Morning dew fell as Gladys put on her headscarf and moved through the town, Shadrex playing with the pendant of the necklace in the wooden basket prepared for him. He lay down, making giggling sounds as Gladys approached the open market.
Every morning, Mira's voice echoed across the market as she called out the prices of spices, dried fish, herbs, and sweetberry jam. She took a liking to Shadrex, often lifting him into the air and laughing at his giggles.
Whenever his parents were busy, Mira would keep him among her baskets of goods, telling him stories of faraway lands as he chewed on pieces of honey-bread. Gladys jokingly asked with a soft smile, "Do you want him?" They both laughed, and Mira implied, "I need someone to help me with this, so give him to me."
"He wants you," Gladys said, as they both stared at Shadrex, whose deep red glowing eyes were captivating. Mira spoke calmly, "He is different; he has the eyes of a saint." Gladys interrupted, "He is still a child."
Gladys pointed at the dried fish in front of her and asked, "How many silver coins does this cost, and what about herbs for him? You know he coughs a lot." Mira responded, "He is ours. I will give you the herbs, no coins required." She said, "Feel welcome; I am always here," as she waved at Gladys while walking away. The town continued buzzing with numerous sounds; people were chatting, and the place was lively.
A stumbling sound came from behind as a thief ran past with a loaf of bread. Gladys noticed in time, shifting to avoid the collision and instinctively holding the basket where Shadrex was placed. A voice shouted from behind at the thief.
"Amanda yelled, 'You unscrupulous peasant! I'm going to catch you!'" She walked slowly behind him, bragging about her youth, saying she could chase a leopard down from the mountains. Although she was not fat, just chubby, she whispered to Gladys, "I'm just too fat."
She shouted again at the thief, "I will get you!" Her eyes crossed the basket, looking at Shadrex. "I hope that peasant didn't cause any trouble. Ah, they always steal my bread." She handed some to Gladys, saying, "Take care of him; I will be watching you," as her mood suddenly switched. The town fell back into place as the commotion subsided, and everyone resumed their daily activities.
Amanda, the town baker, had a broad, heavyset build with a solid frame that made her presence hard to ignore. Her face was round, but her expression was almost always tense, with sharp eyes that narrowed quickly and lips pressed into a firm line, as if she were constantly expecting disappointment. When she spoke, her tone was blunt and unfiltered, cutting straight to the point.
Her movements were purposeful and loud; her footsteps landed with weight, and her gestures were quick and decisive. She stood with her shoulders squared, giving off an energy that warned people not to test her patience. Despite her rough attitude, there was a certain strength in how she carried herself—unyielding, confident, and unwilling to bend for anyone.
As she chewed on a herb that looked like a stick, she headed back to her bakery. Gladys picked up other needed items and headed home, finding Shadrex already asleep.
On her way, she met Lila, the Town Guard. Tall and broad-shouldered, always in her iron-stitched uniform, Lila patrolled the market, keeping the merchants in check. She was strict but kind, treating Aren like a younger brother. She let him follow her on rounds and showed him how to spot danger before it arrived. "Security is not the blade," she said, "it's the eyes and the heart behind it."
Aren, the town orphan, often lurked around the merchant stores looking for leftovers. He occupied himself with harmless mischief rather than stealing. With greetings, Lila passed as she moved down the town street.
Gladys got home, prepared the herbs for Shadrex, and arranged his wooden bed. As night approached, the men in the town gathered wooden sticks to light a fire. Freyen played the flute, and laughter filled the air as people drank and chatted. A young man in his 40s, drunk on liquor, hung around the town, speaking tales of hidden gods. The women laughed as he claimed he had fought alongside the legendary Erdrain before collapsing to the ground. Checking his wooden canteen, he realized it was empty and said, "The gods don't care; they make me pay for every drop of liquor." Then he fell asleep on the ground. Durss, the town drunkard, spent all his time drinking and cursing the gods for making him this way.
Treaton, the oldest man in town and a keeper of traditions, gathered children around the lantern tree every full moon to tell them stories of Berls' ancestors—the founders who crossed the first bridge to reach Nor and planted the first orchard. Aren sat closest, absorbing every tale like a sponge. Fanc and Ricco, the Market Twins, sat close to Treaton, enjoying the story of the night. Mischievous and fast-talking, they often caused trouble, bullying younger ones with tales that were sometimes real and sometimes questionable.
They became Aren's closest friends, teaching him how to run fast, climb roofs, hide behind stalls, and sneak bread when the baker wasn't looking. Life in the town followed a particular pattern of its traditions. Before winter, villagers marched across the fields with music, thanking the earth, as the atmosphere filled with joy.
Thorn, the Mountain Guard, was a giant of a man with a scar over his eye. He trained Ash to climb the stone steps, run, and balance on the metal beams that crossed the roofs. "Berl is a maze," Thorn would say. "Learn it, or it will swallow you." His voice was rough and harsh, but he never failed in his duty to protect.
From the distance, a black woman was spotted. Her skirts were full of charms that jingled whenever she walked. Her name was Pry, and she wore a long dress adorned with different jade. She taught the boys songs, rituals, and the laws of Berl. Every month, she went to the Clocktower for the Tolling Ceremony, where twelve bells rang without anyone touching them. She performed a particular type of dance. Fraco and Ricco always felt the bells shake their bones, and chills would run down their spines whenever anyone mentioned Pry; they were terrified of her.
Pry sold enchanted incense that caused people to dream of distant worlds. The town was full of diverse people, including Gideon Flint, the Tinkerer. A metalworker who built strange devices powered by glowing crystals, he made mechanical toys with spinning gears and taught the boys how to use tools. "Everything runs on a particular pattern," Gideon said, and they wondered if that included the mysterious Clocktower.
After finishing his story, Treaton pointed his hands toward a man in his mid-50s, Norshan, who had come to the town 20 years ago. With his eyes removed and blind, he spent his days living in solitude, only leaving his brick house when he was hungry. Nobody knew where he came from, and his relatives saw him injured and took him in. He had never spoken a word since, and nobody knew why he was blind or how his head looked, as he always wore a bandage his on his sword. He used it as a walking cane and had a daughter of six months old; his wife had died the previous year his condition worsen as nobody knows how he cares for the little girl nobody knows anything about him he is one of many mysterious things in berls he remarkably imply . Treaton leaned closer, saying, "Rumor has it he is a sword saint."