Emberfall, the city of dreams, or as some would say, the city of opportunities. Contrary to most towns in the kingdom of Altroz, its capital was a place brimming with people and progress. At night one could be a small merchant, but on the very next day, they could ascend to a prominent tycoon - what mattered most was choosing wisely your allies, and even more importantly, staying closer to one's enemies.

Likewise, someone could lose everything in a single night as well. It only took a slight sneer or rude comment misplaced at the wrong person.

It is as the folk said, where money flows, so does blood.

At the far distance, crossing the wheat farms and erected mills, a lone traveler approached the city. The first thing he noticed from the top of "his" horse were the intimidating walls that surrounded the capital. They almost dominated the horizon, casting a foreboding shadow over the plain hills.

Perhaps, if he still were the old-him those walls would sparkle a sense of security onto him. Now, however, all he saw was an intimidating umbra engulfing the meadow.

The roads were filled with wagons and travelers, and all of them had a single desire at the moment: to enter Emberfall. Sentries were scattered around the main gate, tasked with inspecting anyone who wanted to access the city. Promptly, Heitor reached the guards.

"I.D card." The guard extended his hand, expecting something which Heitor clearly didn't have.

"I'm new to the capital." He said as a matter of fact.

Finally raising his head to stare at Heitor, the man muttered with an annoyed tone, "Then you will be required to create an identification card, please follow me."

Getting down from his horse, Heitor closely followed the supervisor. They entered a windowless building, with no sunlight peeking into it. The only source of light came from an odd-looking ball at the ceiling, a pale color pouring over the room.

"Please sit there and look up here." He said while pointing at a bench, almost like reading through a script.

Steering clear from exploring the place, Heitor did just as asked.

Then, out of thin air, a white veil blinked into existence. The veil seemed to cover someone's hand which gently flicked across a white canvas. Moments later, his I.D was done - his face engraved in it. Curiously, at times his painting would move slightly like it was alive.

"Here it is." The man approached Heitor before continuing, "It will be a silver coin."

"Tsk, what a shakedown." He heard Agatha whisper from his shadow.

On this matter, he had to agree though. The monetary system was simple enough - 1 gold coin was equal to 10 silver coins, and so did silver to copper - while a GR was something out of the norm, being valued on land properties and rights. But it didn't matter, Heitor had no say on the situation. Such was the power of public positions. Moreover, he had to lay low for a while.

Frowning, the man repeated himself, "1 silver is the city's tax for new visitors."

Raising her eyebrows just as high, Agatha replied, "Yeah, sure it is."

Clearing his throat, Heitor quickly said, "Luckily sir, I just have a silver coin in my pocket." He glanced sideways at Agatha. His message was clear.

The old man took a few steps back from Heitor as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. From all of his experiences thus far, this traveler was the most unique one he had come across.

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Taking a coin from his "pouch", Heitor said with a smile, "Here you go."

His hand thought otherwise though, instead holding the coin for dear life. The guard sweated buckets of salty water as he tried to shake away from Heitor's iron grip.

Then he heard the madman talk alone again, "Agatha-" The traveler whispered at his shadow, "Let it go."

Finally, he relented, letting go of the coin. The supervisor didn't waste a heartbeat to cast out Heitor from the station.

"Make sure to enjoy your stay, sir." Was the last thing he said before hurriedly going back to the inspection line.

As Heitor and Agatha went past the iron gates, the city's true beauty revealed itself. There wasn't a single spot they could found that was out of place. It seemed like everything felt just right, in perfect harmony and symmetry. The buildings were packed together, with branching alleys forming a web across the whole city.

Nearby, they could hear the sound of a legion being trained. The voice of a commander sounded in the distance - how he was so loud was outside of Heitor's current comprehension. The barracks were the first thing one would perceive - a smart move, as Agatha would point out.

Not only would the soldiers be prepared to defend Emberfall on a moment's notice, but it also showed their might to anyone prone at resorting to illegal activities.

The main avenue disappeared into the background, apparently endless. Likewise, the number of merchants and commoners was just as unending - coming to the point of brimming the streets to the very top.

The more Heitor walked along the avenue, the more stores appeared. There were all sorts of shops - including potions, armor, clothes, weapons, and general goods.

As should be expected, the noise was just as loud. He could hear both the laugh of children and the yells of unshameful traders. Mixed in the crowd, it was possible to spot out a few musicians as well.

All in all, the city was lively, that's for sure.

"At least that's not a deterrent to her." He muttered as he stared at his sister slinking through the shadows of people and alleys.

His next set of actions was going towards the mage academy to search for tutoring courses. His sole objective in the city was self-improvement after all.

"Altroz Mage Academy, here I come." He said with enthusiasm.

***

"So... let me get this straight," Heitor pinched his eyebrows in distress as he spoke, "A basic class of 2 hours costs at the very least 1 silver coin. And that program only covers, at most, primary mana manipulation."

"That's correct." The clerk replied in a bored tone. It wasn't the first time he had to deal with commoners, not at all. Every once in awhile a nobody who thought he could learn spell casting on a whim showed up.

Which was quite ridiculous considering the state of things such as they were.

Not only were people who were capable of controlling their mana rare, but there was also an abysmal social gap in mage grooming. Wizardry teaching was, perhaps, considered the finest and most noble job there was, only available to those of the upper class. Hence, the high price should be of no surprise.

"Great," Heitor said as he exited the Academy.

"What now?" Agatha asked from behind.

Shrugging his shoulders, Heitor replied, "I honestly don't know. My whole plan went down the drain just like that. Those few... convenient encounters in the roads aren't enough to cover the cost."

"It's a big city, so stop thinking so small." She playfully said as she circled him, "You still didn't visit the guilds. Maybe even the barracks could prove to be useful."

Smiling, he said, "I don't know what I would do without you."

As he walked through the streets and alleys, one thing he noticed was the way people gave a wide berth to him, and the way they stared - like he was a lunatic. Surprisingly, it was quite good actually - that way he had a free pass across the crowd.

Obviously, his odd behavior soon attracted unwanted attention. Hiding in the alleys, on top of roofs, and in the middle of the crowd, the unsavory kind of individuals observed Heitor's casual walk. They came from all corners of the city - the Quiet Knife's Guild, Rising Aphoteia's followers and even the lowlifes of the Valedorian Thieves' Guild.

Emberfall's hidden powers were all present, ready to pull their strings and schemes. But no matter who or where they were from, everyone had the same reason to being there - to recruit. That's why spies infested the streets of Emberfall, acting as another reality inside its energetic avenues and alleys.

Their line of work had something in common, after all. It required a little bit of insanity to carry out their dirty work.

And Heitor seemed to fall just right on the criteria, even if a tad more than they took a liking of.

As he entered the Adventurers Guild, so did his pursuers. With measured steps and keen attention, cards were drawn and pieces were played. Now it was a game of waiting for the right opportunity to strike a conversation with him. Little did they know that their very own shadows conspired against them, acting as the eyes and ears of Agatha.

Heitor had the upper hand since the beginning.