With practiced steps, Kael descended from his hideout and walked out into the city streets. A quick fifteen meters later, he exited the alley onto the Markroff-Rainer street. With all of the people, lights, and music, there was never a dull moment. Even for someone that more or less lived there, it was truly a sight to behold by night.

By day nothing hinted at the spectacle of the night, presenting itself as just another street. Most shops were closed, and the area looked almost abandoned. Few people lived in and around the neighborhood, offering little incentive for more normal stores to open, especially considering the sky-high rent.

Walking past parked cars for a few minutes, Kael arrived at one of the rare stores open during the day. Over time, it had become his first stop most mornings. A bakery with over a hundred years of history had managed to adapt to the changing environment. Circumstances had forced their hand. Not wanting to give up their traditional business, they had transitioned into a 24/7 shop rather than selling their store.

Like their opening hours, their offerings had evolved with time. Bread, rolls, pastries, and cakes by day. Spiced, filled rolls, hearty creations both warm and cold, and loads of pastries by night. Inspired by the success of the bakery, more stores followed their example, now providing their adapted services for the party people of the night. Some also opened in the daytime for the people living in the area from time to time.

Kael's reason for visiting the bakery almost every morning, however, was not to buy something. His cash reserves did not provide much lenience, sadly. Instead, since credits were mighty hard to come by, he frequented the other tradition the store upheld. The reason he, and many other unfortunate souls, came was found by the backdoor of the building. Whoever ran the bakery when it first opened had begun saving what the store could not sell, and the next day, they would pack it and give it out to the homeless and needing.

It had been a tradition long before Kael arrived in this part of town, and he was more than happy to abide by the local rules. It meant not going hungry most days and even eating delicious things once in a while if he was lucky. When he arrived at the back, it was already late in the day, but there were still bags left to take. “Lucky!” Taking one at random, he bowed once to the closed door of the bakery, quietly thanking them for their dedication, before leaving. With breakfast in his hands, he could almost forget everything that had happened the last two days.

Not wanting to return to his hideout to eat, he walked through the city. Soon he arrived at a nearby small park and sat down on a bench. Only now did he look into the bag, inspecting what he would eat for breakfast today. In the tinted plastic bag, he found a nice mix of bread rolls and pastries. They would give him the energy to accomplish what he needed to do today. Sitting on the bench with the sun peeking through the green canopy, he began to eat.

As he sat there with his belly filled, the tranquil green in the middle of the bustling city of steel and glass, he felt a sense of peace. Letting his mind drift, he felt himself falling deeper and deeper into a pool of colors and light surrounding him. No thoughts. No desires or fears. Kael immersed himself in the nature all around, feeling it seeping into him and filling him with warmth.

He had no idea how long he had been sitting there when he opened his eyes again sometime later. Hell, he had no idea what exactly he had just experienced. What he did know was that right now, sitting here, he felt closer to nature than he ever had.

Surrounded by nature, he felt connected to the raw life and strength it contained. He felt it course through him, nourishing and invigorating him. This is what being at peace felt like, he thought. Suddenly a car horn ripped through the peace breaking his immersion. Sadness filled his heart as he returned to the mundane when the last bit of magic was gone.

Minutes passed. Kael, still having trouble making sense of the world, began to stroll through the park. When he still had not come up with the answer