"Untethered by the laws of nature, free of any worries."
***
The last rays of the sun died, and the first darkness of the night came.
In one of the numerous alleys in the Commoners district of Bellamy, a fox-kin boy lay on his back on the frigid ground.
His face bore random reddish cuts, as if countless daggers were trailed on it. One of his ears was clipped, leaving him with a mark that would be a testament and a memento of what unfolded in this corner of the world.
Dry blood covered his half-torn attire, as if bloodthirsty wolves who got bored of their meal ravaged it.
Beside his beaten-up self in companion was a silver, broken pocket watch with woven designs that could raise a brow from a master silversmith.
The boy's body lay there motionless, all except for his heaving chest, which followed a rhythmic pattern. Like the ebbs and flows of the sea.
All of a sudden, a disturbed mumble sounded from his throat as a rattling cough cried out, accompanied by a dark, reddish, gooey substance. Blood.
Soon after, silence ensued. But it did not last for long as the sobs of a hopeless soul howled, plagued with heavy questions.
'What did I do to deserve this? What have I done to them? Why did they steal my parents from me? Why?'
Amidst the falling droplets of tears from his round hazel eyes, which mixed with the blood that dried on his cheeks, a breeze blew, tickling his dusky ears, and it carried with it words of inquiry. Words that seemed to have a sense of comfort.
"Tell me, what do you wish for?" The words buzzed everywhere, like the chorus of bees on a flower bed.
Although faint, what the words said did not fall on deaf ears as the boy's crying subsided.
Exerting the meagre bit of strength in his frail body, the little fox-kin replied as blood trickled from his injured lips, not even bothering to identify who spoke.
"I w-want everything… to go back to h-how it was…"
A suspenseful stillness befall the alley. Another whisper didn't arrive, crushing the boy's heart, which had been teeming with hope.
'Was it all in my head? Have I finally lost it?'
Invaded by such pessimistic thoughts, the boy resumed his series of sobs before his body couldn't hold it anymore and was lured into a deep sleep. Beneath the two celestials of unequal measure.
***
Bellamy, Noble District, Firlake street.
The celestials above showered their illusory lights upon the people of Bellamy. Consoling any unfortunate fellow in hardship and providing solace to any lone person.
Lunar lights danced on the book's pages, titled 'An Adventure Worthy of a Lifetime.'
Coy turned to the next page.
He just had dinner a moment ago and has been reading ever since. This became a usual routine to pass time in Coy's life, and it has been fruitful. Every time he opened a book, he gained more knowledge about Mundus. Whether they were fables or facts.
He whispered as he took in the words of the book in front of him: "This Romak fellow is one daring person. To think he would actually rush towards the maws of death... However, his attempt at creating a distraction for his party was a success, so I guess his efforts were not wasted."
The Adventure, Romak. The first seed to sprout after the mighty dragons and crafty vampires. An elf.
A being with similar physical appearance as vampires and humans, except for the fact that they had longer ears than both and were reclusive in nature. But not Romark the first.
He was the pioneer of exploration and discovery and wandered every space Mundus had to offer.
It was said the winds were his to command. Flying him from perilous destinations and fending off any harm that headed his way.
Coy thought out loud in puzzlement. "Wasn't magic discovered later on? How did he even command the winds?"
{Hmm… Romak. An eccentric one he was. Him and his so-called sworn brother.} Said Chóros with a weighed-down tone.
Coy closed the book and relaxed his posture. He asked, {Were you friends with him?}
This was a good opportunity to make this old cube spill some memories. Chóros usually kept it to himself; however, one can only do so for so long. And Coy was not one who would let such a chance pass by.
A deep sigh came out. {Haa, he was one of my close friends. We used to make up songs together on his journeys, him and his sworn brother. Haha, those two were a crazy bunch. I remember one time they dragged me into one of their messed-up schemes, which almost killed Romak.}
Coy chuckled and expressed his amusement. {He sounds like an interesting person to be around. I doubt I would ever be bored if he and I were friends… Who was his sworn brother? For them to be around a person this prominent, their presence is thin.}
Chóros snickered and said, {Not surprised. He was a crowd-shy. Anyways, don't disturb me now. I'm almost understanding how this energy works.}
Saying so, Chóros went back to examining the ether nesting in Coy's abdomen.
Coy shook his head before standing up and leaving his room to go to Aelfryn's study room. It was still a bit too early to sleep, and he didn't have anything better to do than to chat with Aelfryn.
Standing in front of a wooden door, he knocked.
"Come in," a muffled voice said.
