A light rocking of the train broke Euphemia from her sleep. Her eyelids felt heavy, resisting the urge to lift. When they finally fluttered open, gray and white blurs were all around her at first. The canoness looked from left to right, letting her eyes take control and make out the vague figures that surrounded her. To her right was Rook, whose stares were more than enamored to be drunk in the scenery outside. Kirk was in front of her; he seemed only to have noticed just then that she woke up.

  "Wow!"

  Rook's jaw dropped after catching sight of the first red spire. He could see the outlines of nine other towers that were covered by the night sky; sentinels of stone that watched over the city from inside. Red rock gleamed against the fading moonlight; what kind of masonry allowed the walls, and even the mortar used to join them, to be seen even in pitch black?

  The train let out a long whistle; a thin cord of smoke passed by their window. A crack of static from the onboard speakers followed it:

  "Attention all passengers. We are about to reach Luminberg Station in five minutes. Please check all your..."

  "We are close to our destination." Euphemia peered at the window. The sky was at its darkest, with the moon retreating into the clouds. "It's not the best time to take a tour around. We will need to find a place to stay for the night."

  ????

  "Arriving at Luminberg Station. Please secure all of your belongings before leaving the train..."

  Their transport was losing speed on its way to the city; the screeching of metal from below hinted at the brakes being applied, and in a few meters went to a full stop upon reaching Luminberg's waiting platforms. Outlines of posters and signage were clearer now that they could hear the train's wheels rolling beneath them. Station lights that glowed in green, blue, and white greeted Euphemia and her companions; their soft luminescence gave the illusion that somebody trapped a good amount of daylight in the place even without the sun sourcing it. There were very few people when they arrived at the city station; most of them gathered at the northward terminal that led to the border city of Waltenstadt - a recent acquisition from a treaty thirty years past to give the Empire representation on the far north.

  Luminberg was almost the same sight as the canoness had during her last stay as a student of the magical arts. There was a distinct, eerie calm that traveled on the streets, only this city ever gave her. She felt this, even at times of broad daylight. Only distant footsteps and random passes of automobiles were permitted to break the silence.

  She heard those opportunities again, this time in the voice of her revered Meister Carolus. The heart of the Empire's magical studies, how she could help advance the still fledgling study of magical phenomena, and how her contributions to rediscovering lost arts would benefit this city, the Empire at large, and even the rest of the world.

  But the call of the Saints resonated in her loudly. More thunderous than the life of being House Schild's heiress. More profound than a scholar of arcane works.

  Though she had not encapsulated the memory of Luminberg clearly, Euphemia wanted to walk on these streets again. Her younger self would have been lost, whether in the streets or inside the Academy's library.

  "This isn't like any other place I've seen here."

  "You've noticed as well, Rook?"

  To Euphemia, Luminberg was a city fashioned after a geode; several crystal lights highlighted the core while the walls tried to keep as much brilliance within its confines. There was a look of surprised delight on Rook's face – one that the canoness could have worn when she first stepped inside the city as a twelve-year-old student. This fascination with ancient yet undying lights that have guided the city for centuries seemed to take anyone who was never a Luminberger by surprise. It was bright enough to let one see the roads ahead, yet soft that one could look directly at the sources without being blinded.

  Euphemia was looking forward to getting a feel for this place again: a longing to settle what was cut short from her when House Schild thought it best to keep her schooling away from the rest of Luminberg's students. She put all her focus on the road ahead, not letting her eyes wander and wonder at the sights before her.

  Rook stopped in the middle of the street, focused on one of the corner towers attached behind the city walls. A rounded and smooth roof that gave off a momentary flash. Light flashed in a fan shape, but it withdrew quickly. Outlines of people inside the tower walked slowly, lowering until all that remained of the view was a dark crystal roof. Euphemia approached the boy, answering a question before it was even spoken. She said:

  "The Wizards' Wall. It is one of the city's oldest structures."

  "Wizards' Wall? That's a funny name."

  "I agree with that, sometimes." The canoness stood beside Rook, looking at the tower with him. "It has storied fame for being part of what defended this city's people. Our country, this land... would only be a memory found in books, if not for it."

  "Makes you think night never falls on this city." Kirk interrupted the others as he looked up at the sky; a pallid moon hung on a starless backdrop.

  "Yes, I think so as well." Euphemia looked back at the swordsman. "My memory of this place may not be as... complete as I want it to be. We may get lost here at times."

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The trio was farther from the station; the letters on its sign were half the size smaller than when they first left the place. People were still out, busy with their own matters on the streets. Many were returning to the many sharp-roofed houses found alongside the streets. The front lawn was not a common sight in this city; people lived in houses that were very close or even attached. The smell of damp roads and the occasional steam of boiled meat mixed with the air.

  "Wow, to be reminded that I have to eat." Kirk rubbed his stomach. "Are we close to any place to stay, Euphemia? Not that I'm complaining, but one has to eat when it's time."

  "I'm not sure if we should take a left or go straight ahead." Euphemia went to the signpost near the intersection and read the street names." Of course, the Great Flame Street should have some restaurants and inns we can stay in for the night. We'll take... a left."

