I'm going to admit. I'm no saint. But I'm no demon, either.

Walking through town, I couldn't help but notice all those wonderful goods spread across the road. Valoft wasn't massive, but it definitely wasn't a small. On either side, merchants, street vendors and charlatans displayed their goods for all the people to see. Heaped up upon the wooden stalls were swords, spears, axes, potions of healing, speed, strength, and any other kind one could want; there were great joints of meat by the butcher, long wreaths of sausages by the cooks, armour sets, exploration gear, maps, torches, and magical items I don't even know the name of. Not that my family could afford any of it, of course, but it was still good to know that those precious items were there if I ever needed to grab one.

Oh yeah, did I mention? My name's Night. No joke. Yeah, I know it sounds strange, but my (only) friend is called Vine, so that's that.

...What? Vine sounds better than Night? You need to see a healer.

Anyway, grabbing from my backpack a flask of water, I was about to drink when-

"BROTHER!"

I stumbled to the side as a strong force hit me. My little sister was small, but she definitely was a force to be reckoned with.

"Rose? What are you doing out of school so early?"

Giggling, the small figure grabbed my arm and pulled him down the street. "Oh, teacher is so much nicer than he used to be! Today he even let us out early!" Rose looked up. "Something about his kid getting a place at Valour...?" She shook her head. "I don't know. But we won't have to go to school for a whole week!!" She tried to touch my head - but being to small to do so, reaching only my chin, she instead let out a long chain of bubbly laughter, clapped her hands, and embraced me.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

The two of us walked down from the town centre to the edges, greeting people along the way. Normally, magic-users looked down on those who couldn't wield the same power. But when Rose was around, they couldn't help but smile. Sometimes, they even performed minor spectacles - Creating bubbles of water, dancing lights, or illusionary cats and dogs.

Not everything was great here, though.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something out of the ordinary. Someone moving erratically, pushing past the crowd in one way, then following it a moment later. They were quietly brushing past people, especially those with large coats, particularly after they had bought something from the one of the many vendors. They were wearing civilian clothing, but despite the relatively warm weather, a scarf was wrapped around their neck.

Funny, because I used to do the exact same thing.

I turned back to my sister. "Rose?"

"Yes, brother?"

Kneeling down, I took a few gold pieces from my pocket. No, I didn't steal them. "You see the flower shop over there? Why don't you go and pick a few of the better ones?"

Flashing a broad grin at me, she seemed to teleport the coins out of my hand and bounded towards the colourful stall. Goddamn, I miss the times when I could do that.

Keeping watch on her with one eye and making my way through the crowd with the other, I slid through the masses of people, sometimes crouching, sometimes hopping to one side to avoid a rumbling cart. I was making good pretty good progress until I walked into someone.

"Oomph!" The person I hit staggered backwards. "Hey! What the bloody hell are ye doin'? Watch it!"

"My bad, sir. My bad."

Quickly walking away, I made my way back to the stalls. A gold arcane focus? What kind of Magic type needs one of these? Putting it back on one of the stalls, I made my way to the flower shop again. Rose looked just about done.

"Look, brother! Look!"

In her two small hands was a vibrant bouquet of crimson roses, sunny daisies, and pretty lavender lilies, with bright orange tulips peeking out at the edges. I've got to say, she had excellent choice in flowers. Maybe she'd become a gardener?

"Those look great!" Leading her through the town back home, I made a quick stop at the sweets store where I bought quite a few using several of the gems I pried off the overpriced arcane focus.

What? You thought I would give it all back?