The names—Eldoria, Veridia, House of Solar, Stonefist—all swam in my mind, a whirlwind of information too vast and complex for me to grasp. The simple world of the Gloomwood, with its aetheric flow and shadowed paths, felt like a distant, faded memory. I stared at the bowl of stew, the steam rising from it, and felt a familiar feeling of being overwhelmed.
Bram, seeing the dazed look in my eyes, let out a soft chuckle. "Too much, eh, lad?" he said, his voice dropping from its usual booming cheerfulness to a more gentle tone. "Don't you go chewing on it all at once. The world is a lot to swallow, even for old dogs like me. You don't have to understand it all at once. Just go out there and visit every place, see everything, and you'll know more about it than any map can tell you. The world is its own best teacher."
I nodded, his words bringing a sense of calm to the storm in my mind. He was right. I couldn't learn it all at once. My journey was about experiencing, not just knowing.
"So, tell me something about you, Kael," he said, changing the subject. "You said you came from the Gloomwood. Not many folks make it out of there, alive or sane. What's it like? And what about your family?"
I chose my words carefully, revealing only what I felt was necessary. "It's… quiet," I said, trying to describe the profound silence of my home. "Full of old trees and shadows. My grandfather, Elias, was my family. He taught me everything."
Bram listened intently, his expression a mix of curiosity and respect. "A good man, I'd wager. To raise a lad like you in a place like that. He must have been fiercely protective." He paused, looking at my quiet demeanor. "He seems to have taught you well, at least about survival. But not much about world, eh?" he laughed, tapping the table. "Speaking of which, you still owe me for the information and the stew."
I reached into the hidden pouch inside my tunic. I remembered yesterday, when I had found a small silver coin after selling a particularly rare Gloomwood herb to a traveling herbalist. I had no idea of its value then, only that the old man seemed pleased with the exchange. I was going to find a silver coin in my pouch, but my fingers brushed against something else—a heavy, perfectly round disc with a regal face stamped on it. My mind immediately went to the gold coin I had tried to give the baker. It felt important, heavy.
I pulled it out without thinking, holding it in my palm and offering it to Bram. "Will this do?" I asked, my voice still a little hesitant.
Bram's eyes widened, and he suddenly slammed his hand down on the table, covering the coin. "Woah, woah, woah! Stop right there, boy! What are you doing? Trying to buy the whole inn?"
My face flushed with confusion and embarrassment. I looked at him, then at the single gold coin under his hand. "I... I just thought it was a different kind of coin," I stammered.
He shook his head, a mixture of exasperation and genuine concern on his face. "You really don't know the system, do you? Kael, that is a gold sovereign. The highest form of currency in the Lumen Empire." He leaned in, his voice a low, serious whisper. "One of those... one gold coin is worth a thousand silver coins. And a thousand silver coins is worth ten thousand bronze coins. You're holding enough money to live comfortably for years. Where did you get that?"
The weight of the coin suddenly felt immense in my hand, as if it were a solid block of suspicion. Elias had always lived simply, in a stone sanctuary with old scrolls and simple herbs. Where could he have possibly gotten a pouch full of such immense wealth? Had his life in the Gloomwood been a lie? Had there been secrets I was never meant to discover? The protective warmth I had always felt from him now felt like a cage, a purposeful shield that had kept me ignorant.
Bram must have seen the shock on my face. "Don't fret, lad," he said, pulling his hand away from the coin. "Your secrets are your own. But you can't be walking around with a pouch full of those things. It's an invitation for trouble. If you need to exchange them for smaller coins, go to the Golden Merchant Association. It's the most powerful organization in the empire, and they deal with all manner of coin, trade, and exchange. Just ask anyone on the street, they'll point the way."
I nodded, my mind still reeling. The conversation was over. I pushed the gold coin back into the pouch and paid him with a few coppers, which he accepted with a wry smile. I took my meal and retreated to my room, the quiet solace a welcome relief from the overwhelming chaos of the inn.
I closed the door behind me and sat on the edge of my bed. The gold coin felt like a burning coal in my pouch. My grandfather's simple life, the lessons, the pendant—they all suddenly felt tinged with a deep, unsettling mystery. I knew I needed to anchor myself, to find the calm in the storm.
I sat on the floor, crossed my legs, and closed my eyes. I pushed aside the clatter of the city, the confusion, and the new doubts about Elias. I reached inward, finding the familiar flow of the Aether and the deep, silent hum of the Umbra. I let them flow through me, the light and the dark, the life and the shadow, balancing them, controlling them, and pushing back against their wildness. It was a meditative state, a practice that Elias had taught me to find my center. I was not just Kael, the bewildered traveler. I was also a keeper of ancient powers.
As the energies settled within me, my mind cleared, and my purpose became sharp again. I would find out the truth.
In the morning.
I would go to the Golden Merchant Association.