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Chapter 1

Another Friday. Another execution.

Cade leaned against the rickety railing as he observed the unfortunate man begging for his life. His vantage point, high up, allowed him an unobstructed view of the soon-to-be bloody scene.  He was situated on top of a building overlooking the plaza. Below, crowds of people jostled and muttered amongst themselves. The execution took place in a large plaza. It wasn’t rare for executions to happen in their city- formally known as Ticondrai and informally called Tico by the locals.
He was too far away to properly hear what the man was wailing about, however it was fairly easy to figure out that he was pleading with the guards. He was quickly silenced by one of the guards who Cade assumed was the one in charge. He sighed. He already knew how this would unfold. There was no point in watching what he had seen countless times before. While he was no stranger to blood, he had never enjoyed the sight of it, and preferred to avoid it when he could.

Cade stepped back from the railing. As he had expected, the man’s cries had gone quiet. By the time Cade had made his way down, the crowd had mostly dispersed, back to their daily tasks. The only sign of the execution was the fresh blood splattered on the ground and a few mourners, some of which were faintly sobbing. 

“Cade!” A voice called out. Cade turned around, knowing who it was before he even did so. As expected, Lola Stroel, already strolling toward him with a big grin on her face. Today her hair was colored a bright orange.

“Hey Ness.” 

“Did ya see the execution? This one was pretty bloody. Rumor has it the man was caught carrying letters from-” Lola hesitated, turning her head to make sure no passerby were eavesdropping. “The Brisn.” 

“I doubt it. He probably pissed off the wrong Carn.” Cade scoffed. Carns were the high ranking nobles who held the most power, other than the High Order of course. They rarely ventured into Ticondrai or other towns where pheasants, merchants, criminals, and basically everyone who was considered lesser in the eyes of Carns dwelled. Most of them lived in Urifh’s capital city, Varz. 

“I’m not too sure Cade. You know, I’ve been hearing… stories. Rumors. Did you know they destroyed an Elite base the other day? The High Order may try to cover it up, but something that big doesn’t go unnoticed. And honestly, it’s about time someone stood up the the High Order.” Lola said, her tone becoming more serious. 

“Come on, believing in rumors? Really?” Cade smirked. Though he tried to play off Lola’s stories as simply fiction, he had a sinking feeling. Not much was known about The Brisn. They were said to be a newly formed rebel group, fighting against the High Order’s control. Of course, Cade himself had only heard snippets about them in taverns and from traveling merchants, so he couldn’t be sure how much of it was true. While Cade himself wasn’t fond of the High Order, he knew rebelling would only increase violence and result in tighter control. He doubted even The Brisn could take down the High Order, however successful they appeared to be. 

Lola huffed. “Fine. But I’m telling you, something’s up. Haven’t you noticed there are more Elite Guards around? Usually they let the Reds handle patrolling towns like ours. The High Order may not want to admit it, but they’re feeling threatened.” 

Cade paused. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Lola had a point. Typically only Red Guards, the lower level of guards patrolled the streets and took care of petty crime. Elite Guards only got involved in more serious matters. 

Lola noticed his silence. “Ha! You’re starting to believe me.”

“You wish. How’s the store going?” Cade swiftly switched the topic. He could tell Lola noticed, but she let it slide and immediately launched into a rant about some unruly customer. Lola’s family owned a shop selling trinkets and magical artifacts. The store was Lola’s moms passion. It was fairly successful, and made enough money for them to live comfortably. That was until Lola’s mom succumbed to an illness a few years ago. The cure was only available to Carns, and they couldn’t amass the amount of money it’d require for them to even get a drop of the cure. It was part of the reason for Lola’s burning hate for the High Order and Carns. Shortly after her dads death, Lola’s mom took off, overwhelmed with grief. Lola’s older sister, Nessa stepped in, acting as a parent for Lola. At times Cade admired Lola’s and Nessa’s unwavering bond. 

“…and then- hey, are you even listening to me?” Lola said, pausing midway through her rant. 

“Mhm.” Cade lied. Lola gave him a dubious look.

“Whatever. I have to go. See you at the tavern tonight?” Lola grinned, already walking away.

“See you.” Cade called out. Lola waved over her shoulder. Soon she faded into the crowd. Cade waited a few seconds before walking away as well. He didn’t exactly have a particular destination in mind, and instead wandered through the streets, occasionally stopping to browse through stalls and stores. Soon enough, his favorite store came into view. Grisel’s Plants and Oddities. Cade stepped in, waving hello to Grisel who had been running the store for about 50 years and showed no signs of stopping. She seemed unusually pale, for reasons he couldn’t figure out.

An earthy fragrance filled the air, the telltale scent that Cade had come to associate with the store. All sorts of plants lined the walls and displays. Some had magical properties, such as healing. Others had curses attached to them. Cade’s personal favorite was an innocuous light blue flower with light stripes across the petals. If it came into contact with water, blue dust would erupt and stain everything dark blue nearby within a 6 feet distance. The flower was often given used for pranks or gifts for people you didn’t exactly like. The stain was extremely hard to wash off, and usually stayed for a couple of days,

Cade knew from experience.

