Lux was standing outside the gate to Polemus, holding the reins of her and Rayne's horses.

Many people were entering and leaving—some in carriages, some on foot, some with companions, and some alone.

She wanted nothing more than to run right through the gate and take in everything that Polemus could offer her, but she had to go over their plans with Rayne first.

She glanced over at her brother, who was carefully studying two maps. One map was of the city of Polemus as a whole, and the other was of Chaconas Castle, including areas not accessible to most. Since their mother had lived in Chaconas herself, she had drawn the map personally to give them a better idea of the labyrinth they were venturing into.

Lux wanted to help Rayne with the maps, but he had insisted on studying them himself.

Starting to get bored, she sighed, swaying on the spot, and tried to distract herself by thinking about their journey here.

After camping in the forest where Rayne had injured himself, they travelled to a nearby village to eat since their food had run out. Lux had eaten some type of "fish stew," which she had absolutely loved. She'd never eaten anything like it in her life, and it was like a whole new world of flavours had been opened up to her. With a smile on her face, she had finished the whole thing, feeling full and content.

After leaving the village, they decided to get changed in a nearby forest, with Lux changing into the maid uniform. It was thankfully still clean, somehow, but it was uncomfortable, and she had some trouble tying her apron. At Adamas, she had always worn simple dresses, even though her mother always sighed when she saw her wearing them. According to her, there were extra pieces she was supposed to wear with the dress, but Lux simply couldn't be bothered.

After she finished changing, she met back up with Rayne, who was wearing simple clothes with his sword on his back. After preparing their horses, they went over their story one last time and made their way to Polemus.

"Kira." Rayne's voice interrupted her train of thought, and Lux snapped her head up.

"Yes, Darrion?" she replied, noticing that he had folded up the maps.

"I've confirmed which path we're taking. Let's be on our way." He started to walk towards the gate.

She nodded, and finally, they entered Polemus.

And Lux almost collapsed.

She had assumed that Sidus was rowdy, but it easily paled in comparison to Polemus.

People shouted at the top of their lungs, as if in a contest to see who could shatter their vocal cords first. Cats ran through the streets, holding stolen goods from various stalls. Carriages almost ran over multiple people, not stopping for anyone, while many were sweeping the outsides of their homes, indifferent to it all.

Lux almost had a heart attack. How could anyone ever live with this? How could she live with this? The level of noise in this city was what she imagined it would sound like in an end-of-the-world scenario.

She looked at Rayne, expecting even him to look shocked, but to Lux's annoyance, he still maintained his look of absolute stoicism.

"We need to find a stable for the horses." His voice was also completely calm as he started moving away from all the noise.

Lux nodded, though a bit miserably, following him through a surprisingly empty nearby street and to a field where a neat stable stood.

A man wearing a cap was diligently attending to a horse, brushing its side while whistling a tune. When he heard the clopping of hooves and the taps of feet, he quickly jumped up and ran over to greet them.

"Good afternoon, my name is Arlo. I'm the manager of this stable." He held out a hand and Rayne took it.

Lux stared straight at Arlo, forgetting to greet him as she got lost in her thoughts. It seemed as if she had seen the man before, but she had no clue where. She barely knew anyone, after all.

"Hello? Missy?" Arlo's voice snapped her back to reality, and she sheepishly smiled.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just got... swept up in my own mind." She let go of Gilia's reins for a second and shook his hand.

"That's no problem! It just means you have an active mind." He winked, and Lux chuckled.

"Anyway, I assume you're here to check in your horses. Is that correct?" Rayne nodded, and Arlo pulled a piece of paper as well as a pen from his pocket.

"Okay, for how long will that be? The maximum is a week."

Lux looked at Rayne nervously. They didn't know how long they would be in Polemus, or how much they would be paid.

Arlo noticed their nervous looks and chuckled slightly. "Don't worry, every week you can come back and pay for the next week." He wrote it down on the piece of paper and looked back up at them. "Would you like a full care package or just basic boarding?"

"The full care package," Rayne answered simply, and Lux nodded along with him. If, for some reason, they needed to escape in the middle of the night, their horses needed to be in the best condition possible.

Arlo scribbled on the paper again. "Okay, what are your names?"

"Kira and Darrion," they answered simultaneously, and Arlo scribbled again.

"Okay then, I'll take your horses. Is there anything I need to be aware of?"

Lux shook her head and handed the reins of their horses to Arlo, but she cocked her head curiously as she looked at him.

