guess.¡±


    I was about to ask why he taught that but was cut short.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave, have a nice evening.¡±


    And he is gone as abruptly as he came¡­ Why did it seem like he was running from something, I saw him glance at something behind my back and¡ª


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    As I turn me gaze meet with that of Ike, he is sitting on a mat not far away behind me, watching like some kind of angry guard. I frown at him, but all he does in response is take a seep from his wooden cup, his eyes never leaving mine.


    What an odd man.

 Chapter 10

    After months of traveling, we are now just a few days away from the capital city, and I can also say with certainty that I officially hate this form of travel; it¡¯s long, painful, uncomfortable, and so very slow.


    The worst part of it all was the ferry. To think that I was excited at first, how foolish, how na?ve was I. Now I understand why people really stopped using them back in the empire, it was a device for torture, and a wicked one at that. I will never climb on a boat in my life, never. I had rather die.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Mmmhmm¡­¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Kayin, I am sure¡­¡± I sigh, ¡°Are you okay? You have been kind of¡­ jumpy these past few days.¡±


    ¡°Am I that obvious? I¡­ I just hope everything will go smoothly once we reach the capital, all this stress, I have not properly slept for a while now.¡±


    I nod empathetically because neither have I, I¡¯m just better at hiding it.


    Kayin have been keeping contact with his uncle during our whole travel through scrying, he knows everything that Kayin knows. That made me sceptical, but he assured me that his uncle is trustworthy.


    I never met the man so I can¡¯t be sure¡ªthat and the fact that his uncle did not make an Oath like the others¡ª but I have no choice but to take his words for it... For the time being.


    That is why due to our imminent arrival, he invented me to his tent to discuss with me about my next plan of action.


    ¡°The most important thing we must do once there will be to get you identification papers, from there everything will go more smoothly. It will be easier for you to have the Certification.¡±


    I tilt my head, ¡°The Certification?¡±


    ¡°Ah! I didn¡¯t tell you about it, did I? Simply put it is an examination taken by sorcerers, when you pass the exam, you are given a token testifying of your proficiency in the art you wield.¡±


    I doubt that every sorcerer takes that test in this age, Yango and her mentor are proof of that. But in established kingdoms like Bamen and Akua, it is imperative to maintain some semblance of order by keeping track on the population of sorcerers.


    He puts down a small tablet¡ªthe size of the palm of my hand¡ªon the table, it is made of wood with the edges casted in gold. A strange, eerie face is etched, it looks somewhat like a human face except that it has three eyes. On Kayin¡¯s two of the eyes are open while the last one resting on the forehead is closed.


    ¡°I see, but I don¡¯t intend to take that exam.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ it could be helpful for you¡ªfor example historians and archaeologist are given access to places normally barred to others.¡±


    ¡°Kayin, I told you from the very beginning that I do not want to attract attention, I was very clear on that. Taking that exam will bring upon me a scrutiny that I do not wish for, not yet.¡±


    My words seem to calm him down because he takes a deep breath, then exhale.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, sorry, I got carried away. But you can¡¯t leave out the fact that there are sorcerers capable of sensing people¡¯s Spiritual energy¡ªyours is way too abundant and powerful for you to go unnoticed, at the very least you will be asked to perform an essence evaluation to ascertain your level of raw power. And any unidentified sorcerer found in any city are imprisoned until further assessment.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be a problem; I can control the amount of essence I emit to that of an average person¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªWait you can do that? Can you teach me how to do that too?¡±


    ¡°Sure, I can try.¡± I shrug.


    ¡°¡ªAnyway, what about your eyes¡­ you have golden pupils, it gives away that you are not an ordinary individual.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll use a glamour to mask my eyes then, I will embed a sigil into an item that I will carry at all times. Like that I will not even need expend my essence on constantly maintaining a spell.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ Okay,¡± he leans forward, resting is arms on the table to cradle his head, ¡°I guess you¡¯re prepared enough.¡±


    ¡°What about the warriors? There are some who saw me do sorcery, will they talk?¡±


    Kayin thinks about it for a while then shakes his head.


