Vespera, the "Everlit City", as it was known to the rest of the world, stood as a monument to progress and innovation. The bustling factories, towering skyscrapers, thriving businesses, and great economy made it the perfect place for those with ambition and big dreams.
Yet beneath its radiance lies an isolated region deliberately hidden from view: The Gloam.
Beneath the hollow grounds of the Everlit City, sprawled The Gloam. A maze of crumbling buildings and narrow alleys that served as the home to Vespera's most unfortunate. Hidden away from the eyes of polite society and ignored by the authorities, it had become a lawless land, a wretched hive of crime and violence.
The people who lived there though, rarely had a choice. Either being born into poverty or cast out from the glittering Metropolis above. It was a harsh existence, and the fight to survive was constant and unrelenting.
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*Pant* *Pant*
The young man dashed through the twisting alleyways while clutching a loaf of bread tightly to his chest. His purple cloak drifting in the air behind him as he twisted and turned in an effort to escape the men chasing him. He had run out of breath a while ago and his chest was burning, but he couldn't afford to stop.
"You're only delaying the inevitable!" one of his pursuers yelled out, the sound of his footsteps growing closer every second.
He rounded the corner into an intersection, his eyes scanning everywhere for an escape. To his left was a thug with a grin and a rusty pipe in hand, straight forward was another, cracking his knuckles menacingly.
With no other option and overcome with panic, the young man darted to the right. His heart sinking when he found himself staring at a cold, solid brick wall.
A dead end.
The two thugs closed in, cornering him in the small alley. Their leader emerged from one of the paths, his appearance making it clear he was in control. The large man wore a tailored jacket that could have only been purchased with ill-gotten wealth, very much unlike the ragged attire of his goons.
Things only seem to get worse as the leader snapped his fingers, conjuring a flame that flickered in his hand.
"Please, just let me go," the young man begged to the thugs, his voice trembling as he clutched the loaf of bread tighter. "It was just a piece of bread… I hadn't eaten in days."
The leader who was clearly unimpressed, raised an eyebrow at him. "You think I care about a piece of bread?" he said with a tone full of mockery. He took out a cigar from his pocket and lit it up with the flame in his hand. "No, what I care about is the optics."
The leader placed the cigar in his mouth and took a long drag, a cloud of smoke swirling around him as he breathed out. "Brats like yourself don't steal from me and walk away without facing the consequences."
The young men's heart pounded faster and faster as the leader took another puff and gestured his men forward. "Teach him a lesson."
The goons advanced towards him, banging their weapons on the wall to instill dread.
With his back against the wall, the young man held out his trembling hands. "Please… don't come any closer." he said, his voice was unsteady and laced with fear, but not for fear of them, but of himself. "For your sake."
The thugs chuckled at the young man's words, their grins widened as if his warning was the funniest joke they had heard all day.
The leader however, didn't quite share in their amusement. His expression turned to anger, his ego was bruised by the young man's audacity.
"You should've just stayed silent," the leader spit out, his voice filled with anger. The flame in his hands sparked up, growing larger and larger, increasing with his fury. He moved forward and pushed his goons out of the way.
"Step back. I'll deal with this brat myself."
The thugs wishing not to anger their employer further, moved to the side of the alley as their boss hurled a massive fireball straight at the young man.
The young man's breath hitched as the flames came closer. Just as the ball of flame was about to snuff him out, his eyes snapped open, glowing a deep purple.
Almost instantly, a burst of magic expelled from the young man's body, the chaotic explosion illuminated the alleyway with a rainbow of colors. Beams of fire, ice, light, shadow and other forms of magic were blasted in every direction, engulfing everything with uncontrollable energy.
The thugs in the corner obviously didn't stand a chance. The both of them were struck by blasts of pure magical energy, flung around and folded like laundry. Even an unfortunate rat coming out of a dumpster was struck by a beam of transmutation, leaving behind a brick where it stood.
The leader, who was scared out of his mind and had just realized the power of what he had provoked, conjured up a barrier in a desperate attempt to protect himself.
However, it proved useless as the barrier crumbled under the awesome power it stood against, shattering like glass as the energy overwhelmed him.
Finally, the leader collapsed with a grunt, his clothes now scorched and torn apart.
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.
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When the young man finally regained consciousness, he felt his body ache, and his mind was cloudy. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, blinking as he tried to piece together what had just happened. The alley was quiet and almost empty, the air filled with the scent of burnt concrete.
His heart pounded as his gaze fell on the thugs who were prepared to end him a moment ago. They now lay scattered across the alley, their clothes singed and their weapons incinerated. They were still alive, although barely.