"Where are the other workers? I haven't seen any at all." She asked as she watched him lead the horses away.

He turned back to look at her with a smile on his face. "I work here by myself! And I have for the last eighteen years!"

Lux was shocked. Eighteen years? All by himself? What about his family? Does he have any?

A train of questions made its way into her mind, but it wasn't her place to ask them. So she simply waved and made her way to the bustling street.

Another question came to her mind, and this time she could say it.

"How come you knew where the stable was?" She questioned Rayne, her voice almost blending into the cacophony of the streets.

He shrugged slightly. "It was circled and labelled on the map."

"Hm." She replied, looking on at the ongoing chaos.

✦✦✦

Eventually, as they descended further into the city, the noise started to fade away and was quickly replaced with near silence.

Lux looked around, confused, wondering why the atmosphere had changed, but that's when she suddenly walked into a stone wall.

"Kira." Rayne's voice pierced the air, and Lux was reminded of her mother.

"Sorry, Darrion." She brushed herself off and looked more closely at the wall she had bumped into.

Well, it was more like a gate.

She stared at the newfound gate curiously and turned to Rayne. "Why is there another gate?"

He raised an eyebrow. "It's the gate to the part of the city where the nobles live. You should know; it was part of your studies."

"Oh..." She replied sheepishly. Maybe there were some things she had missed.

"To enter the gate, we have to talk to a guard first. It should be fine, seeing as they just ask what we're here for, and many people have travelled here for the guard's exam. You can easily say that you're a maid." He didn't wait for a response and started making his way towards the guard at the gate, who was holding a ridiculously long scroll while standing next to a small table.

She followed after him, trying to fix her hair, despite it being completely fine.

The guard didn't notice them at first, looking at the scroll absently, but Lux cleared her throat loudly, and he snapped to attention.

"Greetings. What are your names and reasons for being here?" he asked, acting as if he hadn't been staring into the abyss a mere second ago.

"My name is Darrion. I'm here for the annual guard's exam. This is my sister, Kira," Rayne said effortlessly, then raised his eyebrows at her slightly, indicating that it was her turn.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Yes, as my brother said, I'm Kira. I'm a maid at Chaconas Castle," she replied diligently, despite lying through her teeth.

The guard wrote it down before setting the scroll on the table and moving to the gate, opening it quickly.

"Thank you very much, sir." She thanked him with a smile. Rayne had been completely right; that was easy.

They walked through the golden gates together, and Lux was surprised at how different it was from the outside.

This section of Polemus was decorated with various buildings, all neat and tidy, glistening like silver. People chatted politely, some carrying packages, some in various uniforms, but many seemed busy, as if working.

"Darrion, if this is where all the nobles are, why can't I see any? These all seem to be workers," Lux asked, trying to keep her head down.

"Most nobles would be staying in their manors. They usually don't have much reason to go out; they send servants instead. Again, you should have known this from your studies." He replied, his voice getting frustrated.

She giggled nervously but stared back at the ground.

"They usually don't have much reason to go out."

She brushed her hair with her hand anxiously.

A reason? Who needs a reason to go outside? They're so privileged, but they don't even realize it. She simply couldn't understand. She and her family had been trapped for sixteen years, and now that she was outside, she was sure there was nothing greater. If you can go outside, why don't you?

Suddenly, Rayne started whispering.

"Kira, I have to leave you here. Look." She snapped her head up quickly, wondering what was taking her brother from her so soon.

A crowd was starting to gather at another gate—some men, some women, some young, some old—but they were all equipped with swords.

She instantly understood that it must be the entrance to the guards' exam.

And if it was the entrance...

Lux looked up at the giant structure towering before her.

Chaconas Castle.

Made completely of stone, many towers and turrets sprouted from it, like a many-headed dragon rearing its fangs. Numerous windows were adorned around it, like eyes glaring at anyone who looked at them. To finish it all off, the golden gate glittered as if it were rays picked directly from the sun.

She gulped, her hands sweaty at her sides. She was intimidated, but also excited. This was the most enthusiasm she'd felt in a long time.

Her attention was drawn away from the castle when Rayne handed her a map—specifically, the map of Chaconas.

"Mother wanted you to take this. She circled a hidden entrance to the castle," he whispered.

She nodded, and they both stared at each other for a moment.

After this, they would be completely on their own.

They had never been alone before; everyone was always there for one another. Always. How could they be apart? How would they cope?

