Chapter 19
“Shame your little escape plan didn’t work out,” Anastasia said with an exaggerated pout before letting go of my elbow and stepping back.
My body tensed instantly, my hands curling into fists on instinct.
Inside, however, there was only steel.
Nothing but determination.
Nothing but resolve.
“How did you know what I was about to do?”
Before I even realized it, my body had already shifted into a fighting stance.
“Everyone has secrets,” Anastasia replied with a faint smile. “Why would I reveal mine?”
I stayed silent.
Thinking.
What if this was Stasia’s hidden ability?
Mind reading?
Sensing intentions?
“I’m not looking for a fight with you,” she said calmly. “If you’d jumped into the portal after Airis, he would’ve noticed you immediately.”
I snorted before I could stop myself.
As if Airis was the one I should be worried about.
“And then Kharma would’ve noticed you.” Stasia tilted her head slightly, never taking her eyes off me. “Trust me, she’s not someone you want attracting the attention of.”
“Who’s Kharma?” I asked.
“A representative of Mataarus. One of the Strongest Twelve.”
“And she would’ve sensed me because she’s a representative?”
I raised an eyebrow.
Instead of answering, Anastasia only smiled.
Then, without another word, she smoothly changed the subject.
“We should continue this conversation somewhere else, don’t you think?”
“Oh, absolutely.” I threw my hands up dramatically. “Spending quality time with you and Tarven in a training hall sounds like a dream.”
Hopefully she caught the sarcasm.
“No.”
Her smile widened.
“I have something much more interesting in mind.”
“And Tarven knows nothing about it.”
I froze as a cunning glint flashed through her green eyes.
What if Anastasia was working for Harold?
“We’re going to the capital of Istarus,” she said.
“I doubt Airis was planning to show it to you anytime soon.”
A playful smile spread across her face.
“And while he’s away in another world…”
She grinned.
“…it would be a shame not to take advantage of the opportunity.”
******
As I stared out the taxi window at Magicslan, I kept catching myself holding my breath.
The city was enormous.
Bright.
Diverse.
Suspiciously clean.
“I won’t be able to show you all of it,” Stasia said from the back seat beside me. “We simply don’t have enough time. But today, you’ll get to see my favorite sector—V6.”
“You know Magicslan that well?” I glanced at the blonde. “I thought you said you were born and raised in the City of Light.”
“My parents are divorced,” Stasia replied. “My mom and I live in Utararus, while my father and sister stayed in Istarus.”
So that was it.
“I visited them all the time growing up, so I know Magicslan like the back of my hand.”
I stayed quiet for a moment, turning her words over in my mind before finally asking the question that had been bothering me ever since I met her.
“Maybe this isn’t any of my business, but Airis is apparently over a hundred years old. And he and Tarven have known each other since childhood.”
I glanced at her.
“Since you know Tarven so well, I just assumed...”
I stopped as Stasia burst into laughter.
“No,” she said, still smiling. “I’m not a hundred years old. Not even close.”
She shook her head.
“We’re actually the same age. I’m twenty-five.”
“How do you know how old I am?” I asked, raising a brow.
“Tarven practically put together an entire file on you,” she replied with a grin. “I already know quite a lot about you.”
“Oh, really? And when exactly did he have time to do that?” I asked skeptically.
“The day he found you in Vuduarus after you ran away from Airis.”
“Oh my God, I wasn't running away,” I sighed. “I just needed to figure something out.”
Realizing Stasia definitely shouldn’t hear about my second ability, I quickly changed the subject.
“So how many sectors is Magicslan divided into?”
“Twelve.”
“I probably should’ve guessed that,” I muttered. “Why is the number twelve so important in Noveris? Twelve months. Zodiac signs. Worlds. Energies...”
I paused thoughtfully.
“Although if you count Arus too, it becomes more like a thirteenth element.”
I waited for her answer.
“Twelve represents a complete cycle,” Stasia explained. “And mathematically... it’s also an incredibly convenient number.”
She gave a small nod, almost agreeing with herself.
“It divides evenly into equal parts. It’s practical for systems and measurements.”
She smiled.
“It’s almost like a language humanity invented to organize chaos.”
That was actually a good point.
A comfortable silence settled between us.
Unfortunately...
My mind no longer believed in silence.
Thoughts kept spinning endlessly inside my head.
“Today you’re finally going to see the real side of Istarus,” Stasia said excitedly, though I still couldn’t tell whether her enthusiasm was genuine or not.
“Oh—stop here, please.”
