Orin Alpheratz (15 years old) Location: Solaris Date: Year 873 / Crow Cycle (3) / Blacksmith's Day (8)

  It was a cold morning. The trees along the path were dusted with a thin layer of frost, their branches whispering in the sharp breeze. Each breath Orin exhaled turned to white mist before vanishing into the air.

  The academy grounds lay a few hours’ walk ahead. Orin pressed forward at a steady pace, silent and resolute, while Aran kept at his side without a word.

  They had already walked long enough that the inn—and with it Eridus, Altair, and the rest of the students—was no more than a fading memory behind them. In its place, the horizon was scarred with black pillars of smoke curling upward from Solaris. The distant clash of tumult, the echo of war horns, carried faintly on the wind.

  But here, far from the chaos, the dirt road was eerily quiet. No travelers, no villagers, nothing but trees and silence. It made sense, Orin thought grimly. Anyone fleeing the Church's onslaught would head east or north, not west toward the academy. Beyond it stretched only the Dhamarr Desert, an unforgiving wasteland feared throughout the empire.

  “I hear something,” Aran's voice cut through the stillness. She tilted her head, straining to catch the faint sound. “Is that... hooves?”

  Orin snapped from his thoughts, listening carefully. She was right. The thunder of a horse at full gallop was drawing closer, echoing down the lonely road.

  “Should we hide?” Aran asked, her expression tight with unease. “It could be a knight of the Church.”

  “...Or someone trying to escape them,” Orin replied. Despite the storm of doubts within him, a strange calm, and even a spark of courage, settled over his heart. “If it is the Church, then better we stop him here before he gets anywhere near the inn.”

  Aran hesitated, clearly unconvinced, but after a long sigh she gave a reluctant nod. “All right. It seems reckless, but... it's only one rider. We can handle this.”

  The steady pounding of hooves grew louder, and at last a figure emerged from the bend in the road. A lone horseman, riding hard. Orin and Aran held their ground, watching as the shape came into focus.

  Judging by the rider's smaller frame, it wasn't a knight of the Church.

  “...I think it's a student from the academy,” Orin murmured, his chest tightening with a flicker of hope.

  And Orin hadn't been wrong in his guess. But to his surprise, the rider wasn't just any student, it was his friend, Sirius Canus.

  The moment Orin recognized him, his heart leapt. He couldn't help but wave both arms high in the air, signaling frantically. Sirius, in turn, spotted him and urged his horse even faster.

  “Orin! I knew it. I knew the Church would never keep you down!” Sirius shouted, leaping from his horse the instant he reached them. His boots hit the ground with a thud, and he strode over with his usual grin. “I wasn't expecting to run into you here though...” His gaze shifted to Aran, and a mischievous smirk tugged at his lips. “...and especially not on a date in the middle of a warzone. That's my captain!”

  “Wha—!” Aran's cheeks colored, but Orin could only sigh, half amused, half exasperated. Unsure whether to scold him or laugh, he simply clapped Sirius on the shoulder.

  “It's good to see you,” Orin said warmly. “How's the situation at the academy?”

  “Calmer,” Sirius replied with a shrug. “Word spread that most of the wizards managed to escape last night... though Schedar didn't look too thrilled about it.” He chuckled dryly. “But what about you? Why are you headed back toward the academy?”

  “It's... a long story,” Orin admitted, scratching the back of his head. “This is Aran. She's with me. We're bound for Dhamarr.”

  At the mention of that name, Sirius blinked. His face twisted as if Orin had just told him the sun was exploding in the sky. “...Dhamarr? Seriously?” He looked between the two of them, clearly thinking they'd lost their minds. But after a moment, he exhaled in defeat and shook his head.

  “Forget it. Knowing you, it's better I don't ask,” he said lightly, though his expression hardened soon after. “Still, Orin... before you run off to Dhamarr, I have something important. Right now I'm heading to Solaris. Gina... she's there.”

  “What?!” Orin's voice cracked. The name hit him like a spear through the chest. Gina. His friend, the one he hadn't seen since the day of their capture. “Gina, was she taken? Is she safe?”

  “I don't know.” Sirius's carefree grin faltered at last, replaced by a serious frown. “Yesterday was her day off. She was in the city when all hell broke loose. Cor went after her to check if she was safe, while I stayed behind to help free the imprisoned wizards. Now that most of them are out of danger, my orders are to regroup. But... I still haven't heard anything. Not from Cor, not from Gina.”

  Orin's heart pounded in his chest, the weight of uncertainty pressing down harder than ever.

  “I'll go with you,” Orin said, the words spilling out before he even realized it.

  “Wait!” Aran grabbed his arm, her voice sharp. “Our orders are to reach Dhamarr. We can't just turn back to Solaris.”

  “I'm sorry, Aran.” Orin's tone was steady, but his eyes held firm resolve. “I can't abandon my friends while they're in danger. I'd never forgive myself if I left Gina and Cor behind. I couldn't set foot in Dhamarr without knowing they were safe.”

  Aran looked as if she wanted to argue, but then lowered her gaze, lips pressed tight as if swallowing her frustration.

  “...I understand,” she said softly. “I know I can't stop you. But once we're certain they're safe, we go straight to Dhamarr. No more detours! I just... I just hope the Captain never finds out.”

  “Yeah. Think of it as a small detour,” Orin said with a faint smile, trying to ease the tension. He turned back to Sirius. “Do you know where they might be?”

