The first thing Axel noticed was the sheer size of the walls, followed by a pair of towers that almost crowded the sky in their height. The walls were a testament to the city’s need for protection against the dangers of the outside world. Made of reinforced stone and metal, they stood as a formidable barrier, weathered by time but still imposing.
As Axel and Aria approached the gates, they could see the intricate carvings and symbols etched into the stone, telling stories of past battles and the city’s history. The gates themselves were massive, made of thick metals, whose creating methods were lost to time and reinforced with metal bands. Guards stood at attention, their eyes scanning the horizon for any signs of danger while a contingent went through each caravan with practiced ease.
The city beyond the walls was a bustling hub of activity. Streets were lined with vendors selling their wares, children playing, and people going about their daily lives. The architecture was a blend of old and new, with ancient ruins repurposed into homes and shops, and newer buildings showcasing a Renaissance influence with their arches, columns, and domes.
Axel marveled at the sight, taking in the vibrant colors and the sounds of the city. The air was filled with the scent of fresh bread, spices, and the occasional whiff of smoke from the blacksmiths’ forges. It was a stark contrast to the dangers they had faced on their journey and a reminder of the civilization they were fighting to protect.
Aria nudged him with a wing, then said with a smile on her face, “Welcome to Greenhaven,” her voice filled with pride. “It’s a sight to behold, isn’t it?”
Axel nodded, still in awe. “It’s incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“I always marvel at the sight whenever I visit it,” Jareth replied from the wagon. “Well, this is where we part ways and lead our exciting lives. If you need anything, I have a timeshare shop that I and several traveling merchants rent. Come on down!” Jareth then gave Aria the street address, knowing Axel knew nothing about the area. He also handed her a token to show that they completed the job they were hired for.
Aria then moved to grab Axel’s hand and led him through the streets. They made their way through the crowded streets, heading towards the central plaza where the Flame Seekers Inn was located. The streets were bustling with life and activity to the point Axel was getting dizzy and losing track of it all. The plaza made for traveling Flame Seekers was a large open space, dominated by a grand fountain in the center. Statues of past heroes and leaders surrounded the fountain, their stone faces looking down on the bustling activity below.
The next big shock to Axel was a statue of his father holding an axe high in victory. Axel needed to see this as his father was a quiet man who only really spoke when needed. Under the statue was a bronze plaque with the following inscription: “Quin Thunderstrider, a man who completed the impossible for the ones he loved.”
Axel stood there, staring at the statue, his chest tightening with a mix of pride and sorrow. He had always known his father was a great man, but seeing this tribute in the heart of Greenhaven made it almost unreal. Aria squeezed his hand, offering silent support at the moment.
“I knew he completed something amazing to save me but,” Axel said quietly, his voice filled with emotions he had issues identifying, “he never really talked about his achievements. I knew that what he did was supposed to be impossible, but it never really sunk in until I saw this statue.”
In a much softer voice, “Goddess, I pray and hope he and Mom are safe.”
Aria smiled gently while lightly squeezing his hand. “Sometimes, the greatest heroes are the ones who don’t seek recognition and just quietly go about their lives. Your father’s legacy will live on in you, Axel. As Aria has said, you are a hero, even if only to one person. Now it shows that it is in your blood. Just don’t let the expectations drown you.” She finished the statement with a kiss on his cheek.
Axel nodded, taking a deep breath to steady himself. “I just wish he could see this. I bet Mother would make so much fun of him for it.”
They spent a few more moments in front of the statue before continuing to the Flame Seekers Inn. The inn was a welcoming place, with a warm fire crackling in the hearth and the smell of hearty food wafting through the air. They checked in and were shown to their room, a cozy space with a view of the bustling plaza below. Axel also checked to see if Lyra had left a message but did not expect it as she should be at least another week behind him or even at this inn as the city had several of these establishments. Not shocked when being told no one had left him a message, Axel headed to the shared room with Aria.
As they settled in, Axel couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation. Greenhaven was a city of opportunities and challenges, and he was ready to face whatever came next with Aria by his side. The day was getting late and while the rooms were more expensive here than in the villages, the comfort and safety they provided were worth it in Axel’s mind as there was a guard of Expert Tier on the property, though long retired from their Flame Seeker days.
