The jeep rolled down the winding mountain road as morning sunlight spread across the valley.
Eyrx sat by the window, staring outside with excitement.
For three months, all he had seen were castle walls, training grounds, forests, and waterfalls.
Now there were people.
Actual people.
Small houses appeared in the distance.
Smoke rose from chimneys.
Farmers worked in green fields.
A wide smile slowly appeared on Eyrx's face.
Nick glanced at him from the driver's seat.
"You look like a child seeing the world for the first time."
Eyrx ignored the comment.
"How much longer?"
"Ten minutes."
"You said that ten minutes ago."
"Then five."
Darven chuckled from the back seat.
The road continued downhill until the town finally came into view.
Stone buildings lined the streets.
Colorful banners hung between rooftops.
Merchants shouted from market stalls.
Children ran through the crowded roads.
The moment the jeep stopped, Eyrx jumped out.
Fresh smells filled the air.
Grilled meat.
Fresh bread.
Sweet fruit.
Everything smelled better than castle food.
"Slow down," Nick warned.
"We're here to buy supplies."
"We're not here for sightseeing."
Eyrx was already gone.
Nick closed his eyes.
"He disappeared."
Darven nodded.
"He disappeared."
Both sighed at the same time.
Meanwhile, Eyrx moved through the market with shining eyes.
There was something interesting everywhere.
A blacksmith hammering glowing metal.
Street performers entertaining crowds.
Merchants arguing over prices.
For the first time in months, the world felt alive.
He stopped in front of a food stall.
"What is that?"
The old merchant smiled.
"Honey bread."
Eyrx bought one immediately.
A few seconds later, he was buying something else.
Then something else.
Then something else.
His hands were already full.
As he turned a corner, a large crowd caught his attention.
People had gathered around a storyteller.
Curious, Eyrx stepped closer.
The old storyteller sat on a wooden platform.
His voice echoed through the street.
"Long ago, before the realms were divided..."
Eyrx paused.
The crowd listened silently.
The storyteller continued.
"There existed warriors who could cross realms without keys."
For some reason, those words made Eyrx stop completely.
A strange feeling appeared in his chest.
As if he had heard those words before.
The storyteller pointed toward the sky.
"But those people disappeared long ago."
"They became legends."
The crowd slowly began to disperse.
Yet Eyrx remained standing there.
Lost in thought.
Far away, Nick and Darven finally caught up with him.
Nick folded his arms.
"What are you staring at?"
Eyrx looked toward the empty platform.
Then shook his head.
"...Nothing."
But deep inside, he knew that wasn't true.
Something about those words felt familiar.
And he didn't know why
Darven carried several bags of supplies as the three walked through the busy streets.
"We should buy enough supplies for a few months," he said. "That way we won't have to come back anytime soon."
Eyrx nodded absentmindedly. His thoughts were still stuck on the storyteller's words.
"Nick... was that old man talking about the same Shattered Realms legends and wars you told me about?"
"Maybe."
Nick glanced at the crowd.
"Only government officials know the full history."
"This town believes those stories because Moros comes here sometimes."
Eyrx frowned.
"Moros?"
Nick's expression darkened.
"Robert's right-hand man."
"The man who killed my family."
For a moment, neither Eyrx nor Darven spoke.
Nick continued walking.
"He killed my father."
"My mother."
"My sister."
Silence followed.
The sounds of the market suddenly felt distant.
Eyrx looked at him.
"If he came after your family... why didn't he kill you too?"
Nick gave a bitter smile.
"I've been asking myself that question for years."
The three eventually stopped near a small café and sat on a wooden bench outside.
Darven suddenly looked at Eyrx's neck.
Then blinked.
"Where's your pendant?"
Eyrx instinctively touched his neck.
Nothing.
Nick immediately turned toward him.
"The portal key."
His eyes widened.
"Where is it?"
Eyrx's face froze.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then all three began checking their pockets and bags.
Nothing.
Darven searched through every supply bag.
"It's not here."
Nick stood up immediately.
"We find it now."
His voice was unusually serious.
"Without that key, we can't travel between realms."
"And we're not traders. Getting another one isn't possible."
Eyrx lowered his head, trying to remember.
Then suddenly—
His eyes widened.
Nick noticed.
"What?"
Eyrx remembered.
Earlier, while wandering through the market, he had bumped into a girl.
Blonde hair.
Blue eyes.
A blue-and-white gown.
Books had fallen from her arms.
Jewelry had scattered across the street.
At the time, he had been too distracted to notice anything else.
Eyrx slowly looked up.
"I think I know where it went."
Nick grabbed his shoulders.
"Where?"
"I bumped into a girl."
Nick closed his eyes.
A long sigh escaped him.
"Of course you did."
Eyrx pointed toward the market district.
"She had books and jewelry."
"Maybe the pendant got mixed with her things."
Nick pressed a hand against his forehead.
"Idiot."
Then he immediately became serious again.
"Listen carefully."
"We split up."
He pointed in different directions.
"Darven, check the food district."
Darven nodded.
"Got it."
Nick turned toward Eyrx.
"You go to the library district."
"If she's carrying books, there's a good chance she went there."
Eyrx nodded.
"And you?"
Nick looked toward the blacksmith district.
"If she was carrying jewelry, she might have visited a smith."
Without wasting another second, the three separated.
Darven ran through the crowded food streets.
The smell of grilled meat and fresh bread filled the air.
He checked every stall.
Every corner.
Every restaurant.
But the blonde-haired girl was nowhere to be found.
Meanwhile, Nick searched the market district.
He asked merchants.
Shopkeepers.
Travelers.
Everyone gave the same answer.
"No."
"I haven't seen her."
He continued searching.
Street after street.
Shop after shop.
Eventually he reached the blacksmith district.
The sound of hammering metal echoed through the area.
Nick approached several smiths and described the girl.
Blonde hair.
Blue eyes.
Blue-and-white gown.
Again and again he received the same response.
"No."
"No."
"No."
Hours seemed to pass.
Finally, Nick stopped at the edge of the street.
The crowd moved around him.
The afternoon sun hung low in the sky.
He took a long breath.
Then slowly looked toward the distant library district.
For some reason...
A strange feeling settled in his chest.
As if something much bigger than a missing key was waiting for them there.