Truths from the Past: Book 5 of the Kinstone series
Chapter 7: The City

My feet carry me down the sidewalk, passing by shops and other assorted buildings. I’m able to keep pace with the foot traffic, mostly huddled within the crowd. Think of it as mall-walking, simply going with the flow. Well…kinda.

A chilled breeze brushes against me, catching my hair along with it. I move some of it forward, noticing how long it’s really gotten, at least a quarter down my thighs. I never really cut it at all since I fled the Estate, mostly trimming the end. I smile softly, having loved my long hair. I often tied it in ponytails or braided it. I know it’s an instant identifier, most girls don’t have this long of hair. But…I like it.

Feels another chilling breeze hits me, cutting slightly into my clothes. I look up to see the greying skies. My head tilts slightly, maybe its late fall, early winter, or even early spring? I slowly breathe in, feeling the cool air fill my lungs. I smile softly. I peer forward, thinking I probably should’ve done more research on the region.

Dewloura is basically where modern-day Ukraine is, extending north into Poland. Yeah...so after it fell, people swooped in redrew the maps. Happens all the time throughout history.

I pull out my Dewloura journal and begin recording everything I see around me. Trees line the sidewalks, acting of shades and possible sound barriers. More trees sprout up from the ground, towering high above many of the buildings. Some reach high enough to limit how much of the sky is visible.

A smile curls on my lips. I’m in the middle of a city built within a forest. God I’m loving this place more and more.

Crystals hang from posts, possibly used as street lamps. The road itself seems to be part-brick, part-paving stones, yet appearing far more sturdy and flexible.

Carts and animals stroll down the street, bearing Lord-knows-what. The carts all are the same as the one Drakthul used, self-propelled using magic. The crowd seems to be alive and vibrant, despite the chilly weather. I also seeing men working in the streets, picking up whatever may have fallen or repairing any damages to the stones.

I glimpse around me, noting what the people are wearing. The attire ranges wildly between races and genders. Although most appear to be wearing similar clothing regardless of that fact. Women, plus those being what I think are merchants, wear long dresses with simple accoutrements. The men wear long tunics, pants, and boots. Some are wearing scarfs and hats.

The girls wear dresses something similar to Lolita, minus the petticoats, along with capelets and other styles of outerwear. The most striking feature is that everything very much has a Fire Emblem aesthetic to it. I smile, knowing fashion history is one of Marron's favorite hobbies. Thinking she’d be red in the face just being here.

I do catch a few people looking at me. I gaze down at my own clothes: grey loose turtleneck sweater, being covered by a black pinafore dress, dark stockings and laced knee-high boots. It’s…not quite the same, if at all when I turn back to everyone. Yet no one really pays it too much mind. Maybe this isn’t too strange when compared to what I’ve seen.

I know I could have also pulled out a tag and generate a new set of clothing to match, but clothing is tied to culture. So if I choose the wrong set of clothing, I might draw even more attention to me. So for now…just leave it be. Plus…all of my clothes are back in the future. I click my tongue, swearing to myself.

I peer down at my shadow, seeing Fenris’ eyes peering up at me. I give my bonded a gentle smile. In some ways this feels like the first couple months when I returned to Concordia after dealing with tragedy of my birth family, hidden away yet always nearby. I sigh softly, watching as my breath becomes visible.

Even in the midst of the crowd, I do keep my senses up, tracking anything. I know fae reside within the city. They’d easily pick up on my presence, but somehow I doubt they may make a move. Again…I don’t really know much of this region.

Mom gave me sparse information with Viktor giving me a little more. Regardless, a kitsune in Dewloura might easily light up their senses. So I still have to be on my guard.

I look up, finding myself in the middle of a large intersection. I again look to my journal and back up. I stand in the middle of a large ringed area, with pillars reaching up and ringed with ornate braces. Buildings surround the intersection, with one being a massive tower-like building.

I peer high up, seeing bridges and walkways connecting it to the others. I nod, reviewing my notes, finding that I’m at the entrance to one of the markets. I nod and move on through the tunnel before me.

As I exit out, I gaze around, seeing more shops and stalls selling various goods. The smell of fresh baked bread fills my nose. My ears ring loudly of hammers striking anvils. I smile softly, having always loved the rhythmic chiming of the forge.

I see jewelers selling glittering pieces to nobles and other merchants. A few more gather around them, not quite the same level of higher-end clothing of their counterparts, (probably commoners?) talk peacefully with the nobles, sharing tips and tales. So what are the social dynamics of Dewloura? I walk up to a railing and lean against it, jotting everything down.

I should really be grateful my journal is incredibly thick, well over 500 pages in size. So lots of room to fill in.

