AK – The Alchemy Kingdom - Chapter 195

“To use your equipment properly, you need to feel the obscure effect. Switching it on is just the beginning. Once you’re able to resonate and understand the effect, your instinct will guide you through the shadows, helping you move unnoticed. Then, you should feel where and how to move. Try it. Remember, the effect is subtle, like being covered by a thin invisible but darkish veil.”

The shade continued following her master through the slum streets, but she tried to feel the so-called veil instead of focusing on staying hidden. After five minutes, Maryn started to doubt if she would ever feel anything, but then, she stumbled on a strange sensation. It happen just when she moved from the shadow of a building to a fire lited street.

She saw, or better saying, she felt something blocking the firelight. Blocking wasn’t the best word for it, but she didn’t know a better one. It was true, it was subtle. But now that she knew what it was, and how it felt, she couldn’t imagine not sensing it. First, the sensation of being “shielded” from the light, then the urge of moving towards the shadows.

They walked around the dilapidated buildings for hours, but she was too focused on the feeling to realize her own tiredness. Now, sensing the effect became second nature, she could even feel the difference of shadowness inside the shadow of buildings. But fortunately, before she could push herself to exhaustion, Samia ended the training.

“Don’t be too eager. In time, you’ll feel it even more. Give your body time to process everything, we’re not shadow Mages, so we need time to adapt. Now come, I’ll show you our base here.”

Maryn wanted to say she could handle more, but once she stopped, the fatigue came at once. So, she followed the shadow to a nearby rundown hut that look the same as any other around.

“The key to open it is the same, but you need to know the location of the lock.”

Samia approached a stone in one of the walls and pressed it. The scene that Maryn has gotten used to seeing in the base of Twin Suns repeated itself. They descended the earth stairs and entered a similar, if not equal, room as she knew. Suddenly, the shade felt an urge to learn about her master’s means.

“How was it built? Do you have one in every city?”

The shadow was pleased with the girl’s attitude, it seemed that her investment wasn’t misplaced.

“The base was built with tools similar to that one you carry. We don’t have one in every city, but soon, we will.”

Maryn instinctively looked at the belt hidden beneath her garments. Now that she had experienced the true wonder of the tool, she wasn’t surprised it could also build a magical place. Without thinking, she went even further.

“How? Where did you get it?… Sorry, I asked too much. Forgive me, master shadow…”

“It’s OK. One day you’ll prove yourself worthy of knowing the answer… Now, let’s talk about your disguise… You know shade, we could afford to pay the children ten, or even twenty times more. So, why do you think we don’t?”

The words ended up having a bigger impact on Maryn than she realized or cared to admit. With this much money, they could stop being homeless. In her opinion, one copper coin for information was already fair. For the Origin, it was enough to feed them and they only had to listen to gossip on the streets. However, she never considered that her benefactor had the means to be even more generous. The first answer that came into mind was the cost, if more money they could enlist more children. But she knew the answer wouldn’t be that simple.

“I… I think it’s to avoid attention… Just by not starving, other orphans already notice us. If we had enough to pay for a house and clothes… Too much attention.”

“I see, so you’re already dealing with that… We could pay the children ten times more, easily. But it would invite more danger. Someone might even try to torture them for the truth.”

Maryn understood it, but she couldn’t help but feel bitter about it because it also meant the orphans were fated to living on scraps, even with their help.

“But you don’t need to be sad. We might not be able to save everyone, but if we keep this up, we’ll save many… You’re not a homeless child anymore, you’re a shade now.”

The overwhelming unwrapping emotions made the girl take a step back.

“What…”

“You’ll not live in the shelter anymore. From now on, we’ll create a disguise for you to live in the light, while you’ll be the shade in the dark, moving through the shadows without a name, hidden. Now, in the future, all the children who prove themselves will be given the same opportunity.”

“I… I…”

Her eyes were filled with tears and the words refused to go out. Actually, she didn’t know what to say. She felt grateful, relieved, and sad, all at the same time. Grateful for the opportunity, and relieved for not being homeless, but sad for having to leave her friends behind.

“You don’t need to say anything. In your disguise, you won’t be rich, at least not for now, but you’ll have a nice place to live and food won’t be a problem… But first, I need your help to find and train informants in all cities of Kingdom…”

Maryn couldn’t hold any longer, she knelt and started crying.

“Thank you, Master. Thank you!”

***

A frail and dirty girl scraped some dark porridge from an old-looking bowl. Then, she fed it to a sick young boy who laid over some rags. The ailed child struggled to open his mouth and suck the barely edible gummy from the thin fingers.

The sunlight would soon disappear, so the girl urged her brother to eat faster. Then, the last rays of light cast an unknown shadow behind her. The feeble child panicked and turned faster, ready to defend her sick sibling with her weak body if needed. However, she didn’t see one of the street rats as she expected.

Standing at arm’s length from the scared child, was a hooded figure only a few inches taller than the girl herself.

“Do you want to save him?”

The girl shivered with the cold voice, but she couldn’t take a step back, or else her brother would be unprotected.

“I’m gonna show you, but I’ll do it only this time…”

The shade took the hood back until her face was visible in the dim light, then she covered it back.

“Wh… what?”

The girl had disbelieve written all over her face. But, the shade didn’t care. She passed a copper coin and a clay vial to the trembling girl, before saying:

“One coin for one information. The potion can help your brother, it costs one coin too. You now own me two pieces of information.”

“What…?”

“Go to the markets, taverns, Inns, the city gate, and listen. It doesn’t matter which information, but never lie to me and don’t tell anyone about this. I’ll be back soon. Remember, one coin for one information.”