A queasy feeling settled in my stomach as I looked at Ivo’s sister. Another homeless child supposed to compete in the Adept Tournament?

  I seemed to recall Corbin saying I was supposed to compete against the scions of other noble houses. Maybe it was just a coincidence that another non-noble child was participating. Or perhaps each house was allowed to register multiple participants? But somehow… something felt strange about it. Off.

  “Do you happen to know which house your brother was supposed to compete for?” I asked her cautiously.

  She looked at me in surprise but said nothing immediately. Her brow furrowed thoughtfully, and she started to speak several times, hesitated, then seemed unable to quite get the name out. “Da-Darjon… or something like that… but I don’t know for sure. Why do you ask?”

  Hm. Darjon? Never heard of it.

  Should I tell her the truth? That I was originally supposed to compete too, but thankfully got out of it unharmed? No, I thought, telling her I escaped the same fate her brother suffered seems incredibly cruel. But claiming I was too weak was equally stupid; she had just watched me level half the slums. I needed a middle ground—a lie that made my freedom sound like a failure, not a stroke of luck.

  “I was approached about a tournament too,” I lied, lowering my gaze as if ashamed. “But… well, you saw what happened here. My magic is unstable. They decided I was too much of a liability to train.”

  Hearing that, she nodded in understanding. “Ah! Then you were absolutely lucky. Maybe things wouldn’t have turned out differently for you than for Ivo…” she said wistfully as the wind blew strands of her matted hair across her face. Tucking a strand behind her ear, she seemed to snap back to the present.

  “But that’s a good reminder. I need to check on him now, otherwise he’ll worry. If your cat gets better, Ivo would surely be happy if you both came to visit him.” Offering a small, hopeful smile, she turned to leave.

  “Wait, please!” the words burst out of me before I could stop them.

  Surprised, she turned back, looking at me questioningly. Reaching into my money pouch, the silver coins clinking together, I took out a few. I held them out to her. “Please, take this. It’s the least I can do for you right now… and when I’ve saved Pip, I will settle my debt completely.”

  She ignored my outstretched hand, just looking at me intently, her gaze searching mine. Finally, she lowered her eyes and clenched her hand into a fist at her side. Yeah, I probably deserve that. I did destroy her home. Slowly, she raised her fist, but instead of punching me in the jaw as I half expected, she opened it, holding her palm out flat towards me.

  Carefully, I let the silver coins fall into her hand, having to laugh inwardly at my own paranoia. I really misjudged her… I always assume the worst… what kind of person am I?

  The young woman closed her hand tightly around the silver pieces, her knuckles turning white. “Thank you, Grim. We can really use the money…” Her gaze remained lowered as she took a deep breath. “My name is Ivonne, and I hope that the next time we meet, we both have good news. But we shouldn’t waste any time now; we both need to take care of our own problems. So, good luck,” she murmured, her eyes still fixed on the ground. Slowly, she turned and disappeared with quiet, careful steps into the bustling maze of the slums.

  Ivonne and Ivo… they reminded me a little of Pip and me. If she wasn't wasting her time, I shouldn't either. Carefully, alertly, I made my way out of the slums, noticing the paranoia from my old life was still deeply ingrained. I kept expecting something to happen—a hand reaching for my pouch, someone begging aggressively. But apart from a few curious or wary glances, no one paid me any particular attention.

  Walking over the uneven cobblestones through the narrow alleys, I soon reached the main street again. The street was busy, the shops seemingly well-frequented. Before seeking out the alchemist Niclas in the Eastgate District, I really should try to buy a city map and maybe that Codex Botanica.

  That, however, turned out to be easier said than done. After visiting several general stores, I gave up the search for a city map when the fourth shopkeeper also came up empty. He actually looked at me completely aghast, as if I had just asked for permission to marry his dog. Was needing a city map really that unusual? How else did people navigate in such a huge city? There weren’t even any street signs.

  So, it meant asking for directions until I somehow managed to get to the Eastgate District. But first, I still needed that book.

