It was late, the sun was about to go down and dinner was soon to be served.

Barry just finished taking care of his business in the latrine, which was actually a bathroom in some house he was near.

After leaving the random building, Barry started his walk again, he was currently on guard duty, and his task was to patrol the perimeter.

His partner left him in the back, just as they were supposed to when the other needed to do something, constant watch of the surroundings was more important than them being as a group.

The soldier sped up into a run and headed towards the direction where his partner was supposed to go.

After a minute, he caught back. After running by a considerable number of houses stationed around the main square.

"I'm back." He told his companion.

"A big one huh?" Replied Carl, his friend.

"Yeah, sorry, I took my time." Apologised Barry.

They walked for a while before either of them said something again.

"It's creepy here. The houses are either empty, or occupied by us, but that's only on the square. Every time we walk by a street branching out from the plaza, The darkness there feels creepy, threatening." Complied Carl.

"I even preferred when the second sun was up. Then, we at least had visibility....." Barry sighed. "Honestly, the lands outside the capital give me chills. We know nothing of this city, or the forest we stayed before. Even there at least it felt natural, a forest is never loud at night. Here the silence is deafening." That was true, the cam was eerily quiet after all the carriages arrived. This time, they were supposed to rest in the night, the first carriages would depart at sunrise.

Everyone, the whole population of the caravan, which consisted of a majority of the capital and the royal army, was silent. Some shouts and laughs reverberated throughout the surroundings from time to time, but most of the time the loud sounds were the steps of the guards and the snoring of those who already ate their dinner. people still haven't come to terms with what happened just two days ago, such a rushed departure from their homes was traumatizing.

"Yeah, it makes me home something will happen. Something to end the silence." Commented Carl.

The two soldiers chatted as they patrolled the surroundings of the square, sometimes they met their fellows, who also were on duty, and exchanged a few words with them.

They were walking by the place where the carriages were parked and horses stayed when Carl's wish was fulfilled.

"Ahhhhhh~~" A loud moan broke out from between the carriages, where some horses slept.

The two soldiers looked at each other questioningly and rushed there. Partially because of duty, and partially out of curiosity.

They ran between the carriages, jumping above harnesses left where they were taken off, and navigated between the resting vehicles before arriving at the site of the incident.

A moaning incident.

There, between the carriages and horses, a body layed.

A person in a long, flowing arctic blue robe, open at the chest, spasmed on the floor and moaned in ecstasy.

Around the person, quickly recognized as a mage by the soldiers, multiple frozen piles of shit were scattered.

"Wtf..." Barry couldn't keep his mouth shut.

-------------------------------------

Sylvia sat on a bench, with a plate on her lap.

She was chewing on a potato, as someone approached her from the side.

"How is he? I heard he caused quite the commotion." Max said while pointing at the house standing a few metres behind Sylvia's bench.

"Okay, I think. The doctors said he was healthy." She replied, then took another bite.

Max sat beside her and started to fiddle with a piece of metal. "The soldiers stated that they found him rolling on the ground, moaning." He took a look at the eating woman. " What do you think happened to him? he never acted like that." Asked Max.

"I have no clue, maybe someone cursed him?" She guessed.

"Nah, curses are a myth." Max declined her idea.

Sylvia raised her finger and a flickering flame appeared over it. Just as the fire appeared, the witch looked at Max defiantly.

"I can burn people with my thoughts, you can pierce them with metal, and Adam can freeze poop in the same way, and you are telling me that curses are a myth?" She questioned.

"Yes," Max answered simply.

"Huh? How is that different!" Sylvia was apparently angered by his response.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Max refused to elaborate.

The door leading to the house behind suddenly opened, and Adam walked through it.

"Oh, did you come for me? Such an honour." He said just after nearing his friends.

"Yeah, I came to bring you your food, what he came for, I don't know." Answered Sylvia while reaching beside herself.

She took a plate full of food and started to heat it up, manipulating fire around it from above.

"Thanks, I was scared I would have to go to sleep with an empty stomach." Adam thanked her and sat next to the fire witch.

"So, what about you? What business do you have?" He asked Max.

"What? Can't I just visit out of curiosity?" Replied the noble.

"What are you so curious about?" Asked Adam, and immediately regretted it.

"Well, everyone have probably already heard your moan, or were told about it." Grinned Max. "But no one knows what caused it? Is there a mysterious woman in your life? And if there is, why haven't I met her?" Questioned Max.

"Oh, Shut up!" Replied Adam in shame. He saw as Sylvia tried to hide her laughter, which only added to the frustration.

"Please, tell us! I would also want to meet her." Sylvia asked, siding with Max and laughing inaudibly.

Adam looked at the duo, laughing at his expense, and decided to get some satisfaction for himself.

"Say, Sylvia, have you found a master?" He asked while eating the plate, around which hot embers danced in unison.

"No, not yet, I am still searching for a suitable one. But we digress, don't change the topic, what happened?" She said.

"About you, Max. Did you already go through the ascension ritual? Or at least reached the peak of the first realm?" Adam turned to his metallic friend.

