Leonardo trailed silently behind Anna and Elara, the city around them growing more desolate with each step.
"Why does the sun work like that..." he muttered.
A flicker of text shimmered across his vision:
> [Not a "sun." A created mini-satellite orbiting the star.]
He glanced upward. The "sun" blazed steady and bright. He squinted, studying its edges.
"That one doesn't flicker. Most do... unless the atmosphere's different here," he murmured, scratching his hand, fingers tracing invisible lines like he was sketching a private diagram.
Up ahead, Anna was gesturing to nearby buildings as she chatted with Elara. Leonardo barely noticed.
"No, it's not that. This one burns constant. Which means it's inside the atmosphere—a ship, maybe—or..." He rubbed his scalp, frustrated. "If I had glass…"
He stopped cold, his shadow pinned sharply to the pavement.
"No atmospheric flicker. No star. Just a cage."
Then, he moved again.
Elara stumbled slightly and caught herself against a wall.
"Have you never walked on pavement before?" Leonardo asked, genuine curiosity in his tone.
"I haven't," she admitted, cheeks reddening. "First time outside the Stem. The ground feels... different."
"You've never stood on real ground?"
"We have. Just not actual ground. Stem ground," she said, voice trailing off.
Leonardo looked toward the towering silhouette of the Stem in the distance. He knew it was vast—but its own ground?
"The Stem is large," Anna added, "but you can't understand it until you've been inside."
Leonardo realized then he was following two sisters through a world none of them fully understood.
"Where are we going?" he finally asked.
"To the Stem," Elara said with a smile.
Leonardo exhaled, rubbing his temples. "I know that. But I don't enjoy being left in the dark. And if you really do want me for a job..." He extended his hand in the same gesture the man at the station had once used toward him.
"Draws," he muttered..
"Oh, you'll get draws," Anna said with a teasing chuckle. "More than you can handle."
He gave a tight nod. Truth be told, he'd rather be paid upfront—and told what the job was.
"But don't worry," he said with a sweet but hollow smile. His posture shifted, suddenly straight and coiled. His voice dropped to a hiss: "If you fail... I'll kill you."
Anna's eyes widened. She snapped her fingers. "Pause..."
Elara laughed behind her hand.
"I may not know this district" Leonardo said, stepping forward, "but I will do my best as a Tour Guide Practical Officer."
"A what?" Elara blinked.
"That was... unexpectedly dramatic," she said, stifling a laugh.
Leonardo tried to say it again and gave up. Anna mirrored his hand wave.
"Everyone knows what a tour guide is." She struck a mock-heroic pose. "Guides of the dead."
Leonardo flinched but masked it quickly.
"There's a café," Elara said, pointing across the street. "Maybe we figure this out over drinks?"
"Or we go back to the Stem and do this tomorrow," Anna said dryly.
"Sister, please."
"Ca-fre?" Leonardo echoed, testing the word like a foreign coin.
"Where are you really from?" Anna asked without turning. "It's not this district."
Moerlan, he thought.
"Wherever the wind takes me," he replied with a shrug.
Anna scoffed but said nothing more.
Well, isn't he a prize? Honestly, Elara... he hasn't got a single interesting thing about him. So what if he got hit by a car and walked away with barely a scratch? Anyone could survive that...
The café was two blocks away. Anna shot him a sidelong glance.
"This was a mistake. Father's going to have my head."
The café looked like something out of time—elegant, Victorian.
Leonardo tilted his head at the sign above the door.
"What does that say?"
Elara stared. "It's Kol-nic. Plain as day."
Text flickered:
> [La Belleza del Pasado]
Leonardo watched it translate again:
> [The Beauty of the Past]
"Ah. Got it," he said quietly. He flexed his hand. "Guess I can read anything now."
Inside, the café was a living time capsule—velvet seats, gold-rimmed mirrors, oil paintings, and warm chandelier light.
A barista greeted them with a smile. "Hi! Welcome to La Belleza del Pasado. What can I get you?"
"Two _Café Almendra_," Elara said. "And you?"
Leonardo blinked at the menu. "Uh... Café del Pasado."
"Popular choice," the barista said. "Hope you enjoy it."
"A drink from the past. Fitting," Leonardo mused. "In this situation, I am the drink."
They settled into a plush booth, two on each side of the table.
Anna broke the silence first. "What's your name?"
"Leonardo Salvius Nox."
It sounded like royalty, but his mannerisms betrayed him. He was expressive—too expressive to be noble.
"You already know ours, but for courtesy's sake — I'm Elara, and this is my sister, Anna de Meaux."
Elara tilted her head. "How old are you?"
"I'm still in my youth."
"Huh. We already _knew_ you were young — you're 5'1"," Anna joked.
> [16]
"Sixteen?" Leonardo echoed, eyes drifting to the glowing text.
"Oh, you're sixteen?" Anna repeated, a mischievous glint in her eye. "I'm a year older than you." She leaned forward, elbows on the table. "You know what that means."
"No," he replied flatly, arms folded. He could joke—but he wasn't a clown.
"Well, Elara, at least we picked one with a spine," Anna said, leaning back with a huff. _He might be useful... for now._
"Don't mind her," Elara said. "I'm fifteen."