  Simply following the flow of people down the main street, I passed a large bookstore after a short time. Here, I was more or less successful. The shop's owner, a kindly older woman with spectacles perched on her nose, informed me that the Codex Botanica was very expensive and usually only needed by experienced alchemists, so I wouldn't find it just anywhere. She couldn't tell me exactly where I could get one but advised me to inquire at the Arcane Sanctum or directly with an alchemist.

  Well, that brought me back to square one.

  Leaving the shop after thanking her, I looked around the street again. Countless shops and people thronged the area. Further down, several carriages were parked by the roadside. Hm. Do these belong to someone, or can you book a ride? Curious, I walked along the street, observing the hustle and bustle.

  As I got closer, I could see the carriages more clearly: a luxurious cabin carriage, a simple wagon, a covered wagon, and a few simple carts. Something for every purpose, it seemed. In front of them, people stood engaged in lively conversation or… haggling?

  I approached the driver of the covered wagon, who was leaning bored against his vehicle. “Excuse me, sir. Can one book a ride with these carriages?”

  The driver looked at me, perplexed, then leaned down slightly. “If you have the necessary coin, yes. But it depends where you want to go. My wagon is heading to Millstone. I don’t make detours.”

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  Now I was honestly confused. The lack of city maps was an absolute mystery. Is Millstone a district of Aegis or not? Apparently, my confusion was written all over my face.

  “It’s a small village out in the boonies,” the driver explained casually. “Got a silver mine and a dungeon. Only interesting if you feel like swinging a pickaxe or killing things. Where do you need to go, kiddo?”

  There it was again… dungeon. Right, Will, the driver from the orphanage, was going to explain that, but we got distracted. Maybe Arthur could explain it later. Right now, I needed to find this alchemist.

  “I need to go to the Eastgate District,” I stated simply.

  Rubbing his chin, the driver then pointed with it towards the luxurious cabin carriage. “Ask him how much he wants for a ride. He just stands around stupidly all day anyway, since the nobles mostly have their own carriages.”

  Thanking him for the tip, I walked over to the carriage where a well-dressed man sat on the driver’s box, taking a swig from a bottle. He had rich, dark skin and short-cropped black hair, and as he lowered the bottle, he turned a pair of warm brown eyes toward me.

  Raising my hand in a friendly greeting, I called up, “Good day. Do you drive to the Eastgate District, and how much would a ride there cost?

  The carriage driver lowered his bottle and almost choked. Looking down at me, clearly confused, he almost rolled his eyes as he sighed and sneered, “Eastgate District costs 35 copper coins.”

  What… only that little? For such a fancy carriage? I had somehow expected at least five silver. Shrugging, I reached into my pouch, took out a silver coin, and held it up to the driver. “Then I would like a ride to the Eastgate District, please, and a return trip, if you can wait for me there for about half an hour or an hour.”

  As the driver took the silver coin, his eyes widened, his tone changing immediately. “Yes, of course, sir! Please wait a moment, I will open the door for you.”

  Before he could climb down, however, I waved him off. “Could I perhaps ride up on the box with you? I’m new to the city and have a few questions, if you don’t mind answering them.”

  Looking utterly taken aback, the driver hesitated for a moment before extending a gloved hand down to me. I gripped the rough leather, feeling the surprising strength in his arm as he hauled me up. The wood of the carriage creaked under my weight, and the smell of polished oak, horse sweat, and the faint, alcoholic scent of his drink filled my nose as I settled onto the high bench beside him. The view from up here was completely different, the bustling street suddenly feeling smaller, more manageable.

  “Where exactly in the Eastgate District do you wish to go, sir?” the driver inquired politely as he gathered the reins.

  “I’m a kid not a sir, so please just talk normally with me. I’m looking for an alchemist named Niclas in the Eastgate District. You don’t happen to know where he’s located, do you?”

  The driver nodded respectfully. “Understood.” Gently flicking the reins, the carriage rolled smoothly over the uneven cobblestones. “Actually, a few months ago, I picked up a wealthy merchant from an alchemist’s shop there, but I don’t recall his name. Shall we just stop by there? Even if he’s not the one you’re looking for, perhaps he can tell you where to find him.”

