‘I was never a remarkable youth by any stretch of the imagination. Not the sort of person others would have spared a second glance at, or for that matter even have remembered ever crossing paths with. In Affinorei, which by the way is the Capital of Kirk and the city I ended up calling home after a series of events that saw me parentless by the age of seven. Well anyway, here you get noted based on three things.
One, wealth. Even though it is a massive city with thousands upon thousands of inhabitants, people know whom is wealthy or not in Affinorei and the wealthy don’t mind showing it. Surrounding themselves with the luxuries only available to those with deep pockets. What money can’t buy, it ain’t worth having.
Two, power. Being the capital of one of the major kingdoms of Eve it’s only natural to assume that most anyone whom is anything will be situated within the inner circle of Affinorei’s walls, nobility and high-ranking member of society alike. The houses.’
Alexander paused in his writing, unsure as to if the large looming towers or rooftops that could be seen from outside the inner wall could even be described by something so mundane as a house. Fairly certain that there was only one castle, although he had never actually stepped foot inside the inner walls, he tried but ultimately failed to come up with a better terminology. Sighing briefly, he dipped his pen in the inkwell, scratched out the last blotted word and got back to his writing.
‘The buildings of the inner circle housing the upper class of Affinorei society are large enough to dwarf the massive six-meter walls spanning around the center of the city, protecting the nobility from commoners and other such unwanted drags. Affinorei as a whole is built around a large cliff where today the High king of Kirk’s palace is blocking out the sun for some parts of town most of the day, throwing them into constant shadow which tailors to the needs of a some of the seedier folks inhabiting our lovely capital. I’ve heard most common people refer to that area as the shadow districts, and that “any well respected citizen would do well to steer clear of those parts”.’
The image of the old barkeep from Three Anchors flashed before Alexanders eyes, peering down at him from behind the counter with one eye squinted shut as he had asked about the shadow districts one time. Rigorously cleaning a glass with a dusty old towel that Alexander thought caused more harm than good to the overall cleanliness of the glass. The barkeep had given him a curt answer to his inquiries as well as passed on a warning. Curiosity as well as necessity had driven Alexander to enter the Shadow district on more than one occasion. That was before knowing about its less than charming reputation but for all that, he really couldn’t tell any big difference from the other close by districts, apart from the obvious lack of daylight. Rereading the first ever paragraphs written on the previous blank pages of the book he had been given by the teacher of scholars, Alexander got back to his work.
‘The shadow district is only a small area situated between the inner and outer walls of Affinorei, there is the traders district, travelers district, crafting district, the slums, dockside, riverside, lower upton, higher upton, the marshal area, the guilds area. Suffice it to say, Affinorei is vast enough that you could be walking about for days exploring without having seen it all. Trust me, I’ve tried.
The third and most unusual way to garner the attention of others is by wearing the red and black robes of the channelers. These select few represents the best Kirk has to offer in terms innovation and science, construction, politics and infiltration but for the most part, what the red cloaks are truly recognized for is their military prowess. Channeling is generally the term commoners use when they speak about how the red cloaks bend the very nature to their will. For the most parts, channelers don’t mingle with the common man. They have their very own part of Affinorei situated in between the inner and outer walls with its back to the ocean. It’s one of few areas that are sealed off from the other districts by a set of walls of their own. No guards or red cloaks will ever patrol these walls, ensuring unwanted people will stay out, no one would be fool enough to seek trouble with the channelers. I’ve pondered events that led me to be confined within these walls often, I’m not complaining, far from it. My life has taken a sharp turn for the better. It’s now been weeks since I had to beg or, I’m ashamed to write it down on paper since it kind of feels like a confession but here it goes, stealing just to survive. I was siting by the outskirts of the traders district, begging by the sign of a shop I knew had an owner who would not beat the crap out of me for just being there, all the while paying close attention to passersby who looked to be worthwhile checking out the contents of their pockets when a searing pain coming from my left shoulder blade struck me nearly senseless. It felt unlike any pain caused by a fist or blunt weapon could have produce. I don’t know how best to describe it but I always imagine it as someone taking a red hot iron against the bare of my skin and holding it in place. I remember being unable to scream or make any sound, my jaw was locked so tight in place and had I had my tongue between my teeth when the pain struck I have no doubt I would have lost it. A pair of strong hands grabbed me and the whoosh of air made me momentarily focus on something besides the searing pain from my back until I again felt the solidness of ground beneath me and I lost myself to my internal struggle. It felt like an eternity passed although I believe it could only have been minutes until finally darkness overtook me and I passed into blissful unconsciousness.’
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“Alex!” The voice was sharp and insistent, as if it wasn’t the first time the speaker had tried to catch Alexanders attention. Realizing he had been completely absorbed by his task Alexander looked up to see William, his bunkmate standing in the doorway to their shared compartment with somewhat irritated expression on his countenance. William or Will as he preferred to be called, was tall boy in his late teens, a couple of years Alexanders senior. With short, very unusual white hair and a pair of dark eyes glaring daggers at him from across the room.
“Do you wish the be late for master Frey’s class or are you planning on testing his patience for a second time?” The boy asked with a tinge of irritation.
“Sorry Will, sorry.” Alexander blurted as he instinctively closed the book in front of him. Wincing as he did so, the ink had probably not been given enough time to dry completely. Still, nothing to be done about it now. He had of course been late to the introduction of master Frey’s class ‘Basic principles of Nahn’, getting lost in the narrow corridors of the school. A fact that had immediately set him on bad terms with the master and earned him the privilege of cleaning the board after class to the joint snickering of his new classmates.
“I lost track of time, thank you for the reminder. I’ll catch up to if want to go on ahead.”
The expression on Will’s face softened a bit as he observed Alexanders frantic attempt to get ready.
“I’ll stay, still think you would manage to get lost if I’m not here to guide you.”
Alexander gave Will a grateful smile as he dove into their bathroom to rinse his face from any potential ink splatter. The bathroom was quite spacious, with a couple of ingenious contraptions that would allow for fresh water to be poured either to fill a tub or a basin fit to the wall with pipes leading the water away. He walked up to the basin and splashed some water across his face before grabbing one of the towels neatly folded upon a stool by the side to wipe himself off. Glancing up into the mirror fastened over the basin he found a boy of about fifteen staring back at him. With long stripes of black hair reaching down to just about cover his blue eyes. He smiled at himself, glad to se that there were no ink splotches on his pale skin.
“If you are taking a shit in there I’m leaving,“ came Will’s muffled voice from behind the closed door. The hint of irritation was back in his tone and Alexander chuckled quietly to himself.
“Alright, lets go.”