The wagon rolled slowly toward the enormous stone gate, which stood wide open, exposing the inner workings of the city beyond. With a slight tug of the reins, Valtix brought the wagon to a halt at the entrance just as two guards approached.

  “State your name and purpose,” one of them said authoritatively, his eyes sharp and unblinking.

  “Valtix, from Luminous Ledger & Logistics! Here—”

  He rummaged through his chest pocket and pulled out a thin slip of silver alloy. His company name and logo—a scroll with a strange bulb at its center—were engraved into the metal, along with an official Stonegate sigil pressed into its surface.

  “—that’s my permit. I’m back from Hearthglen. Picked these two up!”

  He gestured toward a glum Korrin and the unconscious Rikka. The guards leaned into the wagon to inspect them.

  “Hearthglen, you say? We just received word of its destruction. These two are… survivors?”

  “Indubitably!”

  The guards’ expressions cooled instantly, a familiar look of disgust settling onto their faces. Korrin felt their stares like physical pressure, forcing him to shrink deeper into the crates. Though they soon turned back to Valtix to collect the toll, he caught one of them muttering under his breath.

  “Fucking cowards… couldn’t protect their village, and now they come scampering here… no honor…”

  The words lodged in Korrin’s throat like splinters. He wanted to scream. Wanted to deny it. But he had run again. He always ran.

  He was a failure.

  “Now, now. Let’s hurry this up! I’m a busy man, you know,” Valtix pressed, snatching his permit back from the guard’s hand.

  The soldier scoffed but raised his arm, signaling for the wagon to pass. A moment later, the wheels lurched forward, and the massive stone gate swallowed them whole.

  Beyond the entrance, Stonegate rose in layered floors carved straight into the canyon walls, its buildings a fusion of quarried gray stone and riveted iron plates. High terraces were covered with arrow slits and watch platforms, while broad bridges of steel chained the opposing cliffs together, their shadows cutting across the streets below. Tightly packed buildings seemed to reach for the sky, their stone-fronted homes reinforced with iron beams and ash-brick chimneys. Balconies and complex stairways formed from the structures, creating a rigid lattice that seemed to grow from the canyon itself.

  The main road was made of grooved stone, crowded with ore carts, marching patrols, and merchants shouting beneath banners. The inhabitants—mostly iron kin—moved with purpose and urgency. Smiths hammered in soot-dark leathers, apprentices hauled tool crates, and armored wardens patrolled in open plazas designed as much for combat as for commerce.

  Stone and metal golems were a common sight, lumbering along set patrol routes or assisting labor crews, their interlocking plates grinding softly as faint bursts of light pulsed through the warforge crystals settled beneath their armor. Korrin had heard many stories of the dominion’s proudest invention, but these were the first time he had personally seen these wondrous machines.

  The air carried the blended scents of hot metal and canyon dust, and above it all loomed the gate machinery made of massive counterweights and chain formations, ready to seal the city in an instant.

  Soon, the wagon stopped before a building complex tucked into a quieter plaza, removed from the main bustle. A young Luminarite stood at the entrance in a pristine suit, his youthful face fixed in an overly serious expression.

  “Sir! Welcome back! I’ll prepare the warehouse.”

  With an awkward salute, the boy rushed inside. Moments later, a loud click sounded, and heavy wooden doors groaned open as gears clanked in steady rotation.

  “That’s my assistant, Kelix. Isn’t he delightful? I believe he’s around your age—should be easy to get along with.”

  Korrin only nodded, glancing down at Rikka’s unconscious form in his lap.

  “Valtix… the doctor. Is he close?” His voice wavered despite his effort to steady it.

  “Ah! Nearly slipped my mind. Kelix! Kelix! Are you there? Fetch Kornak, would you?”

  Kelix reappeared from behind the doorway and snapped another salute.

  “Yes, sir!”

  He sprinted down the street and vanished around the corner.

  Valtix guided the wagon into the warehouse before dismounting and motioning for Korrin to follow. With visible strain, Korrin lifted Rikka onto his back and stepped down. As they entered the building, two Ironclad laborers took control of the wagon and hauled it deeper into the complex.

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  They passed through a dim hallway before emerging into a surprisingly luxurious office. A receptionist sat behind a desk at the back—an Aerian, if Korrin remembered correctly—with slate-black hair and gold-rimmed glasses resting neatly on her nose.

  “This is my receptionist, Vara. Vara, do say hello.”

  She gave Korrin a curt wave before returning to her paperwork.

  Korrin barely registered it. His grip on Rikka slipped as exhaustion gnawed at his arms. He adjusted her weight and followed Valtix through another corridor—this one decorated with framed documents and polished brass fixtures—before entering a modest room containing only a bed and desk.

  “Quick. Lay her down. I believe the doctor’s already arrived.”

  Korrin gently placed Rikka onto the bed. The moment she was settled, Valtix disappeared.

  Silence settled over the room. Sunlight spilled through the window, glinting faintly off Rikka’s metallic hair. Korrin clasped her cold hands in his, his own trembling despite the reassurances.

  “...Here we are, Kornak. Your patient’s inside. I’ll be in my office when you’re ready to collect payment.”

