Sachi and Victoria arrived at the front door of the Red Charles just as the sun began to set, the entire hike taking close to two hours. The Gilgamere newcomer studied the alehouse nervously before daring to enter. The pride of the Ramses family was a four-story tavern built of the same pristine pewter as all the other shops and townhomes in their district, differentiating itself with red roof shingles and a door to match; the windows and doorframes were cut from polished black oak. The half-Elv found it difficult to keep himself from imagining the nobles drinking inside, the judgemental ways they'd stare at him; the drinks they might throw.

  Before opening the door to her home, Victoria turned back to Sachi and gave him some words of advice. "Try not to say anything about my father being a Duke. There's no need for titles, just call my father Captain Ramses, and my mother Lady Ella." The sudden advice took Sachi by surprise, but he was given no time to ask follow-up questions. He pulled up his ill-fitting pants and double-checked to make sure his Red Wings were visible to all; the last thing he needed after the exams was someone giving him a hard time for being an Elv. Victoria swore the Red Wing badge would protect him from most of the rude people in the capital, so he wanted to make sure it was plain to see for any potential enemies in the bar.

  Sachi's first whiff of the Ramses family alehouse was surprisingly clean. Despite the cloud of tobacco smoke lingering down from the rafters, Sachi could tell the tables and floors were meticulously scrubbed down each night, and a scent of barbecued pork fought the Red Charles' stale musk set the new-Private at ease. He heard a faint hum in the air as he walked through the dozen high tables crowding their path; it was the sound of drinkers having indistinct conversations all around, most too slurred to pick a word out of. To Sachi's left was a long bar of stained wood that stretched to the back of the building. To his right, a sea of booths and high tables, most of which were occupied by heavy-tipping patrons.

  The nobles always tried to stand out, most tonight being decorated in flowing cloaks and tailored silk suits of bold or clashing shades. The young half-Elv immediately felt out of place in his ratty long-sleeve and denim pants, but he had neither the money nor fashion-sense to be included in such a crowd of Lords and Ladies. When Sachi was able to refocus on his reason for being such a place, and finally stop judging the attire of his fellow patrons, his gaze found Victoria hugging a woman behind the bar. The two jumped with joy as Victoria told the brightly smiling woman about how she had passed the exams. At last, the new member of the C.R.M. held out a hand to show off her Red Wing badge, and the barmaid began shrieking in excitement at the sight of it.

  Victoria found Sachi in the crowd easily with all that spiked crimson, and waved for him to come behind the bar. When he made it there, the barmaid Victoria had been speaking with lunged forward at him, wrapping him up in a warm hug. She whispered loudly in his ear through a sniffle, "Thank you for keeping my baby safe."

  Victoria laughed at Sachi's surprised face. "This is my mother, Ella Ramses. Sorry, she's a little affectionate." Sachi held his arms out firmly to his sides, unsure if it was okay to hug the Duchess Ella Ramses back. "Mother, this is my new squad-mate, Sachi Van'Heatah—he's from the Green Edge." Victoria's mother pulled back with joyful tears still falling from her eyes.

  "It's so nice to meet you, Sachi." She held his shoulders and smiled at him in a way Sachi was unfamiliar with. "Please, please! Take a seat! Your Lightwell must be drained after the exams, right? Don't worry for two seconds, we'll get meals out for both of you right away." She cocked her head to the side, aiming her now-bellowing voice into the kitchen behind the bar. "Antony! Get out here, Antony! She's home!" Sachi could see Victoria turn away with an anxious look as her mother screamed at the closed door. The Privates of Division Two took their seats at the bar and waited for the Duke of the Red Charles, Lord Ramses. It wasn't long before Sachi heard heavy footsteps growing louder from the kitchen, until the door busted open with a loud bang.

  "Attention!" A booming voice from the kitchen stilled the patrons of the Red Charles, but the daughter of this mean voice knew it was playful. "Private Ramses, step forward!" Victoria hopped out of her seat to stand tall with flawless posture; one arm at her side, the other giving their Kingdom's signature two-finger salute on her brow. She smirked widely, eyes pinned at some spot on the kitchen doors. The heavy steps returned from the kitchen's threshold and Antony Ramses revealed himself to the alehouse.

