Axel stood still for a moment, his eyes moving between the three people who will be his teammates.
Sol was present there with his usual grin, but it didn't surprise Axel to see him here.
He had probably earned this task as his punishment.
Opposite him sat Noor, someone Axel hadn't expected to see at all, the beautiful girl Axel had met just the day before.
Her surprise mirrored his own.
And then there was the third guy with messy hair that looked like it hadn't seen a brush in weeks,
crooked teeth showing through a half-smile that was more awkward than friendly. He also looked a bit older than the rest.
The guy approached and said "Name's Achie," before anyone could ask questions. His voice sounded carefree, like he didn't really care what anyone thought.
"Axel," he replied simply.
"Noor," she added with a small nod.
"Sol," said Sol, almost theatrically.
They stood in silence for a beat too long before Achie broke it again.
"I live in the east district," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Same as her, actually. Didn't think I'd see anyone from the neighborhood here."
Noor's eyes widened slightly. "You live there too? Near the canal?"
"Two streets down from it," Achie grinned. "You live with your aunt that owns a bakery, right?"
"Thats right," Noor laughed softly. "But, I haven't seen you before… sorry."
Before Axel could say anything else, the heavy wooden doors at the far end of the room creaked open.
A man entered, tall and broad-shouldered, with a short gray cloak hanging loosely around him.
His boots echoed on the stone floor as he approached.
"I'm your guide," the man said without much of an introduction. "You can call me Garron. My job's to get you safely to the mission site."
Sol crossed his arms. "And what exactly is this mission?"
Garron shrugged, his expression unreadable. "I don't know. Orders are to escort you to the location. Once there, someone else will explain everything."
"So we're just walking in blindly?" Noor frowned.
"Not blind," Garron said, walking toward the door again. "Just… uninformed."
"That didn't sound reassuring," Achie added.
"Don't care," he replied. "We leave now."
And just like that, they all followed him. The sun was already high when they stepped out of the university grounds.
Garron mounted a dark brown horse while the rest followed on foot, their shadows stretching long on the road.
The group moved through the city gates, the noise of the capital slowly fading behind them.
They were replaced by the quiet rhythm of boots on dirt and the occasional snort of Garron's horse.
Axel found himself walking beside Noor.
"Guess we're in this together now," she said, smiling faintly.
"Yeah," Axel replied. "Could be worse."
"Could be better too," she teased.
He chuckled, glancing her way. The afternoon air was cool, and for a moment it almost felt like a normal walk.
Until Sol who walked in front of them, slowed down, turned, and stepped between them.
"Axel," he said, his tone suddenly serious. "Walk with me. I need a word with you."
Noor raised an eyebrow but didn't argue. She gave Axel a quick grin and fell back beside Achie instead, who immediately started talking to each other.
Axel sighed. "What is it, Sol?"
Sol didn't answer right away. They walked a few paces in silence before he finally spoke. "That offer you gave me… Does it still stand?"
Axel glanced at him. "And what's changed since the last time?"
Sol smirked, throwing an arm around Axel's shoulders like they were old friends.
"Good question. What's changed is that my punishment is to team up with those two lower class students. But also... from now on, you're my only brother."
Axel blinked, unsure if he'd heard that right. "You do remember you already have a sister, right?"
Sol chuckled but didn't let go. "Nah. I've got no one left, except you. Blood doesn't mean much anymore."
Axel shook his head, half smiling. "You're a weird guy, Sol."
"Yeah," Sol said, his grin widening. "But admit it, I make things a lot more interesting."
Before Axel could respond, the road ahead began to slope downward, revealing a wide valley.
In the distance, a city stretched out under the sun and its walls were old and cracked.
"That's Vardane," Garron called out from his horse. "Also known as the Gate of Death."
Noor squinted. "Doesn't look like death to me."
And indeed, it didn't…
As they entered through the gate, the image became clearer. Axel also couldn't believe what he was seeing.
The streets were full of people, laughing, cooking, trading. The air was alive with sound and scent: grilled spices, warm bread, the distant ring of metal being hammered.
"This… isn't what Hector described," Axel murmured, "they made it sound like a ghost town filled with depressed citizens."
Yet the city was anything but grim. Children ran between stalls, merchants shouted over one another, and music drifted from somewhere deeper inside the walls.
Noor couldn't help but laugh. "Are we sure we're in the right place?"
"Maybe its name is just to scare outsiders off," Sol said with a grin.
They followed Garron through winding streets, the smell of food growing stronger with every turn.
This smell came from many food stalls along the streets and everywhere Axel looked, someone was stirring a pot or tending to a grill.
Noor frowned. "What's everyone doing?"
"Preparing," Garron said without slowing down.
"For what?" she asked, but he didn't answer her.
They reached a square in the middle of the city where a massive cauldron sat surrounded by people.
The heat was almost unbearable, the air thick with spices. Old women were tossing herbs into the pot while children ran back and forth carrying buckets of water.
Achie leaned toward Noor. "If this is the afterlife, it smells amazing."
She laughed. "Maybe we died on the way and didn't notice."
Axel smiled faintly but stayed quiet, scanning the crowd. Something about the whole scene felt off.
It's too cheerful… too rehearsed…