The city of Sunhold was more vibrant than they thought it would be as with the first rays of the sun, the streets were crowded with people. Artisans with aprons dirty from working so much carried their wares to the stalls of the bazaar, and hundreds of citizens and peasants appeared everywhere to make their purchases. The shouts of the merchants could be heard from a distance, as well as the laughter and murmurs.

Fynn wanted to explore the city, as its bright colors and the variety of things they seemed to sell caught his attention. He tried to satiate what seemed like an instinct to explore that emanated from him.

On the other hand, Yue wanted to get away from that place, but for the moment, that was impossible. They were trapped in the Inn's room; they could only watch the city from the window, as Ronan had been very strict about what they could do. If the circumstances were different, Yue would have jumped onto the tiled roof and slipped away.

"It'll just be for today," Fynn relieved Yue's spirits with words, "it's for our safety."

"It bothers me to stay still in one place," replied the elven girl, "What if someone has discovered us? What if the woman who runs this place has betrayed us and Ronan doesn't know?"

"You are very paranoid," expressed Fynn smiling. Yue looked at him with annoyance, and he tried again to appease her, "I know what it feels like to be suspicious of everything and everyone, but he seems to be good at hiding. So I doubt anyone has discovered us."

"I don't know..." mumbled Yue while spitting out the seed of the fruit of her breakfast.

The boy sighed and said, "Though you're right, maybe we raised some suspicions since he showed up with two new 'helpers.'"

Yue shook her head in disbelief, “helpers, please…”

"But she also didn't ask questions when he gave her extra money for us," the boy replied.

"I don't know, Fynn..."

"You don't have fleas, do you?" asked Fynn with a smirk.

Yue raised an eyebrow and soon smiled as she saw Fynn's smirk, whom she soon punished with a smack.

"Apparently, someone stopped crying and has a sense of humor," exclaimed Yue.

"Hey!" Fynn laughed as he protected from Yue's fists, "well, now you just need to be less bitter, just like now."

They both ate the fruits and drinks that Ronan ordered for both of them for breakfast, and Yue, whenever she ate fruit with a seed inside, she quickly threw it with a finger flick. She threw the seed out the window every time she did, hitting the same metal frame as the Inn's sign each time.

"Can you aim while doing that?" the marked boy asked in amazement.

Yue watched him and soon spat out a seed she shot with her fingers at great speed and accuracy, hitting the center of the Inn's sign.

"You've got pretty good aim," Fynn said smiling.

"I guess that's kept me alive," she expressed. "Every time I thew something, or when I shoot and arrow, it's like if I can have time enough to do anything."

"That's amazing," the boy said.

Then, the girl saw a couple of men staggering around drunkenly, the classic drunks of the city, each one more ragged and stinking of alcohol than the other.

Yue aimed at one of them to measure her accuracy as a childish prank. Then, her seed hit the man's ear with finesse, who screamed angrily as if something had stung him, or someone had poked him. The kids laughed, but it all ended when the guy punched his friend, thinking he was to blame for his pain. Then, they started a fight.

The two kids quickly hid under the window frame, slipping away from their prank.

The door opened, and Ronan came in laden with stuff under his arm, and soon he noticed the pair of children with wide eyes hidden under the window frame.

The man asked, "What are you two doing?"

"Nothing," they both replied in unison.

"Oh, right..."

Ronan watched them in silence for a few moments, he could hear fights and screams outside the window, but for his own good, he decided not to go further.

"W-What are you bringing there?" asked Fynn curiously.

"Oh, clothes for you two, simple traveling attire," explained the blonde man. "I hope the boots fit you; it must be horrible to wear barefoot for so long."

Ronan laid the attire on both children's beds, and they ran over to see what he had bought. Ronan sat watching as they both browsed through what he had bought.

"Thank you so much," Fynn said, smiling.

"It's the least I can do," the man said, shrugging. "I tried to buy you some protection from the artisan bazaar or some armorer. However, they asked too many questions about why the cuirass size would be for a youngster instead of an adult. So I'll get weapons for you two, more arrows for you, girl, and some sword."

"Should we go with swords and bows around?" asked Fynn.

Ronan sighed as he sat on the only chair in that room.

