Our journey to Hollowspire; a trading city somewhat to the east Myra told me was our destination, began at dawn. The forest was cool and damp with lingering morning dew. The group moved efficiently, their years of experience navigating the wilderness shown in their steady pace and wordless communication. Helriel led the way, his keen eyes scanning the path ahead, while Bram brought up the rear, his posture tense and alert. Myra and Mari stayed in the centre, the little girl skipping between us, her energy a welcome contrast to the growing tension. I kept an eye on her, making sure she was safe. She reminded me of someone from memory that I could not place.

  As we walked, the forest began to slowly transform. The thick, dense canopy thinned, letting more light shine on us, but the trees themselves seemed less healthy. Their trunks were sewn with dark streaks, and the leaves had a brittle, discoloured and sad quality. Every now and then, we would pass small patches of withered underbrush, the blight's touch, I assumed. Helriel said little, but his grim glances at the dying flora said more than enough.

  "Do you think the blight will reach the city?" Mari asked, her voice breaking the long silence as we marched forwards, she was hushed by her parents as if they feared the trees themselves might answer. She did get an answer, though.

  Myra placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "The walls of Hollowspire have stood for centuries. They held against the Stirek Invasions, they'll hold now."

  Stirek Invasions? I would need to remember to ask about those later. Better to start learning the history of this place, seeing as I might be here some time.

  Helriel snorted from up ahead but didn't comment on his wife's statement. Clearly he wasn't as confident.

  The trail began to grow steeper as we climbed a low grass ridge as we finally left the forest, offering a brief view of the land ahead. Green grasslands with stone formations jutting out every now and then covered everything I could see, bar for one dark blotch in the horizon. Hollowspire loomed in the distance, its stone walls weathered but imposing. I see where the name came from, a large glass tower stood near the centre of the city, it was completely transparent, and as the name suggested; hollow. Smoke curled lazily from the many chimneys dotted about, a sign of life and industry, though vastly different to what it was like back home. Even from here, miles away, something about the city felt... cold. The immediate surrounding countryside was dotted with abandoned farmsteads, their fields overgrown or choked with blackened weeds.

  "That's new," Bram muttered, pointing to a long dark stain creeping along the edges of an old orchard. The blight had claimed another piece of land, it seemed.

  "We're not stopping," Helriel said curtly. "Keep moving."

  The group fell silent as we descended from the ridge, the largely oppressive atmosphere growing heavier and heavier with every step we took closer to the city. The road, once well-trodden, was now cracked and uneven, overrun and swamped with weeds. A few travelers passed us going the other way-grim-faced men and women leading heavily laden carts, their gazes darting nervously toward the treeline. They offered no greetings, and we didn't press for conversation.

  Seeing true civilization again, albeit something that looked like it was taken from old history textbooks, was...honestly quite stunning.

  By the time we reached the outskirts of Hollowspire, the sun was beginning to dip low in the sky, casting long shadows over the stone walls. Night was coming. The large gates loomed ahead, their iron-bound timbers etched with crude marks, jagged lines intersecting each other haphazardly-wards, perhaps, though I could only guess that they guarded against the blight or other dangers as they may have just as easily been charms for good fortune and safe travels. A pair of guards stood watch, their mismatched armour and weary expressions a surreal contrast to the imposing structure.

  The closer we drew, the more I felt it-that pulsing wrongness I'd sensed in the forest. It was stronger here, a faint vibration in my chest that set my mind on edge.

  "Stay close, Mari," Myra murmured as we approached the guards.

  The one on the left, a burly and tall man with a deep scar running down his face, stepped forward, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "State your business," he said, his voice rough and tired.

  Myra stepped forward, her tone calm but firm. "We're traders from the forest. Here to resupply and trade."

  The guard's eyes flicked over the group, lingering on me. "You don't look like traders," he said, suspicion heavy in his voice.

  Myra gestured to their modest packs. "We've got little to spare, but it's enough to barter."

  The guard's gaze didn't waver. "And him?" He jerked his chin toward me.

