The region of hope is where the aether storms have always appeared. Humans have divided it into three. The northern half of the southern forest which is also called the purple woods. The plains of hope where the battle previously happened and the valley of beginning.

Past the valley of beginning is the Styrtan settlement. It is known to be the first place where the first humanoids who arrived in this place settled. Currently, It is now a large village that is enclosed within walls made of some kind of stone. There are also multiple watch towers installed in those walls.

The distance from the southern forest to the Styrtan settlement was not really that near. If they were traveling on foot, unless they have some mount or vehicle, it would take them more than a day. Fortunately, both of them could fly. Even so, they still needed to rest in between. After traveling for quite a few hours, the two could finally see the stone walled village.

"We are finally here! We should land and enter through the middle entrance. We are not allowed to fly directly inside." Volare flew down quite some distance before the entrance and Cyziel followed behind him. "That's the main gate of the village in front!"

Two humans who seemed to be guards could be seen standing in the two opposite sides of the gate. They were wearing something similar to a military camouflage uniform but its color patterns were purple, pink and violet.

"Oh! It's just you Volare!" One of the guard men greeted Volare. He was holding some kind of spear as he approached the two. "Wait! Who is that behind you? I don't recognize him. Is he your new junior?"

"Ah no!" Volare quickly denied. "He is actually from another humanoid race who also survived the aether storms."

"What? That is great! Though I thought that they would be arriving a bit later." The other guard reacted. Some kind of small cannon was strapped in his forearm.

"Well, this guy looked like he needed some rest so I went away first." Volare slightly rotated his body as if trying to present Cyziel.

The guards inspected Cyziel and it was obvious that he has some bad wounds. His torned up clothes were already obvious enough to see that he went to some desperate situation.

"Ah! That makes sense. Make sure to take care of the kid. Go! He definitely needs some rest." The first guard made way for the two. Thinking that Cyziel was a harmless kid, he decided to let them pass so they could rest.

"Hey kid! Don't worry the people in the village are really kind." The second guard also stepped back.

"Thank you." Cyziel did not really want to talk much right now and so he tried to keep quiet. There isn't also that much to talk about. Luckily, the guards didn't want to ask more questions.

As he entered the village, he could see houses made from stones with red brick roofs from either side of the large main street. Just northeast of him was a large building with 3 stories and it was actually one of the guard headquarters. A few distance northwest of him was a long establishment and written in it was Styrtan Inn and quite a few noises can be heard inside.

Currently, the village was also quite bustling. He could see a lot of people in the street. Some of them are placing banners across the street. Boxes of food are also being moved continuously. They are preparing for some kind of party for the new humanoid race that just arrived.

Cyziel and Volare passed through a few busy alleyways. A lot of people greeted Volare as they saw him while the others was scrutinizing and asking Cyziel as it was their first time seeing him. He actually felt that is was quite a nuisance for him.

"Sir Volare. Can I request that you withhold the information that I am from another human race?" Cyziel asked as they arrived in an empty alley.

"Ah! I understand your concerns since you would probably be bombarded by lots of questions but we then won't be able to send an expedition for your people. Well, I guess I could say that there was another aether storm in the southern forest so their might be other survivors there. Is that good enough for you?" Volare knew of Cyziel's concern but he was also wondering if there is some other reason he wanted to kept quiet.

"Thank you sir." Cyziel felt relieved as being the only member of his race right now, he would surely be placed in a tight spot. He has other things to prioritize instead of being questioned.

"People would soon still know about it though!" Volare warned. "By the way, don't call me sir! Brother would be fine. I am still just 27 you know! Come follow me! My house is just a little further to the right."

They finally arrived at Volare's house. It was quite simple but modern in design. After entering the door, it was already the living room. It has one couch made from purple wood and some kind of cotton. After that was the dining room with one small circular table. On the right of the dining room was a small bathroom. Further back would seem to be the kitchen.

After Volare toured Cyziel in his house, Cyziel asked if he could use his bathroom so he could properly clean himself. Later on, Volare asked Cyziel to eat with him.

"Go eat to your hearts content. I got lots of food here from hunting." Volare was quite happy to have helped someone. After all, he joined the militia to be able to help the people.

Cyziel started to munch the food in front of him. There are breads, vegetables and meat that were prepared by Volare in just a few minutes. "You live by yourself?"

"Yeah! I actually grew up in another village a bit north. I went here since they need people to protect this village from bandits."

"Bandits?"

"Yep. Sadly, some people are selfish to just think about themselves instead of helping everyone else"

A few minutes later, the two had finished eating and Cyziel requested if he could rest for a while. Volare offered to let him sleep in the bed but Cyziel insisted that he could sleep on the couch. Cyziel could finally rest without worries and it didn't took long until he went to a long slumber.

