[https://i.imgur.com/VGCFMQy.png]

The trio walked along the wide, snow-free road towards the open iron-banded wooden gates set into the towering heavyset stone wall of Waterhill. Smoke from fires within the town spoke of lives being lived as it drifted away into the calm blue sky.

The rest of the trip had been calm, peaceful even, for Refenial, once they'd left the sinister presence of the forest behind them. The only exception had been a short note that Refenial had woken to, a scroll, as always, sealed with a crow on a skull. It had simply stated that Griselda had dealt with the bandits but given no clue as to what that actually meant.

Refenial looked at the gates as he approached. Guards stood on either side, their postures stiff despite their tired eyes. They watched with bored disinterest, seemingly unconcerned with the occasional passerby who came or left through the gate.

Refenial carefully kept his face a mask of neutrality as they walked through the gates, his heart fluttering a little as he thought of the human meat he knew was stashed away in Nox's bag.

As they entered, Refenial looked around. The town's bustling streets were similar in many ways to Oldspire, and unfortunately, that similarity included the squalid streets and a stench that made him want to only breathe through his mouth. There was one big difference in both the town itself and its smell, that being its lack of port. It lacked the drunken sailors as well as the hint of sea air mixed with rotting fish.

Nox glanced over at Refenial, "I know a place we can stay, cheap." He said, putting emphasis on the last word.

"Lead the way," Refenial replied, gesturing ahead.

[https://i.imgur.com/oMrGBK6.png]

They passed through the maze-like warren of streets and alleyways. As they headed deeper into the town, the buildings became more worn and dingier, the lanes narrower, and the people rougher.

Refenial saw street kids staring at them, passing entertainment to keep the children's minds off their hunger. A man and a woman were screaming obscenities at each other, what sounded like only a street away. Passerbys in ragged, dirty clothes looked down as they walked by, not risking eye contact.

"Are you sure about this?" Nia asked, looking around the streets, barely touched by the light of day, hidden among the tightly nestled buildings.

Nox nodded at Refenial's translation of her words and walked to an old door that looked like it hadn't been painted in decades, the flaking paint revealing the numerous layers of faded colours beneath.

Rap-tap-tap, Nox knocked smartly on the door, waiting several moments before knocking once more.

As Refenial stood in the shadows of the houses around, he heard a soft sound from behind the door, the shuffling of feet on wooden floors and a few moments later, the door slowly swung open a crack.

A wrinkled old man poked his head around the door. "Yes?"

Nox waved at the man, who looked him up and down slowly. "Well, I guess you'll be coming in."

He slowly shuffled backwards as he opened the door.

[https://i.imgur.com/oMrGBK6.png]

Nox entered first, and Refenial and Nia followed behind. They were in the first dingy room of a house. It smelt old, musty and maybe with a hint of mould. The shutters were still barred even though it was approaching noon.

The old man shuffled through to a kitchen. He gestured they sit at a dusty table. "I'll make some tea, and then we'll talk."

The trio sat silently at the table while the old man slowly pottered around the kitchen. Refenial opened his mouth to speak, but Nox vigorously shook his head in warning. An hour later, the painfully slow old man set the teapot on the table and gestured they should help themselves.

The three each poured themselves a drink, and the old man sat down with a tired sigh.

"Ahh, what brings you to my door, and with two children in tow?" The old man gave Nia a particularly focused stare as if he struggled to make her out clearly. "Neither seems our sort of folk."

Nox sipped his drink and nodded. "They're not. They both know I am what I am and are fine with it. It helped that neither even knew what a ghoul was."

The old man slowly hit the table with amusement. "Is that so! Well, it's nice to meet folk who aren't so fast to judge."

Nox sighed. "My cart got burned by bandits. I lost it all."

The old man nodded. "How unfortunate. Do you know what you'll do now?"

Nox gave Refenial and Nia a thoughtful look. "My friends here are travelling, though I don't think they know where too yet. I want to talk to them about it, but it is a sore subject for them."

"Well, you and your friends are welcome to stay as long as you need. I do have a favour to ask, though."

"Oh?" Nox asked.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"Do you remember Buin? I haven't seen him in a few days, and he was visiting me every day before that. Do you mind checking in on him?"

"Of course. Where will I find him?"

"He's been hanging out with one of the Order Keepers."

"Fuck." Nox swore.

"What's an Order Keeper?" Refenial asked.

Nox grimaced. "They're the priests of the Systemic Order. When a ghoul gets discovered, they're the ones that come in and kill them. Both you and Nia can do magic, right? Are either of you titled?"

"I am," Refenial said, uncertain where this was going.

Nox nodded. "Then you both want to keep away from them, especially you, Refenial. The law says any magic-user must be registered with them, especially titled. If they realise you're unregistered, you'd have to register with them. They probably wouldn't bother checking for Nia, but they keep a close eye on titled."

"Uh, I take it that's bad?"

"Yes, the Order may draft any titled at any time to do their bidding. In reality, they only conscript titled that don't have powerful backers. They don't want to upset the nobles or king too much. Unless you want your Old Mother, having to come to bail you out, you'd be a perfect target for them."

"So, will you look into it?" The old man asked.

"Yes," Nox said with a reluctant sigh.

[https://i.imgur.com/oMrGBK6.png]

They finished their tea in silence. Then the trio left for the small room the old man had offered them. It was cramped, barely big enough for the four rough and aged beds inside it. They each sat on one of the beds.

Nox looked at Refenial, "I think now we're here. We should talk about what we're doing next."

Refenial agreed and began translating again.

