Chapter 18: A Robe Man
The sky shone with a fresh morning sun. Somewhere nearby, a rooster crowed—
"Kukudukuuuu!"
The trio got ready for the day. Samy stretched, glancing toward Ryken.
"Wait... where's your cart?"
Ryken replied while tying his coat, "Returned it to the guild when we left Elyasia."
"Haaa? Then how are we going?" Samy raised an eyebrow.
Ryken blinked. "Wait… the guild cart should be picking me up every day… Ah—there it is."
Sure enough, the guild-assigned cart pulled up outside. They climbed aboard and set off.
As they rolled down the cobbled street, Ryken leaned toward Shinra and the little dragon.
"You two—don't pull anything unnecessary. Behave yourselves."
Shinra nodded, "Yes, sir."
---
At the Guild Headquarters
Upon arrival, Ryken escorted them inside and stopped at the enquiry counter. He nodded toward the receptionist.
"Take these two for admission processing."
The receptionist gestured for them to follow and led them up a spiral staircase to the second floor. They stopped at a small office, where a man in a green mage uniform was seated behind a desk, pen in hand.
The receptionist knocked.
"Sir, they're here."
"Come in," said the mage, not looking up yet. His gaze rose as they entered.
He blinked at Shinra and Lizz.
"Have a seat."
They sat quietly.
"Good morning. My name is Vaelstrom," the mage said with a calm voice. "Marcus told me about you two. Didn't expect you this early."
Samy nodded politely. "I'm Samy."
Vaelstrom nodded. "And what's your name little boy?"
"My name's Shinra. And this little one is Lizz—my friend."
Vaelstrom raised an eyebrow at the dragon, then turned back to Shinra.
"Just as a general question, he ask."
"So, what do you want to be?"
Shinra smiled. "I want to explore the world. To learn about it's history."
For a moment, Vaelstrom didn't speak. His eyes lingered on the boy with something unreadable behind them.
Samy chuckled softly. "That's a big dream. You know kids—dream big."
Shinra shrugged. "I know."
Vaelstrom pulled out a form from his drawer.
"Well then, let's begin your paperwork."
---
Meanwhile – In Marcus's Office
Ryken walked briskly through the hall and knocked on a large door.
"Come in," Marcus's voice called out.
"Morning," Ryken said, stepping in. "I have a report."
"Go on."
"Through my network, I found something. A full-scale war is being prepared—by the Governor Council. I couldn't identify which country yet, but it's big."
Marcus's brows furrowed.
"First they targeted the remains of Wisdom. Now another country? Something's not right."
Ryken nodded.
"Feels like a coordinated effort. Like someone's pushing this from the shadows."
"And what about Samy?"
Ryken hesitated.
"No leads. The name he gave us—'Samy'—doesn't show up anywhere. Not even once in the last 50 or 60 years."
"That's strange."
"I did find one thing—an old record from the Celestial Guild. The name 'Samy' appeared once, mentioned alongside another name—Loki."
Marcus's eyes narrowed.
"Loki?"
"It says both fought a god… and were killed by a Fool."
"God? Fool? That sounds like that war—the one between the Revolutionaries, Guilds, and Governors. The only time Guild and Governor allied."
"Yes. That war ended in a truce, but the details are vague."
Marcus leaned back, frowning.
"Loki… I swear I've heard that name before…"
After a pause, he waved Ryken off.
"Forget it for now. Anything else?"
"That's it."
"I'm heading to Elyasia tomorrow to meet the Grand Master. He wasn't there the last time."
"Alright. I'll keep my eye on him," Ryken said before leaving the room.
---
Later ....
Back at the guild, Shinra and Samy were thanking the receptionist for helping them through the process.
Ryken spotted them from the staircase.
"Hey Shinra—you done?"
"Yeah, we were just about to head home."
"Good. Come with me. The cart will take you."
They followed him to the parking lot, where he instructed a driver to take them back home.
---
At Home – Evening
Later that day, the doorbell rang. Shinra opened it and found Ryken holding a bag.
Shinra peeked inside the bag as he walked to the hall—there were warm loaves of bread and puff pastries.
Ryken went straight to shower. Samy was already at the sink, washing dishes.
Shinra couldn't resist. He opened one of the puffs and took a bite.
"Shinra!" Samy called from the kitchen. No reply.
"Shinra!" he called again. The boy mumbled something through a mouthful.
Samy walked into the hall, narrowed his eyes, and snatched the bag.
"Tch. Why are you eating before dinner? You need to finish your meal first."
"I'll still eat dinner! No problem!"
"Then come help me set the table."
After Ryken returned, the three sat down for dinner.
"I've got a meeting tomorrow for the bakery," Samy mentioned. "It's at noon. I'm not taking Shinra, so you'll need to take him to the guild."
"No problem," Ryken said, chewing. "Tomorrow's my day off."
"Really?" Shinra grinned. "Then you'll train me, right?"
"You wish," Ryken replied with a smirk.
Another quiet evening passed under the glow of a silver moon.
---
Somewhere — In a Distant Village Called Humde
In a quiet forest far to the east, a village hidden among the trees—Humde, home of demi-humans.
A hooded man In a green robe stood outside a rustic wooden tavern. His face was hidden by shadows. Slowly, he pushed the door open.
Inside, the bar was lively. Laughter, clinking mugs, the smell of grilled meat. As he stepped in, silence spread like wildfire. Eyes shifted toward him, wary.
He sat at a table.
A fox-eared waiter approached politely. "Good evening, sir. What can I get you?"
The man's voice was cold and deep. "Information."
The waiter's smile faltered. "Sorry, sir… we don't deal in information. Drinks? Food?"
Without warning, the man grabbed the waiter by the neck and slammed his head into the table.
Chairs scraped. Shouts rang out. Several demi-humans lunged at him.
But in a blur of motion—it was over.
Everyone lay groaning on the floor. The robed man stood over a struggling bearkin warrior, pinning him down with one foot.
He twisted the man's arm back and leaned down.
His voice was like thunder.
"Eric."
"Do you know someone by this name?"