Chapter 2
As the boy followed the strange cat-like animal, the towering mountains that had once dominated the horizon began to fade into the distance. The world he knew—a prison of stone and silence—was slipping away step by step, and with it, the familiar tower shrank into a mirage, its solitary window nothing but a distant glimmer. He glanced back one last time, feeling a tug of nostalgia mixed with excitement. "I have to move forward," he whispered to himself, a smile breaking across his face as the mountain behind him became a blur.
He found himself running with an ease that felt foreign yet exhilarating. The animal's speed, once daunting, now seemed natural to him. His body felt light, every step a ripple of energy through the ground. I'm keeping up with it… No, I'm surpassing it, he thought, almost laughing as he realized his newfound agility. The forest blurred around him as his senses heightened, and before long, they reached the bottom of the mountain, where an imposing wall rose up from the earth, stretching endlessly in both directions.
The boy approached the wall cautiously, recognizing the familiar hum of energy that had surrounded the door back at the tower. Instinctively, he reached out, but his hand was met with an invisible barrier, a second skin wrapped around the stone. "Why can't I touch it?" he muttered, pushing harder in frustration. The cat-like creature, however, had already begun to act. Pressing its head against the barrier, it concentrated deeply, and the world around them seemed to still. The very air grew heavy, and the boy felt rooted in place, unable to move as the creature's power intensified.
A beam of brilliant white light shot from the animal's head, slicing through the barrier with a surge of energy. A small opening appeared, just large enough for them to pass through. The boy stared, awestruck. "You're doing this for me?" he asked, but the animal, struggling from its exertion, simply nudged him forward. Wasting no time, he stepped through, the creature following close behind.
On the other side, the cat collapsed, drained from the effort. As the boy knelt to help, a sudden flash of light enveloped them. When the brightness faded, the cat was gone, replaced by a glowing necklace now hanging around the boy's neck. Its gemstone pulsed with warmth, and though it was now a simple accessory, the boy could feel the animal's presence within it, comforting him. "So you're still with me," he whispered, clutching the necklace. The wall loomed before him again, but his resolve had only grown stronger. "I need to move forward."
His heart pounded in his chest as he walked towards the wall, and as he neared it, the hexagonal symbol etched into the stone began to glow in response to his presence. The necklace reacted too, casting a faint light. Before his eyes, a passageway opened, a dark and narrow tunnel that stretched into the unknown. With only a moment's hesitation, the boy stepped inside, moving cautiously through the oppressive darkness. It was cold and silent, but far ahead, he could see a faint light beckoning him.
"I should be used to the dark by now," he mumbled, quickening his pace towards the end of the tunnel. Emerging on the other side, he was struck by a wave of unfamiliar sights and sounds. The tunnel spat him out into a bustling city, a stark contrast to the isolation he had known. Carriages rattled down cobbled streets, children played and laughed, and merchants hawked their goods to throngs of people. The boy's eyes widened in amazement. "Where… am I?"
The city was alive with movement, the air filled with the scent of food, smoke rising from manholes, and guards patrolling the streets. Every corner brimmed with life. The boy, overwhelmed with excitement, darted from one place to another, soaking in every detail, but before long, his stomach growled, reminding him of his hunger. Drawn by the delicious aromas, he wandered to a nearby merchant's stand selling steamed potatoes.
He reached for one without thinking, but a gruff voice stopped him. "Hey! No free handouts here, beggar. Pay up or leave," the merchant growled, a large man with a round face and a neatly trimmed mustache.
Startled, the boy withdrew his hand. "How… how much is it?" he asked.
"Ten runes for a potato, five for half. Anything else costs between fifteen and fifty," the merchant said, his eyes narrowing.
The boy's heart sank. He had no money, nothing to trade. "Please," he pleaded. "I'm really hungry. I promise I'll pay you back."
The merchant scowled, but after a pause, he sighed and, with a furtive glance, handed the boy a steaming potato. "Just this once. And don't tell anyone."
Overcome with gratitude, the boy thanked him profusely and ran back into a nearby alley to eat. But before he could take a bite, he heard voices—taunting, cruel. He turned the corner and saw a group of students bullying another, who was crumpled against a wall, his uniform tattered and dirty.
"You should've kept your mouth shut," one of the bullies sneered. "Telling Professor Rosselle about the tower expedition was a mistake."
"I was just doing my job," the beaten boy, stammered. "You put everyone in danger, Luke!"
Luke, the leader, grabbed him by the collar. "Your job?!, don't piss me off, the only job you have is to wag your tail between your legs like a good dog while we front liners carry your butts through the tower," he snarled.
"Hey!" the boy shouted, stepping forward. "Leave him alone!"
Luke turned, his face twisting into a mocking grin. "Look, boys, a beggar thinks he's a hero. Get lost before you regret it."
The group of students followed in allegiance and began laughing while ignoring the boy's words, turning back around to start picking on their classmate again. Before they could continue, the boy came around the corner saying, "I said stop!" as he ran full speed towards the group of students.
Before they could turn around and react the boy that was behind them was now in front of their faces protecting the bullied kid. "How did he move so fast?" they muttered in shock.
Luke's grin vanished, replaced by a cold, calculating expression. "You have no idea who you're messing with, do you?" he said, stepping closer.
Sensing danger, the boy grabbed the kid getting bullied and leaped back, narrowly avoiding Luke's grasp. "RUN, Luke is a miles vitae, he has a contract with a god and can use the power of a saevus, you wouldn't stand a chance against him if he gets any angrier", said the student the boy he saved as they dashed away.
"Block him", Luke ordered the group of students as they all dash towards them.
Startled by the boys actions, the other student started to chant together, "Oh, Goddess of nature, bring the earth to my fingertips and the elements to my disposal, lend me your power to rule the land and its inhabitants, murus terrae!". The ground began to shake and the same feeling the boy felt when the barrier was opened came back but this time it was weaker. Huge rock pieces began to form behind the boy as a giant wall replaced what used to be the exit of the back alley.
Panic rose in the bullied boys eyes. "We're done for! There's no way out!"
"You really thought you could get away from me", Luke said hysterically while walking towards them. Reading the surrounding area the boy tried to figure out how to escape their demise. He noticed that to keep the wall up the 4 students behind Luke had to maintain a unified stance and inferred if one of them were to break out of it the wall would crumble.
"Hold up I've got a plan", he said to the bullied student as he got off the wall.
"There's nothing you can do; you don't have a saevus and without one you can't harm them", said the other student worriedly as he hopelessly slid down the wall.
The distance between me and the 4 students in the back is about 6 blocks away, he thought as he counted the blocks on the ground.
As Luke neared him he reached his hand out once more putting it over the boy's head. Anticipating this the boy jumps over Luke using his arm as a stabilizer and hops across the wall adjacent to Luke avoiding any obstacle thrown at him across the way.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING GET HIM!", shouted Luke as he scolded them.
One of the two students broke the formation weakening the wall, but still kept it up and proceeded to shoot what looked to be pieces of rocks towards the boy. Dodging the shots while avoiding the debris, he grabs the rocks and throws it at the two students, jumping to the side of one of the boys' blind sides and kicking him sending him flying in the opposite direction. Seeing this the other students break formation and target the boy. Seeing them struggle frantically, he uses the confusion and jumps over them causing one of the boys to collide into each other and fall down. "Three down," he whispered, his breath coming fast. "One more to go."