Kinty walked down the shores of Alden City to his favorite spot. It was a calm rocky space; the sound of water crashing on the rocks created a clear and reassuring feeling. The air was warm and gently caressed his skin.
A figure could be spotted on the horizon. Kinty was a little surprised, not expecting anyone to be there. Despite its tranquility, this place was really lonely, as if devoid of life.
"You have taken my spot. Leave," Kinty said, sitting not far from Silvia.
She was baffled. "She haven't bought this place, have you?" she asked incredulously.
"Nope, but it's my spot. Go and cry somewhere else. You make this place seem dead," he continued.
Silvia blinked, taking a look at the figure. "You!! I am not crying to begin with, and how could you even know?" she said, not looking in his direction, shielding her face.
"My mother used to cry a lot," his voice landed with a sigh. Silvia cast her gaze at his handsome profile. It looked like he was being rude, but was he trying to lighten her mood? It was a first; her heart pounded.
"With someone as stubborn as you, why wouldn't she?" Silvia joked.
"She made a wrong decision," he said, the rock underneath his foot fissuring.
Silvia's eyes flickered in shock, uncertainty gripping her. Tears trickled down her face once more.
"Why don't you stop crying already," he hastily said, feeling guilty. Why did he suddenly start speaking about his family? "You look amazing with a smile," he said, a little embarrassed.
Silvia's teary eyes blinked.
"Don't dream too much. It's just because I owe you nothing more," he said, standing up and walking away. He had nothing else in his head. He wondered how she was. His heart squeezed, remembering her delicate face.
Silvia was speechless, staring at his disappearing figure. Who did this little kid think he was, a king? She couldn't help but laugh at his last expression, feeling he was indeed cute.
....
Midrel and Amarok strolled through the town of Alden City. The atmosphere was joyous. Today, many people from various types had flooded the roads.
Many would enter and leave the town, making business and selling their stuff. Under normal circumstances, they would have to pay fines to sell in Alden, but today was the open day for the town.
On this special occasion, people from all over the area could enter Alden to sell their products and would only pay a minimal fee for processing.
It was much better than on normal days. One could easily make huge profits selling on this day.
That's why many people would barely sell anything and wait for this day. They could easily double their profit.
Amarok quickly spotted Joan coming their way. He was full of smiles and receiving a few crystals from strangers.
"Looks like you're rich now," Amarok said.
"Not yet, still far from it. What are you doing here? Do you need something?" Joan asked.
"Nope, just..." he pointed at Midrel ahead with an embarrassed smile.
"I see. If you need to buy something, come see me. There are a lot of thieves in town today," Joan warned seriously before leaving.
Amarok stared at the sky. Today, it wasn't clear but cloudy. The void was gray, as if it threatened to rain.
The winds were powerful, blowing away some articles that were light on the street. The children cried, rising and falling.
It was extremely rowdy. Amarok followed silently behind Midrel until the bridge that joined Alden and the mainland.
It was immense. Standing on one corner, Amarok tilted his head down. The water was running wild today. Waves flowed with monstrous power. Winds blew his hairs to the side; he trembled slightly.
Fortunately, the bridge was solid. It had an invisible aura that protected it from the currents.
"The weather is horrible for an open town," he said to Midrel. He was the talkative type and couldn't stand her silence. She simply cast her gaze over the horizon, deep in thought.
Today, Midrel looked different. Her heavy eyes were surely due to the planning of this event and setting up of the security. She must not have slept a lot.
Alden was huge, and she needed to take care of the security of the entire town. Amarok was impressed staring at her. Despite her obvious fatigue, she stood upright and alert.
But that aside, something seemed to be troubling her. "Why don't you take a rest and let the celestial guardian handle everything?" Amarok proposed.
"I can't. If something happens, I need to take charge. Don't worry, little brath ; I have seen worse," Midrel said.
"Who will be daring enough to try something today?" Amarok couldn't think of anyone. It was to be noted that Alden was one of the biggest cities in Lower Elysium.
Today, a great part of the celestial guardian was there: The Aetherial Midrel, the city Lord, Alden academy headmaster, Sky of the Silver clan, the arcana elders.
That was without counting all the hidden dragons among the people strolling the streets today. Many came from afar and without guards.
If they could travel such distance without having their belongings stolen, they had to be capable.
Moreover, the bridge connecting Alden and the mainland acted as a strategic pole, making it very easy to defend the town, and that was only what he knew. The city surely had strong defense; otherwise, it wouldn't have lasted so long.
"The sky is turning dark; we should return in," Midrel said, a little dejected. She had gone through a lot of work to set up everything, yet the weather was about to spoil everything.
The clouds were turning more and more dark. The water underneath the bridge burst with full strength.
Amarok felt a chill run through him. He regretted not covering himself better today. He stared at the soothing garden, worried.
The suspense was intensifying. When they were about to enter, figures appeared at the other end of the bridge.
There were two of them. They both wore hooded robes.
Their faces obscured. They wore robes of a light shade of black, adorned with runes featuring skeleton symbols and hieroglyphs at the bottom edge. Their aura was calm yet oppressive.
The leading figure halted his step, the sky cracked open, dark lightning striking from above. His hooded face was illuminated, revealing an eager smile.