Leonardo continued trailing behind Anna and Elara through the increasingly desolate city streets.
"Why does the sun work like that..." he muttered into the air. Text flickered in response:
> [Not a "sun." A created mini-satellite that surrounds the star.]
He glanced upward. The "sun" still blazed above, unwavering. He squinted, trying to study its shape.
"That one doesn't flicker. Most do—unless the atmosphere's different here..." he murmured, scratching at his hand absentmindedly, tracing invisible patterns across his skin like he was sketching something only he could see.
Anna gestured toward the buildings, chatting quietly with Elara. Leonardo barely noticed. His mind remained skybound.
"No, it's not that. This one burns constant. Which means it's either inside the atmosphere—a ship, maybe—or..." He rubbed his scalp and sighed. "If I had glass..." he muttered.
He froze mid-step, his shadow pinned flat against the pavement.
"No atmospheric flicker… no star. Just a cage."
Dragging his gaze downward, he picked up his pace again and followed them.
Elara staggered slightly, bracing herself against a nearby wall.
"Have you never walked on pavement before?" Leonardo asked, genuine confusion in his tone.
"I haven't, actually," she admitted, cheeks reddening. "First time outside the Stem. The ground here... it feels different."
Leonardo blinked. "You've never stood on real ground?"
"We have... just not actual ground. Stem ground," she explained, her voice trailing off. Embarrassment clung to her words.
His eyes shifted toward Anna, then drifted to the towering structure known as the Stem.
He knew it was massive—climbing into the sky—but having its own ground? What next, its own sky?
"The Stem is large, yes," Anna said, picking up the thread, "but you can't truly understand it unless you've entered it."
Leonardo paused, realizing he'd been trailing two sisters through a world none of them fully understood.
"Where are we going?" he asked eventually.
"To the Stem, obviously," Elara replied, a playful smile tugging at her lips.
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 have draws, alright..." Anna chuckled, her tone teasing as she began to piece together the kind of man Leonardo was. "All the draws you can handle."
He gave a curt nod. Truth be told, he'd have preferred to be paid up front—and told what the job even was.
"But don't worry," he said, his saccharine smile not quite reaching his eyes. Then his posture shifted—blade-straight, deliberate—and his voice dropped to a sibilant hiss. "If you fail..." A pause. "I'll kill you."
Anna turned, eyes wide, clicking her fingers repeatedly. "Lightning..."
Elara laughed, covering her mouth.
"I may not know this city," Leonardo then declared, "but I promise to do my best as a Tour Guide Practical Officer."
"A what now?" Elara blinked.
"That was... unexpectedly dramatic," she added, laughing under her breath.
"Tour guide prac—" Leonardo fumbled over the words before waving it off.
Anna rolled her eyes and mirrored the gesture. "Everyone knows what a tour guide is. The museum kind. Kind beings" She struck a mock-dramatic pose. "Guides of the dead."
Leonardo flinched at that, but quickly recovered.
"There's a café right there," Elara said, pointing across the street. "Maybe we should figure this all out over drinks?"
"Or we could return to the Stem and leave this for tomorrow," Anna offered flatly.
"Sister, please..." Elara sighed, exasperated.
"Ca-fre?" Leonardo echoed, testing the unfamiliar word like a puzzle piece between his lips.
"Where are you really from?" Anna asked, leading the way without turning. "Because it's definitely not this district."
Moerlan, he thought.
"Wherever the wind takes me," he replied with a slight shrug.
Anna scoffed but said nothing more. _Well, isn't he a nose job? 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 only two streets away. Anna shot him a sideways glance, muttering, "This was a mistake. Father's going to have my head."
The establishment resembled a relic of the Victorian era, styled in classical elegance.
The sign above the door was written in their shared language, yet Leonardo still tilted his head and asked, "What does that say?"
"What do you mean what does it say?" Elara frowned, puzzled. "It's Kol-nic. Plain as day."
A translation flickered to life:
> [La Belleza del Pasado]
Leonardo squinted as the text shifted again:
> [The Beauty of the Past]
"Uh, looks like you got it," Elara said, gesturing toward the glowing words.
"Yeah... I think I do," Leonardo replied with a small smile. He flexed his arm slightly. "I'll probably be able to understand any language now."
Inside, the café looked like a time capsule—rich mahogany furniture, velvet seating, ornate mirrors, oil paintings, and gentle chandelier light.
Everything, down to the lace tablecloths and polished silverware, exuded medieval nobility.
A barista greeted them warmly from the counter. "Hi, welcome to La Belleza del Pasado. What can I get you today?"
"Two Café Almendra for us," Elara said after skimming the menu. She turned to Leonardo. "And you?"
"Hello? Care to return to Realm 21?" Anna teased, smirking.
"Oh—right," Leonardo said, blinking at the menu. "Café del Pasado."
"That's our most famous brew. Hope you enjoy," the barista said with a nod.
"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 with a slight blush. "I'm actually the youngest. I'm fifteen."
Night crept in.
"Isn't the night amazing?" Leonardo said softly, eyes fixed on the stars beyond the window. "Hey... are those stars?"
He missed the twin moons back home. These stars lacked the same flare—the silent push that once drove him.
"You're definitely not from here," Anna murmured, watching the sky with him. "These are separate cities — within the same realm." _He's clueless. How? How does he know so little? It's honestly unbelievable.
"Wait, what?" Leonardo turned, startled. "You mean... like floating cities?"
"Are you really a Tour Guide Practical Officer?" Elara asked, grinning. He's joking, but his story skill... I wonder what his actual gift is.
"Most cities aren't as packed as Ghent," Anna added. "We're one in a hundred."
"A hundred stars..." Leonardo repeated, awe lighting up his face.
Oh, he really is ignorant, both sisters thought at once—Elara frowning, Anna smiling.
"Still, try the coffee," Elara offered, pushing the cup toward him.
"You're definitely hiding something," Anna said, narrowing her eyes. "But time will tell... won't it, guide?"
"It sure will, esteemed employer of mine," Leonardo replied with a grin.
He lifted the cup and took a careful sip. The air shifted—from formal Q&A to warmth and shared laughter.
"Best in the entire world and beyondddd," he mimicked a familiar voice—Ronald's—and a small tear slid down his cheek.
"How is this made?" he asked eagerly, his eyes bright with wonder.
Anna rolled her eyes, while Elara giggled.
"You really are weird," she said, still laughing.