A full moon shines proudly in the night sky, illuminating the land beneath in its soft light. The top of trees softly glows, blocking the ground beneath from getting much light. The warm light of a campfire shines brightly through the trees, basking the forest floor with its warmth. Brandon sits next to the fire, holding his hands over it to warm them. Crickets, frogs, and other nighttime critters fill the air with their routine noises. Embers pop off from the fire as the wood crackles underneath its heat.

The sound of a crow cawing from above echoes throughout the forest. Brandon looks up at it and gives a gentle smile. He holds out his arm and the crows swoop down, landing on his arm. The bird holds out its leg, which has a small piece of paper wrapped around it. Brandon sits down by the fire, as the crow flies up to a nearby tree. He holds his free hand over the piece of paper, and suddenly the paper enlarges to a normal-sized piece. He holds the letter up and begins to read it.

“Dear Brandon,”

“I hope that you’re doing well, things around here have been going well. Syllia has entered another baking spree, which is driving the kitchen staff crazy. She refuses to let them do their jobs these days. And it’s like every other week she’s baking enough for every kid in the city. As far as the kingdom, we just re-signed the peace treaty. Times are different, before there were only a few kingdoms we signed treaties with. Now the council has more than fifty kingdoms that sign on. Anyway, you’re probably more interested in any information I have about the Adam gemstone. I’ve learned two things since you asked me to look into it. Firstly, there are only two ways you can use its supposed power. The first way is to absorb the gemstone into your body, which in all reported cases has led to the death of the user. The second method is safer, but no one has ever managed to do it. Rumor has it that there is a blueprint for a sword that can harness the gemstone’s power. Sadly, I have no idea where this blueprint is, but I’m looking for it. The second thing I learned, you’ll find interesting. It is rumored that old man Wu has a blue gemstone hidden in his dojo. I’m not sure if it’s the Adam gemstone, but I think you should look into it. That’s all I’ve learned so far, the moment I find the blueprint I'll let you know sweetie. Please be safe on your travels, and please come home for a visit soon. I and Syllia miss you a lot.

Love Mom.”

Brandon folds the letter up and shoves it into a nearby rucksack. He then pulls out a worn leather journal and begins writing his letter with a pencil. After a few minutes, he shrinks the letter down and holds out his arm. The crow lands on it, and he ties the letter around its foot. In a split second, the bird lunges towards the night sky, leaving Brandon by the fire. As the fire begins to slowly die, Brandon tosses another log onto it before laying down in his sleeping bag.

The sun peers over the horizon, casting its soft, warm light over the land. The light shines onto Brandon's face, slowly waking him. He sits up from his slumber and stretches out his arms.

“Man, sleeping on the ground sometimes sucks.” He thought to himself.

He quickly kicks some dirt over the embers of the fire and packs up the camp. After a few minutes, everything was packed neatly into a tattered bag. Brandon puts on a black cloak riddled with small holes. The cloak was hooded and covered him down to his ankles. Throwing the bag onto his shoulders, he makes his way out of the woods and onto a dirt road. Doing some final stretches, he begins sprinting down the road.

“Rodon should be just a few hours away, I should be there right before lunch.” He thought to himself.

As the hours pass, the small city of Rodon comes into Brandon's view on the horizon. Surrounded by a swamp and very few trees. The air becomes heavy from the humidity, with a rotten aroma in the air. The main road leading to Rodon is covered in moss and chipped away from the lack of care. As he approaches the main gate, the state of the walls is saddening. Littered with moss, falling apart, a wall that would probably fall over from the wind. A wooden gate sits atop the wall, splintered and rotted. Cobwebs growing over it, the main gate hasn't been shut in a long time. Brandon shakes his head in disapproval.

“City of the poor and crooks. You'd think they could at least upkeep the walls for their safety.” He thought to himself.

Once inside the city's walls, the falling apart theme continues with the streets and nearby buildings. Trash littering the street, along with an assortment of vomit from the local drunks. He places his hand on the dagger on his hip sheath. Most of the people out were either passed out on the streets or making their way to the next bar. His eyes dart back and forth between the buildings and streets, watching everyone he can see closely. A majority of the people ignore him, wearing a tattered cloak was a common sight. Trying not to trip over drunks and trash, Brandon makes his way to a nearby alley. A rotted wooden sign hangs above the alley entrance. The sign has a diamond engraved onto it with small lights darting out to make it seem like it was a shining diamond.