A day has quickly passed.

"Cy! Wake up!" Volare was giving a little shake at Cyziel until he finally woke up. "You don't want to miss the afterparty for the new race since you already missed the welcoming party yesterday. Technically, it is also for you."

As Cyziel opened his eyes, he could see Volare scrutinizing him.

"Is there something wrong?" Cyziel asked inquisitively.

"Well, your clothes are pretty messed up." Volare answered uninhibitedly. "Let's go to the clothes shop and let's find one for you. I'll handle the expenses for now but don't pick something too expensive."

"Brother, may I ask what currency do you use for buying?" Cyziel, who was still rubbing his eyes, sat down from his previously sleeping position.

"Ah! In this world, there are different qualities and types of aether crystals but that is where our currency is tied up. There are banks in every village. They have a storage of these aether crystals. You give them a crystal then you get an electronic currency in your electronic wallet. The amount you get is based on the quality of the crystal. Of course you could also withdraw a crystal from the bank but it is much easier to trade with this." Volare proudly showed the accessory that he wore in his wrist. "Look at this watch. This functions as my electronic wallet. It also has a lot of other uses so you probably need one in the future."

"So what about this? What is the value of this?" Cyziel took from his pockets one of the two remaining aether crystals he found in the ruins.

"Oh! That one looks quite good! Let me scan it with my watch." A ray of light appeared from Volare's watch, seemingly scanning the crystal in front of it. "It says that it is worth 7439 mels. You could actually buy a lot with that."

"I see then you can have it. Take it as a payment for the clothes that I will buy and the food that I ate." Cyziel offered to give up the crystal to Volare as he observed the watch that Volare was wearing. This watch and their way of trading are quite interesting. Even we were not able to quantify the energy within an aether crystal. Their current technology is quite advance.

"No no! I can't just take this -" Volare tried to refuse as he tried to push Cyziel's hand.

"Its fine. I just found it in the forest where I landed and I found another one." Cyziel pulled another one from his pocket and showed it to Volare.

"Okay if you insist!" Volare reluctantly took the crystal from Cyziel but he also seemed to be quite happy afterwards.

They now proceeded to go to the clothing shop. The store that Volare suggested seem to be a modern one. The store looked extravagant and spacious. Inside the store was a machine that could scan the customers body and you would be able to dress up your virtual self with the available clothing choices. It was pretty popular to a lot of people but Cyziel still preferred to fit them physically.

Cyziel with the help of Volare started to browse the available clothing when someone suddenly greeted them.

"Good afternoon! Are you guys looking for something specific?" A tall woman with a sleek appearance conversed with the two. "Oh! If it isn't Volare. You just have been here recently. Haven't you?"

"Madam Jena! How are you doing?" Volare returned the greeting. "I am actually helping my brother here find some clothes."

"Oh dear! What a handsome lad!" Jena, moving her eyes up and down before the young man in front of her, was surprised when she looked at his eyes. "Are you from.. Ah never mind but your clothes really needs some change! I do not know what kind of battle you had. Come. Come. I'll have my nieces here help you find some clothes.

Cyziel could surmise that she is the owner of this shop with how she acted and it seems that Volare was quite close to her if she actually offered to help them.

"Liana! My Dear! Come down here!" Jena walked some few meters towards the stairs then shouted with a loud but mellow voice.

It would seem that the establishment was also her residence as the upper floor contained quarters for people to sleep in.

"Auntie! I am still sleepy! I'll help later!" A young woman's voice with a drowsy tone was heard from upstairs.

"Are you sure about that? This time its really your loss!" Jena shouted again but no reply was heard.

"Mara! Are you there?" This time Jena called for a different name. "Come here. Help this kid find some clothes."

"Yes aunt Jena!" A young woman can be seen rushing down towards the three. She has an almond colored skin and was wearing a yellow colored dress. Her single braided hair can also be seen swinging as she ran down. Jena winked at Mara then left her with Cyziel and Volare.

"Ughh! Its just you Volare! Are you looking again for Lisa?" Mara playfully asked. "Unfortunately, it is only me and Liana here!"

"No.. No.. No! I am here to help my brother find some clothes." Volare stepped aside so that Mara could see Cyziel who was just quietly following Volare.

"Ah! Forgive my manners. I am Mara! I work here for lady Jena. I am 15 -" After seeing Cyziel, Mara started to get flustered.

"Ah! Stop it Mara! We came here to find some clothes!" Volare interrupted Mara with a smirk on his face. "Not to know you!"

