Back then, Lucien Munfir's greatest enemy was boredom.
He sat in his room, studying because he had to, not because he wanted to. He never liked it, yet he couldn't bring himself to waste the money his parents spent on his education. Lucien wasn't ungrateful.
His family was middle-class, neither poor nor wealthy. His father, a merchant. His mother, a washerwoman. His sister, Alexia—well, she was bold, unruly, and stubbornly blunt. Their mother scolded her endlessly: That's not how a proper woman behaves! Or, Keep acting like that and no one will ever marry you! Alexia never listened.
Lucien used to treasure those days. Compared to his life now, they were bliss.
But everything changed the day the army appeared at the outskirts of their city.
He still remembers their banners. White cloth snapping in the wind, and at its center—not bone, but a skull of interlocking gears. Its sockets weren't hollow; one was crammed with meshing cogs, the other pierced by a wrench jutting outward, dangling like a monocle chain.
The banners of the Clockwork Mechanicum.
Lucien remembers the sound of their approach—horses thundering across the fields. But they weren't horses. They were machines, beasts of brass and iron, gears grinding as steam hissed from their mouths. Their riders lowered weapons gleaming with unnatural light.
The Clockwork Mechanicum worshipped the god of light and innovation, the Lightseeker. They claimed to be sent by Him to "liberate" the Aegon Kingdom, to bring salvation to a wretched land.
But Lucien knew the truth even then. It was no liberation. It was conquest.
He remembers his father rushing them to a safe house. Everything blurred—panic, running, the crush of people. Then Alexia tripped. She fell hard, crying out.
Their father turned back. He lifted her, urged her on. They almost made it. Almost.
Lucien saw it all: a rider on his iron horse charging, weapon raised. His father, trying to shield Alexia. The strike coming down.
And then—
SLAP.
"Ouch!" Lucien jolted awake.
The room was dim, the only light seeping through the thin cracks between rusted iron bars.
A girl stood over him, arms crossed, a frown creasing her face.
"Alexia…" Lucien groaned, rubbing the sting from his cheek. "Why'd you wake me up like that? No manners at all—tsk."
She narrowed her eyes. "I tried the gentle way. You wouldn't budge. So—slap."
"Well, you could've just let me sleep."
She hesitated. Her voice softened. "You were crying again. Talking in your sleep."
Lucien froze. "…Oh."
"Mmh."
"Is that so?"
"That is so."
He fell silent. The nightmares had become constant. Memories of the invasion—his father's death, his mother lost in the chaos. He and Alexia captured, never knowing whether she lived or died.
Now, the siblings were bound for slavery.
They had done everything they could to stay together. Sometimes they feigned sickness to avoid buyers. Other times, if chosen, they fought their would-be owners. Their resistance always brought punishment. Whips. Cruel acts that scarred more than skin.
But the slavers couldn't risk ruining their "merchandise." When things went too far, they brought him.
A man who looked like a doctor. Ordinary enough—except for one thing. His treatments worked too well.
If it took a month for a wound to heal under the hands of the best physician, his patients mended in a week. Flesh knitted faster, scars faded sooner. It wasn't normal. It wasn't natural.
Lucien never forgot the unease that followed every time that doctor laid his hands on them.
The doctor was treating one of the slaves as Lucien looke at him
"I wonder how he can do that"
"do what?" asked alexia
"The healing thingie… isn't the recovery rate too fast?" Lucien turned to alexia as he asked the question
Alexia looked down at her brother and sighed "And why do you care about that? You want your injuries to heal slower?"
She turned to go sleep on the makeshift bed but then paused midstep. She turned back and looked at her brother with a deadpan expression
"don't tell me… you like being in pain? Is my brother a masochist?"
It was now Lucien's turn to become deadpan, but his eyed showed a hint of disbelief. He sighed and rubbed his eyes
"Obviously not, I'm not a weirdo. It's just… it's a bit strange. His ability to heal others so quickly, even with just common supplies—you know?"
Alexia nodded. "Mhm, true. Maybe he's one of the Domewalkers?"
Lucien turned to her, confused. "Domewalker? What's that?"
Alexia stared at him in silence for a couple of minutes, then turned back and laid down on the makeshift bed.
Lucien stood. "Hey, you didn't answer me yet."
"I don't intend to."
"Why not?"
"Maybe if you'd focused on your studies, you'd know what a Domewalker is."
"…."
Lucien sighed. "Don't be so annoying. Just tell me what a 'Domewalker' is."
Alexia looked up at him. "Fine, fine, you dimwit. Stop whining."
