Location: Southern Gate of the Capital, Elthreon.
Time: One week after leaving Verdan Village.The capital of Elthreon was not merely a city; it was a stone beast breathing smoke and magic. The outer walls, built from white stone embedded with frozen mana, rose toward the sky so high they blocked out part of the sun. Above the gates, aerial guards patrolled on the backs of griffins, their eyes scrutinizing every arrival with extreme precision.Lirion and his team (Garek, Elara, and Rowan) stood at the entrance of the queue. The scent of the city was different from the village—a mix of expensive noble perfumes, smoke from magical factories, and a faint metallic smell… the same scent Lirion had detected in the black shard."Stay sharp," Lirion whispered without moving his lips much, using a technique to transmit sound through a light flow of mana. "The Guild watches everything here. And don't forget our cover story: we are students here to take the Advanced Licensing Exam."Garek nodded, his hand nervously gripping the hilt of his sword. "I hate lying. My sword speaks the truth better than my tongue.""Your sword speaks the language of blood, Garek, and in the capital, cheap blood has no value," Lirion replied calmly. "Here, information is the most valuable currency."They advanced toward the guard. He wore dark blue armor bearing the emblem of the Royal Guild (an open eye inside a triangle)."Identification papers," the guard requested in a hoarse voice.Elara presented the forged documents prepared by her uncle, Alden, using stamps stolen during an old raid on an abandoned warehouse.The guard examined the papers, then looked at Lirion. His eyes paused for a moment on Lirion's chest, where his blue root pulsed beneath his tunic."A light blue root? A low level for such a mission," the guard suspected.Suddenly, the black shard in Lirion's pocket pulsed faintly. At the same moment, Lirion felt a slight "interference" in the guard's magical aura, as if a small device was hiding something beneath the guard's armor.Lirion activated Truth Sight (his daily charge).He saw a thin red line extending from the guard's armor toward a distant watchtower."He isn't suspicious of me," Lirion realized. "He is receiving orders from someone else to inspect everyone with excessive thoroughness today.""We aspire to promotion," Lirion said with feigned confidence, while directing a precise flow of his mana to mimic the frequency of "obedience" he saw in the guard's aura (a technique he had learned from observing distorted circuits). "And we have a recommendation from the Border Academy."The guard hesitated for a moment, then the red line in Lirion's vision severed."Enter. But beware of the Old District. There are reports of abnormal activity," the guard said, waving them through.Lirion breathed a sigh of relief once they crossed the gate."Did we make it?" Rowan asked, relieved."We made it because they are busy with something bigger than us," Lirion answered, his eyes scanning the horizon where the Golden Guild Tower rose in the center of the city. It was surrounded by a faint, seemingly natural luminous halo, but Lirion saw very fine cracks within it, like glass on the verge of shattering."The second shard is there," the Stone's voice confirmed in his mind. "And under heavy protection."