An ordinary day dawned in the city of Zalindar. The October weather likewise affected the temperature. Families prepared to meet a simple day.

The guilds also became noisy and started to act. They distributed missions and met the day with determination.

A few hours after sunrise, the entire population of Binders shook.

All guilds were holding a meeting at the same time. Their members found fragments in front of the buildings, which carried information about the Scar near Bone Village. Its level was unknown, but it confirmed the existence of Sunveils.

They immediately began formulating a strategy, preparing Binders, and sending them to the site. The event required a quick response, and they did so.

Assembled groups were sent to investigate.

The upper echelons of the guilds themselves held separate meetings. They wanted to find out the identity of the person who brought them the fragment.

Then, each guild learnt that the others got similar information, increasing the number of questions.

"We urgently need to find out who is behind this," said Cortana. She was the vice leader of the Zalindar guild, and it was she who led the meeting. She was a young woman of the Eternal rank who was well known for her strength and beauty.

"We are trying." Replied a robust man. Drake was a tall, middle-aged fellow with a rough nature. "The Frozen Fire and Zero Piece guilds offered us cooperation. They are also interested in how this happened."

The other guild members also tried to express their thoughts.

"How did someone appear right under our noses and plant fragments without us seeing even a trace of them?"

"Or when did they find out, and if they did, why didn't they clean it up themselves instead of doing something like that?"

"All the guilds found the fragment almost at the same time. It can't be the work of a single Binder. The organisation has a hand in it."

"It doesn't look like the work of the Null Order."

Then one of them remarked, which caused silence. This organisation was to blame for the increase in anti-prophecy protests around the world. They denounced the Chosen One, and due to their influence, many conflicts arose on the planet.

Moreover, they did everything from behind the scenes. Only a handful of people knew about their existence, and they manipulated others without drawing attention, employing exceptional strategies.

Their members were also a mystery. Only the identity of their founder was known, and he had the highest bounty in the entire world.

Null, a Resonant who came out of nowhere, had a grade of danger that people regarded as boundless. He was the most powerful Unbound, bearing the Marks of several gods.

Why the gods decided to make a Covenant with him was as unknown as his existence.

"We should still be careful," Cortana said. Her long black hair was braided on both sides. She tied it up when she was preparing for the battle. "It could be a trap, and the city can't handle losing so many Binders. I'll go too and contact the leader; maybe he can come back."

She stopped at the door, pulled her hair back to subdue it, and asked, "No clan has taken responsibility, right?"

"No, we haven't heard from them; all I know is that they're going to send Binders," Drake replied. He was never harsh with Cortana.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

The woman shook her head and left the building.

A similar situation developed in all the other guilds. They prepared small but elite groups and sent them to Scar. The monsters were no longer the only problem; there was also the danger of a general confrontation, and everyone was wary.

However, no one knew about the origin of the fragments. It was a mysterious event that none of the local Binders could solve.

The culprit himself had no idea about the chaos he created. Ashe was sleepless, dirty, and visibly satisfied. A silver sword hung on one hip, which he needed to clean.

Ears filled his pocket. After the second Sunveil murder, he began to leave the village in a hurry.

He did not want the Binders to see him, and he didn't know how soon they would arrive. To avoid the risk, he took the road to the city and thought about spending the spoils from the first victorious mission.

Ashe didn't forget the fate of Bone Village, either. He simply knew that he couldn't physically influence the situation any more. His emotions were in order, and he didn't worry about things beyond his control.

'I had three years of despair.' The time he had spent feeling and doubting himself was in the past.

Now he not only knew he was special, but he could see and feel it. Governing the fragments brought back the confidence he had years ago before he faced Humpborn for the first time.

Entering Zalindar, Ashe was impatiently walking toward the guild. There was no tension in the streets, but he could see the rapid activity of Binders.

None of them paid him any attention. Everyone was rushing to the village, and no one was looking at the homeless boy.

How could they have known that the Chosen One would be in such a sorry state, or imagined that he would be the cause of all their commotion?

Ashe couldn't remember when he had walked so happily. His pace was impatient. The room and bathroom were already in sight as he approached Zalindar's guild.

He heard another uproar. Binders met him at the door, and the suspected Seers were also investigating something. The whole scene was one big chaos, and he had to wait in line to enter the building.

'It's been a long time.' He sighed in frustration and waited his turn.

When they finally let him in, the hall was crowded, although it was much quieter. He looked for receptionist Ela, which didn't take much effort. The girl was busy, unable to stay in one place.

Several Binders were talking to her at the same time, and there were piles of papers on the table. Ashe stood in her line. When Ela saw him, she smiled and greeted him.

She didn't even notice the boy's exhausted state.

"How are you? It's a good thing you came in time because the village is under siege, and there's a lot of chaos. You chose a dangerous mission; you can change it and take something else."

Ashe dismissed the girl's idea that he couldn't complete the mission. "I'm fine, but I can't say the same about this place." He looked around, and the scene confirmed the same.

"It's a bit tense, isn't it? We need to get through it, and everything will be fine." The girl replied, her smile still on her face.

"As for the mission," Ashe trailed off. "I left yesterday and completed the task before sunrise." He said, taking out blood-stained ears from his pocket. They resembled elves but in different colours.

The girl flinched. She was surprised and stared at the ears arranged in front of her for a few seconds. Then she looked back at Ashe, her emotions subdued, and her professional smile returned.

"Sweet, it's amazing. You're clearly lucky! I'll give you your reward right now; wait for me. I need two minutes max."

"With pleasure." The boy said and waited for orbs. He had more interest in them than greed. He only knew them from pictures; his curiosity would be satisfied, and he was happy about that. Moreover, he was getting stone and green orbs together.

Ela kept her promise and returned soon. She also held a small bag in her hand. She handed it to the boy, shook it in the air, and announced.

"These are your 18 stone orbs and 1 green orb. It's nothing, but the sack is a gift from the guild. Count them before you go, and I will get you apples right away."

'Let's see.' Ashe opened the bag with shining eyes and reached inside. He felt something cold touch his skin, like ice on his skin. Then a distinct warmth hit his fingers, and he recognised it as a green orb.

He pulled them out of the bag, and his first thought was that the orbs were smaller than he expected. All 19 of them could be held in his two hands. They were like small balls, and each had a distinct glow.

The stone orb was cold and had a light blue hue. The green orb was noticeably warm and had a green pulsation inside.

The boy looked at them with pleasure. This was the first reward for his labour, the first compensation he earned.

He knew exactly what he would spend them on, but he had no idea of their market value. Nineteen orbs might sound like a lot, but what if, in reality, they were nothing? His education gap showed itself yet another time.

He asked Ela the same question.

The girl handed over a bag of apples and, instead of explaining the question about the orbs, winked. "You'll see."

Ashe looked at the girl suspiciously. He gave up and headed toward the tavern that Ela advised.

Meanwhile, tension peaked in the Bone Village.