The western district couldn't be more different from the eastern side. Before the evening had set, Fanrir had shown itself to be much more than Jin wrongfully assumed. By the time they crossed the Trikonos River, it was hard for Jin to imagine they were in the same city. Such was the divide amongst common and high-born denizens. Houses that once reminded him of his own village gave way to mansions and palaces that filled unending swaths of land.

Crops and crops of wheat and rice were spotted on the horizon with hundreds of servants working until evenfall. Shepherds aplenty preparing themselves for the harsh season to come. From the balconies of the mansions and palaces that overlooked the farmers below stood dozens of nobles in gowns and delicate silk garments.

The aristocracy compound in the city of Fanrir was mostly where Tristan had spent most of his time before his teens, though he didn't imagine he would return to that before breaking through Disciple. House Loriat had been one of the founding Noble Houses of the city, and so they had claimed by coin and favor the rights to several buildings in that district. But unfortunately, two of every three had been confiscated as Lord Tristan was playing the field but losing the dice.

Now the reality set was much different. And as much as Tristan avoided setting foot in this place that reminded him of his father's addiction with every step, this was a path that needed to be taken if he wanted to complete his awakening into the Elemental Warrior Step. The first of nine.

"Are the nobles the only ones allowed on this side of the bridge?" Jin questioned.

To that Tristan answered, “Unfortunately, the common denizens can only cross after the sun rises, and they only come to work on the lands during the day while the nobles slack off up on their homes. It wasn’t always this way, but this sight infuriates me so much that I refuse to come here unless I really have to.”

"Who are they?"

“The Tiberius House owns the land and transferred most of their allies to the district. No one within Fanrir's suburbs tempts fortune without their authorization. Even recently we were appalled to learn Lord Tiberius demanded tribute for Loriat accommodation and safety, which my lord father and mother could not afford to pay. Not for a lack of coin of course. As history tells us, we were here before them.”

"They don’t live here like the others?"

“No, House Loriat was not allowed to remain there, and the only remaining members who wished to stay moved to the east district. I’m thankful for that event, if it weren't for that I would not be able to understand the struggle from the lower classes. I hope to earn enough money one day so that I could reclaim all this land once more and let people live wherever they want.”

"You look surprised, yet you told me you lived here before departing to Sanctum."

"I don’t come around this district anymore since it was sold." Tristan said.

Walking in a place like this was like treading a trail of broken glass. The top of the balcony where two nobles could be seen dining was the hall where House Loriat met for anniversaries and advancement ceremonies. The now non-existent hall had been converted into a new dwelling for a cadet branch of House Tiberius.

"This way, the white leaves are just around the corner."

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Suddenly he looked up at the sky and found it. Its oak had been the first sign. Standing before them was the tree they were looking for. The reason they were here. Not any less surprised was the one beside Jin. Tristan couldn't help but be startled by the development nature had made while he was away. The tree trunk had increased in thickness and was now more than triple its height. A trunk that he used to play around in the past and that when he was nine years old its leaves weren't even able to hide a person.

Now the stalk was stout and rigid, and the branches that extended vastly into the adjacent vegetation gave him the impression that even a bear could disappear amongst the matured leaves. Closing his view as much as he could so the sun wouldn't burn his sight; He could see that his target really was in the branches in the upper section of the tree. Neither of them were giants. And for that, he would naturally need to climb or enter a neighboring building to find the reach he lacked in stature.

Jin pondered heavily whether he was capable of climbing that tree and scanned the surroundings for ways to boost himself and gain a relatively satisfying jump start to reach the top, until...

Putting a great deal of energy and determination into his goal, Tristan only had eyes for those white leaves. The climb up the trunk was all that stood between him and the last material needed to awaken his nucleus. With hope at hand, their eyes gleamed and mesmerized. Tristan clambered as fast as a wild animal. Notably well acquainted with the task, he pulled himself using his fingers and toes to move around little by little, the friction he had built up was more than enough to get him to the top of the bushes.

“Tristan, what…how are you so high…this fast?"

Jin also had a past of clambering and scrambling. Though as he now learned, he had much to learn. Jin couldn't imagine himself climbing a tree with such ease and dexterity even in his best form. Tristan's posture didn't seem to resemble a human, like an ape that wasn't afraid of heights at all, he continued to climb like there was no tomorrow. The experience he had acquired and developed over the years might have been useful for playing hide and seek as a child, but Tristan had never imagined it would become so important now, at the height of and your youth.

Finally reaching the top of the bushes, Tristan collected the leaves and promptly began to descend carefully. An ability that would naturally scare Jin away even more, but he was distracted by faint footsteps coming their way.

They had company.

Unknown male voices came towards them. Four in total, members of House Tiberius who were spending the season resting in Fanrir. But among the four people, one of them was more physically prepared and visibly more willing to fight, Galvan Tiberius.

With the appearance of a middle-aged man, with handsome features and an athletic build of a hardened Elemental Warrior that stood out among his peers.

Approaching Jin with an imposing aura he announced, “State your business and your House of birth.”

His long blonde hair trimmed back his caught Jin's attention and for a second, he couldn't hear what was being asked.

“Huh? Oh, my name? I am Jin, nice to meet you.”

Jin extended his hand towards the boys, but none of them made a point of reciprocating the handshake.

“Do you dare to trespass the lands of our gracious House peasant?”

“No, it's cool. I was just walking and the gate was open so we figured…” Quickly, he tried to apologize, but another Tiberius fellow interrupted.

“You are not in a position to make apologies. You don’t have the right to be here without our permission. You should be working on the fields where you belong with all the rest.”

When Tristan finally hit the ground with Dracaena's white leaves, having everything he needed, he finally stuffed everything he could into his pocket. Approaching the five of them, he tried to take control of the situation before it escalated.

"We were just leaving, sorry about the disturbance." Tristan apologetically said as he tried to hide his face behind Jin.

Tristan tried to quicken his pace as much as he could without attracting unnecessary attention from the boys still watching them. Overtaking the four guys and trying to avoid any unnecessary conflict, they just needed to get out of there as quickly as possible.

Yet as they both passed through, the last Tiberius nobleman voiced a worry to his peers, "Hey is that a Loriat crest on the back of his cuirass?"