(Alex, 17)

"Ya alright, Boss?" Jeddy asks as I plot onto the couch in the crew's apartment.

"Yeah," I answer. "Just thinking 'bout some stuff."

"Like a certain foreign Magus?" Barry asks, plopping himself down next to me.

"Yeah," I answer. "Jason's birthday's in less than two weeks, and I've only just realized… I ain't sure what to get him. Especially 'cause it's on the Day of the Dragon, and he's never celebrated the festival before."

That means my festival present has to be extra-special. Seriously, what were his mamas and papas thinking? Why would they skip on that festival, of all things to skip? Yeah, I know, they skipped pretty much all of 'em, but still.

"What do ya get someone for their festival present when it's their birthday, too?" I ask. "I've gotta get him a separate thing for that. I ain't ever actually known someone whose birthday it was well enough to know."

The rest of the crew look at each other, as if thinking they might come up with an answer for that. It's clear they ain't sure, either.

"Nah," I stand. "I'm gonna head out and ask around the city. Anyone wanna come with?"

"I'll go," Barry and Peter say at the same time.

"I've got to get to work," Jeddy tells me. "The fruit ain't gonna sell itself. I'll ask some of the customers who are more friendly."

"Gonna ask Abigail, too?" I ask, and his face flushes, sending the rest of us into laughter.

Jeddy still only exchanges hesitant looks with the girl from the other stall. They've spoken a couple of times, but it's always been short and brief. He's only thirteen, though, and only ever dealt with the crews until he started his job. So it's understandable he'd be a bit shy with his first crush. She's crushing on him, too, and her papa's noticed it.

I know this 'cause he's asked me who Jeddy's papa is. I told him that I'm Jeddy's big brother and only living family. That was a fun discussion.

"I'd offer to help," Sarah tells me once we calm down from our laughter. "But I'm on a temporary regular job for the next few days and need to head to it in an hour."

"That's fine," I say.

"I've got some stuff to do," Colin says. "Mikey and I are doing a job for the hunters' guild."

"Good luck," I tell them. "Alright, Barry, Peter! Let's head out!"

The three of us leave the apartment and begin walking through the city, asking various people about what they would gift a friend whose birthday was the Day of the Dragon. No one seems to have a friend or acquaintance born on that day, which is weird. So many people to talk to, and we seem to only get the ones who don't have experience with giving gifts for this situation. Strange.

We do, however, receive answers that could apply to normal gifts. Most of these people are commoners or street rats, too, so they give the usual answers for gifts for the Festival of the Dragon.

Something we make ourselves, something we bake ourselves, something we enchanted ourselves, something we forged ourselves, something we carved ourselves, and so on. Something which costs little or none.

Eventually, the three of us take a break, stopping where we are in a poorer district of Varilsy. The buildings here are derelict, and only gangs of street rats and the lowest of commoners live here. We've already gotten a few suspicious looks, and most of the people here were short and curt with us.

We sit on the edge of a fountain that no longer sprays water, the stone cracked and worn, creeper growing along it. I pull sandwiches out of my spatial storage, and the three of us eat them and knock back some ale, watching from the corners of our eyes the residents watching us from their homes or as they go about their business.

Their wariness seems a little too strange. I expand my mind out, brushing theirs and feeling the mind barriers Barry and Peter use to guard themselves. Jason's taught all of his students how to create them, though only he and Niko can really stop me. Jacob, Lina, and their guards are protected by enchantments, and those stop me, too. It ain't something I've tried, though.

Yeah, something is strange about how they're wary of us. I'm about to tap into the heads of a pair of men who are muttering to themselves while glancing at us every few seconds, but stop when I feel something strange enter my range. Eight minds with razor-sharp focus and determination, with strong traces of disgust.

Looking over in that direction, I watch as eight guards come into view. They're not city guards, though. Some of the districts of Varilsy are managed by lesser nobles. Earls, one rank below me. Most of the poorer districts are managed by earls, whose duties include keeping the peace within them and ensuring the living status improves. It's His Majesty's effort at improving life in Varilsy for even the lowest men and women of it.

Unfortunately, he only began it a few years ago, and I'm sure the reports he's been receiving are corrupted, showing improvements where there are none. I think there are four total districts run by earls rather than the normal way.

The eight guards approach a nearby shop, and four remain outside as the other four enter. I expand my scanning spell as I continue my meal. Two of the guards inside take up positions near the door, one of them walks towards the door to the back, and the fourth approaches the counter.

The one at the counter speaks with the shopkeeper, who tries to argue with him. The guard has nothing but disgust for him, and the shopkeeper is afraid. He's terrified of the guard, when the guard should be protecting him.

