A ball of fire destroys hope,

Soaring through the sky like an arrow, it elopes.

A dream, a future bright,

With its flames, it ignites a war, a plight.

The Merchants Guild Alistair Blackwood And the Fake Gold

The morning sun rose high, far away from Thebes, in a brothel where a man ran through the corridors. The lighting inside was nonexistent, with only small candles providing illumination along the corridor. The carpet was bright purple, and no sunlight could seep inside as the brothel had no windows. The man's breath was heavy, and his body was lumpy. He held onto every pillar in his way for support. Finally, he arrived near the thick metal door made of steel with purple and grey-colored design patterns of horns, demons, and more.

The man knocked loudly and constantly using the round silver door knob.

THUD

THUD

THUD... THUD... THUD... Thud

Clack...

The door opened, and the man ran inside, coming to a halt as he bent over to catch his breath. Sweat dripped down his face like water droplets dancing in the rain.

"Boss, there is an issue," the man said.

A man on the red luxurious sofa, his face covered by the shadows of the pillars next to him, calmly burned a candle, its flame dancing to the seeping wind. His legs were crossed on the sofa, and a woman lay beside him. His hands were massive and muscular, his voice deep, his skin a dark tanned brown, and his aura demonic.

"What is it, Afrol?" he asked as the man struggled to catch his breath.

"Boss, the weapons we are about to sell to The Nebu, they are about to pay us with fake gold. We must stop the trade from happening," Afrol said.

"What did you say? Fake gold?" the man stood up from the sofa, pushing the woman aside. "One of you take the fastest horse we have and stop the deal from happening. Go to Isabella and tell her to slaughter any Nebu she sees and bring back the weapons."

"Yes, boss!" the guards shouted.

"Boss, also..." Afrol paused to take a deep breath. "Also, the ones who made the fake gold are the Royal Army of Thebes. They got a new person, and I've heard rumors that he possesses powers of both the Chronotex and the human mind, and some say he uses black magic. They made a liquid to test for the fake gold, and it works. I got some here, and if you, Commander Isabella Rossi, bring back some of the fake gold, we can test if the Royal Army really has a mastermind."

"I agree, Afrol. I want to find that bastard," the boss replied.

"Oh, come here, you look so angry," the woman said, opening her arms.

Getting annoyed by the woman's voice, anger rose in Alistair Blackwood. He grabbed the woman by her neck and said, "Surge..."

A black circle appeared out of his hand, engulfing the woman's head and bursting bits of her brain everywhere as he let go of her lifeless body, which fell to the ground like slush of human flesh.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Jack stood by the window of his room, bathed in the warm glow of the sun shining down on the city of Thebes. He observed vendors in the city center selling the liquid solution he had created to identify fake gold coins.

"Check your coins! Check your coins!" shouted the vendors, charging people to examine their coins and selling the liquid in bottles.

"Hey, Jack!" A voice echoed towards Jack's ears.

Startled, Jack looked around until he spotted Ramon waving his hands in the training grounds, accompanied by Memnon.

"Hey, Jack, come down! Let's train," Ramon shouted.

"Okay, I'm coming down," replied Jack, quickly grabbing his brown old coat from the chair it hung on.

Rushing down the circular stairs, he soon joined them in the training ground.

"How are you two doing?" Jack asked.

"We're good," replied Ramon.

"Well, let's train then," said Jack.

"Hmm, I don't know. I just said training as a joke. Let's go out and eat," Ramon replied.

"Yeah, I'm ready. I don't mind," added Memnon.

"But Commander Menes said we must train because there might be a conflict happening soon," Jack reminded them.

"Well, we know how strong we are. I think there's still enough time until that happens. Come on, lighten up! Enjoy life. You only get to live it once," said Memnon.

Deciding between training and enjoying his life, Jack thought to himself, "Enjoying life... I forgot how that felt. The only enjoyment I remember was hiking with my dad in my hometown." Jack looked at the sun. "Well, the only thing that's the same about this is the sun. That's the only familiar thing I can feel and see from those times."

The trio headed out, walking through the palace doors. The white marble reflected off the sun's rays and kept the place cold.

