Four people showed up on the day when Nathan Modernson left the academy to serve his suspension: Daniel Whitedawn, Jennifer Lumendra, Ash Robert, and most surprisingly, Arthur Paradox as well.
Their presence was silent, without exciting waves of goodbye toward the departing figure outside the academy gate, just as Nathan had previously demanded. Their hearts gave them the answer that they needed from Nathan, that no matter what happened on this short journey, the boy would come back to them.
To some, this meant hope, to some, reassurance, and to one particular individual, concern.
They knew how much this boy had impacted the academy. Without him, who was fully ready for what was before them?
Nathan didn't bother to think about such problems. He had already planned everything out. Despite their relatively young age, there were trustworthy members in his circle that he could entrust his dreams to.
He had already gotten used to the elegance of the Royal Capital. The once beautiful, almost mythical city landscape was now nothing but scenery imprinted on the window of his room. That, however, didn't diminish the happiness and wonder in his eyes as he sauntered across the streets.
Nathan planned to make the most out of this opportunity and visit his father, but before that, he wanted to wander around Endnest more, to watch the lives of others. He found such meaningless and absurd actions interesting. Other people's actions and thoughts, whether heartwarming or heartless, were all purposeful parts of his solitary life that he wanted to see.
There it was already. Nathan heard a ferocious debate between two figures that resembled a father and his daughter. What caught his attention was the foul words that came out of the young girl's mouth, almost giving him glimpses of his Lostburg life.
As he listened more closely to the argument, the smile on his face faded away. The girl's voice was familiar, way too familiar.
He pushed through the crowd that gathered up around them and squeezed his head out to the open space. As expected, a young, energetic, but unusually furious figure entered his eyes.
"Lily!" Nathan yelled out.
Lily swung her head around, but before she could say anything, the man arguing with her interrupted loudly.
"Sir, I must warn you, if you don't watch your sister carefully, you won't be able to see her again. Not everyone is as kind as I am."
Before Lily drew her wand from her waist and deleted the man's existence, Nathan grabbed her and ran out of the crowd. People on the way considerately made way for them. The only thing that was left behind was Lily's yelling that trailed along, making Nathan's apology barely audible.
"I'm going to kill that guy!" Lily yelled but didn't resist Nathan's force.
"Just treat it as if you saved a dying man." Nathan shrugged, "I can tell myself that, at least."
"Ok, little saint," Lily rolled her eyes, "He was insulting my pathtower, I can't let him slide so easily."
"Talking about your pathtower, since I'm your apprentice, does that mean I'm automatically a member of the Tower of Delight?" Nathan changed the subject.
"Nope," Lily didn't even hesitate, "Joining the Tower of Delight against your will is not joining the Tower of Delight at all."
"Mentor Lily, I have so many questions for you."
"I also have a question for you. Why are you wagging school?"
"I got… Um… Suspended."
"Perfect! You can come with me, then."
"Where?"
"Where did you plan to go?"
"I don't know either, some places near Lostburg."
After hearing the word "Lostburg," Lily's eyes started to shine again. She had already completely forgotten the unhappy incident that had happened a few minutes ago.
"Nathan, have you heard of Runalond's consecrated mountain, Mount Mirra?"
Nathan couldn't remember the details from the top of his mind, but the name of the mountain certainly sounded familiar. His father seldom told him stories about the outside world apart from general knowledge. He never expected to put them to use anyway.
"Isn't that the place where Founder Gideon Runaria discovered the first Rune Arts? The place where the heavens above are always peculiar in colour? I remember it's quite close to Lostburg."
Why the sky on top of Mount Mirra had always been deeply blue in every moment of Runalond's calendar was never a debate among the citizens. Everyone came to a mutual agreement that it was the home for divine beings, the origin of Rune Art itself. For its history, the Tower of Discovery had always attempted to seek its answers from the summit of this consecrated mountain, but there was never anything that spoke back.
