Division 2 and Division 5 saw a huge border in the distance. The border was massive, being visible from over twenty-five miles away. “Finally…,” Shakti muttered. “Relax, it’s only been five days since we came here,” Julius assured. “Saying that out loud doesn’t make it any better.” she pouted. Yoshi scanned the distance with maximum precision, trying to gauge what was coming up

  “It’s a mage city. They’re very populated, having an estimate of one point nine million people living in the city,” Yoshi calculated

  “That sounds… Beautiful,” Fionn said calmly

  “Probably because of the destroyed villages and towns,” Shakti said

  “We should do our best to be friendly. Making an enemy out of a mage isn’t smart,” Julius advised. Everyone nods as they continued to walk

  Julius tapped on his ear piece. “This is Julius speaking. We finally found the village,”

  “Noted. Keep the Demi-Anomaly in check, please. We don’t need him to ruin this mission,” responded a scientist

  “I can assure you, he’s not that chaotic. Ann has been keeping an eye on him for us.” he said

  “Hmph… Make sure she keeps him in check. Creation Anomalies are destructive if left unchecked.” the scientist said

  “I know, I know… But that’s Anomalies in general, no? Same thing with people,” Julius responded

  “Don’t compare humans to those Pseudos, Captain Julius,” the scientist snapped

  Julius lost his small smile–he hated that word

  Pseudo has always been a slur towards Anomalies as they can never be human, no matter how hard they try. From mythical creatures to even just simple different colored skins such as blue, green, purple, and gray. Julius didn’t see them as monsters. Only saw them as humans unless given a reason to not think so. They all come in different shapes and sizes, much like humans

  Shakti noticed the look on Julius’s face–she knew the only word that’s able to trigger it

  “The ‘P’ word again?” she asked calmly

  “Yeah…,” he answered calmly

  “Ugh… It’s so immature at this point to refer to them as that,” she said with a sigh. She puts her hands on her hips in slight annoyance

  “I want to say I don’t understand, but I do… Almost entirely,” he said

  “They try to be more human than other people. The last crime I ever heard about an Anomaly specifically was nearly four months ago,” she said

  Julius let out a sigh, but the noticeable tiredness in his voice was more than obvious. “I’m getting worked up over nothing… Ugh. I’m going to sleep all of this off soon anyways,” he said, finding optimism under the circumstances

  Fionn was off to the side, looking at the scenery. He started to think about the encounter with Ivory in the hallway. “That cute girl from earlier… Ivory… Why do I feel like I recognize her? Like… From a Trial or something. But her voice didn’t ring any bells,” he thought to himself. “Maybe I shouldn’t have called her cute. On that note… That other boy in the hallway… Division 4, was it? He seemed strong too.” He looks up at the sky. “But their captain is a bitch.”

  With the wall almost within reach, Division 2 and Division 5 were about to come near before Fionn froze everyone in place. Surprise coursed through everyone, all eyes on him as he stepped forward

  “Uh… Rookie, what the hell are you doing?” Shakti asked. Her tone wasn’t annoyed, but definitely confused

  “Yoshi, throw one of your swords at this exact spot,” Fionn said, pointing to a specific spot near a small rock. Yoshi didn’t question his order, nodding. She drew her sword with a reverse grip before throwing it like a spear, landing on the spot

  Milliseconds after the sword landed, a pit the size of a bathtub opened up, swallowing the sword whole. Everyone’s eyes widened in shock

  “That… What is that?!” a Division 2 member said, stunned

  “To keep enemies out,” Fionn responded calmly

  He crouched down, putting his hands together. He started spawning miniature mice with radars on their back, sending them out to scout the area in front of them. Each mouse found a specific spot before deploying the radar into the ground. The radars made a red holographic circle around the areas to avoid… With the rats being sacrificed to fall through the pits

  Ann was at first amazed by Fionn's plan to detect the traps, then her face shifted to a wide smile of glee, like a mother deeply proud of her son’s intelligence. Shakti, despite not wanting to admit to it, was too impressed that Fionn figured out a way to help everyone

