I woke up in a clammy, dim cell that smelled of mildew and rot. In my past life, I was allergic to mold. Luckily, that was no longer the case. Moonlight slipped in through a narrow, barred window, confirming it was already night. Iron bars separated me from two empty cells on either side. Somehow, their silence was more unsettling than if someone had been inside. My head spun when I stood up, and pain throbbed with every heartbeat. My left eye was clouded with red. When I touched my temple, my fingers came away sticky with half-dried blood. Now I know how those bandits I hit with a rock must’ve felt.

  I considered calling the guards, but, given how I ended up here, I decided it was safer to stay quiet. Better to curl up and wait for Uncle Flo to work things out and come find me. To take my mind off the pain and fear, I moved through a series of stretching exercises, focusing on my breath rather than my circumstances. Perhaps an hour later, the echo of raised voices reverberated down the corridor beyond the heavy door, the only exit from this dismal place.

  “I don’t care if this was the royal palace itself,” came a familiar voice sharp as steel, echoing down the corridor. “Open that door before I have it removed along with you.”

  “Lady Ceedorec, please, this is a Veridian jail. There are procedures…”

  “Procedures that inexplicably include beating my protege, a child no less?” she snapped.

  “We have a credible witness who…”

  I couldn’t catch the next part, but I could guess who that 'credible witness' was. The heavy door groaned open, and torchlight filled the cell. A guard with a nervous twitch stood beside Uncle Flo. Behind them was Aunt Estrah. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of my bloodied face. Her rings glinted as her fingers clenched into fists.

  “Open it. Now.”

  The guard fumbled with his keys until the lock finally clicked. Aunt Estrah swept in, her perfume briefly masking the cell’s stench. She cupped my chin, tilting my face toward the light. Her voice softened. “Let me fix that for you.” One of her rings grew warm against my skin as she whispered, “[Numb pain. Purify the wound. Regenerate wound.]”

  A gentle warmth enveloped my head, and the pain melted away. The crimson haze cleared from my vision, as if wiped clean. I blinked, testing my eye. “Thank you. I’d love to learn that magic too.”

  “In due time.” She straightened her sleeve. “Now, Florent?”

  Uncle Flo lingered in the shadows, lips moving in silence. Once called, he quickly crossed the floor and placed a steady hand on my shoulder. "Everything is fine," he said reassuringly. The silver ring on his finger pulsed with swirling mana.

  “Tell me what happened.” His whisper somehow filled the cell. “Be concise.”

  Seeing Uncle Flo’s serious expression, I sat up straighter, inhaled deeply, fixed my gaze on him, and began recounting the events of the day, my hands fidgeting nervously in my lap. He nodded as I finished, stood up, and asked, “Is there anyone in this keep who knows how to use magic items?”

  “Not currently, no,” the guard replied apologetically.

  “Well, that’s a shame. This,” he said, pointing at his ring, “is infused with lie-detecting magic. The boy told no lies, and that’s enough for Lady Ceedoric and me. Release him now, or I’ll go straight to Lord Labrait with Lady Ceedoric in hand. That won’t end well for anyone involved.”

  The guard swallowed hard. After a long, tense pause, he surrendered.

  “Fine, take him,” he murmured. “He’s not worth the trouble.”

  Uncle Flo placed a protective hand back on my shoulder. “Are you missing any of your possessions, Zar?”

  I patted my empty pockets, mostly for show, since I already knew what was missing. “Just my coin pouch. It had 22 silver pieces and 9 large coppers.”

  The guard’s face went pale, and his eyes widened as he clutched his ledger. “I have no record of any confiscated items,” he mumbled, glancing nervously at the entries.

  Uncle Flo leaned in, muzzle nearly touching the guard. “And you dare call him a thief?” he whispered, voice venomous. “We’ll be at the Sleeping Dragon Inn until noon. Return his pouch, every coin accounted for, before we leave. Do not test us.”

