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"Let me free you," Iris whispered, a lightning current raging under her skin. "Where's your master?" Iris asked.

The woman blinked. "Listen, child, this situation is very serious; don't make it any more complicated," the woman hissed through her clenched teeth. Her eyes darted around as if a monster might jump from the shadows and swallow them.

Child? Iris was pissed, not at this pitiful woman or those men behind her. But she was. She stared at them, her mana slowly permeating into the air, shaking it, and the colour drained from the woman and the duo behind her.

"I will say this once—I hate the idea of being called short... keep that in mind. Now, if you could point me in the direction of your master," Iris said. She always stood straight, her posture never slouched. If it did, she would've straightened to show her seriousness.

"W-who are you?" The woman muttered in horror. She was shaking in fear.

"Lightning lord, direction?" Iris said for the final time. She was more than tempted to torture the lanky one; he seemed like someone who would give in easily. At least, the other two were not as good as the woman, even if Iris was willing to free all three of them.

"We are not allowed to tell you," the woman replied in a shaky voice.

"Of course, I should've expected." Iris noticed people gathering in the distance; she had attracted an audience. Here, she could either walk past them, and no one would notice her, or she could destroy the rune. They were not wearing those bracelets like Ianthe, so there was no need to worry about harming them. The problem was, what would she do after freeing them? If she just let them go, their master or another slave trader would, most likely, capture them. Talking with Hecate and Ianthe over this matter seemed like a good idea.

"What to do...?" Iris muttered, "Can I expect to find you here?"

Woman nodded.

"Then I shall free you after making some preparations. Bear with your sufferings a little longer," Iris said as she patted the woman's head. She saw her lips shaking, but the woman held back from saying anything.

"What is your name?"

"I am Tris, and they are Sam and Vil."

"I shall return in due time, Tris," Iris flew past the stunned slave thieves.

She did not meet anyone while going toward the west gully. She was sure a few mages were observing, but that was expected when she was new here. The problem was that their trailing abilities rivalled Hecate's when she wore her oversized witch's hat. She wondered why she had not seen it since then. Ilona was wearing it once. Did they share? Or were there two? A mystery, though not as big as these observers. She would not entertain them.

"Come out before I stop speaking, or I shall shock you all."

Mages scrambled to their feet. They were slaves as well. Iris sighed. "Are you here to rob me as well?"

"No…" One of them said as he looked at something that was not her.

"Then," Iris sighed. She needed to find the healer.

"Our master ordered us to tail you," the smallest of them said. He was barely ten, missing an eye, and a scar ran over his lips, uncovering his upper canine.

"I see. Tell him you have failed," Iris said as she turned and noted them preparing to follow her again. "I can easily kill you if you do not stop."

"We would be grateful if you did," the same boy replied. His young voice made it all the more sad. Iris clenched her fist but said nothing. That was the world; how many could she save, and who could she even save with her current strength?

She sighed, and the built-up tension left her body. "Find the Healer," Iris whispered to herself. She shut off the existence of those trailing and observed the western side of the Rivenstone.

It was completely different. From well-made roads to the elevated footpath, all of it was like from a different world. There were buildings, heavy buildings, that sweeping winds didn’t stand a chance to ruffle a single window. And then, there were windows in the metal-like dense and heavy boulder wall, which meant they had homes inside. Something could only be done by high-level mages.

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How would she find the healer? It's not like he would just pop out of somewhere and start treating the slaves. Iris turned her head towards the slaves, and lo and behold, the Healer was examining the eye wound of the boy.

Iris sighed. Was this an attempt at comedy? Well, it certainly was sad. She decided to approach them. "Hello," she said, and was ignored. Why? Was he deaf? He didn't seem like that; after all, he was nodding to the boy's responses. "Hello," Iris tried again. As she had expected, he was ignoring her. "I'm searching for a healer to heal my companion's wound. Can you help me?"

No response.

Iris sighed. She decided to look for another healer.

The innkeeper mentioned the Merc Federation would be a good place. Her floating platform turned, and she began drifting back towards the centre. She wondered if being a level 5 healer meant he could do anything other than healing faster. She chided herself for such backward thoughts. If anyone said a level caster could only cast stronger spells, she certainly would be offended. Or not, she rarely found those kinds of things bothersome, unless it was related to her height.

She was at a distance from the healer and the slaves when she heard someone calling. "Hey!" Iris turned back, and it was the healer guy. He looked young, and his barely overgrown hair was wheat-colored, which contrasted greatly with his ocean-blue eyes, which Iris thought he tried to hide behind those thick-rimmed glasses.

Iris tilted her head, waiting for him to continue.

