1 Chapter 1: Dawn of a New Day

As the sun slowly rose from behind the mountains, the clashing of metal echoed across a courtyard. The crimson rays of light reflected off the weapons of the two men as they clashed against each other.

One of them looked like he was at his late twenties. He was wearing a dark blue uniform, wielding a tachi. He was much taller than the average person. His black hair barely reached his shoulders. His bright green eyes were focused on his opponent's movements. It looked as if nothing could escape his sight. He was easily pushing his much younger opponent back.

His opponent was wearing simple black clothes. He was a young man, about 15 years old. He also had long, black hair that easily passed his lower back. He was short, even for his age. Unlike his well-built opponent, he was slender and thin. His movements were much faster than the other person, yet he seemed to be unable to accomplish much. He squinted as he barely blocked his opponents' blade with his tachi. The sunlight reflecting off his opponent's sword was blinding him. His pale purple eyes were already sensitive to light and his opponent was taking full advantage of that.

He struggled a little bit more before his opponent easily deflected one of his attacks and put the sharp edge of his blade against his throat.

"It's my win again." The older man said with a smile. "Not bad, Ren." He sheathed his sword and patted the young man's head. "You're improving."

Ren just sighed as he also sheathed his sword and picked up his cloak from the ground. "You say that, but I still can't land a single blow on you." He approached the small fountain and carefully washed his arms. He shivered as the ice-cold water touched his skin. It soon numbed the pain around his numerous cuts and bruises.

"Nah, you were pretty close this time." The man also came to wash off his non-existent sweat. "Besides, you really shouldn't compare yourself to me yet." He splashed some water on Ren. "Don't worry about anyone else. Focus on what you can do."

"I know." Ren took a deep breath, then submerged his head into the ice-cold water. He didn't last long; it was too cold, and his face immediately went numb.

"Hey, you're going to catch a cold if you keep doing that. It's not summer anymore." He threw a towel on Ren's head. "Dry your hair."

Ren ignored what he just said and put the towel back down. "Yu, are you going to be leaving tonight as well?"

"I don't know yet," Yu grabbed the towel and started drying Ren's hair. "Why?"

"Well," A wry smile formed on Ren's face. "I know you probably can't, but I was wondering if you could make it to the entrance ceremony."

Yu stopped for a second. "I don't know." He continued, taking care not to pull Ren's hair too harshly. "I'm sorry Ren. I can't promise."

"It's fine." Ren stared at the ground. Then, he forced a big grin and turned to face Yu. "Race to the room?" He grabbed his tachi and cloak and took off sprinting before Yu could even react. By the time Yu had started chasing after Ren, he was already at the other edge of the courtyard.

Ren left the courtyard, sprinted across the gardens, and only slowed down when he reached the outer wall of the First Spire.

Just like the other two spires, the First Spire was a very old part of the inner keep. The large bricks it was made of weren't well aligned, so it was possible to climb the exterior. Ren jumped up, just barely reaching the first ledge. He grabbed the weathered edges and pulled himself up. His small build gave him the advantage over Yu.

"Ren!" he could hear Yu's voice.

"Are you giving up?" He smirked and jumped to the next ledge.

"Like hell I am!" Yu yelled as he prepared to jump. Ren suddenly felt the air grow colder. As his senses warned him of mana gathering below him, he pulled himself up the ledge. "Come on Yu, that's not fair!" His voice was supressed by the sudden winds.

Ren quickly held on to the cracks on the wall and closed his eyes as the winds threatened to unbalance him. After a mere moment, the winds disappeared. He felt a hand tap his shoulder. "Given up already, Ren?"

Ren opened his eyes. Yu was there, right in front of him. He was standing on a magical glyph that was floating in the air. "Ugh, you know I can't do anything if you use magic."

"Don't underestimate yourself." Yu smiled and poured some more mana into the glyph, enlarging it. "Get on. I don't want to have to catch you when you fall." He helped Ren stand on the glyph, and they floated upwards.

"I'm not underestimating myself, Yu. You can't expect me to climb faster than this." Ren gestured towards the glyph. They had already reached the tenth-floor balcony. Ren jumped down as Yu gracefully floated down.

"Go clean yourself properly, then go get some breakfast." Yu said as he entered their quarters. "I'm off to sleep." He placed his sword on its wall rack and headed to his room.

