Nixsen stretched, her body stiff after a restless night on the hard ground. Krey was already at the entrance, holding the wooden board that served as a door to one side. Sunbeams streamed through a hole in the roof, catching the dust in the air and lighting them both in a sharp, morning glow.
Noticing she was awake, he asked,
"Did you sleep well?"
Shifting her weight, she did a curt nod and then muttered,
"I suppose… you could say that."
"Why did you agree to sleep here anyways?" he asked, his fidgeting betraying his awareness of Nixsen's discomfort.
Standing upwards, she simply stated that,
"You seemed to be nice enough to not try anything."
She walked outside and paused, looking back toward Krey, who was wrapping his sword with the sheet she had just slept on.
"Well, aren't you going to tag along?"
"I—is that really okay…?" He questioned, trying to avoid eye contact.
Smiling down on the poor-looking, disheveled young man,
"Think of it as a way of me repaying you for letting me stay," Nixsen stated.
"But—"
Cutting Krey off, she grabbed him by the hand, dragging him from the shabby shed into the sharp, full embrace of the sun.
He wanted to raise his hand to shield his eyes, but the weight of the bracelet on his wrist held him back. He could only wince, blinking repeatedly as he struggled to adjust to the light.
Krey reluctantly agreed to follow Nixsen along the perimeter of the intimidating castle. Strangely, there were no rats to be seen, though neither of them seemed concerned by their absence, as if they had expected it.
At the castle gates, two guards with spears demanded identification. Lifting the edge of her cloak, Nixsen revealed an elaborate embroidery on her chest: a crow holding a white rose, set against the backdrop of a single purple pupil. The symbol stood out starkly against the black fabric.
The guard who had spoken grew pale and began to apologize profusely.
Lifting up her hand, she told the guard that there was no need to be courteous; soon the guard shouted,
"Open the gate!"
The moment the command was given, the massive gate began to grind upwards. The sight stirred a deep sense of déjà vu in Krey, reminding him not only of the trials but of the distant memory of sneaking through these same walls long ago. Though the gate itself was enormous, the walls behind it towered even higher, their peaks seeming to scratch the clouds.
Passing through the gate was like stepping between two worlds. A clear distinction of class was immediately visible. To either side stood buildings worn by time, their stones stained with mold, with rats swarming openly in the gutters. Yet, none of the creatures darted back outside the gate, as if afraid to cross the threshold.
Deeper into the city, the scene transformed. Here was a lovely quarter where flowers bloomed in window boxes, trees lined the walkways, and families strolled peacefully. Children ran and played while merchants called out their wares—a picture of vibrant, everyday life.
Krey stood frozen in awe, gripping his sword with both hands. To the people around him, however, the sight was different. Next to the beautiful, noble-looking woman in elegant black stood an unsightly, disheveled young man. His tunic was riddled with holes, his pants too large, and his feet bare. Together, they looked like a living fable: beauty and the beast.
Noticing this, Nixsen called for Krey,
"Come on, let's get going."
"Huh, where are we headed to?" raising his eyebrow.
But he didn't have time to question even further; Nixsen had taken off, and not wanting to be left behind, he followed suit.
She led him from store to store, merchant to merchant, on a swift spending spree. She finally stopped around a corner in a quiet alley, her arms now full of parcels, and extended a hand toward him.
"Go on, get changing."
"Huh?" The sudden request made the young man blush.
"Hurry on and change attire, you can't be seen looking like that."
Putting down the sword, he hesitantly accepted the set of clothes, and looking up, Krey asked.
"...Can you look away? This is a bit, uhm, embarrassing."
Turning around, a smirk appearing on her face,
"If you say so," Nixsen exclaimed.
He changed quickly, then gathered his old ragged clothes, first over his forearm, then slung over his shoulder. He tapped a foot on the ground, testing his new shoes.
"These feel nice," he thought to himself.
Stepping out of the alley, he caught Nixsen's eye. She looked him up and down—the young man was far more presentable now, though his hair remained a scruffy, tangled mess, which made her expression briefly sour.
"Wow, you look so much better now," she said, patting Krey on the head, smiling gently.
But when she pulled her hand back, a coating of dust and dirt came with it. She tilted her head, dismissed it with a glance, and wiped her glove clean on her dress.
She led the way to a small, unassuming library. Upon entry, Nixsen called out to the librarian.
"Still working here, I see?"
Tilting his head to face the voice that had called to him, his eyes widened, a smile growing and forming dimples.
"Do my eyes deceive me? I can't believe you came back to this place. How are your travels?"
Happily shouted the librarian, whose appearance was that of a short, well-fed man with gray patches of hair on his luxurious beard and a patch of emptiness on his head, exposing his shining, smooth skin.
The two acquaintances caught up with each other, and Krey looked around, admiring the craftsmanship of the place. Soon after the two folks had caught up, they departed.
"I don't see Alison around, is she cooped up in her room?" asked Nixsen.
"No no no, she went on an errand." The joyous man replied.
"You should have a look around, I've acquired a few books on herbs and other stuff that you might be interested in, just in case you might have return."
He added, a rich, inviting laugh escaping the librarian's breath.
"Dear me, you really are a great man."
Nixsen chuckled back, lifting her hand over her mouth.
She then turned towards Krey, snapping her fingers in front of his face.
"Come on then, let's have a look, shall we?"
Flinching, Krey looked at the beauty looking down on her; he lashed back with hesitancy in his voice.
"…Don't snap your fingers in my face!"
"You seemed so focused strolling around, I needed to catch your attention somehow." Replied the ashen haired woman.
Squinting at her, Krey sighed and swatted his hand.
"Yeah yeah, what do you want?" Krey muttered.
"Look for a book that you like, I'll lend it out for you."
Turning around, Nixsen went to search for books of her own.
Not wanting to walk out of the library with empty hands, he involuntarily walked a few aisles, opening a few books and quickly flipping through the pages.
"I can't understand any of this," Krey thought to himself.
However, a book soon attracted his attention. It was a swordsmanship book, and as he turned the pages, he wasn't able to read the written content; he could understand the pictures, which showed the steps to the techniques.
Holding the book tightly to his chest, he walked quickly, looking for Nixsen and traversing through the crowds searching for books for themselves.
Not before long, he found her holding a few books in her hand and searching for more books with the other hand, sliding her finger across the shelves.
Noticing the young man, she asked.
"Have you picked out something for yourself?"
Extending his hand, he handed the book over to her, but she tilted her head, a droplet of sweat falling down from her face.
"Umm, my hands are quite full at the moment, you should hold on to it for now."
"Ah, okay, sorry."
"It's alright, I'm all finished up anyways."
They then advanced to the jolly, robust man and handed over the books.
"Back so soon already? Quite the pile, isn't it? Also, who's this youngster next to you? No, don't tell me—is this a lover? I didn't take you to be the type to be into younger men!" commented the well-fed man.
"Still have the gull to joke around, I see. He's sweet but not my type," Nixsen replied, scoffing.
After stamping the books, he then slid them back to them, noticing that the young man was waiting for the book on swordsmanship.
"You can keep this book, not many people have asked for it to be lent anyway. It would be a shame not to put this excellent book to good use." Spoke the man with sincerity in his voice.
After those words escaped his mouth, he started to cough relentlessly, making a face of worry wearing Nixsen.
"Ah, don't worry, something got stuck in my throat," chuckled the well fed fellow.
Standing outside the library, with a pile of books in their hand, breaking the silence, Nixsen spoke.
"We should get you an adventurer's identification badge."
The duo of colliding archetypes was then standing outside of the adventurer's guild hall.