The caravan moved again the next morning as if nothing had happened. Most of the passengers didn't realize what happened last night because of how smoothly the Council Arcanists had handled it.
Wheels creaked over packed earth. Horses snorted and settled into a steady pace. The guards took their positions without complaint. Their movements were calmer now that the Scarlet Council Arcanists watched over them.
Dominic has not slept since last night.
Even when his body rested against the bed of the wagon, his mind stayed awake. Images from the night kept replaying. Veyran standing alone. The symbols in the air. And the monsters being torn apart as if they were nothing.
Power like that did not fade easily.
The road stretched onward, winding through low hills and narrow valleys.
Dominjc opened the window to look around.
Jagged stone rose on either side in places, forming natural corridors where sound echoed strangely.
Further on, the land opened into wide plains dotted with scattered trees and old watch posts apparently long since abandoned.
High mountains loomed in the distance. Their peaks pale under the sun, marking borders Dominic had only ever seen drawn on maps. He didn't remember what was behind those mountains. But maybe it was another kingdom.
The world felt larger with every passing mile for Dominic.
Hours later, the wall of Cindervale appeared on the horizon.
At first, it looked like a dark line cutting across the land. As the caravan drew closer that line grew taller and thicker, until it dominated the view entirely.
The wall was massive. Stone upon stone layered with deliberate precision, reinforced with iron bands and watch towers at regular intervals.
It was not just tall, but deep as if built to endure sieges and disasters alike. Unlike Vellonor Reach, whose walls felt defensive and cramped, this wall felt permanent. As if it had been meant to stand for centuries.
Dominic leaned forward, placing his face outside of the window.
The two other children in the wagon did the same. One of them let out a quiet sound of disbelief.
"It's huge…" he muttered.
"Thar city is way bigger than ours," the other added.
Dominic said nothing. He simply stared.
As they passed beneath the gate, shadows swallowed the wagon for a moment.
Thick iron doors stood that were carved with sigils and markings that were worn smooth by time and countless travelers opened.
Inside, the city unfolded.
Cobblestone roads stretched in every direction, clean and carefully laid.
Buildings rose several stories high, stone and brick mixed with iron railings and tall glass windows.
Shops lined the streets with painted signs and metal frames. Lanterns hanging neatly from posts even in daylight.
People filled the streets. Merchants in small shops calling out prices, the big one just waited patiently inside.
Carriages rolling past. Well-dressed nobles walking alongside laborers and craftsmen.
The city vibrated with life with layered variations and constant.
It felt older than Vellonor Reach. More refined, and more dangerous.
Dominic felt his chest filled with excitement.
This was Cindervale. The heart of the kingdom.
And somehow, after all that had happened, he had made it here.
The caravan slowed once inside the city, then gradually began to split.
Wagons peeled away in different directions, each following its own route.
Some turned toward residential districts filled with tightly packed houses. The others rolled toward market streets and commercial wards. A few headed straight for the city hall, escorted by guards in official colors.
The wagon Dominic rode in took a different path.
It moved toward a higher part of the city, where the streets grew wider and the buildings more spaced apart.
The noise of the market faded, replaced by quieter roads and open plazas.
Then the view ahead opened up.
Walls rose in the distance, taller than most of the surrounding structures.
They were carved from clean and smooth stone reinforced with dark metal seams. Their surfaces etched with countless symbols and geometric patterns that reflect the daylight.
Sharp and elegant towers and spires rose from within the walls, reaching high above the city rooftops.
This was the Crimson Arcanum Academy.
The academy grounds occupied a vast section of the city, almost a district of its own.
Multiple towers stood connected by elevated walkways. Some spires were slender. Others were broad and fortified, crowned with observation platforms and banners that stirred gently in the wind.
Dominic stared without blinking.
The wagon rolled closer to the main gate, where tall iron doors stood set into the academy wall.
The symbols carved there were denser, layered over one another in complex formations. Guards in formal armor stood watch on either side. Their posture was straight and stiff, as if ready to lunge at any one who dared to do something funny.
The driver slowed the wagon and reached forward to open the small window at the front.
"Well," he said, turning back with a wide smile, "you've arrived, kids."
The two boys exchanged excited glances. Their faces lit up in open relief and joy.
Dominic nodded at them. He could feel their excitement clearly, the same feeling filling his own chest.
He leaned forward and looked ahead again. Up close, the academy walls felt even more imposing.
The symbols etched into the stone seemed to watch him, silent and heavy with meaning Dominic didn't understand yet.
The driver brought the wagon to a full stop.
"I can only take you this far," he said. "Beyond that is academy territory."
Dominic and the other two boys climbed down from the wagon.
The driver tipped his hat at them, then snapped the reins.
The wagon turned smoothly and rolled away, disappearing back into the city streets.
The three boys stood there for a moment, facing the towering gate of the Crimson Arcanum Academy, and the guards.
Three guards stepped forward from the gate. The academy insignia was etched into their chest pieces.
Dominic felt the pressure immediately.
One of the guards stopped in front of them.
"State your business," he said, voice calm and firm.
The two boys beside Dominic stiffened. They, too, felt the pressure.
One of them swallowed hard, then fumbled with his pack. With shaking hands, he pulled out a rolled scroll sealed with wax.
The other followed, producing his own scroll and holding it up quickly, as if afraid the guard might change his mind.
"We—we're applicants," one of them said. "For the Academy."
The guard took the scrolls and inspected the seals without hurry.
Then his eyes shifted to Dominic.
"And you?" he asked.
Dominic paused. He didn't have a scroll.
Instead, he reached beneath his clothes and pulled out the necklace Felix had given him.
The hexagonal pendant rested against his palm. Then he held it up.
The guard's eyes widened slightly.
It was subtle and gone almost as soon as it appeared, but Dominic noticed.
The guard leaned in just enough to look more closely, his expression changing from routine indifference to alert focus.
The other two guards glanced over.
"I also want to enter the Academy," Dominic said, a wide grin spreading across his face.
For a moment, none of the guards spoke.
The lead guard straightened and looked at Dominic again, this time more carefully.
"Where did you get that?" he asked.
"It was given to me," Dominic replied simply.
The guard held out his hand. Dominic placed the pendant into it without hesitation. Ether stirred faintly as the guard examined it, his thumb brushing over the markings.
After a short pause, he handed it back.
"You will enter with me," the guard said.
Dominic lowered the pendant and slipped it back beneath his clothes. He walked following the guard to enter the gate.
—