The girl with glasses came over slowly.
She was carrying a book. Big. Too big for her.
"This one's my favorite," she said, holding it with both hands. "I look at it every day."
Arlen looked at it.
Worn. Yellowed pages. The cover half torn off.
"Lysa says if I study hard enough, I can get into the Academy."
Arlen looked at her.
"What's it about?"
The girl lowered her eyes.
"I don't know. I can't read." Lina hugged the book to her chest. "I just look at it. It has lots of pretty pictures."
Something tightened in Arlen's chest.
"Why don't you ask Lysa to teach you?"
"She can't read either."
Silence.
The girl looked at him with those huge eyes behind the glasses.
"Can you?"
"Yes."
Her eyes lit up.
"Can you read it to me? Please?"
Arlen held out his hand.
She gave it to him, smiling.
He read the cover.
The Human and the God.
He opened the book.
The first page showed an illustration. A man standing before a shining figure.
He started reading quietly.
"A long time ago, in a world with no name, there lived a man called Adam.
Adam had nothing. No family. No home. Only questions.
One day, a god descended from the sky. Not a powerful god. A forgotten one. One who no longer had followers.
The god asked Adam:
'Why do you keep living when you have nothing?'
Adam answered:
'Because I still don't have the answers.'
The god laughed. And decided to stay.
Together, the human and the god walked the world. Adam asked questions. The god tried to answer them.
But with every answer, more questions appeared.
Until one day, Adam asked:
'Why do the gods abandon us?'
The god did not answer.
That night, the god disappeared.
Adam searched for him for years. But he never found him.
And when Adam died, only one question remained, written on his grave:
Do the gods feel fear too?"
Arlen closed the book.
The girl was staring at him, fascinated.
"Did the god come back?"
Arlen shook his head.
"No."
"Why not?"
"I don't know."
The girl frowned, thinking.
Then Lysa appeared from one corner.
"Food's ready."
The table was broad. Improvised out of old planks.
All the children sat down.
Arlen hesitated.
The girl with glasses took him by the hand.
"Sit with me. And with Lysa."
Arlen did.
Lysa served the bowls. Potato soup. Basic. Watery.
Arlen tasted a spoonful.
Bland. Worse than the bar.
But the children ate happily. Laughing. Talking over each other.
Lysa watched him.
"What do you study at the Academy?"
Arlen told her. Swordsmanship. History. Strategy.
He mentioned Kaedor. The headmaster.
A boy around ten cut in, eyes bright.
"Then you're a knight!"
Lysa smiled.
Arlen hesitated.
"Something like that."
It was the first time anyone had seen him that way.
Not as a burden.
Not as the weakest one.
As someone… worth admiring.
It made him uncomfortable.
But he didn't hate it.
After they ate, the children ran off to play in another part of the church.
The girl with glasses kept asking questions about the Academy.
Lysa, subtly, told her to go.
The girl made a sad face, but obeyed.
When she was gone, Lysa looked at Arlen.
"Alright. What do you want to know?"
Arlen didn't waste time.
"Do you know what I am?"
Lysa nodded.
"Yeah. Someone from another world."
Arlen was surprised.
He hadn't expected people even here, in the First Ring, to know about them.
"How do you know?"
Lysa pointed at his band.
"I saw one before. Same band."
Something tightened in Arlen's chest.
He activated Lie Detection.
No window appeared. Just the quiet certainty that the skill was active.
"When?"
Lysa looked at him.
"A few months ago."
True.
Arlen clenched his jaw.
"What happened to them?"
Lysa shook her head.
"I don't know. I only saw them pass through the First Ring once. Never again."
True.
Arlen took that in.
Earlier waves.
They came. They passed through here. Then they vanished.
Did they die?
Or did they just stop coming?
He changed the subject.
"What's really happening?" he asked. "With the refugees. With the city."
Lysa watched him for a moment.
"What do you mean?"
"All of it. The people outside the city. The guards at the First Ring entrance. What's going on?"
Lysa sighed.
"I don't know much either." She paused. "I just know that a few months ago, they started arriving. Lots of them. They said their homes had been destroyed."
"At first, some got into the First Ring. But when more and more kept arriving… they stopped letting them in."
"Why?"
"Theft. Murder. Rape." Lysa said it without emotion. "Everything got worse. So they closed the entrances. Now they only let in people with permits."
True.
Arlen thought.
Refugees from the war against the Dragon.
But why come to Valenrith?
Why not another city?
Something didn't add up.
He asked the last question.
"Why did you let me in?"
Lysa looked at him directly.
"Because I don't think you're dangerous."
Arlen waited.
"You gave me money without expecting anything. You followed me without thinking it could be a trap." Lysa crossed her arms. "Someone that naive can't be dangerous."
True.
Lysa pointed toward the children.
"Besides, you're a student at Aurelion. She—" She pointed to the girl with glasses. "Her dream is to get in there. Even though it's impossible for commoners like us."
Lysa looked at the children.
"I didn't want to break the illusion. I told her that if she studies, she can get in. Ever since then, she looks at that book every day."
Arlen looked toward the girl. Playing with the others.
