Dawn peeked over the horizon. I shaded my eyes from the morning light cast by Sowillo. The chill in the air lingered and dew frosted the greenery. I grabbed the long stalks of grass as I walked, shedding its water and wetting my parched throat with the water I gathered.

I double-checked the needle of my compass to make sure it still pointed Northeast. “At least the dragon gave me directions.”

With immediate worries like running and fighting for my life fading, I found myself wondering… what should I do now? I had no home, no money, and rags that might pass for a beggars clothing. I knew next to nothing about the place I was going, and just as little about the lands I was trekking across so boldly.

I doubled over and held my growling stomach. It felt like an empty pit. “Ow…” I moaned, although I couldn’t hold back a mirthless chuckle. “I guess that answers that. Food first. Everything else can wait.”

I crested the first rise in the early hours of the morning. I was sweating freely and had stripped to the waist. The shirt was in tatters and the cloak wasn't much better, but it was all I had. Since I couldn’t force myself to get rid of the clothes, I’d tied the Hunter’s garb around my waist.

Thanks to the fact that I’d been deposited in the bowl of a valley by an ungrateful dragon, I had a lot of hiking in my future. That would’ve excited me on most days, but I wasn’t in any condition for exercise.

I hadn’t eaten for days and it was starting to show. My stamina went first. Anything more strenuous than the smallest of inclines would tire me out to the point that I thought I couldn’t go on any longer. To my chagrin, I was forced to rest frequently. However far I had come since leaving Altressor, I wasn’t yet far removed from the weak boy I’d been.

“Nyx. Nyx, you there?”I asked, but I didn’t expect much in the way of an answer. It’d been forever since I’d seen my shadow follow my movements so closely.

I waited, but there was no answer.

Biting the inside of my lip hard enough to draw blood, I moved on.

I followed a winding river to the base of a waterfall. As I went, the elevation of the river dropped until I was enclosed by cliffs on either side. I was forced to ford the river several times; I hopped across boulders or balance-beamed across a fallen tree trunk. I made a fallen branch my walking stick, using it more often to keep myself standing than to help me cross shallow parts of the river.

I knew I’d made a mistake in following the water so closely when I made it to the waterfall and the game trail I’d been following came to an end. There were two possible routes I could take. One, I could try my luck at a section of the cliff that looked like it might be climbable. Or two, I could return the way I came from.

“I can’t turn back, can I? Guess I’ll kill some time while I think about how I should do this.” As I drew close, the waterfall coated me with a fine mist.

I waded up to my ankles and splashed around a bit to cool off, then gulped down a few handfuls of the cold, clear water. Half of what I brought up to my mouth ended up running down my bare chest. After that I clambered onto a big boulder and laid myself out so I could see the cliffs.

From the water, it looked about a couple hundred feet to the top. I planned the broad strokes of the climb in my head, leaving room for a few alternatives that might crop up while I was in the midst of things. Then I zoned out while Sowillo inched up the horizon and cast more light on the water, which reflected onto the rocks.

My mouth watered when I saw fish swimming in the pool of water at the base of the falls. A hawk swooped down and effortlessly plucked a wriggling fish from the water. The predatory bird spared me a glance as if to say it might be back for me at some point, then flapped away with its prize held in its sharp claws.

I tore off a piece piece from my shirt and tied it around my forehead. The headband would keep the sweat and dirt out of my eyes. Cracking my knuckles, I walked over to the base of the section of the cliffs that I thought was most promising. I unbraided and re-braided my long silvery hair, then wrapped it around my neck so it’d be out of the way.

“Well… here goes nothing.” I grabbed above my head for the first handhold and pulled myself off the ground.

At first the going was easy. The incline wasn’t too steep yet and the handholds were close together. Regardless, I kept three points of contact with the wall at all times and tested each handhold before I trusted my full weight to one. The first hundred or so feet went by fast; after that was where things got tricky.

The first time I had to backtrack was due to a poor choice in route that ended in an arching incline that would’ve suspended me over the water without any handholds. Cursing myself for not having the foresight to see where the choice of path would lead me, I returned to the spot where I’d deviated from the right course. Having to look down at how far I’d come and how far there was to fall was a test of mental fortitude, but I descended to the main branch without a hitch.

I rested there for a few minutes while I caught my breath, steeled my nerves and stilled my beating heart. Beginning again was difficult. My leg and arm muscles quivered and my palms were slick with sweat. I wanted nothing more than to turn back, but pure stubbornness and pride stopped me from going through with it.

