It wasn’t long before we arrived at Trane. By the time we finished the process to get past the gate, the sun had risen.

Sirius had dropped us off at the kingdom’s visitor center to head to his job. I waited outside while Jamie went in to ask about where the army exams were taking place. I was left to lean against the front of the building, waiting for him to finish.

I still can’t say that the entire situation settled in fully: being surrounded by humans, finding myself in the middle of a human kingdom, and willingly accompanying some.

My perceived normalcy switched at a moment’s notice. Suddenly, those decades spent covered in blood and death, towering over the enemy’s defeat in a mighty roar, faded further into the past.

Dreamlike.

Growing up in a general role in my father’s army, I had been exposed to various kingdoms of different races. Each of them was prestigious in their own right, mainly specializing in various aspects of building. Hellion’s architecture developed from the practices of lands that we had conquered, so it was fair to say that the kingdom was comprised of the best aspects taken from kingdoms.

Still.

I glanced around at the grand arches that overlooked the Centre of the kingdom’s business district. Polished stone bricks held together in the air, supported by thick, marvelous pillars. Truly, I had never seen anything like it.

Somehow, a kingdom like this existed in the shadow of Hellion’s intelligence. Hours of scouring and memorizing the maps in my territory - nothing like this was to have existed. Disappointment, that was what I felt in terms of this failure.

Why had I never heard of this kingdom? It was a rich, commercially prosperous kingdom with a booming population. A frustrated scowl on my face remained, as I looked upon the scenery with the eyes of a general’s setback.

If this was a battle, then I would have lost in terms of information. I had to accept that fact, as hard as it was.

Trane was different. Their walls were thick, guarded, and fortified. I questioned if my troops would be able to siege it easily.

No doubt. It was impossible. I was certain that I would have to partner up with one of the other territory’s troops, double-team it. If that would even work…

The door to the center opened, a familiar satchel peeking out from the open door followed by the short human that I had been traveling with. Jamie walked forward, down the steps of the center, and peered around at the bustling crowd.

“I have someone that I need to meet with here, so I’ll meet you at the exam sign-up,” He handed me a map of the kingdom and pointed to a marked dot near the castle, “It’s outside the arena center, where the exams will take place. Sign-ups open at high noon, so don’t be late.”

I nodded, glancing down at the marked areas of the map, “Got it. Who are you meeting with?”

He gave a blank look, “None of your business. See you!” He smirked, disappearing into the morning crowd, quicker than I could respond.

Seriously. I should have killed that human when I had the chance.

That little shit.

Once again, I was discarded. I rolled my eyes, stuffing the map into the same pocket as my card.

Well, I guess that I could get to know the kingdom more. I sighed, merging into the flow of the crowd. It was early, but the volume of people was intense.

I walked along with the flow of people heading closer to the towering pillars of the castle that marked the middle of the kingdom. Constantly dodging the brushes of others, I maneuvered through the crowd, barely managing to run into anyone.

Passersby were dressed in finer fabrics, even sporting leather bags that clung to their sides. Women were dressed in large dresses, their corsets laced with jewels and beading. Wealth was sported all around, making my blackened attire look like the slums.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Oh well.

I didn’t mind the scornful stares that I received and couldn’t help but notice the clenching of bags, as I walked past. No doubt, my lesser clothes presented a target on my back.

A troublemaker and thief.

Those names probably ran through their heads.

Humans were constrained to their false values. Money was frail in the face of true power. This was why they lived as short as they did, living in vain and vanity was poisonous.

It would be better to step aside from the main crowd then.

Making my way to the sidelines, I stepped into a less crowded area. Like in the previous town, vendors had called out goods and products, trying to convince future customers to indulge in their services.

I lacked the coins that humans used to buy these items. Not that I minded, it wasn’t like I needed to purchase food or clothes. I was fine with what I carried on me, anything else would-be baggage.

Instead of shopping, I opted to sit against a wall that overlooked the portion of the shops. Sighing, I slide down, bringing my legs to my knees and resting my head on my arms. I watched the passing crowds of people and listened to the callings of the store owners.

It was mundane, boring. I wanted to learn more about ARC, but I would have to wait till the exams to retrieve any information about them. That would be the best bet to ask somewhat creditable humans.

Fighters knew fighters; it was a niche community, no matter where you went.

Now, I just had to pass the time.

Trivial. Boring.

“Are you lost?” A hooded figure slipped away from the crowd, walking over to where I sat.

Was he talking to me?

I looked the figure over, squinting my eyes to get a better look under his hood. It hung over, only revealing their lower face. The long clothing covered the rest of their body, resting above black leather boots.

Polished leather boots, that held no sign of scuffing.