Only street rats should feel that way. Something is wrong.

Eventually, the shopkeeper loses the argument and gives the guard money, then the four guards leave and move to the next shop. I watch as the process repeats itself, finishing my food without once looking over there directly. Barry and Peter seem to be ignorant of this.

"Come on," I stand and stretch. "Let's resume our search."

Barry and Peter follow me away, though I have no intention of allowing the obvious extortion to continue. Tonight is the last night the people of this district will be paying a forced, foul tax to the earl over the district.

We reach an area near one edge of the district, only for a group of children to run up to us. Their clothes are dirty and threadbare, and they're all dirty as well. Orphans, perhaps? Or street rats. They hold no hostility towards us, though, their minds filled with boundless energy and excitement.

"Hey, hey!" A girl around ten says. "Hi!"

"Hi," I say, smiling. "How are ya?"

"Good!" She answers. "Wanna play with us?"

"Play with us!" A boy two years younger than her says.

"What kind of play?" I ask.

"We've gots a ball!" A boy a year older than the girl says.

"Play ball with us!" The girl says.

"Play ball with us!" The three children who hadn't spoken yet say.

"Sure," I say. "Where at?"

"This way!" They all say, then lead the three of us through the streets, to an old, run-down church.

The shutters on its windows seem broken or missing, but I'm sure the kids live in there anyway. I can feel a strange presence inside of the church, a mind that feels… off. Foreign. Unusual. It seems to have only traces of kindness and care in it, but when my mind brushes against it, I feel it react. Whoever they are, they can sense me. Either they're at least as powerful as me and talented with mind magics, or they're very powerful.

However, their mind only contains a trace of interest at sensing me, no anger or hostility.

My thoughts on the strange mind are interrupted by the thirty or so children, who want to start playing the game immediately. They have an old ball roughly the size of my head, and it's falling apart. They probably can't afford a new one to replace it. Most of them don't have boots, and most of the boys don't have tunics, either, wearing just pants. None of them seem to be older than eleven or twelve, and the youngest is maybe four.

I suppose even the capital has places like this.

Despite their obvious poverty conditions, the children seem to be happy. I remember seeing groups like this back in Varilar, and on the journey here to Varilsy. They banded together as a group under someone who could manage to care for them, even if only a little. Enough to put at least a meal in their stomachs a day, who kept them from having to resort to street gangs for survival.

Sometimes, street gangs targeted them anyway.

These children don't seem bothered by the fact that Barry, Peter, and I are obviously wealthier citizens than them, our clothes much more expensive than anything these children have probably touched before. They also don't seem to want to dirty us up. No, I can sense from their minds they just want to play, and probably don't get many older people who will.

"Alright!" I say. "Can I see that ball?"

The girl who was holding it nods, tossing it to me, and I examine it. It's a standard ball with a thick cloth outside, coming apart at the seams with one strip hanging off of it. It's been repaired many times, and probably would be many times more. I give the strip of cloth coming off a light tug, and it pulls away even more. That was with the strength a child would have, too.

There are remnants of an enchantment on it, but it's long-since faded. If I'm reading this right, whoever repaired it kept enchanting it again, applying it through the thread used to sew it back together. Otherwise, the enchantment would need mana used in it to activate, ruining it. The thread was enchanted to hold together better.

However, the ball's seen a lot of use and love, and the material isn't the best. It's still impressive, though. How old is this balls? How much use has it seen? How many times has it been sewn with new enchantments to keep it together?

It's at the end of its life now, but it's definitely showing signs of being well-loved.

"No, this won't do," I say, seeing the disappointment on their faces as I toss it back to the girl. "What if it comes apart as we play? Then the fun will be ruined. Here, why don't we play with one of mine?"

I open up my spatial storage, the children's eyes widening at the spell, and reach inside. I pull out a firmer ball with durability enchantments woven into it. There are variations of this out there already, but I came up with this one as a product for Levirar Toys. There aren't many of them, though, since most of our employees are busy working on the game sets. I've made all of these balls that exist so far, and am trying to find new employees to make the balls and an actual place to use as a factory.

"This one will hold up much better to our play," I lightly toss it up, then catch it as I shrink my scanning spell and pull my mind back. "Let's play!"

The children, Barry, Peter, and I play with the ball for awhile, tossing and kicking it around, trying to get it into the goals created by a pair of stacked crates at either side of the small square in front of the church. My crew and I play with a kids' level, and while the older kids know we're going easy on them, they're having fun, too.