  One thing was obvious to Sachi upon first sight of Victoria's father, former Captain Ramses must have retired over a decade ago; he found it hard to believe a potbelly such as his grew overnight. The Duke was a tall man, rotund at the gut with olive skin and a wide, prominent nose. He had those same smoke-shaded eyes as Victoria; a murky gray that was easy to get lost in if one attempted to study the irises too deeply. Antony's hair had small patches of black remaining in it, but at this point the light gray of his elder years had nearly taken over. Sachi couldn't help but note how big the Duke's ears were compared to most Humans, but in his mind they were still small when he thought about the floppy ones his own father had. He stepped forward with pristine posture despite his body's current shape, his right hand glued at the brow in the C.R.M. salute. On the Duke's free hand and forearm two plates sat balancing perfectly, each with a steaming pulled-pork sandwich teasing the young Elv from between a set of toasted buns.

  How'd an ugly guy like him have a daughter as cute as Victoria? thought Sachi, studying the large man with worried eyes. He glanced over to Ella once more and retracted his words. Never mind...

  Victoria tried to keep up the act for a few seconds and remain serious, but she quickly giggled and dropped the salute to dash at her father. She took the two plates away, placing them on the bar swiftly before giving her father a tight hug. She presented her Wings in her palm with a childlike smile. When they were done greeting one another, and upon seeing the badge Antony's eyes began to sparkle. The Duke began to hoot, holler, and pump his fist in the air wildly. "Woooo-Hooooo! Ya hear that boys! Go frame tomorrow's paper, because my baby girl made it!" He cleared his throat and addressed the patrons of the Red Charles more in a commanding tone that got them all to turn their heads. "Listen up, ya drunks! Victoria's in! My daughter is officially in the Royal Military!" The crowd erupted in cheers and laughter. The drunks spilled their drinks as they pounded on the tables to cheer Victoria's name, causing a major ruckus in the alehouse that would need to be cleaned after closing.

  Sachi could see Victoria blush as she made her way around the bar to accept drunken words or encouragement from the local bigwigs. It was a nice sight, one cut off immediately when a filled plate dropped in front of Sachi, and Lord Ramses suddenly stood before him. Sachi moved to get out of his seat, wanting to salute Victoria's father, but the former Captain had none of it. Antony quickly waved for Sachi to sit back down and spoke to him in a much calmer tone, "No need for that, sonny. I'm one hundred percent retired from the service." He pushed the plate in front of Sachi forward with a kind smile to keep Sachi in his seat. "I'm sure you worked up an appetite today if you had to keep up with my daughter—but I sure would like to shake your hand." Antony reached down to Sachi with a hand much larger and hairier than his own. Sachi shook the hand of Lord Ramses firmly and did his best to put on a confident tone.

  "Sachi Van'Heatah. It's an honor to meet you, Lord Ramses."

  Sachi could tell Antony was strong as they shook, and as he looked up to meet the man's gaze it was clear to see the Duke's shoulders were wide enough to stretch his black collared shirt to the point where the top buttons were clearly in pain. But then his eyes fell back to eye level as their handshake ended, back to that insane belly; fat for no reason when everything else looked strong. He couldn't help but find the shape of Victoria's father fascinating. Yet Antony's high spirits gave off a youthful glow that made it easy to ignore his sunken cheeks and saggy neck, flaws earned only from a long life.

  "Oh, please." he joked. "Spare me your 'Lords' and 'Captains'. I haven't been enlisted in nine years, so you owe me no formalities." He pointed towards the crowd of wealthy drunkards congratulating his daughter. "Hel, you should see what these bastards call me when my back is turned." His smile was infectious, the same toothy, slightly imperfect kind as Victoria's, and the familiar sight made Sachi feel at ease immediately. Sachi looked over to his new teammate's uneasy face as she waded through a crowd of her drunk new fans and had to hold back a laugh. He recalled the impression she had done of her father on the way over; her version was nowhere deep enough, but Antony's voice certainly had a nasally quality to it. "Thank you for looking out for our daughter today, Private Van'Heatah. I'd never admit it to my wife, but for the last few weeks I've been driving myself crazy worrying about her exam. I'm very grateful Victoria had an ally like you to help her along the way." Sachi knew all the credit should be going to Mira, but the praise felt good either way, so he took it without making the conversation more complex.

  What can I even say if they ask about Mira?