  “Can you sense the sensors, Julius?” he asked, knowing the blindness

  Julius softly chuckles. “I thank you for your consideration, but don’t worry. I can’t see the sensors, but I can sense the pit traps. They’re more cold towards the bottom,” he said softly. Fionn nods, letting everyone go. They traveled through the field unharmed thanks to Fionn’s radars

  After safely making it over, Ann wasted no more to hug Fionn like a lifeline–squeezing him against her chest. “My little boy is so smart!” she screamed, jumping up and down. Yoshi fought the urge to not tease Fionn in this state. Shakti was laughing loudly while Julius softly sighs, a small smile creeping on his face. “Happiness is the only way to describe her,” Julius thought to himself

  The moment was interrupted when Yoshi sensed a group of guards making their way towards them. Everyone turned their heads to them, confused about what the reason would be to send eight guards

  The knights’ armor was visibly thick and reinforced, concealing everything about their body. Each of their chestplate had the city’s crest in the middle: a golden sword design engraved into a silver background, outlined in pearl. The helmets each had what appeared to be animal design-like details, such as one of the knights having a resemblance to a bull with black steel horns, and another having the resemblance to a bird with a golden beak. Their weapons varied from claymores, halberd axes, and boar spears

  “Stand down, tresspassers! Access to these grounds is strictly forbidden unless granted permission by the Queen herself! Withdraw at once or face consequences!” the lead guard ordered. He had a cat head-like design on his helmet

  Julius puts a fist over his heart, his tone calm and cool. “We do not wish to cause harm! We are a part of Chrona Riftworks Protocol, sent to this Trial to vanquish the Anomaly power plant your citizens seek refuge from!” he clarified

  The lead guard slightly faltered in his stance. “I see. I had presumed your party to be a threat. Please disregard my earlier warning,” the lead guard said

  Fionn, with a confused and lost expression, looked at Julius, then at the knights, then back at Julius. “What the hell?” he thought to himself

  The lead guard looked directly at Yoshi before glancing at Fionn. “Pardon the inquiry, sir, but is this young lady in your charge?” the lead guard asked, gesturing to Fionn

  Yoshi’s face shifted to a scowl, offended that she was seen that way. Fionn’s face shifted to a childish grin, knowing she was already annoyed, and decided to play along just to piss off Yoshi even further

  “Yes she is, why?” he grinned

  “With due respect, I would kindly advise the young lady to consider the option to wear a more appropriate attire for our city’s customs. Her present appearance suggests a degree of tactical discretion,” the lead guard suggested

  Fionn, Shakti, Ann, and Julius each stifled a laugh. Yoshi’s scowl doubled down and crossed her arms in annoyance

  “Can we ‘kindly’ go inside already?” she asked, holding back from outright screaming

  “This way, if you please,” the lead guard said, recognizing the tone in Yoshi’s voice immediately. The other guards make a clearing, allowing Division 2, Division 5, and Yoshi by, but one stopped Fionn from passing

  “Forgive me, sir… there is something strange about your appearance that stirs a distant memory,” the knight said–he had a snake head-like design for his helmet

  “Hm?” Fionn said, confused

  “Tell me, do you share blood with the calamity witch named Bridget O’Dana?” the snake knight asked

  Fionn’s eyes widened in shock. He knew her? Her last name too?! That wasn’t good. Not in the slightest. His heart sank to his stomach, cautious of what he should say. How should he deny it? Would he even believe it? And in a quick moment, Fionn remembered why he considers Rosie his actual mother, not Bridget

  “I’m not related to that bitch in the slightest,” he snapped. That response caught the snake knight off guard

  “I see… apologies for such a question,” he said, bowing to Fionn. His eyes stared at the knight before he joined with everyone else

  “I hate that bitch so much… I hope she dies soon. I know she’s still alive,” Fionn thought

