The sky is deep red. Looking east, far into the horizon, the sky kisses the ground, turning into a deep ocean blue. Looking west, the strips of burning flames cover the innocent wavy clouds, taking away their pure white color, gradually tainting them pink, then orange, and red by force.

Rupert does not have the ability to view this scene.

The carriage is being pulled by two large horses, with the wagoner controlling them to maintain a steady pace. The carriage follows the forest path on the dirt road, where the forest is not very dense. Rupert sits in the seat closest to the tailgate, staring far into the distance. It takes a quarter of the day to reach Helsi. I've been sitting here for a while already. We should arrive soon, right after sunset... When was the last time I visited Helsi?

Rupert has lived his whole life in Tohe. Although he has been to Helsi before, that's about the extent of his traveling history. He hasn't been to the towns and villages beyond the closest ones to Tohe.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

The sounds of explosions in an unrhythmic manner echo in the area, carrying sharp metallic clangs between each. The passengers take notice of the noise, but they are not in panic. Their faces show only curiosity, awaiting answers from the wagoner to ease their assumptions.

"Don't worry, it's the students of Helsi," the middle-aged, deformed, and overweight wagoner tells the passengers to ease their concerns. "They're practicing near the ocean. It's far from here. They've been training all summer. It's a summer training camp."

I can't believe they're training right now. At this time of the day, I would be running to bed with a big smile on my face. I can't believe they're my age doing all that.

In this world, people experience an awakening moment, revealing their ability, which is unbound by mortal reasoning. Children ranging in age from 10 to 15 will have an awakening at some random time during a five-year period.

You hear the rumors from time to time: parents who gamble with their own and others lives, thinking they know better. So arrogant and stubborn that they won't let their kid attend the awakening dormitory, only to end up burning in their sleep or exploding into pieces. Hell, some even choke to death.

The awakening dormitory is a specialized building exclusively for kids in the awakening age range. Parents must pay to have their kids access the dormitory. These buildings exist in almost all towns, as they are seen as essential for protecting not only the parents but also all the citizens. Having fires randomly start every other night is not sustainable for the people—economically, mentally, or physically. They would be in constant fear of losing something in their sleep, be it their life or resources. Although not everyone is gifted with abilities, all are expected to attend the awakening dormitories and the school of the dormitory.

Fire is not the only ability awakened. The abilities are said to be random, but most are elemental—fire, earth, water, and air. Non-elemental abilities exist, and they are not rare. Powers like light, lightning, explosives, and sometimes poison or space, even wood abilities, are said to exist. Although two people can awaken the same type of ability, one could rise to the top, reigning supreme over others, while the other would stay at the bottom, only to be toyed with by the harsh world.

Yes, it's the mana capacity—the other determining factor in the life of a gifted person. Mana capacity remains unchanged throughout an awakener's life, its quantity determined when the gifted person first awakens their ability.

Rupert, while pondering about the world he lives in, experiences time passing by in an instant. The carriage has arrived at the destination. The wagoner drives the carriage through the gate and parks near it before moving the horses to the stable.

Rupert gets out of the carriage and takes in a deep breath of fresh air, only to inhale the smell surrounding the line of carriages. The distinct, musky smell of the horses, the rich warmth of the saddles, combined with the dry, grassy smell of the hay. Rupert is let down. Although he's used to such smells, he forgets, for a second, where he's standing and tries to take in a deep breath of fresh, crisp air, only to be met with the disappointing scent of the carriages packed in one spot.

Rupert moves on, walking through the town, shaking off the soreness from the ride. Helsi is about the same size as Tohe, but there's a distinct difference between the two. It feels more cramped and packed. I can't believe such houses can survive in this region. I can't believe they build houses on the ground. The houses and buildings here are built on the ground, with slight foundations made by stone ability users. These houses even have basements, a foreign concept to Rupert. Although he's heard of them from Mr. Han, he has never personally seen or been in one before.

