Chapter 1:
The mine felt oppressive, its gloomy occupants slowly mining away at the thick rocks that made up its walls. Among the many grown men hammering away were young boys. Many were barely teenagers, their voices yet to have properly deepened, and their muscles yet to have fully developed. A particularly energetic youngling stood at the edge of the group, rhythmically smashing his pick axe into the hard wall.
“Going at it like always, heh?” A voice spoke beside him.
“You know how it is, Uncle Sam. The more crystals we find, the more money we get.” The 14 year old boy replied. His scrawny figure did not stop for a single second, his movement almost robotic as he continued to mine. His face showed a determined resolve.
“You should give yourself some rest, otherwise you’ll burn out boy.” Uncle Sam replied. A mature figure in his 50s, Uncle Sam gave the vibe of an experienced elder who has seen all that life had to offer. He swung his pick axe with finesse and precision that only someone with untold years of experience could pull off.
“Haha, I know. You don’t have to worry.” The boy stopped for a second to give a thumbs up to the older man before returning to this task. His hands were calloused and rough, something a spectator couldn’t help but notice.
‘This kid, he really is a brat.’ Uncle Sam sighed at the unfortunate state that the child had ended up in. For such a young person (or any person for that matter), mining was a truly gruelling and unrewarding job. And unlike other kids who worked for just a few hours for experience or alongside their fathers, the young boy had to work for half a day. Such copious amount of work was truly difficult, even for the more experienced among the miners. Unfortunately, his wretched circumstances had forced him into this.
“Say Alex, why don’t you come to my house today. You can bring your siblings along too, no problem.”
“No, it really is fine Uncle Sam, I can take care of us.”
“Come on, don’t be like that. I know you don’t like people giving you favours, but you must prioritise your siblings.”
‘Uh, he always get me the same way.’ Alex thought. He imagined his poor sickly sister and his brother who was as thin as a stick. For their sake, he couldn’t afford to be magnanimous.
“It really is fine, my wife caught lots of game yesterday. Don’t worry yourself over it.” After listening to Sam, Alex calmed down a little. He knew Uncle Sam’s circumstances weren’t great themselves, so he greatly appreciated the help he received.
“I guess I’ll take you up on your offer.”
Uncle Sam laughed.
‘I’m afraid I’ve to tell you something, Alex. But it’s not suitable for me to speak here.’
“Well, see you tonight at 8. How does some -” Crack! The rock crumbled away to reveal a dim shine. “Jackpot! See Sam, when you act good, our great God Lumen awards us.” Uncle Sam spoke while his withered hand was already clearing the area around the crystal. After some time, he removed an unremarkable grey crystal.
“*Sigh* Another attribute-less crystal. Guess I can’t complain.”
Alex watched with a tinge of jealousy as Sam fiddled with the crystal. A single crystal was enough for your pay to increase from 10 bronze coins to 15. It would thus allow him to save up some money rather than barely sustain his family for the day. He swept back his black hair that had fallen in front of his eyes.
“Honestly though Uncle, where do all these crystals go?”
“The mages, lad. They have an insatiable appetite for these things.”
“I know that, but do they really need this much?”
“Well, it’s not really in our place to judge those lofty beings. Oh, my back really is killing me.” Uncle Sam hurriedly switched the topic to talking about how bad the job was and other menial topics.
Alex, realising this, stopped talking. Mages were not necessarily a taboo topic, but if you accidentally said a negative thing about them, hell would ensue. As per Alex’s knowledge, every person in this world had some mana, but mages had more of it and were able to utilise it to perform magic. Or ‘miracles’ as most non mages called them.
Despite making up 1% of the population, they permeated through every facet of life in the Ventus Kingdom, and controlled 90% of its resources. Alex turned back to watch Uncle Sam mine. It was almost unnoticeable, but every swing of Sam’s pick axe dislodged more rocks than you would expect it to, a steady stream of rocks being removed. This was due to Uncle Sam being an advanced apprentice mage. This allowed him to weakly control the element he was proficient in, Earth.