  Bridget wasn’t always abusive to Fionn, until the day after he turned one year old. Everything just changed. Aisling always came home to see Fionn either near death, unconscious on the floor with a broken skull, or at the very least a shattered arm–it was only Fionn being hit. If Aisling ever did something wrong, the punishment would be put on Fionn instead. Aisling couldn’t interfere unless she wanted to be hit. Even when she did, neither Bridget nor their father struck her once

  Their father never acknowledged Fionn either. Whenever he was in the same room as him, their father would willingly leave it just to avoid him. He loathed Fionn, often regarding him as a pet for Bridget to beat up for her amusement

  Once inside the city, they finally got to see the name of the area

  On a dark oak structure, there was a golden sign with the words “Welcome to the Kingdom of Arkwright” printed in white on it, outlined in black. There were black summoning circles all around the edges of the sign

  “Maybe they protect the refugees and ward off people that try to attack this place with their magic,” Ann said with a smile

  Division 2 and Division 5 split up to explore the city. Julius and Shakti went together to ask rune merchants, libraries, locals, and some food vendors. Yoshi went with Ann, which left Fionn all by himself to explore

  “...Damn it, Yoshi,” he thought to himself. Even if she was crafted with clay and made to appear human, she might as well be considered one

  He spawned his headphones. This time, they were white and gold and featured a silver skull on both of the speaker cups. He puts them on to think properly. He spawns his phone, scrolling through his many playlists to see what to play for the time being. After some inner debate, and the nearly endless options, he finally settles for a random Lo-Fi playlist

  His first destination was to see if this city had a blacksmith. He needed something custom made, if the city even allowed it. Sure, he could just spawn it, but Rosie raised him better than to abuse his own power like that. It was ethical in the slightest

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  The first building he came across looked like a traditional shop of some sort. The sign above was in bold Japanese, something he couldn’t read properly in the slightest, and even if he could, he’d automatically translate their voice to English anyways. He lets out a small shrug before stepping inside, careful to not provoke anyone inside. The moment he stepped inside, he immediately saw a dagger flying straight at his head. He ducked down instinctively, his eyes darting to the dagger that was now embedded into the wall behind him. The craft was amazing, but his shock and confusion overrode his admiration

  An old man’s voice was heard seconds later. His tone was clearly annoyed and angry by how loudly it was raised. “I’ll have your sword ready when I’m done! Get-!” the old man stopped. He looked at Fionn’s startled and confused face. There was an awkward and extremely tense seven seconds that felt like thirty before the old man bowed in acknowledgement. “My apologies for the near-death attack, sir,” the old man said, his voice now being much calmer than just moments ago

  Fionn forced out a small chuckle. “Uhm… I take it that you have to deal with a lot of annoying customers, yeah?” Fionn joked, still concerned and startled. His voice came off as calm, but it was only a bluff. How bad were his customers for him to automatically do that?

  “You have no idea, sir,” the old man said, straightening up to look at him properly. Fionn could get a good look at him now

  The old man had a black goatee that started to fade into a light gray color towards the ends. He had no hair, narrowed brown eyes, thin black eyebrows, and Fionn could tell his body was very muscular and healthy under his clothes. He even had a straight posture when standing. No hunch, walking stick, or even a helper to assist him. He was wearing a green yukata with a black obi sash

  “Your face is unfamiliar here. May I ask, who are you?” the man asked politely

  Fionn forced out his answer, speaking a bit too fast. “Fionn,” he said quickly, flinching at his own tone–his nerves were still on edge

  “F-yun…? Fyun, is it? Huh… Sounds Irish,” the man said, tilting his head slightly to the left

  “Uh… That’s because I am Irish, sir.” he said calmly, his tone softening

  “Ah, please forgive me. I do not mean anything by it.” the man said, putting his hands together in a praying motion