  "She did it all on her own. All I had to do was worry about a few Gatorfish." They both chuckled at the remark, for former Captain Ramses was all too familiar with those beasts that plagued the first stage of Helen's Playground. The Duchess Ella turned from her work to join Sachi and her husband, but Antony quickly waved her away. "Come on, dear. Let the young man eat. Look at him, he's obviously starving—meek! We can burn the Private's ears off after he's gotten a good meal in him." Victoria's father turned away and strolled back towards the kitchen; the Red Charles didn't stop moving just because his daughter had passed the exam.

  Sachi was left with a piping hot sandwich in front of him, by smell alone he knew it was seasoned and sauced expertly; sitting there nestled between two freshly toasted pretzel buns. He knew it was rude not to wait for his teammate, but the temptation was more than any young man could have resisted.

  The first bite of Duke Antony's cooking nearly brought Sachi to tears. This sandwich was far better than anything him or his father had ever cooked in their lives. The sauce alone would have been a delicacy worth killing for in the Green Edge; smoky and tangy while leaving a subtle, sweet aftertaste leaving heated notes after that made every cell in his body lust for the next bite. The bread was light and fluffy, while still maintaining a crisp outer layer that provided a satisfying crunch when Sachi bit into it again. And that garlic butter glaze, how it soaked into the bread, creating a rich flavor that made the young man's mouth water before his mouth could take a third bite. The seasoned pork was seared and baked to a level of perfection that Sachi had never imagined possible. Is this how food was meant to taste? The meat was so tender and flavorful, already melting before being chewed fully, enhanced even more by the sweet brown sauce that was generously slathered between those delicious buns. Bite by bite, the whole sandwich disappeared into Sachi's stomach before Victoria was even close to finishing her rounds of congratulations. To the farm boy's unrefined palate, he had just feasted upon the food of nobility. It felt sinful, a sin he'd commit a thousand times again without hesitation.

  Victoria finally finished speaking with the Red Charles' regulars and found her seat beside Sachi, biting into her sandwich as well. She covered her mouth with a hand but still spoke before she could finish chewing. "Pretty good, right?" Sachi fought off tears and he nodded to his partner. He licked his lips to make sure to savor any stains of flavor still lingering.

  "To die for," was all Sachi was able to squeak out.

  The young Duchess raised a brow. "Would you like seconds?"

  Sachi looked down in shame, pausing briefly before answering. "Yes, please."

  By the time Sachi and Victoria had finished their dinner, the alehouse roar had died to a rambunctious hum. As the night grew darker, more patrons found their coats and settled their tabs; destined to return soon. A few regulars even came over to shake hands with Antony and Ella before heading out; congratulating them again and wishing the Ramses family a pleasant evening. Sachi noticed several of them eyeing him over with twisted expressions of disgust as they passed him on their way out. He did his best to avoid eye contact. Eventually, Sachi found himself helping the Ramses family wipe down tables and turn up chairs after all their customers had left for the evening. Ella protested against her daughter's new squad-mate helping to tidy up, but it was useless against Sachi's stubborn Green Edge manners. When all the scrubbing and washing was done, the four of them gathered at the bar.

  The Lady of the house poured herself a drink, and it was in this moment that the young half-Elv realized something interesting. The Red label of the bottle in Ella's hand read "Victoria's Olde Style Corvan Ale" in black cursive. Sachi snickered to himself.

  She's named after a fancy beer.

  "So," asked Victoria's mother. "where are you from, Sachi?"

  "The Green Edge—East Meadow to be specific, Lady Ella." Sachi still found it hard to believe that the woman he was talking to was Victoria's mother. She looked so full of youth that it was hard to think she had a child his own age. "But my brother and I have been staying in the city of Posidon for the last few months."

  If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  "All the way to Posidon?" Ella pondered with an impressed look. "That must've been some move. What brought your family so far south?"

  "Well, we had a shop in the east. My father sold silver goods, but there was a fire a few months back. Unfortunately, my father passed away that night." Sachi figured there was no need to go into any of the graphic details involved in the night of the purple cloaks; not that he wanted to talk about them either. "Thankfully, Helen the Hero saved us, and the Royal Military sponsored my brother and me, so we were able to find a home in the city."

  Ella looked to her husband with a covered mouth, knowing that she had just asked the worst question. She quickly reached out to Sachi and grabbed his hand in a way Sachi was unfamiliar with. "I'm so sorry. I... I shouldn't have asked so plainly. You have our deepest condolences."