"Please, be safe, Lux," he broke the silence, still whispering, and Lux almost broke into tears at the use of her real name.

All she could do was nod.

He slowly walked away, and she watched his back move further from her, with tears slowly starting to swell in her eyes.

Taking a deep breath, she wiped her tears, fastened her bag, and continued her mission.

✦✦✦

Lux walked right past the entrance that everyone else had been using, following the map Rayne had given her. It directed her to go around the castle, near the back, and eventually, she stopped hearing any noise at all, signalling that she was alone.

Though it wasn't visible on the map, it instructed her that once she reached the very back of the castle, she should keep going upwards until she saw a small cluster of rocks, with one blue rock at the top.

Looking down from the map, she surveyed the area until she indeed found a small cluster of rocks with one blue rock at the top.

The next note written on the map told her to stand on top of the rocks, and although she was unsure, she followed the instructions.

And she started to fall.

Lux screamed at the top of her lungs, but found herself in a dark tunnel. She felt around the area, trying to grasp how big it was, and realized that it could fit one person horizontally.

Taking a deep breath, she assumed that she was supposed to go forward, so that's what she did. Eventually, she bumped into something hard.

Feeling the area in front of her, she realized that it was a ladder, though it was mouldy and out of shape.

She gagged but climbed it regardless, feeling more nauseated with every step she took.

Eventually, she reached the top and opened it to find...

The sea?

No, that couldn't be right.

She climbed out of the tunnel, dusting her hands off as she studied what lay in front of her.

It wasn't the sea, but instead, it seemed to be a small lake.

On the other side was one of the walls of Chaconas, and a small door.

Lux silently wondered how all this water had gotten here. If there was a door, then it must have originally been an exit, but how could one leave with an entire lake in front of them?

Sighing, she prepared herself.

Her mother must have known that only she could pull off something like this.

Taking a large breath, she held her hands high above her head and concentrated so hard that she thought she might accidentally burst one of her veins.

Eventually, the water rose gracefully above her, leaving a pit that curved.

It would be hard to walk through, but she was sure she could do it.

She slowly treaded down, still holding her shaking hands above her.

She released slow breaths and eventually came to the end of the pit.

This would be the hard part.

Releasing a huge breath, she let go of all the water, and it crashed down violently on her.

Now underwater, she quickly thought of a strategy. She focused only on the part of the water that surrounded her body and tried her best to make it float.

Panicked, she looked around her and realized that she was still submerged.

She'd quickly drown if she stayed like this! Focus. Focus. FOCUS!

Suddenly, she felt as light as a feather, and fresh air hit her face. She had done it.

She slowly transported herself in front of the door, despite being in the middle of a coughing fit.

After she had calmed down, she wrung out all the water from her clothes and her bag with magic, and finally made her way towards the door.

Putting a hand on the wall, she realized that it led to another tunnel, and she sighed. She didn't want to see another tunnel for at least a week after this.

However, she heard noise at the end of the passage, and she had to wait for a while, listening to see if anyone was still around. When the coast seemed clear, she pushed open the end of the tunnel and stumbled onto a lush carpet.

She was inside.

And it was beautiful.

The walls were red like cherries, many paintings were framed in gold, depicting various situations, and Lux recognized a few faces in them. There were also many tables decorated with candles and bowls of fruit. The whole place smelled like a garden.

Suddenly, a pouting maid with black hair and green eyes came around the corner, holding her hands solemnly. As soon as her eyes found Lux, she panicked and grabbed her hand.

"What are you doing here? We're not supposed to be in these corridors for no reason!" She shouted somehow silently, rushing through the halls while clutching her skirt.

"Oh, I'm very sorry, Miss. I'm new, you see. I'm not sure where I'm supposed to be at the moment," Lux replied, taking advantage of the situation and grinning silently to herself.

The maid girl looked her up and down, and her eyes widened as if she realized that she really hadn't seen her before. "Oh, sorry, I didn't realize you were new. We've had a few new maids recently; it gets a bit confusing."

"No, no, it's okay," Lux waved her hand dismissively.

"Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Mika. I'll show you to the servants' quarters if you'd like," she said, still running.

"I'm Kira, it's very nice to meet you," Lux said, unable to stop herself from smiling even more widely.

She'd done it.

✦✦✦

"It would be best for you to know that only one-quarter of applicants pass this exam." The commander of the royal guards' voice rang through the training grounds.