I want to save as much as I can. Opportunities like this don't come often. Where's the cheapest inn in this town? I also need to find somewhere that sells golden flower wine... nah, the inn comes first. I'm dead tired and drowsy for no reason. No, I know the reason—it's because I overworked yesterday. I shouldn't do that anymore. I was arrogant and naive, thinking I could move the logs around with just my own body and not accumulate fatigue. I guess these small mistakes are called experience, the differentiating factor between a me and an adult.

While reflecting on his mistake, Rupert asks the locals about the cheapest inn—first an elder man, then middle-aged guys sitting by the road, and then a group of two guys and one girl in their mid-20s standing in the alley.

"Huh?... Cheapest inn?... Keh keh kahkaka... Kid, I don't have time to waste on you. Get your broke ass out of here before I make you." The long, horse-faced guy with a slender body, long hair, and piercings on his face warns Rupert to leave. Rupert, having no intention of starting trouble, instantly turns to walk away unfazed by his demeaning attitude.

Rupert is wearing a long-sleeved shirt and pants, the quality so low that only peasants would wear such clothing daily. Rupert, having no fashion sense, couldn't care less about others' opinions of him.

"Hey, wait a minute," says the girl standing in the middle. At first glance, she looks aggressive and intense, with reddish-brown hair and sharp eyes like a tiger. "I know of a place. It's far from the center of town, but it's the cheapest place here in Helsi. I lived here my whole life, I know this town inside out, I can guide you there." Upon hearing this, Rupert is suspicious of her offer, his eyes glaring at her with intensity, slightly frowning. The other guy, short and fat but with a charming face, says, "Of course, we're not doing it for free. When we take you there, you have to buy us a drink," with an awkward smile on his face while shaping his left hand like holding a drink and demonstrating a drinking motion, his fingers curled and thumb slightly opposite to the curled fingers.

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Rupert eases up. How could a goofy guy like him have ill intentions? Though Rupert is still not relaxed, he eases up his guard around them while following them closely from behind.

"Kid, where are your parents? Surely you're not traveling alone?" asks the girl, indicating that she's the group's leader.

"My parents are in Tohe. I'm just here to visit a shop." Rupert answers with an awkward pause, longer than just a pause between sentences but shorter than what would seem ready for changing the subject. "I was done with work just in time for the last carriage, so I arrived after the shop closed for the day," Rupert answers in an indifferent voice. Although he's clearly lying, how would they notice? They are just strangers in another town. He would never meet them again after tonight, so why should he give them accurate information about himself?

"Oh, I see. So you don't live far away from here then," the girl replies. "We've been living here since childhood. We know the town inside and out. You're lucky to have met us." After a brief pause, she continues, "By the way, I'm Lawres. He's"—pointing to the fat guy—"Ona, and that guy is"—pointing to the slender guy who resembles a mixture of a snake and a horse face—"Shank. What's your name, kid?"

"My name is Rupert." He's unsure about giving them his real name, but what harm does it really bring? Names are just made-up sounds to get someone's attention; they don't have any real meaning, so why should he fear giving them his real name?

They walk for a while in silence, moving away from the crowded street, hustling with young and old people walking around town, consuming foods and delicacies, or engaging in conversations near outdoor shopping stalls selling a wide range of products, from accessories and jewelry to daggers and bows. They walk far from the main street, moving through the alleys one after another. The alleys grow darker, the town's lights failing to reach these parts. The narrow alleys, wide enough for only three people side by side, stretches for thousands of steps in this town crowded with more than ten thousand residents.

Eventually, after a right turn, the downward-tilting alley slightly widens and turns into a dead end.

"We're here," she says, staring toward the door on the right side of the alley, halfway from the dead end. "As you can see, it's cheap for a reason. It's not just because it's a long walk, but it's kind of gloomy and stinky down here. So of course, people don't even know this place exists."

"They charge 20 coins, but if you can haggle for a lower price, you could probably get away with 15. Much better than the rate others are offering right?" she encourages Rupert to negotiate the lodging fee.

Rupert walks cautiously, wary of his surroundings. The alley smells like piss, and rats crawl and run here and there. The doors and windows of the buildings are broken, shut with pieces of thin wood blocking them. It seems like abandoned houses, tightly built close together in this narrow space.