  "It's alright." Sachi said as maturely as he could while still feeling anger welling in his heart when thinking back to that night. "He's in a better place now watching over us, so my brother and I are gonna give him a good show."

  There was a brief moment of silence that lingered in the air, but Antony broke it politely. "I like your attitude, young man. So, what of your brother, did he come to join up here in the capital as well?"

  Victoria took the liberty of answering that question for her new partner. "You should have seen Sachi's older brother, Mira. He was incredible today! I swear, he nearly completed Helen's Playground. No one had ever seen anything like it, barely bothered him a bit though. Helen actually came in herself to stop him from jumping to the last pillar."

  The Duke gave his daughter a stare of disbelief. "An examinee did all that?"

  "I know!" Victoria continued in a hurried tone to get it all out. "I saw Revin Holo for the first time too. He was so excited—we all thought he might pop out of that dumb-looking mask. Mira was the whole reason Sachi and I even made it to the final exam."

  "Amazing..." Lord Ramses leaned back and looked up to the rafters of his alehouse with a chuckle. "You kids just keep getting stronger every season." He looked back to Sachi with a grin. "Where is this mysterious brother of yours now? I'd love to shake his hand, too."

  Sachi rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Well... we kinda lost him." He looked over to his partner for some help, unsure if it was wise to tell her parents about Helen's sudden arrival. However, Victoria didn't seem to think it was a problem.

  "Helen took him." The young Duchess seemed more frustrated than concerned, pouting slightly under her breath. "If we had him on our squad, we'd be Officers by the end of the season. But now he's in fancy Division Seven, with Ms. Hero... so we're on our own."

  Ella looked over to her husband with a twisted face. "Why would Captain Helen take on a Private? That doesn't sound right."

  "Who knows, but she did!" Victoria responded in a salty way. All this talk about Mira's disappearance brought Sachi's nerves back, and Antony noticed the way Sachi was shifting about in his high chair.

  "Try not to worry." He spoke in a wise tone. "I'll make sure to ask Commander Argo about the matter next time he stops in for a mug. Lady Helen may be tough, but she'd never let harm fall upon a child in her care. If you ask me, right now your brother is the safest person in this Kingdom under her watch." Antony grinned up at Sachi with the confidence only a veteran who had come home from war could have. The former Captain's smile quieted Sachi's fears for a time. There was no point in worrying about something so far out of his control.

  Sachi decided it was best to change the topic. "Thank you, Lord Antony—and thank you again for the food. It was the best meal I've ever had."

  The ex-soldier laughed wholeheartedly, "Well, I've had a lot of time to hone my culinary arts since we opened. I pushed some real slop out of that kitchen for the first few years." He placed his hand over his wife's shoulder and smiled to her as if they shared a joke the others weren't in on. "But my work here has kept me sane ever since my military career ended."

  Sachi figured it was best to not ask about the end of the Duke's service and focused on the Red Charles instead. "How long have you been open?"

  "Almost eight years now. I was shocked at how quickly the Gilgamere residents took to this place. But with so many decorated soldiers of the Royal Military coming in regularly, it was only a matter of time until the nobles decided to start coming as well to gawk at their protectors." He smiled with pride as he reminisced about the early days of the Red Charles.

  Ella chimed in, completing her husband's thoughts for him. "It got to the point where we didn't even have enough seats for everyone, and the line out the door stretched halfway down the next block. After that, we decided to make this a 'members only' spot; apart from the soldiers of the Royal Military."

  Sachi thought the idea sounded nice; a warm place for soldiers, run by a retired Captain. He looked over to Victoria with admiration for her family and understood well why the girl never stopped talking about her father. He was a good man.

  Lord Antony looked over to their wall clock, decorated with steel cut-outs shaped like feathers in place of traditional clock hands. "Would you look at that, it's already past ten. I suppose we shouldn't keep you any later, Private Van'Heatah. I know you have an early day waiting for you tomorrow."

  Sachi still knew very little about the inner workings of the C.R.M. and had no idea what waited for him in the morning. He only joined the army to grow strong enough to avenge his father and gain the clout needed to be able to spread Wilhelm's dream, he never considered himself a patriot, nor did he have a clue what to expect his daily life to look like now that he had passed the entrance exam. "Do you happen to know what Victoria and I will be doing tomorrow, Lord Antony?"