  Aunt Estrah took my arm, caringly gripping just above my elbow, her fingers warm against my fur as she pulled me toward the exit. Together, we walked the narrow, winding hallway, my footsteps matching hers along the dirty stone floor. When we reached the open courtyard, the fresh air hit my lungs like a blessing after the cell’s putrid atmosphere. I turned my gaze to her profile, sharp against the starry sky. Curiosity got the better of me.

  “So, how did you find us?”

  “Florent and I swapped tracking gems a while back. When you two didn’t come home on time, I used mine to find him. I came to town just this afternoon, but he was meeting with the local lord, so I had to exchange some courtesies with him as well. By the time we got back to the Inn, you were already gone. The rest is unimportant.”

  “Got it. So, what is this about Lady Ceedoric?”

  “Ah, yes,” she sighed, adjusting her cloak. “Six hundred years ago, I was married to a fine man in Chogueux. He was fun, tall, and had the most magnificent ears I’ve ever seen. Our grandchildren turned out to be quite ambitious. One thing led to another, and before I knew it, they’d established a new royal line. I’m technically the family matriarch,” her eyes glinted with a hint of naughtiness, “but I try not to get myself involved in politics these days. Too many tedious dinners.”

  I was speechless. Aunt Estrah’s ear fetish aside, Chogueux was the third kingdom, down in the south of the Isles. It was smaller than Sonem and Veridia, but still strong enough to maintain its independence. Processing that bombshell occupied my thoughts the entire walk back to the Inn.

  As soon as we stepped in, the innkeeper handed us steaming cups of chamomile. He must’ve worked as a fortune teller on the side. His eyes lingered on my fur just a touch too long before quickly looking away. I guess I really needed to wash myself. Uncle Flo seemed to read my mind. He quietly excused himself and left to set up a bath for me. What a great uncle. Once we climbed the stairs, Aunt Estrah closed the door behind us, her rings softly clinking against the iron latch. She settled into the armchair by the window, her eyes glinting in the lamplight as she made herself comfortable.

  “Well, Zar.” She leaned forward, taking a sip from her cup. “What do you want to do now? Seek justice? Plot revenge?” Her lips curled into a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

  I touched my temple where the wound had been, fur still matted with dried blood. My claws clinked against the ceramic as I set my cup down untouched. “There’s no point. Those dummies at the market and the guard were just misled. That priestess is full of hate, and vengeance won’t fix that. If people of the Isles are starting to resent beastkin, I need to find a way to protect myself by raising my social status. That should be my priority.”

  “My, how are you so smart at your age? Seriously, I’ve met thousand-year-old elves with less common sense. Very well, walk me through your thinking. How do you intend to achieve that?” Her smile now was genuine, indicating she hoped I would say something along those lines.

  “I can’t just become a noble out of the blue. Not like some people.” I shot her a dramatic look. “I’ve considered the path of an adventurer or joining the military. Both would give me strength and connections, but…” I shrugged, almost apologizing. “I don’t really like fighting.”

  “Nothing wrong with preferring a peaceful life,” she said, gesturing for me to continue.

  “I do want to study at the Academy. Scholars have some influence, like merchants, but beyond the Academy walls, they’re still just commoners, right?” My claws tapped the table as I spoke. “But priests? They command respect everywhere they go. I could travel, heal people, and maybe gradually change how people view beastkin.”

  “Reasonable and logical conclusion to make. So, you want to join the Temple for the Goddess of Balance, then?”

  "I thought about it at first. But after talking to the head priest at the local Temple, it sounds like serious problems are brewing there. I’m not sure I’d be safe, considering my… nature." I clacked my claws together for emphasis.

  “Well, as we went through in our studies, it is generally believed that there are three deities guarding the world. Goddess of Balance, God of Order, and a Goddess of Chaos, otherwise known as Mother Nature in some cultures. The latter doesn’t have a large, organized religious institution following her, but rather small cults, individual shamans, and whatnot. If you are so intent on doing good and want some protection from prosecution by a random peasant mob, your best bet is with the Church for God of Order.”