I pan over to see people purchasing other food stuffs; fruits, meats, vegetables. The marketplace reminds me heavily of the farmers market. Just people going about their lives. No matter what era is it, life moves on.

I look up to see a squad of armored men patrolling the market. They’re adorned with light leather tunics and pants with light armor covering parts of their body. Short swords are seen along their waists along with kama or belt-capes.

At their hips are strange canisters of some kind. They’re box-like in shape with tips at the corners and about the size of a ream of copier paper only thinner. Somehow I’m getting arrestor gear vibes. Their equipment suggests they're meant to be swift in responding to anything.

Guardsmen or soldiers perhaps. They all wore helmets similar to ancient Corinthian helms. However the openings for the face and eyes were sheathed in black glass. This gives them an almost inhuman vibe, detached.

They slowly stroll past everyone, with many paying them little mind. I close up my journal and hop over the railing, melding back into the crowd.

I keep my eyes on them through the sea of bodies, watching them. I glimpse down to see Fenris is also keeping his attention on the guardsmen. He also is constantly on the lookout for possible dangers.

I sigh to myself, knowing by just being out in the open like this is completely stupid and reckless. Mom would tan my hide if she were here. I sigh. Regardless, this is totally worth the risk. Heh, I literally am standing in history. This is both great and terrifying at the same time. I’m over four hundred years in the past, with no real idea of who to turn to. I sigh before ducking into another alleyway.

I step back a few paces, making sure that no one can see me. I then eye the distance between the buildings, noting that they’re a good eight to ten feet apart from the other. Perfect.

I leap onto a box and up one side of the building to the other, slowly going higher until I reach the rooftops. I hop over a ledge and onto a roof. I turn and gaze out onto the city, finally able to peer over the treetops. My eyes grow wide once more as I take in the view.

The city is massive, spanning in every direction. I follow the lines of the streets until they meet in the center, which is a towering spiral. Floating at its heart is a gigantic floating blue crystal. It’s just hovering there. I’m thinking I’m probably a good two miles away, yet the central spiraling hill looks like it goes up at least over five hundred feet or more. The city itself is hilly, with more and more trees intermixed with the buildings.

Under the crystal I see it floating over a large building. I reach into my bag and pull out a monocular. I hold it up to my eye and zoom in. My mouth drops even lower, discovering that a palace is resting beneath the huge crystal. Looping terraces and cone shapes flow into the main structure. Even from this distance, I can make out little details, such as it possesses a slight bluish-white tinge. Just incredible.

I lower the monocular and open my journal, jotting it down. As I write, I feel powerful magicks swirling all around me. It’s more than I’ve ever felt in my life. It’s like a tidal wave that’s constantly crashing against the shore. I close my eyes, simply reveling in it. I smile, thinking back to the Summer Gathering, being the only other time I’ve felt something like this, only on a scale I can’t even imagine. I sigh, still missing my coven.

My eyes then catch something snaking its way across the long bridges. I stand with my mouth agape, realizing that it’s a train. I can’t believe it; they actually have functioning trains here? Are you kidding me? Yet these trains move along their slender tracks like those in Demon King Daimao, or something not unlike a maglev. Again, incredible.

I see more of the floating islands moving across the sky, hovering peacefully over the city. Dragons soon fly off from them racing in every possible way. I pull out my phone from my bag and start taking pictures of everything I see.

“You should not have either of those out, Little Aria,” scolds Fenris, poking his head out from my shadow.

I nod as I take more pictures, “I know, but I can’t help it.”

I turn to him, there’s just so much here to take in. I really want to record everything I see. If we are able to return, I want to have evidence of us being here. Plus, we’re fine as long no one sees me doing it.”

I take another picture, this time of the dragons as one flies nearby but not close enough to worry me. I smirk, thinking about just transforming into one and get up there with them. Dragons love to fly, even with complete strangers. I fight back to urge to.

He sighs, shaking his head. I smile to him, but feel my thoughts return to those of Silvi and the flight of dragons we fought. I’m not afraid or angry if I see more of them, it's just the group that attacked us I hate. I don’t even know how Regulus managed to get them on board, but swayed them he did.

I take a few more pictures and jot down more in my journal, eyeing the market below. Feeling my stomach grumble, I again reach into my bag, finding the cubes Mom gave me. I filled one with snacks and other foods I’ve picked up over our travels.

I turn and place it onto the roof and enlarge it. I open the lid the pull out a container of food I made right before we left Japan. I smile as I look at it. I then reach in again and find another cube, this one containing a deer Fenris had caught. I pull it out and look to him. The wolf smiles and takes it from me, dragging it into my shadow.