‘That power, if only…’
As far as real mages were concerned, these were mere little party tricks and not considered magic. Snapping out of his daze, Alex went back to mining, his swings a little more forceful than before.
And so, another day swept away from Alex’s life.
Once the workday’s end approached at 6pm, Alex started heading back to entrance of the mine along with the remaining miners. In front of him, Uncle Sam was talking with another man.
“Old Sam, my daughter is getting wedded soon. As an old friend, you must come.” The man spoke.
“Why of course Old Null, how can I ever miss that. To think Laura has already grown into a respectable young lady, time really does fly.”
Alex watched the men laugh. Uncle Sam himself had greying hair, his natural brown being dulled by age. He had a sole son, but he was away at the capital.
‘I wonder if I can one day have a friend who I can laugh with too.’ Alex smiled bitterly. His relationship with Uncle Sam was more like that of a father and son, and his younger siblings were more like his children. He dreamt of a normal friendship, that other boys at his age seemed to have. Even the children of the poorest of workers had each other, but between Alex’s work and his responsibilities to his siblings, no time was spared.
After a long trek, the group finally approached the exit. Two burly men stood there, clad in light armour. One by one, the workers were checked and paid, and anyone who had crystals turned them over for their extra pay. These attribute-less 1D crystals outside were often sold for 10 bronze coins, so many people in the past had attempted to smuggle them out. Hence, the guards deployed now usually had crystal detection skills, and barely anyone dared to smuggle anymore, especially after the harsh punishments enacted on those who were found.
‘I wonder what element that involves?’ Alex stared at the light glow present in the guards’ eyes as they scanned over every person in the cave. His hands started to clench together tightly. Learning magic without being taught was a dangerous and foolish endeavour. Only the most talented of all humans could achieve this, but you couldn’t know your own talent until you tried learning. As such, no one bothered to be so risky. Alex had often times thought about attempting magic in the past, but the severe risk and thus detrimental impact on his siblings prevented him from doing so. Without him lifting them up, he feared what would happen. As such, he attempted to meditate and increase his mana count instead. However, Uncle Sam’s technique ended up being useless for him.
Finally, Alex’s turn approached. As he headed to one of the guards, he returned his pick axe. The guard gave Alex 10 bronze coins, a contemptuous snort escaping his nose. Despite being merely an apprentice mage, the guard held distaste towards anyone who was 0D, also known as a completely normal person. Alex turned his blue eyes down, his gaze kept low as he escaped the dark hell that is the cave. The sun was setting, its last few rays caressing Alex’s dirty skin. Uncle Sam was already waiting outside.
“Let’s head home now.” The old man gave a reassuring smile as Alex walked up to him. The 2 figures headed towards the nearby town. The monsters in the surrounding area had been cleared out years ago, so they walked home with little worry.
“How’s Archie and Zara? I hope you are feeding them well. They are always so weak when I see them, bless their hearts. My wife is going to prepare a massive feast for all of us tonight, you better be prepared…” Sam mumbled on and on, and Alex was content to just listen and smile. While he acted energetically outside, his body was constantly aching, and his mind numb from the constant toll of his work.
He didn’t know what his parent’s relationship with Sam was, but after their death, Sam had been the only thing stopping Alex from plunging into darkness, besides his siblings. They swiftly went through the guards in front of the town’s entrance, after showing their miner permit. A 6 metre wall encompassed the town of Inops, making sneaking in virtually impossible. After approaching the commoner’s zone, Sam finally bid Alex goodbye.
“Remember to arrive at 8 Alex. No dilly dallying, you hear me?”
“Yes yes, you’ve said it a million times already Uncle Sam!”
“You cheeky boy, talking back now! Well, I’ll see you then.” Sam walked off, waving at Alex as he went. The young boy waved back, and once Sam was a good distance away, started walking towards his own home’s street.
‘This pain, for them, it is definitely worth it.’
Chapter 2:
Alex stood before his dilapidated home. The house of the Thorns, which he inherited from his parents. One of the few links he still held on to.
As Sam opened the door to his house, two bodies instantly lunged at him.
“Welcome back brother!” A girl’s voice screamed. The weight of the two bodies caused Alex to fall backwards, the two children laying on top of him.
