Beyond?

“Medicine! Medicine! I am selling the best medicine from Quinn! It cures the flu and other sicknesses! Just one gold!” A merchant waves a package towards the crowd. He is standing on a podium and tries to advertise his goods.

The citizens of Mono seem to be hard working people, so he doesn't understand why no one is interested in his goods. According to his research Nict was supposed to be a backward country with almost no technology.

The merchant from Quinn shakes his head. “I don't understand this. Nobody is interested in my medicine. If this country is really so far behind, then shouldn't there be lots and lots of people who need my products?” He glances doubtfully at the package in his hand. “Maybe they have some kind of rule against dealing with people from other nations? But I heard from a colleague that they are buying his art and tableware because it looks exotic. They are paying good money.”

“But it's easier to go to the hospital, Mister.” A boy, not older than ten, calls out to the merchant. He has a lollipop in his hand and looks up to the merchant with curious eyes. “Is it true that you are from a faraway country?”

The merchant gets off of his podium to face the boy properly. “Yes, it's true. But what are you talking about a hospital? Are they able to treat the illnesses I spoke of?”

“Sure. It's actually only a short walk around that corner!” The boy points down the street and starts running with the merchant following him.

After a short walk the merchant finds himself in front of a big building with a mage sign in front of it. “Boy, doesn't this house belong to those wizards?”

“Yes, the gods are managing all hospitals. Don't they do the same where you come from?” The boy licks on his lollipop, looking up to the merchant.

“Ahem, but they'll surely charge something for their services. For how much do I have to sell my medicine?” The merchant asks, already calculating how low he can go with his price.

The boy looks at the merchant with a horrified expression. “The gods would never do such a thing as to take money for healing the common folk! Everyone who is in pain can go to them and they put you back together in no time. But I think they are taking money from the other gods. I once saw a Siorda walking in there and he had to give a pouch with gold for the hospital's services.”

After a short pause the kid shrugs his shoulders and continues. “But that's just between the gods. If you belong to the common folk they heal you without questions.” Then the child turns away and disappears in the crowd, having lost his interest in the merchant.

The merchant stands there for several moments. Then he drops the package with medicine onto the ground and starts stomping on it.

-Story of a travelling Merchant.

***Second Continent, Jont-Capital***

***Azir***

Another impact shakes the flying fortress from which Lucas is commandeering the attack on the enemy's capital. It took us a little more than three months to concentrate our forces for this battle. Stella and Sola are also here, watching the battle with me from the rear.

Even though we are a little behind the units which are leading the attack, we sometimes get hit by artillery spells. But it's nothing which our barrier can't handle.

We chose to watch the battle from the fortress' observatory tower. All of the room's walls are made out of glass. It grants us a nice three hundred and sixty degree view on the entire scene. In the middle of the room is Lucas with his military advisers. They are arguing about something while looking down on a light sculpture which shows a strategic map of the area.

I start chewing on my fingernail, observing the situation. Twenty-four of our fortresses are advancing in a tight formation. This makes it possible for them to overlap their barriers and turn into a wall of magical power. We developed this strategy to attack positions with high strategical value. It doesn't really matter if Serenzar's ships have the advantage in speed. As long as we have the initiative and are able to run amok in their country, we can force them to fight us. And yet...

“Why do you look so concerned, Azir?” Stella takes my hand and looks up to me.

Her action takes my attention away from the battle. “Ah... it's probably nothing. I just think that everything is going too smoothly. I don't like it if something is too easy.”

Lucas looks up from his map. “You should be less doubtful, Azir. Finally it goes our way for once. Don't we deserve to be the ones who deal a punch to our enemies? So far we only defended. It's time for Serenzar to learn that we can kick back, even if it's just destroying his palace. A shame that we don't have the forces to conquer this place.”

I tilt my head, watching as the remaining defending ships are swept away. I use the newly awakened power within my eyes to search the area for sources of magical power, but there is nothing extraordinary. Ever since I bathed in the energy vortex my senses got even better. Now I can sense even the tiniest formations of magic and filter them out if I put my mind to it. It may sound like a neglectable upgrade, but it's actually not. With my new power I can rival my mother's ability to look through things. I can even unravel the mysteries of layered magical circuits without taking them apart. It's the dream of every technomage.

