In the dimly lit alleys of Vrada, three muscular men stood glaring at a trio on the opposite side: two sly, short figures flanking a towering brute who casually counted a wad of cash.

“You bastard! Give us our money back!” one of the buff men snarled, his fists clenched. “You said this water would make girls like us!”

One of the short guys smirked, his eyes glinting mischievously. “And how else do you expect high school students to make money, huh? Honest work?”

The other short guy snickered, his laughter as sharp as the con they’d pulled.

The three buff guys growled in unison, their frustration boiling over. “Bring out your leader—the one counting the money!” one of them demanded, stepping forward.

The towering man calmly finished counting before standing to his full, imposing height. “They call me the King of Vrada,” he said with a smirk. “Brad Williams.”

At the mention of his name, the buff guys hesitated, their confidence wavering for a split second. That second was all Brad needed.

Without warning, he grabbed two of their heads and slammed them into the ground with effortless force. The impact echoed through the alley, leaving the third guy frozen in fear. Brad brushed his hands off and turned to leave.

“Let’s go,” he said coolly, and the two short guys quickly followed, their mocking laughter trailing behind them as they disappeared into the shadows.

Back in Solstice City, Elowen swung leisurely on a park swing, her attention fixated on her black card’s holographic display. “Aren’t these shoes adorable?” she squealed, giving the swing an extra push. “Arid, you have to buy these for my birthday!” She shoved the glowing projection into his face.

Arid, sitting on a swing nearby, leaned back to avoid the display and pushed her hand away. “If I had money, I’d buy myself something first,” he muttered, lazily swaying back and forth.

Elowen groaned dramatically, letting the swing slow. “Ugh, I have the money, but I have no idea where to get these shoes! If I knew, I’d just give you the money to get them for me.” Her gaze wandered to Mel, who was doing pull-ups on the monkey bars nearby. “Gah, he doesn’t even care about shoes—look at him, he’s always wearing those same sandals from Atlantis.” She pointed at Mel’s weathered blue sandals in exasperation.

Mel dropped down from the bars, wiping his hands on his shorts. “Wait, it’s your birthday on Saturday, isn’t it?” he said excitedly, his face lighting up. “We should totally do something!”

Elowen rolled her eyes and pointed at the hologram hovering over her black card. “I’m not doing anything until I get these shoes!” she declared, crossing her arms with dramatic flair.

“Then you’re not doing anything because who the hell is buying those?” Arid said, glancing at the hologram. His eyes widened in disbelief. “30,000 knight coins for a pair of shoes?! What the hell is wrong with you?”

Elowen rolled her eyes and sighed. “A princess should get what she wants. Don’t be jealous!” she scoffed, flipping her hair dramatically.

Mel stretched his neck and leaned casually on the swing set. “And who exactly is going to buy you those?” he asked, arching an eyebrow. “Unless you’re planning to snag them off some shady website.”

Elowen groaned, pocketing her black card. “That’s actually a good idea, but I probably shouldn’t use my info for that,” she admitted, tapping her finger thoughtfully against her jaw. Her gaze shifted to Mel. “Hey, you think Jake’ll buy them for me? I’ll give him the money.”

Mel had twisted the chains of his swing and was now balancing precariously on it while standing. He spun himself lazily, looking down at her like it was the most absurd question ever. “Yeah, I guess he would,” he replied, already halfway around a full spin. “But you two don’t really talk, so just be nice.”

As Mel suddenly spun at an almost reckless speed, Arid facepalmed. “You’re going to break your neck one day,” he muttered, watching Mel with a mix of annoyance and disbelief.

A short while later, Jake sat hunched over a desk in the corner of the white card art class. Only a handful of students remained in the room, quietly working. Jake doodled absentmindedly on a sheet of paper, his pencil scratching faintly against the surface. When the door opened, he glanced up—and froze.

Elowen entered the classroom, her presence instantly commanding attention. The students murmured among themselves, their whispers growing louder as they noticed who she was.

“Whoa, what’s King Arthur’s daughter doing in the white card art class?”

“She’s so hot!”

“Not just hot—look at that posture, that physique! Unreal.”

Jake swallowed hard, his pencil nearly slipping from his hand. “What’s she doing here?” he muttered under his breath, cheeks already heating up.

Elowen moved through the narrow rows of desks with the grace of someone who knew all eyes were on her. She stopped at Jake’s desk and leaned over, her face close enough for him to catch the faint scent of her perfume. His eyes widened, his face flushing a deep red.

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“E-Elowen, what are you doing here?” he stammered, averting his gaze to avoid staring too long.

Behind her, the whispers turned more pointed.

“Is that Jake she’s talking to?”

“Lucky bastard…”

“Fat and lucky. How does that even happen?”

Elowen ignored the muttering entirely, as if it didn’t exist. She glanced around the classroom briefly before zeroing back in on Jake. “What are you doing here? It’s Thanksgiving break,” she said plainly, completely unfazed by the students’ gawking.

Jake fidgeted, fiddling with his pencil. “O-oh, uh… it’s just an hour-long art class,” he mumbled, avoiding her gaze. “What are you doing here?”

The room’s energy shifted as the other students watched the exchange, some with wide eyes, others looking ready to explode with envy. All Jake could think about, though, was the fact that Elowen had somehow singled him out—and now all the attention in the room was on him.