"I wasn't—"
"A Domewalker is someone who has abilities tied to a specific domain of reality," Alexia interrupted. "That's all I'm going to say. Now, use that brain of yours and try to remember what the domains are." She laid her head back and closed her eyes.
Lucien stared at her for a moment, then sat down on the ground beside her. He started thinking about the domains of reality. It wasn't too hard—there were seven, if he remembered correctly. The ones he recalled were the Domain of Rulesmaker, focused on the rules of reality, stability, and order; the Domain of Lightseeker, which emphasized purity, advancement, and innovation; and the Domain of Equilibrium, which centered on balance.
Tsk, I should've paid more attention in class… Lucien grumbled inwardly.
CLANG!
The sound of iron bars being struck woke Lucien and Alexia, who had dozed off.
"Wake the hell up, you useless—"
Alexia and Lucien jumped to their feet, not even listening to their slaver's words. They were all too accustomed to the abuse.
Outside the cell, the old fat slaver who always whipped or cursed at them stood, and beside him, a beautiful young woman in extravagant Regel attire. Her eyes were the clear blue of the ocean, and her long blonde hair, casually tied, flowed smoothly down her back. Her gown was a masterpiece of tiered elegance, designed to display wealth and power. A tightly cinched corset embroidered with gilt thread in rolling floral motifs outlined her torso unnaturally perfectly, while full skirts of rich blue silk split at the front to reveal an underdress of ivory brocade, overlaid with delicate silver filigree. A necklace of large teardrop pearls completed the ensemble. Confidence and wealth radiated from her every movement. Behind her stood two silent bodyguards.
The slaver turned to her, instantly shifting his demeanor to obedience and adoration. "Lady Florine, out of all our stock, these two are among the newest and youngest. We, of course, have others, but I think these two match your description best."
Lady Florine didn't look like she belonged here. She seemed far too extravagant for such a place. If she wanted slaves, she could've simply instructed her servants—there was no need to come personally.
Alexia's expression hardened, and she stepped in front of Lucien.
Seeing this, Lady Florine smiled. It wasn't a cruel or manipulative smile like others they had seen—it was warm, almost gentle.
"Can you open the cell?" she asked softly, addressing the slaver. Her voice was melodic and pleasant.
The slaver hesitated for only a moment, clearly impressed. "Of course, my lady. But are you sure? These two have… quite the history. They've resisted nearly every attempt to buy them."
Lady Florine looked at the slaver, then at Lucien and Alexia. "Is that so?" she asked, though neither answered.
She didn't seem offended. She turned back to the slaver. "Ah, may I ask what they did to their previous owners?"
"Of course!"
The slaver recounted every incident—how they attacked their owners, pretended to be sick, and more. Lady Florine listened intently.
When he finished, she looked at Lucien and Alexia, then back at the slaver. "I'll take both of them."
The slaver was stunned, silent for a long moment. Lucien and Alexia were new and literate, yes, but they were also striking in appearance. Their blonde hair, blue eyes, and physical presence meant they could fetch a high price—even individually.
The slaver looked at the girl excitedly but also a bit fearfully just in case he offends her
"My lady, it'll cost 150 florins"
"alright" she replied without hesitation
Both Lucien and Alexia were shocked because 150 florins was no small amount! 150 florins was equivalent to over a year's pay for 3 companies of soldiers. For perspective, that's like buying a small estate for a noble family
After they were captured by the clockwork mechanicum, they were transported and sold to a slaver who went to the nation of Fredonia. Luckily, Lucien was educated enough to know about Fredonia, one of the major 3 nations in the world.
