Crimson Town was widely known to be a dark and mysterious place, especially to strangers and travelers, and to the people from the city above them. Located in the Shade Province, any citizen knew to stay away from Crimson Town. Its citizens were vile criminals, underground mafia bosses, bandits, and more. They were treated as scum. It was on rare occasions that the authorities, or even “normal” citizens, wouldn’t care about anyone from Crimson Town. One such occasion was the Solaris Festival, a celebration to commemorate the arrival of the New Year and the start of the new Solstice calendar. The Solstice brought good luck, love, prosperity, and hope for the citizens of Ashveil. For Arryn and his friends, however, it always meant mischievous adventures and the opportunity to see the city above them. This year was no different.

  “Hurry up! The sun is going to be setting soon! We’d better not miss the start of the festival because of you, Tok!” said Arryn, a now fourteen-year-old with long white hair, brown skin, amber eyes, and standing about 5 feet tall. He moved through the streets of Crimson Town like no one else; this was home for him, and one could tell how well he had learned to navigate it. Behind him followed Tik, a thin yet muscular twenty year old, with pale white skin, clear blue eyes, and short trimmed hair that swayed in the smallest breeze. Behind him was Tok, the same age as Tik. They shared the same skin complexion and eye color; however, Tok’s build was much different. While Tik was skinnier and taller, Tok was broader and more muscular, though he hid most of his body beneath baggy clothes. He wore big glasses, his face half-hidden by his hair, and he always carried a backpack filled with trinkets. He followed behind them, throwing his body around as he clutched his backpack.

  “We are still on time! We aren’t going to miss anything! Plus, the rest are behind us. Why can’t we wait for them?!” he yelled, short of breath.

  “You know, you wouldn’t be so tired if you weren’t carrying a bunch of stuff with you,” yelled Arryn as he kept sprinting.

  “Arryn, slow down,” said Tik.

  “But...”

  “When did you start making the rules here? We are still your elders,” Arryn mumbled to himself. “Meh, meh, meh, we older, blah, blah, blah.”

  “I heard that,” said Tik as he caught up to him and gave him a light tap. “You used to be behind us all the time. Now you think you’re the boss just because you got a bit faster.”

  “Not just faster, stronger too!” Arryn crackled as he looked behind and flexed his arms muscles. Tik facepalmed as Tok finally reached them.

  “We should probably wait for Dad. Uncle and the rest are with him as well,” said Tok as he sat down.

  “But we are going to miss the start of the festival!”

  “You just want to see the fireworks,” said Tik, smirking at Arryn.

  “Well, yeah. Who doesn’t?” he responded.

  “You’ve seen them for the last fourteen years. You can miss one,” said Tok.

  Both Arryn and Tik looked at Tok.

  “You know, you used to be fun,” said Tik.

  “Yeah! Plus, I don’t even remember years one, two, three, four, and five, so those don’t count!” said Arryn.

  Tok looked at Arryn. “Well, good thing you don’t remember year one. You shat yourself at the blast of the first firework.”

  Tik and Tok started laughing as Arryn began to blush.

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “No, they aren’t lying,” a voice said. “I had to clean you up, and let me tell you, working with one eye made things more difficult than they had to be around that time.”

  The voice came from a man being pushed in a wheelchair. His long red hair now had some black and white strands. He looked a lot like Arryn, except taller and more muscular. He was missing an eye and wore an eyepatch. His open shirt revealed scars across his body; his face had mostly healed, but massive scars remained visible.

  “Hey, Uncle,” said Tik.

  “Hey, little one,” he responded.

  “Little? Maybe in height,” said Radahn, laughing. “Those two are no longer little.”

  Arryn looked back. “Hey, Dad.”

  Chak waved his hand. “Hey, Uncle. You guys better hurry.”

  “Sorry, I’m going as fast as I can,” said Chak, chuckling a bit. “But it’s almost time.”

  They approached the sewer doors that led outside and heard a huge congregation of people, the sounds of the city mixing together.

