Chapter 2

 I find myself on the beach very close to the main port, the white city of Storm Hammer; I do not arrive at the port, I do not come with the users of the ships, I do not depend on something as crude as steam!, I am perhaps, the only free sorcerer in these times. 

 It was not always so. I came fleeing from people who trained and prepared me for their convenience and revenge. I seek in these lands an artifact that they created and abandoned when they lost their power, the only thing that will bring me peace.

Even though I am a kilometer away, I can clearly see the stone walls of the Wizard's tower, he is a white cloak, which means that his spells and artifacts have healing and protective purposes. From the outside, the city looks radiant and mystical under the iridescent dome that provides a cool shade for the inhabitants of the place. 

 I take the side streets with the intention of reaching the edge of the forest, near the exclusion barrier, as quickly as possible. As I leave the city, I am impressed by the amount of black smoke coming from all the factories, smithies and armories of the city. The trains do not stop coming and going; Storm Hammer is one of the largest cities of the new era, populous, industrialized, magical and powerful... The greatest since my masters left this continent.

My clothes can pass me off as one of the many adventurers in search of treasure, the design of the clothes is based on one we stole from one of the few mercenaries who came to the island in search of fortune, the elven archmages finished it with skins of dwarven war elephants brought from the Old World (where I am now standing), It will easily withstand arrows and even harpoons and not enchanted swords, on my back, held by a chain, hangs one of the last swords with staff, which gives the impression of being a "claymore" in miniature, the shirt is white linen, which contrasts with the black of the cloak and the armor, the boots of dragon skin. The scrolls with all the stolen spells are hidden inside the cloak, only I can find their location in the secret pockets. 

Even with the appearance, body and skills of an adventurer, I can't go to the Quest and Bounty Office, it's the legal way you have to go through if you want to enter the exclusion zone facing the Black Forest, it's the only moderately safe access area, but it's within the wizard's boundaries, I don't want a White Cloak to know I'm here, their apprentices would alert the populace, everyone wants a mage in their village, luckily one of the first things I learned was to contract my magical field so I don't waste mana. But that is not the only reason why I avoid this town. Behind me, activated by the limits of my magical zone, a coffin accompanies me. Inside it is where my postrated love travels, it accompanies me in search of what can put an end to her suffering.

The view facing the rest of the continent is distressing. To reach the exclusion zones, one must descend a couple of hundred meters. The village's armed forces frequently patrol the road, preventing incursions by the most powerful creatures. I travel along the main road until I reach the suburbs. The road descends about fifty to a hundred meters below the city, but it is still passable. There are no white-tiled avenues, but there are a couple of carved stone paths to prevent slips and ensure safe transit.

 As I walk down the road, I feel apprehensive. The box I carry is protected from external and internal attacks, but some inhabitants of the country, particularly magical races, may be able to see it. The thought of someone screaming in horror at its sight, when it is so beautiful, makes me more urgent to find the item hidden by my old masters. It is lost in the center of the continent, but I will find it, even if I have to face all the warriors and demons of hell!