    ¡°You¡¯re far from being the strangest practitioner they¡¯ve met, I don¡¯t believe they took any special notice of you to the point of spreading rumours about you and to be honest, warriors do not care much about the sorcerer¡¯s business, as do sorcerers. Plus, you have not been showcasing your abilities that much, the only art you performed was that Spiritual essence manipulation of yours. Only those who went below ground with me saw you manipulate multiple elements, and they already gave their word to keep it to themselves.¡±


    I also believe that Lateef and Abayomi will keep their word. As for the warriors work for Kayin so it should be alright. Still, the knot in my stomach does not go away, I just know that something will go wrong but it¡¯s not like a can control every outcome.


    All I can do is adapt as best as I can.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~


    A week went by quickly, and the way to the city went out smoothly, that is partly due to the how well protected the roads are. Since Asso is a major town, most of the roads to it are closely guarded, leading to an almost inexistent presence of beast and Junjus. Which is why there was a lot more of traffic once travelled through the main road, not that many people, but still enough to see that it is a commonly used lane.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    I felt my heart drop into my stomach the moment I laid eyes on the city in the horizon.


    I don¡¯t know what I was expecting to feel when I would see Asso for the first time. I certainly did not expect to recognize it at first glance.


    The city is ancient¡ªevery building having been made from stone directly carved out from the earth¡ªbut the long passage of time has not succeeded to impede its beauty in the least, this is all thanks to the combination of centuries of architectural knowledge and the complex warding Arrays which preserve them.


    I wonder if the current inhabitants are aware of that.


    And even though it is quite late at night, the city is all but asleep. Lanterns are shining out in the streets and houses, people can also be seen moving about from this distance, and there is the sound of laughter and music which can be heard.


    This city¡­ It was once called Jin¡¯raeh, I had spent my childhood there. I halt my mount¡¯s march, my eyes glued to the sight of the bright city ahead.


    Ah! So that is how it is?


    I knew that my homeland was no more, the facts are there¡­ then why am I feeling like this? Like¡­ I¡¯m dying inside. The finality of my situation is like a slap in the face. I can no longer close my eyes and pretend¡ªlie to myself¡ªthat there might be a way to save Nch¨¡re.


    My home¡­ it is gone, it¡¯s really gone¡­ and it¡¯s never coming back.


    ¡°¡­Vyswe¡¯eyaga?¡±


    I turn to look at Ewa, her faced is creased with worry¡­ and the realization comes to me¡­


    ¡°You knew¡­¡±


    My head swing at Kayin so fast that I get dizzy. I meant it as a question, but it came out eerily flat.


    Kayin walks to her side, lay a hand on her shoulder, and shakes his head. She hesitates for a moment, looks at me again¡ªlike she is trying to apologize. Then she leaves to follow the rest of the caravan for the city.


    Kayin and I are now left alone.


    ¡°Why did you do that?¡±


    My voice breaks a bit as I whisper the words, my eyes sting too.


    Kayin steps back as if he received a blow. Then he slowly raises his hands, like an adult trying to sooth a scared child, to show that there is no danger around.


    ¡°I¡­ I did not know how to tell you. When we first met, the news of your home¡¯s demise was already too much for you, and when you accepted to come to Asso with us I¡ªI couldn¡¯t find the strength to tell you that our kingdom¡¯s cities and towns are built on the grave of yours. I did not know how you would react, and I didn¡¯t want you to act rashly¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªSo, you are saying that you thought best to make the decision for me!? You thought it was better to leave out that little detail because I might have thrown a tantrum? Do I look like a child to you? Am I not capable to know what is good for me? To make decisions of my own?¡± He winces more and more at each word spilling out of my mouth.


    My sorrow melts away, leaving place to anger.


    How dare him?


    What else did he think I shouldn¡¯t know?


    ¡°Look¡­ I know that I shouldn¡¯t have done that, it was stupid¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªSelfish is what it is. Do not think for a second that I¡¯m unaware of the value I represent for you. You are scared, scared that I might runoff somewhere you can¡¯t reach, and with the knowledge I have with me, and especially because I¡¯m a practitioner of the Arts. You wouldn¡¯t want all that knowledge on sorcery to disappear, would you? What a waste, what tragedy for it all to be lost, right?.¡± His expression goes from worry to shame, and finally to fear.


    Good, let him realize that I should not be taken for granted.