  “This brings back memories,” said Chak.

  “Mmm?” responded Radahn.

  “The sounds. They are the same sounds I heard fifteen years ago when we washed up here.”

  “Oh, right. The festival had just started when Tik and Tok found you. Honestly, I still question what happened that day. You have still never spoken a word about it.”

  Radahn looked at Chak. “I’d rather not remember that day.”

  Radahn looked forward as he saw the kids moving ahead, leaving them behind. “Maybe you don’t, but he will want to know someday. I know I would’ve liked to know about my mother and father if I had the chance.”

  “I know.”

  “Are you ready for that day?”

  “Whether I’m ready or not, does it really matter? With how this country is going, Arryn is safer this way.”

  “Chak, are you really protecting Arryn, or are you protecting yourself? There will be a time when he will want answers to his questions. I’m sure he already does.”

  “When the time comes, he will learn.”

  “What if the time is now?”

  “Can we please move on from this?”

  Arryn looked back at them and stared at his uncle for what seemed an eternity to Chak’s eyes, but was only two seconds in reality.

  “Regardless, I think he already knows. He’s way too smart, and his senses are like no other. I wouldn’t be surprised if he heard us whispering from this distance.”

  “You two never cease to amaze me.” Radahn started pushing Chak a bit faster to catch up. “You should’ve seen the rest. I’m nothing compared to my sister.”

  Approaching the surface always gave the people of Crimson Town a strange, eerie sensation. They were outcasts, unwanted, and always looked down upon. The small amount of sun that ever reached their city was never enough to keep any real complexion; even the darkest skin turned slightly paler. Receiving the rays of the sun was something only those who spent long periods outside grew used to. For their group, this was no issue.

  Arryn, Tik, and Tok had started working for the family from a young age scavenging, running errands, retrieving things from the outside world. Radahn had asked their mother not to let them take dangerous jobs, so she only gave them tasks with very low risk. Some members of the family hated this arrangement, so much that they despised all three boys. especially Arryn.

  Arryn wasn’t like the rest of them, and they knew it. More importantly, Radahn knew it. Perhaps that difference was what connected him so deeply to Arryn. He treated him like his own son and always pampered him, showing him the same love he showed Tik and Tok when their mother had found them.

  Tik started to run and jumped the gates to the outside. “YESS!” he screamed. “We made it! And it hasn’t even started yet! The king is barely arriving. Hurry or we’ll miss his introduction!”

  Arryn walked behind Tik and opened the door for Chak and Radahn.

  “King? Who cares. I want to see the fireworks and the new inventions! I heard the king is showcasing this super-secret weapon that has been used by the military. It’s like this thing that can shoot fire, water, and everything you want out of it.”

  Chak looked up, glanced at his body, and looked around. “I think I should go back and stay home. My injuries are hurting more than usual…”

  Arryn ran toward Chak and reached for his pouch. “Here, Dad. I got your medication. It’s the one Auntie Elizabeth recommended. Me and the guys put our quills together and were able to get another month’s supply for you. Here, take it! I want you to be with us. We never go outside together.”

  Chak looked at Arryn as he offered the medication. Suddenly the memories of that night began to fade. *My child… When did you grow to the point that you are now taking care of me?* he thought.

  “Dad?” Arryn’s soft voice pulled him from his thoughts.

  “Sorry, just… deep in thought. Thank you, son.” (He used the Sun Tribe dialect word for son.)

  Arryn got behind Radahn and started pushing the wheelchair. “Come on, we’ll be late if we don’t hurry. The king is here and the festival has already started!”

  The fresh breeze welcomed the whole party as they stepped outside. A rush of sound hit them with their first steps.

  “Always so strange to come to the outside,” said Chak.

  “Right! Isn’t it cool?” responded Arryn.

  As the light clashed against their eyes, the sounds of trumpets, horses, and the steps of hundreds of soldiers echoed through the streets of Ashveil.