“Jake, don’t act so weird—we’ve hung out before. Granted, we didn’t talk much, but still,” Elowen said, crossing her arms as she perched herself confidently on the edge of his desk.

Jake’s face turned an even deeper shade of red, and he instinctively scooted back in his chair, trying to create some distance.

“My birthday’s Saturday,” she continued, leaning in slightly. “I really need these new shoes, and you’re smart, right? You probably know some websites where I can get them.” She pulled up a hologram of the shoes on her black card and showed it to him.

Jake glanced at the image, and his eyes widened. “S-sure, I can help you buy them. If it’s online, it’ll probably only cost a couple hundred,” he stammered, still flustered.

Elowen nodded and handed him her black card without a second thought. Jake froze, staring at it like it was a bomb. “Whoa… this has all your money on it. Are you sure?”

“Yeah, keep the change,” she said nonchalantly, hopping off the desk.

Jake opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, Elowen was already walking out of the classroom. The sound of whistles and murmured admiration followed her as she strode confidently through the door, leaving Jake dumbfounded and clutching her card like it weighed a thousand pounds.

Moments later, Jake sat in his rolling chair, scrolling through his laptop with a mix of curiosity and apprehension. “Everyone’s still talking about Elowen in class, saying all kinds of stuff,” he muttered to himself. “How does she just brush it off like it’s nothing?” He sighed and continued scrolling through listings.

“Let’s see… this guy’s selling them for 100 Knightcoin, but—” he zoomed in on the image—“ugh, they’ve got a rip in them.” He kept scrolling. “Okay, this guy’s selling them for 500… but Elowen gave me 1,000. Should I really spend half her money, though?” He frowned, debating before deciding to message the seller.

Seller: Are you in Auroria Dominion?

Jake: Yeah, I’m in Solstice City.

Seller: Oh, cool. I’m in Vrada.

Jake: That’s not far. I’ll get a ride.

Seller: You good with meeting in person?

Jake: Yeah, that’s cool. Where should we meet?

Seller: By the Vase Bar. It’s in the middle.

Jake leaned back in his chair after confirming the details. “Vrada, huh? Guess I’ll have to figure out how to get there,” he muttered, already feeling the weight of responsibility for spending someone else’s money—especially someone like Elowen.

In the bustling backstreets of Vrada, Brad leaned casually against a crate, counting a thick stack of Knightcoins with a grin of satisfaction. One of the short boys in his crew jogged over, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Hey, Brad, we got another order. Some loser from Solstice City,” the boy said, crossing his arms smugly.

Brad’s grin widened as he flipped through the last of the coins. “Solstice City? Oh, this just keeps getting better.” He chuckled darkly and tucked the money into his pocket. “Bet he goes to Arcanum. Those rich kids are swimming in cash. Probably doesn’t even have magic, though. Weaklings like that are too easy.”

He leaned forward, cracking his knuckles as a devilish smirk spread across his face. “I’ll beat him up, take the money, and keep the shoes for myself. Hell, it’s practically charity—he’s probably not even cool enough to wear ‘em.”

The short boy laughed, shaking his head. “Feel bad for the poor bastard. If Brad wants your money, you’re done for.”

The other short boy, leaning lazily against the wall, chimed in with a chuckle. “It’s like clockwork. Dude doesn’t even know he’s walking into a trap.”

The three of them erupted into laughter, the echoes bouncing off the narrow alleyway as Brad tapped his fists together, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. “Well, boys, let’s give our guest from Solstice City a proper Vrada welcome.”

In the dim, bustling streets of Vrada, Jake sat nervously in the back of a carriage, his hands clenched around Elowen’s black card. The city passed by in a blur, but his thoughts were focused on one thing—making sure this transaction went smoothly. As the carriage pulled to a stop at the entrance to the city, he let out a quiet sigh, feeling both excitement and dread.

“This is my first time here by myself,” Jake muttered, glancing down at the black card. “She trusted me with this… I’ll guard it with my life.” He whispered to himself as he stepped off, the weight of his responsibility settling on his shoulders.

Following the directions, he made his way through the unfamiliar streets, finally spotting the Vase Bar. He paused at the entrance, his gaze flitting nervously to the inside.

“I’m too young to go to a bar,” Jake thought, eyeing the dimly lit interior. “Is the seller some old guy?” His heart thudded faster as he looked around. Just then, from the corner of his eye, he noticed a shadowy figure peeking out from an alley nearby.

“Hey, you Jake?” The voice called out, and Jake’s body stiffened.

He turned to face the voice, trying to mask his unease with a nervous smile. “Y-yeah! I got the money!”

The short boy in the alley gestured for Jake to come closer, and trusting that he was on the right track, Jake walked forward, unaware of the danger waiting just ahead.

As he rounded the corner, his eyes widened in shock. There, standing in the shadows, was a towering figure. The two other boys flanked him, their postures threatening, and Jake’s breath caught in his throat when he saw Brad casually wearing the shoes.

“You… you’re wearing the shoes…” Jake said, his voice trembling as realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He clutched the black card tightly in his fist, stepping back instinctively.

Brad gave him a cold, predatory smile. “Yep, now give me the money.”

Jake’s eyes darted around, panic rising. He instinctively began to turn, his heart racing as he thought of running, but before he could make it more than a few steps, Brad grabbed him by the arm, pulling him back with terrifying force.

Jake screamed, but the boys quickly covered his mouth, muffling his cries as Brad grinned wider. “I’d say it’s too late to back out now.”