“Don’t stop. Stopping breeds fear and uncertainty. Keep moving. Don’t hesitate. Hesitation kills.”

The words firmed my resolve and returned the strength to my limbs. I repeated the mantra over and over as I climbed. I climbed and climbed. Just when I began to think I’d reach the summit without any more trouble, I found it.

A rock I’d failed to test thoroughly enough crumbled under my weight. I lost my footing and cried out as the whole weight of my body shifted to my left arm. I looked down for an instant before the adrenaline hit me and the fear was driven from me.

Grimly, I dug my fingernails into the hard stone until the rock drew blood. I replaced my footing first, easing the majority of my weight back onto my legs. Flattening myself against the rock wall, I swung my body to the right and almost did the splits to reach the next viable route.

My calf quivered and my foot shook, but I pushed firmly off my back foot and landed firmly on the landing to my right. The outcropping protruded three feet from the cliff, but I didn’t sit down gratefully and rest like I so dearly wanted to.

“Don’t stop. Stopping breeds fear and uncertainty. Keep moving. Don’t hesitate. Hesitation kills.” I recited my mantra and forged ahead.

Twenty feet from the summit, Sowillo’s rays began to sear the pale flesh of my back. I could almost hear my skin cracking, thought I could smell it, but didn’t stop to rearrange my clothes. At least my burning skin distracted from how hungry and thirsty I was. I gritted my teeth and bore it.

“I’ll have to finish this quick, before I burn to a crisp.”

My stamina was shot and I was on the verge of collapse, but there was nothing else to do but climb. So climb I did. I clambered up the last part by sheer force of will. Handholds broke apart beneath my fingers and I hardly slowed down. Five feet from the top, I dug deep for one one final push. I gained purchase on the final handhold and relief flooded me as I pulled my weary body up and over.

I rolled on the gritty sand to put some distance between myself and the edge, then spread my arms and legs wide. It was anyone’s guess how long I laid there heaving, but eventually I recovered enough to stand and limp over to the riverbed. The water eddied and swirled hypnotically before it disappeared over the falls.

I was thirsty enough that I wanted to jump in, consequences be damned, but I tamped down on the urge before it came to fruition. Moss and lichen made the rock slick, so I passed up the collecting pool and hiked uphill a-ways. Holding out my arms to keep balanced, I hopped across a line of boulders that formed a path across the river.

Underestimating how utterly spent I was cost me. I slipped and fell near the far edge of the river and went under. I panicked for a precious second, windmilling my arms without thought or direction. That was when I remembered that I didn’t know how to swim. Bubbles escaped from my mouth before I snapped my jaw shut.

Slamming into a rock lost me more air before I managed to fight for the surface for but a moment. I reestablished my sense of direction that I’d lost to the raging currents before I was pulled back under. My clothes weighed me down dangerously, but there was no arguing that dropping the few hundred feet to the bottom of the falls was the most pressing issue.

I grabbed the first thing my hand stuck to— the rounded edge of a stone that was swept away the moment I released it. Pushing off the bottom, I jackknifed through the water to the surface, spewing bubbles the whole way. Spitting and gagging, I crawled up the slick stone. Clumps of moss came away in my fingers and I fell back into the water twice before I made it back on dry land.

The exertion made my stomach and legs cramp something fierce. I was sopping wet and my boots squelched with every step, but for some reason I felt exhilarated. Near-death experiences were definitely bad for my health, but the feeling I felt after surviving them was second to none. With a smile on my face I sat down at the riverside, unlaced my boots and emptied them of water.

I let Sowillo’s rays beat down on me without a care in the world before I finally bolted for the tree line. Sighing happily, I untied my sopping clothes from my waist. I shrugged back into my shirt and threw the cloak around my shoulders. I shaded my sensitive eyes from the sun with my makeshift bandana, but I pulled up the hood of my cloak too.

I unlimbered my compass and looked at it fondly. “Thank Eretos. Would’ve been a shame to lose you, little buddy.”

Before I set off I grabbed another walking stick from the selection of driftwood that had collected at the riverbank. The stick I decided on was a piece of gnarled oak about my height, a little shorter. Hefting it experimentally, I twirled it around before I thunked it against the ground to test its strength. Satisfied, I whistled a tune and limped down a beaten trail on a Northeast heading.