"That book was left to her by her parents. Before they died."
Lysa went on.
"All of these kids have had hard lives." Her voice hardened. "They're not innocent in any simple way. Some stole. Others had to do ugly things just to stay alive."
A pause.
"Some of them had to kill. Even their own family. To get out of hell."
Arlen looked at her.
Lysa held his gaze.
"Sometimes a little light matters. Don't you think?"
Arlen didn't answer.
He looked at the children.
One had a mark on his neck. Like someone had tried to strangle him.
Another girl had a burn over her lip.
Scars.
Stories they would never tell.
"Don't worry," Lysa said, softer now. "They're better now. I give them the best life I can."
True.
Arlen felt it.
But he also knew it was only half the truth.
Because "better" here meant moldy bread and stagnant water.
Better than dying.
But not truly better.
Lysa stood.
"It's late. I should walk you back to the main road."
Arlen nodded.
He turned Lie Detection off.
Before leaving, he said goodbye to the children.
The girl with glasses ran up and hugged him.
"Will you come back?"
Arlen hesitated.
Then nodded.
"Yes."
"Will you teach me to read?"
"Yes."
The girl smiled.
"My name's Lina."
Arlen smiled back.
"Arlen."
"I know." Lina laughed. "Lysa told me."
They walked. The streets of the First Ring were nearly empty at that hour.
Lysa ahead. Arlen behind.
The sun was already dropping. Shadows stretched long.
Arlen kept thinking.
About the transported who came before.
About the refugees.
About the children.
About all of it.
Then he walked straight into Lysa's back.
She had stopped.
Two men stood in front of them.
One was large. Broad. Unkempt beard. Dirty clothes.
The other was thinner. Nervous. Eyes darting around.
The big one spoke.
"Lysa," he said, voice low. "Where's my daughter?"
Lysa stepped back instinctively.
The man took a step forward.
"Where is she?"
He grabbed her by the arm.
Lysa tried to pull free.
"I don't know what—"
"Don't lie to me!" He tightened his grip. "Why are you getting in my way? My daughter was already promised. You ruined everything."
Lysa didn't answer.
The man shook her.
"If you don't give her back, I'll sell you instead."
Arlen froze.
He didn't know if he should step in.
He wanted to run. Find help.
But he saw Lysa's face.
Fear.
And he thought about the children.
What would happen to them if she was gone?
He made his choice.
He activated System Eye.
Looked at the man.
Threat.
Not like Kaedor.
But enough to kill him if he wanted.
Arlen grabbed a stone off the ground.
Threw it.
It hit the man in the eye.
He let go of Lysa with a shout.
Turned toward Arlen.
"The fuck—?"
He grabbed Arlen by the uniform. Hauled him up.
Arlen smelled alcohol. Rage.
The man drew back his fist.
"You want to die—"
The other man seized his arm.
"Wait!"
The first man glared at him.
"Let go."
"Look at the uniform!" the thinner one snapped, pointing. "Academy of Aurelion!"
The larger man looked at Arlen. The uniform. The emblem on the chest.
"Don't care—"
"If you touch one of them, they'll hang you!" the thin man shook him. "Do you understand? Hang you in the square."
He paused.
"And besides…" He pointed at the red band. "He's from another world. Those people are dangerous. Didn't you hear what happened?"
The big man hesitated.
Looked at Arlen again.
Then let go of the uniform.
"Damn it."
He turned and walked off.
The other followed.
Arlen steadied himself.
His chest hurt where the man had grabbed him.
Lysa was standing there, breathing hard.
"You okay?" Arlen asked.
She nodded.
"Yeah. It's fine."
She pointed ahead.
"Keep going straight. You'll reach the main road."
Arlen looked at her.
"You don't want me to walk you back?"
Lysa shook her head.
"I'll be fine on my own."
Arlen hesitated.
Then nodded.
"Thanks. For everything."
Lysa looked at him for a moment.
Then turned and left.
Arlen watched her disappear into the alleyways.
He walked toward the main road.
By the time he got back to the Academy, it was already dark.
The dining hall was half empty.
He saw Sora and Nira at a table.
Walked over.
Sora noticed him first.
"There you are. Thought you got lost."
Arlen sat down.
Nira watched him.
"Find anything?"
Arlen thought about Lysa.
About the children.
About Lina hugging him.
About the previous transported who had passed through there months ago.
About the refugees who had started arriving when the war began.
About everything he'd learned.
He decided not to say it.
Not yet.
He tightened his jaw.
"No," he said. "Nothing useful."
Something pulled in his chest.
Guilt.
Small. Unpleasant.
Sora and Nira had defended him at the meeting.
They had been ready to walk out for him.
And he was lying to them.
He clenched his jaw.
The guilt changed nothing.
The choice had already been made.
Sora sighed.
"Us neither."
Nira looked at him for another second.
But didn't push.
They ate in silence.
When they were done, each of them went back to their room.
Arlen closed the door behind him.
Dropped onto the bed.
He thought about Lina.
Her smile.
The way she had called him good.
He closed his eyes.
He didn't know if he was good.
But for the first time in a long while, he wanted to be.