  “Not exactly,” Sirius admitted with a groan. “But we could try the wizarding market... or maybe her parents’ house.”

  It wasn't much to go on, but Orin had no better lead.

  “The market's bound to be crawling with Church soldiers,” Orin reasoned. “Her parents’ house sounds like the safer place to start.”

  “Agreed,” Sirius said. Then he pointed to the horse behind him. “I picked this up near the academy. Pretty sure it belonged to one of the soldiers who stormed the place yesterday. If I'd known I'd run into you, I would've brought a second one, but this will have to do. We can all squeeze on.”

  Orin raised an eyebrow. “Three riders on one horse?”

  “Don't worry about it,” Sirius said with a confident grin and a thumbs-up. “We don't have time to waste.”

  “...You're right.” Orin glanced back at Aran, who still looked less than thrilled but said nothing.

  Sirius swung onto the saddle first. Orin followed, settling in behind him, while Aran climbed on last, shifting uncomfortably as she found her balance pressed close behind Orin.

  Once all three were aboard, Sirius let out a carefree laugh. “All right! Everyone's here, so hold on tight, we're heading for Solaris at full gallop!” He kicked the horse's sides, and the beast surged forward, hooves pounding against the frost-hardened earth as the city's smoke-filled horizon drew ever closer.

  It took only a few minutes of hard riding for the scenery to shift, dense forest melting into scattered rural homes, and soon after, the faint outlines of Solaris's outer suburbs came into view.

  Orin felt a knot in his chest loosen when he spotted the familiar inn where they had spent the night. The wagons were gone. That could only mean one thing: Altair and the sorcerers had already escaped.

  But relief vanished as quickly as it came.

  The deeper they went toward the city, the louder the noise became. A mix of shouting, boots on stone, and the metallic rattle of armor. By the time they reached the first rows of tall buildings, Solaris had turned into chaos incarnate. Soldiers in full gear marched in strict lines, patrolling like a swarm of ants claiming every street corner.

  “We'd better continue on foot,” Orin muttered, narrowing his eyes. “Stealth is worth more than speed now.”

  Sirius slowed the horse until it stopped beneath the shade of a grove beside a lonely house. The three dismounted quickly, crouching low as they gathered to plan.

  “Gina's parents’ house isn't far from here,” Sirius whispered. “But getting past all those patrols without drawing suspicion... that's the problem.”

  “In these academy uniforms, there's no chance we'll blend in,” Orin said grimly. “And fighting's out of the question. Against that many soldiers, we'd be cut down before we even reached the door.”

  Both boys fell silent, chewing on the weight of the situation. Then, Aran, who had been listening in silence, lifted her chin, her eyes burning with quiet resolve.

  “I have an idea,” she said simply.

  Before Orin could ask, she stepped boldly out toward the main street, where the guards were thickest. Sirius and Orin exchanged alarmed looks before hurrying after her.

  “All we need is to pass this group of guards and reach the next street, right?” Aran asked calmly.

  The boys nodded uncertainly.

  A small smile tugged at her lips. “Then this will be enough.”

  She extended her hand, her voice clear and steady.

  “PRAYER: Light of the Saint.”

  A brilliance bloomed from above, soft yet overwhelming, like dawn breaking in the middle of the night. Warm golden light poured onto the cobblestones, cascading over the soldiers.

  “What is this...?” one guard gasped, staring upward.

  “A revelation from our goddess Bhizenti!” another cried, falling to his knees.

  “Truly... she must be proud of our struggle.”

  In an instant, the patrol broke formation. The soldiers gathered beneath the miraculous light, their helmets tilted skyward, awe drowning out suspicion.

  Aran turned, eyes sharp, and motioned with a quick wave of her hand.

  “Now. Move.”

  Orin's heart thumped as he and Sirius slipped past the distracted guards, keeping their heads down while the divine glow masked their footsteps.

  With steady steps and breaths held tight, the three of them crossed the street. The soldiers, still mesmerized by the shimmering light overhead, paid them no mind. When their boots finally touched the opposite side, Sirius let out a laugh of pure relief, his shoulders sagging.

  “That was brilliant!” he whispered, unable to contain his grin. “How did you even come up with that?”

  Aran brushed a strand of hair from her face, her expression calm, almost casual. “If those soldiers are Church fanatics, all it takes is a little ‘divine revelation’ to keep them occupied. Nothing more.”

  Sirius blinked, impressed. Orin gave a short nod.

  “A smart move,” he admitted. “But let's stay focused. The important thing is finding Gina and Cor.”

  The mood sobered, and they pressed on. They slipped through side alleys, hugged shadowed walls, and turned corner after corner. The city streets grew tighter, more familiar, fewer patrols here than at the gates. The soldiers’ attention was clearly fixed on keeping the sorcerers from fleeing Solaris.

  After a while, Sirius slowed his pace and pointed ahead. “The house should be close... just a little further into the residential district.”

  Orin exhaled in relief, but the moment didn't last.

  A sharp commotion erupted from the next street over. The sound of steel clashing against stone, angry shouts, the crack of something breaking. Then, piercing through the noise like a blade through silence, came a scream.

  A scream Orin knew all too well.

  His breath caught. No... it can't be—

  “Was that...?” Sirius whispered, eyes wide.

  Orin didn't answer. His legs were already moving, heart pounding in his chest.