  “If I remember your lessons correctly, they are structured differently from the Temple. Less centralized? Ironic given the whole 'Order' theme.”

  “Yes and no. The Church is made of numerous semi-independent holy orders, each led by a cardinal. Cardinals choose an archbishop, who then picks regional bishops. The best way in is to join a holy order. Just so happens that a few of them do operate in the Academy Town, and their focus matches your interests. Moving there could solve two problems at once.”

  “So then, this is my decision. When do you think I will be able to go?”

  “Let me talk to Florent. It might happen sooner than you think. He’s a bit hesitant to let you go, but I think I have a solution.” As she giggled, Florent himself walked in.

  “Let’s go, Zar, I’ve made you a bath.”

  I rushed to Uncle Flo, wrapping my arms around his middle, my fur brushing against his weathered tunic. “Uncle Flo, I don’t say this often enough, but I really love you.” I pulled back, ears twitching with sudden self-consciousness, and gestured toward the hallway. “Lead the way.”

  It seemed my sudden outburst made Uncle Flo flutter just as well, as it took him a moment to recover. Once he did, though, we quickly moved downstairs and outside to the Inn’s backyard.

  There I found a bath, or rather a wooden tub that perched beneath a slanted roof, open to the night air on three sides. Stars winked through gaps in the planks as I lowered myself in, watching clear water bloom into murky brown. I scrubbed until my paws ached, rinsing all the grime, blood, and memories of over a week of surviving and fighting. Three scrubbings later, rivulets of clear water finally ran down my back instead of brown streams. I barely remember crawling into bed, just the weight of clean blankets and dreamless dark pulling me under.

  The following afternoon, we left town and went back to our cottage. Thankfully, I got my coin back, too. A few days of calm followed, but eventually and seemingly inevitably, Aunt Estrah talked Uncle Florent into moving all of us to Academy Town. How, you ask? She convinced him he’d be a good fit for the instructor role there. It would be a respected, well-paid job that would let him keep an eye on me.

  The next couple of weeks, we spent preparing for a journey to Sonem. We bought a small cart, packed it with our things, and the necessary supplies for the journey. The last day, we celebrated with a feast, and the following morning, Uncle Flo shut the door to his home one last time. He put a sign on the door that said: “Owner will be gone for a couple of years, anyone can use the cottage until his return, but be respectful and clean up after yourself.”

  The journey took us a few months. We had to go around Sleeping Valley because there was no direct path suitable for the cart, but it gave us a chance to stop by Borfort and catch up with Ancair. He seemed to have recovered from the bandit attack, both physically and financially, which was good to see.

  There were a few encounters with bandits and monsters, but nothing two powerhouses like Aunt Estrah and Uncle Flo couldn’t handle. I kept studying while on the road and trained in both combat and magic when we set camp. In addition to javelin, Unclo Flo now introduced combat staff, daggers, and hand-to-hand combat techniques. Those last ones relied heavily on using our sharp claws, which was an interesting and totally new experience even for me.

  Magic-wise, it was difficult to work on mana containment techniques on the road, so instead, I practiced recharging Aunt Estrah’s rings, which was a much more tedious experience than I had imagined. As if to further support my theory on the difference between wild and contained mana, one couldn’t simply charge magic items in one go. If you pour too much wild mana into a magic item, it will overwrite the spell inside, rendering it useless. Instead, it has to be done gradually so wild mana can be reprogrammed by contained mana inside, not the other way around.

  Finally, as the first autumn leaves began to fall, we had the Morne Academy in our sights.

  Note: So this was a pure lore dump. I am so sorry about this, but it had to be done to move the story forward. Saving grace - it is a shorter chapter than usual, but the next one will be much more interesting, I can promise you that.

  1.1 - I finished a thorough line editing of this entire chapter. Yet again, I removed even more unnecessary scene separators. I also expanded the ending a bit, emphasising the end of the mini-story arc.

  1.1.1 - Noticed that it's supposed to be Fall, not Winter. Fixed.