"Sleep well." Ren mumbled as he headed to the bath. Yu's sleep schedule was the exact opposite of Ren's. As the First Battlemage, Yu had to be awake during the night as that was the only time he could survive outside.

Ren took his clothes off and soaked himself in the warm water. He could feel his body relax after the harsh training. He replayed their duel in his head, trying to figure out a way to beat Yu.

"Ahh, who am I kidding?" He sighed as he gave up. Yu was the First Battlemage. He was one of the thirteen pillars of Arkon, the last bastion of humanity. Ren stared at the steam from the bath. He tried to not show, but he was worried about Yu. He had to leave Arkon several times a week just to kill the beasts that got too close to the barrier surrounding the city.

Suddenly, he remembered that he hadn't eaten breakfast yet. He quickly got out of the bath and dried himself. Before he put on some fresh clothes, he glanced at the weird mark on the left side of his chest, right on his heart. It was black and almost looked like a glyph. He could sense faint traces of magic from it. He didn't know what it was or why he had it. Both Yu and the Archmage had tried to get rid of it but none of them had any success. Perhaps once he studied magic himself, he'd be able to figure out what it was and how he came to possess it.

Once dressed, Ren left their quarters and headed to the mess hall. It was still very early in the morning, yet most of the Inner Keep residents had gone to sleep. The Inner Keep was where all the battlemages, wizards and warriors resided in. It was the last line of defence, the last place people could take shelter in, in case the barrier surrounding Arkon fell. These people would leave Arkon every few nights, eliminate any threats before they could reach the barrier, gather resources such as arcane crystals and mana-infused materials, survey the area and just generally keep the city safe.

Ren was an exception. He lived here only because Yu found him abandoned when he was just a small child. He was the closest thing to a father Ren had. Yu took him in, taught him basic magic and trained him in the way of the sword.

The mess hall was mostly empty. Most of the food was already served as people had eaten and gone to sleep already but Ren still found some relatively fresh toast and some fruits. He sat down at one of the tables and started eating.

"Hey kid." He heard a soft whisper.

"What the-"Startled, he quickly turned around to see a beautiful young woman. "Alicia! Stop that."

She was tall, slender, and really, really pretty. She had bright blue eyes, long, wavy crimson hair. She was wearing a simple white dress.

"Nope, it's too much fun." She sat next to him and took one of his apple slices. "How did morning training go?"

"Don't steal my food." He pulled his tray closer to himself. "Training went as well as you'd expect. I still don't stand a chance."

"No one does, that's the whole point." She reached out and patted his head. "You really shouldn't compare yourself to him." She suddenly smiled and grabbed another apple slice.

"Hey! That's my food Alicia." Ren pulled his tray further away from her. "Anyways," He took a bite out of his toast. "I have to go to the city and buy some stuff. Are you heading off to sleep?"

"No," She shook her head. "I'll meet someone for a few hours before I turn in for the day. Say Ren," She smiled and reached for his hair. "Mind if I come with you for a couple of hours? I have some time to waste."

"No, not at all." Ren took another bite out of his toast. He felt his hair being pulled. "Alicia, what are you doing?"

"Your hair is fun to play with."

"No, no it's not." Ren said with an almost desperate voice. "Please let me eat in peace."

She just giggled and pulled a crimson ribbon out of her pocket. "You know, you've got to get ready for the academy. You can't keep hiding your face behind all this hair." She pushed his hair away from his face. "Show that face to the girls." She grinned as he rolled his eyes.

"That's not what the academy is for Alicia. Leave my hair be." Despite his complaints, he didn't really try to stop her.

"Now," Alicia pulled Ren's hair up and used the ribbon to tie it properly. "At least it won't always be in your face. And this way you won't accidentally sit on it."

"Well, you're not wrong about that." Ren sighed. He didn't really care much about his appearance, the only reason he let his hair grow this long was because it could be used as a sacrifice in some spells and rituals. "Anyways," He shook his head and ate the last apple slice. "Are you sure you want to come with me? I'll just be going from store to store and I doubt you'd be interested in weak arcane crystals or magic theory books."

"That's why I want to come, you dummy." Alicia jokingly poked him in the shoulder. "I know The First taught you well, but I went to the academy, I know what you really need." She stood up and pulled Ren up as well. "The things they list in that letter aren't nearly enough. Come on, let's go."