He opened the door and saw Aelfryn with his white robe engraving something on a blue cloak.
'…Is that not my uniform, which I will be wearing tomorrow?'
Frowning with confusion, he picked up a chair and sat at a distance from Aelfryn to not disturb his work.
The room was built like the average office rooms seen in scholars' homes. There was a bookshelf on the corner, a few chairs, and a desk that Aelfryn used to carry out his work on.
There were also pots filled with plants placed on the window sill and a framed picture of the headmistress, which hung on Aelfryn's right side.
Aelfryn continued on with his work, and Coy watched him with interest. After a short period, Aelfryn looked up from the uniform on his table and apologised to Coy. "Ah, sorry for making you wait. I often get pulled too much into my work, especially when I'm doing enhancements; it requires a little bit of focusing, you see."
Coy waved his hand and said in return, "It's alright; I understand you. Setting that aside, is that my uniform? Even though he made it on such short notice, it looks flawless. Incredible."
Aelfryn laughed and took the uniform with his hand before tossing it to Coy, who caught it in one motion.
His hand gently brushed against the soft fabric material that felt like cotton. The uniform was a hooded, cerulean clock with golden interlocking stripes on its sides.
There was an emblem on the right side with multiple hands forming a circular parameter around an open book, accompanied by a sword.
Coy inspected it meticulously and saw corporal runes swimming around in chaos. He glanced at Aelfryn for answers.
"Those are rune enhancements for practical purposes. Currently, there's self-regenerative, size adjustment, temperature regulation, and armour runes engraved into your uniform." Explained Aelfryn as he put a fountain pen into his spatial ring.
Coy nodded in amazement before looking back at his uniform.
When he finished scrutinising every detail of it, he said to Aelfryn with his head tilted, "Only this?"
"Were you expecting more?"
'What… do students of this world only wear robes to educational institutions?'
Rubbing his temples, he inquired, "What am I supposed to wear beneath this?"
Finally noticing the issue plaguing Coy, Aelfryn lightly smacked his forehead and answered, "You can wear anything below your uniform. The cloak is used to represent your year and is only required for you to wear it in the academy. Though it's up to you if you want to wear it everywhere."
"I see. But is that not too lax?" Coy brought forward the main issue in his mind. If people were to be given unnecessary freedom, they might go beyond what's considered common sense. He had seen it happen firsthand.
Aelfryn simply shook his head. "Students of the academy are to dress appropriately. A certain dress code is maintained. Whoever doesn't follow it will probably get suspended or more, depending on how far they go. But that has never happened since most of the students are from respectable households and want to uphold their image. As for the minority, they are too afraid to lose the opportunity to study at the best academy in the world."
Coy felt that was a valid point. "Well, that's good then."
He held the cloak high and said, "How do I activate the runes?"
Hearing that, a cheeky smirk found its way onto Aelfryn's face. He stood up and said in Ekiyan, "Robe, adjust to a small size."
In front of Coy's gaping eyes, Aelfryn's long robe became short until it reached his chest.
Aelfryn gestured with his hand for Coy to try it.
Coy, wanting to experience something magical, did not hesitate and put on his cloak before saying the same words as Aelfryn. Although he had arrived in Ekiya a few days ago, he rarely spoke in its language.
However, nothing happened.
'This is awkward. Where did I go wrong?'
He took a peek at Aelfryn and found him placing his hand on his mouth. 'This guy…'
The opportunist cube said with a clear tone, {Tsk tsk, to be fooled by a junior.}
A vein comically bulged on Coy's head. {Weren't you busy with something else?}
Before things could turn more difficult for Coy, Aelfryn faked a cough and said in an apologetic voice, "Ahem, it seems that I have forgotten to mention that you have to be blood bonded to your uniform before issuing commands. You just need to put a drop of your blood on the cloak; don't worry, it won't stain it."
Looking briefly at Aelfryn with narrowed eyes, Coy grew his thumb nail a bit and poked his index finger, drawing a drop of blood. He dropped it on the uniform, which instantly absorbed it.
"Now you can try it." Aelfryn confidently gave the go.
"It better work this time." Coy growled.
He wore it again and said in Ekiyan, "Cloak, adjust to a small size."
The long cerulean cloak shortened just like Aelfryn's own before reaching Coy's chest.
Coy moved his arms around to check if it would restrict his movement when he wielded a sword. Unsurprisingly, it didn't.
"Mr Fraz is a good tailor." Commented Coy out of the blue while still moving his arms, making Aelfryn chuckle.