Around when I exited the dense forest I’d about walked off my leg cramps. I hunched my shoulders and kept my head low to protect it from Sowillo and continued on without breaking stride. My staff tap, tapped along with the nameless song I whistled to distract myself from my sunburnt skin. So distracted was I that I didn’t notice my arrival at Magisterium until a guard hailed me.

Magisterium alt: https://imgur.com/gallery/Lb2cFoe

“You there! Take that hood off so I can get a good look at you.”

I was so startled to hear a voice other than my own that I fumbled my staff. As I bent down to retrieve it I pulled back my hood with an apologetic smile. That made me look like some suspicious character with something to hide, but there was no helping it now.

“Sorry, wasn’t paying attention. This place really sneaks up on you, doesn’t it?” I tried a joke.

I shouldn’t have tried. The guard was a grizzled old veteran, and it didn’t look like he ever smiled, let alone cracked a joke. His chain-link armor had lost its sheen over the years and more than a few links had been replaced, but overall it was well maintained. thumbed his sword an inch from his scabbard to ensure it was clear in case he had to draw.

He glanced at my arms. “You’re no citizen. What’s your business here?”

His look made me wise to the two tattooed bands around his right bicep. I figured the tattoos were a mark of citizenry that made it obvious that I was out of place. That said, I could’ve easily been overthinking it and the veteran might’ve simply been an experienced in pegging outsiders.

“Name,” the guard said.

“Huh?”

The old man pointed at himself, “Name’s Cormac. You got one? A name.”

Cormac enunciated his words so there couldn’t be any mistake. Evidently he was a man of few words. From the look of him— crunched up brow, lips pressed into a thin line and fist clenched around the hilt of his sword— he didn’t like repeating himself. Or, I supposed, to be kept waiting.

I dipped my head apologetically. “Sorry,” I was saying that an awful lot, “My name’s Shiro.”

Cormac eyed me appraisingly. His attention lingered on my crimson irises and extra pale skin. He especially noted my ragged appearance and tattered clothing. There was no way I’d be mistaken for a merchant or a wealthy traveler.

“You here for the citizenship test?”

I startled. Citizenship test? I didn't know anything about that. “Yeah, of course. That’s the reason I came to Magisterium,” I said, looking up at the greenish-blue glass enclosure that served as the outer wall and battlements.

“Then you would already know. Magisterium doesn’t take kindly to monsters. With few exceptions,” Cormac grumbled.

“Monsters? What kind of monsters?” I ogled him and looked around before I realized he’d been talking about me.

Hmmph. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you, boy.”

Cormac revealed a seal on the palm of his hand. There was no gate in sight, so I wondered what he was up to until he placed his palm against the shiny expanse of wall he guarded. A fissure formed in the glass where he had touched it. I stared open-mouthed as the wall split in two and opened up to admit me.

“Move along before it closes.”

I’d never stepped foot in a city before. “But…” I stared at the city dumbly, “Where do I go from here?”

Cormac sighed heavily and checked Sowillo’s position in the sky. “Follow this street to the Capitol Building,” he said, and sighed again when he saw my lack of comprehension. “It’s the tallest tower for miles. You can’t miss it.”

In or out? The wall shuddered and the doors started to close. Stepping quickly, I entered the City of Wonders. The gate slammed shut and I felt a sense of finality. I’d made my decision. I was all in.

Cormac’s words followed me inside. “Good luck, son. You’ll need it.”

The crowds were the first thing I noticed. Everywhere there were men and women scurrying, about on their daily tasks. I’d never seen so many people in one place, and I didn’t like it. No one even bothered to look up or apologize when they bumped into me.

The more I saw, the more my anxiety grew. I held my staff in front of me protectively and backed up against the outer wall. Hawkers yelled over one another about the quality of their wares, jostling each other aside to vie for the public’s attention. They paid me no mind, thankfully.

Everything in Magisterium was powered by anima, or that’s the way it seemed at first glance. Magical conveyance systems delivered parcels and goods using varying sized tubes that formed a network across the entire city. There was even public transit, and it was free! I didn’t get how it worked, but all the citizens did was activate a waiting pod with their tattoos and enter their desired destination.

I shook my head in wonderment. Although I had read stories about utopias, I never thought I’d live to actually see one.

I slammed my staff into the ground so hard that it made my arm go numb up to the elbow. “No time to stop and smell the roses.”

Recovered from my initial shock, I picked out the tallest tower I could find. I shrunk my attention to a tiny pinprick so I wasn’t overwhelmed, then I walled myself off from the world and legged it to the Capitol Building. Maybe there I would find the answers I was searching for.