  “Citizens of Phison City, all welcome our King A-Jah, first of his name, sovereign ruler of the Kingdom of Ashveil, descendant of King Ah-Kin the great seeker of hope for our people, just ruler of the world.”

  “Bullshit,” Chak whispered to himself.

  A mechanical carriage seemingly pushed by no one made its way into the city, surrounded by soldiers. A pale, silver-haired man. not too short, not too tall, with flawless skin and bags under his eyes, opened a curtain that separated him from the public.

  “My beloved subjects, it is with great pleasure that I, King A-Jah, declare the official start of the Solaris Festival! Rejoice, eat, drink, love, and above all, embrace the warmth that each one of us carries.”

  In his hands he held a red crystal about twice the size of his head. The crystal began to shine brightly as he raised it to the sun, creating a coating of light that covered the crowd and produced the effect of rays of light dancing on water. As he finished the ceremony, soldiers to his left and right grabbed metallic cylinders, loaded them with completely sealed red balls, and pressed a button. The balls flew into the sky and exploded. As the sun barely finished setting, the explosions created the illusion of two suns colliding.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  “Woah,” said Arryn.

  “Right. Never gets old,” responded Chak as he moved closer to Arryn. They both looked up at the sky, and as the explosion faded, the sun had completely set over the land of Ashveil, officially announcing the start of the festival.

  The town’s vibrancy was lit by fires in all directions, and phoenix stones could be seen in every stall. Some used for energy to send heat through complex machinery that created flames. Cooks, bakers, and even ordinary people used the machinery. Stalls and vendors offered food along the streets.

  “Hey, Dad, want to try anything? They’ve got some new stuff.” Arryn pointed to each stall and read them aloud for Chak. “New Awakening jelly… Dawn fruit pies… Moonlight skewers. They all sound good. I should have plenty of quills to buy a couple of things.”

  “I’m okay for now. Thank you, son.”

  “Are you sure? They’ve got that drink you like Viper’s Bite too.”

  “Well, if you insist, one drink wouldn’t be that bad, I guess. Would be a good way to start the celebrations,” Chak responded.

  “Okay! I’ll go get you one!”

  “Now wait a minute!” a voice called from the crowd. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, drinking so early? I told you already! you can’t drink and take your medicine at the same time. Are you trying to kill yourself?!”

  From within the crowd, a familiar face appeared. Elizabeth walked toward them, more specifically, towards Chak.

  “Ah, shit,” Chak muttered, trying to turn his wheelchair, but he couldn’t move it. He looked around and saw Radahn gripping the handles, smiling.

  “Not getting away this time,” Radahn said with a mischievous grin.

  “I hate you so much. You hate hearing her talk just as much as I do,” Chak said, glaring at Radahn.

  Radahn looked up, eyes wide, and didn’t respond.

  “WHAT?!” Elizabeth stood in front of them. “Oh, so now all of a sudden you don’t want to listen to what your doctor has to say, huh!”

  Chak and Elizabeth stared at each other. Then Elizabeth turned to Radahn. “And you... oh, you hate me talking, huh? Well, next time you’re hurt, I’m charging you double! No, triple!”

  Radahn laughed. “Will charging me more make it so you stop talking so much? If so, I’m willing to quadruple.”

  A muffled laugh came from the side as everyone watched the three of them. The kids were laughing too, and Cage joined in.

  “What the hell are you laughing about?!” Elizabeth said, walking toward Cage.

  “Well, you guys always going at it. I missed it.” He grabbed Elizabeth and held her close. “It’s nice to have the whole family together.”

  Radahn approached with Chak, pushing the wheelchair. “Cage! I’m surprised you’re still alive. I would’ve thought crazy over here would’ve sold you out for gambling money or used you as experiment material.” He engulfed both of them in a hug. “I’ve missed you two. It’s been what? six months since you last came to visit us? You two get married and just like that you forget you have a family? What, too good for us now?”

  Elizabeth punched Radahn in the side. “Stop saying dumb shit. You know we are just as busy as you are. You entrusted Cage to be your partner on the surface, and he finally grew the balls to come live with me because you two wanted a way to ‘get quills’ in a non-criminal way.”

