Chapter 13: Chapter 12 - Dockside

The cobblestone streets echoed with the chaos of port life. The salt-laden air a medley of scents—fresh-caught fish, tar-sealed wood, spilled ale, and the ever-present brine of the sea.

The spirited sailors and dockworkers nearly drowned out a struggling fiddle player, even before the sun had set. Each building seemed to tell its own story near the port-windows fashioned from old portholes, roof tiles that might once have been hull planking, and door handles that had surely started life as ship's wheels.

The middle district hummed with the industry of craftsmen and merchants, but it was no place for a four-year-old child to roam alone. Then again, neither was anywhere else in this city.

'Can someone just kidnap me already?' Nova thought wryly, nearly lost among the bustling crowd. 'I'm a lone child in rags, practically begging for it!'

Nova was walking alone through the streets, still barefoot and covered by a dilapidated robe. He was counting on someone—preferably someone with ill intent—to notice how vulnerable he appeared.

‘I didn’t have much of a plan when I left, but I didn’t think it would be an issue. Perhaps I should have gone to the lower district after all?’

“Hey, kid!” The call came from a nearby fishmonger's shop, where rows of exotic catches lay on beds of slowly melting ice. He gestured for him to come closer, wearing an expression of worry and frustration.

Nova walked up to him while acting nervously, deciding to pretend to be a child—or rather, a normal child. “Yes?”

The man had a thick beard and a thinning head of hair, looking like any other middle-aged man. Except for his eyes, which looked tired and weary. “Why are you walking around here alone?” he asked, studying Nova closely.

“I’m hungry…” Nova replied, holding his stomach. “They kicked me out of the castle, but no one is giving me food.”

"From the castle?" The man's weathered face creased with confusion. He straightened from his stoop over the fish display, one thick finger pointing up at the grand white structure that loomed above the city like a sentinel. "That one?"

Nova nodded, letting his small shoulders slump in practiced despair. "I don't know why. No one else was kicked out, only me..." His voice quavered perfectly. "I'm not even five years old yet."

‘I’m curious to see how people react to the gardens. And if people know about it in the first place.’

"... Did you live there with other children?" The fishmonger's voice dropped lowereyes darting to check if anyone was within earshot.

“Yeah. There were this many rooms,” Nova replied, holding all his fingers up twice. “And five of us in each room.”

The man's thick brows furrowed deeply as he looked back up at the castle. “I’ve never heard of them kicking anyone out before…”

‘Ah… So it’s not a big secret, then.’

"What about everyone who turned five years old?" Nova asked, injecting innocent curiosity into his voice. "Did they not come out?"

“... Of course they did. But, ehm…” The man took some time to answer, very clearly lying. “They went to the school of order, not alone like you.”

Nova felt his heartbeat quicken in anger, but he forced his small fists to unclench and kept his voice steady. There was still information to gather, and schools were a point of interest. “... School of order?”

"Yeah, near the big white cathedral." The man gestured toward the gleaming spires that pierced the sky at the city's heart. "It's where children go when their soul completes, and then the talented ones are enrolled to become warriors or priests. You might want to head over, since it seems your soul is completed already.”

"Okay, thanks mister. I just have one more question." Nova let his childlike facade drop away like a discarded cloak. His following words the weight of centuries of judgment. "How do you all live with yourselves knowing what's happening in the castle?"

The sudden change in his demeanor made the towering fishmonger take an unconscious step back, nearly stumbling into his own display. “... What’s with the attitude?” he asked, gripping the edge of his stall as his eyes narrowed. “You’re not a child, are you?”

“That’s a hard question to answer. I asked first, though, so I’ll answer if you do.”

The fishmonger's eyes darted along the busy street, watching for eavesdroppers. The cacophony of port life continued around them—sailors shouting, cart wheels clattering, seabirds crying—but he still crouched down to get closer to Nova’s ears.

“They take in children from the slums and brothels, children whose mothers are too poor or too uncaring to even give them food. This city was filled with street urchins once, but now you’ll barely see any children uncared for.”

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“Oh yeah, and they live in luxury for five years in the castle, right?" Nova's words dripped with venom. "They're surely better off, even if they’re murdered when they get a taste of freedom.”

"... I'm not saying I like it." The man's shoulders slumped beneath an invisible weight. "But short of going to the outlands and gathering a ton of Soul Power to challenge the governor, there really isn’t much we can do. And then there’s the king behind him again.”

Nova clenched his teeth, calming himself before he would do something he would regret.

‘Well, I’ve seen it before—people aren't evil, they're just... comfortable. Breaking that comfort rarely works as well as showing them a better way.'

“There’s a quote that has stuck with me for a long time ‘The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.’ When evil no longer has to look over its shoulders, when it can do what it wants in the open, that’s when the people have failed. And that’s usually when I appear…”

The fishmonger stared at him, salt-weathered face caught between fear and fascination. "... What are you exactly?"

"I'm Nova." He drew himself up to his full—if unimpressive—height. "My area of expertise is justice and societal change. My tools are centuries of experience and unwavering conviction.”