  I somewhat regretted the fact that I had buried my gun on the outskirts of the town. Something told me deep down that weaponry from my time would be ineffective going forward. But I would have felt much safer at that moment had I still had it.

  I raised my hands slightly, palms out. "Just a traveler. They were kind enough to let me walk with them."

  I did not want to get the group refused just because of me, better to be honest enough with the guard.

  The guard's lips twisted into a frown. "We've had enough of travelers lately. People wandering in, bringing trouble with them."

  "I'm not here to cause any trouble," I said evenly. "But if my presence is an issue, I'll stay outside."

  Helriel muttered something under his breath again that I did not hear, but Myra glanced at me, her expression torn. "You don't have to-"

  "It's fine," I interrupted. "Go on without me. I'll find you later."

  Mari's face fell, and she tugged at Myra's sleeve. "But he-"

  "It's alright," I said gently, kneeling to meet her gaze. "I'll catch up. Where are you staying?" I said as I glanced towards Myra.

  She hesitated, then sighed. "The Dusty Lantern. It's an inn near Korshelim Square. Ask around if you have trouble finding it."

  I nodded. "I'll see you there."

  Helriel grunted as he passed me, muttering something that I could hear this time,"Your problem now, traveler." Bram gave me a small nod, his expression unreadable, and Myra offered a brief, apologetic glance before guiding Mari through the gates. The guards stepped aside for them, their attention still fixed on me.

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  "Now," the scarred guard said, his hand tightening on his weapon. "Let's have a little chat about what you're really doing here."

  I was not sure if I should be worried.

  The gates of Hollowspire closed behind the group, leaving me outside with the fading light and the guards.

  The scarred guard squared his shoulders, his sharp eyes locking onto mine. His companion, a wiry, younger man with a nervous jittery energy, hovered a step behind him, gripping his spear tightly.

  "Start talking," the scarred one said. "Why are you really here?"

  I kept my hands visible, my tone calm but firm. "Like told you, I'm just a traveler. I came to this city because I heard it's a place where people gather. Trade. Share information. I'm looking for answers, plus it has been a really long time since I had a good drink."

  The wiry guard seemed to relax a bit, a smile playing on his lips. The older guard seemed not to care for humour.

  "Answers to what?" the older guard asked, his voice sceptical.

  I hesitated, weighing how much would be smart to reveal. "To what's happening out there," I said, gesturing toward the blight-stricken forest and surrounding area. "The land is dying. People are fleeing their homes. You can see it"

  The scarred guard's jaw tightened. "Everyone's seen it. Doesn't explain why you need to be sniffing around here in my city."

  I met his gaze steadily. "Because it's worse here. I can feel it. Something's wrong in this city."

  I had felt it on my walk here, the blight was strong here. I could sense it, like an inverse to the pulse I felt when I was near the god. Almost like a piece of music played backwards.

  The younger guard exchanged a glance with his companion, uncertainty mirrored across both their faces. The scarred one didn't waver, however. "Are you some kind of priest? One of those fake mage types? One of those zealots from the west?"

  "No," I said quickly. I was definitely no type of priest. "I'm just a man trying to make sense of this. But if you think I'm here to cause trouble, you're mistaken."

  The younger guard frowned, lowering his spear slightly. "You don't look like trouble," he muttered. "More like... lost."

  The scarred guard shot him a strong glare but seemed to relent slightly. "Listen." he said, his tone still rough but less accusatory this time. "We've had all sorts come through here lately. Deserters, scavengers, even a few 'heroes' who thought they could save the city. Most of them ended up dead-or worse."

  "I'm not here to play hero." I said. "But I might be able to help. If you'll let me."

  He crossed his arms, studying me. "You want in that bad? Fine. But you keep your head down and your nose clean. You so much as blink wrong and I will know it was you, and then you'll wish the blight got to you first. Understand?"

  "I understand," I said.

  I nodded to them both in respect, stepping past them as they pushed the heavy gates open just wide enough for me to slip through.