“Brother!” The young boy on his stomach started laughing.
“Alright you two, that’s enough shenanigans.” Alex’s heart melted at the sight of them. Every day, without question, they would be ready to ambush him when he entered his house.
“How was your day?” Zara asked. Like her brothers, she too had dark hair, like the night’s darkness, and blue eyes, like the day’s sky. Being 3 years younger than Alex, at 11 she was responsible for Archie when Alex wasn’t home. The boy was always up to no good, always playing pranks at school in ways that seemed impossible for an 8 year old to think up of.
“Food!” He demanded, his tummy making an adorable rumbling noise.
“Haha, you greedy boy, that’s what you always think of.” Alex said as he and Zara laughed at Archie’s red face.
“We are visiting Uncle Sam and Auntie Helena’s house today, so I don’t have any on me right now.”
Archie, at first disappointed at having no food, then started to jump and down in glee having realised what going to Uncle Sam’s house entailed.
“Yay! Uncle Sam has delicious food!” His stomach rumbled again, even louder than before, as if anticipating it already.
“Silly Archie.” Zara said as she poked his stomach. Alex watched as they started to poke each other, and then run around the house playing various games.
“Calm down, you two. Behave yourself. I’ll be taking a bath and will be right back, and if I see you misbehaving, I’ll tell Uncle Sam to not give you any food.”
Archie immediately stopped.
“You can trust me brother.” He touched his heart with his right hand, as if making a solemn oath.
Alex laughed as he walked to the bathroom. After a quick cold bath, and making himself look as pristine as possible, he changed into his best clothes before heading out. Zara and Archie had already cleaned themself before he arrived at home. They only had to slightly wash themselves owing to the fact they had jumped on him while he was still dirty. After telling them to change their clothes, Alex looked around at his house.
It was nothing noteworthy, a small living room with the kitchen attached, 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. One bedroom remained mostly unused, as his siblings were too scared to sleep without him. Once they were all done, Alex told them stories that he remembered from his parents, time ebbing away in the household.
After a while, the family was ready to leave.
“Ok, stick close with me, and keep your eyes low. Understood?” Alex said.
“Yes sir!” They spoke back in unison as routine.
“Good, let’s head off!” Alex headed out with his siblings, locking the door behind him. Uncle Sam’s house was not far away, and they started walking towards its direction.
‘We’ll be there soon.’ Alex shivered as thought about Auntie Helena. She was a hunter and a peak apprentice, a stage above her husband. Something about that clearly made her mad, as she was always strangely aggressive, although never towards him or his siblings.
‘Poor Uncle Sam.’ Soon enough, they arrived at Sam’s house. Alex knocked on the door and before long, a hand reached out of the door and grabbed him. Already prepared for what was about to happen, he resigned himself to his fate as he was dragged into a tight hug. His lung felt like bursting from Helen’s strength.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“Alex! How’s my boy doing?”
“I ame dooin gweath, Mrs-” Alex gasped as Helena finally released him.
“Sorry, did I hug you too hard?”
“No no, nothing like that! I’m perfectly fine, Mrs Lane.” Helena continued to look at Alex sceptically for a second.
“Well, if you say so. But remember, call me Auntie Helena, not Mrs Lane.” Helena said disapprovingly.
“Yes, of course Auntie Helena!” Alex cursed himself. He always panics when he sees her, and all thoughts run out of his brain, making him forget nearly every time. For such an old women, she looked younger than her years and was still very strong. Her hair was red and only went up to her shoulder. Like her husband, they both had green eyes, reminiscent of an emerald.
“Archie, Zara, come here and greet your Auntie!” The two nervously stepped up and also got hugged torturously.
“Well come in, standing outside in the cold will do you no good.”
Alex entered the house, taking off his shoes. Compared to his own house, Uncle Sam’s house was pretty cosy and warm. A delicious aroma filled the home with its scent, and Archie seemed ready to start flying towards its source.
“Hold your sources.” Alex whispered to Archie before he shot off.
