A week had passed since Soren's escape
He moved through the lower districts with his head down, just another figure among the many that lined the streets and alleyways. Dirt clung to his clothes, his black curly hair unkempt, and the smell of the streets had settled into his skin. No one looked at him for long. People like him were common here. That was the only reason he was still alive. His hands had nearly recovered. They still ached when he moved them too much, the skin uneven, the flesh not quite right, but they worked. That was enough. He flexed his fingers slowly as he walked, testing them out of habit now. The memory of what he had done still lingered in the back of his mind, but he forced it down. Thinking about it would not help him now
Food had been whatever he could get without drawing attention. Sometimes scraps, sometimes nothing at all. Water was easier. Sleep came in short bursts, usually in places no one bothered to check. Abandoned corners, broken structures, anywhere that kept him out of sight. The structure of the kingdom became clearer the longer he stayed hidden. The castle stood above everything, built into the mountain itself, looking down over the entire city. From there, everything else spread downward in layers. Towering walls surrounded the kingdom making it look like a fortress if one were to look at the kingdom from outside. There was only one true way in and out. A single main entrance at the base of the mountain, heavily monitored, constantly watched. Anyone leaving or entering passed through there. It was the most obvious route, and because of that, the most dangerous
Soren kept his pace steady as he moved through the streets, his eyes flicking toward the distant slope where the city began to thin out. From what he had seen, it would take at least a day, maybe two, to reach the outer edge on foot without drawing attention. Longer if he had to stop and hide along the way
Soren couldn't help but think, 'Why hasn't the King himself or at the very least any of his personal came after me directly. It's weird'
'Something must be stopping them from finding me maybe that's how I escaped the castle without anyone noticing me'
He slowed his pace slightly, blending into the movement of the crowd as his thoughts began to sharpen. It wasn't luck. Not entirely. The King was not careless, and neither were the people beneath him. An escape like that should have triggered an immediate response
Soren's eyes narrowed faintly as he turned the idea over in his mind
'What's the point of overthinking something that I cant find the answer to anyway. I've manage to escape now but that's the first part, now I need to think about where to go next'
Even if he escaped the kingdom, that would not be the end of it. The western region was not empty. The whole region was massive it could have been said that it was several continents mashed together into one. As far as Soren knew there were two major powers controlling the west, the Stormguard Kingdom to the north west of the region and the Veyrden Kingdom near the south of the Western region which was ruled by Queen Seraphine Veyrden. In between these two major powers there were many minor and major cities and towns, not to mention all the natural landmarks and obstacles between all of them which made traversing certain parts of the region quite dangerous
If he stayed within this region, he would still be within reach of the people who wished him dead. Even if the King kept things quiet, there were still too many variables. Too many people who might recognise him, too many ways for things to go wrong
That only left one direction
East
The Holy Kingdom
He couldn't stay in this region, not as long as the King still remained here. He had learned earlier in his two previous years remaining in the castle that the other ruling Kings and Queens don't have the best relationship with each other and seeing how the King hasn't personally come out for him or sent any of his subordinates Soren could guess that something must be stopping him from bringing attention to this matter, the King must wish to deal with this matter secretly. That worked massively in Soren's favour
But why did Soren want to go east? Why not travel to any of the other three regions?
Soren's gaze drifted slightly as his thoughts moved ahead of him
Going north wasn't an option. The land between the western and northern regions was broken by steep mountain ranges, harsh and unforgiving. There were no real paths through them, no safe routes. Even the established trade lines avoided it, bending east instead choosing to travel to the eastern region then wrapping around to travel to the north and trying to cross that alone, especially in his condition, would be no different from throwing his life away
The south was no better. The Veyrden Kingdom lay in the way meaning that if he wished to travel through to the Southern region he would have to pass through the Veyrden Kingdom and Soren had no way of knowing how far Rael's influence extended. If word of him had already spread that far, stepping into another kingdom in the same region could mean walking straight into a trap. He couldn't take that risk
That left two remaining options
The central region was the first that came to mind, but the thought died almost as quickly as it appeared. As far as Soren knew, that land was nothing more than a wasteland. No cities, no people, all he heard of it was just a death zone where not even a single person wished to enter. So the Central region was a no go
Which only left one path
East
Soren's expression hardened slightly as he came to a stop, his decision settling in fully now, 'I will escape to the holy kingdom it seems.'
After deciding his next course of direction Soren now wondered through a more populated street, the voices from everyone there started overlapping, however a stream of conversation caught Soren's attention
"I'm telling you, it's real. They wouldn't put that kind of number out unless it was serious"
"That much for one person? What did he even do?"
"No idea, but it must be bad. You don't get a bounty like that for nothing"
"Still I've never seen one that high for a Rank 2 before"
"Same. Makes you wonder what kind of person he is."
"I heard he's a murderer who eats people!''
"No matter what kind of monster he is for that kind of money I'm sure he's gonna be attracting a lot of the wrong attention that's for sure"
''Ah wait here, look I've got his portrait here''
The man reached into his coat and pulled out a folded sheet of parchment, worn slightly at the edges. He flattened it out between them, angling it so the others could see
Soren's steps slowed
He hadn't meant to look. He told himself to keep walking, to blend in, to ignore it like everything else. But something in the way they spoke pulled his attention anyway
His eyes drifted and stopped. It was him
Not perfectly drawn, not exact, but close enough that there was no mistaking it. The same sharp features, the same eyes, the same expression that now felt distant, like he was looking at someone else entirely. Beneath the portrait, bold lettering marked the notice
WANTED - SOREN REED
A number sat below it. High. Far too high for a Rank 2 mage
"Is he a noble or something?" one of them muttered, leaning in closer looking at the portrait
Soren's chest tightened slightly and for a moment, the noise of the street dulled, the voices around him fading into the background as his gaze lingered on the page. The weight of it settled in fully now. This wasn't just a search. This was something far worse. Slowly, he looked away and the sound of the crowd rushed back in, people talking, moving, living as if nothing had changed. But for him, everything had. Soren pulled his hood lower over his face and kept walking
The whole western region now had their eye on him
A new hunt has begun