Chapter 6 – Night(1507)

Night had fallen over Mad Hat Island, and the air, which should have been cool, felt suffocating, thick with the rancid stench of sewage and waste from the overflowing gutters. The dim, flickering oil lamps offered little illumination, making it harder to see clearly. In this shadowed world, the city seemed alive an organism that swallowed anything it touched, from the weak to the powerful, indifferent to their fate.

Arthur crept through the narrow, dark alleys, his eyes fixed on the auction house a building that stood out even amidst the decaying surroundings. There was no noise coming from outside, only the hurried footsteps of a few people trying to disappear into the shadows of the night. Arthur knew what took place within those walls whispers about the place had reached his ears but tonight, he wanted to witness it firsthand.

Outside, only two guards stood watch, their vacant stares fixed on nothing in particular, unmoved by the world around them. Arthur slinked closer, hiding behind the cold stone walls, observing the surroundings. From his vantage point, he could glimpse some of the faces inside the expressions of satisfaction, surprise, and forced acceptance, the quiet resignation of people who knew their lives were now nothing more than goods for sale.

Arthur bit his lip, struggling to suppress the urge to rush in, to lash out at the merchants and destroy the auction house. He longed to strike, but he knew he wasn't strong enough not yet. This was a place for the powerful, a place where weakness had no place. Mad Hat Island proved that every day.

And then, something caught his eye. In the far corner of the room, a young girl stood bound, her face a mask of anger and bitterness. Her eyes burned with a quiet fury, as if waiting for the moment to strike back. There was something about her something strong, a fire within that seemed to defy the cruelty surrounding her. Arthur felt drawn to her, sensing that she was far more than a mere victim of the auction.

It was in that moment that Arthur first laid eyes on Elyndra Morgrave.

***

Bastian sat at his workbench in Gerald Lazhar's weapons shop, surrounded by the tools and weapons he was assembling. His hands moved quickly, expertly fitting parts together, but his mind was elsewhere, still processing everything he'd witnessed in this dark city. The world around him was filled with danger, and the longer he stayed here, the more he realized that nothing was ever simple.

Gerald Lazhar, the man who had saved him, was an enigma. The more Bastian got to know him, the more he discovered that there were many things about Lazhar that didn't add up. He wasn't just a weapons expert; he seemed to have a deep understanding of the various forces at play on this island—forces far greater than the arms trade he ran. Sometimes, Bastian could feel the weight of Lazhar's gaze on him, a sharp, assessing look that seemed to measure his every move.

One thing was clear: Gerald Lazhar was no ordinary man.

Bastian began to realize that surviving on Mad Hat Island meant understanding the forces that controlled it. This wasn't a place that could be navigated through conventional means. There were so many hidden powers at play pirates, human traffickers, and those in positions of power. Even Rick Blacknose, a man known for his cunning, was part of a larger game.

Rick Blacknose was a name that echoed in the streets, a man known not only for his weapon trade but also for his deep connections to Mad Hat Island's underground world. Few knew that Rick was involved with pirates, mafias, and criminal overlords, orchestrating deals that kept the city's power structure intact. While not a fighter, Rick's intelligence and ability to manipulate situations made him one of the most dangerous figures on the island.

And then, there was the auction house an institution that Bastian knew played a pivotal role in the island's human trafficking operations. Here, people trapped in their desperate circumstances were sold like merchandise mostly women and children, though no one was truly safe from being auctioned off. Bastian knew that if he was to survive here, he needed to learn more about those who ran these places, to understand how their systems worked.

Not far from the weapons shop, in the middle of the crowded streets, Bastian spotted a large man with a cold expression Rick Blacknose. The man was speaking with a few others in the corner of the street, discussing something with the air of someone who had everything under control. Bastian knew that the time had come to begin his own investigation to learn who held power in this city, and how they exercised it.

The world might be more complicated than he had anticipated, but one thing was certain: if he wanted to survive, he had to learn its intricacies quickly.

***

Outside the weapons shop, the night deepened, and the streets grew quieter. Arthur still stood in the alley, watching the auction house, his gaze locked on the girl he had seen Elyndra. There was something compelling about her, something that made him want to help her. He didn't know what would happen next, but one thing was clear he would no longer be a bystander. He wanted to be part of this world, to become stronger, and perhaps one day, confront those who had destroyed his life.

But for that, he needed to learn to learn from Bastian, from Gerald, and from the world that had brought him here. Arthur knew that nothing would change by standing still. This world was harsh, and he had to be just as harsh in return.

And that night, in the suffocating silence, Arthur made his decision to take his first step, to learn, and to survive on Mad Hat Island.