The day passed without any issues. Leo stayed in the back, only coming out to get the occasional drink and some food.
I was mostly zoned out the whole time, just trying to get through the day. Ava came by for a bit early in the morning with news of her exams. She aced them, of course, and has a good chance of moving up to the Upper District soon. The money would be tight. However, her father will save up a bit before actually moving there. Sometime in the new year.
She was worried about me as she hadn't seen me in weeks. Nevertheless, telling her my family, 'came across some extra money,' and took some time away from work, settled her nerves.
Asher was able to inform our coworkers of the change in management, and the 'helper' even came, prompting Asher to teach him the important things to keep in mind to run the shop. Closing an hour and a half early, we left the cafe and made our way to the Upper District. With it being mid-afternoon and a carriage to take us to the Upper District the journey shouldn't take too long. A bit more than an hour and a half. Being a bit closer to the Lower District Gate, we have to cross the entire District, traveling South-East, to reach the Upper District Gate.
The carriage was waiting just outside Asher's shop. A man in a dark blue tuxedo stood in front to greet us.
He bowed and opened the carriage door for us to enter. "Good afternoon, Nobel Leo, Master Asher, Disciple Rin."
The carriage was the fanciest one I've ever seen. Instead of the usual wooden wagons, this one was a fully enclosed compartment, with windows on either side allowing for a view of the streets.
It was a light blue colour, inlaid with a sparkling dark blue crystal around the windows and doors. The door itself was on the left side of the carriage and had a design that looked like spreading ice.
The surrounding passersby seemed to have taken notice, as evidenced by their reaction. Even being aware of who the carriage belonged to.
Some questioned among themselves why the Grimwalds would be here.
I went to get a closer look at the door when Asher spoke from inside the carriage, "Sapphire. Fancy, I know. Now get in'ere."
"Sapphire!" I called out, appalled. "Fancy's an understatement when you're riding around in something more expensive than this entire block, twice over!"
Asher just chuckled, ushering me inside.
The sheer spectacle of this carriage had already left me shaken, but nothing could have prepared me for what the inside held. The pure opulence left me weak in the knees.
Why can one person own this much wealth?
I shook my head in bewilderment.
The theme of blue was replicated on the inside. On either side of the carriage were blue leather seats the entire width of the cart, there was a table on the far end from the door with drinks and glasses. The windows were covered by soft, fancy blue curtains with the same ice design as the door, and the wagon itself was tall and spacious with more sapphire inlaid all around.
"Quit'ch'ur gawking and take a seat. Have you never seen a carriage before?" Asher said from the far side of the wagon, already relaxed with his feet up on the adjacent seats
"I've seen plenty, just never been inside, or to this caliber. It's… fascinating."
I took a seat in the center, next to Asher, with Leo across from us.
It's a little awkward having to stare directly at someone.
The seat was very soft like it perfectly encased my butt. With the perfect density so as not to sink, but not too stiff.
The carriage began moving right as I took my seat, and since the three of us had nothing to talk about, I passed the time by looking out the window.
The carriage moved at a moderate pace, rocking lightly as it made its way through the streets. The view from this angle was new and exciting, watching the scenery pass by from high up. It was weird having to look down at everything, the experience made me feel nauseous. After about fifteen minutes of gazing out the window, I decided that was enough. My stomach felt like it was pushing up my throat, and I felt lightheaded.
Looking towards Leo, I asked him a question that had been on my mind. "The man in the suit, he called you 'Noble'…?"
Leo looked at me, confused. Then brightened as realization hit him. "My Will, yes. It's a formal way of addressing Holders. As a High-Will, the title is 'Noble'."
'That makes sense… wait?'
"Is Disciple how you address a Lord-Will?"
Leo's smile widened even more, as if he had been waiting for this question, then chuckled to himself. "No, your Will is a closely guarded secret at the moment. All he did was attempt to gauge your Will's strength by the energy it releases. Hence, dubbing you a Mid-Will Holder."
Sulking a bit. "You must be impressive then, to be trained with a High Will at this age."
"My father believes in power over anything else. When you meet him, I'm sure you'll get that impression."
A little on edge from that statement, my mind raced trying to gauge the manifestation of the Grimwald family's power.
What physical feats could be attained with raw strength? I looked at Asher with curiosity. He's a good person, cheery and goofy even. Most of the time, you'd forget, or not even realize, his potential strength. What could he do if he suddenly went berserk?
"Asher…" I said. His gaze out the window turned to me. "Why did the man call you 'Master'?"
He lowered the arm supporting his head on the table and shook his head. "Rin, my boy. Must you be so clueless in the world of Will's?" Exhaling sarcastically. "It's cause I've 'Mastered' my Will. So, calling me Master is the formal way to show me respect."
"'Master'… a Will?" I asked, intrigued.
Asher continued, "Mastering one's Will is another form of Integration. It's when you gain a deeper connection with your Will. Providing extra abilities. No one fully knows the process of how to Master a Will, and research is constantly bein' done to figure it out. All we know is that each elemental affinity has the same attributes when Mastering the Will. They theorize it has something to do with the excess use of your Will. But the only results so far have been faster Tier Integration."
"If we don't know how to Master a Will. How did you manage to do it?"
"It came to me when I was in a very perilous fight. I had fatigued my Will beyond reason, and it was gettin' harder to move my body… like it was turnin' to stone. And in a sudd'n wave of insight and energy, my skin hardened, becomin' denser, but it became easier to move than ever. It never felt that way before that point when I over-exerted my Will."