Despite the appearance, I didn’t sense any ill intentions. There was no reason to waste my time. I scoffed at the cloaked figure, turning my head to the side.

“Are you lost, little boy?” the cloaked figure asked, leaning over with their hands rested on their bent knees.

Alright.

This was annoying.

I stood up, my figure towering over the cloaked figure. I clicked my tongue, as I looked down. The annoyance in my face was evident, as the cloaked figure nervously stepped back.

They held their hands up in surrender, “I’m sorry, freakishly tall boy.”

My eyes narrowed. Was he serious? I didn’t have the energy to deal with this.

I sighed, groaning as I shooed them away, “Scram, shorty.”

The figure stood unmoving, before letting out a small scoff, “Hah! You’re refreshing to talk to!”

What.

It would be better to explore another place. Get away while I could. Yeah, that was undoubtedly the best route of action to take.

I didn’t answer, turning on my heel and retreating.

A tug on my sleeve caused my body to whirl around on instinct. My arm now gripped the exposed navy silk shirt of the stranger. His hooded face was pinned against the wall, locks of golden hair peeking out from the edges.

He tried to crane his neck up to face me, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. Ow… Uh. My arm… Ow.”

I exhaled, letting go of his arm and stepping away. He was going to get himself killed if he just grabbed onto strangers like that.

A total idiot.

The stranger’s face was now visible, his cloak messed up from the interaction. He looked like glass with porcelain skin and clear blue eyes. Golden, curly hair exposed itself from under the edges of the cloak. It reminded me of a doll.

His hand that struggled to fix the cloak back into place, soft and untouched, never saw a day of work in its life.

There was no doubt that this human belonged to some form of nobility. I hoped this wouldn’t cause problems if that was the case.

On second thought, I didn’t care that much.

I eyed him intently, still annoyed from the uncalled-for interaction, “Why did you grab me?” My voice came out sternly. Sharp and to the point.

The human fumbled, cursing under his breath, as he looked around the area erratically. His hands pulled his cloak down on his face in a hurry.

I asked again, “Why did you grab me?”

No response. Okay then.

Instead, the mumbling human spit out another round of curses. His hand darted out, to yank me into a nearby alley between two buildings.

I didn’t fight back. I could have. But there was little doubt I’d be able to overpower this golden-haired fool.

We ventured further into the alley before he let go. With his back turned, he walked away with a hand to his head, as he leaned back in frustration.

Wasn’t I supposed to be the one annoyed by the situation?

Perhaps, this was what Dagon had told me about. I’ve heard stories of humans taking drugs that caused them to act more sporadic than normal, but this was the first time I saw it in person. Five minutes had passed before the stranger turned around, pulling down the hood from his head.

Again, clear blue eyes stared intently at me. He ran over to where I stood, conviction on his face. I looked down, meeting these eyes.

Suddenly, there were tears.

What. Was. This.

He started crying, gripping my shirt.

“Please! Don’t tell anyone! Keep this a secret!” He wailed, leaving me absolutely shocked at the absurdity of the situation.

What did I do to deserve this? Morally, I was screwed but this wasn’t fair.

“Excuse me? What?”

Still grabbing my shirt, he slid to his knees, his body hanging from my shocked stature, “Don’t tell anyone I’m here or that you saw me! Please! What do you want? Money?”

Well yeah.

“What are you on about?” I barked, ripping his weeping body from my own.

I jumped back, out of his reach, and sent a glare. This psychopath almost ripped my only shirt.

He stared up with watery eyes, sniffing, “Wait. Do you not know who I am?” He sniffed, pointing at himself.

It had to be drugs.

I should get away.

I backed up slowly, my gait speeding up to exit the alley.

The figure rushed over to my side, wiping his tears, “You really don’t know who I am?”

I scoffed, pushing him away, “Uh… No. Can you just get away from me?”

His teary expression, now sporting a smile from under the hood, “… This is great! Let’s hang out,” He leached beside me, moving his body to get in front of me.

His arms cupped together, “Please! Just for a little. I’ll buy you food.”

Well, I suppose it would be beneficial to expose myself to more human food. Still…

Unsettled, I looked at the human in front of me. His hood pulled up enough to get a glance at his begging eyes. It was like running into my second brother.

I shuttered. Alas, no one was worse than that individual. Though, this human came close.

“Pretty please…” He begged.

“No.” I shoved him out of my way.

He lurched to my side.

“Please.”

Again.

“Please!” He shouted, grabbing my sleeve once more.

I paused, exhaling loudly. This wasn’t going to end anytime soon.

“Will you leave me alone, if I accompany you for a little?” I groaned, looking down at the pesky human.

“Yes! I promise!” He cheered, hopping up and down.

Drugs.

It had to be drugs.