“Vreil. My name is Vreil Light.”

“Hello then, Vreil Light. My name is Ashter, and I am a wizard. It is nice to meet you”, Ashter smiled. Vreil noticed that the old man's speech was rather slow, but not to an annoying degree. It was as if he was considering his every word before speaking.

“Are you really a wizard? What are you doing here? And first of all, how come I'm not tied up?” For some reason, he felt absolutely no threat from the wizard, only curiosity. Am I under some spell?

“Ah, my boy, so many questions. I am unpopular within the higher ranks of the kingdom, so I am currently running for my life. What you did in the marketplace blew my cover but a new fighter, especially an Arknas, is well worth it.”

Ashter moved away from the bed, allowing Vreil to raise his body.

“New fighter?” he asked, confused. “Me?”

“Yes, that is why my magic stone shined like that. It is used to discover magicians or those with the talent to become one, as it shines whenever it comes in contact with magic. Normally, it is just a faint spark but. with an Arknas, things are different, as you no doubt noticed yourself.”

“Arknas?” Vreil stuttered, still reeling from the river of information. Unpopular with the kingdom? Running for his life? New fighter? Arknas?!

"Hohoho," Ashter laughed, his beard shaking with his head, “precisely. You are an Arknas. Your eyes and the reaction of the stone prove it. Arknas are humans more gifted than the others in their physical and magical capabilities, and their senses are sharper. They always have eyes with a different color each, so they do not easily go unnoticed. Most Arknas become first-class magicians, though some choose to follow the path of a warrior and train in armed combat”.

“I'm not sure what you're talking about, but I can't be an Arknas. My parents were both human and I am not stronger or faster than most other people in my village”, Vreil shook his head, deciding to deal with all the new information one piece at a time.

“Arknas is not a race, boy. It does not depend on your parents. A couple with both parents being Arknas has the same chance of bearing an Arknas child as a couple where both are normal. As for the reason why you are still not that strong, it is because you have not invested yourself in manual labor. You have been taught to use your mind, not your hands, to survive. Am I correct?”

“Yes, but-” Vreil tried to say, but he was interrupted as Ashter continued speaking.

“You are a talent, boy”, continued the wizard, seeming enthused. “You should nurture yourself, cultivate your potential.”

Vreil thought about it for a second.

“I can understand about combat, but how do I practice magic? I had never seen a magician before today”.

Ashter grinned, or at least that is what Vreil figured from the shape of his mustache.

“You are quick to adjust. I will teach you if you wish. But now we have already talked too much and the ones after me are on our trail. We must go”, said Ashter, motioning for Vreil to stand up.

“Wh- Hold on, when did we go from me robbing you to you teaching me things? You speak like a con man, and father has told me to avoid those!”

Ashter ignored him, gaze trained on the floor.

Now that he wasn’t so focused on the magician, Vreil could hear noise from below them. A strong voice barked an order, and he heard the sound of something breaking. He spotted a window and, looking outside, realized that they were too high up to jump. Probably an inn, Vreil assumed, as most houses were only one-storey high in Daybreak and the window seemed like it was on the second floor from the ground. The sky was bright and clear; it was still before noon.

“Come, this way. Hurry!” said Ashter, opening the door of the small room they were in. What the hell, I'm lost anyway, thought Vreil and decided to follow the strange old man, hoping for the best. The door led to a small corridor and they quickly ran towards the stairs at one end of it. But as they reached there, loud footsteps came from below. The stairs were no longer an option.

“There are stairs at the other side too, but we must hurry”, said Ashter. Vreil’s sharp eyes noticed that although the wizard was genuinely trying to be quick, he didn't seem to be particularly anxious.

They crossed the corridor again, reaching what must have been the servant staircase. They had just reached the floor below when Vreil came face-to-face with their pursuers. It was the soldiers of the Red House he had seen on his way to Daybreak, led by the hairless man. Luckily, they clearly weren’t expecting to encounter them at the stairs and were startled, allowing Ashter to land a horrifying punch in the face of their commander, tossing him on his recruits and then sending all of them tumbling into the door behind them.

"I thought you were a wizard!", Vreil exclaimed.

"Indeed, but wizards are not weak. That would be silly!" laughed Ashter, as if he hadn’t just punched with enough force to throw four people backward.

By the time the soldiers were ready to come after them again, Vreil and Ashter had descended another flight of stairs and reached the ground floor, but found the door blocked by two thugs wearing the Red House insignia. Apparently, the light bulb-headed man, who was less than two seconds behind them now, had managed to recruit more people.