  She broke from the hug. “Aw, come on. You know I’m just teasing you two. I know the circumstances. Plus, I did you two a favor. I was tired of the whole back-and-forth. And now that you mention it, how is business?”

  Radahn let them go. “Well, we are opening another store soon, and another medical building as well. You should see a doubling of the quill amount weekly in about two weeks or so.”

  Radahn smiled. “Great! How about a Viper’s Bite for everyone! On me!”

  Elizabeth kicked his foot. “DID YOU JUST NOT HEAR WHAT I TOLD CHAK?! YOU BIG BUFFOON!”

  The kids laughed as Elizabeth’s kick and punch did nothing; in fact, it looked like it hurt her more than Radahn.

  “What’s a buffoon?” asked Arryn.

  “A monkey, I think,” said Radahn, laughing loudly.

  “NO, YOU IDIOT!” Elizabeth yelled, visibly annoyed.

  “Okay, I guess… one or two won’t hurt, but just today! Your nerves are going to be completely ruined if you keep drinking and taking your medication,” Elizabeth warned.

  The stall bartender passed a drink to all of them as the kids went to play at one of the attractions.

  “That so?” said Chak.

  “Yes. It wouldn’t take less than a year or so before the side effects hit if you keep this up.”

  Chak took the drink and gulped it down in one go. “A year? Then I can tell you it’s not working.” He smiled at Elizabeth. “Another one?”

  “Dad… you’ll be drunk before we can even try some of the games. Look, let’s go try that one!” Arryn ran behind Chak, grabbed the wheelchair from Radahn, and pushed him toward one of the games. “Come and try your skills! Catch a firefly and win a prize!”

  Radahn looked at Arryn. “Fireflies are sacred, son. We mustn’t play with them or hurt them.”

  “Oh, don’t worry. They aren’t real fireflies. We have these small magitech devices that emit light. We just set the patterns to act like fireflies. You know how hard it is to find real fireflies nowadays?”

  Radahn looked confused. “Hard to find? Really?”

  The gamemaster turned around. “Yeah, we really haven’t seen them in a couple of years. About twelve or so years at this point. Each year the population kept diminishing. The weird thing is that it’s not only affecting this region; every other province seems to be getting hit too. Fishermen, farmers, even tourism has seen a significant decline. Weird to think how such a small critter can have such an impact on our daily life.”

  Chak looked at Radahn as the gamemaster explained, as if both of them understood something Arryn didn’t.

  “So, you lot playing? If not, I’m going to need you to move. I only have so much time.”

  “Yes, we’ll play. We’ll have four chairs…” Chak responded, taking some quills from his pocket.

  “Make it six!” yelled Tik and Tok.

  “Alright! Six chairs taken! Full house game! You’ll be playing for our biggest prize: an automated fire starter. No need to carry around wood, flint, steel, and wool. With this bad boy, you just flick your finger around this tiny wheel once, and the mechanism starts a magical fire.”

  The gamemaster showed off the small square device, which lit a tiny flame. “Wow!! I want it!” said Tik.

  “I’ll let you borrow it when I win it,” said Arryn.

  “No, it’ll be mine! I can add that to my trinkets! It’ll make it so much easier to work on materials if I need to heat them up, or if I need to make food,” said Tok.

  “Boring…” Arryn and Tik responded in unison, side-eyeing Tok.

  “I just want to play with it!” said Arryn.

  “Alright, the rules are simple. Catch a firefly inside this bubble. Don’t let it pop. You must be careful. No blowing on it, just use hand movements. The trick is to be precise yet fast. Simple, yet hard. Whoever wins first gets it all!”

  As the gamemaster started the game, everyone gave it a go. Tik and Arryn tried to go fast. Tik’s movements created bubbles that never got close before popping. Arryn’s bubbles would almost capture the firefly but then burst. Radahn couldn’t even get past picking up the bubble maker; as soon as his hand touched it, the soap ran off. Elizabeth and Cage weren’t even trying. Elizabeth had left her chair and gone to a poker table (where they bet with Solstice coins instead of money), and Cage was trying to keep her from spending everything.

