I barely managed to keep myself together from the masked man's sudden appearance. My body trembled, and I was about to collapse to the ground if not for quickly adjusting my posture. His greenish blue eyes stared at me through the slits of the mask. Unlike the annoying crow, this man did not speak, and all he did was look at me. How was I supposed to deal with someone like that?

But, as always, salvation came from the irritating crow. It flew from its spot and perched on the masked man's shoulder, and as usual, it looked like it was conversing with him. The masked man's mouth didn't move, and yet it was clear they were communicating somehow. After a moment of that, the crow let out a long caw the first time it actually sounded like an ordinary crow before turning to me and saying in its raspy voice:

"Servant, prepare yourself. We are leaving."

I bowed, trying to appear as obedient as possible:

"If you please, great Lord Crow, would you tell me where we are going?"

"Do not ask, servant. Just obey."

I barely contained my anger and lowered my head further so my burning desire to roast him alive and eat him while he still breathed wouldn't show. If the masked man hadn't been standing before me, I might have actually done it. But now, all I could do was curse him inwardly and prepare to leave.

***

[Jevan Perspective]

The cart kept swaying as it made its way through the streets of the Lower District. For several hours, nothing changed except the neighborhoods we passed through. We left the fifth district and delved deeper into the heart of the city. I sat in the back seat, watching the crowded streets through the window. The sun was at its peak in the sky, and the time was drawing close to noon.

The passersby, dressed in their ragged clothes, shoved against each other, some coughing from the thick smoke rising from the factories in the distance. The air smelled like a mix of steam and sweat.

But what caught my attention was a man in the crowd. He wore an ordinary gray cloak, nothing special about him except that perched on his shoulder was a black crow. Really? What made it even stranger was that, for a brief moment, I felt the crow's eyes focus directly on me out of all these people. I really need to cut back on wearing this mask it seems it's already starting to drive me insane. A bird watching me? What's next, is it going to start talking too?

The cart carried on, moving through district after district until we reached the twentieth. I knew this because of the words written on one of the walls: "District 20."

Throughout the trip, none of us spoke. The man with the colored hair sat in front of us like a statue carved from ice, and Corvin beside me trembled every time he glanced his way. As for me, I wasn't in the mood for small talk.

The cart continued deeper into the twentieth district, and I kept staring out the window, watching streets that looked noticeably different from those I was used to in the other districts. Before we could go further inside, a group of men stopped us at the corner of the road at the entrance to the district. Their forearms bore the tattoo of a wolf, and their faces were rough and grim. One held a double axe, while the rest carried a collection of swords. They wore no armor, looking more like street thugs than proper guards. They exchanged a few short words with the driver before letting the cart pass.

The cart rolled on while I watched the scene outside. This district didn't resemble the others we had crossed. The streets here were cleaner. On either side of the road were small planted shrubs, along with some trees and flowers. Even the faces of the passersby looked less miserable. Their clothes were cleaner. The buildings around us also seemed to be in better condition. Even the sky, despite the smoke from the factories, looked clearer.

Had we left the Lower District by mistake?

…

The cart finally stopped. The man with the colored hair opened the door and stepped out first. I followed, then Corvin, who was the last to get down. Directly before us stood a mansion though honestly, calling it a mansion was an exaggeration. It was certainly not one of those massive luxurious palaces nobles lived in, but it was definitely larger than an ordinary house.

Directly ahead was a large iron gate, and beyond it stretched a wide garden. I looked at Corvin, and he in turn looked toward the man with the colored hair.

Apparently, neither of us expected a place like this here. The colored haired man stepped forward, followed by Corvin. He pushed open the gate which oddly had no guards and they both walked inside.

I stood in place for a moment, taking in the sight. Supposedly, I was the invited guest, yet this man with the colored hair didn't seem to care for such details. How rude. Still, I followed them.

But how had this man managed to reach Vensen's shop so quickly in the morning? It had taken us all this time to get here, with the sun already beginning to set. Maybe he had been nearby at the time.

What a coincidence, isn't it?

We walked through the garden. The mansion walls were built from pale bricks, its front facade lined with rectangular windows framed in dark wood. Some strange type of green plant covered most of the walls. But what was truly odd was that the street surrounding the mansion was almost empty; there weren't many buildings around here at all.

As soon as we passed through the mansion's gate and entered inside, a row of massive men awaited us. They stood with grim expressions, wearing black armor that covered their chests. At their waists hung long swords.

I waved at them and said, while shaping a smile on my mask:

"Why so gloomy? Smile."

Their scowls deepened, and one even pulled his sword, but the colored haired man motioned to them, and they parted to clear the way. The interior of the mansion was less grand than I expected. The halls were wide but empty, and on both sides stood piles of wooden crates.

We climbed the stairs until we reached the third floor. The colored haired man stopped in front of a large wooden door at the end of the long hallway.

He knocked a few times, then said in a steady, low voice:

"My lady, we are here."

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