Roiling black clouds hid the summer night sky. The rain had set in about an hour ago, forcing most of the city's nighttime activities indoors. Scant few humans were out and about in the rain rushing from place to place and trying to stay dry. Sometimes, however, there were those that did not run or hide. Either they did not care about the rain or enjoyed its presence, strolling calmly through the empty and wet streets. One such traveler was aimlessly walking through the big city, lost in his own thoughts. Old but clean clothes and a small backpack were the only things he brought on his journey. A few hours had passed since Kael had walked out of the Feathery-Delight, intending to never return. Already he was missing it. He had been thinking about returning ever since he left, but if he had learned one thing in this life, it was that once you make a decision, you stick with it to the end. Besides, Kael still felt that it had been the correct decision, despite how much he, personally, might want it to be different. "Fate had just decided that it was not meant to be, I guess." Maybe, he thought, if I tell myself often enough, I will believe it one day. Anyway, it's time to find someplace to sleep, I guess...

Being exhausted, mentally and physically, soaking wet and cold, made sleep sound like a great idea. For the first time since Kael had begun his walk, Kael looked around, really looked, and processed what he saw. It took a moment, but he quickly concluded that he had no clue where he was. The street was small and not very well maintained. He spotted quite a few potholes and broken street lamps on just the short stretch of road he could see. Everything else in the neighborhood seemed to reflect the state of the road. A broken-down car, gutted and left to the elements, sat dead in front of a dilapidated, concrete block of a building. The massive monstrosity of concrete, stretching seven or eight levels high, with peeling paint, and smashed windows, was, however, not a singular entity. Similar architecture was constructed on both sides of the road. Kael could see only a handful of shops that called the area home. All of them were locked down tight with metal covers, decorated in ugly spraypaint. All in all, it looked like he had come to a pretty shitty neighborhood.

"Be that as it may," he spoke to himself quietly, "I still need a place to sleep." Much more cautious now, he slowly walked down the road, looking left and right for a suitable spot. Thankfully, he was not looking for something permanent yet and quickly found something. A dark and seemingly abandoned gas station, nestled in between two blocks of concrete, looked like a promising candidate. Walking up to the building itself, Kael tried and found the doors locked. That, and the fact that there were no broken windows, made the place look promising in his eyes since it spoke to some, however minimal, form of safety. Around the back, next to the car wash, he found a pile of old cartons and other rubbish in an open shed. Steeling himself, Kael began inspecting the shed looking out for anything sharp or moving. Thankfully, his search came up negative. Ten minutes of rearranging boxes later, he had a relatively secure spot to sleep. Kael lay down and pulled a few of the boxes over the entrance to his little cave, shutting himself off from the rest of the world. Left alone with his thoughts in the darkness.

When Kael opened his eyes again, he felt horrible. He must have drifted off to sleep at some point in the night since there was already lots of daylight coming in through the cracks of his improvised sleeping quarters. His clothes were still clammy from the rain and his back hurt like hell. Despite his physical pain and harsh circumstances, his heart was calm for the first time in weeks. He took a deep breath before sitting up. There was little space to maneuver if he wanted to stay hidden, but, with time, he managed to sit upright. Meditation and mana training was next. He might have left the restaurant, and with it, his spot at the magic school behind, but his ambitions remained unchanged. As he had done many, many times before, he focused himself and began drawing mana into his core, filling it to the point of overflowing. The density of ambient mana was much reduced outside of the restaurant and should have slowed him down. That did not happen. Contrary to his expectations, his core grew at the same speed. It was strange and confusing but ultimately unimportant. Hours passed and, despite his growing hunger, Kael stayed put. Only when the light coming through the cracks began turning orange did he stop his training and leave his hiding place. Then, his wandering began anew. Diving a few dumpsters behind restaurants during the night yielded enough food to sustain him and placate his angry stomach. Water was readily available from the various fountains installed in parks or government buildings. When the night was coming to an end, Kael would look for a place to rest. Thus, he cycled between training and wandering aimlessly, never unoccupied long enough to contemplate. Day after day, passing without much notice.

Without noticing it, Kael had developed a pattern for his nightly walks. While the first few days had seen him traverse different parts of the city, his path had slowly but surely taken him back to where he came from. The party street. Drawn by restlessness and unfinished business, he spent his nights wandering the neighborhood, looking, waiting for something, anything to happen.