The night sky was a deep, endless canvas of black, dotted with thousands of brilliant stars. Far below, the wind carried a cloaked figure over the sprawling rooftops of the Duke's territory.
Fainyx flew silently through the air, the invisible currents of his magic completely undetectable. It was his first time doing this, his first time escaping the heavy walls of his room purely for his own amusement.
A small, rare smile tugged at the corner of his lips under his deep hood. The absolute freedom of flying was intoxicating.
As he approached the main city, the darkness gave way to a warm, glowing sea of light. The streets below were illuminated by hundreds of floating magical lanterns, painting the cobblestones in vibrant shades of gold and amber.
Despite it being nearing midnight, the city was incredibly alive.
Fainyx landed softly in a dark, empty alleyway, his boots making absolutely no sound. He peeked out from the shadows.
The main street was packed with people. A man and a woman walked by holding hands, children chased each other through the crowds, and street vendors were loudly advertising their late-night wares.
It seemed the festive atmosphere of the Harvest Festival had simply refused to end, bleeding over into a perpetual night market. He even spotted a few rugged individuals carrying large swords on their backs, adventurers, no doubt.
Fainyx closed his eyes and allowed his invisibility magic to fade completely, though he kept his dark cloak wrapped tightly around him to hide his unique hair.
As he stepped out of the alley, a rich, savory scent hit his nose.
"Fresh skewers! Hot off the grill! Meat and veggies coated in my secret sauce!" a burly street vendor shouted enthusiastically, waving a pair of metal tongs over a sizzling charcoal grill.
Fainyx looked at the food. His mouth watered slightly. 'Should I buy some?' he thought.
He reached into his pocket, his fingers brushing against the bronze, silver, and gold coins he had carefully hoarded over the years for exactly this kind of moment. 'I want to experience going out once in a while.'
He walked up to the brightly lit stall.
"Well, hello there!" the vendor greeted him with a wide, friendly smile. "You look like you've got an appetite. Want to buy a piece, kiddo?"
Fainyx didn't speak. He simply raised his hand and held up one finger.
"Just one? You got it!" The vendor nodded happily.
He grabbed a fresh skewer, expertly flipped it over the hot coals until the meat sizzled perfectly, and then generously drizzled a thick, dark, savory sauce all over it.
He handed it to Fainyx with a piece of parchment paper. "That will be exactly two copper coins, young man."
Fainyx reached into his small leather wallet and handed over the exact change.
"Thanks! You new around this part of the city?" the vendor asked, wiping his hands on his apron.
Fainyx gave a small, polite nod.
The vendor let out a booming laugh. "Not much of a talker, huh, kiddo? Well, that's alright. The food does the talking here. Enjoy your meal!"
Fainyx nodded again and walked away. He found a quiet wooden bench near the edge of the street and sat down, taking a bite of the skewer. His eyes widened slightly. It was delicious.
The texture of the meat was a bit firm, but it ripped easily between his teeth, and the dark sauce was perfectly balanced between sweet and savory. Even the roasted vegetables were incredible.
He ate the entire skewer with genuine relish, feeling entirely satisfied.
Once he threw the wooden stick away, he began to explore. He walked past clothing boutiques, candy stores with spinning sugar displays, and shops selling wooden toys.
Realizing he would need a way to communicate without exposing his identity, he stopped by a small, dimly lit general store. He spent a few copper coins on a cheap, rough paper notebook and a charcoal pencil.
It was nowhere near the quality of the fine parchment his father bought him, but it would do perfectly for the streets.
Stepping back outside, a particular group caught his eye.
Walking ahead of him was a trio of adventurers. The first was a tall man with a wicked scar running down his cheek, carrying a curved dagger at his waist. Beside him walked a woman with thick glasses, holding a wooden staff embedded with small, glowing red jewels.
But it was the third member that made Fainyx stop in his tracks. It was a woman with long, elegant blonde hair, carrying a beautifully crafted bow. And poking out from beneath her hair were distinct, elongated, pointed ears.
'An elf.'
It was Fainyx's first time seeing another race besides Ruth the dragon. His curiosity flared instantly. Without a second thought, he decided to follow them.
The trio turned a corner, heading deeper into the city. Fainyx quickly ducked into an adjacent, empty alleyway.
'If I am going to follow them where adventurers go, I cannot look like a six-year-old child,' he reasoned.
He closed his eyes and channeled his magic. He cast a flawless, high-tier illusion over himself. A shimmering layer of mana enveloped his small frame, projecting the tall, lean build of a fifteen-year-old boy the minimum legal age to register as an adventurer.
He gathered his long hair striking silver with its natural, deep green gradient at the tips, and tied it back securely. Finally, he pulled a simple, half-face black mask from his spatial storage and strapped it over his nose and mouth, completely hiding his identity beneath the illusion.
He looked down at his new, larger illusory hands. 'My height is good. But my voice...'
He touched his throat, feeling the heavy, familiar psychological block. Even in a flawless disguise, the idea of speaking out loud to strangers felt wrong.
He let out a silent sigh, shaking his head. It didn't matter. He was perfectly used to being a mute at home, he could easily be a mute adventurer.
With his disguise ready and his cheap notebook in hand where he bought in some stall, he stepped out of the alley and followed the trio's path.
He soon stood before a massive, three-story building constructed from heavy red bricks. A large wooden sign swinging above the double doors bore a carved sword and shield.
The Adventurer's Guild.
Fainyx pushed the heavy doors open and was immediately hit by a wall of sound. The first floor was a massive tavern and registration hall, absolutely packed with people of all races.
