Ruiki looked about, noticing it wasn't so dark yet. The sun sometimes sets slower than the other days, the weather, days and nights erratic after the Last Embers.
After suggesting to his mother that they'd be better off changing their house, Ruiki gathered some money and left his house, wandering onto the streets.
It would take a while to convince his mother, even more of a time to get her to make a decision, during which, the hidden threat of the Baron's actions might visit them in flesh.
He wasn't too eager to just watch as the Baron's contingency plan came into play, but the whole Wind Flower City was the Baron's hometown, and Ruiki had little he could do to change things.
But Ruiki held onto some hope — his mother, hoping she'd find a remedy for this problem, just like she always did.
Though he was reluctant to let her deal with such a sensitive matter — one of the causes of his father's death — Ruiki merely had no one to ask help for.
As another sigh was heaved today, Ruiki walked through the streets made with polished stones, wooden structures and shops on either side, being mildly decorated.
Ruiki saw that in some of the shops, fox masks with red eyes and whiskers were being sold, and in the others, there were many board games — a popular sport in the south — being sold.
Unlike in the North, where there was access to the "internet," the Southern side of the Eastern Continent didn't have such luxury, entertaining themselves with plays, books, board games and theatres.
The Wind Flower City itself, was famous for the board games and the hospitality it offered to traders and merchants, with a solemn atmosphere present within it and the many monuments and structures worth watching.
Wind Flower City was a point which the northerners had to cross to enter the Southern Kingdoms, after all. And it had to have such hospitality to attract tourists and flourish economically.
It's a pity, the Eversin mountain ranges are a bit far from the City. Otherwise, it'd had been a perfect tourist spot, Ruiki mused, looking at his surroundings that he felt he could now enjoy.
Being trapped in that prison cell with darkness being his only companion, Ruiki appreciated a lot of things he saw nowadays, even the smallest of things that he'd had ignored before.
Ruiki soon passed the Dual-Mirror District behind and entered the Vanilla District, entering a library that he used to visit often.
"Bright Night Wares," it was named, a famous library within the city.
Ruiki opened the door as wooden ornaments clapped, bringing about a rough yet enjoyable sound.
Although this "library" had a general purpose store on the backside, most of the wares in the front consisted of spellbooks and historical books, with a blend of cultural and political books kept in an aisle, presenting an almost versatile category of books to be found.
Ruiki entered and saw that the way the bookshelves were arranged was different than the last time he'd had seen, causing him to raise a brow in curiosity.
The layout's been unchanged for years, I wonder what brought about the sudden change?
Going around, he noticed that the librarians he usually saw were not present, the whole place lacking any conversation or sounds — as expected of a library — but Ruiki sensed something amiss, as the library was mostly visited by the locals, and the locals and the librarians knew each other, usually leading to explosive banters in groups.
Noticing numbers in the bookshelves that helped navigate the place, Ruiki felt that the library was foreign. Even the wood the bookshelves were made of were changed!
Opening a few books on the bookshelves, Ruiki noticed a new batch of imported books, and also a few of the old ones that he'd had already read.
Feeling puzzled amidst the peril, Ruiki went to the counter with a few books in hand, navigating while looking at the bookshelves.
Ruiki soon found the counter, placing the books on it as he looked at the only librarian in the whole library.
Ruiki noticed that the librarian — the owner of the library and the general store behind — had changed.
In the place of an almost sixty-years of age old man, now sat a man in his mid to late forties, sitting on the chair solemnly.
"The previous owner... May I inquire what happened to him?" Ruiki asked politely, not asking the man outright 'if he was hired.'
"He has sold the place, went somewhere safe," the man with black hair burns said, examining the books, "The impending war has forced a lot of hands."
"What about his grandsons? Are they going with him?" Ruiki asked, for the oldman had grandsons who were in the north, working as Law Enforcers ostensibly.
"Don't know, the last time I saw him, he was all alone." The librarian said, lifting his gaze up. "25 coppers, if that's all."