They walk in and open the door—the only door that's semi-functional.

"Hey, bookkeeper, wake up. Come down; I have a customer for you," she shouts toward the top of the staircase beside the hallway, while standing in front of Rupert, her back towards him.

In an instant, the two guys get behind him and stand between him and the door. Rupert feels all the pores on his body contract, his hairs standing up, pulse quickening. He unconsciously realizes the situation he's in. Rupert had assumed this possibility. He knew and was suspicious of them from the beginning. Why would they guide a broke kid like him when they owe him nothing? Why would they, who look so obviously vicious and untrustworthy, generously extend a helping hand? Rupert knew they wouldn't do such a thing without ill intentions. He knew that, yet he followed them all the way to the corner of the town. He was suspicious from the beginning, yet he played right into their trap. Even a sheep turns around and runs away when facing hyenas. Rupert sensed the danger. He knew this was a threat to his life, yet he did not dare to walk away. There was no pressure on him to keep following them, yet, mindlessly, like a worker ant, he walked toward his own demise.

Rupert, at this moment, felt his self-worth, status, and intelligence to be even lower than the food he puts in his mouth.

He turned his head around in the same instant. Little did he know, this was his biggest blunder yet. Everything else had been a mistake anyone could make. Replace these three idiots with three master manipulators, and no one—not even the smartest people—would be able to see through their motives. But Rupert believed himself to be better than most in every aspect of his life, and naturally, he believed himself to be smarter than most. He wasn't supposed to make mistakes that even the biggest idiots in Tohe wouldn't. Rupert had peeked through their words and seen their ulterior motive early in their interaction, yet this was the result.

In this instant, the calm and cool Rupert would have tackled the girl in front of him, knocked her out with a hit, and then turned around to fight the two lowlifes behind him. But instead, he grew impulsive and emotional, losing control of his mind, surrendering his active thinking to his unconscious brain, helplessly watching the events unfold as if he were a mere spectator.

He turned his head around, throwing a glance behind him. Lawres, in that instant, used her ability to shock the nape of his neck. Rupert's entire body relaxed. His lean frame packed with dense muscles loosened, and he fell to the ground with a thump.

They leaned him against the corner, sitting him upright. Rupert wasn't unconscious, but his vision was blurry, and his hearing was impaired. He commanded his eyelid muscles to stay contracted, trying not to give in to the deep drowsiness that covered his eyes like an iron curtain.

He could hear them, though blurry, he could hear their conversation.

"Sis, why bother messing with this guy? We could have found some rich fool with the time we wasted on him."

"This is why you need me. Calm down and observe carefully. Don't you see anything?"

"Sis, what are you talking about?"

"Do I need to show you everything? You need to observe people more carefully. Look at his waist."

"Hmm... Oh, no way. Sis, I'm nowhere near as good as you..."

"What should we do with him, though?"

"We could kill him here... but it would be bothersome. They might get serious with their tracking. Leave hi-"

Rupert passed out. His eyes shut. Was he at peace, knowing they might not kill him? He couldn't know. His brain had shut down, and he was barely conscious after getting shocked at the nape of his neck.

An incredible silence fell upon the alley once again, the group's commotion finally silenced. One could hear the wind passing by the ear, as if the land, heaven, and everything in between were connected, moving in harmony. The deep night sky, covered with the brightest and most colorful stars, could be observed from the alley—a scene only visible to those in the darkest parts of the world. The people of the town, moving around under the streetlights, were unaware of their surroundings, never raising their heads to observe the neglected night sky. The night sky, always above them even during the daytime, had been with them throughout their entire lives. It made them forget their place in the world, constantly thinking that everything was given to them, as if the sky would always be there forever, just for them—entitled and arrogant, as if the world owed them. They tore each other apart, only able to hoard resources by taking from something else. They did not know that heaven is indifferent to the land, unable to differentiate between humans and insects. For what reason must we take? It is only the realization of the absence of something that drives our greed to take, trying to satisfy the empty place in our minds marked only by that absence.

A groaning noise was made, inaudible to anyone nearby.