Stonewake left the city almost an hour ago, with the Cardinal and his real escorts in tow. Ryn said goodbye to them and made his way toward the station of carriages going out of the city.

He quickly found out that they had all left by the early morning. Which now left him with only one solution to get to Lumen:

To rent a horse.

He would have to battle his worst enemy today.

Lumen was about half a day's ride from Dunwick, not exactly far, but not one he would make unscathed.

Ryn frowned as he gave a few silver coins to the stablehand, trying to pick the best-tempered horse there was, finally settling on a white mare.

Climbing on the horse, he used his limited knowledge of equestrian and set off out of Dunwick.

What he thought was just another rest stop before his real objective of Lumen turned out to hide more sinister things than he thought.

Still, the fact that the Cult had a hand even in a small town like this scared him. They were simply too big for him to handle alone. Ryn thought about using the Arctis house, but that would risk his own safety too much.

Better to remain hidden, pretending to be a mediocre son.

But soon, he would need some reach.

Ryn shook the thought away as he passed into the mountainous terrain, and right into the passage toward Lumen.

The path was dark and damp, a highway dug and built right through the center of a mountain, which looked a lot more like a mineshaft rather than a passageway.

Nonetheless, Ryn rode through. The 'highway' was littered magic torches, which made him remember what the city of Lumen was.

Ryn slowed the mare, eyeing each torch with faint recognition.

Manalite.

An ore saturated with magic—absorbing ambient energy, then releasing it as light. Lumen's lifeblood.

Even before the Evernight, the city had been a haven for artisans and inventors—brilliant minds fleeing the capital's religious ideology. Coupled with rich natural resources and ideal trade routes, Lumen had transformed into the continent's fastest-growing technological hub.

Hence its name. Lumen.

Ryn couldn't decide whether it was poetic or ironic that he had to pass through such a dark tunnel to get to the 'city of light'.

The tunnel sloped downward before rising again, and for a long moment the only sounds were the mare's hooves and distant echoes bouncing along the stone walls.

Then the light changed.

Soft at first, a faint glow leaking around the final bend.

But when Ryn emerged, it was like he was in another world altogether.

From his point of view, the city looked like a starry night sky. Each and every roof was capped with crystallized manalite, scattering prismatic color across rooftops and streets.

Bridges of pale stone arched over flowing channels of bluish water that shimmered as though lit from within.

Even without the night sky, the city glowed.

But like all things, its beauty was impermanent.

He had seen Lumen once before—far later in his past life, at a time when the Evernight's influence had already begun choking its brilliance.

With such a bright light, survivors began to flock to the city like moths to a flame.

And exactly as the saying went—they began fighting each other over light. One of the only cities that didn't perish because of monsters, but of humanity.

But now…This was the city before it fell.

He tightened his grip on the reins.

Beauty or not, he had work to do.

By the time he reached the outer gate, the sun was already beginning to give out. Ahead, a checkpoint awaited.

Guards in armor scanning travelers, almost everyone who wanted to come in presented heavy documentation.

"Welcome to Lumen," a guard called out as he approached, his voice echoing beneath the radiant arches.

"State your purpose for entry."

Ryn reached inside his cloak, fingers brushing the smooth edge of the Red Fox emblem.

"Business," he said.

With a slight stare of either regard or eminence, the guard moved aside.

And with that, he crossed into that new world.

***

Lumen was the complete opposite of Dunwick.

As soon as Ryn entered, the streets were alive, crowded. Not with merchants hawking goods, but with "other services" that filled the city with things other cities kept hidden behind closed doors.

One step off the main road revealed the truth beneath the glow.

Perfume shops with dazzling signs, gambling parlors disguised as 'hobbyist past-times', and lounges with hired prostitutes clearly named as "gentleman's clubs".

Ryn dropped off the mare at a nearby stablehand and continued walking. He moved deeper into the streets, noise growing sharper with every turn.

He had forgotten how lawless Lumen truly was.

A drunken man staggered out from a side street just ahead of Ryn, swaying with each step. His shirt was half-unbuttoned, pockets turned inside-out, and a sloppy grin plastered across his face.

He wandered past a velvet-draped parlor entrance where warm, rosy light spilled across the pavement. A woman leaned against the doorway—golden hair, painted lips, voice soft as silk.

"Rough night?" she purred.

The drunk blinked, dazed. "Mm… maybe…"

She slipped an arm around his shoulder with practiced ease.

"Come inside. We'll make it better."

He melted instantly, letting himself be guided through the shimmering curtains without resistance. Inside, another attendant quietly lifted his coin purse from his belt before disappearing into the back rooms.

Ryn didn't slow down.

This was what Lumen was all about.

He dodged almost every building, passed over every scam.

There was only one objective: Ryn needed to find a certain establishment…and it was Lumen's largest gambling den.

There was more than one reason.

First, the money. Well, not exactly the money, but the win.

Ryn tugged at the Red Fox emblem. The symbol was just that—a benefactor's mark. It proved identity, not qualification. It didn't guarantee entry into the Black Market Auction.

The organizers didn't care about crests. They cared about rich guests, preferably the kind foolish enough to spend freely.

Ryn only needed one thing: a big win to catch their attention, and enough acting skill to play the part of a wealthy idiot.

But there was something else.

In his past life, he had been told the story of a boy who worked at a bakery by day… and as a waiter by night, scraping together coin to support the orphanage that raised him.

He knew the story was true…because it was told by that very same boy, ten years into the future.

And that boy was here.

Jay Ferris, the future master alchemist.

Ryn followed the hum beneath the stones until he finally reached it.

The House of Radiance.

Built over one of Lumen's largest manalite veins, its entire façade glowed faintly, as if the building itself breathed. On the surface, it was an inn, a very luxurious one as wealthy patrons drifted in and out of the entrance.

Ryn had a thought. Even if he didn't have Red Fox's emblem, he could probably stroll in with a mask and be totally fine—but it was better to err on the side of caution.

He lost the hood completely, thinking that it was better to blend in with the crowd rather than be a suspicious hooded figure. Quickly storing both his house crests, he started to walk toward the entrance.

But he never made it, as a blur of movement crossed his path—someone rounding the corner too fast.

They collided hard, knocking him backward. Ryn hit the ground, hand instinctively reaching to his ring for a weapon.

"Watch where you're—"

He froze.

The person he bumped into dusted herself off, straightening her travel cloak.

Even in Lumen's glow, her blonde hair outshone even the brightest of lights. Her posture was unmistakably disciplined. Her expression carried the sharp, righteous irritation of someone who had spent her entire life following protocol.

Ryn's breath caught for the briefest moment. The only words able to form on his mouth were—

"SERA???"

The girl looked at him, the same recognition forming on her face. They had met in the worst of circumstances…

"YOUNG MASTER RYN???"

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