One of the generals looks up from the map. “Should we send down troops to capture Serenzar alive?”

Lucas shakes his head. “That structure is too huge. I don't want to waste our people's lives on a pointless hunt. He is a capable mage, if he wants to run away we can't stop him. Just commence with the bombardment and look out for something which hints at Serenzar's whereabouts. He'll show himself soon enough.”

“Yes.” He will surely show up to defend his precious capital. He isn't the type to hide while his work is being ruined. At least I can deduce that from our meeting in the Emperor's Vault.

***Second Continent, Jont-Capital***

***Random citizen***

I am hiding with my family in a bush near the main road. When the fighting began we fled from the city and headed for a small hill on the city's outskirts. But since there were so many people running for their lives we were delayed and didn't get away far enough in time.

In hope of being ignored by the floating structures we took cover in the underwood of this hill.

“*Sniff*, dear... what did the god-king do? We don't deserve this.” My wife cries at my side, clinging to our daughter.

“I don't know.” I hug them in order to console them. If any of those balls of energy fly the wrong way we are all dead, but hiding here is surely safer than being mistaken for combatants while we are on the run.

Suddenly a pair of people appears on the road, just a few metres away from us. They wear the robes of low class mages, servants of the god-king. I instinctively hold my hands onto my wife's and daughter's mouths to keep them from making noise. Then I close my eyes and pray that we are not found.

“You can teleport? No, that's not important right now! They are destroying it!” A male voice cries out. Because the voice sounds really desperate I can't help it and take a peek at them. If they look at their vicinity a little closer they'll find us. The leaves of our bush are a good cover against spectators from the sky, but not from the ground.

There is a man with brown hair and a black haired woman on the street. They aren't facing towards us, so I can't see their faces.

The man gestures at the palace, which is in the process of being blown apart. “So much work! Can't they appreciate the beauty of this piece of art!?”

“It was ugly anyway. Be glad that it's gone. We would have had to flee anyway sooner or later.” The woman at his side sighs in relief. She has her tail wound around his waist while holding a bundle in her arms. From the shape it looks like an egg.

“I can't! I simply can't leave the troops on their own. So many refused the order to disband. Running away while they fight a last battle is wrong.” Being undisturbed by her comment the man steps forward, but is held back by her tail. He turns towards the woman. “Let go. I can't watch this.”

“Hic...” The woman's sobbing reaches my ears. “You really want to go and fight a lost battle to die a futile death? Don't you love me?”

The man freezes. “Don't do that.”

“Haven't I saved your life? Don't we love each other? I know that you are much older than me and probably have lived long enough. But can't you stay with me for at least one lifetime? With us?” She holds the bundle out towards the man.

He looks back and forth between the palace and the woman. “I... you...”

Her sobbing turns into actual crying with her chin shivering uncontrollably and tears running down her cheeks. For a long moment the man does nothing, as if uncertain of what to do. The moment stretches out and the man's expression turns guiltier and guiltier, then he steps forward to hug her with the bundle between them. “Don't cry. We'll stay together, whatever happens. I just don't know where we should go now. This country and my plans were everything to me for so long.”

Holding her, he rests his face on her beautiful hair, while she is pressing her forehead onto his chest.

That makes it impossible to see their faces, but what I can see is the woman's chin and mouth.

From one moment to the next the woman's beautiful, shivering lips turn into a winning smile. She sniffs and starts speaking. “Actually I already know of a good place where we can hide. I even channelled a little starting capital there.”

The man doesn't answer immediately, his eyes wandering towards the palace. As if she anticipated his reaction she pushes the bundle up into his face and starts sobbing again.

He nods desperately. “Yes. Okay. I already promised. Just stop crying and get us away from here.”

Then they vanish in dark shadows and are gone. I sigh in relief and turn gloomy again, watching the palace crumble in front of my eyes. She was right that it's ugly though, thankfully the thing is gone now! “What's becoming of the world when even the god-king's mages are running away?” I shake my head. “Somehow I expected more from his personal servants.”

Suddenly my wife elbows me in the side and I let go of her. “She was obviously using the good old honey trap on him, you fool! Apparently the higher caste is not much different from us common folk.” She grabs our daughter and pulls her away from the street, heading deeper into the forest. “It's not safe here. Let's get away from any important infrastructure, including streets!”

I get up and hurry to follow her.

.