  Fionn raised an eyebrow, but shrugged it off. He stood up fully, realizing the man was near his height. “It’s fine. I take it you’re the owner of this…,” his voice trailed off as he looked around. There were multiple rows of swords, axes, daggers, knives, spears, lances, and even throwing items all over the wall, shelves, and displays “Oh! It’s a blacksmith shop.” He looked back at the old man

  “Although it appears that way, not quite,” the old man said, leaning back slightly. “The owner is actually the daughter of an old friend of mine–I’m only her supervisor”

  Fionn’s eyes widened slightly. “Damn! How skilled is she to make this many swords?!” he said, his tone in pure awe and amazement. The old man laughs slightly, confusing Fionn. “Not quite either. You are mistaken, my dear boy. She’s the owner of the shop, but I’m the one who made all of these weapons you see. Let me see..,” his voice trailed as he stroked his beard thoughtfully. “Are you familiar with the last name ‘Muramasa’? I do not want to make assumptions before I talk. I learned that the hard way.”

  Fionn’s eyes widened in shock this time. That name… That cursed lineage. The single man who made blades that seek blood, not even needing to be alive to make others draw blood from friends or foes. “Oh. I do know it,” Fionn said, his voice quieter now. “The creator of cursed swords. Vengeful and always seeking blood once drawn, regardless of who it’s from, even from the user if no one else is available.” he looks at the weapons with wary eyes now

  The old man nods in agreement. “Yes. The cursed swordsmith, Sengo Muramasa, is a remarkable sword crafter indeed. Although, those blades were never for peace. Only violence, bloodshed, chaos, and murder,” the old man said. “And the shop’s owner is his descendant.”

  With that, the old man turned on his heel, putting his arms behind his back. “Allow me to wake her up. It’s time for the shop to open up anyways.” the old man said. Fionn nods, inspecting the weapons more. As he left, Fionn gazed at the many options on display

  “The detail is really amazing… They all look like they were crafted and forged with real care,” he thought, looking over the swords

  Each sword was flawless: they were polished, clean, flawlessly symmetrical, and looked flashy in the light from outside. He glanced over to the axes, spears, and daggers. All of them sparkled with the utmost care and delicacy, aligned like he was walking through an armory. He traced his finger over a dao sword. As his fingers glides over it, he closes his eyes

  “This’ll be perfect.”

  He outlined the sword with a bright yellow glow. “Dao swords are cool to use. No matter the circumstances, I’ll prefer these over anything else,” he thought to himself. The yellow glow quickly engulfed the sword before disappearing. Fionn grins from ear to ear for a second, although it leaves just as fast as he heard soft footsteps start to approach the main room. He quickly went back to looking around and inspecting the weapons like a customer normally would. The footsteps came to a stop as he heard a feminine voice from behind him call out to him

  “Welcome to Masamune’s Smithing Shop!”

  Fionn turned around to see a beautiful woman wearing a black haori and a radiant smile on her face. She had dyed apricot-orange hair that was cut short to just barely pass her shoulders, bright and cute amber eyes, a very faint flamingo pink blush dusting her cheeks, and she looked slightly short in Fionn’s eyes, standing at around 5’4. A white blouse peeked from under the haori, her nails were painted pink, and had black armbands wrapped around her wrists

  “I’m Sana! Welcome,” she said, greeting him warmly. “You look like you’re new around here. What’s your name?” Fionn raised an eyebrow at her. She’s related to Muramasa? That looked unbelievable to him. Too sweet looking, too happy, too cute. “It’s Fionn,” he answered calmly “Pronounced F-yun.”

  “Fyun? Oh, cool!” her gaze flickers to see that he was near a dao sword. “Were you interested in a dao blade? I can ask my grandfather to have one custom made for you.” she offered

  “Actually,” he said, looking at the other weapons. “I am curious about something. Do you take requests for custom weapons?” he asked

  Sana’s smile dimmed to a slight frown. That question always struck a nerve with her. “We’re already swamped right now with requests from other heroes. They come in and only ever want something custom made, never one of the pieces on display,” she said, her voice sounding less positive about that topic. “We do charge extra, but it costs more to make them than we charge them for. And if they complain about it being “overpriced”, it’ll be a waste of resources and they won’t pay.”