"There's no other choice, boy," said the man. "There are dangerous people on the roads, and many want us dead too."

"Oh, I see..."

Ronan watched the boy turn briefly sad and tried to cheer him up, "I don't know if you need anything like that, though. You made my bones creak the other day just with your strength."

"I'm sorry!" said the worried boy.

"Heh, no problem, I've been hit worse, but I should have expected it from you; After all, you possess a warrior's mark..."

The marked boy's look again went to the back of his hand. Yue did the same with her as well.

"Mine is the same as his, but I'm sure I don't have that same strength," the girl explained.

"The warrior's mark acts in two different ways," explained Ronan. "Either you have superhuman strength or enviable reflexes."

"She has perfect aim," Fynn pointed out, causing a mutual grin of mischief with Yue as she knew the context.

"I have seen many warriors of both cases; they are fierce men and women who lash out with exceptional ability against their enemies. They can defeat dozens of enemies in a very short time."

"So, are there other marks?" asked Fynn once again.

Ronan proceeded to remove his gauntlet and exposed his mark. The kids moved to the foot of the bed to look at what the marked man was showing them. The pattern on the back of Ronan's hand differed from theirs; Instead of a triangular appearance like both of theirs, this one was square. In addition to that, it was accompanied by various other features.

"It looks weird," Yue exclaimed.

"It's because my mark is much more developed than yours."

Both children looked at their hands and corroborated that.

"Over time, it becomes harder to hide; my mark extends below my elbow," pointed out Ronan, wearing a shirt and gloves despite the slightly warm temperatures there. "Sometimes I trick people into thinking I'm part of some brotherhood of mercenaries, thieves or something."

"That looks like a big problem," said Fynn.

"It is, but I guess that's one of the few flaws."

"What positive things do we have?" asked Yue, with some irony.

Ronan smiled smugly, "Well, as far as I've studied, we have a lot of skills."

"Like what?" asked the marked boy again.

The long-haired blond man contemplated his options; he was looking for the simplest of all the talents the Marked Ones had. An excited smile was visible on Ronan's face, something that Fynn and Yue could see.

Then, Ronan said, "I suppose the gift of tongues is one of them."

"'gift of tongues'?" expressed Yue.

Ronan laughed and then explained.

"Haven't you ever wondered why people understand us, even though we've never been here?" the man asked with a smile. "The Miznians, inhabitants of Mizuna, have a different language than the neighboring country, the Kingdom of Soramel. However, I bet you would understand what they speak if you went there. We can speak virtually every language in the world. But, unfortunately, that doesn't cover reading, so you'll have to learn to read."

The children soon dawned on it.

"Wherever we go, everyone would understand us..." exclaimed Fynn in amazement.

"We can speak the languages of other humanoids to; the Akajs, Durnis, Rakoas, and many more."

"And those are?" asked Yue.

"Your people's language, girl, but also the dwarves and dragons. There aren't many around here. The Akajsi kingdom of Drel is very isolated. A group of elves west of here have some hostilities with the Miznians. The Durnirs and Rakes live in the mountains and don't tend to have much contact with us."

"W-What else can we do?" asked Fynn, curious.

"It all depends on the type of mark you possess. Each has its benefits and curses. For example, the warrior's mark spawns excellent fighters but makes them weak against those who own a wizard's mark.

"Are you a mage?" asked Yue, "what you did with the card. Ruelle said it was magic."

"My mark is the trickster's mark," explained Ronan, "The wizard's mark practically shakes the threads of the universe. I learned a few spells with some practice, but it's nothing compared. However, with my mark, I can do things like this..."

Ronan soon slid his hand in front of his face, and his face changed appearance. He soon took Fynn's face, then Yue's, both teens startled as his head took on the shape of a cat's, then back to theirs again.

"Amazing!" exclaimed Fynn gleefully.

"He was also able to make himself invisible too," Yue added of the camp incident.

"Yes, but I avoid doing it," Ronan replied, "That tires me out mentally and isn't always effective."

"Your powers are amazing," exclaimed the boy with a wide smile.

"That's the most natural skill, The gift of a thousand faces. All the marks have one thing in common: what would take ordinary people years or decades to master, we have a talent that allows us to learn quickly. Fynn's strength is characteristic of the warrior's mark, and I bet your weapon talent will be as formidable as that of one of my friends."