“Come on children, let me lead you to the dining table.” The four approached the table, where Uncle Sam was already sitting down. In his hand was a ‘newspaper’. As a 1D advanced apprentice, he of course had to be literate to read the manuals containing instructions for his meditation techniques. Either that, or someone taught you.
And this ‘newspaper’ was, as its name described, a collection of papers containing news. It was a relatively novel thing, especially in these more remote parts. It was all the rage among older men, who otherwise had a severe lack of entertainment. As part of its promotion, the first few editions were being given for free. On the cover, Alex saw ‘Year 989’ written boldly.
“Nice for all of you to join us tonight.” Uncle Sam looked up from his newspaper. It was quite the sight, his firm and large hands delicately holding the fragile pages. Due to how they were constructed, they were easy to break. Thus you had to carefully handle them.
“Thank you, Uncle Sam.” Alex replied first. Meanwhile, Helena broke out into a rant.
“Sam, why are always so lazy! Can’t even get up for a second to greet them at the door.” Helena complained loudly.
“Uncle Sam!” Archie ran straight into the old man’s open arms. Zara followed behind him and shyly bowed. Sam scooped Archie up and acknowledged Zara back.
“That’s the little Archie I know.” Sam tickled Archie’s stomach, earning a chorus of laughter.
“Well the food will be ready soon, I’ll do the finishing touches.” Helena said as she headed off to the kitchen. Small flames rose from her fingers and gently brushed the food as it cooked.
The circular table was small, but 5 chairs were barely squeezed together. Soon enough, lots of dishes containing all sorts of meat were laid out. Without a moment of hesitation, Archie was already digging in. The Thorns were not used to having meat, having lived off stale break and tasteless soup for the majority of their days. Any meat they did have was generously donated by Auntie Helena. “This is so nice!” Zara exclaimed after a few bites. And Alex wholeheartedly agreed. Everything from the taste to the texture to the smell and looks complemented each other. The herbs and sauces adorned on the meat gave it an otherworldly taste. Well for someone like Alex anyway.
“So much!” Archie barely spoke through his full mouth.
“Yesterday’s harvest was particularly good. There were way more prey than usual.” Helena explained. Auntie Helena hunted at the edge of Forest Arbor. It was just a little way off the town of Inops, but extended far deeper. Many even said it was the largest forest on the continent.
As the dinner drew on, the 5 talked amongst each other, a jovial atmosphere filling the house.
Eventually, Sam got up, and beckoned Alex to come with him. Confused, he got up and followed him to another room. At first, the elder was silent, staring at his junior as if contemplating his words. Then, with conviction in his eyes, he spoke up.
“Alex, listen. I know of your struggles.” Sam said out of nowhere. Alex was caught off guard, but just as he was about to deny it, Uncle Sam cut him off.
“Please Alex, we both know the truth. I’ve found someone, someone you should meet.”
Alex’s eyes wrinkled in confusion.
‘What does he mean by that?’
“Don’t be surprised, it’s someone your father used to know.”
“What, really?” Everything was coming at Alex too quickly, the information overwhelming him.
“Yes, he claims to be a great friend of your father. I’ve determined it to be true.”
‘Uncle Sam worded that weirdly. Does he not know the person himself?’
“So you don’t know him?”
Uncle Sam looked away for a moment.
“Yes, I don’t. Look Alex, I wasn’t really your father’s friend. I barely knew him. But I owe him an unforgettable debt. I also owe it to him to keep you safe. Please Alex, for your own sake and my sake, don’t reject this. You should meet him.”
Alex stayed silent and wondered into the distance.
‘Uncle Sam isn’t Dad’s friend? It makes sense, Dad was a good chunk younger than Uncle Sam. But, … No it doesn’t matter. He’s still the same Uncle Sam. And about this mysterious man. I must find out more about Dad from him. But I don’t want to take Uncle Sam’s kindness for granted. No, I must be selfish here. For Zara and Archie’s sake.’ He turned his face back up and looked at Uncle Sam.
“Alright, I accept.” He said firmly. A soft sight of relief escaped Uncle Sam’s mouth.