That's interesting, but provides no information at all.
"Is that what Mastering your Will did? Getting hard?"
He yelled out, rising from his seat slightly. "Well, if you want to summarize years of trainin' and practice, along with proficiency in Will manipulation, and a near-death experience!" Sitting back down, continuing calmly, "Then, yes. That is what it meant to Master my Will."
I never learned any of this back when I was still in school, so it was intriguing. It gave me a lot to think about on the ride over to the Upper District. I wonder what attributes a Frost-Will Holder gets when Mastering their Will?
No doubt Lord Grimwald will give me a choice that will help me grow into my Will, but what if he doesn't, or what if it comes with conditions I'm in no position to accept? Is there an offer that's even worth accepting? Should I just go along with whatever he says? It would make my future with the Will clear and straightforward. Should I ask Asher?
The rest of the carriage ride to the Gate went by quickly and with no further conversation. With the snowfall and chilly winds gone for the day.
It wasn't until we arrived at the Gate that we interacted again.
Looking out the window, the carriage rode its way over a bridge. There were three bridges, all leading to the Upper District.
The right-most one, the one we were on, had the smallest line of people and carriages on it.
As soon as the carriage made its way onto the bridge and stopped in line, both Leo and Asher stood up and exited the carriage.
Looking at them confused, Asher stood at the foot of the carriage holding open the door, and spoke up at me, "Who do you think you are, the King and Queen themselves? Get'tch'yur lazy ass off that seat and get out here."
"Why?" I asked, puzzled, taking my lazy ass off the seat.
"We Grimwalds may be aristocrats, but not that aristocratic. We still have to treat gate checks like any other. The only advantage we get is being on Kings Bridge."
I stepped off the carriage and moved to stand beside Asher. Upon seeing my confused look, he slammed the door shut and continued, "Noble, Queen, and King's Bridge." He pointed East. "The three main bridges leading into the Upper District. Kings Bridge being exclusive for higher-rankin' aristocrats. You can thank my brother for that. We'll be in the District in no time."
Stepping closer to the edge of the bridge, I looked at the other bridges East of me. The difference was noticeably distinct. The lines extended off the bridges and into town. Which was pretty long considering the bridges were over 200 meters long. I admired the architecture of the bridges for a moment while Asher stretched behind me. Cracking some of his bones while making exaggerated groans.
"Don't you just hate sittin' in those things?" He said to no one but himself.
"Why do we have to get off the carriage?"
"Common etiquette." Leo replied, "Easy way to allow guards to check for any unlicensed contraband in the carriage, plus we have to show our permits, anyway."
I responded to Leo with a nod, only then truly looking towards the Upper District gate. It was an impressive stone-carved wall with the gate arch intricately designed. The Oston Crest was hanging on a flag over the center of the gate. The crest was a hollowed-out black shield, with a crown at the top. Seven dots made a circle in the middle of the shield, with the royal family's emblem in the center, and four colours in respective corners of the flag representing the most commonly found Beasts in the Kingdom.
Dark Red top left, dark blue top right, dark green bottom left, and a yellowish-brown bottom right.
The walls were 10 meters in height, encompassing the entire length of the river we were standing over. Passing farther than the eye could see. The archway was 7 meters tall, big enough for a giant to fit through, and almost the entire 8-meter width of the bridge, with a small arch just off to the right of it. It looked to be used by people entering the District without a carriage. A few odd objects were poking up from behind the walls, but I paid it no mind.
We walked along the left side of the bridge and waited about ten minutes before reaching the front, where a guard approached us. Two more guards walked past us and toward the carriage. One went along the perimeter of the wagon before talking to the suited man. The other inspected the interior.
"Permits." The guard in front of Leo, Asher, and me calmly demanded with his arm out.
Imbuing our Wills into the permits and handing them over, I caught the glimmer of Leo's and Asher's permits. Unlike mine, which was a dirty bronze, theirs was a shining gold. The corner of it glowed yellow, indicating that the permit belonged to them.
The guard quickly bowed in respect to the Grimwalds and gave their permits back. When he got to mine, he paused for a moment and raised his eyebrow in confusion. "Mr… Rin, your permit here is only for the Middle District, and a work visa at that. Mind you telling me what you're doing here?"
"I have no idea." I replied matter-of-factly.
Leo coughed, before quickly jumping in with a reassuring smile. "Apologies, sir, he's here on request of the Lord. It's… sort of last minute, and we weren't able to get him a proper visitor's permit… on account to him beinnng… indisposed."
The guard stared directly at Leo, studying him. "Need I remind you that you nobles are not above the law. However, in leniency for the work your family does in training us guards, I am willing to cut you some slack." Shifting towards me, the guard hands back my permit. "You are free to enter. Welcome to the Upper District, Disciple Rin." The guard then shifts his gaze to Asher. "Make sure he gets his permit."
Asher bows. "Of course. Thank you for your grace. Sorry again."
Leo follows suit and bows as well. Feeling awkward, I give the best bow I can based on how I've seen Leo do it.
"All clear!" The two guards from behind us call out.
The guard in front turns around and addresses his superior, "They are clear for entry!"
Leo, Asher, and I climb back into the carriage and make our way through the gate. I gazed at the mid-afternoon sunset, watching it slowly disappear behind the tall walls of the Upper District.