As Axel looked out the window at the bustling plaza below, the lights from the shops and street vendors cast a warm glow. He turned to Aria, who was unpacking their belongings. “What do you think our next move should be?”
Aria paused, considering. “We should visit the Crimson Vanguard and get you signed up for your trial first thing in the morning. This time of year, you will likely be on a waiting list for about a week or two, up to a month based on the power you wish for your first Trial. We can use this time to also visit the Library of the Luminaries to research what powers you want to find.”
Axel nodded. “Agreed. And after that, we can explore the city a bit more. There’s so much to see and learn here.”
Aria smiled, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Aria can’t wait. This city feels like it’s full of possibilities, and Aria could lead you around showing you all the sights. Aria also wants you to meet Foster's mom so that she can see how amazing Aria is at picking a mate.”
“Picking a mate, huh?” Axel asked with a gleam in his eye and held the now-trying-to-escape Aria in his arms and began tickling her until she squealed. They then settled down for the night with Aria holding Axel from behind as wings made the opposite more difficult.
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The next morning, like most, came too soon. Axel could hear people beginning their days and even in the early morning, there was a slowly growing buzz of noise coming into the room. Axel disentangled himself from Aria, her knees once again pressing on his bladder. After using the communal restroom and cleaning up in the shower that used a blue stone to generate water for a bath and a red stone to heat the water, Axel dressed in some new clothing that Aria got for him from Jareth at a good price.
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After returning to the room he and Aria shared, he found Aria had already gotten up and left. Assuming that she was bathing also, Axel went to the common room, paid for some breakfast for them, and found a table. After over an hour, Axel had finished his breakfast and decided to get a cover and take Aria’s up to the room. When he arrived in the room, he found Aria fussing over her feathers and hair with four different sets of clothes on one of the beds.
“Trouble? You normally didn’t take this long to get ready when we were on the road?” Axel asked.
“Well, Aria did not need to worry about the impression that others had on the road. Today, Aria is bringing her mate to the main area headquarters of the Crimson Vanguard to meet Foster Mom. Good impressions are a must!!” Aria replied as she held up two sets of clothes.
In a much softer voice, she said, “Aria hopes looking great will keep both from punishing her too badly.”
With a chuckle, Axel put the breakfast down on a side table and hugged Aria from behind, causing her wings to flare out a bit and making the clothes on the bed scatter. “Take a break and have something to eat. You’re worrying too much, and we still have an hour before the main hall of the Crimson Vanguard opens from what you told me.”
“You don’t understand!! This is super important and needs careful consideration!” Aria replied in an almost childlike tone but sat down to eat the food Axel got for her. It was mostly fruits, cheese, and bread as at the time Axel was not sure how long she would take, so he opted out of a hot meal for Aria.
After another twenty minutes, Aria picked an outfit of a deep blue dress with silver trim. It seemed to suit her very well. Axel thought she would have looked great in any of the outfits, which got him puffed cheeks and a glare. To be honest, Axel loved the way she looked in her scouting gear and thought that it was the best look, but growing up with Lyra, he knew saying that would likely not end well, so he shut his mouth and told her she looked amazing.
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The city was amazing to walk through with buildings made of concrete and steel all around. There seemed to have been a transport system long ago with how there were plates that looked like one could stand on and they would move on their own. The city had tried to re-invent these with floating pads controlled by a driver. One would just stay at one of the stops and tell the driver where they would like to go. It would then move at incredible speed to your destination. Aria told Axel that they only seemed to work in the city as in the Golden Age before the Twin Cities disaster many things were made, and this transport took advantage of wires and other things buried in the roads.
The trip, even at these speeds, still took about fifteen minutes to arrive at the tower that held the Crimson Vanguard’s headquarters for this city-state. The building was massive, going up at least a hundred floors if Axel’s quick count was correct. Each floor was ringed in crystal windows based on the slight tint they gave that well-made glass would not have. Aria at this time grabbed his hand and pulled him along into the building following a flow of people arriving.