“Thanks Alex. He agreed to meet you tomorrow at 8pm, in the the Rolling Tavern.”
It sounded suspicious, but Alex had full faith in Sam and his judgment of character.
“Uncle, how did you know my father knows him? Surely you can’t just trust his words.”
“He knows things that only a close friend of Dan would know. I know because Dan personally told me about it. Think of it as a secret password.”
Dan, his father’s name. Just bringing it up caused pain to erupt in his heart.
‘Dad, I’ll find out what happened to you and mum. And I swear I’ll destroy whatever caused it.’
He knew it wasn’t a natural cause, something sinister lurked behind the shadows of those events. He was determined to figure out what. No, he will find out, and he will crush it no matter the cost. A murderous glint flashed through his eyes for a second.
Calming down, he looked back up at Sam. How did Dan know that Sam would be this reliable? Maybe it was a lucky guess or maybe it was divine intention. Or maybe his father was just that skilled. Regardless, Alex was ready for tomorrow.
“Uncle Sam, I won’t ever forget this kindness.”
“Alex, you are making me embarrassed.” Uncle Sam was taken back by Alex’s sincerity.
‘All these adversaries that he has faced… It’s caused him to mature far beyond his age.’
“Let’s return to the dining table, they must be waiting for us.” Sam said.
The 2 headed back. The food was already turning cold, but they already had their fill. Everyone continued talking. It was as if the conversation, they just had, had never happened. Once it was getting really late, Alex bid the couple goodbye. Any longer, and the streets would become far too dangerous. Helena volunteered to walk them to their house, but Alex rejected.
After saying their farewells, the 3 siblings were back on the street, heading back home.
“So yummy! I want more of Uncle Sam’s food!” Archie spoke as he hopped around.
“Archie, we won’t be coming back so quickly. Be patient.” Zara reprimanded.
“Come on you two, stop dallying.” Alex said, and they sped up towards their house. Before long, they were inside, changing into clothing suitable for sleep.
“It’s a Saturday tomorrow, so you still have school. You two better go to sleep quickly.”
“Yes bossy man.” Zara giggled. Archie complained loudly as they all headed off to their room to sleep. Slowly, the house plunged into silence. Outside, the weather continued to get colder. Dark clouds were slowly approaching.
Chapter 3:
Rain endlessly fell from the dark sky. A gentle pattering sound could be heard against the roof. The wind whistled, as if annoyed it couldn’t reach inside the house. A thunder strike shook Alex awake.
‘Why did I have to wake up at such an ungodly hour?’
As usual, Alex had work tomorrow. Or today, considering the time now. Then as suddenly as the thunder had awaken him, another change occurred in his surrounding. The rain faded away into nothing, and the wind quietened. A chill spread throughout Alex’s entire body. Suddenly wide awake, he looked to his left.
‘Zara, Archie, where are they?!’ He immediately jumped up, his eyes bloodshot. Hoping it was just some cruel prank, he quickly looked under the beds. Nothing. The wardrobe? Nothing. He rushed out of the bedroom into the living room. And then he stopped.
It was hard to make out, due to the darkness, but slowly Alex’s eyes adjusted. Two figures stood in front him, completely inanimate. No, it was more accurate to describe them as corpses. Too large to be his siblings. Their half decomposed faces bore into Alex. He took a step back. He wanted nothing more than to scream his lungs out.
‘What is happening? For Lumen’s sake, what-’ Just as he was about to sprint around them, he suddenly froze. From the deep fragments of his memories, a suppressed feeling rose up.
“Mum? Dad?” He whispered.
The male corpse in front of him finally moved, a guttural growl escaping its mouth.
“What happened to you?”
Against his better judgment, Alex moved towards the creatures. His hand started to stretch out.
“I’ve missed you so much, please come back.”
And then he halted his movements.
‘No, these aren’t my parents. I must find Zara and Archie!’
“Zara, Archie! Are you in here?” He shouted while his hand reached out to the object next to him.
‘No response. They are unlikely to be in the house. I must gamble and head out.’
Immediately, he grabbed a chair and threw it at the abominations. As the chair hit them, the two corpses were momentarily thrown back. The male corpse received most of the impact from the chair.