While he was looking at a few particularly violent carnivorous plants (they were kept in a cage for obvious reasons), he accidentally bumped into someone. 

“Sorry-” Cade started turning around. His words trailed off once he registered who he had bumped into. In front of him stood Luca Galdriel, the infamous crown prince of the High Order. The prince was clad in silver armor, with a sword strapped along his back. The tip of a tattoo was visible on his neck, the rest of it covered by his armor. Overall, he was an intimidating man, and for good reason. He looked the same as the last time Cade had seen him. Except this time without the blood splattering his boots. 

The prince was known for his brutality and expertise in combat, as he had served in his parent’s army. The army of the High Emperess and Emperor. He towered several inches over Cade, despite being only a few years older than him. Cade took a step back. What was the crown prince of all people doing in a plant store? Only now did Cade notice how empty and silent the shop was. 

Luca remained silent, his emerald eyes boring into Cade.

“I- uh… Sorry again. Didn’t see you there.” Cade stammered on, unsure of what to say. He couldn’t tell whether the general was angry or not. He grew more uncomfortable as Luca’s gaze grew more intense, almost as he was trying to look into Cade’s head. 

“Move along.” Luca commanded without further comment. Cade swallowed and moved quickly moved aside. He waited a few seconds before swiftly exiting the store, wanting to put as much distance between him and Luca. Once he had determine he was far enough, Cade exhaled and leaned against a crumbling brick wall. 

Something rested uneasily within Cade’s mind. Something seemed off about the prince, something Cade couldn’t exactly place but his brain had picked up. He brushed it off as his mind merely playing tricks on him. He should just be thankful the prince hadn’t resorted to violence, or had Cade punished for bumping into him, especially given his history. But he doubted the prince even remembered him. And Cade wanted to keep it that way.

After all, he still had the scars from the last time he had seen the prince.

Cade looked up at the sky. The outline of three moons could be faintly seen, indicating sunset was fast approaching. Cade pushed off the wall (potentially breaking it further), and began the walk home. Despite the incoming nightfall, the streets were still fairly crowded and would only clear much later into the night. As he walked, he noticed a flyer taped onto the side of a building, slightly hidden by vines and leaves that had formed over time. Normally Cade would pay no mind to flyers taped on buildings. They weren’t a rare sight. However as Cade drew closer, the picture on it made him stop. 

Cade tore off the flyer and brushed off some dirt. As he had thought, the face looking back at him was one he was very familiar with. He quickly crumpled it, pushing back the sudden grief.

Having decided he’d taken too many stops, Cade continued on his way, desperately pushing out any thoughts of the face on the poster.

Soon enough, Cade had reached his apartment. It was decent and the owner was considerate. The other tenants also tended to keep to themselves, which was fine by him. 

Cade double locked the door. In Tico, crime was an everyday occurrence. Double locking the door was common and even recommended. Cade shrugged off his satchel and sank into the couch. He worked as a delivery boy for a company which sold artifacts and trinkets, thought today had been a rare day off. And the job paid well. He glanced at the mirror hanging on the wall and quickly looked away. He didn’t have a problem with his dark brown hair nor his green eyes. It was the scar along the left side of his face that Cade despised. 

After a few moments, Cade decided the silence was unbearable. He grabbed his oitr, a compact radio like device which played music and broadcasted the news and cranked up the news. Cade was used to the silence, as much as he disliked it. His mom had passed years ago and his dad was a mystery, having left when Cade was a toddler.

Before he knew it, Cade had dozed off. He usually didn’t dream much, however today his dreams seemed almost tangible. 

He was in a pitch dark room. A light shone on, revealing a pedestal with a large jewel nested on it. The jewel was blood red, adorned with speckled gold dust. Cade’s body jerked forward, as if drawn by an invisible force. A whisper filled his ears, though Cade couldn’t make out any words. They sounded as if in another language. 

Before he could make sense of anything else, Cade awoke with a start. He yawned and rubbed his eyes, blinking a few times. 

“Stupid dream…” Cade grumbled, stretching. It seemed as he’d only slept for a few minutes, but one glance out the window told him that it had been about an hour. It was now dark outside, and the three moons were partly visible. Right. He had to meet with Lola.

Cade got off the couch and once again grabbed his satchel. He’d grab some dinner, have a quick chat with Lola then head back home. Today had been tiring for no apparent reason. 

Cade stepped through the doorway, making sure to lock the door behind him. The Gold Tavern wasn’t too far from his apartment. Despite its name it was old and the inside wasn’t exactly luxurious. Nevertheless, locals still loved it and it had a decent sized crowd almost every night and doubled as a restaurant. Cade stepped in, saying a quick hello to Vari, the owner’s daughter who was manning the bar. It didn’t take long to spot Lola, given her nearly neon hair. 

Cade had originally planned for a relaxed night, not spending too long at the tavern before retiring for the night.

However one look at Lola’s face said otherwise. Tear tracks ran down her face, her nose red. 

“Lola? What-”, Cade said, concern flooding his face. Lola looked up tearfully.

“It’s Nessa. She’s going to die.” Lola whispered, tears brimming her eyes. 

There goes a peaceful night.

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