Men and women in heavy plate armor drank alongside lightly clad mages and rogues. The air smelled strongly of spilled ale, roasted meat, and worn leather. Laughter and shouts echoed off the high wooden ceiling.
Fainyx navigated through the crowded tables until he reached the long wooden counter at the back.
Standing behind the registry desk was a young woman in a neat uniform. She was undeniably pretty, but Fainyx didn't care about her looks in the slightest, he only cared about the process.
He stepped up to the counter, flipped open his cheap notebook, and quickly scribbled with his charcoal pencil. He slid the paper toward her.
[ Excuse me. Can I register as an adventurer here? ]
The receptionist looked at the paper, then up at the masked, silver-haired boy. She didn't seem fazed by his silence at all, adventurers were often eccentric. She gave him a bright, professional smile.
"Welcome to the Guild! Yes, you can certainly register, provided you are at least fifteen years of age and can pay the registration fee of five silver coins.
Firstly I need to know your name."
[It's Fain.]
"Fain huh... Ok done"
Fainyx nodded once. He reached into his pouch, pulled out five shining silver coins, and placed them neatly on the counter.
The lady's smile brightened. She swept the coins into a drawer and pulled out a blank metal tag.
"Wonderful. Let me explain the rules.
As a new recruit, you will start at Rank F. You can rank up by successfully completing missions."
She pointed a pen toward a massive wooden board across the room, completely covered in pinned papers.
"That is the mission board. It holds requests ranging from Rank F up to Rank S."
She stamped the metal tag and handed it to him. "One very important rule, if you do not complete at least one mission per month, your adventurer card will be officially revoked, and you will have to pay to register again. Please be careful."
Fainyx took the tag, slipping it into his pocket, and wrote on his paper again.
[ Can I pick some missions right now? ]
"Of course!" the receptionist nodded happily. "Since you are still new, it is highly recommended that you start with simple gathering quests. Here, let me find a good one for you."
She shuffled through a stack of papers and handed him a parchment. "This is an F-Rank request for picking specific healing herbs in the Eastern Forest. You have three days to complete it."
Fainyx looked at the drawing of the green, leafy plant on the paper, then scribbled one last question.
[ Can I bring in more than what they ask for? ]
"Oh, absolutely!" she smiled. "The apothecary always needs more. We will pay you a bonus for any extra you find. Good luck out there!"
Fainyx gave a polite nod, accepted the mission paper, and immediately walked out the front doors of the Guild.
He didn't head toward the Eastern Forest. Instead, he walked right back into the dark, empty alleyway. He checked to make sure no one was watching, and then pulled the fabric of space apart, stepping directly into his Aetherium.
The portal closed behind him, leaving him standing in the soft, glowing grass of his massive dimension.
"Kyu?"
A very confused squeak came from the bushes. Lumi, the tiny white weasel, poked its head out. The little creature stared at the much taller, cloaked fifteen-year-old illusion standing in its master's usual spot, its head tilting to the side in sheer bewilderment.
Fainyx snapped his fingers, instantly dispelling the tall visual illusion. He crouched down and pulled his hood back.
"It's just me, Lumi," he thought, reaching out.
Lumi cautiously sniffed his hand. The moment the weasel recognized the familiar, comforting scent of Fainyx's mana, it let out a happy "Kyuu!" and scrambled up his arm.
Fainyx stood up, pulling the incredibly soft creature into a gentle hug. Lumi purred loudly, clearly missing him, before expertly climbing up to its favorite spot on his shoulder, happily cozying up against his neck.
"Alright, let's get to work," Fainyx thought.
He looked at the image of the healing herb on the mission paper. He closed his eyes and channeled his Life and Earth magic directly into the rich soil of the Aetherium. He perfectly visualized the structure of the plant, forcing the dimension's incredibly dense mana to rapidly accelerate its growth.
Within seconds, a patch of glowing, vibrant green herbs sprouted from the ground right at his feet.
Fainyx crouched down and inspected them. Because they were grown inside the Aetherium, these herbs were completely saturated with pure magic. They were of impossibly high quality.
If an apothecary used these in a healing potion, the effects would be drastically amplified, allowing Fainyx to save other adventurers' lives effortlessly, while also practically guaranteeing his swift promotion to a higher rank.
He carefully picked the entire patch, filling his large leather pouch to the brim.
'If they ask where I got such high-quality herbs, I will just say I fell into a hidden cave in the forest, and these were the only ones there,'
Fainyx planned, his excuse already perfected. 'That way, they won't expect me to find them again.'
With his mission completed in literally less than two minutes, as he turned to open the portal back to the alleyway.
He reached up to pluck Lumi off his shoulder to leave the weasel in the safety of the villa, but Lumi instantly dug its tiny claws gently into his cloak. The weasel puffed out its cheeks and shook its head stubbornly. It did not want to be left behind again.
Fainyx looked at the determined little face and let out a soft, defeated sigh.
"Fine. You can come with me," Fainyx said, using his real, quiet voice in the safety of his dimension. "But you cannot move a single muscle, okay?"
"Kyu!" Lumi agreed happily. The tiny white weasel immediately scrambled under the collar of his thick black cloak, curling up into a warm, hidden ball against his collarbone, completely out of sight.
Fainyx laughed softly, shaking his head at his spoiled pet. He recast his fifteen-year-old illusion, pulled his hood back up, and opened the portal, he will visit some stalls before he went to the adventure guilds.