‘Their reactions seem to be slow. As expected of corpses.’
Wasting no time, Alex sprinted for the entrance. He managed to run past them.
‘What even is this? Some twisted necromancer magic? But it’s forbidden.’
The female corpse recovered first. It suddenly screeched, and launched at him. Alex quickly stepped left, his reaction barely saving him. The creature flew past him and crashed into the door. Miraculously, the door held strong.
‘Shit, my exit is blocked now. I can’t afford to waste time here.’
Alex was worried. He was just a normal human, and stood no chance against creatures of magical origin. Not to mention their existence implied the existence of something behind them.
‘A mage, and a high dimensional one at that. They probably took Alex and Zara.’
If such a mage targeted him and his family, their destruction was all but assured.
‘No, I can’t get distracted. I must save them regardless.’
He rapidly looked around his house. He needed an escape route. There, the windows! Real glass was expensive, so his house only had some cheap imitations. They were murky and barely let you see through them. Their quality was subpar too, easily broken and fragile.
Alex heard another growling sound as the male corpse began facing him. It’s lifeless eyes seemed to glow with indignation.
Alex immediately ran straight at the window. Jumping up, he braced for impact. Smash! The sound of glass shattering filled the otherwise silent atmosphere. Just as Alex was relieved, he suddenly realised the weird sensation on his feet.
‘Soil? Not gravel?’
He then took notice of his surroundings. Forest! Trees as far as the eye could see in all directions.
‘No, this doesn’t make any sense. This doesn’t make any sense!’
Not giving Alex any time to relax, the male corpse jumped through the window too.
“You monster! What have you done!” Alex screamed as he ran towards it. His bloody hand punched out, yet the remains of his father barely attempted to defend itself. Due to the glass, Alex’s body was cut in all sorts of places. But he drove through the pain, his mind losing all sense of rationality. His hand collided with the zombie’s face.
A strange sensation graced his hand. Mushy yet hard, it was very peculiar. The monster barely flinched. And then it lashed out, his sharp claws scratching at Alex.
‘Shit, I’ve got to calm down.’
Alex, realising his foolishness, stepped back. But it was already too late. His right hand was already limping weakly beside him.
‘No, no, no! What have I done to deserve this?’
Another screech was heard as the female corpse broke through the window as well.
‘I can’t fight them, and I have no idea where Zara and Archie are. I should just try to get away.’
Alex turned around and attempted to sprint into the forest.
‘I can’t help them if I’m dead. I must stay aliv-’
Before he could process another thought, a feminine hand grabbed his ankle. Losing his balance, Alex stumbled forward, his face planting into the ground. And in that instance, the zombies were on him, chewing away at his body. The pain was indescribable. Alex screamed out until his throat was hoarse.
‘No, how could it end this way! I have so much to do, so much to prove!’
Alex could feel his life sipping away. He lay in a pool of his own warm blood. He had attempted to struggle, but it was futile. The monster’s strength greatly exceeded that of his own.
‘I failed you two. Forgive me.’
The male corpse turned to look at his face. It grinned maliciously and spoke its first words.
“Wake up!”
It then launched at his face, and then everything turned dark.
Gasping, Alex shoot up. Two worried little faces were staring at him.
“Brother?” Zara whispered. Fear coloured her eyes.
‘Was it just a dream?’
Alex hugged his siblings and started crying. They started to cry back, their salty tears covering his shirt. For a few moments, that’s all the siblings did, letting loose all the feelings they had bottled. As the eldest, Alex regained his composure first. Wiping his eyes, he questioned softly.
“Zara, what happened?”
“You were screaming. Archie and I tried to wake you up, but you wouldn’t respond.” She spoke quietly, as if afraid Alex would get mad.
“I’m sorry, I just had a bad bream.” Alex gently consoled.
‘What even was that. I thought I had finally gotten over their deaths, but I was wrong. It seems like Uncle Sam’s talk today reawakened those memories.’
He placed a hand on both of their hands.
“As long as you two are here with me, everything is fine.”
Alex calmed them down, and they finally started to relax.