Mount Mirra rested on the kingdom's borders. It was a geographic mark that demonstrated the fear of humans toward the unknown. Anywhere beyond it was considered "The Outer Realms," where most people would choose not to set foot. It wasn't as if there was anything dangerous or different from Runalond, but people nonetheless put the shackles inside their hearts, for a false sense of obedience, and the security that followed after.
Even if Runalond, or rather, the entire human race, had continuously extended their territories more and more in other areas, "The Outer Realms" was never something that they overcame.
"What about it?" Nathan asked.
"The spirehead of the Tower of Discovery should return to Runalond via Mount Mirra in a few days' time. I never liked that guy. By the way, his personalized Rune Art is quite… quite scary."
"As in strong?" Nathan pressed on.
"Far from that." Lily shook her head, but her smile faded as she thought of what it was, "It provided nothing but one purpose. I used to think it was the most meaningless Rune Art that could ever be created, but I was sooooo wrong. Anyway, you should meet him."
"Is it because… he was a failed experiment of the Heaven's Child Project?" Nathan's tone became slightly more serious.
"Smart boy!" Lily's smile returned, "That guy is also named 'Nathan,' just with no last name whatsoever. And at that time, your mother will come to talk to him."
To think that his mother had named someone before him "Nathan" as well, Nathan Modernson couldn't ignore the strange feeling in his chest. Talking about his mother, he had even more questions for her than for Lily. If he could finally find an opportunity to talk to her, then this vacation would truly be worth it.
"Are we going right now? The teleportation device is nearby." Nathan pointed at the streets behind his back. The teleportation station that connected the entirety of Runalond together was right around the corner. They could depart anytime.
"What are we waiting for? I can't wait to… Err… Talk to your mother!" Lily exclaimed as she dragged Nathan toward the station. The people by the streets recognised her from the previous debate and shook their heads. Who could possibly tell that this mischievous, loud, and annoying girl was the spirehead of the Tower of Delight?
"Wait, what about the RunaLine case that you need to investigate?"
"Forget about that! I have ways to find the truth."
"Don't need to drag me! I'm not like you!" Nathan laughed along the way. No matter how embarrassing it seemed, he finally found a sense of rest beyond the simple feeling of resting in a hot spring. A feeling where freedom had stretched its wings across the moment, filling him with comforting warmth and weightlessness.
…
The city governing the space below Mount Mirra, Isterann, was famous for its religious history and lifestyle. It was certainly much bigger and richer than towns like Gemville, and was also one of the most significant cities in all of Runalond. However, it only provided unmaterialistic benefits to the kingdom. Aristocratic families stayed as far away from it as possible, and potent Rune Artists also came to the conclusion that the life here wasn't really the life they desired.
Religion wasn't widespread in Runalond's culture, apart from the Tower of Discovery and people in Isterann. Runalond's gods were simply named "divine beings," as nobody dared to give them names in human language. Though most citizens believed that they did exist, nobody cared enough to dedicate their entire life to it.
Royalty promoted it, and the Rune Arts Federation opposed it. One argued that faith is important for the unity of the kingdom, the other affirmed that it's personal improvement that outweighs imageless imaginations.
Even in a city like Isterann, a bar was always filled with chaos and noisy drunkards. No one knew what the divine beings truly expected from them, so they might as well not care at all. Runalond citizens' faith lay within their hearts, but not so much within their actions.
Nathan wouldn't say he was the biggest fan of alcohol, but he enjoyed a few jugs every once in a while. The wine in Isterann was mild and rather flavourless. That is, compared to the sketchy, burning booze supplied, or rather, personally produced, in Lostburg.
"Hey kid," a bearded man with long hair tied messily behind his head interrogated, "Do you belong here?"
Nathan turned around and clinked his cup with the man, then proceeded to chug the whole cup without hesitation. The liquor glided down his throat like a small waterfall.
"Come on," he smirked, "Ignore the details, let's just enjoy ourselves, shall we?"