  Fionn thinks to himself for a bit. “Heroes?” he said, confused. That’s nowhere near heroic to him

  Sana raised a brow at his question. “Oh, wow! You’re really new here,” she said. “Yeah, there’s heroes in this city. They often keep the Anomalies at bay and from attacking us. They have a school around here to teach people.” Fionn looked at the dao sword, then back at Sana. “And they ask for custom made stuff?” he asked. “Mhm. Rarely do they ever need something we already have made.” she said with a sigh

  “Well then, I do want two things that’s already made,” he said. Sana’s curiosity sparked at his request. “Oh? What would you like?”

  “A katana and a wakizashi.”

  Sana blinked. Then again. “Is he… being serious?” she thought to herself. “A katana was understandable. Everyone could recognize it, even if they were young. It’s very iconic and globally known,” she thought, glancing over at the barrel of swords. “But a wakizashi? Really? Hardly anyone uses them anymore. Is he just messing with me? Why would he want something like that?” She shakes her head briefly, a smile crossing her face just slightly, more curiosity in her tone than judgement. “A wakizashi, right? You sure? Those aren’t really used around here like that,” she said, trying not to sound too judgy. After all, at least it wasn’t yet another custom sword

  “Just those two. I don’t need anything else,” he replied calmly

  Sana exhaled softly, but another smile creeped onto her face. “I’ll see what we can do. It’ll take a while to forge. Do you pay up front or later when it’s made?”

  Fionn tilted his head slightly to the left. “Do heroes just pay later?” he asked, sounding slightly more disappointed than calm

  “Mhm. We have to make them first before they even think about paying. Otherwise, they’ll just not order anything.”

  “That’s bullshit,” he blurt out

  Sana’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry?” she said, confusion in her voice

  “Why would they just pay after it’s already been made? And threaten to not shop here if they have to pay up front?” he said, now annoyed

  Sana sounded slightly startled. “...You’re really not from here, are you, huh?”

  “Of course not,” he said, a grin starting to appear. “If that’s how the people are here, I’d rather live in the forest with Anomalies.”

  A small smirk started to form on her face. The first time someone had the audacity to speak up in quite a while. She was amused, to say the least. “Well, we do have some on display, and many in the back. Pick the weapons you like,” she said, her smirk turning into a happy smile

  Fionn turned back to inspecting the displays. The dao blade still did catch his eye a lot, but he forced himself to inspect the nihonto weapons, even glancing at the lances and spears available. “I doubt they’d make it, even if I showed a picture,” he thought to himself. He shrugs, picking up one of the display katanas

  The craftsmanship was staggering to say the least. The blade was glistening and sharp, almost like it was liquid silver. It reflected the sunlight so well that he could even see himself staring right back in the reflection. The handle had pristine white string wrapping it, with golden glitter paint dapped in some places, and the guard was black in the shape of a four leaf clover. The scabbard was plain white, a golden dragon design coiling around it. Fionn thinks over it for a second before placing it down. He looks back at Sana, who was adjusting the armbands around her wrists

  “Do you have any spears? Other than the swords, I need a spear too,” he said calmly

  Sana lets out a short laugh. “Really? Two swords with the addition of a spear? How will you carry all of that?” she asked teasingly

  In the blink of an eye, Fionn’s palm started to shine in a slightly bright golden light. It started to morph into a blade of some sort. The guard was bronze in the shape of a five-leaf clover instead of the normal four. The steel blade itself matched the thickness of a standard gladius sword, appearing more like an oversized dagger than sword. The thin, slender handle was wrapped in black string, with five spaced out silver pins on each side. At the bottom of the handle was a bronze kashira, grounding the weapon with completion. It reflects the outside light that peered into the shop. As the blade finished forming, the bright light disappears just as quick

  Sana froze. Her eyes widened in shock, her mouth hung open, hoping that words would form in her head, but her throat couldn’t process them properly. She stared at the blade, then at Fionn. She finally speaks, but it was only a low whisper. “D-did you just…!” her voice trailed off. An impressively made sword appeared out of nowhere. Was it magic? It had to be, right? Sana’s thoughts shifted to needing closure, narrowing her eyes slightly at Fionn. “H-how… How did you make that? I’ve never seen someone create a sword out of thin air,” she said finally. “And the crafting is beautiful… is it sword magic?”