“I am so sleepy!” Archie yawned loudly, and rested his head against Alex, falling asleep instantly. Alex didn’t bother moving him, glad of his presence. Before long, Zara also fell asleep besides him, her hand tightly gripping his.
‘I’ll solve our parent’s mystery. I’ll get us out of this hellish life.’
Determination. That was all that he needed.
//
Meanwhile, in another place, a girl was sitting on a rock. She was in a meditative pose, all alone in a forest. Her body was toned, and had nicely defined muscles that didn’t look out of place on her slim figure. It was completely dark, but it appeared to have no effect on her. For hours she sat there, until eventually the run was rising up. Yet she had not moved. The surrounding landscape was deathly silent. Besides her was a a sword, ornately designed to a fault, an orange gem inlaid within. Finally, one of her eyelids opened.
“Grandfather, do you have something on your mind?“
An old man appeared from the shadows of the trees behind her. His hair was white, and his beard was long and well kept. He had a light smile on his face at his granddaughter’s sight.
“I’m afraid Kella, it’s time to leave.” His eyes gazed upon the looming clouds.
“Already? I’ve barely had enough practice.” She mumbled quietly.
“We will stay in the closest town for a day, and then head back to Flumen.” He continued speaking.
‘I could resolve this myself, but I don’t owe Ventus anything. I’ll just give them a heads up and be back on my way.’
//
Alex reluctantly woke up. After the nightmare, he barely slept a wink. His body was covered in sweat too.
‘Why do we only get one day off a week?’ He complained to himself. Sunday was considered a holy day by ‘The Church of Lumen’. As the most dominant religion in Lutum, it had many adherents. It had an especially strong impact on the culture of much of society. As such, Sunday was the only day people got off work.
‘Well, another day rested is another 10 less bronze coins to make.’
He encouraged himself, before preparing to leave.
‘At least it’s only today left, and then I have the whole of tomorrow for my cuties.’
He looked at them, sleeping soundly with their adorable faces.
‘My job starts quite a bit earlier than their school does.’
Alex was strangely jealous, but didn’t think much into it.
‘That’s a good thing, for them.’
Soon enough, he was ready to leave. The teenager was on his way to his job, thinking about his siblings’ school.
‘It’s in the public zone, so it’s relatively safe. And they walk around during day time only.’
He couldn’t help but worry everyday, but not sending them to school was not a choice. They needed that for their own futures.
‘And I’ll meet the man that Uncle Sam was talking about.’
The wheels of time kept turning, the sky continuing to be filled with dark grey clouds.
Chapter Four:
Alex stood in front of the gates in a line. The carriage in front of him was talking a very long time to be examined.
‘The Rolling Tavern, was it? I’ve heard lots of adventurers hang around that place.’
Someone behind him began to complain loudly about the time it was taking. Ignoring him, Alex continued to ponder.
‘Why did he choose that place specifically? Is he an adventurer maybe?’
Alex shook his head, it was a fruitless thought. The man probably chose it due to it being a popular gathering spot. As such, Alex could be assured of his safety. But then again, Alex had no reason to distrust him, courtesy of Uncle Sam. Meanwhile, the screaming man behind him was carried away by some guards.
‘I should get there slightly earlier and see if I can get some information from any gossip.’
Eventually, the carriage was allowed to leave, and Alex was beckoned ahead. It was the same guard captain as always, as stoic and wordless as before. Alex handed over his mining permit. The captain looked over it swiftly before giving it back. Having done it so many times, he would of course know Alex by now. But it was procedure to check every time, and he wasn’t someone to flaunt the rules.
“Lad.” He spoke up. Alex looked up, surprised to hear him talk.
“It’s going to rain today, be careful.”
Alex was stunned for a moment, staying quiet.
“Oh yes, of course. Thank you.” Alex replied hastily, gathering his senses. He then headed off outside into the distance. The captain started at Alex’s back.
‘Why did I do that, it’s rained many times before.’ He had a bad feeling, and it wouldn’t go away.
‘Oh great Lumen, purify my heart.’
//
Kella walked behind her grandfather.