"Hahaha, stinking outsiders!"
"Stinking outsiders are here—!"
As Erika followed Cole closer to the clearing, the earlier illusion of silence was completely shattered.Noisy, shrill children's voices, thick with a heavy local accent, erupted like a kicked hornet's nest.This wasn't peaceful observation—it was a crowd of half-grown children running wild, jeering and swarming around the two white-clad figures.
The kids wore tattered clothes of indistinguishable color, their faces smeared with dirt, barefoot or in broken shoes.They darted around the two upright white figures like agile, irritating sparrows.They tugged at the snow-white, stiff robe hems, only to scatter again.
Most striking of all—one particularly sturdy little devil had already climbed monkey-like onto one white robe's back,small hands gripping the other's neatly combed hair,one leg trying to hook over a shoulder—clearly trying to climb onto his neck.
"Shut up! Brats!"The one being climbed finally snapped, twisting his head sharply and shouting.
He tried for authority,but the shaking of his body and the child's clinging made his voice sound more flustered than imposing.
His scolding was instantly drowned out by louder laughter:
"Stinking outsiders! Stinking outsiders!"
Just then, the other white-robed figure stepped sideways, extended a gloved white hand,and pluck-lifted the child cleanly off his colleague's shoulders.
The motion wasn't rough—but it was decisive, controlled, and inescapable.
"Stinking outsider! Stinking outsider!"The child kicked and struggled in midair, dirty hands flailing wildly.
The white-robed man was unmoved.He set the child down steadily and withdrew his hand as if brushing off dust.
Then—
His gaze passed over the noisy children,through the clearing,and locked precisely onto Cole and Erika.
Four white-clad figures now faced each other in the dust-filled clearing.
Two sets of robes:
Dirty, greasy, worn by hardship
Pristine, stiff, spotless white
The contrast was stark.
Cole's face slid back into that familiar, roguish smile.He extended his hand—not for a handshake,but palm-up, like a merchant waiting for goods.
"Use it sparingly."
The clean white-robed man—the one who had removed the child—spoke calmly.His voice was flat, emotionless.
He reached into the inner pocket of his spotless robeand dropped something into Cole's open palm.
A metal ring.
Small.Smaller than a palm.Made of faded brass or alloy.Its surface etched with simple grooves,edges slightly worn.
It looked ordinary—almost old.
Cole closed his fingers around it,his thumb brushing the surface.
His smile didn't change.Only one eyebrow twitched, barely perceptible.
"There were supposed to be two."
The white-robed man continued evenly,placing slight emphasis on the word "two."
His gray-blue eyes flicked toward Erika behind Cole,lingering briefly on the empty right sleeve.
"Damn Silver-Trims."
The words were soft,tight,cold with restrained irritation.
Silver-Trims?
Cole weighed the ring in his hand,said nothing about the missing one,only curled his lips faintly.
"Thanks."
He slipped the ring into his dirty white robe.
The white-robed man gave a slight nod.His colleague, finally freed from the children,awkwardly straightened his disheveled hair and robe,his gaze holding open scrutiny and faint rejection.
The children lost interest and scattered with laughter,like birds dispersing.
Only the four white-robed figures remained in the clearing.
Dust drifted slowly in the afternoon sunlight.
"Same as usual?"Cole asked casually.
The white-robed man's calm expression cracked slightly.The corner of his mouth lifted into a near-sarcastic curve.
"Joking?"His voice remained flat, but the tone lifted slightly."We're on vacation."
The word "vacation" fell lightly—yet landed like a stone on unspoken understanding.
Cole froze for a beat.
Then his grin widened.
A low "Hah."
The other man gave a near-invisible head shake,a similarly cold, knowing smile appearing.
They smirked at each other—not warmth,not humor—but recognition.
A silent code.Same kind.Same world.
Without another word,the two pristine white-robed figures turnedand walked away toward the dust-filled clearing outside the wall.
They vanished behind broken crates and low ruins.
Erika watched them go,then looked at Cole.
Cole's smile had faded,but a trace of mockery still lingered in his eyes.
He didn't understand everything that had just happened—but the emphasized "vacation" clearly wasn't literal.
"Let's go, 'Princess'—Your Highness."Cole patted the spot where the ring was hidden and gestured forward.
They moved on.
Inside the outer wall—
The scene changed completely.
This place felt less like a settlementand more like a massive open-air graveyardor a frozen battlefield.
Ruins everywhere.
Half-collapsed buildings exposed twisted beams and shattered stone.Charred walls bore dark, splattered stains.Rubble lay everywhere.Withered weeds forced their way through cracks.
The ground was uneven,puddled with murky water,releasing damp moldy airmixed with a sharp, metallic tang.
Almost no intact structures.Almost no people.
A landscape of abandoned destruction.
Their boots crunched on broken brick.
The sound echoed too loudly in the empty ruins.
Then—
Another wall appeared.
Not patched.Not broken.Not weathered.
Complete. Towering. Solemn.
Built from dark gray, polished stone,seamlessly fitted,untouched by erosion.
Cold light gleamed on its surface.
Neat battlements lined the top.Faint metal glints showed above.
The real inner city.
One gate.Heavy iron-banded wood.Tightly shut.
A single guard stood beside it,leaning on his halberd,helmet lowered,breathing slow—half-asleep.
Cole didn't go to the main gate.
He led Erika along the wall,around the side.
In a shadowed cluttered area—
Another gate.
Also heavy.
But slightly open.
Just enough for one person to slip through.
Light poured from within.Voices—dense, organized, alive.
Cole gestured.
Slipped through first.
Erika hesitated.
Then inhaled—and followed.
Crossing the threshold felt like passing through an invisible membrane.
The world changed instantly.
Outside: ruins.Inside:
Cleanliness.
Stone streets washed and gleaming.Walls neatly plastered.Air filled with baked food, spices, warmth, and human presence.
Bustling.
Crowded streets.Merchants.Laborers.Scholars.Well-dressed figures.Shops lining both sides.Signs swaying.Voices calling.Children laughing.Music somewhere distant.
Sunlight filtered between rooftops,casting patterned light on clean stone.
Cole stood in the shadow of the gate, waiting for Erika.
Then smiled softly.
"Vacation..."he said quietly."Now it truly begins."
Erika stood frozen.
Behind him: ruin.Before him: life.
That small side gate wasn't just a door—
It was a boundary between worlds.
Destruction and order.Silence and noise.Abandonment and life.Death and motion.
And he had just crossed it.
From one worldinto another.