  Chak sat watching everyone, thinking how stupid it was that they needed this small trinket to make fire, something so natural for his people. When he heard Arryn, he grew a little angry that the last warrior of his tribe didn’t even know he didn’t need such a device. He grabbed the bubble maker and, in one swift motion his hand moved so fast that no one noticed, perfectly captured the small flying machine inside the bubble.

  “Woah there, how the hell?” said the gamemaster. “How did you do that?”

  “Practice and luck, I guess.”

  Everyone looked at Chak. The boys surprised and confused, Radahn worried but impressed.

  “Impressive,” said a cloaked figure who had been watching. “That was quite the move you did there. A bit inhuman, if I’d say so myself.”

  Both Radahn and Chak turned. The cloaked man stood there.

  “How long have you been here?” they asked.

  “Oh, sorry. I don’t mean to disturb you. I was just passing by and this looked fun, so I wanted to watch. I’ve only been here a minute or two.”

  *There’s no way,* they both thought. They could sense people’s presence easily, yet neither had noticed this man.

  “Sorry, I’ll be on my way. I didn’t mean to disturb you all. Congratulations on your win again.”

  The cloaked man moved through the crowd as if it were nothing. The gamemaster handed Chak the prize.

  “Here’s your prize.”

  “Right,” said Chak. “Here, Arryn.” He tossed the small mechanism to Arryn. “Just be careful with it.”

  “I will, Dad. Thanks!!” Arryn said, already turning it on and off, lighting small flames.

  “Hey! That’s not fair! you didn’t win that!!” said Tik.

  “Yeah, that’s right! You have to share now!” said Tok.

  “Okay, okay. I’ll let you guys play with it too, but it’s mine! Dad gave it to me! Plus, are we forgetting whose birthday it is today?!” Arryn put the fire starter on top of his head and reached his arm toward the sky. “The greatest, fastest, most badass, amazing warrior that Crimson Town has ever seen!”

  A hand reached down from above and snatched the fire starter from Arryn.

  “Warrior? HAHAHA. Long ways from that, but you are a pretty good task runner,” said Radahn. “This is cool. Dangerous, but cool. I like it.”

  “Hey, give it back! Meanie!” Arryn jumped but still couldn’t reach.

  “I don’t remember you or your dad raising you to not ask for things the proper way.”

  “Says you! You just stole it from me!”

  “No, I was looking at it. Now ask for it the right way.”

  Arryn looked down and whispered, “Couldn’t hear you over all that brattiness. Come again?”

  Arryn pouted. “Can I please have my fire starter back, please, Uncle…”

  “There you go.” Radahn handed it back.

  “See, wasn’t that hard?”

  Arryn ran toward Tik and Tok, then turned around and stuck his tongue out at Radahn. “Bleh! Bully!”

  Radahn looked surprised but amused. “Who did he get that from?” he asked Chak.

  Chak smirked. “His mother. And trust me, she had every right to be that cocky.”

  Radahn leaned closer to Chak. “You seeing what I’m seeing too, right?” He looked around. “The cloaks?”

  Chak also scanned the area and saw multiple cloaked individuals moving through the city, some entering buildings, some in the crowd, and some on the rooftops.

  “We’d better be careful. Keep the kids around you at all times, and let’s inform Elizabeth and Cage. We might want to leave a bit earlier than expected.”

  “Right. Let me go talk to those two. Better if we leave at once. We don’t know what they want, and who knows, someone might still be out looking for you two. We can’t risk anything.”

  Chak started making his way toward Arryn and the rest, but they were no longer there.

  “Hey, where did the kids I was with go?” he asked the gamemaster.

  “Oh, they took off toward the main stage. The king is supposed to be making a speech soon.”

