CHAPTER TWO
Wards of Araksiun
This winter was harsher than any I remember, with snow falling often and piling up in tall drifts. Elina once told me about animals that live outside in the cold, using snow as a sort of shield. I tried to do the same, but I am not sure I understood how it works. On nights when the snow fell heavily, a thick layer would build up on top of me, and then the long sleeps would come.
I started to think maybe those stories about animals sleeping beneath the snow were just mystical tales. Days passed without me noticing, and one time, when I returned from one of my hiding spots, Meris said I had been gone for weeks. Elina and Jharim were relieved to see me. They questioned me a lot that day, asking where I had been. Where else would I go? Anyone who leaves the District never comes back, but they still made me describe all my hiding places.
Luckily, winter did not last forever. As it ended, I was pleased to learn that Elina would begin another class, this time an advanced one. As the only librarian, she also has the job of teaching a few select people, either those the District considers promising or families with the money to pay for education. Elina does not receive the full payment for her teaching. She gets a small portion, while the rest goes to the District library itself.
One of the neighboring districts we still trade with manufactures paper, so Elina copies books to sell and “keep humanity’s history alive,” as she likes to say. During a beginner class, she taught me to read and write. My handwriting is crude, since I have not had many chances to practice, though I tried using a stick on dirt whenever I could.
An advanced class only happens when the District decides enough people need it, because it requires supplies like ink, paper, and the use of the teaching facility. It also requires Elina’s time as librarian. This means I might have to share a room with more than just a few people who hate me, including some who will become influential in District 98.
As I thought about it, I realized I did not really care, as long as nobody beats me into another long sleep. Meris, on the other hand, is very worried about meeting these people. Elina shares her concern, mostly because of me. She believes that if I make a good impression on them, it will be easier for them to accept me when I become a blacksmith’s apprentice and officially join District 98.
Because of this, Elina and Jharim spent their saved money on new clothes for both Meris and me. Now they want me to try them on.
“I do want people to accept me,” I said, picking up a shirt that looked thin and flimsy, “but I do not see the point of this. The cloth is not warm, and the sleeves are so short.”
“The classes will be in the library, which is heated,” Elina explained, showing me another shirt of the same kind. “It would look odd if you wore heavy clothes inside.”
“Yes, but it is no use outside, and it seems like it would tear easily.” I was still confused.
“You are not supposed to wear it outside,” she said. “Only during classes. I do not want you to ruin these nice clothes.” She held up another piece of clothing that was already patched in places.
“What is the point if I cannot wear them anywhere else? Should I save them for when I become an apprentice?”
“No, by then you will have outgrown them.”
“Again, what is the point? They are only for wearing in the library and nothing else?”
“Yes. You will keep them here with Jharim’s clothes, so you can change before class. Do not worry, I let our neighbors know, and they agreed to let you come inside and change.”
It seemed odd to me to spend money on clothes just to make a good impression, especially money that could buy food or warmer clothing. Still, it was Elina and Jharim’s choice to spend their savings, not only on Meris but also on me.
They are going out of their way to buy me real clothes that actually fit, clothes without holes or stains from people who never woke from their long sleeps.
“Where are you right now?” Meris asked suddenly, startling me.
“What?” I replied, confused.
“You were off in your own little world,” Meris said as she poked me in the arm. “I was calling your name, but you did not even notice.”
“Ah, sorry. I was just thinking about all this.”
“Do you not like the clothes?” Meris asked while she studied the fabric.
“No, no, they are fine. I just think it is a bit of a waste if it is only for show.”
Elina walked up and looked me in the eyes. “Listen, I know it seems like we are wasting money, but you are young. You have to trust me on this. In a few years, when you become an apprentice, it will be helpful if people already see you as part of District 98.”
“Yes, I know,” I said. “I guess I am just thinking short term. You always tell me to think about the future, but I am used to living day by day.”
It really did make sense from a long-term view. Elina mentioned that three of the children in the upcoming class are from families that own powerful artifacts, two from the District guard, and another from a Chainrunner.
“I understand why I need to make a good impression,” I said, “but why does Meris need all those dresses?”
No sooner did I say that than Meris’s face turned bright red. She looked angry and stormed out of the room.
Elina just laughed. “Let us just say you both have different reasons to dress nicely. Survival is important, but living is important too.”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Those words confused me, but Elina often says things that take me a while to understand. I suppose this will be another mystery to figure out when I have time to think about it.
“Also, before I forget, take this,” Elina said, handing me a book with empty pages and a pencil. “Do not worry, these materials were provided by the District. You will use them for your tasks and to take notes during the advanced class.”
Fabricating paper is quite expensive, and the book is not small. It would take a long time to fill it entirely, so this might be more expensive than the clothes themselves.
“Thank you, Elina, but I want to know, how did you manage to make the district accept me in this advanced class? Please tell me you did not pay from your own money for this as well.” I spoke, finally noticing how strange it is to be among those selected. I am not exactly what people would consider a promising kid.
“Ha, do not worry about that,” she replied. “Believe it or not, your name was suggested by the Captain of the Chainrunners. That is indeed odd. Maybe people are already accepting you, and you have not even realized it.”
“What? But why? She does not even know me.”
