Arcane Innovator

I stood silently under a mighty silhouette of an aged tree at the edge of my formerly lavish garden. Which was now reduced to a mere shadow of its former glory by the fierce shockwaves unleashed by me a short while ago.

It was evident that the tree had its best years behind it, yet it still soared high into the heavens as if in defiance of its inevitable fate.

'This place will do...' I nodded, my heart heavy with grief as I stood in front of a freshly dug grave carved between its sizable roots.

Helga, my dear sister, lay at the edge of the gaping hole, her once vibrant spirit now extinguished by the cruel hands of my enemies.

The world seemed to hold its breath as I gently lowered my sister's body into her final resting place. The distant echo of the tolling bells provided a somber ambiance for this grim task.

I knew that time was running short, and the whole area would be swarmed by guards before long.

Yet I couldn't help but remain still for a few moments longer until finally, with a heavy sigh, I commanded my essence to surge forth, filling the hole with the surrounding soil.

Then, I leveled the site meticulously, erasing any signs of my recent activity so that nobody would disturb Helga's grave.

When I was finished, I tightly clutched the small lock of Helga's hair I took as a keepsake as I threw one last look at the unassuming patch of earth in front of me.

"Rest well, my dear sister," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "I promise you, I will find those bastards who did this to you, and they will pay dearly for what they've done..."

With that, I turned around and started walking away. Behind me, a mighty blaze raged. The hungry flames soared dozens of meters into the air, illuminating the entire Western Quarter and quickly reducing my former luxurious home to nothing but ash.

A similar blaze also raged in the depths of my heart. It was a fire fueled by loss, anger, and a fierce determination to avenge Helga's death.

Yet before I could entertain any thoughts for revenge, I first needed to seek out my parents and convince them to escape, as I was more than sure that the village would be the first place where the soldiers would come looking for me.

Right now, I had no hopes of contending with the Count's army as simply fighting a small portion of the Fortress' garrison almost cost me my life.

Besides, the more soldiers I kill, the bigger threat I would become in the eyes of my enemies, which will then prompt them to go to great lengths in order to get rid of me.

So, my only option for now is to flee the city and lay low, biding my time until an opportunity for revenge presents itself.

There was nothing I could do to protect my uncle's family as, by now, all the gates leading out of the city would be shut down and under a heavy guard, so they wouldn't be able to escape even if they wanted to.

But I was hoping that since we weren't that close and given my uncle's high standing, they would be able to somehow withstand the aftermath without too severe repercussions.

The same applies to Myra and her uncle Alaric, as they, too, will surely be drawn into this mess, but there was no time left to warn them.

'There is nothing I can do about it... Saving my parents is a top priority for now.' I nodded with renewed determination as I jumped over the mansion's fence and headed into the city.

Yet I didn't turn south, heading for the gate that would take me out of the city and onto the familiar path leading to my former village, but instead, I turned north as there was still one place I needed to stop by.

I crept through the city, keeping to the shadows. However, thanks to the insistent ringing of bells and the massive blaze coloring the cityscape in a faint orange glow, there was an unexpected number of people in the streets as everyone was frantically scrambling to find out what was happening.

This made it somewhat difficult to avoid the panicking crowds, yet this ruckus also worked in my favor as my apparent hurry didn't seem all that suspicious.

Soon, I stood in front of a small, unassuming building amid the Northern Quarter. Without wasting a breath, I opened the creaking doors and quickly ascended the narrow, winding staircase.

A familiar scent of aged wood and dust welcomed me as I opened the door leading into the attic. Seeing that everything was exactly as I left it, I donned a victorious smile.

Unbeknownst to anyone, I kept my tiny old room in the Northern Quarter all this time as a secret hideout just in case something disastrous happened.

I quickly made my way to the back wall, which was right under the rafters. With a trembling hand, I pushed aside the numerous cobwebs and reached between the ancient beams all the way to the very back until I felt the opening of a small concealed cavity.

I continued to stretch my hand until, at last, I rested my fingers upon the sizeable pouch that was hidden within.

The weight of it felt extremely heavy in my outstretched palm as I began slowly retrieving it. "Come on," I whispered, "just a little further."

Then, with one last push, I finally got it out of the cavity and into my eager hands. I wanted to ensure that nothing was missing, so I quickly checked its precious contents.

A glint of satisfaction flashed across my eyes as soon as I opened it when my eyes rested upon the dozens of shiny golden coins inside.

'There's simply no way I would ever leave you behind...' I thought excitedly as I went on to count the coins, and after making sure nothing was missing, I quickly tied it up and secured it inside the inner pocket of my coat.

I didn't trust the Merchant Guild that they would keep my money safe if something happened, so for the last few months, ever since my feud with the Alchemists first started, I was inconspicuously retrieving the profits from all my investments plus the profits from the elixir sales and turning them into gold.

At first, I kept it locked in a secured coffer inside my room at the mansion. But thanks to my growing paranoia, I was constantly afraid someone might try to rob me, so in the end, I decided to stash everything in here, not only the small pouch of silver I kept here originally as an emergency escape fund.

'63 marks of gold... With this kind of money, I can easily start over somewhere else.' I reassured myself as I retrieved the large backpack with my emergency supplies.

I took out the plain, inconspicuous gray clothes and changed my outfit, discarding my expensive, luxurious attire without any hesitation as to where I was going. I would have no need for it.

At the bottom, there were some long-lasting rations and basic camping supplies, which will also come in handy. I rearranged everything, ensuring I had everything I needed before I quietly exited the room, saying final goodbye to this nostalgic place where I spent so much time.

Before I left the building, I slipped a few pieces of silver under my former landlord's doors as a token of gratitude for all those years he let me stay here.

With that, I descended the creaking stairs into the sprawling chaos of the city below. I once again delved into the dark alleyways of the Northern Quarter.

'Trust no one...' became my mantra as I navigated the narrow passages, steeling my resolve with each step.

I didn't go back toward the main road, where I would run the risk of getting discovered. Instead, I delved into the dilapidated scenery of the slums, where nobody cared who I was, as I made my way toward the city walls.

There, I briefly paused as I thoroughly scanned the whole area before hurriedly propelling myself onto the nearest roof and, from there, onto the top of the mighty walls.

The walls themselves were as majestic and sturdy as always, yet contrary to any other time, I found them strangely deserted.

Which was not that surprising. With the army gone and a significant portion of the remaining Fortress' garrison slaughtered, there were not many guards left that could both maintain the order inside the city and guard the walls at the same time.

Thus, I jumped over the edge without wasting a single moment of this wondrous opportunity. After a soft landing in the deep moat on the other side, I quickly disappeared onto the well-beaten path leading into the City's forest.

Going through the forest was a little bit of a walk around, but on the other hand, it was pretty safe as, at this hour, there was zero chance of encountering anyone.

I took a deep breath as I focused my still mostly depleted reserves of essence and directed them into my sore legs, rejuvenating them somewhat before I started running east toward the frontier villages.

'Please let me make it in time...' Was the only thing I could think of at that moment.