  The air inside the city felt different-thick with smoke, sweat, and something sour that set my teeth on edge. The hum of voices and clatter of trade drifted from the small market further ahead, but there was a silent tension here.

  Now that I was in, all I had to do was find the group. What was the name of that inn?

  As if he had heard my thoughts, the young guard shouted back to me; "The Dusty Lantern's near the east end of the square. If you're looking for your friends, that's where you'll find them."

  I raised a hand in thanks and pressed forward into Hollowspire as the large gates closed shut behind me. There was a pull to this massive city, something that would help me on my journey, I could feel it.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  The gates of Hollowspire creaked shut behind me, their sharp whine intermixing with the dim sounds of the city. Hollowspire was a place that carried follow its name, it sure felt hollow. Everyone's eyes were downcast, filled with a certain type of sadness. One that still spoke of hope, but with wavering conviction. The cobblestone streets were cracked and uneven, lined on both sides with narrow buildings whose faces were as grimy and weathered. But only on a surface level, as if the true faces were hidden behind that layer, just like the people who moved between them. Smoke rose in thin, sluggish columns from crooked chimneys, mingling with a dark gray sky. The air was thick, carrying the acrid tang of mould and an undercurrent of fear.

  Was this what everything had smelt like during the countless plagues and famines that happened back to my world? If so, is history truly deemed to always repeat itself?

  As I walked, the streets soon opened into Korshelim Square, a sprawling marketplace pulsing with life-or the semblance of it. Stalls and carts were crammed together, their wares as varied as the faces of the sellers with dried herbs, tarnished trinkets, chipped pottery, and stacks of shriveled and root vegetables that looked very unappetising among countless other things. The noise was chaotic. Filled with the sounds of bartering vendors, clinking coins, and the occasional sharp yell as someone disliked something some other person had done. This part felt like home. Felt like the streets back home.

  I wove through the crowd, millennia old skills of deftly rolling with the crowd coming back to me from ages past. My senses were sharp, I felt slightly stronger since entering the city. Like an adrenaline rush but without the tension. There was in the crowd, tension interwoven like a fine silk-it was a need for survival. Preparation. People clutched their belongings tightly, their eyes darting toward dark alleys and shadowed corners. Hollowspire felt alive, but it felt much akin to that of a cornered wild animal, wary and desperate. Ready to lash out at a moment's notice.

  As I walked in the general direction of the Inn, a vendor caught my eye, a stooped old man with a long, patchy white beard. He stood beside a stall of dried meats strung up like trophies, their leathery surfaces gleaming faintly in the dull light, just like his skin.

  "You are looking to buy?" he rasped, his voice as rough as his wares.

  I glanced at the different meats, then at the man. "Not today. But I'm curious-has the blight reached the inside of the city, or is the state of the city and its people a reaction to what's happening outside?"

  The old man narrowed his eyes, his hands twitching as if ready to shoo me away. "Blight's everywhere, boy. You think Hollowspire's special? We're just holdin' on a little longer than the rest."

  Boy, I was so much older than this man, yet I felt like a boy when he called me one.

  "Why?" I pressed, lowering my voice. "What's keeping it at bay here?"

  He snorted, glancing around as if the walls themselves might hear. "Ain't nothing keeping it at bay. It's creeping in, just slower. Folk like to say it's 'cause of the Spire, but that's just stories. You'd do well not to go diggin' for answers, traveler."

  The Spire? What could not possibly have to do with slowing the blight? What was it made from? Was it crystal, or maybe glass? Maybe the old man was right and nothing was keeping it out or even slowly stopping it.

  I nodded, thanking him before moving on. His words kept running through my head, like the stench of the city; "Folk like to say it's 'cause of the Spire." That could be big, having something it reacted to, was slowed by, was huge. From there we could try to make something that stopped it.

  Further into the market, a woman with sharp hawkish features and brighter eyes than most was offering a variety of herbs and oils. Her table was neat, each vial and bundle meticulously arranged.

  "These for healing?" I asked, gesturing toward the display.

  "Some," she said curtly, her eyes flicking over me. "Others are for easing pain. Or ending it."

