It was the weekend, so the streets of Norus were packed. Stalls lined both sides of the road food vendors stirring hot pans, little restaurants buzzing with customers, grocery shops spilling out with baskets of fruits and vegetables. People moved in every direction, laughing, bargaining, chatting.
Vaelor looked around with wide eyes, taking it all in as if he had never seen anything like this before. Perun could almost hear his amazement, even though he said nothing.
Perun stopped his bicycle near a public park, resting it on its stand. One hand still holding the bike, he walked alongside Vaelor, pointing out places familiar to him.
"That's my old middle school," he said, nodding toward the massive building just across the park. "The playground is at the back—it's fenced off, but everyone sneaks in anyway."
They continued walking, covering a bit more distance, until they reached the old library. It stood quietly between two tall buildings, its gate decorated with climbing vines. Perun parked his bicycle beside the entrance.
The library was run by Mrs. Alisa, a woman Perun knew well. He had visited this place often—sometimes to buy comics, sometimes to rent novels. Her daughter, Serin, was the same age as Perun and used to be his classmate; she helped run the place with her mother.
Perun pushed the door open and stepped inside.
"Hello, Mrs. Alisa," he greeted softly.
She looked up from the counter and immediately smiled. "Oh! Perun. Long time no see. How are you doing?"
Perun smiled back politely. "Nice to meet you again, Mrs. Alisa. I'm doing fine."
As she spoke, her eyes shifted to the figure standing behind him—taller than Perun, slightly older-looking, with an unfamiliar presence.
"And who is this?" she asked.
Perun turned slightly. "He's my cousin brother, Vaelor. He arrived yesterday in Norus from Waryn City."
Mrs. Alisa blinked. "Waryn? All the way from the Esper Continent?"
Esper lies beside the Florith Continent. "Norus is in the northeast of Florith."
"My, that's quite a journey," she said. "You must be tired."
Vaelor bowed his head politely. "Hello, Mrs. Alisa. I was tired earlier, but I'm fine now. Perun is giving me a tour of the Norus."
She nodded warmly. "Well, go on. Explore as much as you like."
Perun and Vaelor drifted deeper into the rows of bookshelves, walking slowly between towering stacks of novels, encyclopedias, and comics. The soft lighting and faint scent of old paper wrapped around them, giving the place a calm, comforting atmosphere.
Vaelor trailed his hand along a shelf, eyes shining with curiosity.
Their quiet exploration began.
Perun drifted toward the comic shelves and pulled out a thick, slightly worn novel titled Instewl Hollander. He brushed the dust off the cover gently.
Vaelor stepped closer, peering over his shoulder.
"What is this one about?" he asked quietly.
Perun held the book up so he could see the illustration— A man climbs a staircase of gold coins, but with each step a piece of his shadow peels away, fading behind him.
"This one," Perun said, "is about a character named Instewl Hollander."
Vaelor waited, curious.
"Instewl was born in a rich family," Perun continued, "the kind of life where everything came easy. But when he was six, his parents got divorced. His mother took him along… but all she received was an old, filthy house from his father. No money. No support."
"The shift from luxury to poverty," Perun said slowly, "was devastating for Instewl. Everything changed. His mother worked all day in a mill just so they could afford two meals. And still… it wasn't enough."
He let out a small breath.
"She died when Instewl was fourteen. Overwork. Exhaustion."
Vaelor's expression softened.
"Instewl wrote letters to his father for several months," Perun said. "But the man had remarried and never bothered to respond. Not once."
Between the shelves, the library felt quieter.
"After that," Perun continued, "Instewl barely had anything to eat. Many nights he just… slept through the hunger. Later, he found a job as a waiter. But even then, he had this overwhelming desperation to become rich again."
Perun paused, searching for the right words.
"It wasn't the desperation of someone who's been poor all their life. It was different. Because he once knew the warmth of comfort… and then lost it."
"It's like giving a homeless man a warm shelter during winter,". "At first, he's used to the cold—he's survived it every year. But once he gets used to that shelter, to those blankets, to that warmth… if you suddenly take it all away, the same winter becomes unbearable. The cold feels sharper. The nights feel longer."
He lightly tapped the cover of the book.
"That's Instewl. Someone who knew comfort so well that losing it messed up his whole way of seeing the world."
Vaelor looked down for a moment, thoughtful.
Perun went on, "That desperation pushed him into the wrong direction. Through his waiter job he met people… tricksters, illusionists, scammers. He learned everything he could do magic, sleight of hand, manipulation."
"And then he started scamming people," Perun said softly. "Tricking them, taking their savings, building wealth out of lies. He became a swindler that created traps, schemes, fake identities. He changed his appearance so many times that no one knew who he truly was anymore."
Perun stared at the book cover a moment longer.
"He gained a kind of wealth no one could imagine… but lost himself somewhere along the way."
Silence settled between them.
Perun glanced at Vaelor, noticing a strange, almost distant look in his eyes.
"Hey," Perun said suddenly, half-teasing, half-serious. "Do you think it's worth going that far for your goal?"
Vaelor blinked. "Are you… asking me?"
Perun stiffened, eyes widening.
"Nah, nah—I'm just joking," he said quickly, waving a hand.
Vaelor relaxed, though something unreadable lingered in his gaze.