With a fierce start, Fynn screamed as he awoke from this vivid nightmare. His heart was beating uncontrollably again, and a cold sweat of terror was pouring down his forehead.

"Are you all right?" asked Ronan, approaching the boy.

The boy was still in shock, and when the scarred man approached him, he became defensive, then crawled to the head of the bed.

"Easy!" exclaimed the marked man, raising both hands to calm the boy, "I'm not going to hurt you. It was just a dream, boy."

"It was real," exclaimed Fynn with exaltation, breathing too shakily, "It was so real."

"It seemed real, but it was a dream." Ronan tried to comfort him.

Fynn looked up into the room. Everything seemed in order; he was in the same place where he had slept, far away from that monster the boy saw in his dreams and that infinite place he visited.

"Where is Yue?" asked the boy, agitated.

"She's getting the horses ready. We'll be out in a bit," Ronan indicated as he held out a cup with a hot drink. "May I ask what your dream was about?"

Fynn watched Ronan, and after taking a couple of sips of his drink to clear his throat and head, he proceeded to tell Ronan what he had dreamed.

Ronan chalked the dream into something simple, a mixture of emotions and thoughts. The night before, he had told the boy how he had appeared on a beach when he first entered that world.

Once the boy had recovered his composure, all they needed was to mount their horses. So, leaving the inn and after shouldering all of Ronan's books and bags, the pair made their way to where the horses were.

"Good thing you didn't leave," exclaimed Ronan jokingly, "I thought you would take your horse and leave us here just like that."

Yue turned to the marked ones, eyeing Ronan with annoyance. The akajsi girl now wore her hair pulled back in a ponytail, and they had a better glimpse of her pale face.

"If I left, Fynn wasn't going to be able to ride his horse properly," the girl said, chewing on the nuts in her mouth.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Ronan reprimanded, taking the weight of his belongings from Fynn to load them onto her horse and that of the pair of marked children.

"Are you okay?" asked Yue to Fynn.

The boy was still shocked, and that question caught him off guard.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Did you have a nightmare?" the girl asked.

The boy nodded, a little crestfallen.

"It's the second time I've dreamed something vivid like that. It felt so real that it didn't seem like a dream," the boy hesitated as he mentioned all that. However, he soon gave a deep sigh.

He knew there was no point; he had woken up, which was the most important thing. So he turned to his friend to give her a smile.

"I hope I didn't wake you up last night."

"I was awakened by his snoring," she pointed her eye to Ronan as she shared the bag of nuts for her breakfast with Fynn.

"What, I don't snore," Ronan denied as if that was nonsense.

"You slept sitting up. I could hear you snoring and babbling things."

"Absurd, totally absurd. Now get in; I want to get to Eastfront early as I must visit several places there."

"Where shall we go there?" asked Fynn as he mounted his horse.

"I must go to a temple in honor of Lithal and to a couple of stores to buy writing supplies. Not to mention I need to buy some good equipment for both of you..."

"I think I have six arrows left," Yue indicated.

"Six good reasons to buy you more," replied the marked man.

"That city is bigger than this one, right?" asked Fynn.

"Shh! shut up!" suddenly interrupted Ronan, "quiet!"

Ronan hid behind his horse, and Fynn and Yue watched in confusion. A considerable murmur was heard coming from the masses of people walking the streets of Sunhold. Men and women were moving away from the cobblestone streets at a hurried pace. The passing of a horseman could be heard as the pair of marked children looked up, and that's when they saw him.

A man in heavy plate armor rode through the streets slowly, confidently pace, riding a giant white horse. His closed helmet prevented him from looking you in the face, but you could feel the guy's eyes piercing through the lines, watching every person who crossed his path. Cloth and Furs adorned his armor, and while he held the reins of his horse with one hand, the other was resting on the handle of his sword.

"Psst! Let's go!" a voice was heard to say. Soon, a rider jumped on Ronan's horse, "Let's go!"

The one who had jumped on the horse was a woman with wavy black hair and wearing the same black leather armor as Ronan.

"Ron--?"

"Quiet!" muttered the woman between her teeth, "It's me. Let's go!"

Yue urged her horse forward, so did Fynn's. The pair of children and the marked man moved slowly down the road. Fynn turned one last time to look at that knight. There was something strange in that man. Soon he saw the knight dismount from his horse and get into the back alleys until he was finally out of sight.

"So close..." exclaimed Ronan, still wearing that woman's face.

"Why the hell did you do that?" asked Yue to the marked man.

"I didn't want him to recognize me, so I preferred to hide as best I could."

Fynn hesitated for a moment, but her hunch seemed to be strong. "That man was a marked man?"

"You felt it, didn't you?" asked Ronan.

"What is he doing here?" asked the Akajsi girl.

"Selling his sword to the highest bidder or perhaps fulfilling some chore. Either way, I don't want to be here if he has to do that. He'll be just like us, but that guy must have a lot of blood on his hands."

"Why is he here alone?" asked Fynn, "Aren't he afraid of getting caught?

Ronan turned his gaze to Fynn and sentenced that with his words.

"Boy, what you did the other day with the bandits, and what you are very sorry you did, for that warrior must be an everyday thing."

That somewhat disturbed Fynn and Yue, who soon caught sight of each other.

With a brisk ride along the roads that separated Sunhold from Eastfront, the horses marched relentlessly across long plains and small hills. Soon, the colorful artisan town was forgotten. It was then, on the horizon, and an even more enormous and grayish city loomed.

Afternoon, and finally leaving the horses to rest, the trio arrived at Eastfront without any problems in their journey.

The city of Eastfront was perhaps five times the size of its predecessor; there were many more people on the streets, many more animals, and even more filth.