"Alicia!" Ren just barely grabbed his tachi as Alicia dragged him outside. She was surprisingly strong for someone with her looks and build. Ren knew that he couldn't really change her mind once she decided to help, so once he regained his balance, he tried his best to keep up with her.

"So, who are you meeting later anyways?" He asked as they left the inner keep. He knew that Alicia was seeing someone, but she was adamant about keeping it a secret from her colleagues.

"Someone." She smirked. "Jealous?"

Ren just sighed as he gave up on the conversation and looked up to the clear sky. The sun hurt his eyes, but he didn't avert his gaze. That flaming sphere, the very thing humanity needed to survive, yet was also threatened to be destroyed by. It was beautiful.

"Ren?" Alicia stopped walking and looked up as well. "Oh. You know," She smiled. "You can't see it very well from beneath the barrier. Its colour is actually a lot more vivid. Or so they say."

"I wish I could see it." Mumbled Ren. "But anyways, let's get going." He shook his head and started walking again.

For a moment it looked like Alicia had pity in her eyes as she hesitated. "Oh Ren…"

"Are you coming Alicia?" Ren asked when he noticed she was still standing far back. "The stores are just up ahead in the main street."

"Oh, yeah." She quickly caught up. "Show me the letter, I want to see if they added anything in the last six years."

Ren gave the letter to her. "Just a list of books and 'ingredients for ritual circles'." He sighed. There were hundreds of different ways to create ritual circles, the most common way was simple chalk. The list really was a bit too vague.

"And a Ritual Anchor." The Anchors were what let a simple chalk drawing become a conduit for mana.

It was still early in the morning, so the main street was relatively empty. The stores were already open for business and there were a few people shopping. The two walked along the street as Ren occasionally stopped to look at some items on display. He didn't often get the chance to leave the Inner Keep, so it was fun to just walk around and look at things.

"Well, let's get the books first. I'll help with the ingredients." Alicia gestured towards the largest bookstore in Arkon.

It was a three-story marble building. It towered above all other buildings on the main street. The sign in front read 'Tesfel's Books'. As they went inside, Ren gasped in amazement. Massive bookshelves lined the walls. The shelves were made of real ebony wood. It must have cost a fortune to get their hands on so much of it.

The shelves were lined with books, old and new, spell tomes and scrolls and even some really old parchments.

"Did the First never bring you here?" Alicia asked with a slightly surprised expression. "How did you get all the books you studied with so far then?"

"He'd bring them when he decided I needed them. I… didn't really leave the Inner Keep all that much. You should remember, I was always sick." Ren said silently. He didn't like remembering those times. He was weak, powerless back then.

Alicia flinched, immediately regretting her question. As she clearly hesitated and searched for a way to change the topic, Ren forced a smile and pulled her further inside. "Come on, show me around!"

"Sure, come on." Alicia said with a relieved expression. "Though, I haven't been here since the renovation. Apparently, F- uh, Lord Tesfel got on the good graces of the Emperor and got some funding to fix the place up." She lightly touched one of the ebony bookshelves. "These were all simple oak just last month."

"I didn't know buying expensive furniture was an acceptable expense to spend royal funding on." Ren swept the books on the upper shelf with his fingers. There was no dust, they seemed well cared for. But it still struck him wrong that royal funding was used for something like this.

"Don't think about it too much." Alicia pulled him further inside. "This is where all the books on that list should be."

The two spent nearly an hour finding all the books. By the end of it, Ren was already fairly tired. After paying, they left the bookstore and headed to the second largest store in the main street.

It was a two story, wooden building. It had very few windows and a small door. The sign in front read 'Nirei's Arcane Store'.

"This is where you can find nearly anything you'll ever need." Explained Alicia as she pushed the wooden door. The small bell over the door announced their arrival as Alicia continued explaining. "It's owned by the Nirei family. They're probably the most connected commoner family. If I'm not mistaken, they don't have a drop of nobility in their blood."

"Oh… It's surprising they have gained such a reputation then." Ren mumbled as he looked around. The store was cramped. Every surface was filled with things. At a glance, Ren could make out several different types of arcane crystals, herbs, and dusts. There was a shelf filled with the horns of different creatures and a table that was covered in what seemed to be fur and scales.

