Are you?

"...yes."

Leo answered a beat too late. 

"Remind me your name?" Ginzo asked. 

"Leo," he replied evenly. Originally, the Soviet papers said Teo Truman but Leo managed to edit it into Leo. The last name, well, no need to mention it if necessary. 

"And your role in this operation?"

"Security and inventory count," Leo said. "Mostly inventory count. I have a great memory, you see."

Ginzo's eyes narrowed slightly and Leo felt the faintest pulse of mana washing over him. It was the opposite of a gust of wind brushing past his skin, it almost ensnared him. Leo knew it was an attempt to sense his intentions.

"That ring looks expensive. Magical."

Carved from an obsidian-like stone, deep black with faint, swirling veins of gray and silver, it was as though one was staring into the eddies of a dark river. When held up to light, its surface rivalled the reflection of stars on water.

Leo folded his hand together and covered it. "It was a gift."

"From your wife?"

A nod. 

Ginzo stared until he decided to shift his attention to Robert. "And you?"

"Robert Slate," the Garber gentleman said casually, tipping his hat down. "I am a peasant sent to haul the heavy stuff."

Ginzo's lips twitched into the barest hint of a frown, but he said nothing. He continued his inspection, asking a few more questions, and glancing into the cart before finally turning himself and his chair forward. 

"Your papers are in order," Ginzo stated. "You're clear to pass."

The group nodded their thanks. Leo couldn't help but feel a wave of relief as the gate opened and they moved past the checkpoint. Leo didn't let it show, of course. The group continued down the road which transitioned in every way. From the stench of garbage to perfume, from half-dirt and half-stone to well-paved cobblestone. The distant glow of the Recreare Sector grew brighter. The Dark Sector's perpetual gloom was utterly dismantled here.

Here, they saw the blue sky—

"Pretty," Robert murmured.

Here, they saw flying creatures.

'Is that a griffin?' Leo's jaw dropped. The last time he came here, it was wartime and suffice to say there were certainly no mythical creatures roaming about. 'I-is that an eagle?' 

"Ah, now that's a sight I've been wanting to see," said the merchant, drawing in the comfortable air. "A unicorn. As beautiful as ever."

Walking past them was a lone man riding a unicorn. White in colour with a gorgeous blonde mane and a mighty horn that even Leo felt intimidated by. These things were strong. 

"Wow." Robert gaped and despite walking, he could not help but crane his head even as he went completely past them. "Phenomenal."

'I know right.' 

The Second Heavenly War, lasting from 154-166 of the Heavenly Era. Over twelve years of conflict. More than two-thirds of Leo's life. 

In the cobblestone buildings that were to come, there was hope. Happiness. Real laughter and light.

Leo glanced back at the merchant, who looked visibly relieved once the first set of buildings were beside them. Regardless of Sector, Central Road went on. It changed but its axis and layout was the same. The carriage stopped.

"S-so, sir, ahem." The merchant turned toward Leo. "Are we going our separate ways?"

'That's—'

"No." It was Robert that spoke. "You owe us your life, merchant. You serve us. I will be watching you."

"I…" The Chinese merchant hung his head. "Understood."

"What would you like us to do, Sir Anemoi?" Robert inched closer and spoke in a hush. "Shall we use him to set up a store? Act as sponsors?'"

'Err, I think there's been some kind of misunderstanding. I'm not here to lead you people. Then again…' Leo side-eyed Robert whose arms were crossed and expression was smiling and difficult to read. 'He has good instincts. He knows he got here because of me and he knows he can only climb higher with my help. If I'm going to attend Arcadia Bay, it would be good to have a blackmarket type contact like him.' 

Not to mention Leo had run a café pretty much single-handedly. If they wanted to start something legit or illegal, he knew how to kickstart it. 

"Do it," said Leo. "We can talk specifics later. I will walk with you for now but I do have my own business to take care of."

"Why, of course." Robert was more than happy to oblige. He gestured at his two friends to start pushing the carriage again. "Come, let us walk with the merchant."

Leo, Robert, his two friends, and the merchant started walking again. Apparently, an old friend of the merchant's lived at the Home Improvement Area. Oliver, the merchant said. It was a long walk but it would be worth it. 

"Oliver can help us find a place," the merchant insisted.

"I do hope so," Robert replied. "For your sake."

Leo glanced over his shoulder. 'Ginzo the Rikugun-Chūjō…' The youth of twenty-two years had seen through armies, through lies, through deception itself. Leo had been lucky—this time.