The base unit and structure of the currency was florin, a system built on decimal + hundredths. The denominations had 3 tiers, they were the copper tier which was the one used by commoners the most, silver tier which was used for market and middle class, gold tier which was used by mostly nobles
Copper tier had lowmarks which was 1/100 florin, used for bread, ale, candles, tolls etc, they were copper disk with rough edges and stamped with the crescent moon of Fredonia. Halfmark which was 1/50 florins, they were thin coppers often used for fairs, aims or child allowances
Silver tier had halven which was 1/10 florins. They were silver coin with squared hold in the middle, common for craftsmen, guild payment and tavern bills. Double halven was 1/5 florin, they were thicker and used for trade, wages and military provision
Gold tier had florin which was pure gold coin, stamped with the imperial seal. Mainly used for wages of soldiers, contracts etc. crown florin was equivalent to 10 florins, it was heavier and larger often engraved with the current ruler's profile
***
Just half an hour had passed and both of them were in a luxurious carriage which was moving through the city. The city was quite beautiful and the design of almost everything was different from the Aegon kingdom, the munfir siblings were shocked by almost everything. They didn't get a chance to admire the beauty of the city because most of the time they would be behind the iron bars and kept inside the stinky warehouse
Lucien looked infront of him and saw the beautiful women, whom Lucien had correctly guessed to be Lady Florine sitting infront of them. She still had the warm and polite smile on her face. Alexia and Lucien were still wary about her, after all, they heard about what the nobles did to their slaves when they were still free people. Lucien hoped that this lady was different but he still had to be wary. Meanwhile, Alexia on the other hand was already trying to think of a way to escape this place but she found it nearly impossible as the carriage was flanked on all sides by soldiers mounted on armored horses. Alexia guessed that this lady that just bought them was quite wealthy, just from the fact that she bought them with no hesitation and there were heavily armed soldiers guarding her from all sides. Well, most nobles had guards that protected them when they went outside but still…
Alexia turned to face the lady
"Lady Florine" she said in a measured and respectful tone. She knew not to mess with a noble, that had been engrained into her brain even if she was unruly as a child
Lady Florine turned to her with that smile of hers
"Hm? What is it?" she asked sweetly
Alexia hesitated for a while and asked "Lady Florin, may I ask you why you… spent so much on us?"
Alexia believe that she bought them to do some nefarious deeds with them or experiment with them
Lady Florine responded with a chuckle "Well, originally I was supposed to buy some workers for my father. I volunteered for the job because normally im not allowed to go out into the worse parts of the city. I was looking for some young men and then that slaver led me to you, I was supposed to look for strong men that could help with some heavy lifting and I was supposed to buy quite a lot. With 150 florins, you can buy a lot you know? But I saw you two… I felt sympathetic for both of you, you two looked young and from the information I got, you guys came here after being captured by the mechanicum during the war. You kept attacking your to be owners because you were both going be separated, no? You didn't want to get separated so you did all those things. It warms my heart to see such bond, especially the way you tried defending your brother"
She is quite observant… Alexia thought before nodding. The carriage went silent after that but it was not uncomfortable or awkward
Alexia would notice that lady Florin would sometimes secretly take a glance at Lucien. It was inevitable of course, Alexia just hoped that if the noble lady was interested In her brother then her brother could live a more comfortable life
Eventually the carriage came to a stop and the door was opened by one of the guards. They stepped outside the carriage with Lady Florine
What they saw was very surprising. The place was surrounded by a beautiful and large lawn that surrounded the mansion, the mansion itself looked ancient. It was black in color and It was black in color, but not the dead, charred black of ruin—rather the deep, lived-in black of a coat worn too long, polished in some places, dulled in others. The mansion didn't just stand there; it loomed like an old noble who knew his best years had passed but still refused to bow. The masonry had creases from the weather and wounds from storms, but every line had a strong sense of dignity.
The gargoyles crouched along the roof weren't just stone; they looked like bitter sentinels, watching the lawn with the narrowed patience of old watchdogs. The ivy on the walls wasn't just there for adornment; it felt like a lover who didn't want to let go, wrapping its arms harder and tighter around the home to protect it from fading into memory.
The windows looked back at me like sleepy eyes, tall and narrowed by time. The feeble candlelight blinked as if the house was still awake and dreaming behind closed lids. The huge doors bent forward like broad shoulders under a heavy robe, and iron bands held them up like ribs so they wouldn't fall in.
Even the lawn felt complicit. Its grass was cut too neatly, too precisely, as though it were holding its breath, afraid of offending the giant it surrounded. When the breeze stirred across it, the house almost seemed to sigh—a slow, tired exhale that smelled of wet stone and something older, something that had listened to more conversations and secrets than any living thing should.
In Fredonia, ancient things were used as a way to identify one's wealth, the older the stuff they own the richer and better they were compared to the others so when the siblings saw this house they were amazed by it. They immediately came to a conclusion that this lady over here, Lady Florine was from a very wealthy and influential family.
"Welcome to your new home," Lady Florine said as she strode past them. Reaching the entrance, she gestured gracefully for them to follow.
"Lady Florine…" Lucien began as he and his sister trailed behind.
"Hmm?" Lady Florine turned slightly, not slowing her steps.
"Um… may I ask, what exactly is this place?"
"Oh, right!" Lady Florine clapped her hands lightly, as though struck by sudden realization.
"You're not from Fredonia, are you? If I recall correctly, you're both from the Aegon Kingdom."
The siblings nodded.
"Ah, yes. How could I forget? Then allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Lady Florine Astura, daughter of Duke Richard Astura." She spoke with the grace of a noble perfectly accustomed to being admired.