Shouts of merchants could be heard everywhere, and dozens of wagons were going in and out of the enormous city walls. The local guard watches every corner of the city and every person who enters its gates.

Again in his usual guise, Ronan deftly handed over a forged permit.

The guard with papers in hand read the text attentively while his companion watched the man and his two companions.

"So, Mr. Evenore, how long do you plan to stay in the city?"

"Long enough to get supplies and continue on our way. A couple of days to observe the splendor of this incredible city and a few more to perform my duties with Lilthal Cathedral."

"I must admit, it is strange to run into a pilgrim accompanied by children. Especially..." the guard looked at Yue, returning a cold stare.

"The girl is going through a conversion, gentlemen. She left the false gods behind and accepted Lithal."

"We won't take up any more of your time, Mr. Evenore. You are once again welcome to the city," exclaimed the guard.

"Evenore?" asked Fynn, "How many names do you have once away from the guard?"

"Is your name even Ronan?" spat Yue.

"I have a list of names and papers to act. So both of you, relax, my real name is what I told you."

"Why don't you change your face when you change roles?" asked Yue.

"It would be effortless to do that and no less fun either," joked Ronan.

On the roads to the cathedral, the slums and muddy paths inside the city were full of dirty and poor people, every step they made, they had to dodge men and women who wanted to sell them anything to eat.

"This city is horrible compared to Sunhold," Fynn said, incredulous.

"Just this part of town, there are others that are better," Ronan explained.

"This is what the farmer meant when he referred to this place as dreadful."

Ronan pointed to a massive castle in the center of town, "If you have complaints, go and tell the council there they gather to watch their bellies grow while they drink wine. We didn't come to fix these poor souls' lives. We're just passing through."

Fynn and Yue were guided through the city's main streets by their mentor. As dirty and horrible as the town was, it was nice to hide among people for once without fear of being lynched. People were coming and going, everyone was doing their own thing, and at times, everyone was ignoring them.

Arriving at the district of armorers and blacksmiths, Ronan had to find someone capable of meeting the demands he was asking for. After a fourth attempt, he finally found someone capable of fulfilling his needs.

Inside the armorer's store, the assistants handed some pieces of armor and weaponry to the pair of marked children.

Fynn's boots had been reinforced, and he had been granted bracers and a coat of scales light enough for him to move about on the battlefield.

"Yet, you're a novice, so I'll just focus on protecting vital parts with both," Ronan explained, rapping the knuckles of the hand where he held his pipe against the scales of the armor, "get used to it because It'll be your new best friend."

Yue's armor, by default, must have been lighter, and the girl helped the attendant adjust the pieces on her chest along with the shoulder pad she wore.

"It's not of the quality of akajsi leather, but..." the armorer expressed proudly.

"It will work for someone still learning, sir," exclaimed Ronan.

Last and most important were undoubtedly the weapons they would carry.

Yue's bow and quiver were old and worn out; whoever had owned them before hadn't paid enough attention. The girl left the place with a new bow and a pair of throwing knives.

Ronan's words were clear, "that girl's best virtue was an accurate eye."

Even if Fynn had no desire to use weapons, he would need them. Between desire and need lay the key to staying alive.

A short sword and a hand ax were Ronan's choices for the boy; simple, concrete weapons for someone who needed them when approaching an enemy.

Now the pair of marked children were no longer even a shadow of the ragtag characters Ronan had encountered days ago.

"This is so noisy," Fynn exclaimed as he paced and the pieces of his coat rattled.

"You don't have to be stealthy; leave that job to her," Ronan indicated, smiling as he and the children were lost in the crowds.

"Is it safe to be here?" asked Yue, wary of her surroundings.

"You're in the middle of a city. There must be twenty-five thousand other poor souls living here who just want to make a life for themselves."

"What now?" asked Fynn.

Amid a growing crowd in the town squares, Ronan stopped and pointed to a gray stone cathedral in the distance. The religious edifice had a triangle that symbolized Lithal.

"I'll meet a couple of people there. Then, we'll go for supplies for several weeks of travel."

"Weeks?" exclaimed Fynn, incredulous.

"Lastrel isn't close, and I don't plan to force the horses that much."

"Sounds logical," said Yue, "we'll go with you there so they can convert me to their religion?"

Ronan chuckled, "I'd be a fool to do so."

Soon, the crowd around them began to jeer and throw rotten vegetables at a couple of approaching carriages.

Wary and a little frightened by these hostile attitudes, the kids approached Ronan.

"What's going on?" asked Yue.

"A procession of thieves," said Ronan, "they must be taken to the prison here to be executed."

"I hope there are the rats among them," Yue spat.

Amid the crowds, the trio peered out to see those caged carriages where they were carrying people. Apparently, it wasn't just thieves moving there; murderers, rapists, and traitors accompanied the thieves.

In the first carriage went the thieves, tied with their hands behind their backs and in an open carriage so that the rotten vegetables would hit them better.

In the second carriage went the murderers and rapists. It was closed not for fear that they would escape but for fear that some relative of the victims would murder them in the middle of the yard.

Finally, the traitors, people who communed with enemy countries or marked ones. In that carriage, those who traveled in went with their hands tied to the bars and were subjected to the greatest insults. For these people, treason was the worst of crimes.

"How disgusting," Yue said.

"Too much, but it's as if a circus parade is going through the city for these people."

The akajsi girl soon turned her gaze to her companion, who abruptly advanced through the people booing criminals.

Without hesitation, the girl followed him, "Hey, what's going on?"

The boy opened his eyes in disbelief and soon pointed to one of the women in the last carriage. The thin woman with several bruises on her face was familiar to him, for that reddish hair was unmistakable.

"Yue, that's Idda."