When coming to the Lost City, the first thing that Wanderers learned about were its four Districts. North, South, East, and West. Just like the four Districts of Anneve. Except, in the Lost City, the four Districts formed only the outer city. The inner city, on the other hand, was more like the core city of Anneve, which could not be accessed unless certain conditions were met. Like clearing the Final Trial. Or receiving approval from the city’s council.

  Though, even if people met those conditions, to enter those restricted parts of the city, they would have to know where it was first. And that was where the Star Seeker’s dilemma came. Fortunately for them, they did not have to waste weeks, or even months, searching for the inner city. They had a guide, who was willing to lead them all the way to the inner city. Three guides, in fact. All women, one of whom, came uninvited.

  “…What is she doing here?” Cecilia said, staring at the woman standing next to Tia and Nubia. “Did you invite her too?”

  “Of course, not,” Alnea said, trying not to let the girls see his eyes. He was still adapting to lying without the disguise of his Aspects. And he was not very good at it. “Maybe she is also going to the inner city.”

  “…That does not explain why she is waiting with the other two Wanderers.”

  “…Maybe they are good friends.”

  “…I do not think friends would stand so far apart from each other.”

  “Or refuse to look at each other.”

  “…Maybe they had an argument.”

  “Then what are they doing together?”

  “And how does she know that we are going to the inner city?”

  “…Why do you have so many questions?” Alnea said, waving his hands to the three Wanderers in the distance, before glancing back at his teammates. “Hurry up. The faster we walk, the sooner we will get to the inner city.”

  Not waiting for his teammates to respond, he quickly turned around, and picked up his pace, hurrying over to the three Wanderers, waiting for him near the stairs of the Blood Hall.

  “Good evening, Wanderers,” Alnea said, greeting the three women with a smile. “I hope that we did not keep you waiting for long.”

  “On the contrary, you are earlier than we discussed,” Tia said, answering Alnea’s smile with her own, while Nubia just nodded back to him. Only the last woman responded with a snort, with no signs on smiles on her face. But that was already better than what Alnea had expected, so he did not mind.

  “That does not change the fact that we kept you waiting,” Alnea said, just as his teammates caught up with him. “My apologies for—

  “Let us stop wasting our time with these meaningless trivialities,” the third woman said. “Just tell me, what did you call me here for?”

  The moment that the woman finished her words, Alnea felt a leg kicking his shins, and another hand pinching his waist, almost making him grimace in pain. Almost. As the Captain of the Star Seekers, he could not let himself be embarrassed in front of other Wanderers. Or even his own teammates, for that matter. But it was already too late to salvage his reputation in front of his teammates, so he could only try his best to save his image in front of other Wanderers.

  “…You should be able to guess what I called you here for, Wanderer Martha,” Alnea said, restraining his smile for a solemn expression. “It is time for me to repay the favour we owe you.”

  Martha stared at Alnea in silence for a few moments, before glancing at the two Wanderers beside her.

  “Do not look at me like that,” Nubia said, shrugging her shoulders. “I am just as surprised as you.”

  “…Was it you?”

  “No,” Tia said, shaking her head. “I know the consequences of breaking the rules. Both for us, and for him. Besides, he is just entering the inner city. What can he do even if I tell him?”

  “…You do not know?”

  “Know what?”

  “He—

  “You do not have to question them, Wanderer Martha,” Alnea said, bringing everyone’s attention back to himself. “The things I said are based on my own guess. And seeing your reaction, I can finally confirm my thoughts. You—

  “That is enough, Alnea,” Tia said, before glancing at the rest of the Star Seekers. “Since you have already figured out some of the secrets of the Lost City, you should know that sometimes, knowing more is not necessarily a good thing.”

  “…Perhaps,” Alnea said, glancing at his teammates, before turning back towards the three Wanderers. “This is indeed not the best place to discuss some things, but there are a few things that I must say. Especially to Wanderer Martha.”

  “…I do not have time for your—

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  “You cannot keep running forever, Wanderer Martha,” Alnea said before the woman could finish her words, not caring if she was an entire Rank above him. “You cannot—

  “Running away?” Martha said, glaring at Alnea. “You say that I am running away…? Do you even know anything about me, little brat?”

  “…You are right,” Alnea said, not caring about the woman’s tone or glare. “I do not know anything about you. About your life before coming to the Lost City, about what the city put you through, and what you lost. And I certainly cannot understand the turmoil in your Heart. But if there is one thing I know, it is that we cannot keep running forever. One day, sooner or later, we will eventually tire out. One day, we will have to face our fears. And you do not want to face your fears with your Heart in shambles…”

  “…A hairless brat like you, lecturing me on Heart…”

  “Though I do not think that I am a ‘brat’, I think I am qualified enough to lecture you on matters of Heart,” Alnea said, answering the sneer on the woman’s face with a grin. “After all, unlike your Heart, stained with regrets and guilt, mine is Clear as the Origin Sea.”

  “…Clear? You have already achieved the Clarity of your Heart?”