“Of course she does. Everybody does, even in the neighboring districts. How many people do you think have survived a failed ward and walked all the way through the thick fog to another district? Believe it or not, in our records, there is only one person.”
As Elina spoke those words, I realized again that people had heard about me. I am not sure if there is anything good in that. I hope they will just forget it and stop seeing me as some kind of bad omen.
“Also, this is your next task,” Elina continued. “You should make a report on the history of the districts. I am asking every student for one so I can define the starting point of the class.”
Elina is very kind, but when talking about history, she can be quite fearsome. She believes everybody should fully know the history of humanity so it does not get lost over time.
She says we once had a great deal of knowledge, and it was that knowledge which led humanity to greatness. But over time, when the fog filled with dangers appeared, we shifted our focus solely to survival, and through time, most of our history and knowledge were lost.
She often says that thinking long term is important, and it was by thinking only of survival that humanity reached its current state. Yet most people do not care about history or learning from past mistakes.
I took the task eagerly because I know Elina understands more about the world than most, and I am very curious about the things she says. After leaving, I dedicated the rest of the day to writing the so-called report on the history of the districts.
The districts are all, in fact, part of the city of Araksiun. Once, this city was filled with dozens of millions of humans, living together in a unified metropolis that created wonders using both science and magic.
However, one day the fog came. Nobody really knows why or what the fog is. That piece of knowledge is long lost.
Somehow, the ancient people of Araksiun predicted the arrival of the fog and prepared the city for it. They partitioned the city into a few hundred districts, each one with an Obelisk at its center, just like the one we have here in District 98.
The Obelisks maintain a ward that shields the districts from the fog and from the creatures that roam within the fog, thus protecting the city. There are some debates about whether the Obelisks were only a failsafe, with some saying there was once a great ward enveloping the entire city before it was destroyed.
Others say the great ward was merely weakened, allowing some of the fog to enter but not entirely. Meanwhile, another group believes there is simply nothing beyond Araksiun and that Araksiun always has been the entire world. All these viewpoints exist, but Elina hates the last one.
She says people are foolish to think the world is only this city just because they have not seen anything beyond it. She also says that not many generations ago, there was a district located not too far from the city walls.
Chainrunners from that district reported seeing the wall, and it is recorded here. I understand her frustration. Still, nobody has seen anything beyond the city for thousands of years, so I cannot blame them too much.
The city is supposed to extend for hundreds of kilometers. Even if there once was a ward covering the entire city, the Obelisks themselves were also supposedly able to expand to cover it fully.
However, as time went by, many districts fell on their own or due to monsters in the fog. We understand little, but certain creatures can defy the ward’s protection and weaken it or sometimes even destroy it entirely.
This is what happened to the destroyed districts on the day of my arrival. The theory is that some creature was capable not only of weakening the ward defenses, but also of destroying them entirely, allowing the creatures from the fog to rush in.
The scary thing is that it all happened in a single night.
The District announced that the most reasonable explanation is that the ward was already weakened enough to make such an attack possible. Cases like this have happened before, but so many districts at once, in close proximity, is hard to believe.
That is the main problem with the wards. Whoever planned this failsafe against the fog might not have intended for it to last forever. After thousands of years, the wards can no longer protect the districts effectively.
It is believed the district wards need some form of fuel, maybe something provided by the ancient city of Araksiun or something that must be manufactured. Regardless, the Obelisks are running out of it.
This began more than two thousand years ago, the weakening of the districts’ wards, at least those that remain. The knowledge about the Obelisks was lost long before the wards began to fail, and to this day, people still try to understand. However, the technology is far too advanced.
Elina had the opportunity to study the Obelisk in detail and record her findings in the registry for further research. As someone who also had access to study the artifacts from District 98, she says it goes far beyond anything else found in Araksiun so far.
However, there are manual controls that can be used even by people who do not understand the Obelisk. When the wards started failing, they discovered it is possible to reduce the power the ward uses.
This reduction lowers the ward’s area of influence but lets it remain active longer. For that reason, over time, the District’s area was reduced to the territory we currently have. Many facilities were abandoned as the ward’s coverage shrank.
The neighboring districts, which were once connected, are now separated by gaps of a few kilometers at least. That is why the Chainrunners were created. Originally, they were meant to be a unified logistics unit to distribute whatever was made or grown in each district.
But over time, each one became independent, and now it is more like a trading network between districts, with brave people traveling many kilometers outside the wards, running and fighting any beast that crosses their path.
Elina told me the Chainrunners were once the bravest among us, explorers of the unknown. But as everything decays over time, so did the Chainrunners.
Because they face such a high death rate, it became more like a punishment. Those who steal or commit crimes are often condemned to become Chainrunners.
That makes me wonder if the Captain of the Chainrunners of District 98, who asked for me in the advanced class, plans for me to join them. As I ponder it, my heart races. Then I realize the Captain holds a lot of power here. She is not a convict, and she has a powerful artifact. If she wanted to condemn me to be a Chainrunner, she could do it easily with just a few words.
I guess I will have to ask her son, since he is also going to participate in this advanced class.
Leaving those thoughts aside, I come to the worst part of my report on the history of the districts: the day of my arrival.
Well, I guess I will leave that part blank…