The morning sun broke softly over the crumbling rooftops of Vareth-Kai, casting long shadows on the stone-paved roads as Cassius and his companions stood at the city gates. The journey had been quiet after their tense entrance, but the silence that met them now was heavier than anything they had felt on the road.
Weathered buildings lined the street like forgotten monuments. The air was dry, but beneath it lingered a scent of iron and smoke. Merchants shuffled by, their carts filled with paltry supplies, while gaunt children watched with hollow eyes from alley corners.
Cassius turned to Kaelen, the spy who had accompanied them from Stryx's court.
Cassius :"This... was once called the City of Oaths?"
Kaelen gave a solemn nod.
Kaelen: "Yes. Vareth-Kai was once a proud bastion—known for its loyalty to the crown of Veldrith. Treaties, alliances, pledges of service—they were all sealed here. But after the war, the oaths were forgotten. And so was the city."
Elric, who had been quiet, frowned as he stepped over a broken crest embedded into the pavement.
Elric : "Forgotten Oaths. Fitting."
Varcen(looking around grimly): "This doesn't feel like a city... it feels like a grave."
The group continued onward. The deeper they moved into the city, the more signs of degradation they saw. People bartered scraps in hushed tones. Guards—wearing no crest—stood at street corners, their eyes always watching, never helping.
They passed an old square with a shattered fountain. The statue in its center—once a proud knight—had lost its sword and arm. Children played in the dry basin, laughing with a bitterness far beyond their age.
Korvek(eyes narrowing): "They're not just forgotten. They've been abandoned."
Cassius(quietly): "Did Stryx know it was this bad?"
Kaelen stepped beside him.
Kaelen: "He suspected. That's why he sent me. There are whispers... of something darker growing beneath the surface here."
Cassius's brows furrowed. He touched the relic hidden beneath his cloak. It had remained dormant since the journey. But something about this city stirred unease in his gut.
They passed a small marketplace—half its stalls empty. A boy ran by, clutching a piece of bread, chased by a masked figure in the soldier's garb.
Varcen(tensing): "That uniform..."
Elric(eyes narrowing): "That's not Veldrith's old crest."
Kaelen's tone grew low.
Kaelen: "That's the Merchant's militia. They control the city now. Not officially—but they dictate everything. Trade. Food. Safety. Fear."
As they walked further, a crowd had gathered around a man shouting at the top of his lungs, standing atop an overturned crate.
Street Preacher: "Oaths broken! Blood spilled! And for what? The Merchant feasts while we starve! The King is not dead! I swear it!"
Suddenly, two soldiers seized him. The crowd shrank back. No one resisted. The man was dragged away, kicking and screaming.
Cassius(clenching fists): "So this is what Stryx meant."
He turned and looked over the broken streets, the people watching without hope, the ruins of a once-loyal city.
A quiet moment passed.
Cassius knelt near the remnants of a broken crest embedded in the ground—a lion with wings, worn down but still faintly visible. A child nearby had traced its shape with a stick.
The boy looked up at him but said nothing. He stood and ran when a distant whistle pierced the air.
Cassius stood. His voice, a murmur only he could hear:
Cassius: "Not all oaths are forgotten. Some just wait to be remembered."
The wind shifted. Somewhere beneath the grime and fear, Vareth-Kai waited.
And Cassius had just begun to listen.
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