Father was already heading back to the wagon; we weren't far off and had heard the entire exchange.

"Wow, you sure showed them, Father," I said.

Father blushed a little. "Hahaha, I did, huh? Well, told you to trust your old man. And I'm sure you're wondering about my pocket watch, yes? Yes." He glanced at Astraya, whose expression was genuinely interested she truly had no idea Manomancy held such influence.

As he was about to explain, holding the bronze watch up, we were all suddenly aware of Granny Maera approaching him.

"Thank you so much, sir," Granny Maera said, her voice heavy with gratitude. "I just couldn't stand to see my grandson's poster removed. It was my only hope. I still cling to the idea of him being out there, and if by any chance someone had seen him, they would surely go to the poster. I know he's out there."

Father looked as though her words had genuinely touched him. "It's nothing, really."

Then Father's gaze hardened as he looked around the bustling market. "If the missing are forgotten this quickly, what chance do the seen have?"

She softened, as Father's words gave her some sense of sanity, looking at us. "Wow, are these your children?" she asked.

"Oh, yes, ma'am. This is my son, Astraga, and my daughter, Astraya." Father beamed.

"Oh my! You two have similar names and look a bit alike. You wouldn't happen to be twins?" She let out a gentle smile.

I watched as a flash of regret crossed Father's face. Crap. Dad had already said too much. What if this town was hostile to twins? I had to cover up this situation fast.

"No, ma'am, I'm the first child. She's my little sister," I quickly interjected.

"Oh! She looks much bigger than you! One would think it's the other way around," Granny Maera said playfully, gently touching our cheeks.

Then, Father stiffened. "Wait, is that…?"

"Father, what is it?" Astraya asked, noticing his sudden urgency.

Before he could answer, a man in a cloaked attire approached us. "Hello, sir. Kindly move your wagon to the designated area," he said, his face obscured by his hood.

Father immediately obliged. "Oh, sorry about that. Where can we park our wagon?" he asked the cloaked man.

"Come with me."

Father turned to Granny Maera, his urgency now palpable. "I don't know if this might be too much to ask, but would you mind staying with my children for a while?"

He looked at her imploringly. "Hope you don't mind, Granny?"

She smiled and pinched my cheek. "Of course not! They already remind me of my grandson. You go park the wagon. We'll be right here waiting."

Father followed the cloaked man, their figures receding into the market crowd. Even from a distance, I could hear Father chuckling, making me wonder what they could possibly be talking about.

Granny Maera turned to us, her expression genuinely curious and eager to build a conversation. "So, you two cute children, what brings you to Blackroot? Here to buy or stay, huh?"

Astraya hesitated to speak, which was entirely unlike her.

"Awwwn, appears you're the shy one," Granny said. If only she knew how much of a loudmouth Astraya truly was. Astraya looked at me, wordless for once.

"Well, Granny, we came to buy some spices," I replied quickly.

"Ohh, I see. Blackroot is known for her spices. That's how we got the name Blackroot, as we have the blackroot tree; its roots add so much flavor to your dish." The town got its name from what it was known for.

Was this going to be a repeated pattern if we moved from town to town? Quite a nice way to name a town if you thought about it.

"Wow, is this your pet, Astraga?" she asked, moving in closer to get a better look at Morad. "Why a pet fish? Most people would go for path animals nowadays. Interesting seeing a pet fish." She leaned down. "Hello there, little one."

"His name's Morad, Granny. He might eat a lot, but he's very active."

She chuckled. "It appears the fish took offense to what you said, as it spun around in the bowl, haha." She smiled. "It's been a long time I smiled openly like this. My grandson usually made me smile."

The moment she mentioned her grandson, the atmosphere around us wasn't warm and cozy anymore.

"Granny, are you okay?" I asked, as it appeared she was lost in thought.

"Ohh, sorry about that, kids, don't mind me." She immediately changed the topic. "Where's your mother? I hope she is okay." From her tone, she clearly hoped we had a mother with us, as she assumed buying spices and related matters were typically a woman's interest, not a father's.

But before I could even reply to her barrage of questions, I saw it.

The chatter died completely. The sudden, absolute silence of the market square was louder than any scream. Every head bent, every merchant froze mid-transaction.

Striding through the clearing, preceded by an overwhelming aura of authority, was the source of the commotion: a Young Man. Was he from the State? From the looks of it, he couldn't have been older than sixteen, yet even with that height, his presence was suffocating; he was easily the tallest person in the town square. He was immaculate, wearing clothes of rich silk and black leather that seemed immune to Blackroot's dust, dirt, and status.

His posture was unnaturally perfect, his features sharp the kind of dangerously flawless beauty often possessed by those born to absolute power.

But it was his companion that stole the air from our lungs. Coiled beside him, moving elegantly as they faced their supposed destination, its body rippling with unnatural muscle, was a Black Mana Beast Snake. Its scales were like polished obsidian, catching the light in thick, terrifying ridges, and its head, easily the size of a shield, stood slightly above the Young Man's shoulder. You could tell they were companions, just as Morad and I were. It moved with silent, fluid grace, its presence absolutely crushing the air.

Granny Maera turned to look at the cause of the commotion or better put, the cause of the absolute lack of commotion. She, too, seemed stunned, though less so than us.

Astraya finally broke her silence, her voice a gasp. "Is that a Mana Beast? It's massive compared to—" She paused, knowing not to finish the comparison.

"Yes, a snake Mana Beast. And that's our special guest from the State, here to help us. After years of letters, the State finally sent someone to help," Granny replied.

"He looks too young, though," Astraya questioned.

"Yeah, isn't he like a teenager?," I added.

"That's because he is," Granny replied, "but don't let that age fool you. He is from one of the Five Royal Families. They never behave their age, every last one of them."

With that, they finally stopped, having reached their apparent point of contact.

The Young Man touched his hair, carefully checking if it had been roughed up in any way by the town's wind. He clapped his hands, and the snake gently lowered its head. He then rested a hand casually on the beast's massive head, a gesture of absolute control. His gaze, however, ignored the bowing townsfolk. It was fixed only on one thing on the wooden notice board the messy, chaotic monument to Blackroot's grief.

Then he spoke, his voice now loud and clear, cutting through the silence he created. "I'm looking for the man in charge of this board." He snapped his fingers, trying to remember a name that clearly had no importance to him. "Hmm, what's that name again?" All this while, he was totally relaxed on his Mana Beast, as if it were merely a tool solely built for his resting. "Ah, Harl."

"I'm looking for the man Harl Linger. He was said to be in charge of this board?"

The man Harl immediately ran up from his post towards the Young Man, his head bowed, showing profound deference. "Yes, Lord, I'm the man Harl Linger you are looking for."

Harl, still bowed, spoke with nervous reverence. "It's an honor to have a special guest such as yourself here. What brings you here? Please, this is no place for your status, sir. Shall I bring you something?"

"You talk too much, Harl," the Young Man cut in, with no regard for Harl's attempts at flattery.

The Young Man's attention was still fixed solely on the notice board. "Well, that brought me to your town," he replied, his voice calm but icy. "Did your mayor not write letter after letter to the State? so they finally decided to take action. It's only logical I come check it out, don't you think?"

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