I catch when each of the older ones realizes they grabbed a group of people from out of this district, and can sense their surprise that we're playing with them, our clothes getting covered in dirt as we do. It'll wash off, so it's not a problem. We aren't snobbish about stuff like that, even if others who leave the life turn out that way.

After an hour of playing with the ball, everyone takes a break, some of us sitting on the ground while others sit on crates, barrels, or other random things in the square.

"Here's your ball back," one of the older girls approaches, holding it out to me with a slight look of worry on her face. "It's, um, a little dirty."

"It's a ball for play," I tell her. "It's meant to get dirty. Keep it. Ya kids could use it."

"Um, are you-are you sure?" She asks. "Don't you-"

"I have more," I open up my spatial storage and pull out another. "See? I made that ball for people to play with, and your old one is falling apart. You can keep it. Consider the fun you guys just gave us payment for it."

Her eyes and the eyes of the other children widen in awe and gratitude, and she and a few others start tossing the ball around in excitement.

"That person looks strange," Barry mutters low enough only someone with better-than-average hearing could catch it. "By the entrance to the church."

I look over, and find a man standing at the entrance to the church. He could be in his twenties, maybe a little younger, eternally touched by youth. His silver hair is cut short in the Varilan fashion, and he wears a set of blue and black robes, a pair of large, feathery, white wings tucked against his back. An amulet hangs around his neck, a piece of gold and silver with the same the same crest as is set into the stone above the doorway.

An angel. Here in Varisly. Does Jason know about him? He was definitely the strange mind I felt inside the church.

As I start to panic, the angel gives me a light, friendly wave.

"Wemrar!" One of the children exclaims, then the others all exclaim it and wave at him as a few of them run over to him.

The ones who ran over to him grab him by the hands and robes and start pulling him, leading him toward us.

"Wemrar!" The girl I tossed the ball to says, running over with the others who were playing with her, a boy of around eight holding the ball. "These guys gave us a new ball! Look!"

The boy holds it up, showing it off, and the angel smiles.

"Yes," the angel smiles, his voice light and melodic. "I watched the game from inside the church. You looked like you had fun."

"Yeah!" The girl exclaims. "And they didn't fuss about their clothes at all! They're really nice!"

"I'm sure they are," the angel says, the smile remaining. "Hello, Alex."

"I don't believe we've met," I tell him, raising my mental defenses. "If we have, I ain't recovered those memories."

"We haven't," he tells me. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Alex."

"What are ya doing here?" I ask.

"Caring for children without homes," he answers. "The older ones in my care are out, working for money right now so that they can afford academy and afford to send the little ones to academy once they, too, are old enough. If you stay long enough, you will be able to meet them as well."

I'm guessing they don't make much, and save up everything they can for the academies. They probably only spare enough money to make sure everyone is clothed and has some food.

"The church?" I ask.

"I began it, a long time ago," he looks to the building. "Long before even the current king's grandpapa was born. But over time, some churches began to lose their followers. A century ago, I found myself with a following. However, I have held firm to my ways, and instead began to take in the orphan children of this district. Those who choose to live this life rather than one of the streets, at any rate. Those who choose to live here, however, make it to academy, and eventually, university. Most forget about us, in the end, never returning again once they begin their lives at university. But seeing them happy, living a full life, pleases me. The children should never have to suffer, and those with kind hearts deserve happy lives."

I sense no hostility or lies from him, but he's an angel, so it's possible he's fooling me right now. The children do seem happy, though, but it could be that he's using a spell on him. At my current power level, there's not a chance on Midlaris I'd manage to detect that.

"Speaking of my graduates," the angel smiles, looking away. "Here comes one of the rare ones who returns after beginning university."

"Alex?" A familiar voice calls, and I look over to find Ben, one of Jason's new students from this past term.

He seems rather surprised to see me, and I can't say the feeling ain't mutual. He's always been quiet, distracted by something. Jason's had to chide him a few times, but then he began to focus, aware that he needed to in order to stay in the group. The distraction is still there on breaks.

"What are you doing here?" He asks as some of the children swarm him, tugging on his clothes and pulling him towards us.

"We were through the district when some of the kids asked if we wanted to play," I tell him. "So we decided to. Ya live here?"

"Not anymore," he shakes his head. "I live in apartments near the university, but I still visit. I know what it was like, seeing my big brothers and sisters leave and never return once they began university. I try to contribute what I can from my job to the food funds and academy funds, but it's not easy."

"I can imagine," I say. "What do ya do?"

"Whatever jobs I can find," he answers. "There aren't a lot I can do, though, because of university and Jason's training group. But if it gets me a better job after university, I'll push through it."

