Chapter 19 — The City Beyond Ashvale
The gates closed behind them with a deep metallic groan.
Neither Zero nor Klaus looked back.
Ashvale was already behind them.
Not just in distance.
In every other way that mattered.
Ahead, Virel unfolded beneath the afternoon sun.
For a long moment—
both boys simply stood there.
The city stretched farther than the eye could follow. Stone roads branched into countless avenues lined with buildings several stories high, their white walls gleaming beneath banners embroidered with crimson and gold. Bridges connected rooftops overhead while streams of people flowed endlessly through the streets below.
Ashvale had felt alive.
Virel felt unstoppable.
"...It's enormous."
Klaus' voice carried genuine amazement.
Zero said nothing.
His eyes moved instead.
People.
Hundreds.
No...
Thousands.
Merchants negotiated loudly outside permanent storefronts. Craftsmen hauled timber toward construction sites. Couriers wearing blue imperial cloaks weaved effortlessly through the crowds. Soldiers patrolled the streets in disciplined formations, each movement synchronized without a single spoken command.
Nobody appeared idle.
The city never slowed.
It simply continued.
"...How many people live here?"
Klaus asked quietly.
Zero watched another wave of pedestrians pass.
"I don't know."
The answer didn't bother him.
It simply reinforced one truth.
Ashvale had been small.
Much smaller than he had ever realized.
They walked without any destination.
There was no reason to rush.
The Regional Examination would not begin for another three days according to the notice outside the southern gate.
For now—
they observed.
The market district sprawled across several streets.
Fresh produce from distant provinces filled wooden stalls while butchers carved enormous beast carcasses unlike anything Ashvale's hunters had ever brought home.
Essence crystals glimmered behind reinforced glass displays.
Weapon merchants openly sold equipment that would've been considered village treasures.
Yet nobody stared.
To Virel—
these things were ordinary.
Klaus stopped beside one display.
A crimson spear rested against a polished stand.
Its blade shimmered faintly.
"That's beautiful..."
The merchant smiled.
"Forged from the horn of a Peak Blood Beast."
Klaus blinked.
"...Peak Blood Beast?"
The merchant chuckled.
"First time in Virel?"
Klaus nodded sheepishly.
The man folded his arms.
"The southern frontier produces stronger beasts than most villages ever see."
His smile remained calm.
"If you plan on taking the Regional Examination..."
His eyes briefly swept over the two boys.
"...You'll be seeing worse."
Neither answered.
The merchant simply wished them luck before returning to another customer.
Further ahead—
the streets widened.
Stone buildings gradually gave way to larger structures carrying the insignias of the Empire.
Every banner shared one symbol.
A brilliant golden sun.
Yet beneath it—
different emblems appeared.
A crimson flame.
A crashing wave.
A mountain.
A bolt of lightning.
Klaus noticed them almost immediately.
"...Why are there different crests?"
An elderly bookseller arranging scrolls nearby overheard him.
"You boys aren't from around here."
"No."
"Ashvale."
Understanding crossed the old man's face.
"A frontier village..."
He nodded slowly.
"Then I suppose nobody ever taught you how the Empire is governed."
Klaus immediately became interested.
"The Solaryn Empire stretches farther than most people could travel in several lifetimes."
The old man pointed toward the banner bearing the golden sun.
"Above everything stands the Imperial Family."
"House Solaryn."
"The rulers of the Empire."
His finger shifted toward the crimson flame.
"Beneath them stand the Four Pillars."
"The four Great Duke Houses."
He pointed toward each banner in turn.
"House Ignivar."
"The rulers of the southern territories."
"The Crimson Wall."
"Our protectors."
His finger moved again.
"House Tideborne."
"Guardians of the eastern seas."
Then—
"House Stoneheart."
"The western mountains."
Finally—
"House Stormveil."
"The frozen north."
Klaus listened carefully.
"So..."
"We're in Ignivar territory?"
The bookseller smiled.
"You've been in Ignivar territory your entire lives."
"Ashvale belongs to the southern frontier."
He carefully rolled another scroll before continuing.
"The Duke governs the south."
"The Emperor governs everyone."
Zero quietly absorbed every word.
The Empire suddenly felt...
organized.
Structured.
Ashvale hadn't existed alone.
It had always been part of something much larger.
He simply hadn't known.
As they continued walking—
another district emerged.
This one echoed with the sound of steel.