Looking out the window, I realized we had stopped beside a pier, with what looked like an enormous marketplace stretching away on both sides.
Then I noticed Stasia pulling a small circular object from her belt bag.
At first glance, it looked like a compact mirror.
She pressed it against a floating circular platform, which immediately rose to meet her hand.
“What is that?” I asked quietly.
“Thank you. Have a wonderful day,” she told the driver before motioning for me to get out of the taxi.
Once we stepped onto the street, Stasia held the object closer so I could examine it properly.
It looked less like a mirror now and more like a small metal case engraved with a crest.
“It’s a sigil case,” she explained. “It’s automatically refilled every week.”
She shrugged casually.
“I stole this one from Tarven. He barely uses it anyway.”
“Wait... what?” I frowned. “You mean he hardly ever pays for anything?”
“How do people even earn money in Istarus?”
“Every resident receives an electronic currency account at the age of sixteen,” Stasia explained.
I nodded.
“Istarus also provides every citizen with a living allowance.”
“The amount is different for everyone. It’s calculated based on how valuable you are to the world.”
“Wait. And what if that isn’t enough to cover things like rent, utilities, or food?”
“That never happens,” Stasia said with a smile.
“The minimum allowance is calculated to fully cover every person’s essential needs. Automated systems handle all the calculations, and every citizen goes through a reassessment once a year.”
“But what if their needs change?” I asked. “Maybe last year an apartment was enough, but now they want to maintain a house?”
“Then they find ways to become more valuable to the world,” Stasia replied.
“Through magic. Skills. Achievements.”
She smiled.
“Anything that benefits society.”
“If a mage develops their abilities, their income grows as well.”
I was still trying to process everything Stasia had just told me.
Everything about it sounded logical...
While somehow feeling completely illogical at the same time.
“Istarus generously rewards mages who continue developing their magical abilities, so their government allowance increases.”
“But mages can still earn additional income, right?” I asked. “You pressed that case against some kind of strange scanner.”
“That was an evaluation terminal,” Stasia explained. “Two years ago, the World of Energy instructed Istarus to develop it. The system works through reviews left by people who use a mage’s services. Those reviews influence how much their allowance increases.”
“I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around all of this,” I admitted as Stasia guided us toward one of the fairs.
“That’s completely normal.” She nodded before gesturing around us.
“This is the meridian between District V6 and District B4. Every meridian usually hosts some kind of public event.”
She smiled.
“Most often, fairs.”
My gaze drifted from stall to stall.
Bright decorations.
Food overflowing from colorful displays.
Handmade trinkets.
Strange objects I couldn’t even begin to identify.
Almost every stand displayed a small sign that read:
Handcrafted.
“And the fairs mainly exist so people can collect evaluations and increase their allowance?” I asked, stopping to stare at a collection of knitted toys that somehow moved on their own.
“Mostly they exist for entertainment,” Stasia replied before gently taking my elbow and quickening our pace.
“First, we’re getting you a talisman.”
She smiled.
“Madame Croix released a new collection today.”
“What?”
I blinked.
“What kind of talismans?”
“All mages are ridiculously superstitious. Most of them won’t even leave home without some kind of protective charm.”
She paused.
“Well... except Tarven and Airis.”
A laugh escaped her.
“Those two are convinced they’re immortal.”
“To be honest, I’ve never really believed in protective jewelry either,” I admitted.
“That mindset might work in Vuduarus,” Stasia said as she led me into another narrow street.
“But in Istarus, every talisman possesses its own unique ability.”
She continued explaining the different types of talismans while I remained quietly on guard.
What if she was leading me straight to Harold?
“And most of the time,” she continued, “the mage doesn’t choose the talisman.”
“The talisman chooses the mage.”
I raised a brow.
“What does that even mean?”
“Don’t tell me one is just going to fly into my hands.”
“Every talisman reacts differently,” Stasia said with a shrug.
“Honestly?”
She smiled.
“I wouldn’t be surprised.”
The farther we moved away from the fair, the quieter Magicslan became.
Now I finally had time to admire the narrow stone streets lined with cozy little houses wrapped in ivy.
Most of them were enclosed by low wrought-iron fences.
And every single one was surrounded by a perfectly tended flower garden.
“Do all parts of the city look different?” I asked suddenly.
“They do,” Stasia replied. “We’re in District V6 right now. It shares the same architectural style as Districts E3 and A2. The next three districts have a completely different style, and so do the three after those.”
“Why are the districts named like that? I can’t figure out the logic behind it.”