  “Is that really something to be surprised about?” Alnea said, glancing back at his teammates, who were looking at the dumbfounded woman with pride beaming from their faces. “I think more than half of my teammates have already achieved their Clarity, and the rest will also gain it by the time they leave the Lost City.”

  “…No wonder you were able to clear such a ridiculous Trial,” Tia said, chuckling at the reaction of the Star Seekers. “Those people would probably clench their stomach in regret once they learn that instead of halting your steps, their actions pushed you to an even greater height.”

  “It was just a fluke,” Alnea said, laughing along with Tia, before turning back to Martha. “So, what do you think, Wanderer Martha? Am I qualified enough to give you some advice now?”

  “…I think you have become too overconfident,” Martha said after a few moments. “Be careful, lest you fall even harder than me.”

  “…Maybe. But even if I fall, I will not give up.”

  “…Give up?” Martha said, and paused for a moment, before continuing in an unusually low voice. “When that time comes, whether you give up or not will not be up to you.”

  “Then I will never let that time come,” Alnea said, raising his right hand and clenching his fist. “I am sick and tired of other people trying to play with my life… Of trying to take away things from me, and bend me to their will. Of feeling helpless… Never again, I said to myself, when I saw my teammates almost die in front of me. I will never let anyone take anything from me. And if anything stands between me and my conviction, then I will just punch it away with my fists.”

  “…That is not how the world works.”

  “No, that is exactly how the world works,” Alnea said, taking a step forward, forcing the woman to look him into his eyes. “In this world, whoever has the bigger fists, wins. That was how things worked in the Age of Gods, and that is how things work in the Age of Wanderers. It has always been the strong who have the right to speak. The rest can only bow their heads, or try to become strong enough to gain that right for themselves.”

  Alnea paused, and lowered his voice, so that only those around him could listen.

  “I have already said everything I had to, Wanderer Martha. What you choose to do next, is up to you. Though, just to remind you, I will be leaving the Lost City soon. So, if you wish to raise your head, and try fighting against the world for your conviction once again, then you must make your decision before I leave. Of course, leaving with me will also come with its own risks. But that is all I can tell you for now. The rest will have to wait until you make your decision.”

  “…Even if you leave, I can choose other people—

  “With your mouth? Honestly, if we did not owe you a favour, I would never have thought of inviting you.”

  “…I do not need your—

  “But I also know that you have never had any bad intentions. On the contrary, you have always been thinking for our good. Or at least, for the good of a few of my teammates. You just do not know how to express yourself. Otherwise, you would have not risked offending the city’s council, just because it treated us unfairly.”

  “…I told you before. I just do not want to see those bastards having a good time.”

  “That is one thing we have in common,” Alnea said, letting out a light laugh, as he backed away from the woman. “Anyways, you know where the inner city is. So, if you make up your mind, you can contact me at any time. If I am still in the city by then, that is.”

  Martha chose to answer with silence, as Alnea turned towards the two Wanderers beside her.

  “My apologies for letting you witness such an embarrassing moment.”

  “Embarrassing?” Tia said, returning his smile with her own. “Hardly. If anything, I found your conversation enlightening. For you to have such an awareness of the world… I still remember how naive you were when you first came to the Lost City. Compared to how you have grown… Though I know that your growth does not have much to do with me, I still cannot help feeling a sense of contentment.”

  “…You are embarrassing me, Wanderer Tia,” Alnea said, as his smile turned awkward. “And you have helped me plenty. As have you, Wanderer Nubia. Without your help… without your guidance, I would not have grown to my current heights. And that is why I am giving you the same invitation that I gave to Wanderer Martha. Not just to repay the favour I owe, but also to show my gratitude. To help you—

  “You do not owe me anything, Alnea,” Nubia said, shaking her head, but with a gentle smile on her face. “I was just doing my duty.”

  “Still—

  “People have different ambitions, Alnea. Not everyone wants to fight against the world for their conviction. Neither do they care about bowing to fate if it brings peace to their Hearts. If you had asked me that question twenty, or even ten years ago, I might have agreed to your invitation. But I have already given up on that life. Now, I just want to guide young people, and see them grow into splendid Wanderers. Like you.”

  “But—

  “If you truly want to show me your gratitude, then help me walk the path that I never could,” Nubia said, widening her smile into a grin. “Become an Arcanist so good, that the whole world recognises you.”

  “…Does that even need to be said?” Alnea said, returning Nubia’s grin with his own. “I am going to become the greatest Arcanist in the world.”

  “…Then I will be waiting to hear your name resound throughout the world,” Nubia said, nodding her head, as she restrained her grin into a smile. “But for now, how about I lead you to the inner city?”

  “After you, Wanderer Nubia,” Alnea said, bowing slightly, prompting both Nubia and Tia to burst into giggles. Though the latter quickly restrained her laughter, and put on a dissatisfied expression.

  “Are you not going to ask for my answer?”

  “But I already know your answer, Wanderer Tia,” Alnea said, widening his smile into a grin once again. “Just like me, you cannot wait to grasp your fate in your own hands.”