“Whoa. It's late. What’s going on?”

“Right. So, we’re all here. Iris, what do you wanna report on? You said I’m in danger right?”

“Aren’t you always in danger?”

“Alright, everyone shut up. Iris first, then Estelle, then me.”

“Yeah okay, what do you wanna say?”

“There might be demons headed your way. Stay away from them, since you’re defenceless.”

Through the Messenger, both Estelle and Frances muttered. Their combined utterances resulted in nonsense.

“Demons?” Estelle asked. “Like, the ones with horns?”

“Yeah. Demons. Where are you Frances? Noah and I are gonna join you, since I fear that Katalina and Hye-Sung might not be enough.”

“I agree, especially since I’m only with Hye-Sung.”

“What? Why did you two split up?”

“We’re currently at Limβurs now.”

Iris sighed. She cleared her throat and made her way to Noah. The large muscular man admired the stars.

“She’s in Limβurs.”

“The City of Magic. Good, that’s probably where my friend’s living.”

“The elf? How do you know they’re even there?”

“We founded the city together, over a thousand years ago.”

“Limβurs’ that old?”

“Yeah. It wasn’t called that originally though. Lorzt’s Caelid.”

Noah clenched his fist over the moon. He turned swiftly on his heel, his face tight with determination. An owl hooted in another part of the forest.

“To Limβurs then.” Iris broke the silence.

“Yeah. Yeah.”

They rode on horseback at the crack of dawn. Having to ride across the entire country of Varexia, and further into Friaren, was tiring. It would take at least a week, even going by their fastest paces. Still, through the Messenger, Iris received reports and information.

“So Lady Frances is under attack, but not from the demons?”

“Yeah. Some kinda family issue.”

“Ah. There’s always something like that with the Rayleighs.”

“Apparently her uncle of sorts wants to claim power from the family, and that her father failed to kill him years ago.”

Noah shook his head. The great plains leading to Friaren were largely empty. Vast fields of wheat and grass, interspaced by the occasional village. They took the Major Northerly Highway, a road often travelled by merchants and tourists alike.

The lush green trees dotted the sides. Heated stones from beneath the road provided much needed warmth. Freshly fallen snow melted away from the cobble, the water flowing into deep canals that ran along the road.

Iris stopped her horse on a white stone bridge. Coming up from behind her, Noah pulled over. His horse neighed, rearing on its hind legs, growing to a huge dark shadow.

A clear blue river ran beneath the bridge. Within it, freshwater fish swam upstream. Fish with scales of various colours; red, blue, even a vibrant purple.

She leaned on the bridge walls. The cool wind brushed against her face, a lock of blonde hair falling betwixt her eyes. The horses drank, drank like the encroaching dessert, and Noah slowly walked up next to her.

“You hungry?” He pointed to the river, with an offer to hunt in his hands.

“Nah. Feel free to eat something if you want, though.”

“I’m fine. Not fully a human, remember?”

“As am I.”

A great grey cloud blocked out the sunlight. More started to roll in from the distance, beyond the plains. Iris made a snap decision. At their current pace, it would only take a better part of the day.

“Should we go?”

“Yeah. The earlier we reach Limβurs, the better.”

“Let's go then.”

They ended up back on the road. The horses pushed themselves, and Iris often stroked its mane. The dark clouds loomed. The pitter patter of rain was catching up. Still, Limβurs was not too far away.

Just climbing out from the horizon, the signature look of the city leered. With its awe inspiring peaks, and the shimmering dome just barely visible. A long line of heads stretched on and on, waiting to enter the maw of the city of magic.

Iris pulled up to the end of the queue and got off. Merchants, students, even minor nobles were all out in the cold. Their futures to be determined by some tired border guard. But the line moved, either by rejection or acceptance. And it moved quickly. When the two stood in front of the guard, he spat out his water. It wasn’t hard to miss the eyes on Noah, the hulking giant that he was.

“I didn’t think the giants were still alive.”

“That’s your mistake. I’m not a giant. Noah, here to visit.”

“Ahem. Very well. Do you have any proof of identification?”

“I believe that the term ‘Sleeping Cats Lie’ might mean something to you?” Iris interjected.

“Oh! The guests. Still, a part of me wonders what business a foreign empress has in this city. Are you two part of her entourage?”

“Let’s just leave it at that.”

With an incessant roll of his eyes, the border guard reached beneath his desk. Putting two small silver coins on the table, he pushed one towards each person. He cleared his throat, and pointed at those two.

“These will suffice as proof of who your master is. It bears the coat of arms of Varexia, and you two are to be regarded as the empress’ appendages. Cause no trouble.”

They took the coins and stashed them. The border guard shouted next, and the cycle continued. But even then, the system was efficient enough. It seemed like the checks weren’t excessive or overly paranoid.

“We’re here. Do you happen to have an inn?”

“Yeah. Come to Fenrath.”

“Where is that, exactly?”

“You see that tall fucking tower? There’s a guy walking on the air right now if you need a reference.”

Iris scanned the skies. Tower one, tower two, tower three. Until she spotted it. A man, standing on what seemed to be a tile of solid air. His legs quivered, but the lady in the safety of earth shouted encouraging words.

“I see it. A scared man, and his professor.”

“Damn your eyes are good. Just head towards it, and make a right turn when you see a fountain. If you reach a blacksmith, you’ve probably gone too far.”

“Fountain, got it.”

Noah looked far less impressed. They made their way there, weaving through the living streets of Limβurs. The heavy rain slammed against the magic dome of the city, the rhythmic banging against reverberating throughout.

“Hey!”

The voice came from above. There, several stories above ground, the current empress of the largest empire waved. She was dressed rather skimpily too, with her slender and pale body peeking out of the balcony. Her grey hair fluttered in the oncoming wind.

“Do you wanna just jump up here?” Frances shouted.

“What do you think, Noah?”

“It’d be easy.”

“Is it worth the attention though?”

“Perhaps not. But it's not like I’m not standing out.”

Stepping into the inn, the various patrons laid eyes on them. Wild-looking adventurers, somewhat middle class merchants, and even visiting mages. Truly, a tavern was the melting pot of culture.

“It's been quite a while.” Frances stepped down the stairs.

“Customs were easy thanks to you. Can we come up?”

“Yeah of course. I’ve got a room for the two of you already. We can deal with everything else later.”

Iris chuckled. It was refreshing to see someone so important. The empress made her way down the stairs, her arms open for an embrace. The blonde took it in, wrapping her body around the frail, thin person. How was it that someone this harmless, that evil? They made their way up, gently ascending the stairs and Frances opened the door. It was unremarkable. A room just barely big enough for the both of them, with two separate beds that Noah had no hope of fitting into. The empress guided them in, and showed them her shared room too.

“Speaking of which, where’s your companion?” Noah asked.

“She’s doing magic stuff, or something. Either way, she’ll be back for dinner.”

“Great. Then let’s discuss everything over a plate.”