Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The First Day
We arrived at Town Central Palace at around noon. As we walked into the entrance, passed the fortified walls that marked the territory of the city's limits, I looked around in awe at the beautiful sight. Paved brick roads, a slight tone of beige. Houses, and buildings, but none the same height as a corporate tower such as Norbs corp back on Earth. It was just like a historic landmark. To my delight, my guess was actually right. Mia described to me that Town Central Palace, otherwise known as Central, is the city geographically located right in the heart of the continent of Fiefa. It was the Capital city, with routes branching off to every other town, city or small village out there. This was the center of the entire continent, which was conveniently also the place to obtain your Identity Card. This was the starting point to every person's journey of life. Whether you were born from royalty, the Commons or into a Target family, at one point everyone had to create a record of their existence. Once it was done, the Identity Card, IC, would update itself on its own as time went by. How, some might ask? Magic. "Magic?" I had asked Mia before. "Yup. On Cloud 9 the discoveries, phenomenons and miracles are endless. That's why Odalvi was highly praised and regarded as one of the greatest geniuses of all time. He didn't just discover Magic, but learned to harness it. Those who chose to become Targets and wanted to take the path in the Magic Class, would seek Odalvi for guidance and training." "Wow, so founding the Magic class has lead to a movement of new magicians or something?" "Being the Founder of Magic has lead to a new career path for Targets. In the field of Magic, you can now become a cleric, or a wizard, or a witch, or a fire mage, or--" "The opportunities are endless." "Exactly! It's for the person in that field to discover who they are and what they specialize in."

It was definitely an interesting topic to think about. Mia explained to me the options you had in terms of careers on C9. As the Commons, it ranged from a list of normal occupations: Farmers, Sculptors, Blacksmiths, Clothing Designers. However, the highest career the Commons could work in was: Magic Systems Engineering. Those were the developers of the complicated-structured platform of wireless matrix technology, an advancement I could only explain in simple words as: a digital touch screen in thin air. It's one of those ideas that you could never understand and explain logically without going insane, but after seeing Mia do it when we first met, it was definitely mind blowing. "MSE developers are highly trained professionals that don't use magic for combat, but for technological research. Once you take the Initialization Crystal, you gain the common ability to open up your Soul Database Processor. Of course, people who are classified as Commons have a limited use of this ability, while targets gain more and more knowledge on how to use it to their advantage. Obviously, targets in the magic class are the most proficient, unlocking SDP windows that have spell incantations and whatnot." "This world is so interesting." I said, exploding from the amount of information I've been trying to learn. "I'm glad you think so!" Mia replied. "When I first got Initiated for my Identity Card, I was probably 5. Or 6? Anyways, the process is about 5 minutes. The whole point of the Initialization Crystal is to sync all information with your mind, body & soul. Therefore, whether you're a target, common or royalty, you have a visual representation of your entire life in your Soul Database Processor. Inside, you'll find your Identity Card." Honestly, I didn't know what I was getting myself into. Either way, I was going to do whatever it took for me to be able to meet Odalvi. I needed to know how he knew about Earth. I needed to know if he knew how to get me home.