“... Centuries?” The fishmonger stared at Nova, and then he nodded to himself. “I can believe that.”

“You don’t seem as surprised as I expected.”

"Well, there's something strange about you." The man gestured at the crowded street. "People were making way for you as you walked down the street, and I feel like I should listen to what you say for some reason. Like you’ve got a presence about you…”

‘Ah, it’s the trait… I should have known Presence Of The Don would start having an effect now that my aspects are increasing.’

“I guess it’s hard to hide perfectly. Could you point me to the nearest good or evil person?”

"... What do you want with those?" The man's voice wavered between curiosity and concern.

"An evil person can be killed for resources," Nova stated matter-of-factly, as if discussing the weather. "And a good person can help me free the children."

The fishmonger pursed his lips thoughtfully. Then he looked back into his shop, tapping a finger on his knee. “... If you’re serious about that, I guess… Feel free to stay here. I’ve got an extra room you can use, and I’m sure you won’t need much food.”

“Fancy yourself a good guy?” Nova asked, amused by the fishmonger’s sudden offer.

The fishmonger rubbed the back of his neck, drawing out his reply. “It’s more that I can’t think of anyone better to send you to. I sell fish, so I’m not in any position to help much, but..." He gestured at his modest stall. "It's better than doing nothing, right?"

Nova smiled and nodded. “You learn fast. What’s your name?”

"Quinn," the man said, extending a hand that could easily palm Nova's entire head. Salt and fish scales had worked their way deep into the creases of his weathered palm. "And you are Nova?"

Nova grabbed it as well as he could with his tiny hand and shook it firmly, showing some of his strength. “Correct. Was the stuff you said about the school real?”

“Well, not the part about your friends being there. Come on in.” Quinn gestured for Nova to enter the shop. “But it does exist, yeah. Interested in checking it out?”

The interior of Quinn's shop was a cave of shadows and silver scales. Rays of late afternoon sun filtered through the net-covered windows, casting dancing patterns across rows of fresh catch.

Nova entered the shop, pausing slightly due to the strong smell of fish, but he recovered quickly. “No, I’d much rather stay in the shadows for now. My deal with the governor is time-sensitive, so I can’t waste much.”

“With Governor Newark? You’ve already gotten that far?”

"Yeah," Nova said, carefully stepping around a bucket of cleaning water. "He wanted to save his granddaughter, and I wanted to save the children in the gardens, so I eventually managed to negotiate with him. Stubborn guy, though."

"... And what do you have to do?" Quinn's voice dropped to match the shop's shadowy atmosphere.

“Gather enough Soul Power to make up for his losses, eight hundred each month. Any ideas?”

“Eight hundred?” Quinn whistled a tune of surprise. “That’s too rich for me to help. But wouldn’t you know better than me?”

Nova shook his head, white hair catching the filtered light. "I'm not from this world. All I've seen of it so far is the inside of that castle."

"So you were telling the truth about being from the castle?" Quinn muttered, more to himself than Nova, as he began arranging his tools with nervous energy. "Ehh, even a single basic soul is worth more than I make in a year, so I don't have many suggestions..." He hesitated, then lowered his voice further. "If you're strong, then perhaps the lower district could be a good place to... gather souls."

"That's why I asked for evil people." Nova's childish voice held an unsettling practicality. "I could also go hunt for monsters or whatever you have here, gathering souls that way. But the easiest way would be to collect a lot of small souls early on."

‘That way, I can cultivate them over an entire month, giving me plenty of Soul Power. With my current mastery of Inner Blossoming Invocation, I should be able to grow an average soul to five times its size in four days. Although that depends on whether a soul will regain essence when it’s not equipped… If not, it will take a lot longer.’

Quinn finished arranging his filleting knives with methodical precision, each blade catching the filtered light as he turned to Nova with a questioning look. "So all you need is starting capital? Same as everyone else?"

“... What do you mean?”

"Everyone is after that chance at greatness, Nova." Quinn's voice the weariness of someone who had seen too many dreams dissolve like sea foam. "That soul that will get them up in the world, that will let them go out and hunt for even more souls. That's how every young man with ambition thinks."

“... Well, sure. But I have concrete ways to progress.” Nova turned toward the door, grabbing the long wooden handle as well as he could. “When are kidnappers the most active, you think?”

“After dark, I guess? I wouldn’t really know.”

“I’ll be back after dark, then. No need to wait for me.”

“Uhh, have a nice… hunt?”

“Much appreciated!”

The heavy door swung shut behind him with a solid thunk, mercifully cutting off some of the pervasive fish smell that had already worked its way into his ragged clothes.

The streets were still busy, but less so than earlier, as shops started closing, preparing to join the evening festivities.

People continued to give him a wide berth. Their eyes would slide past him like water off a ship's hull paths unconsciously adjusting to avoid his presence.

For now, it was convenient, but Nova couldn't help wondering if people would start kneeling in the streets once his Soul Power increased.

'Let's hope kidnappers don't shy away from me because of it...'