Daytime life in Viridi wasn't much different than that in any other human settlement. Those who didn't give up could be seen struggling to improve their situation or simply make a living.
Life in a world with large competition is never easy, even less when surrounded by people with supernatural powers. Even if on the surface the streets were clean and guards could be seen every few minutes, the world is never truly how it looks like.
People suffer, everywhere, and always, that is an absolute truth. And this world, unfortunately, isn't a utopia.
Cyril could feel it. Not from one individual, but many positions all around them. Among the people who wandered the same road, among the vendors of fast food[1] in the stalls at the roadside, from some shady individuals hidden in some alleys, and even from a guard!
Cyril's refined instincts, who kept silent for many years, seemed to have unconsciously awakened ever since he approached the city. Only at this moment did he truly understand the value of his sixth sense.
The feeling of being observed isn't comfortable, but it definitely cannot be ignored… Most of the time. Fortunately, there are always exceptions… Especially if you are aware of who exactly is observing you, in that case, forget about being uncomfortable, there is nothing more satisfying than watching those foolish monkeys acting all stealthy, without even knowing they have been long since being exposed.
That was Cyril's situation at the moment, yet he simply ignored them and kept walking while observing this weird phenomenon.
It has been around half an hour since the duo walked into the city, and at this point, Marlon stopped… After reaching the central plaza, Marlon's hands started shaking and tears slowly accumulated under his reddened eyes.
When Marlon resumed walking, Cyril didn't say anything, he simply cut off the bridge between their minds. With the emotional storm raging within his heart, Marlon didn't realize a thing, he kept walking as if hypnotized toward another gate.
Above the gate, between two banners representing Venan's coat of arms, the words "Internal gate" were engraved in large characters. In front of the gate, a wide bridge connected it with the central plaza, while at its sides, two 100 meters-tall grey mage towers protected it.
Tens of invisible observer-type constructs were flying around, scanning anyone nearby.
Differently from the previous one, the "Southern gate", a name that Cyril came to learn while listening to some humans, this one was heavily guarded by both ordinary guards and mages. Beyond the Internal gate, there was the noble district, an area where only people of a certain status, or with enough money, could enter.
The moment Marlon reached the gate, two guards stopped him and started questioning him. From the distance, Cyril couldn't hear what they said but he took notice of the guards' solemn expressions.
Less than a minute later, Marlon was surrounded by a squad of 10 guards. They assumed a protective formation around him and began marching into the noble district.
Cyril didn't feel much for that guy, his thought process was simple. 'We will meet again, if fate wishes so.'
After half an hour since they entered Viridi, Cyril already had an idea of what to do.
For this reason, he turned around and his gaze fell toward the most eye-catching building in the plaza… The public library.
Cyril could only give a satisfied nod at the sight of the 3 storey building in front of him. The materials and runes used for its creation were impressive, worthy to belong to the only relevant building in this little city.
The main entrance was located on the first floor[1], to reach it people could either climb the semi-circular perron[2] or use a lifter from the ground floor.
A few meters above the entrance, the image of a tower surrounded by a three-layered magic circle was projected in multi-coloured ethereal light.
Between the projection and the entrance, a series of emerald-coloured words stood out.
- Knowledge is power. -
On the ground, at the end of the perron, a series of arcs could be seen extending for the whole building's perimeter.
Cyril walked into one of those arcs.
The ground floor was open to everyone, Cyril saw even an extremely poor-looking man enter the building.
After entering, there were 3 simple notices written on the wall in front of him:
1 - Speaking or making noise is forbidden.
2 - The area is under surveillance.
3 - Please, report your entrance into the building to the formation array before proceeding.
Cyril immediately waved his right foreleg near the ethereal blue circle below those notices, the circle blinked twice before turning green. Following the shift in colours, the formation automatically tried to establish a link with his mind; soon after, a map of the floor appeared in his mind as well as a navigation route pointing toward the non-human section.
After following the instructions while navigating the multiple corridors, Cyril reached what he could only describe as a room tailor-made for beings like him.
The automatic door opened the instant he came near it, allowing him to admire a small room with a large futon; and nothing else. It was just enough for him to fit in and lay comfortably.
The moment Cyril laid on the futon, the door closed by itself and the lights turned off. Only then did the magic begin, multi-coloured ethereal lines began forming around him before converging into a flat screen.
On the floating projected screen, there was written a guide on how to use it. Cyril skipped it by pressing the appropriate box and went directly into the "available books" section.
Although basic books wouldn't usually be worthy of his attention, in this situation where he has been "disconnected" for over 2 decades, even basic information is extremely important to him.
Like this, Cyril began diving into that sea of knowledge to create a clear image of what is going on around the world. Hours passed before Cyril stopped reading… Not because he was done but simply because he received a notification from the formation array.
"An apprentice spell-weaver has asked to meet you outside the library (Hidden section: He has been waiting outside for a few hours before deciding to send this message)."
Cyril knew that someone would have tried to meet him, yet he was somewhat surprised by the other party's patience. Reluctantly, Cyril got up and followed the map to reach that person's position.
The moment Cyril's figure came out from one of the arcs, a human approached him immediately. While scrutinizing that human, Cyril made sure to use his sixth sense as much as possible. Fortunately, he didn't feel any malicious intent.
The young man in front of Cyril was a mage, it was clear both from his aura and the robes he was wearing. Every human on the planet would be able to recognise those grey robes.
The young man spoke as soon as he arrived "Sir, I apologize for disturbing your studies, I was ordered by my master, the official mage Celeborn Lazarus, to deliver you an invitation to his tower."
Hearing the somewhat panicked words of the apprentice, Cyril nodded, indicating for him to keep talking.
The apprentice mage took a few seconds to catch his breath before resuming speaking, this time being slightly more at ease.
"My master's tower, the western tower, is open for you to visit anytime you desire; However, if you want to speak with my master now, I can directly accompany you…"
Less than 3 seconds later, Cyril came to a decision… Although there was a vast collection of books in the public library available for free, it was far from exhaustive enough for him.
Only someone with enough status, like an official mage, would have access to the relevant knowledge stored in the libraries of the Venan kingdom.
Soon after, the apprentice mage led the way toward his master's tower, creating a slight disturbance as the nearby commoners cleared the way and bowed in sign of respect for the young mage.
- - Author note - -
[1] first floor: In British English "first floor" is used for the floor above the ground floor. (I wrote this note mostly because after searching on Google, I discovered that this is how it works in Europe, in American English the "first floor" means "ground floor" as well…)
[2] perron: An exterior set of steps and a platform at the main entrance to a large building such as a church or mansion. (Tbh, I'm not sure if I used this word correctly or the description gave the correct idea)