"No, and no. Don't change the subject." The metallic friend echoed the fiery witch and reminded Adam about their question.

"Well, then I may have answers for both of you. For you,-" He pointed at the temporary heater, working on his food, " I can become your master in the near future, and for you,-" He pointed at the other one, "I may have answers to the questions you asked me as far back as when we were travelling to the capital."

"Huh???" Max didn't follow.

"No way, I will never become your apprentice! What are you? A month older than me?" Sylvia responded angrily.

"Wait, have you reached the peak?" Max reached a realisation while Sylvia spoke.

"Yes!! I have! You are looking at a person who is only a ritual away from being a Beginner Mage!" Adam exclaimed.

The two mages, those who did not reach the peak of the first realm, were speechless.

"Start from the beginning," Sylvia said while moving her head from side to side in bewilderment.

"Well, I was peacefully walking around, freezing every poop in sight.

I cleared nearly every nook and cranny where those I searched for could hide.

Then!

A wondrous feeling spread throughout my body, coming straight from my brain and scattering across my whole body.

It felt amazing..." Adam looked in the distance with a dreamy face, and touched the side of his head, delicately.

"What happened next?" Asked Sylvia in anticipation.

"Oh, I fell down and fainted. I may have made some noises in the middle, but I don't really remember that." He lied without a second thought.

"So, how do you feel? Are you better at magic now?" Asked Max.

Adam summoned a piece of ice, twirled it around and made a weird face.

"No, the magic is the same as before. How do I feel? Whole.

Like during the awakening, but continuous and less concentrated."

Silence ensued, as Adam ate his dinner.

"That was good, better than yesterday. Like if the carrots were fresher." He commented.

"They were, Cyntia volunteered to freshen fruits and vegetables in stock," Max explained.

"There was no one doing that before? What if it rotted and we lost all the food?" Questioned Adam.

"They would, but only when it was necessary, what Cynthia did just made the meals tastier, it wasn't necessary." Said Max.

"Oh, makes sense."

The trio stood up and headed for the house assigned to them, and a few other people.

"Sylvia, what do you think about Ferston? Me and Max lived here for most of our lives, I am curious about your opinion, and I am sure he is too." Asked Adam as they walked to the sleeping quarters.

"It's... okay. Not the most beautiful place I was in, especially now. But it also looks very homey, like everyone knew each other." She answered very harshly, or truthfully, depending on who heard it. " There are no majestic structures towering above ordinary people, like The Tower in the capital... When I wasn't a mage, the tower felt imposing, dominating even."

The men lowered their heads in contemplation, especially Adam.

'Is that right? I hadn't seen the tower before being a mage, but I can believe in something like that, it somehow makes sense.

Mages practically rule in the capital, looking at their home must feel... impressive. ...for normal people.' He thought.

"What about you? You can go through the ritual, but you have no ritual. What are you planning to do about it?" Asked Sylvia after a while.

"I thought about that already. I plan on creating my absorption technique while we travel and execute it when we arrive, in The Fortress. Where Max thinks we are headed." Answered the ice mage.

"You think you can create one already?" Max was curious.

"Yes, if I manage to see one happening. Is that possible?" Asked Adam.

"Not really, all the mages from last year have already ascended, or won't ascend ever. And you are probably the first who reached a peak in this year's batch." Answered him, Max.

"But it would be possible if someone had one? Like, would they allow me to see it?" Adam questioned further.

"Yes, most of the time it's a public event. The technicalities can't be seen by bystanders anyway, it's all happening inside the body. The rest, that can be seen, is so common that no one cares if someone sees it." Explained Max.

"Really? That's weird, I thought that mages kept a much stricter watch on their techniques." Commented Sylvia.

"Sylvia, think about this, we will push Max to reach the peak so I can see a ritual, I create the technique and then, I will become your master. How about that?" Adam proposed his plan to Sylvia.

"Hey! I am here, and I am not deaf!" Max smacked him in the back of his head.

"I can agree to that. But let's first talk about my benefits, and responsibilities as your apprentice, Master Adam." Joked Sylvia.

"Stop that, no one is going to push me to the peak, I am very satisfied with my pace." Stated Max, while looking angryly at his companions.

"Sure, but now, we have to rest, let's talk inside the carriage, where we have too much time for ourselves either way," Adam answered Sylvia's joke, seemingly ignoring his male friend.

"Hey!" Max shouted, as two other mages went ahead while plotting against him, and leaving him behind.

The trio arrived in their quarters a few minutes later, still quarrelling.

Max and Sylvia went to bed immediately, but Adam still had a thing to do.

The ice mage went to another house, a moment of walking away, and met his uncle.

They talked for a bit, after which Adam came back to his bed, with a cat in his hands.

The unnamed kitty clung to him when he visited his uncle, and when he was leaving without it, Suzie protested.

After being convinced by the cat, his mother and Adam's uncle, the mage took the cat with him.

Maybe he will finally think of a name for him, or dream it.