Rayne had just left Lux to take the guards' exam, and though he didn't show it, his heart was racing.

What if he failed and got sent home? How would his mother react? What would happen to Lux?

Suddenly, a haughty voice brought him back to reality, and he found himself staring at a boy who seemed to be the same age as him, wearing rich robes as he sat at the front of the crowd.

"Pfft. I'm sure most of the people that fail will be peasants. No need for me to worry, then." The haughty boy laughed, waving his hand absently.

"Lord Cedar. Please raise your hand if there is something you wish to say," the commander lectured, already looking fed up.

"Lord" Cedar simply chuckled but kept quiet.

Rayne sighed. He knew that this lord was going to cause a lot of trouble.

✦✦✦

Her hood covering her face, the helper lady ventured out onto the streets of Sidus.

"Woah! Mummy! Look! It's the helper lady!" A young voice called out from somewhere behind her.

She chuckled. Everyone always came up with such strange names for her.

Walking through the streets, she felt at ease. She helped these people, and, even if they didn't know it, they helped her in return.

"Ah. Oak. It's you," She heard a voice, peeking up from beneath her hood to see the mayor of Sidus, who looked troubled.

"Good evening, Mayor. I'm sorry, but I must ask, will you keep using that nickname?" She chuckled slightly.

"But it has meaning behind it, and it's cute, right?" He grinned, and she chuckled again. The first time the mayor had seen her was beside an oak tree, and it had quickly become her nickname.

Oak. She didn't mind it. If she couldn't be called her real name, then it would definitely do.

Coming off of her thoughts, Oak sensed that there was something else he wanted to tell her. "Mayor, is something happening? Forgive me for saying so, but you seem quite tense."

He rubbed his hands together nervously. "You can always tell. Well, it's the rebels."

Her eyes widened. The rebels were a force determined to put the Callis back on the throne of Flei, but their efforts seemed rather worthless.

"What's happening? Are they threatening anyone?" She completely loved this village; she couldn't bear the thought that it could be in danger.

"Argh, no. It would be better if I just showed you. It's really lucky that you showed up. Actually, now that I think about it, weren't you here a few days ago?" He realized suddenly, walking towards a large crowd she somehow hadn't noticed.

"I was, but... special circumstances." She needed to be here right now, but he couldn't know why.

"Ah, well, I won't pry. It's good that you're here anyway." As they got closer to the crowd, she realized that a wooden stage had been set up, and that's why everyone was gathering.

She had a sudden realization.

"You've set me up, haven't you?" She crossed her arms and stared at him.

He yelped. "Ah... no... it's not like that. Okay, well... I admit I was planning something, but I really didn't think you'd come today."

She raised an eyebrow; she needed more of an explanation than that.

"The people. They want to hear what you have to say about the rebels," He finally admitted, putting his arms at his sides.

She thought so.

She sighed and started walking towards the stage.

"Helper lady! Righteous soul! Saviour! You're amazing!" A chorus of voices went up in the air, but they soon hushed as she walked to the edge of the stage, held out her hands, and said:

"I support the rebels."

Though more than a hundred people must have been gathered, it was completely silent. A leaf could easily be heard dancing through the wind.

Oak sighed, moving off the stage and through the village.

She frowned. Was that the right thing to say? She wondered as she stared up at the sky.

Eventually, she didn't even know where she was going anymore, but she suddenly heard the faint cries of children coming from somewhere in the distance.

She dashed closer to the crying, afraid that someone had been hurt.

But when she arrived at the scene, all she found was a piece of ripped paper and a sniffling boy and girl.

"What happened here?" she said, trying to make her voice as soft as possible.

The children's eyes widened at the sight of the helper lady, but once they looked at the piece of paper again, they cried even harder.

"W-we were t-trying to make a b-bird." The girl wailed, as she tried her best to stop her tears.

Oak smiled and chuckled to herself.

"Don't worry, do you want to see something even better?" she questioned playfully.

"What?" they asked simultaneously, both eager to see what the helper lady could do.

She smiled, pulling out her hands and concentrating hard.

She managed to focus her light magic and draw a twinkling bird with her finger in the air.

The children giggled, and Oak's heart warmed.

This wasn't nearly as good as she had seen other people do, but if it could make someone smile, it was enough.

Laughing along with the children, she got a sudden ominous feeling that she was being watched, and turned around to see red hair fleeting in the wind.

Who on earth was that? She wondered, but she didn't realise that she'd find out soon.