Young Dominators trained beneath experienced instructors while soldiers supervised from elevated platforms.
Some practiced spear forms.
Others swung swords repeatedly beneath the afternoon heat.
Nobody complained.
Nobody stopped.
A young woman collapsed after exhausting her essence completely.
Her instructor merely waited.
The moment she regained enough strength to stand—
he pointed back toward the training field.
She resumed immediately.
Klaus watched silently.
"...They're serious."
Zero nodded once.
Strength wasn't admired here.
It was expected.
A commotion suddenly broke the rhythm of the street.
An elderly man carrying a basket accidentally collided with a finely dressed noble.
Several apples rolled across the stone road.
The old man immediately lowered his head.
"My apologies, my lord."
The noble never even looked at him.
He simply continued walking.
One of the accompanying guards stepped forward.
Klaus instinctively tensed.
Instead of punishment—
the guard calmly picked up each apple before placing them back into the basket.
He nodded once toward the old man.
Then followed after his master.
The entire exchange lasted only moments.
Soon—
the crowd resumed moving as though nothing had happened.
Klaus frowned.
"...He didn't even acknowledge him."
"No."
"...Isn't that rude?"
Zero continued walking.
"He didn't need to."
Klaus remained quiet afterward.
The answer lingered inside his thoughts.
The smell of fresh bread drifted across the next street.
Zero's steps slowed.
Only slightly.
A baker carefully removed warm loaves from a stone oven.
Without thinking—
she brushed flour from her cheek using the back of her wrist.
The movement was small.
Ordinary.
Yet...
familiar.
For a single heartbeat—
he remembered Mira doing exactly the same thing while smiling because Klaus had stolen bread before dinner.
The memory surfaced.
Then disappeared.
Zero continued walking.
He never looked back.
Klaus noticed.
But said nothing.
By late afternoon—
they reached one of the highest points in the city.
From there—
Virel stretched endlessly beneath them.
Far beyond the eastern horizon—
three colossal black stone rings floated silently above a distant mountain.
Each rotated slowly around an immense pillar of pale blue light that pierced the clouds themselves.
The sight stole Klaus' breath.
"...What is that?"
An innkeeper sweeping the steps nearby followed his gaze.
"The Southern Transit Nexus."
"You've never seen one?"
Both boys shook their heads.
The old man laughed softly.
"Only candidates who survive the Regional Examination ever pass through those gates."
Klaus looked back toward the rings.
"So they lead to the Citadel?"
The innkeeper's smile became strangely respectful.
"No."
"They lead to the Imperial Capital."
"The Regional Examination is only the beginning."
Both boys looked toward him.
The old man rested his broom against the wall.
"Every Great Duke House holds its own Regional Examination."
"The south sends its finest."
"The north sends theirs."
"So does the east."
"And the west."
"Those who survive..."
He pointed toward the distant rings.
"...are transported to the Imperial Capital."
"The real examination begins there."
Klaus blinked.
"...There's another one?"
The innkeeper chuckled.
"You didn't think becoming a student of the Imperial Citadel would be that easy, did you?"
Silence settled.
Then the old man continued.
"Only after passing the Imperial Examination..."
"...are candidates granted the right to enter the Citadel."
Zero's gaze remained fixed on the floating rings.
"What happens after that?"
For the first time—
the innkeeper's smile disappeared.
"No one knows."
"...What?"
"The Citadel's location has remained hidden since its founding."
"Only His Majesty..."
"...and the Principal know where it truly is."
"Everyone else simply walks through the Transit Nexus."
"And arrives."
Klaus stared at the distant rings.
"...That's impossible."
"So people say."
The old innkeeper smiled once more.
"But every year..."
"They disappear through those gates."
"And every year..."
"A new generation returns."
That evening—
the two boys rented a modest room overlooking one of Virel's quieter streets.
Two beds.
One wooden table.
One window.
Enough.
Klaus collapsed onto the mattress almost immediately.
"...Three days."
He laughed quietly.
"I was hoping we'd start tomorrow."
Zero remained standing beside the window.
Outside—
Virel still moved.
Lanterns illuminated the streets.
Shops remained open.
Soldiers continued their patrols.
The city never truly slept.
His eyes drifted once more toward the eastern horizon.
Even in the darkness—
the three colossal black rings remained visible.
Slowly revolving around the pale pillar of light.
Ancient.
Silent.
Waiting.