The carriage moved with quiet and dignity, its wooden wheels cutting through the long road stretching toward new horizons, while the cold air leaked gently through the polished wooden windows to bite the faces with a refreshing coldness. In that moment when silence ruled, the peace of the trip was broken by the sound of a loud and annoying snore coming from the depths of Namiro's seat, who had surrendered to a deep sleep that the carriage's shaking did not interrupt.
Kialen took a deep breath of the fading night air, then turned to Hanabi, who was watching the road quietly, and asked her with curiosity:
"You haven't told me yet… where are we going? And what is the name of this region we are heading to?"
Hanabi looked at him with clear eyes and answered in a steady voice:
"We are heading to an area called the Arcanum Peaks. It is ruled by the Eleventh Kingdom, led by the majestic King Farnese Alincuro."
Kialen frowned a little, trying to recall any information from his limited memory, and said:
"Farnese Alincuro? I have never heard this name before in my whole life."
Hanabi's eyes widened with obvious surprise, as if she couldn't believe someone was ignorant of this name, and she asked him:
"Really, you haven't heard of his heroic stories? Or the legends told about his glories?"
Kialen shook his head honestly, confirming his ignorance, so signs of shock appeared on Hanabi's face. Then she began to explain to him in a serious tone full of pride:
"Farnese Alincuro is one of the greatest figures history has written. He participated in the Great War against the demons. It was a fierce war in which the entire human race united to face the danger of extinction, and the crushing battles lasted for three full weeks without stop. The kings of humans gathered from everywhere, and Farnese was one of them, even the most prominent; he contributed with his own hand in killing the demon kings and wiped out every demon who dared to participate in that war."
A heavy silence prevailed inside the carriage after her words, as if the weight of history had settled on the place. Then Kialen asked in a cautious tone:
"And are those demons still existing in our world until now?"
Hanabi nodded her head in confirmation and said:
"Yes, they still exist among us. They have their own kingdoms and academies that teach their arts, but they became completely peaceful after the thrones of their old kings were crushed."
Then she added with a mysterious smile to increase his wonder:
"In fact, you will find demons studying with us in the academy side by side… and there are also teachers from demon descent."
Kialen's eyes widened with real shock he couldn't hide; he never imagined in his farthest dreams a world where humans and demons share seats of learning. After a moment of thinking, he said:
"And the Arcanum Peaks area… is it just a place for the academy only?"
Hanabi smiled as she remembered the beauty of her homeland and said:
"No, quite the opposite. It is a famous tourist area that people visit from all places for the magic of its nature, and it is also the most protected and safe area in the kingdom because of the academy's presence there. And most importantly, the food there has a very delicious taste that is not forgotten."
As soon as the word "food" hit Kialen's ears, his eyes widened automatically with a spark of joy. Hanabi laughed at his spontaneous reaction, while Namiro's snoring continued in the background, echoing without mercy or stop.
Suddenly, the voice of the carriage driver reached them, speaking in a formal and dignified tone:
"My lady, we have now reached the main checkpoint."
Hanabi opened the carriage door and looked at Kialen with reassuring eyes and said:
"I will be back to you in one moment."
Then she went down to finish the procedures. Kialen sighed with annoyance as he looked at the sleeping Namiro and muttered with frustration:
"Namiro's snoring will surely blow my brain…"
Before he finished his complaining, the carriage door opened from the other side suddenly, and a man appeared wearing a formal blue uniform, his chest decorated with a crown emblem with a sharp sword in the middle, and on his hat was written in bold words: Inspection Guard. The man said in a stern tone:
"Your entry papers, please."
Kialen froze and opened his mouth to justify his situation, but Hanabi's voice came from behind the guard to save him:
"He is one of my family members who has been missing for a long time, and I finally found him in a far village."
The guard lowered his hat with respect and appreciation as soon as he saw her and said:
"A good day to you and your honorable family."
Hanabi returned to her seat inside the carriage, so the latter began moving again toward the huge city gates looming on the horizon. Kialen asked curiously about the reason for the many guards, and Hanabi answered that the area receives many travelers and tourists, and the guards are there to provide absolute protection and to catch any thieves trying to disturb the city's peace.
Kialen stopped for a bit then asked in confusion:
"But, why did they ask only me and didn't ask Namiro for her papers?"
Hanabi laughed and said:
"Because the guards here know me and my sister very well, and I have official entry papers registered for both of us, and they opened the carriage only to make sure."
Kialen understood the matter and nodded his head in silence and contemplation. After a short time, the carriage stopped completely and the driver said in a welcoming tone:
"My lady, we have arrived at our destination."
Hanabi opened the door and said with a bright smile:
"Welcome, Kialen, to the Arcanum Peaks."
Kialen got down from the carriage, and the warm sunlight hit his face to give him a feeling of refreshment. In front of him, high engineering buildings rose, and paved streets crowded with sellers and pedestrians, and the laughter of people and the sounds of children running with fun rose in them; life was buzzing with activity in every corner. He froze in his place from the intensity of amazement at this sophistication and beauty.
Hanabi said as she watched the expressions on his face:
"What do you think now? Isn't Arcanum Peaks more beautiful than you imagined?"
Kialen looked at her, his eyes shining with a spark of pure joy, and said sincerely:
"Thank you… If it weren't for you and your sister, my feet would have never stepped on such beauty."
Hanabi laughed, then hugged him gently while saying:
"No, I am the one who should thank you… because you were a help to my father in his loneliness."
Then she remembered her sister suddenly and said:
"Oh, I totally forgot my sister. Wait for me here."
She went back to the carriage, opened the door strongly, then hit Namiro on her head a light hit while shouting:
"Wake up, you lazy girl, we have arrived!"
Namiro muttered while rubbing her eyes sleepily:
"Did we really arrive?"
Namiro got down while yawning lazily and saying in a faint voice:
"I am very hungry."
Hanabi said while organizing their movement:
"Okay, we will go to eat first, then we head to help Kialen in getting his official entry card for the city."
Kialen's heart was filled with an overwhelming happiness he had never known before, and his heart was beating with excitement full of hope, and he thought to himself with firm determination:
"This is the beginning of my real journey… the beginning of the day where I will carve my name in letters of light in this wide world."