As summer neared its end, another rain fell over Waterdeep. Accompanied by her family, Livia attended this year's festival parade. She was carefully protected, wrapped in a thick fur coat and seated inside a carriage, watching the gathered crowds through the window.
She made a rare trip to the more chaotic Dock Ward, though of course only around its outskirts, and saw her older brother Andrei in armor, sword at his side, patrolling with the City Watch. The streets there were narrow and cramped, and the buildings were nothing like the wealthy district where she had lived since childhood.
The Dock Ward gathered a great number of poor people, and its level of education was also the worst. The apartments along the street were like a beggar's clothes. The roads were pitted and uneven, and beneath loose paving stones there might be a pocket of foul water that would splash all over a passerby's pant leg the moment it was stepped on. Many streetlamps were broken, their glass smashed, the candles inside vanished without a trace.
Livia saw a woman sitting at a street corner, openly nursing her child, her expression exhausted and blank. A drunkard was squeezed by the parade crowd into a livestock pen, where he fought a short-tailed fat pig for water. The boys there liked wearing trousers that did not reach their ankles, dressing as if they were sailors. Their voices were rough, their faces tanned as dark as their fathers', their eyes bold and careless, even somewhat impudent, as they frivolously commented on the women passing by.
Livia thought of the boy she had seen in the dream. His eyes had carried a bit of that same wildness.
That had already been more than half a month ago. Of her memories of that boy, only this much remained.
"My little Livvy, did you have fun today?" Jeremy, shrewd yet friendly, had rosy cheeks. He had drunk a great deal today, and he still had a banquet to attend that evening.
"Yes. It was a very nice celebration. Dad, I'm a little tired."
"Go back to your bedroom, then. Don't forget to brush your teeth before bed."
That night, everyone in the family went to attend the banquet. With the maid's help, Livia bathed, washed up, and slipped beneath her soft silk quilt.
The dream came with her drowsiness.
Livia knew she could resist the dream. Just as Skyl had said, it was not a prison, but an invitation, and a guest had the ability to refuse attendance.
She had not attended for many days. That original question had been troubling her. On one side was the comfortable life of a merchant's daughter, and on the other was a mysterious opportunity with unknown risks. It was hard to make up her mind.
Of course, Livia hoped to have both. Children did not like choosing either, not when they could have everything.
Tonight, the dream sent another invitation, so persistent, so tender. Livia's mind wavered, and she once again stood upon the silver-cast road. There was no fear in her heart. Instead, she was so delighted she almost wanted to cheer.
"Hey, mute girl. You haven't come in a long time." The boy sat on his own road and greeted her lazily.
"Don't say that, Zim. It's very rude. Oh, hello. My name is Bordon Karpin, from Daggerford." The speaker was another young man. He looked honest and simple, greeting her as soon as they met, seeming very friendly.
There were more people in the dream now. Aside from Bordon, who had introduced himself, there was also a halfling woman. She opened her bright, curious eyes, greeted Livia, and said she was a cook from the Way Inn, named Tawna.
Daggerford was south of Waterdeep, and the Way Inn was even farther south. They were all places Skyl had passed through on his journey.
Livia was very surprised. She asked, "How did you all come here?"
"You're not mute?" The boy named Zim's eyes lit up. "Then why didn't you talk to me?"
Livia's face was expressionless, and she ignored this ruffian-like fellow. Instead, she introduced herself to the other two newcomers.
"I am Livia Miko, from Waterdeep."
"I'm from Waterdeep too!" Zim cut in from the side.
"When you came here, did you meet a man named Skyl? He explains the situation with this dream."
Bordon nodded and said with a smile, "Of course. Mr. Skyl helped us people of Daggerford not long ago."
The halfling Tawna also nodded excitedly. "Mr. Skyl stayed at the Way Inn for three days. He even uncovered a huge conspiracy!"
Zim said lazily, "I've never met any Skyl. But I've heard that name so many times my ears are getting calluses."
"Then how were you invited into the dream? Did you see a statue?" Livia asked keenly.
"Yeah." The boy did not deny it. "I picked it up on the road. Are you the owner?"
"You can keep it. Is that statue still all right?"
"It shattered into eight pieces a long time ago." Zim bared his teeth in a grin. Hearing that such a meaningful statue had ended up like this made Livia feel sad.
She noticed that all three newcomers were lighting the lights inside the skull. The halfling Tawna had the slowest progress, but even she had lit four candles. The fastest was the young man Bordon, who had lit eleven, followed by Zim with nine.
Livia hesitated for a while, then asked, "You all want to go to the Tower of Tomes, right?"
"That's right." Their answers were more or less the same.
"Can you tell me why? Why do you want to go to the Tower of Tomes?"
Zim said eagerly, "For money! I heard the tower has every kind of book. I can copy them down and sell them."
That reason was as grating as a needle, making Livia very angry, but she said nothing. She did not even spare Zim another glance.
The young man said, "I want to learn magic, so I can protect the people around me."
The halfling smiled shyly. "I heard there are all kinds of recipes in the tower. And Mr. Skyl said I have talent for spellcasting, so I shouldn't let it go to waste."
Livia asked again, "Aren't you afraid of being deceived? What if all the legends about the Tower of Tomes are false, and Skyl is lying to you? What if the High Tower King is actually a fiend? What would you do then?"
This question genuinely frightened Bordon and Tawna. They looked at each other, unable to answer.
Only Zim did not care. He snorted. "I'm not afraid."
"Why?" Livia could not help asking, even though she did not particularly want to hear this little ruffian speak.
Zim was a skinny boy. Long-term malnutrition made his build look almost the same as Livia's, but there was a vigorous vitality in him, like a bug that could survive being dropped and beaten. The boy said disdainfully, "I only have one life left. Whoever wants it can take it. As long as I can make money and eat my fill, I'm not afraid of anything."
Livia found it difficult to understand Zim's living situation. At that moment, she recalled passing through the Dock Ward during the day and seeing that numb nursing woman, the ridiculous drunkard, and the ruined streets.
Not everyone was born into fine clothes and rich food. There were still many people living in poverty and pain. For them, the so-called original question did not exist. Fate had not given them a choice. As long as they could change their current situation, they had to take that road, no matter how dangerous it was. Even if the end was an abyss, they would have to walk until that day before they were willing to die.
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