After a long while of wandering around, Nigel suggested they go to the merchant district. Nigel and Hope navigated through the deserted streets, their footsteps echoing off the crumbling buildings. As they turned a corner, the ruins gave way to a sprawling merchant district.
Nigel's eyes scanned the area, his grip on his cane tightening. "Hope, wait here," he said in a low and serious voice. "Take my cane and protect yourself. I'll be right back."
Hope nodded, her eyes wide with concern. Nigel handed her the cane, and she grasped it firmly, her eyes determined.
Nigel pushed open the creaky door of a nearby merchant shop, his eyes adjusting to the dim light within. The air was thick with dust, and the shelves lay bare, but Nigel's trained eyes spotted a few valuable goods amidst the wreckage. He gathered tools, dried meat, and a sturdy bag, his movements swift and efficient.
As he turned to leave, a low growl stopped him in his tracks. Nigel's heart raced as he slowly turned to face the sound. A brown dog, its fur matted and dirty, stared at him aggressively, its eyes narrowed.
Nigel wanted to run, but he hesitated. Instead, he reached for a piece of dried meat from his stash and tossed it at the dog. The dog's guard lowered as it began to munch on the treat, its tail wagging slightly.
He took advantage of the distraction to retreat from the shop cautiously, his eyes still fixed on the dog. He backed away slowly, his movements calm and deliberate, until he reached Hope's side.
"Let's move," he whispered, his eyes scanning the surrounding area. "We don't know what else might be lurking around here."
Hope nodded, her grip on the cane tightening as they continued on their journey. The brown dog looked in their direction before following closely behind them.
After half a day of roaming around, rummaging through crumbled buildings and old shops, Nigel and Hope were now on their way out of the city. From a distance, they saw two men fighting near the city gates. Slowing down their pace, Nigel's mind was now trying to formulate a plan on how they could pass by the gates without drawing those two men's attention.
But it seemed like luck was not on his side, because the two men suddenly stopped fighting and looked in their direction. Hope paused in her tracks, but Nigel reassured her that everything would be fine, continuing their slow advance towards the gates.
Twenty meters away from the gates, the two men suddenly stepped forward, with both arms raised. "Fellow survivors, where are you headed?" the man with a bald head and a mustache with menacing brown eyes spoke, his clothes torn and tattered, and his face full of dirt.
Hope grabbed the back of Nigel's coat in fear. Nigel, on the other hand, smiled and decided to take the dumb approach with the men, even though he could clearly see their intentions written in their eyes. To them, they saw nothing but two weak children, and in reality, that was what they were.
"Hello, we are headed towards the villages of Cangnour, which are half a day from here. If you want, we can go there together? Have you met any other survivors? We can form a group and travel together."
Nigel's voice was filled with excitement, like a child. Hope let go of Nigel's coat and took a step back in fear, wondering if Nigel had suddenly gone crazy. The two men smiled in a sinister manner, thinking, "Oh, what a fool."
The one in front spoke, "Give us the girl and the bag, then you may leave." His tone had changed. Nigel's expression changed to that of confusion.
"Huh?" he asked innocently. "I SAID GIVE US THE GIRL AND THE BAG IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO DIE, YOU BRAT!" The man roared, the one behind him took out a dagger and took a step forward.
But just when the man was about to act, the man with the dagger plunged the knife into the one with the mustache's chest. His surprised reaction said it all.
"How less of a man can you be? To attempt to take advantage of children like that. Scum like you deserve to burn in the eternal flame."
The one who plunged the dagger into the other's chest spoke in a deep voice. He was a man in his late twenties with a handsome face and a scar below his right eye. His ebony black hair was tied in a ponytail, and his grey eyes scanned Nigel and Hope.
Dressed in a navy blue coat that was buttoned all the way down, with black trousers and black leather combat shoes.
The man and Nigel exchanged gazes for some few seconds before the man raised his hands, trying to convey to them that he meant no harm.
"I am incredibly sorry you two had to experience such a traumatic thing, but if I had not done so, he would have surely done bad things to the both of you. But nonetheless, I apologize."
He spoke, kneeling down to retrieve his dagger, the moment he pulled it out, Hope closed her eyes, but Nigel stared at the whole process without batting an eye. He observed the man wipe off the dagger using the dead man's clothes and sheathing it into its sheath by his hip.
"Do not be scared, I am the city's Gatekeeper, Knight Adrian of House Somerset, at your service."
The man introduced himself, but Nigel was unfamiliar with the name, since he had never been out of the city before. But Hope seemed to know him, as she looked up to observe the knight carefully.
"It really is you, Sir Somerset. How did you survive?" Hope asked with restrained excitement leaking from her voice.
After all, Sir Somerset was a renowned knight in their city, mainly because he had once served under the royal family before being injured in battle and transferred to Delin five years ago. But instead of being in charge of the knight squires in Delin, he chose to be the Gatekeeper.
Nigel did not know any of this, of course, but seeing that Hope knew the man, he lowered his guard a bit, and his grip on his cane loosened.
"I was out of the city, escorting the Belling family, young lady. It's been two weeks since I had left. I returned yesterday, but it seems like the storm has already passed. There's no one for me to save."
The man's voice was low, with hints of regret in his tone. Nigel observed him quietly.
"Where did you escort them to... the Belling family, I mean?" Adrian raised his head to look at the boy, his eyes resting on his left hand, which was riddled with black inscriptions.
"The city of dreams, Padres. Why? Do you wish to follow them?" he asked, turning his attention back to the boy.
"The opposite, actually. Are you going to stick around this ruined city?" Nigel asked with a raised brow. He did not trust the man before him, but it seemed like he harbored no ill intentions, for now.
Adrian shook his head. "What would I be sticking around for? I need to go report this to my superior in Venus. Where are you two headed? Cangnour?"
Nigel smiled before answering, "No, Venus. We can travel together... we have stable food rations, plus with your skills, I believe we will be able to traverse to Venus comfortably."
Adrian chuckled. "Uh, a smart one, fine. Let us leave."
But before they departed, they all took one last look at the ruined Delin. Sighing, Nigel was the first to look back. Adrian and Hope took a glance at each other before following behind Nigel, who had his cane in hand.
A gentle breeze passed by him, and with it, so was a fleeting voice, "Be wary." Stopping in his tracks, he looked back, but he only saw Adrian and Hope. Smiling weakly, he resumed walking but having the two walk behind him made him feel very uncomfortable.
Far away, in a huge castle, a candle flickered silently, casting flickering shadows on the walls. The room had nothing but a table and a single chair in the corner of the room. Where the candlelight couldn't reach, a pair of two emerald eyes shone in the darkness.
The eyes seemed to be harboring a storm, and the owner of the eyes was veiled in darkness. But his soft voice could be heard, "Let us meet in Venus, little brother."
With that, the candle was blown out by a small gust of wind, and the only thing left illuminating the room was the two emerald eyes. The voice had a strange softness, one could not determine whether it belonged to a man or a woman. The light from the emerald eyes dimmed down, and darkness enveloped the whole room.