"That is all," Ruiki confirmed as he handed over the coppers, feeling a pang in his chest. It had normally cost him twice the less it had now, to buy books and items in the store. But now, it looked like he'd had to watch his savings carefully, lest they disappear.
Taking the books, Ruiki glanced at the nameplate in front of the man — something he hadn't done so in his initial surprise — as he read the man's name.
Diablo Orsent... A northerner? The man's accent and features didn't indicate as such. Ruiki would've recognised a northerner when he first saw one, for their skins were paler than the Southerners.
But the man in front of him had a slightly tan skin, with the common black hair, his demeanor entirely of the Kingdoms.
Bidding the man farewell, Ruiki left the library, grabbing a few sweets worth 6-7 coppers along the way as he reached his home, studying the books he'd bought in his room.
For a change this time, he had bought a historical fantasy book — one that had images depicted on the pages — which cost him a fair bit less than the spellbooks.
Though he suffered a loss due to the changed librarian, it wasn't a great deal so Ruiki ignored it, reading the famous historic book of the Eastern Continent, "Tale of Last Embers: Black Dragon's Wrath part 2."
Having already read its prequel a few months ago, Ruiki found that the sequel consisted of a different setting and new background.
The "Black Dragon" series was a mixture of both fantasy and exaggerated events, with a hint of historic glory rewritten under various fantasies.
Although most of the content in this series was purely fantasy, there were elements of "reality" among them, as the author had described.
But it was a book read by both northerners and southerners, regardless. So were the books of Last Embers and books of Kvenz-Es I, the previous Emperor.
Although Kvenz-Es I was worshipped like a deity in the Southern Kingdoms, the northerners also respected him and preached his beliefs, although not all of them.
Nonetheless, the book was interesting to read.
It was one of the few books that had started using the name of the God of Fables in the beginning, preaching His teachings alongside.
After reading a fair chunk of the book and placing a bookmark, Belite rose from his chair, noticing it was late into the night as he headed downstairs to eat dinner.
His mother was waiting for him along with Na'ari, who was already eating dinner and urging her mother to do so.
Seeing this, Ruiki commented, "You don't have to wait for me,"
His mother smiled and replied, "It is only fair," before taking out the steamed rice and placing it in a porcelain bowl, letting it cool down before cracking an egg on top.
Ruiki received the bowl and added some spring onions along with berkvila — a famous topping consisting of a mixture of spices — before he ate his dinner in silence.
The family didn't talk much during dinner, as they mostly preferred silence over meaningless chatter — except his sister, ofcourse.
"Hey, Ruiki has more fish than me!" She pointed at him, accusing him of something rather obvious.
"Are you sure you can eat all the pieces?" Their mother confirmed, placing a few pieces of roasted fish on her plate after Na'ari nodded.
In the end, though, Na'ari was unable to finish her share, as always, making his mother eat the rest as Na'ari went to sleep.
"I have been thinking," his mother suddenly said, making him stop eating for a moment. "that your... Idea, is more... rational, shall we say?"
Ruiki nodded, looking her in the eye.
She continued: "With an impending war brewing, the city is going to be in turmoil, and is the first wall of defence that needs to be brought down."
"How long the city stands, depends on the King's response," His mother smiled faintly, "
...and knowing him, the city won't hold up a single night."
Ruiki nodded grimly, "That's why people are relocating. Even the owner of Bright Night Wares has moved out,"
"Is that so..." She nodded, expression pensive. "I think... we should relocate as well,"
Her words took Ruiki abruptly by surprise as he asked, "Really?"
His mother nodded, "With the war and Ployer's plots, this place is no doubt unsafe for our family. It is best to relocate,"
"Where should we go, then?"
His mother smiled. "Due to Ployer, I doubt we can stay in the Kingdom of Shattered Stars anymore." she said, "Even moving to other Southern Kingdoms is difficult, considering "his" influence and the war, in which negotiations are made,"
His mother's smile dimmed. "Although I have not experienced a war, I can only think of one place that is currently safe,"
Ruiki asked curiously, "And that is?"
His mother smiled, her pearly white teeth faintly visible. "I say..."
"We go to Madilan."