"I know you don't want to talk about the details, but whatever is going on with your friend Obit, I think you should let it go, Reffy," Nia said with concern. "You are still a child. If Hildegard is as powerful as you guys say, then the situation sounds much too dangerous for anyone, never mind you."

Nox shook his head at the translation. "I think you should head for the academy like Hildegard suggested. It's not fair that all this is being put on your shoulders, but at least there, you can get help and Nia and I can become your retainers."

Refenial gave them both a sceptical look as he considered what they were saying. He didn't want to run away, to abandon Obit, and he couldn't anyway. He'd promised Alton to look after his son.

The thought of going to the academy sat uneasily with him, and it felt like just giving into Hecate's manipulation. Her words kept playing around again and again in his head. What mattered to him more, Obit or his fear of being used by her?

As it twisted around again and again in his mind, he realised he didn't understand something Nox had said.

"What do you mean retainers?" he asked the ghoul.

"The academy is famous. Hasn't anyone explained to you how it works?"

Refenial shook his head.

"well, anyone whose titled can go there, of course. Most of its students are retainers, though. The second part of the school teaches retainers, a group of servants specialising in supporting titled."

"You want us to be his servants?" Nia wrinkled her nose in disgust at the thought.

Nox shrugged. "The academy has the best teachers in the country and pays its students to attend. Normally, the entry requirements are brutal, but if Refenial attended, he could get us in without taking the test as his retainers."

"It sounds like you're trying to help us, not Reffy," Nia said suspiciously.

Nox looked at Refenial for support. "I don't mean it like that, just if you are serious about getting strong, the academy has all the resources you need. It'll also help me and Nia become more powerful, and it will line our pockets with enough money to not live like beggars when we leave. I've seen that coin purse around your neck. I'm not sure how much you have, but what will you do for food and money when it runs out? How can you become strong enough to rescue Obit from whoever's got him if you're spending twelve hours a day tending fields just to make a pittance that will barely sustain you."

Refenial looked at the floor, realising the sense in Nox's words.

He looked up at Nia. "Would you come with me if I went to the academy?"

Nia nodded. "Yes, but if you think you can order me around like a servant, you'll not like what happens next."

Refenial couldn't help but chuckle at her words, which made her stare a warning stare at him.

"I guess I'm going to the academy then." He told them.

"Since we'll be working together for a while and I've told you some of my secrets, will you tell me how you enchant your staff, please?" Refenial said to Nia with a hopeful grin.

"You only told me a little, and only because someone made you." She said before relenting. "Fine. I suppose you are teaching me Frullian. But consider it me paying back the money I owe you."

"Uh-huh," Refenial said excitedly.

Nox stood up. "While you two are talking, I'm going to go see what happened to Buin."

"I'm going to practice my whistle some more," Refenial replied.

Nox grimaced. "Please do that outside the house, preferably far away from people. I'd rather not get kicked out and end up sleeping on the streets the first night we get back to civilisation."

Refenial gave Nox a hurt look. "I'm not that bad," he said defensively.

"Sure, sure, but maybe just humour me on this," Nox said with a slight smile.

"Fine." Refenial decided to check his status before he started to see if it would give him clues about how to develop.

His eyes only reached the second line before he noticed a surprise.

"I've turned 11!" He said in surprise to Nox, then quickly repeated it to Nia.

"How do you know? Does it say on your status?" She asked with an eager grin.

Refenial nodded.

"Happy birthday, Refenial," Nox said.

"Was today your birthday? Did you check your status yesterday?" Nia asked him.

Refenial thought back for a minute. He'd looked at his status yesterday. He hadn't noticed a change, so he must have still been ten then.

"I checked it yesterday. Today must be my birthday." Refenial told them both.

"Do people celebrate birthdays in this country?" Nia asked eagerly.

Refenial shrugged. "I think so. I think some of the villagers did back home."

Nia gave him a sad look. "Didn't you ever celebrate your birthday?"

Refenial didn't know how to answer that. This was his first birthday since waking up in the ruins. Maybe he had before then, but without his memory, he'd not know. He didn't want to lie to Nia, but he also didn't want to tell the truth. He settled instead for the time-tested phrase, "It's complicated."

Nia stood and grabbed him in a friendly headlock. "'It's complicated, 'it's complicated'. That's all you ever say to me, little Reffy. 'It's complicated'."

Nox chuckled at their hijinx as Refenial squirmed, trying to get away.

"Refenial, why don't you go out and play your whistle? I want to talk to Nia for a moment." Nox said.

Refenial looked up at Nox as Nia let him go. "Talk to her? She only knows about five words of Frullian."

Nox smiled and struck a confident pose. "I'll manage."

Refenial stood. "Fine."

"Just don't get into trouble when your out and come back before nightfall. I'll have a surprise for you." Nox added.

[https://i.imgur.com/oMrGBK6.png]

Refenial said goodbye and left the house, stepping out onto the cold streets. He wandered for a while, taking in the town before he found himself at the town's snowy green. He looked at it, reminding him of his bittersweet memories of the village and sitting there as he learned magic, Obit annoying Old Mother Hecate with his naive goodness. Those memories were all tainted now, tainted by the truth. Even as he'd sat there learning, he'd sat with a murderer, Hecate, the woman who'd murdered Maxit, the woman who would kill the village.

The green was empty of people, so he decided here would be the best place to practice. He walked to its centre and pulled out his whistle. Running his hands across its fine patterned surface before bringing it to his lips and trying to play. Minutes passed as he fumbled with the instrument, trying to play a simple tune.

[https://i.imgur.com/3vZaHAB.png]