Bumi City. A city on the border of Buvanes and located in the southern end of Candresa Kingdom. The fastest and easiest way for a person to travel from Buvanes to Candresa, at least according to the travel guide he was reading.

The erstwhile city had once been a booming trading hub. It was a foregone era when Candresa had not yet lost its way and Buvanes was not forsaken. Now all that’s left are faint traces of its once opulence–broken bronze statues of kings, dilapidated historical architecture and an abandoned city. The lack of rain for almost a century turned the land into a desert. Constant tensions between Buvanes and Candresa only led to the further decline of Bumi City.

Arka wondered if the city could be restored to its former glory if the trade between Buvanes and Candresa restarted. Two enemies united in a peaceful union for the betterment of their lands.

“You are going the wrong way, Duckling.” A voice broke Arka out of his reverie.

Arka jumped, startled at the sudden appearance of the twin guards. He clutched his heart attempting to calm his racing heartbeat. Since Bumi was a ghost city, there were only three of them around. Even the soldiers stationed at the border didn’t venture into Bumi, as most of the supplies they needed were directly provided to them through a secret pathway.

“You have to take a right not left,” warned a worried Taran.

“I thought I dismissed you,” said Arka with a strained smile, hoping the barbarians would just stop following him.

“We don’t take orders from you, Duckling. You aren’t our commanding officer to dismiss us,” sniped back Varan.

“Who is your commanding officer then? Your uncle?” questioned Arka, fishing for information on the confounding Barbarian.

“No, uncle is just Uncle,” replied Taran with a smile.

“It must be nice having your family in the same line of work,” commented Arka, feeling a pang of homesickness. Arka envied those big successful businesses and noble families where their offspring had a chance to work in their family business. The offspring could choose not to work either, entirely depending on the family fortune. A stark contrast to Arka, who had to struggle to get a job without any family backing him.

“Uncle Daruka isn’t related to us by blood,” clarified Varan, “We were orphans on the street whom he took a liking to. He taught us how to use Maya and showed us a path so that we could make our own living.”

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That was… generous. Arka couldn’t imagine how rambunctious the twins must have been in their childhood, probably a hundred times worse. Officer Daruka must have been a saint to deal with them. “He must have been very kind.”

“The very best!” boasted Taran, a proud smile on his face.

‘Then why did such a kind and powerful person predict such a bleak future for me?’–Arka wanted to ask but refrained. “How come Officer Daruka is working on the bureaucratic side of things? With his powerful Maya he could easily obtain a far more powerful position in the military or royal court,” asked Arka instead.

“Retired,” answered Taran.

“Already?” Wasn’t the officer only in his middle age?

“Uncle was tired of the constant wars and death on the battlefield. He went into politics but soon got fed up with the court drama. Being a lowly bureaucrat was far easier in comparison, now he had enough time to focus on enhancing his Maya,” Varan gave a sharp look towards Arka and continued, “Uncle mastered his teleportation and is now focused on his precognition abilities, I heard a lot of his predictions even came true.”

That was definitely a jab towards Arka’s bleak future. “Are you sure you should be revealing your Uncle’s skills to a foreigner?” asked Arka with a smile.

“Uncle can take care of himself,” said Varan dismissively, “Besides, isn't there a saying about how you should be close and intimate with your enemies?”

“Keep your friends close and bury your enemies in your backyard,” chanted an enthusiastic Taran.

Arka coughed, hoping to hide his shock and surprised laughter. “I’m not quite sure that’s how the saying goes...”

Maybe the guards weren’t so bad, they did have their quirky barbaric sense of humour.

The three companions walked peacefully, occasionally exchanging banter. The reserved Arka opened up and even shared some of his mother’s delightful dumplings with the twin guards. Throughout their journey, a faint ringing sound accompanied them every few minutes. Despite looking around, they couldn’t find the source of the sound.

It was almost nightfall when the three companions reached the stables at the northern end of Bumi City. Arka’s travel guide ‘Find your Way through Barbarica!’ mentioned he could find horse carriages for hire here.

“Wait, where are the horses?” shouted a shocked Arka.

Much like the city, the stables were abandoned. Instead of horses, he found their carcasses and scattered bones.

“The stables have been closed for the last five years,” stated Varan.

Wait, but his travel guide was last updated a year ago. How can a bestselling travel guide be wrong? What about the countless hours Arka had wasted planning his travel itinerary down to the minute details? Wasn’t it all useless now since it is based on a misleading book?

More importantly, how was Arka supposed to travel through Candresa without a trusted guide?

Arka heard Taran and Varan giggling behind him.

Why did he think they were ‘not so bad’? Nope, Arka was ditching the twins the next chance he got.