"What about her?" the man pressed on as he pointed to Lily, clearly unconvinced. "She definitely doesn't belong here."
He was right on that one. Lily carried the appearance of a small child, 10 years old at most. The scene of such an innocent child in this atmosphere was unsettling even to people that usually wouldn't care.
Lily smirked and slapped her two wands on the table. "I'm older than I seem, mister."
The bearded man widened his eyes to examine the wands carefully. He murmured something and left; even Nathan wasn't sharp enough to catch what he said.
"There were so many better places we could have chosen. Why did we have to have lunch here?" Nathan asked with a frown.
Lily slammed her jug loudly on the table and took a bite of her bread. She spoke wildly while chewing on the food, "Isn't this super cool? We are totally the stars on this stage!"
"Not in a good way but… Sure," Nathan conceded and focused on his food instead. The experience was weirdly nostalgic, so he didn't mind too much anyway. "By the way, you are paying for the food."
Lily looked at him with her innocent, shining eyes and shrugged. "Got you! I didn't bring money. Guess who has to pay now?"
Nathan burst out in laughter and leaned towards Lily in a confronting excitement. "I don't have money either! I guess neither of us is paying!"
Nathan and Lily looked around, and only then did the two realise the problem.
"You are the son of Viviana Modernson!" Lily exclaimed. "How do you not have, like, at least millions on you when you are outside?"
"I'm poor as crap!" Nathan shouted back. "I expected my MENTOR to take care of the expenses on the trip she dragged me to!"
"How about you sell your ring for some quick money? Or maybe that necklace?" Lily joked.
Ever since the incident between Jennifer Lumendra and Alisher Vester, Nathan had never taken the necklace his father gave him off. It was like a totem of protection, or at least a fortune talisman that assured his heart.
"Well?" Nathan suggested. "How about you just bomb this place? Then we can get out of it quite easily."
"I sense something concerning going on here," the bartender walked to their table and rested his hand on his wand in seriousness. "Forgot to bring money, huh?"
The attention that they gathered turned from astonishment and concern to mockery and amusement. Under the stares of so many citizens, Nathan decided to just make the best effort he could.
"Sir, may divine blessings enlighten your way," he said as softly as he could. "Everyone has their careless day, right? This isn't much at all! Could you please, maybe, let us go this time? We will pay you double the next time we visit! I'm sure divine beings would be happy to see your kindness too! I'm sure they are watching right now."
"Yeah, no chance." The bartender stopped him coldly.
"You pay up with money, or you pay up with something else." He drew his wand and pressed it against Nathan's forehead. The chilling metallic feel sent an unnoticeable shiver down Nathan's spine.
Lily's face turned serious too. She was ready to draw her wand under the worst circumstances.
But among the convicting atmosphere, a gentle, elderly voice broke the tension effortlessly, almost like she had cast a purifying rune art inside the bar.
"Peter, Peter… Like the boy said, everyone makes mistakes." She patted the bartender on the shoulder and smiled. "My boy, just for my sake, can you please forgive them in this case? I will pay their debt in replacement."
The bartender, Peter, turned to her and grinned in happiness. "Granny Bella! It's been so long since I've last seen you. And yeah, of course, their debt is canceled, don't worry about it!"
"I've come to visit," she replied cheerfully. "Fortunately for me, it seems I have met some old companions of mine by accident."
Granny Bella turned to Nathan and smiled. Her appearance was no different from most elderly women, of no notable features whatsoever. Her white hair with fading shades of gray stripes was tied up neatly, and the expression on her face was so serene and comforting, so much that Nathan doubted that they actually knew each other.
But it wasn't unique to him, but to everyone in the bar. No matter how untamed they may look, their gaze became innocent as long as they were directed at her.
Her movement was slow and difficult, but as she approached Nathan, it carried a sense of excitement and energy.
"Boy, just like the other boys, you can just call me Granny Bella." She looked at Nathan's necklace. "I just have one simple request."
"Could I please have a look at that thing on your neck?"