4 Chapter 4

Carriage was slowly proceeding on the road. It was monotonous and only some occasional stones which made the carriage slightly jump were able to make Sal stay awake. Edward, on his left, was sleeping, completely trusting his horse.

They were still near the red forest so the there were a lot of typical scarlet trees near the road, but some normal green vegetation was appearing more and more frequently.

"There are a lot of dead trees here…" Thought Sal and touched Edward's shoulder. –"Wake up Old Man."

Merchant immediately opened his eyes. –"I am not old! You are old, Kid. Your parents are old. Damn it. I am a MIDDLE-AGE man."

-"Yeah, yeah, sure. There are many dead trees here. Is it normal?"

-"Non quite normal but sometimes happens…You woke me up only to ask me this?"- Some black line appeared on his middle-aged face.

-"Came on, tell me something about the city we are going. It's not like there is only that shitty Academy there."

-"You have some sharp tongue there for your age, Kid. Try to be more careful with words in the future. At Url-Salan there are a lot of people who can kill you for being disrespectful to the Academy."- He paused glancing at Sal. – "What do you want to know exactly?"

-"Everything is fine. I've never been outside the village, so I know pretty nothing about the outside world."

Edward scoffed at this information. -"You know, that's normal for a ten years old Kid."- Then a pensive look appeared on his wrinkled face. – "Well now we're in the Scarlet Region. By the way, this name is directly connected with your Red Forest, but it's an old story that I don't want to tell you for now. Url-Salan we are going to is one of the three capital cities of the region. The other two are Url-Galesh and Url-Mazino."

He stopped the explanation and took a round gourd from his bag. –"Want some wine?" – And without waiting for an answer he gulped down a mouthful of dense red liquid.

-"Besides, did you know that "Url" means exactly "city"? Probably not…"

-"Really? In what language?"- Sal's curiosity was piqued.

-"The one which the people of the Olden World spoke. Anyhow, if "Url" means "city" than the other word represents the name of the ruling family which controls the city. For example, these bastards of Salans control the Url-Salan." – There was some bitterness in his voice, and he drank another mouthful of wine.

Sal wore a pensive expression. - "So Galesh and Mazino families control the other two cities?"

-"Exactly."

-"It must be great to be someone from a family which controls an entire city. I must make friend with someone from Salan family…"

"NO! THEY ARE ONLY A BUCH OF SHITHEA… *Kought*Kought*Kought"

Some wine went the wrong way.

Sal could only shut up after seeing the man's angry reaction. For some minutes the carriage proceeded, covered in an awkward silence.

-"Old man, in the Url-Salan there is the Academy, so, I was thinking if there was something similar importance in other two cities?"

Edward, who was grimly drinking wine, didn't answered immediately.

-"First of all, I've already told you non to call me "Old man". As for your second question the answer is yes."

He put away the emptied gourd. – "The Url-Salan is the city of warriors, and Url-Mazino is the city of mages and they have the respective Magic Academy themselves."

-"And what about Url-Galesh?"

-"Well, it also has another name: Entropic City. Every single one of its residents have a common trait. All of them are broken and crazy individuals. They don't have laws there, and I'm not very sure of how it exactly works…"

Edward continued his explanation, but Sal wasn't listening to him. "I should never go to Url-Galesh. It seams to be a dangerous place to live in…" he thought.

Their conversation continued until sunset.

-"I think we can stop for the night here." – Said the old merchant pointing to a small patch of grass near the road. –"It may be dangerous to travel at night."

He stopped the horse and started to prepare the campfire for the night.

[…]

The fire was consuming fiercely the dry wood. The only sound audible were the popping ones produced by the burning flame. Everything was quite around the traveling duo.

At some point Edward took out another gourd of wine and gave it to Sal. The taste wasn't all that bad, but he still coughed fiercely. Once the liquid entered his mouth a burning sensation spread through his small body.

-"Remember Kid, milk is for kids while wine is for men."- Sad Edward smiling. The shadows created by the dancing flames made his expression extremely creepy one to see.

-"I don't drink milk."- Answered stubbornly Sal.

-"But until today you didn't drink wine either."

The sky was limpid and one could see an infinite number of colored stars. Some there bright and majestic, and some other were illusory and mysterious. The entire black sky seemed covered with precious gems and one had only to wait a moment before they rained on him.

"So beautiful…" Thought Sal.

Edward has guessed the boy's thoughts. –"One of my friends has once told me that every star up there is a separated World. Exactly like the one we are in right now."

Sal'a'Zar pointed up on a big violet star. -"One day I will travel there."

-"It's a Violet Flame Star. But you must become far more powerful be even be able to dream about travelling to other Worlds. You must become at least a General -tier Warrior."

[…]

The night was going on quietly. Sal was already sleepy and muddleheaded from the wine he had drank previously.

Edward was looking at him with a pensive expression. Than he stood up and went to the carriage.

After e few moments he returned holding a black piece of paper.

There was something written on it but Sal wasn't lucid enough to be able to read it.

-"This is the…paper you need to sigh to be, at least, eligible for the admission at Warriors Academy."-Something was clearly bothering Edward.

Sal wasn't even able to answer.

-"You only need to put a drop of your blood here."- And he pointed at the right down corner of the paper. –"Give me your hand, quick."

Without waiting for Sal to answer he took firmly the boy's hand and punctured his index finger with a dagger. A drop of blood fell on the paper and was immediately absorbed by it.

-"Now my future is set…" – Whispered the old merchant. –"Go to sleep now. Tomorrow it will be a long day."

Sal'a'Zar was overpowered by dizziness and fell asleep.

[…]

Edward was distractingly looking at the sleeping near the already extinct flame. Some ray of the new dawn already pierced the sky.

He sighed. "The deed is already done, so, at least, lets verify that everything is ok…" – He pointed the boy's body.

[Pain]

Sal jolted in the air and started screaming. A black chain tattoo appeared on his wrists.

-"Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!"-

"Everything seams fine. The contract is functioning properly even if he is a Golden Mage." Thought Edward and retracted his finger.

The pain immediately disappeared. Sal stood up and looked at the old merchant. – "What's going on, Old man?"

-"Nothing special…Really, you've just became my slave, Boy. Nothing else."

Sal's eyes opened wide. –"WHAT?!?"

-"No need to overreact so much…"

-"NO NEED TO OVERREACT? YOU SON OF A BITC…" - [Pain] – "AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

Edward had a gloomy expression. – "Have I ever told you my family name, Sal'a'Zar? Well, my full name is Edward Salan."

"Salan…!!"

-"I was driven away from my family because I was a bastard son of Richard Salan, brother of the current Family leader. My mother was murdered, and I lost everything…"

Sal was still screaming on the ground.

There was some monstrous resentment in the old merchant's eyes. –"…but if I were to give them a young and recently advanced Golden Mage to groom, not only will they admit me to the family once more, but as long as I will have a slave contract with you my position will be second only to the family head."

His eyes were somehow crazy now.

-"Go and stay quiet in the carriage."

Sal's body obeyed the command without his own volition. The slavery contracts also had different tiers but all of them permitted some basic but absolute control over the slave's body.

"Damn! Damn…"

Instantly Sal remembered the last words his dad said to him. "From now on you will understand why one should never blackmail his own father, Boy."

"He knew everything from the start! Vindictive bastard. It's too much even for you…Fucker. One day I will return and kick your old ass. Damn…"

[…]

Not too far from the already departing carriage a shadow, covered by the thick foliage of the tree he was on, was observing everything what happened during the night.

"It's for your own good, Son."

Victor sighed and disappeared.