“A shining diamond that leads to a dark alley. This must be the place, though I suppose if master Wu has the gemstone, this will be a waste of time.” He thought to himself, taking his first steps down the alley.

As he enters the alley, the smell of piss and more vomit enters his nostrils. Brandon tries his best to cover his nose, but no amount of covering could hide this putrid stench. Two men begin fighting in front of him, nearly hitting him in the process. Both men were wasted, slurring nonsense at each other, barely able to stand. Brandon makes his way past them and finds a turn at the end of the alley, leading to a door with the same sign at the start of the alley. The door was oddly clean, with a polished brass handle. The walls were lacking in windows, the only way to see inside was to go through the door. Brandon grabs the doorknob, and it lets out an annoying creak as he pushes it open. The store was nearly spotless on the inside. The roof is free of cobwebs, the red carpet is freshly cleaned without any dirt on it. The walls were painted beige and not a bit was peeling. Several display cases show off many gemstones and jewelry, ranging from rubies to diamonds and rings to crowns. Brandon makes his way towards the counter, a small silver-plated bell sits on the counter.

Ding-Ding-Ding

“Just a moment!” A raspy man's voice called out from the door behind the counter.

A few moments pass and an older man comes from the back room. He was well-groomed, wearing a clean two-piece black suit with a red tie. His hair was balding and turning gray. His tanned skin was covered with wrinkles, freckles covering a good bit of his face.

“How can I help you today, sir?” The shopkeeper asked, straightening up his suit.

“I heard a rumor you recently acquired a gemstone known as the Adam gemstone. If this is true, I would like to take it off your hands.” Brandon explained.

“The rumor is correct, word travels fast, it seems. I only just received the gemstone two weeks ago. I'll go it, I keep it in the safe.” The shopkeeper said, leaving for the back room.

The shopkeep quickly makes his way into the back room, leaving Brandon alone once again. Brandon begins browsing the different display cases, picking up different jewelry and gems.

“They're all fake, not surprising though. The gemstone he's going to bring is probably fake as well. However, storing it in a safe might mean it's the real deal.” Brandon thought to himself.

“Sorry for the wait, I'm not as young as I used to be, handling the safe's door is a lot of work.” The shopkeep said, letting out a chuckle.

He places a small golden box on the counter and presents it to Brandon. Brandon carefully opens the case and a small blue gemstone sits in the middle of the case. The interior of the box was a dark red satin, that reflected the lights from above. He picks the gemstone up and holds it to the light. The gemstone hums quietly and emits a soft blue light.

“Is the stone to your liking, sir?” The shopkeeper asked, gently rubbing his hands, trying to hold back his eagerness.

“I'm not sure where you got this from, but it's a damn good fake,” Brandon said, placing it back in the golden box.

“Sir, I can assure you, this is not a fake. It was vetted not only by yours truly, but another jewelry store from Caister. It's far from a fake.” The shopkeeper said nervously.

Brandon holds his finger over the gemstone and a small bolt of lightning shoots out, hitting the gemstone. The shopkeeper watches in horror as the gemstone turns into a small dust pile in the box.

“Magic gemstones can't be destroyed by other types of magic, at least not magic as weak as that. It was a fake, just like everything else in this store.” Brandon barked, turning his back on the man.

Brandon storms out of the jewelry store, nearly ripping the door off its hinges. He makes his way deeper into the alleyway, finding a ladder near the end. He climbs atop the rooftops and sits down, thinking of his next move.

“Mom mentioned that Master Wu might have the gemstone, but why would he hide it from me? He knows that I've been after the stone these last few months. Maybe it's not the gemstone, or maybe he doesn't trust me. Either way, it seems like I'll be heading south to speak with him again.” He thought to himself.

He throws himself backward, laying on the stone roof in defeat.

“Why can't anything ever be easy? I don't even want to imagine what it'll be like looking for the Eve gemstone.” He thought, letting out a sigh.