The wooden cart rolled through the streets of Solmere.
Eldrin sat in the back with his wrists bound before him. Three other slaves occupied the benches opposite him. One stared blankly at the floor. Another winced each time the cart lurched over uneven stone.
None of them spoke.
At the front sat the noble who had purchased them at the auction. Beside him, two estate servants guided the horses through the morning traffic.
Eldrin looked beyond the bars fixed to the sides of the cart.
This was nothing like Eldia.
Twin silver rails crossed the city high above the streets, weaving between towers like strands of polished steel. Long carriages glided silently across them without horses, suspended a short distance above the tracks.
Below, ordinary wagons shared the roads with sleek black vehicles whose engines emitted only a faint blue glow.
Mana engines.
Professor Arlen’s lectures surfaced almost immediately.
"Coal moved kingdoms."
"Mana will move the world."
The old scholar had once covered an entire blackboard with sketches of machinery.
"Those engines burn refined mana crystals."
"Crystals taken from Dimensional Gates."
He had drawn a circle.
Then another beside it.
"Every Gate opens somewhere different."
"Another world."
"Some contain forests unlike anything we’ve ever seen."
"Others contain deserts where steel softens beneath the heat."
"Others..."
He remembered the old professor smiling.
Entire kingdoms now competed for the resources hidden beyond those Gates.
Mana.
Rare metals.
Unknown plants.
Artifacts.
Every crystal powering the city had been purchased with someone’s life.
Another mana carriage passed overhead.
Eldrin watched it until it disappeared between the rooftops.
Only nobles could afford them.
Which explained something else.
At the auction...
Every buyer had worn noble colours.
No merchants.
No craftsmen.
No wealthy commoners.
Only nobles.
So that’s Maria’s law.
Only nobles may own slaves.
The realization settled quietly into place.
The cart continued deeper into the city.
The noise gradually faded.
Markets disappeared.
Stone walls replaced shops.
Large estates stood behind wrought-iron gates.
Eventually the horses slowed.
Ahead stood a pair of black gates nearly three times the height of a man.
A silver crest rested at their centre.
The gates opened.
The cart rolled inside.
The estate stretched farther than Eldrin expected.
Gardens.
Training grounds.
Guest buildings.
Servants moved with quiet efficiency along carefully swept stone paths.
No one wasted a step.
This wasn’t merely a noble residence.
It resembled a small village hidden behind walls.
The cart finally stopped before the main entrance.
Waiting there stood an elderly man dressed entirely in black.
His white gloves were spotless.
His silver hair had been combed so neatly that not a strand had escaped its place.
Even standing still...
He somehow looked busy.
The buyer climbed down immediately and bowed.
"The slaves you requested, Lord Butler."
The old man acknowledged him with a slight incline of his head.
"Let’s see them."
One by one, the slaves stepped from the cart.
"The first two worked farmland."
The buyer gestured toward the men.
"Strong."
"Healthy."
"Used to hard labour."
The butler barely glanced at them.
"The woman served in a merchant household."
He gave another short nod.
Then the buyer motioned toward Eldrin.
"This one speaks Marian."
The butler’s eyes shifted.
For the first time...
He actually looked interested.
He walked toward Eldrin.
Slowly.
Without speaking.
He stopped directly in front of him.
Then, without warning, took hold of Eldrin’s chin.
He turned his face toward the light.
Examining.
His gaze moved lower.
Hands.
Shoulders.
Posture.
Eyes.
Everything.
Finally...
his fingers lingered on Eldrin’s palms.
"Hm."
He released them.
"You’re young."
"Yes, sir."
"You’ve never worked a field."
It wasn’t a question.
Eldrin answered exactly as Zarian had taught him.
"Our village wasn’t large enough to own much land."
The butler watched him for another moment.
Then he looked toward the buyer.
"The others may be taken to the servants’ quarters."
The remaining slaves disappeared almost immediately.
Soon...
Only Eldrin remained.
The butler folded his hands behind his back.
"You."
"Walk with me."
The butler led him along a stone path toward the manor.
For several moments, neither of them spoke.
The manor loomed larger with every step. Tall windows reflected the afternoon sun, while servants crossed the courtyard with practiced efficiency.
The butler finally spoke.
"Your name."
"Caiden, sir."
"Family?"
"I don’t have one."
"When did they die?"
Eldrin kept his pace steady.
"I don’t remember."
The butler gave no indication whether he believed him.
"Where were you born?"
"A village near the eastern border."
"Its name?"
"Ravensbrook."
"What river runs beside it?"
"The Lorne."
"The local lord?"
"Baron Ashcroft."
"The family crest?"
"A silver hawk on a green shield."
The questions came without warning.
No pause.
One moment the butler asked about villages.
The next...
The butler continued walking as though the conversation meant nothing.
Yet Eldrin noticed something.
The old man never looked at him while asking.
He listened.
Not to the answers...
But to the hesitation between them.
He’s testing consistency.
Fortunately, every answer had already been drilled into him countless times.
Zarian had insisted upon it.
"A good lie isn’t remembered."
"It’s rehearsed."
The manor doors came into view.
The butler stopped.
He turned for the first time since they had begun walking.
"What festival is celebrated at the end of winter?"
Eldrin answered immediately.
"The Harvest....."
The word escaped before he caught himself.
His stomach tightened.
"...Festival."
The butler’s brow lifted almost imperceptibly.
"Harvest?"
"Your village doesn’t do the Harvest, because your village wasn’t large enough to own much land"
"you said that to me"
His voice remained calm.
"Are you lying to me?"
Eldrin’s heartbeat quickened, but his expression didn’t change.
He lowered his head.
"My mistake, sir."
"I confused it with another village."
The butler studied him a moment longer.
Then...
To Eldrin’s surprise...
He smiled.
The old man resumed walking.
He had noticed.
But he hadn’t questioned it further.
"Be ready before sunrise tomorrow."
"I’ll explain the rules of House Korrandis."
"And decide where you’ll be assigned."
"Yes, sir."
They reached a modest stone building standing apart from the main manor.
Unlike the grand residence, this one was plain.
Practical.
Several servants entered and left through its doors carrying baskets of laundry and bundles of firewood.
"The slave quarters."
The butler gestured toward the entrance.
"Get some sleep."
"Tomorrow will be your first day."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and disappeared toward the manor.
Eldrin remained where he was for several moments.
Since leaving Eldia...
No one had looked at him as though he were a prince.
Only as another slave.
He wasn’t sure whether to be relieved...
Or ashamed.
Taking a slow breath...
He pushed open the door and stepped inside.