Normally, the hardest part was the actual means of transportation to any destination for me. All public transportation had a magic identifier system, similar to the suitcase Eris lugged around, but allowed money transactions based upon each individual’s account which was linked to the government’s system. The kingdom of Illnor was run strictly by the government for most monetary transactions.

Even I had an identifier, one of a no-mage, whose status in society was lower than slaves. Five was the oldest age everyone would manifest their magic by and at that time, people were processed into the system.

I needed enough gold on hand to exchange for money within Illnor. This sack of coins provided just that, as they maintained their worth in any civilized society. I wanted to avoid Eris being flagged as a missing slave. As for me, I’ve had no luck, no matter how much I tried to harness the dark power I used earlier. It was to no avail. Not even a single fragment of memories from a past life came back to me.

I also wanted to avoid my no-mage status being brought up, possibly barring me from travel. Those were complications that caused headaches to even think about, which is why I had preparations made with a contact who would allow us to bypass any checks.

I handed over his asking price of thirty gold coins, an amount I was hurt to see disappear even if stolen, as all that remained was seventy gold coins and a sack of silver. The gold bought us seats in the fastest magic-enhanced gravity train. The normal boarding price for our destination was five gold coins per person, so that guy made a killing off of us.

The express train made very few stops along various major cities over the eighteen-hour trip. These trains were special as they could travel as far and fast as international airplanes. I switched the setting of the window to sleep, mode changing the passing scenery to a black windowpane.

Looking to my right, I saw a bunch of snacks and wrappers on the tray in front of Eris, some even half-eaten before she fell asleep. She seemed at peace as her head rested on the side of my arm, so I let her be and also fell asleep.

“All passengers: welcome to Avalon station. Local time is 7 AM with a wonderful forecast of partly cloudy. Please be prepared to disembark from the train, as this is the end of the line. On behalf of Royal Express, I’d like to thank you for joining us on this trip, and we look forward to seeing you again in the near future. Have a nice life!”

The farewell message woke me from my slumber just as Eris returned from the restroom. I switched the window back to its original setting to view the outside. We had just entered the city perimeter; large skyscrapers went past, and our speed drastically decreased the closer we got to the train station. My excitement couldn’t be hidden, as this was the first time I saw buildings fifty floors high and taller all around.

We found our way off the train, past the crowded mobs of people. Digital banners and signs displayed a welcoming message for arriving visitors. “Welcome to the start of better reincarnations.” This message displayed my happiness to be here, but I saw Eris in an unpleasant mood.

“Eris, have you been here before? You seem awfully familiar and aren’t as impressed as I am.” There were many hotels around the train station, five that were within my line of sight.

“Yes. I don’t like cities very much.” Eris nodded.

I didn’t press her for answers. Nevertheless, in my excitement I grabbed her hand, leading us at a fast pace to a decent-looking hotel. The money was technically a gift, and I figured it wouldn’t hurt to indulge a little as a celebration for the new start.

We passed many carriages drawn by various magical beasts, ones I’d never encountered before, and I was amazed at the clear distinction of class, based on who had the rarer monster. I stopped at the sight of a fancy looking hotel.

Wyatt Hotel was the name the door guard announced as he ushered us into the revolving doors. Beams of morning sunshine lit up the vast marble flooring of the lobby. Off to the sides were the check-in counters; luckily enough, this seemed to be a slow morning. I walked up to the receptionist with Eris following closely behind, rolling her luggage.

“Good morning, Sir. How may I help you today?” The receptionist gave us a warm smile. I replied in kind, asking for any available rooms and prices. Out of the options given from a penthouse suite to a one-bedroom with queen sized beds, I decided on one bedroom, two beds.

Whether it was the strict competition between the surrounding hotels and inns, the price was surprisingly cheap at fifteen silver a night or the discounted price of one gold coin for a week. I paid the one gold coin to cover for a week’s stay, plus two extra gold coins to expedite and skip the identification process.

I denied the porter since I didn’t feel like wasting money for a tip. The room was nice and tidy as I had expected. Eris and I placed our belongings beside our own beds and started unpacking essentials. I felt icky after that long train ride and hopped in the shower for a quick wash.

Eris said she would shower later at night, so I pulled up a pamphlet showing all the nearby activities to do and places to eat. I wanted to relax and keep an eye out, tomorrow the real search for a job could begin. But first, I was hungry.

I showed Eris a listing for a nearby pizza joint. She neither agreed nor disagreed and simply followed along with what I wanted to do. I was quite fine with that and stored the extra money we weren’t going to use into Eris’s suitcase for safekeeping.

The pizza place was easy to find, with an interesting conversation from the seats nearby grabbing my attention as we ate. Two tables down, a group of young students talked about their gym and new magic instructor. Something to do with an unorthodox method of training, and that it had become fun for them to visit the gym again.

Lots of talk about the surrounding monster hordes increasing and the need for more trained magicians to help cull their numbers. I thought that it might be a good chance for me to practice and learn how to use my powers, so I made up my mind to visit after we finished.