Time progresses ever onward and I've decided on where I will advance my education.

"The Royal Academy," my father says. "They have some of the most difficult entrance exams."

He pauses.

"But, I have faith in you. Go," he says. "Make some friends. You're only young once after all."

I can't help but feel the irony of his words.

"Young lady Li should also be attending this season."

I'm caught off guard by that.

But, I recover.

"If I should meet her, I will be glad."

Father looks over his book and chuckles.

As the day plays out, the word spreads to every corner of the mansion.

"You're leaving, brother?" Mai asks sadly.

I nod as I look at her.

"But, couldn't you just get new tutors?"

"No, Mai. It's time to move on.

"One day you'll face the same choice. To stay or to go. This time, I need to go."

She comes up to me and hugs me.

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too," I say as she buries her face in my shoulder.

The days preceding my departure are pleasant. My mother worries about my eating habits when I get to the academy.

I promise to eat well.

But, then she becomes concerned that I'll get into fights with the other students.

I almost promise not to. But, can't help but feel that the academy will be a cutthroat institution.

I promise to be safe. And, that's enough for her.

Father has always been a pillar in my life. But, now I'll face the cruel world as a citizen.

Mai doesn't come to my send-off. She doesn't want to say goodbye.

Leon is my bodyguard and another man from the household staff carries the luggage.

It's an impressive feat he performs on the first day of our journey.

I praise the man for his fortitude as days become weeks.

I remember this. How big the world is.

I've lived in a mansion since I was born.

I've been out. But, the scope of the world needs to be experienced.

"Have you ever been out of the city, Leon?" I ask early in our adventure.

"Yes, little lord. I spent some time on the Crystal Sea to the west."

I'm surprised that he'd been to the Crystal Sea. It's reputed to be swarmed with monsters that attack sailors.

We carry on with our walking.

Our journey takes us North through the Evergreen Cliffs.

There is a verdant moss that clings to the surface of the rocky outcroppings.

As we continue, I hear, "Stop right there."

A gang of eight bandits approach.

"Leave the luggage and your swords and we'll let you live."

I share a look with Leon and we draw our weapons.

The baggage carrier falls back with the heavy load hiding him.

Sinister smiles take the highwaymen's faces.

Only one archer in their group.

It should be simple.

Leon's skill is tremendous if lacking spiritual control.

I do nothing to hide my powers as we cut down one bandit after another.

An arrow almost pierces Leon's chest. But, I project out with my spirit and pluck the arrow mid-flight.

The three surviving bandits take notice of the bloodletting and turn to flee.

Stolen novel; please report.

Leon's breathing hard. But, he is calm as he looks me in the eye.

"The little lord has secrets I never realized."

I shrug. The spiritual arts aren't taboo. They're just not common. And, I've never displayed my powers to the family.

"It's safe now," I say to our third-party member.

The young man peaks his head out from behind the baggage.

He stands and straightens his tunic.

Leon and I share a look. A chuckle escapes us both.

A great plain of green grass meets us when we pass the cliffs.

We tread through this terrain along the footpath.

I start to wonder if the rest of the world isn't just grassland.

Along the way, we find an old inn. It's a quiet venue with a matronly old woman and her husband running the business.

"Welcome. Welcome," she says as the old man puffs on his pipe.

"Where are you boys coming from?" she asks.

"Reyl."

She looks surprised, "And, you walked all the way here from there?"

We nod.

"Your valet must have been an ox in a past life."

The mild-mannered servant smiles an embarrassed smile.

She busies herself preparing the kitchen.

"The young lord and his men must be hungry, no?"

"It would be our pleasure to eat with you."

She smiles a maternal smile and carries on with her task.

We find our rooms and store what we don't need.

Back in the parlor, we sit down with the old man.

"Where about are you headed, young lord?"

The old man puffs a cloud of smoke.

"We're headed for the Royal Academy out of Locley."

His eyebrow raises at my answer.

The silence carries as we try not to be too awkward.

"How long have you been running this inn?" I ask.

"Oh, the wife runs this place. I can't quite recall when we started. It feels like a lifetime."

The meal is prepared in short order and we are served an entree of gamy meat and a side of rice.

"It's simple fare, here on the plains. The hunters bring in the animals they've caught in the grass."

"It's great," I say.

My fellows affirm my statement.

The night passes in pleasant conversation.

The pair don't spend what little coin they make on candles. And, we all find sleep in our ways.

Morning comes and so our journey must continue.

The matron smiles and her husband nods in parting.

Along the path, more people come and go from the trails that lead off from the main arterial.

