The purple forest was nowhere to be seen. The strange, vibrant woods where he had met that Fallen were now far behind him. Instead, he found himself in an open grass field. The two moons hanging in the sky were his only source of light, their pale glow painting the landscape in shades of silver and blue.
Lucid had continued alongside the riverbank until it met a dirt path, which soon turned into a wider, man-made road. Even though it was night, the occasional carriage rumbled past him, the drivers giving him curious or wary glances as they went by.
'Well, that is a good sign. Seems like we are on the right track,' he thought.
He walked on, keeping his thoughts to himself. Thinking was not really something he could do now, let alone talk to himself. Lucid felt not alone in his head anymore, a common courtesy that everyone else seemed to enjoy without a second thought.
"Rest assured, I will not judge you in any way, Lucid," Alice's voice chimed in, clear and calm inside his mind.
'Crap! I let my thoughts drift again,' he thought, caught completely off guard.
He let out a long sigh. "How am I gonna get used to this?" he mumbled out loud.
"Lucid, I sense you have questions. Like how you killed that Fallen..."
Thinking back to that confrontation, Lucid questioned himself. How had he acted so quickly? How had he been so quick on his feet? And where had that strength come from when he slammed that giant spider from the trees into the ground?
Before he could form a reply or even think of a proper question, the voice cut him off.
"I enhanced your physical state with fate essence."
"Since it was prior to our absorption of the creature, it was not anything that could be felt strongly. The effect was minimal, but it was big enough to alter the end of the fight. That is why you were faster and physically stronger, both in body and in mind. I shared my power with you."
"That is... good to hear," Lucid said slowly, a bit put out that she had answered before he even asked. "Bet I could have done that without it anyways."
"Tehe... I bet you could," Alice's voice carried a slight chuckle, a melodic sound that felt strangely calming inside his head.
"Well, we are almost there," he said under his breath.
Beyond them lay a town surrounded by a fortress of stone bricks. Torches were visible at even intervals along the wall. The gate was not massive, but it was certainly not too small either. It looked like a medium sized town, one that was neither too large nor too small. As he walked closer, he could see carriages stopping right outside the gate, lined up two or three at best. The gate was being controlled by two guards.
One guard was tall and lanky, with elongated ears and a clean guard uniform, carrying a spear. The other was short and broad, with a thick beard extending all the way down to his chest. He wore a big helmet and held a spear that was nearly twice his size.
Lucid stood in the line, which was mostly just carriages, and waited his turn.
"Careful, it is your turn next," Alice's voice reminded him.
"Next!" an unfamiliar voice rang out. It came from the short guard, who was now looking directly at Lucid.
"State your business and pay the fee for entry."
'Damn it,' Lucid thought silently. He recomposed himself quickly.
"I am a lone traveler," he said, trying to sound tired and genuine. "I was attacked by a Fallen and separated from my companions. I am hurt and exhausted. I seek shelter for the night." Lucid kept eye contact, looking at both of the guards as he explained his situation, adding a few details to make it sound more believable.
"A fallen?" The tall on repeated confused.
The short guard looked him up and down, his eyes narrowing. "What is that covering your face? It looks suspicious to me. You are not a traveler, I demand again, state your business or you will be detained!"
"I am telling you the truth, sir," Lucid said, trying to look as innocent as possible. He even opened his arms slightly to show he had nothing to hide.
The tall one looked at the short guard, who was still fixated on Lucid.
"From what lands do you come from?" the tall guard asked, his voice more measured.
"Uhh..." Lucid was deep in thought. He could not say his country, as he feared they would not know what it was. So, calming himself, he said the most basic, generic thing he could think of.
"Uh... Earth, sir."
"Earth?!" the short guard exploded. "Are you mad? Are you playing jokes with us now? How dare you talk ill of the prophecy!"
The tall guard with the long ears spoke again. "Bjorn, calm down. This traveler seems exhausted. Do not jump to conclusions. Maybe they really are just seeking shelter."