After walking what I felt was like 10 kilometres from where we originally met, we finally made it to the front of the building. The Grand Customs Board of Fiefa. It looked like a huge government building, and if Fiefa did have a government, then it undoubtedly was. "Here we are!" Mia blurted out. "All we have to do is walk inside and--" She tried to push the door open. To our luck, it was closed. "Hmm? What the..." Mia then took a step back and opened her SDP, which never seizes to amaze me. "Oh, it's Sunday." "Let me guess," I put my hand on my forehead. "No service on sundays." "Yeah, happens on earth too I guess?" "Pretty much, there are a lot of things not open on Sundays in my world as well" I explained. "Ugh, what do we do now?" "Follow me," Mia addressed. And I did just that. She showed me around the Capital City, learning about the marketplace and the types of restrictions in a city there were. Skirmishes and mini battles of one-versus-one or two-versus-two were aloud, but any larger was forbidden. Failing to abide those rules were imprisoned. Fights that disrupted the people were also forbidden. Most importantly, harming the Commons was strictly forbidden. However, there are many thugs everyday that get away for their crimes. In my head, this was no different from the moral ethics and standard norms of Earth. So far, a lot was similar. Especially the food. Mia treated me to a meal, which were all familiar names from back at home. Spaghetti, roasted beef, even fried dumplings; they were all still the same to the spaghettis and the dumplings that I would buy at the local grocery store. I had a great time with Mia. It was actually the first time I've spent a whole day with a girl, getting to know her as well as getting to know her world. I was glad that I've met someone so friendly and helpful. We watched the sunset until the sky above us - the infinite sky that actually surrounded us - dimmed down. She brought me to an inn. It was a single room with a bed, table and chair at the corner by the window, and a washroom. It was finally night; my first night on Cloud 9. "Uh, you didn't have to. I mean you already bought me lunch and supper. I was fine with just camping out back in the woods." I told her. "Shuttup, it's my treat" Mia warmly answered. "Besides, I really don't mind! I have to take care of my angel" she began to tease. "The next morning, when I get that Identity Card or whatever, I'll prove to you that I'm no angel." I said. We both laughed as I went to lie my back on the bed and she went to sit on the chair by the table. "I'm soo tired," I yawned. "Oh! Sorry, you should lie down. You're probably even more exhausted than I am." "No, I'm used to it." She answered. "I do a lot of traveling and work longer hours than today. Today, I just showed you around town." "That reminds me, what are you? Your career, I mean." "I'm a flash swordsman from the Knight class. Oh, I probably forgot to tell you about my rune!" "Your Rune?" She began to take off her right, white shoe as well as her high socks. She had beautiful legs, but I quickly noticed the mark faintly shown at the top of her ankle. "When you go through Initiation, sometimes you'll be the rare few who receive a legendary rune. Everyone receives a common one, but only legendary runes are actually somewhat visible. On top of that, they appear at different parts of your body, signifying your strengths." She explained. "They give you another set of unique abilities, one that can be used for whatever path or career you choose." I stared at her ankle, mesmerized by the insignia. It was like a tattooed birthmark, that you can barely see. "After my initiation, I checked my Identity Card, but it didn't mention anything about the rune. So, my father took me to a researcher and told us about the legendary runes. They aren't genetic, but divine."

"You were blessed with the ability when you took your initiation." I said. "Exactly. I have a hero rune, the Wings of Minas." She told me. "It gives me the ability to perform at a high rate of speed. I'm considered to be one of the fastest people to ever wield a sword." "That explains why you're classified as a flash swordsman. Plus, having a hero rune makes you a heroine, right?" "Not exactly... I mean, I have the attributes to one day become one, but it doesn't mean I automatically am a heroine until I actually do something 'heroic' you know what I mean?" She began to put her sock and shoe back on. "Yeah, and having that pressure to live up to your potential - again, I know how you feel," I told her. "You sure sound like you do, but it's different when you're actually burdened with that expectation." She sighed. "But you're not alone," I told her. "There are probably others with hero runes, and you probably know them. And I'm sure they had other people help them try to ease the stress." "Yeah," she began to fall into an easily seen mood of unhappiness. "At the end of the day though, I need to do it on my own." A pause of silence entered the room. "But I'll be there every step of the way," I told her, with a smile. "For as long as I'm here, at least." She turned to look at me, and slowly began to smile. "Really?" She asked. "Of course," I said confidently as I could no longer resist the urge to lie back down on the bed. "Besides, you're the one who keeps telling me that I'm your guardian angel, right?" Mia began to giggle, but it was not enough to cover up the blush that I could see on her cheeks. I yawned and closed my eyes. "I'm here for you, because that's what friends do." From the corner of the room I heard her voice reply, "Thanks Gabe, I'm glad you're my friend. Now go to sleep, angel."