Occasionally a company of trade good-laden donkeys passes by us.

Coming or going, they always carry their burdens.

This is the world I remember. A world filled with diverse people and work.

Despite the prosperity of some, there is another aspect of life that I remember.

The indigent that lies on the side of the road.

Some beg, but most just lie there.

Unable to make the vain request for aid.

I harden my heart. The wealth I carry could feed a hundred hungry mouths. But, then there would be another hundred that go hungry.

For the first time since I was born as Adam, I feel self-loathing.

After a lifetime spent trying to change the system, I sit in the lap of luxury without shame.

I clear my thoughts. I am Adam, of the family Derrick. I can't spend time-fighting the battles of a ghost.

Gradually, the road grows more refined until a road of stone meets our feet.

Locley City is an industrious city near the capital.

This is where the disparity of wealth shines the most dramatically.

Carriages led by horses protect the elite from seeing the plight of the unwashed masses.

The city is a glorious sight regardless of what socioeconomic disparity plagues it.

The day is coming to an end.

I feel the eyes on me as we find an inn to rest in.

A gang of kids hangs out in the periphery of my vision.

As I walk, one of the boys bumps into me.

I see the smugness in his eyes as he apologizes.

He is suddenly scared as my money purse doesn't come free.

There's fear in his eyes as I grab him by the throat.

His body rises into the air as I strengthen my body with chi.

Passers-by are shocked by the display. But, rapidly, comprehension dawns on them.

As I look into his terrified eyes, I see something.

I see myself.

My play for the would-be pickpockets ends as I set the boy on his feet.

"We're done here," I tell my bodyguard and valet.

Leon is unsurprised. But, my luggage carrier was startled and somewhat scared by what he saw.

We find an inn nearby. It's one of the spendier establishments. But, the extra cost comes with extra security.

We stow our belongings and once more enter the city streets.

Despite night setting in, the city thrives.

Nearby, a tavern carries the sound of laughter.

"I'll buy you guys some drinks," I say wanting to pay my attendants back for their labors.

Leon nods stoically while a bright smile takes my valet's face.

The pub doesn't notice us as we enter.

I find myself wondering when it was that I last came to such an establishment. It's been a long time.

We find one of the few empty tables. And, an attractive barmaid approaches with a smile.

"What can I get you boys?" she winks at Leon.

I ask for the house special.

"Is that good for all of you?"

My men nod.

Leon's comfortable with a drink. But, my baggage carrier is excited at the promise.

"Have you ever had ale, Jack?" I ask.

He nods his head, "A couple of times."

I smile at him, "Well, tonight, drink as much as you want. It's the least I can do for your labor."

The drinks quickly find us and I temper my speed. It wouldn't do for me to lose myself in a foreign city.

Leon is strong in fortitude and soon moves on to his next. Jack lags. But, becomes somehow giddy as he tries to keep up with the bodyguard.

I find myself feeling at ease.

But, life has a way of testing your comfort zone.

"The Death Cult and the Heavenly Way have been fighting a lot of late."

"Ah-" comes another voice. "They've been at it for over a decade. There's no news there."

"Yeah, the only time they ever got along was when they hunted that heretic."

A number of mugs clamor on the tables.

"Good riddance to the murderer."

A silence carries on until someone asks, "Why was he so bad?"

The voice comes from a young man who must have been a boy at the time of Meridian's wars.

"The man was a heretic. He stole the secrets of the Death Cult.

"At the time, people were saying he had learned the secrets to eternal life."

I find myself wondering how such a rumor had spread.

I indeed stole forbidden tomes from the Death Cult.

But, my study was underwhelming.

I performed a few of the ceremonies. But, nothing too extreme.

A lot of the spells required animal sacrifices. And, some of the more extreme, human sacrifices.

My study had never been too extreme.

"I don't believe he's dead. The powers that came to execute him didn't bring the body back.

"He's still out there waiting for the right time to strike the Jal."

Several groans escape the crowd. "Oh, shove it. The martial sects, the Heavenly Way, and the Death Cult were all there."

Another voice says, "Let the ghosts lie. We have enough to worry about without summoning the dead."

I find myself agreeing with the sentiment.

The night carries on as we drink. Jack is a little wobbly as we return to our inn.

Leon and I support the bubbly man as we find our rooms.

At last, in isolation, I purge my system of the alcohol and enter a trance.

Even though I try to quiet my mind, I think back on all that Meridian had stood for.

He had every vile title they could make up. But, he also stirred something in the country.

I had my laws to live by.

I catch myself. He had his laws.

The night passes in quiet contemplation.