  The Duke rubbed a thoughtful hand against the rough skin under his chin. "Knowing the General's Grandson, I'd say you can expect a relaxed day of orientation. You kids really lucked out avoiding Captain Dori. Don't get me wrong, the man gets results, but he can be a real slave driver when it comes to seasoning his new recruits." Lord Ramses sucked at his teeth, realizing his phrasing was poor. "I mean, I've seen him force Privates to run laps around the castle until they dropped from heat exhaustion just having a foot out of place in lineups. The man takes discipline to a whole new level." He stood and began strolling towards the doorway, motioning for Sachi to follow along. "You're both in good hands under Revin. He's a bit of a slacker when it comes to the nitty-gritty of leadership, but his merit has earned the respect of every Officer and Lieutenant. I have no doubt he'll make for a worthy Captain."

  Victoria and her mother followed Sachi to the door. He gave a heavy nod of gratitude to Victoria's parents. "Thank you very much for having me tonight. Like I said, dinner was amazing."

  Lady Ella gave Sachi a warm hug before letting him walk out into the humid air of that fall night. "Oh, you're so welcome, Sachi. Thank you again for helping us close down tonight." Her displays of affection made Sachi cringe slightly, for being embraced by strangers was still something entirely foreign to him. But at this point, were they really strangers? The Ramses family had opened their home up to him and even fed him the best meal of his life. Maybe there really are nice Humans here in the capital after all. She pulled away from him and gave him a warm look with big brown eyes that melted his heart. "Please come by again whenever you're hungry, the tab will always be on us. And thank you again for looking out for our Victoria."

  Sachi waved his hands frantically and almost blushed through his dark cheeks. "I couldn't possibly let you guys do that. I-"

  "What's this?" Antony chimed in with a grin. "Was the food not good enough?"

  "No- No- I just..."

  "Relax!" The big man laughed with a sound that boomed louder than his footsteps. "Pah! Pah! Pah! Consider it as a favor for me, not you. There's no way I could sleep soundly knowing my daughter's squad-mate was forced to eat the gruel they serve in the mess hall."

  Sachi looked around at the beautiful family Victoria had and felt fortunate to be accepted by them. "Thank you." He turned to Victoria and nodded with thanks. "I'll see you in the morning, partner."

  She gave him a confident grin. "I'll be there, partner." With that, Sachi waved goodnight and headed out into the capital streets.

  Sachi didn't even try to hide the wide grin he wore on his walk back to the Division Two barracks. His belly was full, and he let his mind wander with thoughts of how fun Victoria's home life must've been growing up. Former Captain Ramses was far from the hardened war hero he imagined either. The Duke had been friendly and made him feel welcome immediately. And most surprisingly of all, neither the Duke nor Duchess Ramses mentioned a word about his Elvish heritage.

  The streets of Gilgamere were nothing like those bricks he used to have to step so carefully over in Palos to avoid stumbling. Tall lamps illuminated by the wonder of some electronic system built below the surface lined the streets at every other corner. It was a dramatic change to the frightening darkness he would find on late walks back home on the East Meadow's gravel roads. A sightseeing detour left the new Private lost for a moment, but all he had to do was look up to find his way home, for the Scarlet Aerie was always easy to find if you looked high enough. Once his bearings were reestablished, Sachi made it past the Colosseum to see crowds of Humans were still walking around casually, many of whom were on dates going to and from the high-class restaurants and alehouses open past the Godless hour. He couldn't help but study how unafraid they all looked, for by this time anyone still wandering the streets of Palos would do so with their bags held tightly, and their eyes would be focused on shadowed alleyways ahead. When Sachi snapped from his peoplewatching and returned to focusing on the path back to his barrack, one thought still poked at his mind. I doubt any of them are even hiding a knife.

  As he wandered past the enormous trees of the Red Grove, he took another brief detour to stroll through the Generals' Walk he and Mira noticed earlier. With no one here, he could take all the time he wanted to admire his Kingdom's fallen heroes. Of the sixteen statues, only one was of a woman, though it was hard to tell from afar due to the clunky armor she was sculpted with. She was taller and had larger biceps than several of her fellow Generals, and her statue wore an intricate battle-helmet that concealed the long hair she wore in life. When Sachi leaned in close enough he could tell she was a woman by the delicate eyes and lips given to her by the stonemason, no matter how intimidating that screeching-crow inspired helm. Sachi looked down to the soldier's plaque. It read: Anne Corvus—9th General of the Corvus Royal Military. Sachi thought back to a conversation he shared with Victoria when they met. He thought about who this General could have been in life, whether she indeed was the one his teammate had been laughing about.