"No, he is just talking nonsense! I say we throw him in a cell and interrogate him. Least that is shelter, right?"
Lucid jumped slightly, taken aback by the threat. But at the same time, it did not sound too bad to him. As long as they offered a meal and somewhere to sleep, they could lock him up for all he cared.
"Ahem, Bjorn," the tall guard said, his tone firm but patient. "Have you forgotten Tyriana's foundations and principles? We do not turn away any person in need, as we abide by unity and compassion."
The small guard, now apparently called Bjorn, managed a faint sigh as he scratched the back of his head. He looked Lucid over again, re-evaluating him thoroughly.
"Any weapons?" Bjorn grunted.
"No, sir. You can search me."
"Hell, I would! I do not know what diseases you could be carrying, for all I know," he replied dismissively.
The tall, lanky guard stepped forward, looking down at Lucid. "I am Gabriel, guard of the third tier of the Tyriana's arsenal. This is my colleague, Bjorn. He is also in the tier of the Tyriana's arsenal. Report to us if there is any need or any suspicious activity. We will help."
"Like hell I would," muttered Bjorn, looking as grumpy as ever.
"Bjorn?" Gabriel said, his voice carrying a patient but warning smile as he looked down at his partner.
Bjorn sighed. "Welcome to Tyriana. We accept all races, including whatever heck you might be. There is a bar just down the road. The innkeeper there can help you. Or not."
"Thank you," Lucid said. He walked past both of the guards, and the large gate shut behind him with a loud, final thud, leaving behind a soft breeze.
He stood for a moment, taking in his surroundings. What he saw was truly something out of a fantasy book. Carefully built, vintage-style homes were glued together, with pavements made of rectangular cobblestone. People of all shapes and sizes walked the streets. Even though it was night, the place was alive. Light shone from tall street lamps, casting a soft, ethereal glow over the scene. Dogs, cats, and massive reptile-like beings that pulled carriages roamed around. The town was lively. It was not large by any means, but not too small either.
Looking further down the road, he saw a massive fountain. But the fountain was not what took his gaze. No, just beyond the fountain was a castle sitting on top of a small, man-made hill. It seemed like royalty or nobility lived there, while the common folk lived in the lower district. There seemed to already be a wealth gap in this place.
"That man was not too fond of you, Lucid," he heard Alice's voice after what seemed like a long time.
"Honestly, whether he was or not, I do not care," Lucid replied quietly. "What matters is that I am inside."
"Tyriana seems rather pleasant." The voice uttered amazed.
"Come on, let us find that innkeeper he was talking about."
Lucid continued to walk toward where the guard had pointed. He did not walk too fast, nor too slow. He walked just enough to take in his surroundings. In this place, people... monsters? Were truly welcome. He saw a bipedal, winged humanoid fly off into the distant sky.
"That is a Demi-human," Alice's voice spoke inside him again.
"A what?"
"They are similar to us humans, but they share characteristics of certain animals. Some share more traits of animals than humans."
"And what makes you so sure that you are human?" he shot back.
"Well, that I cannot say for sure," she admitted. "But what does it matter if I am or not? Being alive is enough."
"Yeah, yeah," he dismissed her inner, audible thoughts.
As he walked by, certain bystanders were looking at him weirdly, as if he was some kind of drunkard or a mentally deranged individual. He had been talking to his voice, a voice that was inside his head. Lucid did not notice the onlooking individuals, but it did not matter. By now, he was in another world, a voice talking to him from the inside, a world filled with the unknown... what did it matter if some individuals looked at him weirdly or not.
Soon, a tavern came into view just ahead. It had a sign hanging at the top of its second floor, right next to the windows.
He took a step and crossed his arms, standing right in front of it and looking up at the sign of the place.
"Gosh, I am illiterate," he muttered to himself. The letters were alphabetic, but he did not recognize them. They did not look like English, yet they strangely looked like some Latin alphabet turned upside down.
"What does it say, Alice?"
"The Golden Shine."