"Or not…" A shop like this was everything a magic user could hope for. Creature body parts were exceedingly rare due to the military's strict regulations. They were also very useful for magic users as many advanced spells and rituals used them as ingredients.

"Yeah, they are the primary contractor of the military when it comes to stuff like this." Alicia sighed. "I'll tell you more about it later. Let's buy the stuff you need first." She led the way through the narrow corridors between the shelves.

"Now then…" She mumbled to herself as she carefully inspected a small bundle of herbs. "These for botanics, some crystals for magic theory…" She picked a few crystals from the shelves. "And some of these…" She took some different colours of chalk as well. "And these, but you're not going to use these too much…"

"Alicia, uhh..." Ren glanced at the growing pile of materials she was carrying. "I don't think I can afford all that." He reached into his pocket. He only had a couple more gold coins left. Yu had given him some money the day before but after their visit to the bookstore, what's left wasn't going to be enough to pay for all of this.

"It's fine, come on." She smiled and pulled him towards the register. "We'll buy all these Mister Rogner." She placed everything on the counter and smiled to the elderly man behind the register.

The man seemed to be in his fifties. He was thin yet seemed healthy. He had short, grey hair and brown eyes. He had wrinkles around his eyes and mouth that only deepened when he smiled. "Hello again, Lady Alicia. I'm glad to see you safe and well." He turned his gaze towards Ren. "May I ask who you are, young sir?"

Ren didn't expect to be noticed while someone like Alicia was there, so he was taken by surprise. "Uh, I'm Ren. Nice to meet you sir." He bowed slightly.

"He's a dear friend of mine." Alicia chimed in. "I'd also like one of these." She put something on the counter. Ren tried to take a look at it, but she quickly put it back in her bag.

"Oh." Mister Rogner seemed taken aback as he glanced at Ren. "Are you sure, my Lady? Isn't he… a bit young?"

"I'm sure. How long will it take?" Alicia asked with a serious tone.

"Only a few minutes. I'll get to it right away." Mister Rogner hurried off to the second floor. He seemed rather worried.

"What's going on Alicia? What was that about?" He asked with slight worry. He didn't like the looks of the shopkeeper's expression.

Alicia sighed before leaning to the counter. "You know how ritual circles are drawn, right?"

Ren nodded. Of course he knew, Yu had taught him all that.

"Chalk is what's usually used. But it's a rather poor conduit, it can easily be erased, fail to handle all the magic flowing through it and… stuff like that. I'm not letting you use something as unreliable as that." She gestured towards the second floor. "Just wait a little bit."

Ren sighed. "But I can't afford all this Alicia."

"I told you, don't worry about it." She grinned and just patted his head. "I'll take care of that."

Ren tried to push her hand away and shook his head. "I can't accept this, Alicia. All these are probably worth a little fortune." She had already helped him more than he could ever repay, he couldn't just let her pay for everything.

"Eh, sure. But It's just a few hours of work for me, you know that." She smiled kindly. "Why are you worrying so much? Can't I gift something to my best friend?" Her hand rested on the hilt of a small dagger.

Ren tried to argue, but suddenly stopped when he felt mana gather around them. "A-Alicia?" Her mana was carefully controlled. It didn't touch anything in the store, but Ren felt it envelop his entire body. The intensity of it was making it difficult to breathe.

"Okay, okay." He said while raising his hands up. "I'm grateful for all your help. And the gifts." He felt the immense amount of mana slowly dissipate. Once it had completely disappeared, he breathed out in relief. While she couldn't match Yu in strength, she was still incredibly powerful. When it came to magic, Ren stood no chance against her.

"That's what I'm talking about." She grinned. Ren just shook his head and sighed. They stood there in silence for a few moments until Mister Rogner came back downstairs.

"It's done." He placed something on the counter. "Come here, young man. You'll need to attune with it for it to work properly."

Ren approached the counter. On the dark wood, there lay a dagger. It was slightly curved, in the shape of a wakizashi, a short blade used by an ancient civilization. "Oh." He glanced at his tachi.

"I know of someone else who uses a tachi. I thought you'd be more comfortable with a blade you're more familiar with, just like them." He smiled and gestured towards the short blade. "According to my archives, its name is Gin."

"Gin?" Ren mumbled. Its blade was a pale silver colour and its hilt was black. Underneath the wrappings of its hilt, Ren could sense a tiny bit of mana. "It has… magic?"