  Who are you?

  A voice calling out from the shadows interrupted the first step of Sachi's thoughts.

  "Freak!"

  Sachi turned to see who was taunting him, but a glass bottle shattered against the back of his head before he could see anyone throw it. He dropped to one knee and grunted in pain. He reached for the top of his head, the sensation in his fingertips was warm and damp. He looked to his hand and saw his palm covered in blood despite the dim lights surrounding the park. He looked around in all directions twice, but no one was there. The young man felt that rage swelling up in his chest again as he spun around to identify any attacker lurking in the shadows. His thoughts raced back and forth between whether this was some prank gone-too-far or a more sinister distraction from the Elves in purple cloaks; the real monsters hiding in his Kingdom. He bared his teeth and clenched his fists tight. Nothing was there. Sachi continued to pant on high alert. His ears were pricked up, waiting for the sound of a twig snapping or the crunch of boots against grass. Still, nothing was there.

  When he accepted that no one would reveal themselves, Sachi rose to his feet feeling like a fool. He scrubbed at the back of his head to feel the damage again, but the gash was already gone; his flames turned on and off without him even knowing. "Shit!" He tried to calm himself from lashing out, but he lost that fight quickly. "Why?" He spoke through tightly clenched teeth. His focus returned to the bright name before him: Anne Corvus – 9th General of The Corvus Royal Military. Sachi's temper continued to bubble over, and his sight moved to the eyes of the Ninth General. "Why do you people keep doing this?" He kicked the nameplate, but that wasn't enough. Before Sachi could stop himself he was already striking Anne Corvus's plaque with his fists; refusing to stop until far after his knuckles split and swelled. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" He barked through sealed teeth, thankful no one was in sight to watch his tantrum. After a few minutes, when Sachi's hand was successfully broken, he took a deep breath and sat down, trying to regain any form of calm. He whispered under his breath in a shattered tone. "Why does this keep happening?"

  After taking a few moments to relax, Sachi focused on healing himself. Re-growing his arm on Helen's Playground had taken a lot out of him, but after the meal with Victoria's family he had enough Light to fix the hand. Sachi's Light was just another muscle to him, and whenever he used too much of it in a single day, he would feel it rip and become useless, like trying to pull from an empty well; and if he pushed past that he would pass out entirely. Over the last six months he had built up his Lightwell significantly, but every Mortal has limits. He closed his eyes and focused on a small bit of scar tissue that remained on the back of his head. Small green embers shaped the scar back to normalcy, leaving it as spotless as it was before the bottle hit him. Then he focused on the bones in his hand, mending all of the broken fingers and knuckles in a matter of seconds. His hands glowed green for that short time as the flames fixed what was just beneath the skin.

  He took one last look at Anne Corvus' plaque while he waited for his hands to finish glowing, freezing up when he saw the end result of his fury. "Are you kidding me?" All the new Private had done was bloody the thing up, for the General's name had been written into a plaque of Gold-grade metal; not a single dent or scratch on it. Sachi didn't know if he should be embarrassed or feel thankful to not have to worry about covering any reforging fees. At the end of the day, he decided to pretend it never happened. When his injuries were finished healing, he stood on wobbly legs and headed directly back to the barracks, looking over his shoulder every few paces.

  When he got back to his new home, the foyer where some unlucky Officer had been assigned to show him his room early that afternoon was still abuzz with lively soldiers. Many of them had stayed up to chat and get to know the newcomers, some had even snuck in ale and liquor to share with everyone in celebration. They looked to be having a merry time, but Sachi was in no mood to join in after the incident in the Generals' Walk. He went up to the room on the second floor, and to his pleasant surprise it was dark and quiet. Dallis must have had a long day too, because he was already fast asleep on the bottom bunk when Sachi arrived. The portly boy snored loudly, but it was nothing compared to the monstrous snores of Sachi's older brother. If anything, the rhythmic sound of his bunkmate's clogged inhalations made him feel at ease, like he was truly home. With Sachi's first day in Gilgamere accomplished, the young man kicked off his shoes and hopped into bed, knowing the morning would come all too soon.

  (To Be Continued...)

  THANK YOU FOR READING!

  PLEASE DROP A COMMENT AND HIT THE READER POLL!

  Did you enjoy the chapter?