Vreil was terrified. They were trapped, they would probably die on the spot or they would be captured and tortured for resisting arrest. The baldy might even cut off their hair in envy!

“Ashter!” he shouted. “Punch them!”

“Do not be silly, boy”, the old man raised his hands in the air, still charging at the door. “Wizards do not punch people! We use magic! Asfar Inflir!”

An invisible force slammed into the guards, the impact catapulting them all the way to the building across the road. Vreil heard the sound of both bones and wooden planks breaking, and that shook him back to reality. He was following a strange old man and escaping from Red House soldiers.

And yet, even if sounded crazy… What other choice did he have now, when he’d already been seen with the wizard?

The previously closed door had been turned into pieces of broken wood and the wizard shot through it, so Vreil ran after Ashter with all the power he could muster. Honest or not, the wizard was now his only hope. The chasing soldiers were being held back by their heavy armor and quickly fell behind. The streets were almost empty and he could see the tall walls of the town not too far away. They had escaped, at least for the time being.

🧙‍♂️🧙‍♂️🧙‍♂️

The two of them were hiding out in an alley close to the West gate, Vreil heaving in exhaustion. He was impressed by the wizard. Not only did he use a spell that took out two armed guards, but he punched the hairless commander so hard he was knocked airborne to his troops, and then the old man managed to easily run until Vreil’s stamina ran out. Okay, perhaps being starved made it-

Hm? I’m not hungry anymore?

“Ashter,” he raised his voice, speaking through his heaves of exhaustion, “why am I not hungry?”

“That is the benefit of having a healthy diet as a kid”, replied the wizard, looking as if he meant it.

Vreil threw him a side glance, frowning. That’s totally bullshit.

“Why didn’t you use your wand, by the way?” he asked again, sparing a glance for the walking stick that Ashter carried, but most definitely did not need. “That’s what this is, right?”

“Would you use a sword to cut a blade of grass?” laughed the wizard, and Vreil rolled his eyes in response.

“Whatever. If you want to seem old and wise, how about you find a way to get us through the gate instead of speaking like a professional riddler?”

Instead of the usual two guards, there were now four people guarding the gate, and they looked strong. They all had eyebrows, unlike the Red House recruiter chasing them.

“I am old and wise, boy”, replied Ashter. “And we will not get through the gate.”

Vreil looked at him in confusion, but Ashter just walked to the end of this seemingly random alley. It looked like a dead-end but, when Vreil got closer, he noticed a trap door painted in the color of dirt so it didn’t stand out. He briefly doubted they could open it, as it looked extremely heavy, before remembering that the old man standing beside him was apparently working out.

Ashter mumbled something above the door and then put his hands on it, pulling gently. The door opened easily, as if it was made of paper.

"Hohoho, you still have much to learn. Come!" Ashter laughed, descending into darkness.

“How did you do that?” asked Vreil as they climbed down the dimly lit vertical stairs.

“The door is just made to look heavy", Ashter replied. "It is actually very light so that even a child can open it. The actual protection is a spell that keeps it shut, but it lets you through if you say the password. The password is “Apple pie” by the way. It could prove useful to you someday. Remember it.”

Ah, my stomach is rumbling again. It’s alive!

A few meters below the trap door was a passage, looking like it hadn’t been used in quite a while. They jumped in and Ashter picked up a torch that was left on the ground. He said “Mera” and the torch magically lit up, while Ashter simultaneously waved his other hand at the trapdoor above, magically closing it. Vreil could now see that the passage was long. Even with the light of the torch, he couldn’t see the end of it.

He used that light to observe the part of the passage he could see. There was a sturdy wall behind them so they were at one end of the passage. The walls were all made of stone and there were wooden supports along the way, hopefully preventing a cave-in. Additionally, there were spider nets in the corners and the whole place smelled worse than a sewer. Not that it bothered him. After what he’d been through, all that mattered to him was that this place wasn’t full of enemies, not to mention he didn't smell any better himself. Not taking a bath for a week tends to have that effect.

I wonder what the Red House will say on my warrant, Vreil wondered idly. Short hobo, wanted dead and washed.

They began walking and, as the previous tension settled down, Vreil realized he was more tired than he thought.

“Why apple pie?” he asked.

“The wizard who made it liked apples. So apple pie. Overcomplicating is the wizard’s bane.”