"Well, it's just a small arcane core. It doesn't have much mana in it." He gestured towards the blade again. "Do you know how to attune it to your own mana?" He seemed to be worried.

Ren nodded. "But what is this for?"

"It's a ritual anchor." Alicia played with her hair as she explained. "They'll teach you about these in the Academy, but the gist of it is that you use these to channel your mana to a ritual circle. The better the anchor is, the more efficient your ritual becomes. A normal anchor wouldn't work very well with you, so we're using one with an arcane core." She hesitantly glanced at Ren. "Don't try to use it as a weapon though. They're not made for it; the results would be…" She stopped as if she were searching for the right word.

"Catastrophic." Mister Rogner chimed in. "I don't know why a normal anchor doesn't work well with you, but this one is the best I can give you. I'd like you to attune to it here though. I'm not selling that unless you're successful."

"It may be messy. Do you have something to cover the wood?" Ren asked. Attunement wasn't an easy process.

"No need for that. I'm just worried that someone as young as you might not have enough mana." He shot a worried glance at Alicia.

"He can handle it." Alicia smiled and gestured Ren to continue.

Ren lowered his gaze. He could handle it, he had more than enough mana. Too much even. It was his poor control and his inability to use his tachi as a conduit that was the issue. He picked the wakizashi up and held it firmly in his right hand.

"Through my blood, form this bond." He whispered as he called forth his power. His hair fluttered around with the calm wind that seemed to only touch him. With a swift motion, he cut his left wrist and let the blood pour on the blade.

"Keep it going until the blade is satisfied." He could barely hear Alicia's instructions. His breathing quickened as he felt a throbbing pain in his temples. The blade was almost completely covered in blood. It was difficult to stand upright, the blood loss was already affecting him.

"Just a bit more Ren." Alicia's calm voice somehow pierced through the haze. "You're doing great."

He could feel the blade drain his mana. It was hungry, the arcane core within the hilt must have belonged to a powerful being. Suddenly, he felt the blade awaken. The connection was formed, the attunement was successful.

He heard Mister Rogner breathe out in relief. "He did it."

"Let me just wrap that wound." Ren saw Alicia carefully take the blade, place it on the counter and carefully wrap a cloth around his wound. His vision was blurry, he couldn't quite make out the colours. He felt weak and tired, almost like he could fall asleep at any moment.

"You've got quite the potential, young man." Rogner's voice rang in his ears. "Shall I add the cost to your tab, Lady Alicia?"

"Please. Thank you for your assistance, we'll be sure to drop by again when we need something." Alicia smiled and carefully led Ren outside. "Come on, let's have you rest over there."

Ren simply nodded; he was in no position to argue. She carefully led him to a small café and dropped him on a comfortable couch. "Just sit there. I'll get you something to drink."

Among the blur, he saw her shape disappear through the door. He hadn't felt this powerless in a very long time. The blood loss, along with nearly all of his mana being drained was more than he could handle. He felt his mind slowly drift away into the realm of dreams.

"Hey, wake up." Startled, he opened his eyes. Alicia's worried face filled his vision.

"You're too close." He mumbled.

"Oh, sorry." She sat down on the couch next to him. "But you're really pale, I can't help but worry." She gave him a warm cup. "Here, drink this."

"I'm fine." Ren fixed his posture to sit upright. "The blade was really hungry for some reason though. I thought I wasn't going to make it." He took a sip of the warm drink. "Thanks for the drink, Alicia."

She smiled. "I'm glad you like it. And…" She lowered her gaze for a moment. "I'm glad you're healthier now." She gestured towards the sky. "It's almost noon, I'm sorry Ren but I have to go." She seemed conflicted. "I don't like leaving you here though."

"I'll be fine." He took another sip of the hot chocolate. "Once I rest a bit, I'll head back." Though he was saying that as if it was nothing, he did really feel completely exhausted. He hadn't thought that a simple attunement would tire him to this degree.

"Are you sure?" Alicia looked around. "Maybe I can call someone over from the keep to-"

"Alicia, I'm fine." Ren interrupted her. "I'm just tired. I'll head straight home, I promise. Now go before you're late."

"But-"

"The Fourth can't be late, right? It'd be unbecoming of her." He put the drink down on the table and gestured towards the main street. "Go."