  Hm. It doesn’t necessarily have to be Niclas; any alchemist would do for a start. So, why not? “Alright. It can’t hurt to try,” I said confidently, looking curiously at the faces of the people we passed. Aegis really was a wondrous city. The people looked content, carefree even. Even while working, many wore smiles. Although I knew about the slums, the majority seemed to be doing damn well… but at what cost?

  Shaking my head, I focused back on the street until the driver looked at me with concern.

  “I don’t mean to be impolite, so please forgive the question, but aren’t you a bit too young to be traveling alone? Even more so, carrying so much money?”

  Hearing his question, I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. That… was a valid point.

  “Are many people robbed in Aegis?” I asked, feigning a worried frown.

  The driver was silent for a moment, only the rolling of the wheels audible. “That’s unfortunately not easy to answer,” he explained, pausing as if searching for the right words. “Overall, people are doing very well in Aegis. But the greed of both poor and rich ensures that a few suffer. There are certainly homeless who rob others for alcohol or drugs, but there are also those exploited by the rich who try to get their money back. And so, inevitably, innocents are punished.” He skillfully slowed the carriage and turned left into a narrower street as he spoke.

  Snapping my fingers, I seized the moment. “I haven’t been in Aegis for long, but something puzzles me. I’ve looked in shops for a city map but haven’t found one. How do people find their way around here without one? I don’t see any street signs?”

  The driver looked at me, utterly confused. “Street signs?!” Shaking his head, he pointed towards the ground beside us. “Look at the intersections. At the corners, there are waystones set into the curb. They show the direction of the districts. And because the districts aren't unmanageably large, you can find most things quite easily.”

  Curiously, my gaze followed his finger. In the corner where we had just turned, an engraved stone was set, showing a stylized sun. On the other side, several engraved stones were visible. I couldn't make them out clearly, but it looked like a mountain was on one and a kind of wave on another. The pattern on the last one was indiscernible.

  “What does the sun stand for?” I inquired, continuing to look for these waystones.

  “The sun stands for the Sunrise District, also called the Eastgate District. Shall I perhaps tell you a little about the districts while we drive?” the driver asked with a friendly smile. With a broad grin, I nodded eagerly.

  I felt quite stupid for knowing so little about the city I lived in, but until now, there hadn’t been time.

  “The round city walls give our city its name—Aegis—because it is built like a bulwark,” the driver began proudly. “At the center is the Central District, The Spire, where the Royal Palace stands. The royal family lives there, and furthermore, the most important noble families of the city reside there too, such as the Dukes and a few Marquesses, or so I’ve heard. To the north is the Northgate—Mountain View District, named after the highest peaks. Mostly simple citizens live there, but bordering the Central District are The Gilded Heights, situated higher up and strictly monitored. That’s where other nobles live—Counts, Viscounts, Barons, and other wealthy city dwellers.”

  He expertly navigated a busy intersection marked with a stone showing a stylized scale. “To the east lies the Eastgate—Sunrise District. You can surely figure out how it got its name,” he explained with an expectant glance. Since I didn't know what to say, he just chuckled. “The sun rises in the east. Most artisans and suppliers live and work there. The Westgate—Lake View District is located directly on the city’s large lake. That’s where the docks are, and also the Grand Canal Market—the largest trading place in the city. What you can’t get there, you’ll only find in noble cellars or the Arcane Sanctum.”

  He guided the horses down another street lined with workshops and warehouses. “And that brings us to the last one: the Southgate—Grand Valley District. We are currently in its central part, where most of the City Watch, adventurers, and mages live. In the northern part is The Bastion, housing the Arcane Sanctum, the City Watch garrison, and the Adventurers' Guild. In the southern part lies The Breach—by far the most dangerous part of the city. Not only are the slums located there… No. Somewhere hidden is said to be the entrance to the Hollows—the city’s underground. But even more dangerous… is the Dungeon. Centuries, perhaps millennia ago, when the city was founded, an immense fortress was built—the Bulwark. Not to keep people away… but to prevent the downfall of humanity. Supposedly, creatures from hell emerged and threatened to devour everything. Ever since, adventurers have descended into the depths… for fame, honor, wealth, and to protect our home. But only the bravest dare enter the great, ominous archway carved from black stone.