“And why did he make this passage?”

“There was a time when people were hunting wizards, not too long ago - or rather, it actually was long ago. At that time, magicians needed a way to slip in and out of town without anyone noticing them. You see, they had magic stones at the gates, and these stones cannot be fooled. Therefore, a clan of wizards who refused to seek refuge at the elves made passages like this in many towns around the kingdom. Almost nobody remembers them now, but they come in handy for those who do.”

“And where does this lead to?” Vreil unrelentingly continued asking, his excitement keeping the creeping exhaustion at bay.

“In the forest. The other end is hidden in a big bush”.

Vreil thought about what had happened today. Not his best morning, definitely, but not his worst. He wouldn’t admit it to anyone, even himself, but he was excited about all these things he had discovered. Arknas, magicians, secret passages, being chased by soldiers.

Then he realized that he was trapped in an underground secret passage, alone with a strong magician who could kill him with one movement of his hand, and he had just participated in an act of treason by following someone he had just met and knew nothing about. Damn, thought Vreil. At least it helped keep the memories at bay.

“Why was the Red House after you anyway?” he asked Ashter.

“Because I have a tendency to ruin the plans of important people, and important people have the tendency to quite dislike that.”

“So you are a revolutionary”, Vreil concluded. He had heard some rumors about a pending revolution, back in his village.

“As a matter of fact, I am a revolutionary. But I only act against those who abuse their authority to serve their personal interests instead of the nation’s. Pawns of the other kingdoms too. In a sense, I fight for justice, which happens to oppose those in power", Ashter tried to explain. "However, I was not the only one they were after this time. They were after you too”.

“Me? Why? Because I was with you?”

“Because you are an Arknas, and you were seen at the market. Arknas are viewed as powerful weapons, and many do not want one of them to fall into the hands of the revolutionaries. Ideally, they wanted to kill me and befriend you, but they would rather kill you than let you leave with me”.

“I see. So, let’s assume that I really am this Arknas and it's not all just a ploy for you to get me alone down here and do creepy things. So now you will make me serve the revolutionaries?” said Vreil, hoping his awkward attempt at humor did not insult the wizard.

“No. That is not how we work. If we force someone to fight for us against their will, then the whole meaning of our organization would be lost. If you want to, you can leave my side now and go to the army. They will happily accept you. What I am going to do, if you allow me to, is tell you what we fight for, what we fight against, and then give you the option to become one of us and dedicate yourself to our organization. Is that okay with you, young Vreil Light?”

Vreil thought about it. Assuming the wizard was speaking the truth, if he went to the army they would probably protect him and send him somewhere to train before allowing him to join the elite Black House and protect the royal family and the capital. But he had heard stories about the capital’s corruption.

On the other hand, if Ashter wanted to harm him, he could have already done so multiple times. If his words were true, then Vreil wouldn’t lose anything by listening to him for a while.

Meanwhile, they had reached the end of the passage. Ashter said “Asfar orel” and a powerful, concentrated blow of air blew on the torch and extinguished the flames, only a hint of light coming from the trapdoor above. Vreil felt blind for a second, but his eyes adjusted almost immediately.

Ashter then threw the torch on the ground and started climbing the vertical stairs on the side of the passage. It was more than five meters high, more than when they came in, which meant that the passage was slightly tilted. Vreil followed him and heard him say “apple pie” to the trap door at the top before pushing it with his shoulder and climbing out.

Vreil climbed behind him and was taken aback by the sudden sunlight. His eyes had already gotten used to the darkness inside the passage, but it took them only a couple of seconds to adjust to the brightness of the sun. He remembered what Ashter had said earlier, about the Arknas having sharp senses, and suddenly everything seemed more real.

He was going to say something but forgot about it once he saw that when Ashter had spoken of a big bush, he actually meant it.

There were leaves everywhere around them, including above their heads. He looked around to see the old wizard, but couldn’t find him. His first thought was that he had been lured into a trap, but then he saw a wizened hand holding a part of the bush to the side for him to pass through.

When he stepped out of the bush, Vreil saw that the entrance to the passage was hidden inside a big bush, three meters wide, three meters long and three meters tall. It would be almost impossible for anyone to find the trapdoor if they didn’t know where it was. He looked around, trying to memorize the location in case he ever needed to find it again.

So I am in the middle of a forest with a wizard. This could have been worse.

“Now then”, said Ashter, not losing time. “Do you have a moment to talk about righteous revolution?”