The Bookkeeper

Westland was a mountain city nestled deep within a rugged alpine landscape, its stone buildings displaying intricate, historic architecture: steep roofs clad in reddish-brown tiles, arched windows framed by wooden shutters, and small balconies that jutted from ancient walls.

The carriage rolled along cobblestone streets that wound through the city center, following the gentle downward slope through crowds of walking, conversing townspeople.

Their calm and decent demeanor alongside the sturdy structures gave the city a cozy, fortified feel, yet the buildings opened up just enough to reveal courtyards, staircases, and pockets of greenery despite the dense population.

The carriage pulled up on the right, before a prominent tower—perhaps a town hall—rising with Gothic-like spires and arched windows.

Raider's eyes swept gently around as he stepped out of the carriage. Everything in Westland felt foreign to him. It lacked the modern atmosphere of Persia City, yet the landscape and population seemed more diverse than Persia.

Chilly winds from the snowy mountains swept across the city, yet people strolled about in their overcoats and gloves, wearing soft smiles. Even the children showed no fear of the cold.

"It will be 200 Persa…" the driver announced with a dry tone, pressing his palms together to warm himself. Yet clearly the cold wasn't the cause of his lifeless expression; it was what had transpired on the way.

His words snapped Raiden out of his daze, and he leaned in to pay him instantly, but the driver drove off the moment he touched the money without sparing a glance.

"I don't think he will be coming to Westland again," Levi called out as he stood by Raiden, both of them watching as the driver desperately drove away.

"I think so…"

The driver's fear and concern for his safety were understandable because he wasn't the only one drowning in confusion—Raiden was too.

Fighting a shadow of himself, something he had never considered or even heard of, but what perplexed him most was the person who had summoned it. Who was he?

"We need to find an inn," Freya announced from behind.

Raiden raised his head and watched as the sun slowly began to set. At that moment, a mysterious man glowing with a white aura approached them. He wore a brown leather coat and black gloves, complementing his boots and brown hat, and his expression was noble.

"Are you on an adventure?" he asked calmly. "We have a lot of rooms, and trust me, lads, you'd love them." He gestured toward a building beside the massive gothic building they stood before.

Raiden gave him a cautious stare. Westland was said to be peaceful, but he wasn't going to take any chances. He gestured toward Levi.

"Check him out."

And with that, he began a cordial conversation with Levi as Raiden watched them walk toward the building the man had previously indicated.

As Raiden stood there, he glanced at his hand. The moon was rising, and only streetlights illuminated the streets, but he could see clearly.

He wasn't seeing by sunlight—nothing appeared shiny or bright; a mirror would have looked as dim as it would in darkness—yet though he felt surrounded by night, he could see everything clearly, perhaps better than in daylight. It was as if he understood the night.

Soon, Levi returned alongside the old man. "Well, I've secured our rooms."

Raiden turned to them with a raised eyebrow and watched as the others were already making their way toward the inn.

He let out a heavy sigh and began following them.

The inn was built from the same weathered grey and brown stones as the nearby buildings, topped with a brownish sloped tile roof.

Dark oak beams framed the windows and balconies, which were adorned with small shuttered windows and flower boxes, slightly warped by years of mountain air. A carved wooden sign hung above the door with 'The Traveler's Peak' etched into it.

The moment Raiden entered, he faced a bar counter opposite the heavy wooden door, polished and stocked with shelves of old bottles, dusty casks, and handcrafted mugs. Behind the bar stood the innkeeper, who looked identical to the man who had approached them.

However, a buzzing musical sound from the right corner of the room—behind wooden tables filled with drunkards—made Raiden's face twitch in annoyance. Too much noise.

Still, Raiden went to the counter to pay for the rooms and escape the buzzing place as soon as possible. He was taken to a room where the main feature was a grand fireplace dominating the far wall, crackling with logs. A wooden-framed bed with a somewhat squishy mattress sat not far from it, with a table and standing lantern to its right.

Raiden gently placed Ash on the bed and sank down beside him.

"Moon Dragon, huh?"

Though he had initially decided not to dwell on the fact that Ash was a moon dragon—even though he had no idea what a moon dragon actually was—he began to understand why certain things were as they were: the full moon he always saw in his dreams and how Ash could solidify shadows.

Exhaustion from his long journey began weighing on him. He started to yawn through his thoughts, rubbing his eyes as he stared at the wooden ceiling, and before he knew it, the cozy atmosphere had pulled him into sleep.

This was a life he could barely make sense of, and he had come to believe these mysteries would keep coming. But still, with a clear path back to his previous world before him, he knew it wasn't his place to think much about a life that barely belonged to him.

Before long, it was morning, and Raiden stood before the inn alongside his comrades. They had questioned the innkeeper about where they could find the transmitter cohort, but despite all the rumors that passed through the ears of bartenders and innkeepers, there was nothing he could tell them.

"We must split ourselves into three groups." Raiden gestured to Levi and Freya, and he didn't have to say another word before Aeris and MK knew what to do.

He turned to Noelle as she shifted the aether cigarette in her mouth with her tongue, her hands folded across her chest as she wore a nonchalant expression.

"Can we leave now?"

Noelle said nothing more before heading to the left. Raiden didn't like the idea of being with her either, but he knew her ability would come in handy if they encountered the transmitters.

"So what rules can you create in your domain?" Raiden asked and quickened his pace to join her, not wanting to repeat the unusual awkwardness of their previous encounter.

However, Noelle didn't say a word to Raiden—it was as if his words fell on deaf ears.

"I don't think you can create just any rule."

Still, there wasn't any response, so he let out a sigh and fell silent as well. They began moving from place to place, and it didn't take long before Ash woke up, but she went back to sleep immediately after devouring all of Raiden's snacks.

However, the information they gathered led them to the city's second-largest gothic-style building—a history hall.

But before they could enter, Noelle spotted someone in a black cloak, hood pulled up, and approached him. Raiden was confused for a moment but immediately understood what was going on.

"He is the transmitter," Noelle said, turning back to Raiden.

Raiden smiled as a sense of relief surged through him. He was a step closer to going back to his world, and his excitement was difficult to hide.