Judging by the emotions in his mind as he speaks and the way they shift and change, he probably wants a better job so that he can pay for more stuff for the children here. A single person won't make a large difference, but if it means they have a little more food money, then he'll probably be happy.

Unfortunately, he's just part of a cycle. The children will grow up more comfortable because of the extra effort he puts in for them, go off to academy, then university, and then never come back. They'll assume someone else is sending money back or buying things for them. They'll assume everyone is fed just as much as they were. They'll forget that their lives were once much worse and try to forget.

It's a cycle that will last for eternity if nothing breaks it.

"Good luck," I tell him. "Ya never know when ya might get a lucky break."

"Yeah," he frowns. "What are you doing in this district, though? I know you used to be a street rat, but you're Lord Levirar now, a baron. You have… several fancy titles."

"Jason's birthday is the Festival of the Dragon," I tell him. "The Day of the Dragon. We ain't sure what to get him for his festival gift for that, and it's coming up soon. We've been walking all over Varilsy asking people of all statuses what they'd get someone for that. We were hoping to figure out something based on what everyone says, but we've had no luck."

"For someone whose birthday is the Day of the Dragon," Ben says, shushing the children who begin talking with a wave of his hands. "The festival present should still follow the normal theme of the festival presents. With a dragon theme, with red, black, and grey all mixed into it. General themes include strength, courage, power, and resiliency, though most people stick with one.

"For someone whose birthday is the actual Day of the Dragon itself," he continues. "It's customary to include two to all four of those themes. They're also considered to be blessed by the Sacred Dragon, so the dragon theme to it is more prominent as well. For instance, it could be a candle made of red, black, and gray wax marbled together, the Mark of the Dragon imprinted on it."

"That's what we get Ben for his birthday!" One of the boys tells me.

"Your birthday?" I look at Ben. "It's the Day of the Dragon, too?"

"Yeah," he nods. "When the candle is lit, it represents the power of a dragon when provoked. It lasts a long time, representing resiliency. Despite being attacked by the flame, it stands strong and firm, representing the courage to continue, even while under attack, and the strength to stand, even when in danger. The Mark of the Dragon is… there to ensure the theme of the dragon is present as well, but it's a candle, so there isn't much else you can do with it."

However, it probably takes more money than they should spare to buy it for him. Or do they make it? I can see and sense his happiness as he discusses the candle, so that's enough for him. But this is Jason we're talking about. Just what could I get him?

Especially since he's definitely not blessed by the Sacred Dragon, considering he is the Divine Dragon. The Sacred Dragon's true form.

An idea does come to mind, though.

"Thank you," I tell Ben. "That actually helps me a lot. I've always thought it had to be something even more special than a normal festival present. Anyway, I need to be off, I have some business to attend to."

"Alright," Ben smiles. "Goodbye."

"Bye," I tell him, then say goodbye to the kids, who all want to say it back and shake my hand, thanking me for the ball.

"The ball?" Ben asks.

"Yeah!" One of the kids exclaims. "He saw our ball, and said it'd probably come apart while we were playing!"

"So he gave us this one!" The boy holding the ball holds it up, showing it to Ben. "It's awesome! And he said we could keep it."

"Really?" Ben looks at me, a hint of shock on his face.

"Yeah," I answer. "I dunno who kept mending that old ball, but there's only so much you can do with it before it's time to retire it. I actually made that ball to sell through my toys company, but if it makes this group of kids happy, it's theirs."

"Thanks," Ben tells me. "I was planning on buying a new ball, I noticed last time I stitched it back up that it was needing replacement. We've had it for probably eight or nine years."

"That's ya doing it?" I ask, and he nods. "Impressive work, Ben."

"Thanks," he tells me. "I'm hoping to make a living as an enchanter, especially with the rising need for them due to, well, Jason's family's company.. I've always done well with them, they're my best subject at university."

"Good luck," I tell him, though it does make me think about something.

The goodbyes resume, and eventually, I manage to leave, and as I leave the square, I see a stuffie sitting by the side of the road. One much too clean and new-looking to be one of the children's toys. It's a… is that a capybara? Those don't exist on Midlaris, which means…

Jason already knows about Wemrar.

That much is confirmed when the capybara acknowledges that I saw him, then steps into the building he was sitting by. If Jason is leaving Wemrar be, then it must be fine. Did he find out because of Ben, then? Or did he know before Ben that Wemrar was here?

As I mull over that, I realize that it would probably be best to just take a gate, so I stop walking and open the gate. Once Barry and Peter step through, I follow them through it.