With both hands in the pockets of his brown coat, Jack questioned, "Where is everybody?"

"Ah, well, it's kinda complicated. Memnon and I often go out to eat, so that's what we're doing. Kasib is, of course, training his balls off, but this time with General Setka, and Kamil is hitting the books again, as always, in the library," explained Ramon.

"What's he studying?" Jack asked.

"Not you too, Jack. Don't tell me you're into those thick sheets of paper as well," teased Ramon.

"No, I'm just asking because it seemed interesting," replied Jack.

"That's what I would expect from someone who created fake gold," quipped Memnon as he held open a small wooden door for the trio. They soon exited the palace, hitting the streets. First, they crossed a brick-made bridge over a flowing river. The sun's rays were momentarily stopped by the shade from the palace walls. The river had lines of sailors in small boats, often vendors carrying their goods by boat.

"He's studying more about how the Chronotex and dark energy work," Ramon replied to Jack's query.

"Hmm, seems interesting," Jack replied.

"While Khonsu is with Alfonse, they went to some restaurant as well. I forgot which one, though. Seraphina is in her house, studying away like a princess from a fairy tale," explained Ramon.

Memnon bought an apple off of a vendor and threw a coin at him, which the vendor caught.

"Well, when will you savor her, Jack?" Ramon teased.

While chewing the apple, Memnon spit it out midway as he laughed at Ramon's joke.

Jack, going all red, replied, "Ah, just be quiet. It's not like that, Ramon."

"Where do you guys wanna go and eat?" asked Memnon as he stood in the middle of the street.

"Let's go to Pharaoh's Palate. We can also get ourselves a cheeky discount," suggested Ramon.

Heading to Pharaoh's Palate, the trio entered the restaurant, which had an open feel with a doorless entrance and no windows. Wooden tables filled the space, with the kitchen at the back. Walking in, Ramon shouted, "Chef Osi, we are here! A table for three, please!" Spotting Alfonse and Khonsu inside, the group hesitated momentarily.

"Ahh, so you guys came here as well. Mind if we join?" asked Ramon.

"Not at all," replied Alfonse.

Sitting down, the group ordered some food. Ramon called out to Chef Osi, who energetically emerged from the kitchen. "Hey, Soldiers of the Royal Army! Chef Osi is here for you! What can I dooo?"

"We'd like 3 Kushari and Tahini for us, please," requested Ramon.

"Indeed, soldiers, it shall come soon. When Osi is here, there is nothing to worry about," assured Chef Osi before heading back into the kitchen.

"What did you guys order?" asked Memnon.

"We just got some Hawawshi and fruits," replied Alfonse.

"Nice," commented Memnon.

Alfonse's eyes locked onto Jack. "Where exactly are you from? We rarely see people with gold hair like yours. Yeah, there's my sister, but you two are the only people I know with this specific hair color," he inquired.

Scrambling for an answer, Jack replied, "Nowhere in particular. I'm just a nomad, you see."

"A nomad, a traveler who is lost, huh?" remarked Alfonse.

"Yeah, basically," confirmed Jack.

"So, what's your power, and what do you know? How did you make the fake gold? I want to know all of it. I am a man of knowledge myself, you know," said Alfonse to Jack.

With an awkward smile, Jack replied, "That's too many questions to answer at once."

"Cut it out, Alfonse. You're scaring the newbie," interjected Khonsu.

"No, I wasn't. I was just asking a few questions," defended Alfonse as he finished cutting his apple.

Suddenly, silence enveloped the entire city. People continued to talk and walk, but something felt different. The group felt a source of energy like never before, a feeling of fear. Fear of something happening. Their eyes widened, their expressions grim and shocked. Frozen in time, their breaths were constant and heavy, their hands covered in goosebumps.

Clack...

A ball of fire raced through the sky, burning like the sun, crashing into a home where a mother cooked for her son. The house was destroyed, leaving behind a crater. The people looked on in shock, and the city began to fear what could have happened.

Getting up from his chair, Khonsu and Memnon shouted, "Everyone, take shelter! And you guys, let's head back to the palace. I have a bad feeling about this," said Memnon with worry in his eyes.