"Does your friend, the pedant, have a wizard's mark?" asked Yue.

"Yes, indeed. Kyrus has a wizard's mark and is one of the best sorcerers to inhabit this place. He may be a pedant, but I believe he knows how to use magic in a way no one can compare."

"And your friend, who possesses a mark like ours?" asked Fynn.

"Oh, Rawani, the battle master. I bet fighting her must cause many people's legs to shake. She is an orc, a type of humanoid that dwells in the north, on the warmer shores of the continent, and they are made for fighting."

"You can come into this world with any face," Yue pointed out, "a human, an akajsi..."

"I know, it's amazing, don't you think?" said Ronan animatedly.

"Not if they call you a 'pointy-eared whore'," she replied.

"It's because there will always be people who hate you, whether because you're marked or your face..."

"The lumberjacks who attacked us called us demons, and they called me that," Yue blurted out before falling silent for a few moments.

"I'm sorry for that," said Ronan.

Then she spoke again, "I don't have incredible strength like Fynn. One of them knocked me to the ground, and I escaped because I stabbed him with his own knife,"

Yue glanced at the table next to the bed, where she kept that weapon.

"It was either you or him," Ronan said calmly.

He got a lot of experience with that, and they saw it in his eyes.

"Will it always be like this?" asked Fynn.

The man settled back in his chair and then laced his fingers together.

"Well, you have two choices," the man pointed out, "Either you hide your identity and pretend to live among them, or you show yourself as you are and face adversity. I may hide and change my name wherever I go, but if I must show me as I am, I do."

Ronan watched as his words were still heavy and challenging for both kids to digest.

Then, he tried to cheer them up, "Hey, get dressed in your new clothes, and let's walk around town. I bet you must be sick of being here."

Fynn looked at his friend and said, "As long as we don't get caught by some drunks...".

The boy smiled, and then Yue did it.

Decked out in new shirts, pants, boots, and gloves, little remained of the pair of ragged children who had arrived in that place days ago. Both clothes were simple; Fynn's shirt was white and buttonless, while Yue's was looser and had a couple of threads to tighten it near her neck. Both felt their feet very pressed inside their boots, but that would become temporary as they walked more.

Now they could hide among the other people.

"I should buy you a new cloak," Ronan pointed out, escorting the pair of children out of the Inn.

"No, I like my cloak," Yue exclaimed.

"Suit yourself; keep wearing it if you want that old frayed thing. I'll try to get you some leather bracers or something that might give some protection for both of you."

The pair of marked children watched with their eyes on the bazaar, attracted by the items they were selling or the vendors' premises.

So many faces were watching them, many smiling at them and trying to sell them something, while others just looked at them to discern what they were doing in that place.

People came and went immersed in their world and tasks, and no one paid them more attention than necessary. For a few moments, they felt removed from the problems that had plagued them.

"What's that?" asked Fynn, pointing to an entertainment stand.

That stand caught both attention.

It was a small puppet show. Small children were watching it, which took place in the middle of the bazaar. Puppets of jesters and knights were fighting or joking, causing Fynn to laugh and Yue to smile. However, it was soon to become different.

"Even the bravest knight feels fear when a demon appears!"

The puppeteer soon brought out a simple doll with angry eyes and an absurd mark on its chest. He wore ordinary clothes, but all the children shouted and jeered at what was, in theory, a Marked One.

"When one of them shows up here, we must all do our part and banish him!"

Several puppets appeared in started attacking the Marked puppet. Then, the children threw rocks at it, encouraged by parents or whoever was walking by.

A pair of hands landed on both shoulders and made them startle.

"I told you not to get separated," Ronan scolded them in annoyance.

The fearful faces on both children and seeing that nefarious sight made him realize what was going on.

"Oh, fuck. Let's get going," Ronan ordered, leading them back to the Inn.

"I-Is that what they think?" asked Fynn. "All people believe in that?

"No, it's what they're taught." said Ronan, "let's keep going; pay no attention. Tomorrow we're leaving here."

"Oh, Where?, To some other place where they want to hunt us?" spat Yue.

Ronan preferred to be silent at the akajsi girl's words.