The room was quiet when I returned after midnight patrol. Moonlight cut through the narrow window, striping the floorboards in silver. I unbuckled the rapier, set it against the wall, and rolled my shoulders. Forty-year-old habits died hard check corners, check locks, check for anything out of place.
Nothing moved.
I knelt by the wardrobe, pressed two fingers to a rune carved into the baseboard. A soft click. The panel slid aside, revealing a recessed iron safe no larger than a bread box. Michael Lambert's memories supplied the combination: 7-21-14. The dial spun smooth under my thumb.
The door opened.
Inside: five neat stacks of gold coins, each wrapped in cloth. Fifty thousand per stack. Five million gold total.
I exhaled once. Slow.
Rich kid perks.
I closed the safe, spun the dial, and slid the panel back. The coins stayed where they were for now. Money was leverage. Leverage bought edges. Edges kept people alive.
Tomorrow, I'd spend some.
---
Dawn briefing was short. I handed Garrick the updated patrol map with the sealed grate marked in red.
"Weld it shut. Quietly."
He nodded. "Yes, sir."
I dismissed the men early. Told them to eat, rest, sharpen blades. They obeyed without question. Good.
I changed into plain black civilian clothes still sleeves folded, still ponytail, still silver rose pinned inside the collar where it wouldn't flash. No captain's insignia. Just a man with a thin purse and a long shopping list.
The academy gate guards saluted as I passed. I gave them a lazy two-finger salute and kept walking.
---
Aetheria: the world.
Five continents. One ocean. Medieval bones, magical sinew.
- Elyndor (current location): central continent, temperate, rolling hills, marble cities. Home to the Aetheria Academy. Ruled by a council of archmages and noble houses.
- Veyra : northern ice wastes. Berserker clans. Rune-forged weapons.
- Sylvara : eastern jungles. Elven enclaves. Living wood cities.
- Korath : western desert. Nomad mages. Sandships powered by wind crystals.
- Thalor : southern archipelago. Pirate kingdoms. Sea monsters tamed with song-spells.
And then we have
–Malvor : the unknown. Nothing remotely has been spoken good about that place beasts roam there as well as darkness.
Magic tech:
- Crystal lamps in streets no fire, no smoke.
- Aether rails between major cities warp gates but horse back are still primary means of transportation
- Communication orbs voice only, no video.
–Skill cardsrare, consumable, one-use. Imprint abilities directly into aura or mana pathways.
I was in Elyndor's capital district, three miles from the academy. The market sprawled across the old quarter: cobblestone streets, three-story timber buildings, stalls under striped awnings. Smells of roasted meat, ozone from spell vendors, and horse dung.
I moved with the crowd. No hurry. Eyes open.
---
The shop I wanted wasn't on any map.
In the book, Elara Voss our future heroine stumbled into it while fleeing bullies. A narrow alley, a crooked sign: "Curios & Oddments Proprietor: M. Voss" (no relation). The old man inside sold junk and miracles in equal measure. Elara would later buy a short-range teleport card (50 meters, mana-dependent, no use limit) and a lightweight armor card (mithril weave, self-repairing). Both would change the story but it was more like she was just collecting pokemon cards nothing more so...*snatched *
I wasn't here to steal her future.
I was here for everything else.
The alley was exactly where memory placed it between a bakery and a scribe's stall. The sign hung crooked, paint peeling. I pushed the door. A bell jingled.
Inside: dust, shadows, and the faint hum of dormant magic.
Shelves sagged under books, cracked potions, dented helms. A glass case on the counter held skill cards in velvet trays. The old man behind it white beard, one eye milky looked up.
"Morning," I said.
He grunted. "Browsing or buying?"
"Buying."
I laid three gold coins on the counter. His good eye sharpened.
"Looking for practical. Not flashy."
He shuffled to the case, unlocked it with a brass key. Laid out four items.
1. S-Rank Rapier – "Whisper"
- Blade: folded star-steel, mono-edge.
- Hilt: black dragonbone, aura-conductive.
- Weight: 600 grams.
- Property: silent draw, ignores mid-tier wards.
2. Edge Enhancement Card
- Permanent. +20% cutting, +15% balance.
- Compatible with any bladed weapon.
3. Fitted Gloves – "Iron Grip"
- Black leather, rune-stitched.
- +20% physical strength while worn.
- Self-sizing.
4. Lightweight Armor Card – Mithril Weave
- Self-sizing, self-repairing, weightless.
- Absorbs up to A-rank impact.
5. Short range teleportation – 50meters
I pointed. "Sword, edge card, gloves, armor card, teleportation card. Price?"
He scratched his beard.
"Sword's S-rank. Thirty thousand. Edge card, one thousand. Gloves, eight hundred. Armor, two thousand, teleportation card, 4 thousand. Thirty-seven thousand eight hundred total."
I opened my purse fifty gold coins clinked. I counted out coins, and stacked them neat.
"Done."
He wrapped the cards in oilcloth, tied with twine. The rapier came in a plain leather sheath no crest, no flourish. I buckled it on. The balance was perfect. Like it had always been mine.
I took the short-range teleport card also, That one was Elara's but I have left the rest for her. I'd make sure the rest stayed on the shelf until she needed them. But these are all mine.
---
Back at the academy by early afternoon. I slipped through a side gate the guards didn't monitor. Up the servants' stair to my quarters. Locked the door.
I laid the purchases on the bed.
- Armor card : crushed against my chest. Warmth spread. Black mithril weave shimmered into existence under my shirt weightless, flexible, strong as steel.
- Edge card : pressed to Whisper's blade. Runes flared, faded. The steel sang faintly.
- Iron Grip gloves: slipped on. Leather molded to my hands. Strength surged subtle, controlled. I lifted the old rapier one-handed. Effortless.
I sheathed *Whisper* at my hip. The old blade went into the wardrobe. Out of sight.
Five million gold minus 37,800 = 4,964,200 left.
I sat at the desk, opened the security log, and wrote:
> "Acquired defensive and offensive enhancements. No breaches. Grate sealed. Patrols adjusted."
No mention of the shop. No mention of S-rank steel. Just facts.
---
Evening drill. I wore the new armor under the uniform. *Whisper* at my hip. Gloves tucked inside my belt. No one noticed. Garrick reported the grate welded shut. I nodded.
"Demonstration in three days," I said. "We yield on the third exchange. Keep it clean."
He saluted and left.
I stood on the parapet after dark, city lights flickering below. Crystal lamps along the streets. Aether rail whistle in the distance. Somewhere out there, Elara Voss was still a nobody. Somewhere closer, Seraphina was reviewing ledgers by candlelight.
I touched the silver rose pin.
*Paper weights don't win wars.*
*But a silent blade, a strong grip, and a body that won't break can change the board.*
I went inside. Locked the door. Slept with *Whisper* under the pillow.
Tomorrow, more drills.
Tomorrow, more watching.
The story hadn't started.
But I was already armed.
---
Purchases (Michael):
- S-Rank Rapier "Whisper"
- Edge Enhancement Card
- Iron Grip Gloves (+20% strength)
- Lightweight Mithril Armor Card
-Short-range Teleportation (50 meters)
—
Left for Elara (untouched):
Moonweave Cloak.
Aetherial Signet.
Veil of Whispers.
Starshatter Daggers (pair)