I lean back and open my container, smelling the still freshly made food. I giggle, it’s still even hot. Yep, these cubes are amazing. I pull out some chopsticks and eat from it. I smile, thinking I’m eating a Japanese-style meal in the middle of Dewloura, four hundred years in the past. Just amazingly funny the more I think about it.

I feel another chilled breeze brush against me. I know the market is nearby, but for the moment it seems miles away. Right now…it’s nice and quiet up here.

After a few minutes, I close up the now empty container and stash it and my chopsticks back into the cube. My bonded reemerges from my shadow with his, placing it in my hand. I smile, dropping it into with the larger cube and seal it. I tap it three times, watching it shrink. I pick it up and place it back into my bag along with my phone.

This was a nice break, but I still have to press on. I have no real plan of what to do. Maybe something will happen. Who knows?

I stand up and slip the bag over my back again. I peer over towards the market, still churning with life. I nod and step onto the ledge, sliding back down to the alley below.

I exit out back into the market, again watching as people going about their lives, completely oblivious to having a girl from the future in their midst. I smirk, thinking the more I look around, the more I think I’m Diagon Alley. Just my brain trying to orient itself I guess.

I continue once again to record everything I see. My ears pick up numerous languages being spoken, English, Elven, Dragonic, Bulgarian, Greek, Arabic; even the occasional Mer is thrown around. I do hear what I think is Alcoran being spoken. I sigh, still wishing I could understand it. I grumble to myself in frustration.

I pan over to see yet another patrol of guardsmen, straddling the fringes of the market. My ears then pick up the sounds to people walking outside of the market. I quietly make my way towards the crowd, melding into it.

As I stroll once more along the street, I pull out the old map Viktor gave me back in June. I’m also referring to my journal, trying to really figure out where I am. Even if I use the crystal as a reference point, I have no direction to follow. The map doesn’t really have much on it, thanks in part to how faded it is. I sigh, trying to fill in the gaps from my observations.

In spite of all that, I still can’t help but giggle, thinking I’m strolling along the streets of Florence or Rome again. I’m part scared, part excited the more I walk. I then feel a pang in my heart, missing my coven yet again.

I come back towards the main thoroughfare, watching as people gather along the sidewalks once more. They again turn and face the street. I slip through the crowd, making it close to the edge of the curb. I look out and see another parade of wolves and carriages walking down the road. In fact it’s the same parade as before.

My heart aches again as collars adorn their necks, wishing I could just jump out and remove them. This is pathetic and shameful of Drakthul; no wonder the wolves left these jerks.

The wolves themselves appear to be holding their heads high with pride, but I can tell they really aren’t proud of this charade. Once more remembering how the wolves are sacred to the Dewlourans. Yet here I see them being sorely mistreated.

All around me, I notice the people bowing to those in the procession. I ignore them and continue to watch.

The wolves then turn their gaze to me, stopping altogether, causing the procession to halt. I grin, hearing the people in the carriage complain.

“Stupid wolves,” I hear the girl shout, “Why did you stop?”

I wish I could dump some water on her to shut her up. Her screeching would make a banshee blush.

I turn my attention back to the wolves. Their eyes seem to light up with hope and happiness. My head tilts in confusion. Do they somehow know that I’m descendant of Shyair? Therefore thinking of me as kin? Or are they somehow also able to sense Fenris? This is something completely new to me.

Since I’ve only had Fenris with me, I don’t really have a full idea about the wolves, what their habits or abilities are. Even my bonded has told me he has fragments of memories and his mother didn’t know much. So are they really able to sense other wolves? Does this extend to those they’re bonded to?

The wolves then bow their heads to me. My heart races within my chest. I slowly bow mine in return, blushing softly. When I stand up, I see each of them baring a tender smile. I smile in return, wanting to slip out and talk with them. I feel Fenris restlessly moving within my shadow, ready to jump out with me.

A couple of the wolves start to fidget, clearly wanting to see me, yet their collars restrain them. My eyes then glimpse a thin, nearly invisible chain, linking them to the people within the carriage. I let out a disgusted grunt, loving nothing more than to simply free them.

My eyes then turn to see the woman within the carriage talking to a man on horseback. He’s decked out in something an emissary would wear. Pomp attire adorned with symbols of station. She then points to me and the man nods, dismounting and motioning the guards to follow.

Shit. Another thing I don’t have much go off of is the abilities of Dewlouran soldiers, with only my knights to compare anything to. So fighting blindly against someone is not a good idea. Plus my knights are crazy strong to begin with so what are these guys to them?

As they approach, I quickly slip back into the crowd, bolting away from the street.

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