Chapter 7
The sun dipped below the horizon, casting golden hues over Brindlemark as Blaze, Nephis, and Lucas returned home. The streets buzzed with excitement—tonight was a celebration. The city's mayor had officially selected the ten most promising youths to represent Brindlemark in Central City's prestigious Wizard Knight Academy, and Blaze, Nephis, and Lucas were among them.
The trio barely made it inside before Elara, Nephis and Lucas's mother, engulfed them in a warm embrace. Their father, Rolland, stood nearby, arms crossed, a proud smile tugging at his lips.
"So? How did it go?" Elara asked, eyes gleaming.
Nephis and Lucas immediately launched into the details—Blaze's humiliating defeat of Micah, their formal selection, and the grand speech by the mayor. Meanwhile, Blaze sat at the table, stuffing his face with food, nodding along as if he had been a bystander in his own story.
Lucas shot him an annoyed look. "You could at least pretend to be excited."
Blaze swallowed and grinned. "Oh, I'm excited. I'm just celebrating in the best way possible—eating."
As laughter filled the house, Elara placed a small pouch of gold in Blaze's hands. "For your journey," she said gently.
For a moment, Blaze hesitated. This family wasn't his. Yet, their warmth, their acceptance—it felt… real.
He swallowed the lump in his throat and muttered, "Thanks."
The next morning, Brindlemark gathered at the city gates to send off the ten chosen participants. The mayor himself stood before them, delivering a final speech about honor, responsibility, and opportunity. Blaze only caught half of it. He was too busy thinking about the Chaos System, the mysterious force that had bound itself to him.
[New Quest: Reach Central City & Pass the Trials]
As the group set off, Nephis, Lucas, and Blaze traveled together, the dirt road stretching endlessly ahead. The journey was long, but spirits were high—until, three days later, everything went wrong.
"Blaze, hand me the map," Nephis said, frowning.
Blaze froze.
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Blaze… tell me you didn't."
Blaze let out a nervous chuckle. "Okay, so funny story…"
"YOU LOST THE MAP?!"
"No, no! I left the map," Blaze corrected.
Lucas grabbed him by the collar. "WHERE?!"
Blaze scratched his cheek. "Uh… remember when you made me drop half my luggage?"
Lucas's face darkened. "Blaze… don't tell me—"
"It was in one of the bags."
A long silence.
Nephis pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm getting a headache."
Lucas was vibrating with barely contained fury. "BLAZE, YOU IDIOT!"
Before Blaze could defend himself, Lucas tackled him. A wrestling match ensued, dust flying as Nephis sighed in exasperation.
After some much-needed violence, they regrouped.
Nephis sighed. "Fine. No map. We'll navigate by the stars."
Blaze blinked. "Wow. That's kinda cool."
Lucas smirked. "That's why she's in charge."
Blaze crossed his arms. "Hey, I could be in charge."
Lucas and Nephis exchanged a look.
Then, at the exact same time—
"No."
Blaze muttered under his breath as they pressed on.
On the fifth day, the group stumbled upon a city. The sign at the entrance read:
"MUSSEL CITY"
It looked normal enough—tall stone buildings, wide roads—but there was one problem.
It was silent.
Lucas frowned. "Where are the guards?"
Blaze shrugged. "Maybe it's siesta time?"
Nephis wasn't convinced. "Stay on guard."
As they walked through the streets, an eerie sensation crawled up Blaze's spine. Doors were shut. Windows were covered. The entire city looked abandoned.
Then, movement.
A shadow darted between two buildings. Nephis reacted instantly, sprinting after it.
Blaze and Lucas ran after her, rounding a corner—only for Nephis to trigger a trap. Ropes shot up, snaring her leg. Before she could react, a small figure lunged at her with a knife.
Nephis twisted, sending a wind blast. The attacker tumbled back—revealing a five-year-old child.
Blaze's jaw dropped. "We just got attacked… by a kid?"
The boy whimpered, clutching his knife. Before anyone could react, an old man burst from a nearby house.
"Please! Mercy! He meant no harm!"
The man fell to his knees, trembling. The child ran behind him, clinging to his robes.
"We're not here to hurt anyone," Nephis said gently.
The man let out a shuddering breath. "Thank the gods… we thought… we thought you were with the Iron Clad."
Blaze, Lucas, and Nephis exchanged glances.
"The who?" Lucas asked.
The man's face paled then he explained. "The Iron Clad Bandits. They've taken everything from us. Our guards, our warriors—defeated. Now, we live in fear. They come every few months to take what little we have left."
Blaze clenched his fists. "And no one fights back?"
The man shook his head. "Our strongest warrior was killed years ago. I am the highest-ranked now, and I'm only at the 5th stage of Foundation Phase."
Lucas snorted. "In a Tier-4 city, that's basically a big fish in a puddle."
The man ignored him, desperation in his eyes. "You must leave before they arrive. They'll be here today."
The words hung in the air.
Nephis stood considering there situations shook her head and said "Then we'll go."
Blaze, however, hesitated. His gaze swept over the city—the broken homes, the frightened faces.
Then, a small voice.
A three-year-old girl clutched her mother's dress. "Mommy, will the wanderers help us?"
The mother silenced her immediately, panic in her eyes.
Blaze exhaled sharply. His hands clenched at his sides and follow nephis and Lucas.
Outside the city, a group of rough-looking men approached, their armor scratched and dented, their weapons stained from past battles.
At the front, a man with wild red hair twirled a dagger between his fingers, his grin sharp as a blade.
Roy.
He stopped, glancing up at the fading sunlight. His men stood behind him, eager, restless, hungry for violence.
"Today's a good day, boys," Roy said lazily. "We'll take what we want."
A murmur of agreement rippled through his gang.
One of them, a burly man with a scar across his nose, spat onto the dirt. "This city's been quiet for too long."
Another chuckled darkly. "Let's remind 'em who runs this region."
Roy flicked his dagger into the air and caught it effortlessly. His smirk widened. "Exactly. Iron Clad takes what it pleases."
As they neared the city gates, a thin man wearing a scout's cloak ran up to them, panting. "Boss! There's someone at the city entrance."
Roy's grin didn't falter. "Someone? Good. Maybe we'll get a little entertainment before we collect our dues."
The scout swallowed, glancing back nervously. "It's a… it's a kid."
Roy raised an eyebrow. "A kid?"
The scout nodded. "He's just standing there. Alone."
Roy frowned. That was… odd.
He took a few more steps until the city came into view—
And there, in the middle of the street, stood Blaze.
His head was hung low, his hands clenched into fists.
The rest of the townspeople had already retreated, watching from the shadows. The old man and the child from earlier had disappeared, hiding.
Nephis and Lucas were nowhere to be seen.
Roy's eyes narrowed. He studied Blaze, noting the lack of armor, the casual stance—yet something about him felt… off.
One of Roy's men scoffed. "Just some brat who doesn't know when to run."
Another laughed. "This'll be quick."
Then, the wind shifted.
And Blaze finally lifted his head.
His green eyes unreadable.
A soft chime echoed in Blaze's mind.
[New Quest Received]
Blaze exhaled slowly.
Then, with a voice so quiet it was almost a whisper—
"…I guess I have no choice."
(TO BE CONTINUED…)