Sunlight peered through the windows and called for Avryn to wake from his sleep. He sat up on his bed, stretched his arms, and let out a yawn. The sparring practice last night was a great help. A knock on his door called for his attention.

  “Breakfast is ready, Mr. Starbright,” Livea spoke through the door.

  “Be right there,” he was still shaking himself off.

  He looked to the calendar program in his Scribe. Only a few days were left in this break. They should head back to the Academy soon. He finished up, made his bed, and went to met with the others in the dining hall to discuss their plans.

  Rinna suggested they could tour around the floating markets as their first stop. That term piqued the others’ interests.

  “Floating market?” Tvira turned to her.

  The rivers bordering Hemmsway had a lot of traffic. The floating markets were created in order for boats and ships alike to purchase or restock supplies without having to leave the vessels. They agreed to go there.

  Walking across to the docks, Avryn made conversation with Rinna,

  “So how is it? Being back home?”

  “It’s different somehow,” her eyes focused on the road ahead.

  “Maybe it’s because you got us now?” he gestured to the others.

  Tvira noticed the numerous statues they kept walking past and asked her about it. Rinna replied to the effect of the town’s history. Despite being one of the older cities, they chose to remain a big suburban type of place, as a way to honor the past. Many heroes were born here, and the folks made sure to maintain their memories of them.

  “Town of Budding Heroes, eh,” Valoche parroted its tagline.

  “Oh, so that’s what it was. I was wondering about that,” Avryn tapped his own head, feeling like a fool.

  Indeed, the history of the city was rich. Its care showed through how clean the stones were kept. They rented a boat and browsed through the floating markets. A few things caught their eye. Tvira and Valoche made some purchases. Avryn continued his window shopping, none of the items piqued his interest yet.

  The chatter of the markets was welcome to Avryn. A great contrast to the vast quietness of his home. He closed his eyes and basked in this welcomed chaos. The sound of the water, the movement of goods, the chattering of vendors. It felt so good.

  He returned to shopping and purchased a fine pair of black leather gloves. It fitted his hands perfectly, and added extra grip. He tried to do some gunslinging and it his weapons responded well. Another purchase was a few belts for a future project. Their boat returned to the docks as their tour was over.

  Next stop was the Hemmsway Museum, the city’s centerpiece. Dubbed as the Heart of Histories by the locals. The building itself was a repurposed fort. It was the biggest fort of its time back when it operated as one. The two squads met again and started the tour together.

  The tour guide enthusiastically guided them around the museum. His voice oozed the work of several years studying the stories behind the cultural pieces, artifacts and artwork in the museum. He regaled the story of an antique sword, on how it defeated a great Corpse of mythical status, that some today would argue did not exist.

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  Another tale he shared was how gunpowder changed the facet of warfare forever. Leifren and Avryn his enthusiasm on the antique gun. So much so, they started speaking in specific jargon only gun enthusiasts would understand. Their squad mates couldn’t help but be amused by their leaders’ behavior.

  They moved on to talking about the lore behind a helmet. It belonged to a hero by the name of Vlan Heath. The first person to have ever set foot in The Lost Lands since The Downfall. She was a renowned explorer, and together with her crew, were one of the firsts to compile a map of the region.

  “I’d give anything to hear tales straight from her, let me tell you,” the tour guide oggled over the helmet.

  “What kind of person was she?” Tvira asked.

  “Glad you asked,” the guide welcomed her inquiry.

  He gave them the whole spiel. Vlan Heath had a fiery temper, but beneath it, a heart of gold. She started out as a local hero in Hemmsway, often being called as its guardian. She didn’t wanted to stay in one place too long, and set forth to journey to lands beyond Ordellia. The similarities were uncanny, and slowly, everyone else was staring at Avryn.

  “What?” he stared at them all confused.

  “Wonder where we’ve heard that before,” Tvira teased.

  “I’d say it’s more of a coincidence than anything,” he dismissed.

  The guide continued, complimenting Vlan Heath’s beauty. Her hair was said to be a beautiful shade of red. Her fate was unknown, by all accounts. One of the plausible theories was she died as she lived. She left behind the helmet before she went for her final journey, alone.