"Fine, fine." She stood up. "Don't you dare collapse on your way back though. I'll never let you hear the end of it if you do." She grinned and took off.

Ren watched her as she disappeared among the crowd. That girl was too carefree for someone in her position. He slowly finished his hot chocolate and glanced at the several large bags on the table. Carrying them wasn't going to be easy.

Once he felt like he could make it back to the Inner Keep without collapsing, he grabbed the bags and headed back.

He was panting by the time he arrived on the tenth floor of the First Spire. He was grateful for being able to live leisurely but having to climb all these stairs every day was killing him. As he approached their quarters, the door suddenly swung open.

"I should thank you for the opportunity," A middle aged man stepped out. He was tall and was very well built. He had short, grey hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a simple, short sleeved shirt that exposed the numerous scars on his arms. As Ren watched, he respectfully bowed and took a step back.

"No, I know it was sudden and you're going out of your way for my sake." Yu appeared at the entrance. He responded to the deep bow with a simple nod. "I will give you the details at a later time."

"Of course. It is an honour to be of assistance." The man bowed again before heading to the stairs. He hesitated when he saw Ren. Ren immediately bowed and moved out of the way. "My respects to the Ninth." He shivered under his intense gaze.

The man simply nodded before heading off. Ren only straightened up once he couldn't see the Ninth anymore. He breathed out in relief.

"He's not that scary." Yu's expression hardened. "Or strong." His furrowed brows and hostile expression were unusual for him. Ren gulped, he had never truly seen Yu angry. Sure, he had been scolded before, he had irritated him or annoyed him, but Yu had never truly gotten angry. His wrath was something Ren truly feared.

"Come inside." Yu's expression softened as he touched the hilt of his tachi and released some of his mana. Ren felt the bags suddenly get lighter.

"Thanks." He mumbled. He felt bad for making Yu waste his mana like this. "But shouldn't you be asleep?" He asked as he placed the bags on the large table. "What if you need to leave tonight?"

"Are you still worrying about-" Yu suddenly stopped mid sentence. "What happened to your arm?" He gestured to the bandages around Ren's left wrist.

"Attunement." Ren quickly explained as he sorted out everything they bought. "I'm fine, Alicia probably did something when I dozed off to help with the blood loss. I'm just a bit tired now."

"She did well." Yu's smile didn't reach his eyes. "And this Ritual Anchor is a very good one." He swiped his finger on the slightly curved blade. "A powerful monster's core is in it. That's why it was so draining for you." He placed it on the desk. "You should thank her. This is perfect for you."

Ren nodded. He could still feel the connection. He wasn't going to have any trouble using this.

"I'm just glad I didn't collapse on the way back though." He mumbled, remembering Alicia's threat. He let out a tired sigh. "I'm still really tired though. I'll nap for a couple of hours."

"Ren, wait." Yu's uncertain voice struck Ren as odd. "Come, I'll show you something." He stepped onto the balcony. Ren hesitantly followed him. "What is it?"

"Look," Yu pointed at the vast, green wilderness beyond the clear barrier. "The colours are less vivid, and you can't quite see all the details." He pointed at the glittering blue spot. "That's a lake," He traced a faint blue line that extended towards the mountains with his finger. "That river feeds it, the water comes from all the way over there," His finger stopped when it reached the peak of one of the mountains. "It's the lifeline of the entire forest."

He pointed at a darker green area. "That's where the ebony trees are." Next was a pink dot. "That's a cherry blossom tree. Its branches are filled with flowers. I'm fairly sure it's a vessel for wildmagic, since it's always blooming. It stands on a hill, there is nothing around it. On some nights, there is a gentle wind." Yu's eyes almost seemed dreamy. "It has a slight glow in the night. When you stand on the hill, you can see the lake and river. There is even a waterfall right there."

"What about the lake, what's it like?"

"Its waters are crystal clear. It's icy cold since the water comes from the mountains. It's filled with fish. Some of them even glow at night. It's probably one of the safest places for animals to be."

"Why?" Ren asked. Yu had never told him things about the outside before. He didn't want him to stop.

Yu shrugged. "I don't know but I've never seen a monster near the lake." He pointed towards a lighter green spot next to the lake. "That's an opening in the woods, it's filled with small, white flowers. You can see the stars when you stand there…"

Ren closed his eyes, leaned on the railing, and let Yu's words fill his imagination.