In the lobby, there were signs everywhere from “Trial Registration,” “Flame Seeker Job Board,” “Training Room A,” etc. Each led to a group of staff at counters or to a metal box Aria called an elevator that would take you to different levels of the building. Heading to the counter for Trial Registration, Axel queued up with about twenty others in line before him. The wait was relatively short as the staff seemed to move with a practiced ease.
When it was Axel’s turn, Aria seemed to start to get fidgety as they walked to the counter. The staff member was a male Vortan who greeted him with a smile and what had to be something he said thousands of times before, “Welcome. I assume you would like to take your novice trial?”
Axel nodded and gave his Journal ID number. “Yes, I just came of age and need to sign up for my first trial. Is there anything I need to do?”
The Vortan reached under his counter and handed Axel several forms to fill out. The forms went beyond training expectations, the type of power he wanted to go for if known, and a myriad of other topics. As Axel began to fill out the paperwork, the staff member looked behind him and said, “I see you, Aria. Don’t think you can hide behind this new Trial seeker. Instructor Rex is very upset that you disappeared on him and has a be-on-the-lookout for you in the system. I have already informed him of your being here. You got me quite the reward, by the way, so thank you.”
“Aria would prefer if you would not inform the instructor at this time and would take it as a favor… he is right behind Aria already, isn’t he?” Aria began and slowly turned after seeing the staff member nod to find a large Aurelian standing there with arms crossed. The man was edging on seven feet tall with wings that were more metallic than soft feathers. He had silver eyes and black hair with a hard-tanned complexion. He wore light metal chain armor with full arm and leg guards that had intricate inlays of gold and silver on a metal Axel could not name that was a deep gray.
“Returned, have we, little one? I bet that you could not control your power and came slinking back to finish the training you skipped?” Rex said in a deep tone, not letting Aria get a word in. “You are lucky I owe your foster mother a favor, or this would have gone straight into your record, and you would only be getting the worst jobs in the future. You know that no one likes to hire people that don’t complete their training in the novice stage after getting their first ability.”
“But Aria was on a mission from the Goddess! You can’t blame Aria for following a divine quest, right?” Aria looked pleadingly at the large man with the biggest, widest eyes she could.
“Don’t give me that look, girl. I have become immune to it long ago, and for this divine quest, I find it unlikely that you, as a fresh out of Trial recruit, would draw something so rare. I bet you wanted adventure, not to be stuck in more training rooms, and joined the first group heading out to hunt, not thinking at all what you were doing or having the training needed to survive it well,” came a condescending reply.
It was at this time that Axel finished his paperwork and turned to stare up at this man talking down to Aria. After a quick once-over, Axel could tell this man was on the cusp of Master Tier based on the energy nearly radiating off him. This field, if one was not used to it, could be suffocating, and the only reason Axel was as unaffected as he was, is that his father gave off a similar aura, though purposely restrained. This man came to intimidate and wanted people to cower before his might. The more surprising fact was how unaffected Aria was, as Axel could see many people shying away from this area.
“I would agree with part of that comment, but the part of the divine quest I believe is true. I had received one also in the jungle to save her from a Twilight Stalker. While quests can’t be shared, I would stake my honor on the fact that she received one,” Axel calmly said, looking the man in the eye and receiving a grunt in reply. “Though you also hit the nail on the…”
Axel’s mouth was covered by Aria before he could complete the statement. “Don’t mind Axel. He has had a rough time lately, and Aria has been very safe and careful, not getting into any dangerous situations at all. Foster mom or you don’t need to worry about anything. Aria is here to complete the novice training after completing the divine quest,” Aria hurriedly replied.
Rex narrowed his eyes but refrained from talking anymore on this subject. “Fine, but you better finish this training with flying colors. Aero is very hard to master, and I will be working you to the bone until you have everything down. You should visit your foster mother soon as she has been frantically looking for you.”
With that, Rex left, to go to the elevator area and tapped something on the side of the wall that lit up and began waiting. Turning his attention back to Aria, who was still covering his nose and mouth, Axel poked her to get her attention. Realizing what she was still doing, she removed her hands and, standing on her toes, got right into Axel’s face. “Exnay on the Adventure Cay,” only to receive a kiss on the nose and a chuckle from Axel.