"Thanks for the help," I tell them as they go to get drinks from their kitchen. "I'm heading out, I have some more business to do, but it's a little official. I might not be able to return tonight, either."

"Alright," they say. "See ya, Alex."

"See ya," I say, then open a gate back home.

I take a shower to wash off the dirt and sweat, then dry off and dress in clean clothes, before opening a gate to the palace, receiving wary looks from the guards until I show my crest stating I'm the Royal Rival. Only then do they relax a little, though I can sense their worry. They're probably afraid I'm here to pick a fight with Jacob.

"Is Jacob here?" I ask. "I have some business to discuss with him."

The guards contact someone, who says they will need to check, and a minute later, a gate appears beside me, Wyatt stepping through it.

"I'll escort Lord Levirar to His Highness," Wyatt tells them. "Let us through."

They allow the gate to open, then we enter.

"Hello, Wyatt," I respond. "Ya are looking a lot more casual today than ya normally do."

It's true, he's wearing simpler clothes than his usual guard uniform.

"He went off somewhere and dismissed us for the day," Wyatt tells me. "He only just returned around ten minutes ago. I happened to be practicing something when the call came through saying the Royal Rival was here requesting a meeting with him, so he asked me if I'd escort you here to save you the trouble of dealing with Royal Guards."

"Ah," I say.

Wyatt leads me into the main building of the palace, rather than to Jacob's quarters, and to a sitting room, where Jacob and his papa are sitting, playing a game of chess.

"Hello, Your Majesty," I give him a bow as respectfully as I can, even if I still ain't liking royalty.

Yeah, I've gotten over my beef with Jacob, but that's different.

"Hello, Alex," King Zachary rises. "Let us put this game on pause, Jacob. Call me when you finish with him."

"Actually, Your Majesty," I say. "If I may be so bold, my intent was to ask Jacob to arrange an immediate audience between the two of us regarding a grievous situation."

"It was?" King Zachary asks. "Are you aware of how important something must be in order to request an audience with me?"

"Pretty sure Jason doesn't even bother doing the 'request' part," I say before I can stop myself, causing Jacob to laugh. "Sorry, that came out. Yes, I know that a mere baron like me ain't able to just request it. That's why I was planning on telling Jacob what was going on and hoping he'd make the request for me. I'm sure he would after hearing what it was."

"I will listen to it," King Zachary tells me. "And then decide if it is something worth requesting an audience with me over."

"The earl running Varilna District is extorting the residents for money, sending eight guards per collection to intimidate them into compliance, and there ain't any signs of any effort to improve the district's living conditions despite his status as lord of the district being contingent on him improving it. If anything, the district looks like it's hit even harder times recently."

King Zachary thinks over what I say, aware that this issue is something that goes against something he directly told someone to do. When he received that position, the earl met King Zachary directly.

"The reports given have shown that it is improving," His Majesty tells me.

"I just walked through the district," I tell him. "Only hours ago. I witnessed the extortion myself. I saw how many people there were hungry and starving, how many of them couldn't afford but maybe one meal a day."

"I will send someone to investigate this," His Majesty tells me. "If your claims prove false, there will be consequences."

"When they prove true," I say. "I request that my brother, Earl Connor Levirar, be appointed over the district. Levirar Toys Company needs an actual workshop, and we can hire some of the district's residents for it. They often use enchanting in order to increase the longevity of certain things, and that gives them a skill we can use and improve upon. If you allow this, then I promise that within one year, Varilna District will show more progress than all districts under this project of yours have managed so far combined."

"The blame for the project," His Majesty says. "Is not mine to take. I mentioned to Sage Samuel how I noticed some of the districts with the lower-class commoners began falling into severe states of disrepair, its residents unable to do more than sustain their own lives. The taxes from those districts haven't been enough to put in the new sewer system, and I was considering shifting funds around to arrange for that, even if it pulled away from other things and caused problems for me later on down the road. Jason overheard it and suggested putting someone in charge of those districts to oversee improvements to it, rather than relying on the citizens themselves."

"That… ain't surprising," I say. "Similar things happened on Earth, though with just as much corruption. He probably only had a vague idea of it, I don't remember much more about it, myself. When ya find that my words are truth, sir, please consider my secondary request. I promise ya that the Levirar noble family will improve the district well."

"I will consider that," His Majesty says. "For now, though, I will require an investigation into the situation. I will send someone to do that in the morning. You are dismissed, Alex."

He sits back down.

"Is it alright if I stay and watch?" I ask. "I want to play Jacob, too. Though I'll understand if ya want me gone."