    ¡°Never ever do that again. I am a human being as you are, I have emotions as you do! Nch¨¡ren are not some kind of parahuman or extraterrestrial beings! I am not an object. You do not get to choose for me.¡±


    I stare hard at him, but he avoids my gaze, finding his feet a lot more interesting than before. The idea of blasting him to oblivion slowly becomes very appealing.


    I count to five, then take a deep breath and exhale as I pull on the reins of my mount, not caring if he stays frozen there for eternity.


    I stay slightly behind when I rejoin the caravan, not yet wanting to mingle. A sigh escapes my lips as I think back about my earlier confrontation with Kayin. I should have seen it coming, Kayin is not a bad person but that doesn''t mean he does not have an agenda of his own.


    I got too comfortable with these people.


    ¡°Halt!¡±


    We are stopped at the gates by guards. I spot Mr Lateef handing one of the guards a piece of paper, he reads it then hands it back to him.


    ¡°You may enter, welcome back.¡±


    I quickly place a glamour over my face as we pass through the guards. I¡¯m stricken with nostalgia¡­ and a bit of relief as I finally enter the city.


    They hadn¡¯t change too much at least.


    As expected, not many people are out this late. All the houses and shops are closed, except for the taverns and inns¡ªthey are breaming with customers.


    I decide to step down the Grae and walk like everybody else. When Ewa sees me do that, she slows down to walk at my pace. If she is curious about what happened between me and Kayin, I cannot tell.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sleeping in a rented inn with the other mercs¡­ I guess you will stay with Kayin for a while,¡± she says casually.


    I try to keep the irritation out of my words, I really do not want to be around him for now.


    She nudges me with her elbow, ¡°I don¡¯t know what he did, he can be a bit¡­ clumsy at times but I promise you, he isn¡¯t a bad guy. So don¡¯t hate him too much, okay?¡±


    We lock eyes but I do not say anything.


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I really like you Eyaga and I like him too. I don¡¯t want the two people I care for to be at odds¡ªof course I would understand if you do not want to talk to him¡±, she hesitates before adding, ¡°Sorry, I shouldn¡¯t meddle, I just¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªIt¡¯s all right, I¡¯m just mad at what he did. That does not mean that I hate him for it,¡± I give her a small smile, ¡°you can rest assured.¡±


    She very audibly sighs to my words, ¡°Thank God! Cause I didn¡¯t know how I would need to act if this went on.¡±


    This girl¡­


    ¡°Come see me when you have free time okay? We can have our ladies time while I show you around town.¡±


    ¡°Good night, Ewa.¡±


    She gives me a sunny smile, takes the Grae¡¯s rein out of my hand and disappears in the group.


    Not long after I hear Kayin clearing his throat, he is a respectful distance away from me.


    ¡°If you still agree, a room has been prepared for you at my uncle¡¯s place, I¡¯ll be there too¡­ or I can arrange for a room at an inn if you prefer.¡±


    I pay no mind to the unusual formality of his tone.


    ¡°I will stay at your uncle¡¯s, thank you for your hospitality.¡±


    Before leaving, Kayin talk some more with the members of his research team¡ªIke and Ewa, and the other mercenaries, have already retired¡ªso I bid farewell to Kayin¡¯s team instead. Once we¡¯re done, he proceeds to show me the way to his home. We navigate through many streets and neighbourhoods, ending up in the nicer ones.


    His family must be quite well-off to afford living here.


    Houses here are, not only, much bigger and with larger compounds than the rest, but also coloured differently, they are of a pure alabaster colour. That was how one could identify the degree of wealthiness of a citizen. The lighter coloured a person¡¯s household was the wealthier he was since it takes much more resources to keep it spotless.


    Back in Nch¨¡re, a neighbourhood like this one was only inhabited by Magisters and high-ranked officials.


    We stop in front of a large two-storey house.


    The moment Kayin announces himself we are crowded by a staff of servants who show us inside the house.


    ¡°Wait!¡± I say to Kayin before two young women guide me to my room. He sceptically turns in my direction. ¡°Should I not first greet your uncle?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, my uncle doesn¡¯t expect us to meet him immediately after coming back. Take it easy tonight and rest.¡±


    With that said he walks to his chambers.