  "You lead, we follow." Rook was behind the two, looking at the surrounding houses.

  "This city's not like the others. They don't like gardens, do they?"

  "This used to be a fortress city during the great wars that happened here." Euphemia saw Rook walking on her right. "You can say that an army used to live here to defend the empire from invasion. Neither the city leadership nor the Capital thought of changing its appearance since."

  "I'd say that sticking around was used to great effect back then." Kirk passed by a street that marked the end of a row of houses. Up ahead was a section where the lights shone brighter than the others. "It looks like we're going to the right place after all. Food smells a lot closer from here."

  "You could say that again." Rook went ahead of the two to see the place for himself.

  "I suppose a little tea with jam and bread before I sleep wouldn't hurt." Euphemia turned around to look at her two companions. "I must say, men are born with the same stomach, no matter the size."

  The trio entered the street; their passing caught the eyes of some of the locals, who tried to exchange greetings with them. Euphemia found the courtesy (and comfort) to return the favor; a smile here, and a few words there. Kirk seemed to only manage looking back and scratching his head, while Rook looked back at the locals who passed by for a view. It must be his ragged black coat, he thought. While there were many people out and about this street, the noise was a lot less than what was expected of any local nightlife. Footsteps tapped all around, the sound of cookery and violins rushed out of some of the restaurants, and wild notes from songs escaped from the mouths of revelers inside. Typical fare, Kirk thought. All noise seemed to have only centered on the establishments, subdued not to become any louder until one entered the immediate premises.

  From three turns to the right and a left turn from the Great Flame Street's entrance was a humble hotel, about three floors high, where the ground floor served as a restaurant for guests and passersby alike. Roasted fowl on a spit was the night's specialty; a fattened mass of meat was turning slowly over the fire. A graying, fat man moved in and out of the kitchen. He waved at the three, though his voice hardly reached the ears of the three travelers. There were many other customers when the three arrived, and with them the raucous noise of revelry.

  "He's inviting us over. The people here are a friendly bunch, I say." Kirk pointed to where the man was.

  "The people of Luminberg are warmer compared to the Empire's other cities. Though the climate here is colder than in most of the Empire, this city is much more welcoming to people compared to most of the others."

  "Well, that, or he managed to get a glimpse of the lady companion Rook and I are with."

  "I would have to disagree, Kirk." Euphemia stared at the swordsman and flashed a faint smile. "Perhaps he sees that I am with two hungry-looking men who have been staring at food stalls and cafes since we left the train."

  "We are a few bags more than when we were at that other place." Rook trailed behind the two; in one of his hands was a single luggage article. "And that roast is making me hungrier."

  "I will have to abide by the will of your stomachs, I'm afraid." Euphemia stared at her purse; a sigh escaped from her lips. "Please do not indulge too much."

  ????

  "So when are you going to tell us more about what you're after in this city, Prayer Lady? Or should I abide by this empire's customs and address you as 'Sister'?"

  Kirk's mumbling was almost gibberish to the cleric's ears; he had been stuffing his mouth with roasted fowl since the platter clattered at their table. Now he remembered: they never opened the door to their cabin during the entire journey to this city.

  "Not here, Kirk. Too many ears." Euphemia picked up a small slab of the meat, eating it with some bread. "What I can only tell you is that this city is a center of knowledge in the Empire. I should be able to find a lead to what I need."

  "Don't get me wrong. I don't feel anything bad about you; it's just that you and this boy here, Rook, going out here looking for danger on purpose doesn't ring well with me."

  He waited for an answer, but the canoness remained silent, pointedly tearing into her bread. Kirk then stared at Rook to ask:

  "What about you? Do you have an idea why she tagged you along?"

  Rook shook his head. It took him seconds to say:

  "You are one curious monster-caller. I owe her much, and I don't know where else to go here. I just want to stay with her long enough to know what I should be doing here."

  "Ah. That." Kirk looked left and right before he continued talking. "It looks like we are more alike than I suspected. Are you also our lady's prisoner?"

  "Uh... what?" Rook downed a glass of water. "Don't lump me in with you. I'm not the one who tried to make two dead bodies in the middle of a forest."

  "What do I do to make you see that those creatures are not mine, and I don't even have any means or knowledge to call upon them?" Kirk grabbed another serving and mumbled, "But let's not complicate matters for our benefactor here."

  Euphemia, focused on her tea at first, seemed to have been yanked back to attention by Kirk's words. It took her moments to come up with a reply.

  "Please don't mind me. I'm thinking of what else to do apart from what I came for in this place."

  "At any rate, I'd better keep an eye on both of you." Kirk pulled the second leg part from the roast and pointed it at the two. "It's up to me to at least keep you safe, at least long enough so that I get an idea of why we're moving from one place to another. What's the purpose of all this moving, I say?"

  Nothing but the noise of chatter and patter from the other tables answered Kirk. Though he was full, his mind came up with nothing on what to say next. Maybe the cleric had a point in holding these conversations at places with more privacy than the establishment could give.