Mara fiercly looked at Volare for a second before giving his focus again to Cyziel. "I'm sorry again! What kind of clothes are you looking for?"

"No worries. I am just here looking for comfortable clothes!" Cyziel just gave a casual answer then smiled but it actually caused Mara to get more flustered. Mara turned around and asked the two to follow her. They went to the part of the store with more casual clothing.

After trying out some clothes, Cyziel was finally able to find something that he liked. Ironically, Mara was no help because every time that Cyziel asked if the clothes would look good on him, her answer was always a simple yes. The clothes Cyziel found were a hooded red blazer, a simple white shirt and white jogger jeans.

"What about shoes? You probably need a new one too!" Volare reminded.

"Here here! This one is a new special edition. It was made from rubbeel. It is both comfortable and suitable for battle. Rubbeel makes it light, flexible and sturdy. It also has electronic parts tailored to it." Mara excitedly showcased a red shoe with white soles. "It is a bit expensive though. It will normally cost you 2000 mels but I could give you a 25% discount for 1500 mels."

*Rubbeel is a metal found in this world that has elastic properties. It is actually quite rare.* Volare whispered to Cyziel.

I see they call it Rubbeel now. I didn't think that this could be made as a shoe. I used to punch a dummy made of that material before. Cyziel thought to himself. "Okay! I'll take it." Cyziel casually said.

"Really?" Mara got excited with the thought of her successful promoting but when she met eye to eye with the smiling Cyziel, she again reverted to her meekly self. "I... Mean... That it would really fit with the rest of your outfit."

"So how much would everything cost?" Volare, who was also trying to compute with his fingers, asked. "seven hundred plus five--"

"It's 3200 mels in total. Wait! Are you gonna pay for him?" Mara asked surprisingly.

"Technically. He actually did pay me. You can ask him if you want." Volare redirected the question knowing Mara would stop asking.

Cyziel didn't say anything and just smiled again when Mara looked at him.

Mara didn't ask anything afterward and reached out her hand. Volare did the same. Holographic screens appeared from the wrist watches that they were wearing. They were clicking some things in the air and the transaction was finished.

Afterwards, Cyziel went again to the fitting room to change his clothes. He also threw his old clothes and shoes. The two were now prepared to leave.

"Ah! Wait! My Auntie said to give this to you!" Mara, facing down and arms stretched, was trying to give Cyziel something.

Cyziel turned around, paused for a bit, before he took the gift. "Ah Thanks!"

"Please come again!" Seeing that Cyziel was a few meters away, losing a bit of her timidness, Mara shouted.

"Oh I sure will do but please say hi to Lisa for me!" Volare, who was still feeling quite good for having the upper hand this time, replied confidently.

"Hmph! I am not talking to you!" Mara closed the door and went back in the shop.

A few moments later, Cyziel opened the wrapped up gift. Seeing that it was some kind of mask that covers the bottom part of his face, he was looking perplexed. "Why did she give this to me?"

Volare thought for a bit and tried to piece the information that he knew of. "I think she thought that you are from some noble family and that might help you hide your identity. You also seem to have a bearing of one."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't mean that you are arrogant. You just have this air of superiority but anyway, that thing won't be able to hide those eyes of yours."

"Is there a problem with my eyes?" Cyziel gave another perplexed face. He understood why he would radiate a noble aura because he was actually some kind of royalty since his eldest uncle was the king of their race.

"I'll be honest. You got great eyes but looking at it closely, I feel uncomfortable. How could I explain it?" Volare stared at Cyziel with a problematic look. "Oh I see! Its like an abyss that pulls you in. I would like to remind you that my preference are female so don't think anything weird."

My family has always had golden eyes so I don't think it is that uncommon but an abyss? Is it just a coincidence or is it related to Daraksta? or the Abyssal Lords? No. No. I must be trying to relate it after hearing the word abyss. Oh! just thinking of the abyssal lords getting angry at us a few days ago really makes me laugh. Before, just thinking about them, I would always think of escaping. But now... Cyziel who was seriously thinking of something suddenly chuckled.

"Hey are you laughing about what I said? I am not joking you know!" Volare frowned.

"No no! I just thought of something funny. Anyway, What about now?" Cyziel's pupils started to contract and expand then suddenly black streaks were spreading from the center of his eyes until the previous golden eyes are now black.

"How did you do that?" Volare jerked with surprise. "What kind of weird race do you have?"

"Ah! This time, it is not just because of my race. I got this ability due to a fortuitous encounter."

"You are a really weird man. I understand now how you were able to survive in the harsh world that you said."

It is now time for the two of them to attend the after party.