  The door swung open, revealing a stout Forgekin with a soot-stained leather apron draped across his compact, powerful frame. His molten-amber eyes scanned the room with clinical precision before settling on Rikka’s unconscious form.

  “What happened to her?” Kornak grunted.

  “They said she was…” Korrin hesitated, searching for the exact phrase “Divine feedback. They said she was receiving that.”

  “Divine feedback? Nasty bugger. Must’ve been severe if she’s been out this long. Stand back.”

  Korrin moved out of the way and stood behind Kornak, cautiously watching his actions. Kornak first reached into the soot-stained leather apron, retrieving a heavy, brass-bound crystal that pulsed with a rhythmic hum. He moved swiftly, his thick fingers tracing the iron-etched runes on the crystal's surface before he hovered it over Rikka’s chest. Noticing Korrin’s unease, Kornak sighed.

  “I’ll explain,” he muttered, drawing mana from the air around him.

  “Her Mana Conduit is stalled. It’s locked in a cycle of divine noise,” Kornak rumbled, his voice deep and guttural. He didn’t look at Korrin. His gaze remained fixed on the girl as his skin took on a faint metallic sheen. “I’m going to introduce a sharp surge of Ferrukinesis into it. If she hasn’t yet been consumed, it should kick back and reawaken her.”

  A pressure settled over Korrin, like something unseen was watching, as the room began to smell sharply of ozone and scorched iron. He watched, his hands trembling slightly, as Kornak’s fingers ignited with a harsh, searing yellow glow. The medic pressed the glowing crystal directly against Rikka’s sternum.

  Rikka’s body lurched violently off the bed, her metallic-streaked hair fanning out against the pillows as her muscles bunched up. A violent ripple of mana tore through the air, causing the furniture to groan.

  “Come on, girl,” Kornak hissed, his brows furrowing. “Temper yourself. The Dominion has no use for a hollow vessel!”

  Something shifted inside her as more mana surged through. Her fingers twitched. Her mouth snapped open. A desperate screech tore from her throat as her eyes flew wide. Kornak instantly stopped his mana circulation, causing Rikka to fall to the bed, shivering. Korrin rushed to her side and seized her trembling hands, trying to steady them. Kornak got up from his seat and nodded to Korrin, leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

  “Rikka! Rikka, it’s me! Calm down, you’re safe.”

  Feeling Korrin’s warmth, her hands soon stopped trembling as her breathing soon grew steady.

  “K-Korrin? Where are we? What happened?”

  “We’re in Stonegate! We’re safe. We got away…”

  “And my parents? The village? What happened?”

  Silence filled the room as Korrin failed to answer. Rikka’s expression dropped, tears welling in her eyes.

  “...I’m sorry. We were the only survivors.”

  Rikka broke. She buried her face in her hands and began to sob. Hesitantly, Korrin brought his arms around Rikka, rubbing her back while she cried. She cried until her body simply ran out of strength. By the time the sun dipped below the canyon walls, exhaustion finally pulled her into sleep.

  “Well, how is she?” Valtix said as he sat behind his office desk, slowly swirling a glass of wine. Korrin sat across from him, facing the calculating gaze of Valtix.

  “She’s… doing fine. She had a hard time processing everything.”

  “One can only imagine! Or at least, I can try,” Valtix remarked carelessly, his hand bringing the glass of wine to his mouth. “What are you going to do now? Will you take the position I've found for you?”

  Korrin hesitated. He could have told Valtix that he wanted to continue his path to becoming a scribe, yet for some reason, his heart stopped him. Something about wasting his days behind a desk did not seem appealing to him now. Unbeknownst to Korrin, Valtix almost cracked a smile at his silence.

  “Perhaps, revenge?”

  Valtix’s comment instantly made Korrin’s expression darken. Korrin’s breath began to grow ragged as the rage settled in his heart burned brighter. Yes, that path seemed much more appealing. He imagined crushing their throats. Watching the light fade from their eyes as they realized who stood before them—

  Korrin took a deep breath; he had to remain rational. Right now, he was weak. He couldn’t wield mana or a sword, so how was he supposed to take on two Resonant soldiers? Additionally, the power that seemed to have helped him on that night had vanished, and he was unsure when he would be able to reactivate it.

  “Valtix. What can I do to become stronger?”

  A wide grin suddenly spread across Valtix’s face, sharp and satisfied. But Korrin didn’t care; he was willing to do whatever Valtix asked of him at this point.

  “Join my company.”

  It was an unusually blunt response from Valtix, but one that could reshape Korrin’s entire future.

  “...what do I have to do?”

  “Just a little work, here and there. You see, your mind is of great use to me! In exchange, I’ll provide you with many learning opportunities and help you grow stronger under my wing. What do you say?”

  Valtix set down his wine glass and reached out his hand. Hesitantly, Korrin reached his own out, clasping Valtix’s hand and shaking it.

  “You have a deal.”

  “Wonderful, wonderful! I look forward to working with you, Korrin! Greatly.”

  Valtix took one last gulp of his wine before leading Korrin to his office door. Korrin swore he had never seen a grin so large on Valtix’s face before. As he left the office, unease coiled quietly in his chest. Had he made the right decision?