Prologue

As the light of the moon wanes over the grand city of 𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗧𝗟𝗘𝗗𝗚𝗘, we can see grandiose structures all over it whether the once bustling market and union buildings on the western part or the high-end restaurants and lodges and few wealthy civilian buildings on the eastern part.

It can be seen also in the northern part where the mansions of aristocrats are present as well as administrative offices and military garrisons in the southern part.

The City has moderately high walls guarding it against any adversaries with 5 gates allowing passage in and out of the city. 2 in the northern part for aristocrats and 3 others for the remaining sides.

But in the heart of the city is the bell tower which rings its bell every 6 hours and the statue of their war hero 𝗟𝗢𝗨𝗜 𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗧𝗟𝗘𝗗𝗚𝗘.

A little north of the war heroes statue is the governor's Greek-style mansion Pure white with a garden full of flowers around it and a fountain in the centre.

The golden-plated decoration on the pediment reflects the moonlight as if to spread the name of its empire 𝗟𝗨𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗘.

But like every light has its darkness the city has its own.

Outside the walls of the city, in the southeastern part, we can see an illegal settlement of makeshift tents and a few permanent residents protected by poorly made low stone walls.

Routledge, being a trading powerhouse in the southwestern region of the empire Lumine, attracted a fair share of refugees, criminals and homeless people, which on getting denied entry to Routledge, formed the slums.

At the southern gate, a large garbage pile was accumulated due to the negligence of the city system. The slum people went through these piles to salvage reusable things and maybe sometimes find things that can be resold to the passing merchants outside the western gate and make a little fortune.

Maybe having such thoughts someone was rummaging through the garbage pile as the sounds of objects being moved were heard.

As the light from the moon peeked through the clouds we can see a boy no older than 15 or 16 years old with pale skin rummaging through the garbages to find anything of value.

The boy, with black hair and eye, with a scrawny build, was Sebastian.

Sebastian was one of the runaway orphans who went out of the city to escape the clutches of abusive orphanages and took refuge in slums.

He worked as an errand boy for a lodge in the eastern gate for a minuscule amount and searched through garbage piles at night to attain anything of value.

He was trying hard to earn money so he could purchase pseudo-citizenship in the city, so he can work in the western gate for a minimum allowed wage and maybe earn enough to buy a small cabin in the eastern gate and probably get full citizenship.

𝑻𝑨𝑷 𝑻𝑨𝑷 𝑻𝑨𝑷 𝑻𝑨𝑷

Sebastian heard the hurried steps of military boots alerting him. As it was surprising as well as ominous because even the southern part was full of army garrisons, the army officials or cadets went in or out through the eastern gate avoiding the slum which was much closer to the southern gate.

𝑪𝑳𝑨𝑵𝑲-𝑻𝑨𝑷 𝑪𝑳𝑨𝑵𝑲-𝑻𝑨𝑷

The distinct sound of heavy armour with military boots can be heard.

The ominous thought came true, probably a high-rank official was entering the slums to get rid of the settlement.

Sebastian without any thought process jumped out of his position and started running towards his makeshift tent so he can at least collect the leather pouch in which his hard-earned money was.

"Hey!!" shouted one of the soldiers startled by the sound in the garbage pile and seeing a boy run from there. They started chasing Sebastian.

When Sebastian looked back, he was two soldiers chasing him, in the dark of night he ran with all his might zigzagging through the slums.

The people in the slum were startled by the commotion when they saw two armoured soldiers chasing a boy, the face of the criminals hiding in the slum paled while the refugees thought that they will be forced to move again.

While everyone was having their thoughts, Sebastian ran as his life was on the line, no his life was on the line. He hurriedly went inside the makeshift tent and took his pouch.

And when was about to run out of the tent to escape out of the slums in the wilderness. He lost consciousness.