  "Do you sell much of these?" I said while picking up the latter of the vials that she had looked at while describing her mares.

  Her laugh was a sad one, filled with suffering, perhaps from the state of the city, perhaps not. "You've been here all of five minutes, haven't you? You'll see soon enough. Hollowspire doesn't have room for the weak, not anymore."

  I returned the vial to its place and began to move on before I heard her voice change. "Last Child, when metal becomes flesh, you will be ours. For you stand no chance against an enemy you cannot comprehend."

  I stopped dead in my tracks, scared to turn. "Who are you?" I said, trying to keep my voice from wavering.

  The voice spoke again, I turned to face the strange woman, and when I did, I saw her as something. Her eyes held a strange emerald glow now as she stared straight at me. "We are evolution. We are what must and will be. We are watching, we will have the First Flame, we will come, in time. Surrender the hope of Life, and we may be lenient. The Flame of Life and Death will be one again, and we will be its masters."

  With its piece said, whatever had been inside the shopkeeper left and the woman returned. She seemed confused. "May I help you?" She said in a reserved tone.

  I was shaken, but I managed to speak. "N-no, I'm okay. Thank you."

  I turned to leave, I wanted to be as far away from this woman and whatever being or machine had controlled her.

  I walked away, my step hurried. The crowd thinned, the bustling energy of the square giving leave to narrower streets and darker alleys. Shadows deepened, and the air grew colder. Down an alley, tucked between two crooked buildings, was a worn wooden sign depicting a flickering lantern. The Dusty Lantern. I was here.

  Pushing open the heavy door, I was greeted by a wave of warmth and the muted buzz of conversation. The inn's interior was quite dim, lit by low-burning lanterns that cast flickering shadows over the scarred wooden tables and damp looking patched walls. The air smelled of stale ale, damp wood, and the faint tang of iron. The scents attacked my sense, for they were as foreign to me as they would be to a newborn child.

  Myra, Helriel, Bram, and Mari were seated at a corner table, Myra and Mari seated between both men, their expressions were a mix of relief and weariness when they saw me. Mari waved enthusiastically, while Helriel, simply leaned back in his chair, arms crossed.

  "You made it," Myra said, gesturing for me to sit.

  I slid into the chair beside her, nodding to the group. "The guards were thorough, but I made it clear to them, I meant no harm."

  Helriel smirked. "Lucky for you. Hollowspire's not a place that takes kindly to strangers." The sarcasm was thick in his tone.

  "Speaking of," Bram said, his voice low, "you'd better have a plan to pull your weight whilst we are here. The city's not cheap, and food doesn't fall from the sky."

  "I'll figure it out." I said. I changed the topic. "The blight might not have taken Hollowspire yet, but it's very close, that much is clear."

  "Time," Helriel muttered, "isn't something we've got much of."

  I looked at Myra. "You said we needed supplies. Let me help with that. I can handle heavy lifting, run errands, whatever you need. And if trouble finds us, I'll deal with it."

  Helriel raised an eyebrow. "You're that confident, huh?"

  I was.

  "I've survived worse." I said simply. I couldn't imagine anything in their world that could faze me, bar gods and godly machines. There had been enough death and destruction for a million lifetimes in my existence. It breaks something in you, seeing so much horror. Turn's off a part of you.

  Myra studied me for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. Tomorrow, we'll split up. Mari and I will handle the trading. Helriel, you and Bram can see about selling those pelts. And you-" She paused, considering. "-see if you can find out more about the blight, if it's truly as bad as it seems, we need to leave quickly once we have what we need. Quietly. The less attention we draw, the better."

  I inclined my head. "Understood."

  Mari tugged on my sleeve, her voice bright against the gloom. "You'll stay with us here, right?"

  I smiled faintly. "For as long as your family will have me, little one."

  Myra placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder, her expression softening. "We'll figure it out."

  The conversation drifted into quieter topics, but the city pressed down on me. Distracting me, Hollowspire was in dire straights.

  Tomorrow I did some digging.