Night had fallen.
"Isn't the night amazing?" Leonardo whispered, gazing at the sky. "Hey... are those _stars_?"
They lacked the flare of his home's twin moons.
"You're not from here," Anna said, watching him. "This city's one of many—in the same realm."
"Wait, what?" he turned. "Like floating cities?"
"Are you really a Tour Guide Practical Officer?" Elara asked, grinning.
Anna added, "We're one of a hundred."
"A hundred stars..." he echoed, awe spreading across his face.
He really knows nothing, the sisters thought in tandem.
"Still, try the coffee," Elara said, nudging his cup toward him.
Anna narrowed her eyes. "You're hiding something. But time reveals all... doesn't it, guide?"
Leonardo smirked. "It does, esteemed employer."
He took a sip. The mood shifted—formal edges softening.
"Best in the world and beyondddd," he mimicked a voice from his past. A tear welled in his eye.
"How's it made?" he asked.
Anna rolled her eyes. Elara laughed.
"You're weird," she said gently.
Leonardo stood abruptly as the questions piled up, heading toward the counter. He'd originally wanted a job to earn draws—learning how to make coffee was just a curious detour. That goal had already been derailed by the two girls.
He'd only taken a few steps when Anna stopped him.
"We aren't done yet, are we?" she asked, her tone laced with unfinished thoughts.
He sighed, clearly annoyed, and returned to the couch. Dropping into the seat, he faced Anna and Elara, who sat across from him, eyes wide and expectant.
"Uh, go ahead," Leonardo muttered, picking up on their energy.
"Ahem." Anna cleared her throat. "How exactly," she leaned in, "is a sixteen-year-old a tour guide?"
"Tour Guide Practical Officer," Leonardo corrected automatically.
"Yeah, whatever that is. You really need to stop throwing that title around—it draws attention. And not the kind with just two eyes," she said with a sigh.
"That title doesn't even exist. Tour guides are supposed to be legendary. Guardians of the Eras. Only the dead are said to have seen them."
More than one tour guide? Leonardo wondered, already weaving a lie in his mind.
"How would you know?" he asked, voice tinged with sarcasm.
"We're from the Stem. We have libraries," Elara said, gazing out the window.
Leonardo exhaled. "So... what's the job?"
Anna's tone shifted. "We need someone to guide us through the Seventeen Wonders. Places even the sages can't reach."
_He isn't strong. We'll probably change course before the real quest. Find someone else. This is just temporary,_ she decided silently.
"Seventeen? That's... a lot. He won't like that," Leonardo muttered to himself, then added aloud, "You want me to escort you through places even gods avoid?" He chuckled.
"Who's he?" Elara asked.
"We might not go," Anna replied, avoiding his gaze. "The sages haven't officially given us the quest yet. That's just what people are assuming."
"Tour guide," Leonardo said flatly.
He paused.
Wait... doesn't this mean I'm working for the Tour Guide?
> [You can join them, for now.]
"Never mind. I'll join you—for now," he said slowly, raising an eyebrow at the strange message only he could see. _Is that the Tour Guide? Even if not, it's the right move. They're a free source of info—and money.
"That was quick. I was planning to just force you," Anna said, rubbing her thigh.
Was I really? I'm more afraid of Father's fists than the sages' words...
"Yeah..." Leonardo replied, completely confused by her sudden change in tone.
Moonlight spilled through the windows, bathing the room in soft silver. For a moment, Leonardo almost looked like he cared.
It seemed like stardust shimmered on Elara's face as she continued staring outside.
The moon hung low—pale, distant.
"There's only one moon?" he asked in awe.
"Yeah? Why would there be more?" Anna responded, puzzled.
"Oh. Where I'm from, there are two. And they're much bigger," he said, still staring out the window.
He swallowed hard, missing them.
"Why are you even here?" Anna asked, rising. "Tour guide training?"
"Someone dragged me here," he said coldly.
Then, abruptly: "I need to learn how to make this." He stood again. "Hey, miss, can you teach me?"
She looked up apologetically. "Sorry. We're closing soon."
He froze. Why did I care? Useless curiosity.
Anna stormed out. Elara followed, offering him a gentle glance.
Leonardo shivered in the cool air. The café door clicked shut behind him.
Ahead, the Stem loomed—black spires clawing toward the clouds.
Anna's voice cut through the night. "Let's get this over with."
He glanced back at the café sign.
7:00–12:00.
"What does that mean?"
> [Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers, and Compline.]
"Wait... so they close at _Matins_?" he asked, squinting at the unfamiliar words.
"Let's head to the Stem first," Anna replied, her tone flat but purposeful.
"Now that we have a guide, it's good... but it could be better." She hesitated. "Marquis found someone from another district. Nexus."
A flash of jealousy crossed her face. She placed a hand on her chest, taking a breath to center herself.
Leonardo studied her carefully. Then he turned toward Elara, who had a faint smile playing on her lips.
"Not just places—the _Seventeen Wonders_ of this realm," Elara clarified.
"And why those specifically?" Leonardo asked.
"The Stem," Elara began, pausing. "The sages love fun."
Leonardo ran a hand through his hair.
"How long will this take?"
"No idea!" Elara chirped.