  “No,” he said softly, as if he didn’t care. His voice was calm again

  Sana let out a slight scoff. “Are you, like, going to add on to that? This is amazing! None of the heroes have any kind of magic to produce swords this casualty… may I see it, please?” she asked, sounding more like she was begging. Fionn simply nods, carefully passing it to her. She immediately started to inspect it like a serious critic would. It looked like something made within the shop. The detail was just as flashy and beautiful as the other swords. “Wow…! Masamune would throw a celebration over this,” she said, a smile fading back onto her face

  Fionn’s eyes widened slightly. “The old man… Is he a descendant from Masamune?!” he asked, his eyebrows shooting up. Sana laughs brightly. “Of course he is! Did you think we just stole the name and lied about our craft? Of course not, hahahahaha!” she teased, putting her hands on her hips. “Mr. Masamune is the one who made all of these weapons. I just run this shop.”

  Fionn bites his tongue out of embarrassment. “Figures… Damn it,” he thought. When Sana’s laughter started to subside, the old man stepped out from the back

  “Ah… You’re still here,” he said, clearing his voice. “I would have thought Sana had taken care of your order now.”

  “Mr. Masamune, look at the sword he made!” she said, offering him the blade. He takes it into his hands, scanning over it. He gives a slight smirk, impressed by the craft

  “Not bad, sir,” he said calmly. He flipped the blade, letting it spin in the air before catching the handle with ease. “You made this? Just now?”

  “Yeah,”

  “Hm… I take it you must be one of the Creation Anomalies.”

  Fionn’s entire body froze. Was he that easy to figure out?. How did he figure that out so fast? “U-uh…,” he said, frozen by surprise

  “Don’t worry, young man,” he assured. “I can tell you aren’t like that bastard mother of yours.” He walked over to Fionn, putting a hand on his head. “You are much, much different.”

  Fionn couldn’t move. He knew her? He knew that Hell incarnate?! How?! “I-I… How the-! …How did you know her?!” he asked, confusion trying its hardest to breach into his thoughts instead of the current shock

  Sana stood slightly worried and confused–he never mentioned this to her before

  Mr. Masamune cleared his throat again. “She ordered a Muramasa sword specifically. Granted, Sana here did comply, and she paid us with counterfeit money,” he said, pausing to catch his words. He narrowed his eyes slightly at the blade. “By the looks of it, you clearly differ from that woman. So please, sir… stay that way.”

  Fionn couldn’t grin. Not a smile, not a shocked face either. He was actually frozen in place, staring at Mr. Masamune. His chest tightened from the hammering tension in the air

  “Say something, idiot. This is awkward,” he thought to himself. “Just say something! Anything! Even a simple gasp!” He had to force his words out, his mind not even comprehending them. “Did she know Sengo?” he asked bluntly

  “She did in fact know Muramasa,” he started “Of course, he complied with her demands because she fed his ego. Then… took his life after she was done using him.”

  Sana looked off to the left at the displays–she hated hearing about it. “That excuse of a woman is just horrible. And annoying,” she muttered, almost like she was talking to herself. Mr. Masamune nods, putting his hands behind his back. There was a slightly long pause before Mr. Masamune picked his words back up. “She is. That Tree Anomaly she created still would have terrorized this city if it wasn’t for the heroes. Even if they’re a pain in the ass, they do protect us. Though… I still would turn a blind eye to some of their deaths,”

  Fionn managed to crack a slight grin. “Alright then. Some good, some bad. Sounds like normal people,” he started, his grin widening. “But, the real difference is the clear line when they’re cornered. A hero would rather die trying to save others than be a coward who could’ve saved someone.”