'One wrong move,' he thought, 'and we wouldn't have made it.'

But they had made it, and now they walked among the streets of the Recreare Sector. For now, that was enough.

****

He split from the party as soon as they reached the merchant's friend and Leo was able to fetch fresh clothes. After all, today's objective was not to find a new business or establish contacts. No, today, he was here for a simple, basic premise that had gone out of hand.

Leo was here to get a tour of Arcadia Academy. 

Except between the sectors, his eyes widened again.

'W-what the hell? Smoke is coming out of the carriage!? How…what…?'

It wasn't THAT magical. Among the miracles of magic, this placed quite low. What was shocking to Leo was that nobody cared. There was smoke coming out of a carriage and nobody cared.

'I-is it not on fire?' He slowed his steps as he eyed the strange carriage. There weren't many of them, Leo had so far encountered only this one. 'What are those sounds too? It's like metal hitting…metal…?'

"Come on, Leo. You've been here before. Just because things have changed doesn't mean you should be stopping." Taking a deep breath, he focused on getting to his destination.

Arcadia Academy. 

Once again, upon stumbling upon it, his eyes widened in shock. Just how advanced had everything gotten in the war!?

First off, the walls were impossibly high and long and followed with battlements where he saw guards patrolling and observing the perimeter. What was strange was that Leo could not sense any of them. He could see them but listening to them or sensing them was…just not possible. 

'Usually, I'm able to get a good reading on my surroundings by feeling the wind. They must have done some magic circle stuff because I can't sense any of the patrolling guards even though they're right there. That's amazing.' 

Already, by simply looking at the thick white walls, he was impressed. Soon, he closed in on the iron gates of Arcadia Academy where he saw people lined up. Two massive drawbridges, although twinned in appearance, were many feet apart and paired with their own portcullises, crisscrossed iron bars shut and closed. Leo figured by a quick look that the portcullises were unable to be destroyed by a thousand witches or wizards. These were the entrances to the famed academy, after all. If the walls or the gates were so easily destroyed, then there would be no point in hosting such a grand place. 

"First years, over here! Those who wish to apply, over here!"

"Application papers are here! Those with references should go over to the left side! I repeat: the left side!"

Student volunteers were directing parents and youth toward the single hyper-long desk. Near the moat of water, the length of oak was staffed by twenty robed professors with quills, scrolls, and a discerning gaze. They looked exhausted. The line-up was huge.

So many parents. So many eager kids. Shit, Leo came a bit late, didn't he…? Hopefully he wasn't out of place. 

Over a beige tunic, he wore a sleeveless jerkin of a darker slate grey. Around his waist, a plain belt of braided grey cord held a small pouch and a sheathed dagger, its hilt wrapped in leather. A gift from the merchant. His trousers were a shade lighter than the jerkin, made of a sturdy fabric that the merchant insisted was the best of the best. He was a textile seller and he was scared out of his mind so he was definitely telling the truth. 

There was nothing ostentatious about his appearance, no flashy embellishments or bright colors to draw the eye. Yet there was a quiet confidence in the way he carried himself, as if the simplicity of his attire was a deliberate choice—it wasn't, the merchant practically shoved it into his arms when he asked for new clothes. It wasn't like Leo could have chosen better anyway. 

Some of the clothes on the professors were super fancy. As in, Leo could feel the magic teaming off of them. However, to see such amazing garbs for such a thankless job…

Seriously, look at that line-up! 

'Definitely the one job that the professors are eager not to get.' Leo folded his arms. He eyed beyond the walls, the drawbridge, and the steeled gate. There was nothing. Nothing at all. The famous castle written and talked in hushes was not there. 

"Fools." 

Suddenly beside Leo with his arms also crossed was a tall, lean boy with fiery red hair, golden eyes, and a constellation of freckles across his face. His robes were always slightly singed at the edges. An amateur magic user. A Mage.

"Oh, hi there."

"Hrn." The fiery red-head sneered. "To think Jalaric will have to wait in line. Ridiculous."

"Y-yeah, it sure is long, huh?"

"If they witnessed my skills, then Jalaric would certainly need no application. They would open the gates and accept Jalaric with open arms."

'I-is he speaking in third person?' 

"I getcha. This must be tedious." Leo stood there, nodding along. "Shouldn't we get in line—?"

"Yes," Jalaric said quickly, immediately running over. Leo was not too far behind.

'So much for all that pride…'