  Chak clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed, and pushed his way through the crowds toward the main stage. He noticed some of the cloaked figures looking at him and whispering to each other the closer he got.

  “Could it be?” he heard one whisper.

  “Impossible,” another responded.

  He pushed faster through the excited crowd. “Please, I need to get to my kid,” he muttered, gently moving people aside. “Arryn!” he yelled, hoping Arryn would hear him.

  “Dad?” Arryn whispered to himself. He had precisely pinpointed the direction of Chak’s voice; his head turned toward him.

  “Come here now, and get the others. We need to leave right now!”

  Arryn’s face fell; he looked sad but trusted his father and did as he was told. “Hey, guys, we need to leave. Dad and Uncle’s orders.”

  Tik and Tok looked confused. “When did Uncle Chak say anything?”

  He grabbed both of them. “Just trust me. I heard him just now. Look, he’s right there.”

  Tik and Tok looked even more confused. “How the hell?”

  “Let’s just go before we get in trouble,” Tok said.

  The group followed Arryn. “At least we’ll be able to hear the king’s speech,” Tik said.

  “True! And we got some cool stuff and food!” Arryn replied, still playing with his fire starter.

  Chak watched the kids approach, but his real focus was on the cloaked figures. Who were they here for? Why were they here? Had they found out about him and Arryn? Would his family be torn apart again? Would he and Arryn have to flee the life they had built?

  As his mind clouded with those thoughts, he noticed the cloaked figures had moved. None were in their previous positions. Then he saw the doors of the hall open. As the king’s figure approached the podium, the cloaked figures moved toward it, and others took aim from the rooftops, slowly revealing themselves while trying to stay hidden.

  Arryn and the group reached him, and they began moving farther from the podium. Memories of that night long ago flooded back. Would he stay silent and prioritize his family’s safety?

  *Is this the right thing to do?* he questioned himself.

  “No,” he whispered.

  “What was that?” Arryn asked.

  Chak turned his head and body around. “ASSASSINS!”

  The crowd panicked. The king’s guards grabbed the king and rushed him back inside the castle. The cloaked figures all turned toward their group.

  “Dad, what are you talking about?” Arryn said.

  “Arryn, move!” Chak pushed Arryn out of the way as he saw the figures turn toward them. Just like he remembered, a red glow came from the long barrel-shaped magitek weapons they carried. He looked at Arryn as he pushed him. “I’m sorry, Mai,” he said.

  Multiple gusts of wind shot from the weapons.

  “DAD!!” Arryn yelled as he was pushed down. He saw the world slow down; the wind bullets flew toward Chak. He closed his eyes and reached out, then heard the impacts. When he opened his eyes, a flaming circle had stopped the bullets.

  “What is that?” he said, looking at Chak. As the fiery circle disintegrated, everyone’s focus turned to Arryn.

  “Dad? What the hell is happening?”

  Arryn looked at his arms and saw sparks circling around him. The figures found a new target and took aim at Arryn.

  Chak looked around and noticed. “Get up!” he yelled. “Arryn, Tik, Tok, get out of here now! This isn’t safe anymore!”

  Radahn and the rest rushed toward them.

  “Why would you run your mouth?” said Radahn.

  “Because I’ve seen enough death, and I won’t let them take this away from me again.” He looked at Arryn. “Especially not now.”

  Radahn looked at Chak. “You fool. Okay, kids, hurry up and get to a safe spot,” he said, pushing Arryn and the others.

  “But, Uncle, I can help!”

  The cloaked figures seemed to be switching runes on their weapons. Tok reached into his bag and pulled out a small paper ball.

  “Everyone grab each other and head toward that alley!” Tok said. He threw the ball to the ground. It exploded into a thick dark cloud of smoke that covered the area.

  “Tricky ones, aren’t they?” said one of the cloaked figures on the roof. “Leave at once. Inform General Theia of what happened here. Tell him we found someone from the Sun Tribe, and that they are helping the king.”

  The other figure stood up. “Yes, sir!” He started making his way down, using the city’s chaos to escape.