He stared at her, as well, as if waiting for her to say something. Iris sighed; what was happening? "Do you need something?" Iris asked.

The Healer massaged his forehead. "You were the one to approach me," Iris did not like the tone of his voice. He sounded annoyed, even though they had not even talked.

"As I said, I am searching for a healer to help my companion. Are you willing to help?" Iris replied in her ever-patient voice.

"I am not."

Iris sighed, then why did he stop her? "However, if you are willing to pay, I can heal your friend."

"Of course, as long as it's reasonable," Iris replied. She craned her neck and stared at the group, who were trying to be sneaky and failing. What was the point of having them tail her?

"I can assess the price only after seeing your friend."

"Then, let's go," Iris conjured another Weaver's Orb and turned it into a platform. "Get on."

He tapped the deep purple platform. It made no sound, of course. It wouldn't; it was not material. His eyes narrowed even more than they already were. How was he seeing? Iris wondered. He stepped on it and nodded in her direction, his hands clasped in front and his shoulders straight.

They began their walk. "I'm Iris. What is your name?"

"Silas, just Silas," he replied, his voice practised. "Level 5 Healer, titled Whisperer."

Iris nodded. "It's the first time I've seen a titled Healer," Iris replied.

"It is a pitiful title, in all seriousness, but it opens up a path to Level 6, so I am not in a position to complain," then, he coughed. "Are you a mage, Miss Iris?"

Iris smirked—finally, her control of mana had reached the point where she could fool a stranger. "Level 6 caster, titled Lightning Lord."

The Healer's face twitched but managed to keep it smooth. "I never thought someone so young would be Level 6. And titled, no less," His voice r was no longer annoyed but, instead, full of calmness and understanding.

"I am not young," Iris stopped herself from explaining. Diantha never needed to explain she was an adult; everyone assumed so. Then why must that not be the case for her? She sighed. Was she an adult? She was sure.

"Why were those... people following you?" Silas asked.

"The slaves? No idea," Iris replied. They were running with all their might to catch up, but of course, they could never match her speed.

"You... don't need to call them that," Silas uttered disapprovingly. "They have already been dealt a bad hand by fate. There's no need to remind them of that."

"That is their reality. Only by accepting who they are can you help them. Denying their reality, only to make oneself feel less pity, is worse than calling them slaves. What does calling them people and not slaves do? Will they be more grateful if you called them a slave and tried to help or called them people and undermined their suffering?"

"I know who they are, and I cannot help them. No one can."

"That remains to be seen," They reached the cross. Iris searched for Tris but didn't find her. She hoped Tris was fine. A part of her knew that now that Tris had failed to rob her—she would receive punishment. Iris should've left some money with them. Was it their master? The one who sent that group to tail her.

"Tell me, is this city under the control of someone?" Iris asked thoughtfully.

"Warlord Morgus," Healer replied. "Are you unaware of whose territory you're treading, dear lord?"

"Pretty much. I have things to do in the shattered realm, and for that, I must venture into this city. That is the extent of my knowledge. Now, I am curious after seeing the state of this city," Iris paused. They were almost at the cross-section. "Many things are happening here, few that bother me more than they should."

"The city is filled with things that are confounded. It would be advisable—if you refrained from poking your nose into the business of this city. It would only harm you."

"Thank you for the caution, but I am far too arrogant and prideful to go back on my words. I plan on doing things here that shall change this city. Forever. I hope I won't need to alter it geographically as well."

"You're arrogant," Healer sighed. "Then again, a Level 6 as young as you won't be anything otherwise. Though, you're different from what I would expect a titled Level 6."

"In what way?"

"If I had ignored another Level 6, then I would be begging for death—and that right, too, would've been stripped from me."

"I see. There's no point in bothering someone who is doing their work. Even if I think ignoring me was rude, it does not make it right to bother you without a prior appointment. We've arrived."

She lowered the platform.

"Your views on things are absurd. The world does not work that way," Healer replied, shaking his head. He jumped off the platform. "This place..."

"My world, of course, does not match the reality,” Since I am a byproduct of its cruelty, “Is there a problem?" Iris asked.

"No... I have heard people going missing around here."

"I have as well. Let's go," Iris led him inside and through the corridor into her room. She realized she had not taken the jade key.

Iris knocked on the door. No reply came. Missing? Panic rose in her, but she held it at bay. They could've gone to eat breakfast. But... Hecate shouldn't be walking since Ianthe was going to break the ice.

She knocked again, and the door slid open with a jolt. Ianthe peeked in, "Iris? Come in."

"Did something happen?" Iris asked as she entered, "This is Silas, a healer."

Ianthe gestured, and Iris finally noted the blood in the room, but none of the bodies, which included...