  That shifted the overall mood. The guide noticed and joked that perhaps she found a lover and lived away from civilisation, and spent her final days in peace. Avryn crossed his arms. He was imagining himself in her place during that.

  He knew he had a case of wanderlust. Sometimes he felt of wanting to go off somewhere. Fighting could only give him so much satisfaction. Vlan Heath’s story gave him some needed perspective.

  The squads were led to the centerpiece of the museum. A piece of parchment, with golden frames, and clear glass. The guide introduced them to the map of the Lost Lands, made before The Downfall. The writings on it was the originator of the common language. Seven kingdoms dotted the continent. Much of the ink was faded and its letters were barely visible. A true artifact, the guide commented.

  Tvira kept staring at it, as if there was a connection there. It was faint, but she felt something from looking at it. Her eyes darted around the drawing, trying to make sense of it. Her mouth refused to move. Valoche offered his support and rested his hand on her shoulder.

  The tour guide was suddenly shoved to the ground. Two masked men grabbed the map and made a run for it. A smoke grenade popped off. Avryn and Harver exchanged looks and pursued the thieves. It was maze-like, this museum. The thieves zigged and zagged across the building, while Avryn and Harver were behind.

  Kiria helped the guide back up,

  “Are you hurt?” she checked on him.

  “Only…my pride,” he checked on his person.

  He looked to where the map was and realization struck him like a bat to the face,

  “The map!” a mixture of anger and sadness seeped into his voice.

  “Don’t worry, our friends are on it,” Jenilah consoled him.

  Leifren made his move and went straight to the entrance. Tvira ran with great purpose, her newfound anger giving her ungodly speed. People were screaming as the pursuit heated up. Security was called and tried to organize.

  The thieves stepped onto a trap laid down by Leifren. A high concentration of shock forced them to throw the map up high. Avryn used his quick thinking and catch the piece before any damage came up to it. Harver unleashed his estoc and used it to non-lethally attack the thieves.

  The second thief reached for his gun by Tvira’s arrow found it first, and shot it out of his hand. She nocked another arrow and had it aim for his face.

  “Don’t. Move,” hellish fury itself could be seen in her eyes.

  Security personnel finally caught up to them and handcuffed the thieves. Avryn handed over the framed map over to them. An adrenaline rush of an event, it was. The tour guide was ecstatic to know the map was safe, and thanked the students for their assistance.

  The owner of the museum overheard all of this and extended his gratitude,

  “As far as this museum is concerned, you lot will forever be heroes for helping preserve our history.”

  Police arrived to the scene to take over. The students gave their reports and left the museum. They reflected on their way back.

  “Man, that was a dramatic end to our day, huh?” Harver had his hands rest behind his head.

  Tvira was awfully quiet.

  “Those fools were lucky they weren’t attacked by an angry mob,” Kiria regretted.

  “Yeah, a nice bonk or two would’ve been good but keeping the map safe was what’s important,” Avryn explained.

  They all agreed to that. History such as that was too valuable to lose. Perhaps it was fate that led them there, God knows what would have happened if they weren’t present. The map would’ve been halfway to the next city by now. It was a foolhardy attempt to steal in broad daylight.

  Rinna reckoned the boat going to the Academy should arrive in a matter of a few hours. She would use this time to bid farewell to her mother. It was a short trip, but it was needed for her. She, along with the rest of the squads, embarked on the boat. Next stop: The Academy.

  Avryn was leaning on the boat’s safety rails. His gaze on the calm waters parting as the ship travelled. The second half of their first year is in a few days. Challenges would only get tough from here. He looked up at the clouds, relishing in the thought of it. The sun was particularly bright today, a good omen to have.

  He silently offered thanks. He was thankful to have wonderful people as his teammates. He was thankful to be spared a grim fate at the beginning of his journey. He didn’t noticed himself, but he was staring at Rinna for a long time It prompted her to speak up,

  “What is it?” she asked him.

  He snapped out of his trance, and shook his head,

  “Oh, it’s nothing. Just feeling grateful, that’s all,” he looked down.

  “Of what?” she was curious.

  He leaned back onto the rails,

  “Of everything. I couldn’t ask for a better life, you know?” he explained.

  She joined him and leaned on the rail, too.

  “Round two is about to start. Let’s get ready for it.”

  On that, Avryn agreed.