  Mr. Masamune’s face cracked a small smirk. “Such wisdom for someone so young… You remind me of my younger self,” he said, a smile creeping onto his face. “Anyways, I’m sure you have more important things to do.”

  He gently sets the blade down on the counter. “If you need anything, we’ll be here.” He turned on his heel, walking to the back again

  Sana exhales in relief, not realizing she was holding her breath. “That means he likes you,” she said as a smile crept onto her face

  Fionn picked his blade up, a small smirk stretching across his face too. “I didn’t think I’d learn a few things from a blacksmith shop,” he said, looking down at Sana’s eyes. “But everywhere can teach you a thing or two.” Sana briefly nods in agreement. “Make sure to stop by tomorrow! Mr. Masamune might have a surprise for you,”

  Fionn nods before finally leaving the shop

  Taking a look around, he paid close attention to the city he was in. The cobblestone streets were quiet yet not empty. The nearby homes came in every shape and structure, some being single-floor and cozy, while others were towering at two floors and an attic window that watched him. The walls of a two story house were painted beige, the roof being a light gray paint. The front door was made from spruce wood, with messy childish paint on it.. Fionn smiled slightly as he walked past it. He could tell the owner’s children wanted to help decorate, so they drew stick figures, clumsy flowers, and derpy faces. It was beautiful to see the effort, even if it wasn’t much. Further down the street, children darted around the wooden stalls, chasing each other. They shrieked with laughter, their mother carefully watching them play as she followed close behind them. Fionn looked down at his blade, his mind drifting back to what he had said earlier

  “I really shouldn’t have given off that impression that I'm a good guy. Everyone’s head is brain washed into thinking killing someone automatically makes you evil,” he said as he sighs, flipping the blade in his hand. “If you kill an animal, no one throws a fit. Yet, if you kill a human, everyone’s on your ass.” The blade dissolves in his hand at his command, fading away into golden particles of light. “But killing a monster makes you a hero… and when an Anomaly does it, a riot breaks out.”

  Fionn shook his head, getting those thoughts out of his skull. “I shouldn’t be thinking so black and white,” he thought to himself, looking down at the street. The cobblestone was pretty to look at, even if it was inanimate. Carts and carriages creaked in the distance as they dragged luggage. As the hooves of ox hit the ground in a steadily weird rhythm to his ears. Merchants going about their offers, chatter of other citizens, and the clatter of the armor of the heroes and knights filled the air with a rich sense of peace. If this is how some Trials are, Fionn was going to protect them. No matter what it took

  The buildings lined the streets in mismatched harmony. But it was home to these innocent people. In some open places, Fionn could see laundry lines hung with clothes air drying. A cute older woman, accompanied by two children, was busy with their clothes. The woman was wearing a white lace bonnet covering most of her brunette hair. Fionn could only see the end of her ponytail. She was wearing a pine green linen kirtle under a white apron and leather light brown loafers. One of the children was female, having the same white lace bonnet as her mother over her head. She was wearing a cherry red kirtle with a white apron wrapped around her waist. Both, the mother and daughter, had beautiful lime green eyes that sparkled in the sunlight. The other child was a male and had light orange eyes with dark brown hair. His hair was combed to the side. He was wearing a cherry red tunic and brown trousers

  The mother was gently whacking a long white blanket with a dressing stick, careful to not break the string it was hanging from. The daughter was hanging up clothes with another dressing stick as the son handed them to her. They looked so happy by just setting up clothes to air dry

  At a tavern, Fionn saw three men outside sitting at a table casually playing a card game, smoking, drinking, laughing, and having fun. They were dressed in tunics with a belt around their hips, trousers with some patches on them, and leather loafers or work boots

  “This place seems lively,” Fionn thought to himself