The young man gazed around the alleyway and saw the loaf of bread, miraculously still intact, resting on the floor.
He crouched down to pick up the loaf of bread, wondering how it even survived but relieved nonetheless that it was still intact. Just as his fingers hovered over the bread, he stopped himself.
The bread laid there untouched. He should've taken it, it would've probably been the best meal he had eaten all month. But the desire to eat it had disappeared from his body, and his mind felt different.
Whatever power he had just tapped into had seemingly wiped away his hunger and fatigue. It was almost like he had been rejuvenated, the emptiness in his stomach felt full, and the heaviness in his limbs disappeared.
With one final look at the alleyway, and seeing the thugs beginning to recover. He adjusted the hood of his cloak, pulling it low in order to obscure his face, and slipped quickly from the alleyway.
The young man made his way out of the alleys and into the main streets of The Gloam, where buildings that were falling apart lined the roads and shady shops filled every nook and cranny.
People zoomed past him on enchanted items that probably shouldn't have been enchanted but that was a common sight in this part of Vespera.
The air was thick and carried the noise of vendors calling out, the sounds of clanking metal from god knows where, and the murmurs of conversations. The Gloam truly felt alive, but there was always a certain heaviness to it that pulled his mood down.
After about three minutes of walking, the young man found his way to an abandoned building, which he had made his home over the past few months.
The walls were cracked, the roof probably should've collapsed ages ago, and there was giant hole that let the occasional beam of light through. It wasn't what you would usually call a home, but it was shelter, and to him that was enough.
He entered and sat down on the floor, using the wall as a headrest. He stared at his hands, still feeling the strange magical power lingering beneath his skin.
"Another arcane release…" he mumbled himself while rubbing his hands together in frustration. It wasn't even the first time his powers had unleashed itself uncontrollably. He had no idea why it kept happening or what triggered it.
And as far as he knew, he didn't come from any magical lineage, so where did this even come from?
His mother had been an ordinary woman, who had worked hard to provide for him on her own in the Gloam. She did her best, but the Gloam had claimed her life when he was just 13.
Since that day, he had learned how to survive on his own, fighting for every scrap of food, and every bit of warmth from a fire.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small locket, opening it carefully to reveal a picture of his mother and himself when he was about 10 years old. He caressed the photo with his finger for a moment, then whispered, "I wish you were still here to guide me."
The Gloam had taken every bit of happiness in his life. His mother, his childhood, and now he had magic, a power he couldn't control. He closed the locket slowly and slipped it back into his pocket, letting his head fall back against the wall and closing his eyes.
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.
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Sunlight from the hole in the building shined directly on the young man's face, forcefully waking him up. Shaking his head a few times he managed to wake himself up fully, realizing he had dozed off where he sat down.
As his gaze become clearer, he froze up from what he saw. A three-eyed eagle was perched in front of him, it's eyes fixed on his face. Before he could even process anything, the eagle flapped its wings and flew through the hole in the building.
Where the eagle had been perched, there was now a small letter.
The young man leaned forward and picked up the letter, inspecting it, and noting the rose-shaped seal keeping it shut. He recognized the emblem from a poster he'd seen floating around, it was the symbol of some sort of prestigious mage academy.
Cautiously, he resolved to open the letter and broke the seal, instantly a bouquet of pink roses sprouted from the letter, a magical vibrance blooming with it. The young man jumped back, understandably startled at the sight.
After it had stopped growing, golden letters began to appear on the surface of the bouquet. Each letter shimmered and hovered in mid air as they spelled out this message:
Dear Arden Solwyn.
On behalf of Pinkrose Academy, we are pleased to extend an invitation for you to join our esteemed institution for the upcoming academic year. We had detected a growing magical presence within you, and one of our staff came to the city to confirm our suspicions, and they were… confirmed.
After some considerations, we believe that your latent magical potential is too great to ignore. We at Pinkrose are most privileged to offer you the opportunity to learn to control your magic and study at our academy.
Should you choose to accept our invitation, please make your way to the Vespera Airship Bay in precisely 23 days, 2 hours, and 50 minutes. We hope to see your presence there.
With love, Pinkrose Academy.
The bouquet began to crumble after Arden completed reading the message, it's petals disintegrating into nothingness.
The only thing left behind was a single piece of paper. Arden bent down and picked it up, inspecting it carefully. And what he saw was a carriage ticket, the destination? The main city of Vespera.
His hands began shaking as the weight of the moment fully set in, and tears streamed down his face. This was it. This was the chance he had been waiting for, the chance to build a better life for himself.
Clutching the ticket tightly in his hands, he mumbled, "Finally…"