Byeol's Dimension
After a full day of complete rest, Byeol and Haneul prepared to return to the city of Kalyven.
Byeol finished getting ready, ran a hand through his still-damp hair, and changed into fresh clothes.
Both of them knew their recovery time was over.
They gathered once more in the main room.
It was time to decide their next objective.
At last, they would set out on another journey — but this time, it would not be devoted to training.
Byeol was ready.
Now was the time to focus on their true goal: finding the five primordial stones.
Their plan was to begin their investigation by following the rumors spreading across the continent of Solstium — the very continent they were currently in — more specifically, within the state of LusoCriz, Byeol's homeland.
Once their preparations were complete, they returned to the main corridor.
Byeol activated his Dimensional Vision and opened another portal.
They emerged inside a narrow alley hidden between the streets of Kalyven — a location previously marked by Byeol through a seal of Iluminence placed deep within the heart of LusoCriz's capital.
The portal's ethereal glow sealed shut behind them.
Without exchanging a single word, they made their way toward the city's main streets.
Kalyven was a place of brutal contrasts.
Its streets blended the new with the decayed, the ancient with the futuristic, poverty with wealth — a cruel reflection of the inequality that divided that world.
As they walked, they came across devastating scenes.
Blind people abandoned, starving, and homeless, wrapped in worn-out blankets and lying atop scraps of cardboard.
Two children — one of them blind — slowly approached Byeol and Haneul, silently extending their hands toward them.
Byeol froze, unsure of how to react.
Haneul, on the other hand, knelt down to the children's level.
From inside his coat, he pulled out a small toy and a paper bag filled with pastries.
The children's eyes lit up.
They hugged Haneul tightly before running off to show the food to their parents.
Byeol watched silently for a few seconds before murmuring:
"I never know what to do in situations like this... even after going through the same thing myself. It's impossible to help everyone."
Further down the main street stood a massive crowd of people living under the same conditions.
Haneul slowly rose to his feet.
"You're right. There's not much we can do right now."
"But I always try to carry some extra food with me... at least for moments like these."
Byeol let out a sigh.
"I think I'll start doing the same."
A few meters ahead, an extremely expensive electric sports car silently approached and parked in front of a famous restaurant.
Two Visionaries stepped out from inside.
A tall man dressed in an elegant suit, alongside a woman wearing a luxurious dress and carrying herself with unmistakable arrogance — a couple that radiated status.
They handed the car keys to the restaurant's valet.
As they passed by, Byeol and Haneul overheard the woman say with disgust:
"This street looks absolutely horrible. It's full of people who serve no purpose in this world. I hope you never bring me somewhere like this again."
The man sighed.
"I warned you that this might happen."
"Looks like I'll have to speak with Chef Paul again."
Byeol clenched his fists.
His body tensed as he fought the urge to react.
Before he could say anything, Haneul grabbed his arm.
"Our war isn't against them."
Byeol looked away.
Across the avenue, other well-dressed Visionaries moved through the streets in sleek futuristic vehicles, their elegant lights gliding silently through the city.
Kalyven felt like an open wound.
The brilliance of the elite violently overshadowed the darkness swallowing the forgotten.
Without wasting time, they headed toward the Old Market District of Kalyven — a labyrinth of aging metal stalls corroded by time, where anything could be found: ancient technology, forgotten relics, and artifacts lost to history.
The market opened at 6:30 in the morning.
Byeol and Haneul spent the night at a cheap hidden hostel nearby.
…
Kalyven — Old Market
06:30 AM
They woke before sunrise.
Haneul knew they needed to arrive among the first.
They were searching for one of the finest informants in the entire state.
A woman overflowing with experience, infamous for her impossibly difficult personality.
People called her "The Voice of the Blind."
Rumor claimed she possessed information about black market movements and access to artifacts and relics unlike anyone else.
As they walked through the market, they eventually reached the central area.
At its center stood a large stone fountain.
Around it, dozens of stalls displayed all kinds of goods: old clothes, incredibly rare physical books, fragments of military weaponry, religious amulets, and obsolete technological devices.
Everything carried history.
That was when Haneul suddenly stopped.
Inside a dusty stall, he spotted a peculiar object:
a retractable grappling hook attached to a reinforced carbon-alloy cable.
Without hesitation, he bought it.
Even at an absurd price.
Byeol frowned.
"That much... just for climbing walls?"
Haneul smiled mysteriously.
"Some things seem useless... until they become your only way out."
They continued through the market.
A few minutes later, they entered a dark alley — one of the narrowest streets in the Old Market.
There she was.
The mysterious old woman.
Seated on an elegant wooden chair — almost like a throne.
Beneath a faded canopy. People said she had been sitting there for decades.
Some claimed she had eyes spread throughout the entire continent.
And that for those willing to pay enough — or capable of capturing her interest — she could provide information powerful enough to save lives.
Or destroy them.
It was impossible not to notice her.
A large woman in every sense of the word, with an overwhelmingly dominant presence.
She wore a loose floral-patterned dress and maintained a permanently disgusted expression.
Except when something caught her interest.
Then her face twisted into a bizarre, exaggerated smile.
Haneul took the initiative.
"Good morning. My name is Haneul. I'm looking for information regarding Iluminência stones that may be circulating within this state. Do you happen to know anything about them?"
The old woman stared at Haneul with a look of pure disgust before replying:
"You really think you can afford information like that?"
She leaned slightly forward.
"You do realize we're talking about prohibited items, right?"
Byeol, standing behind Haneul, briefly entered the old woman's field of vision.
Her expression changed instantly.
"Well, hello there, handsome! You've got a very interesting look... but you seem difficult. I like that!"
"And you seem like trouble," he muttered uncomfortably.
She burst into a rough laugh — so loud that it sent her into a coughing fit.
Once she caught her breath again, a wicked grin spread across her face.
"I think I've found the perfect solution to your little dilemma."
She pointed directly at Byeol.
"If you want the information you're after... you're going to have to pay."
She paused dramatically.
"But with your hands."
Byeol blinked in confusion.
The old woman leaned even closer.
"A private massage. Just the two of us, sweetheart."
Byeol's eyes widened.
"You've got to be kidding me..."
Before he could protest further, Haneul covered his mouth and whispered into his ear with disturbingly calm composure:
"In life, there are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities."
He paused.
"Shortcuts... that get us to our goal faster, even if we're not proud of them."
He patted Byeol on the back and added:
"He'll do it."
Byeol's expression was priceless.
As if someone had punched him straight in the stomach and knocked the air out of him.
The old woman, suddenly energized, jumped to her feet, grabbed Byeol by the hand, and dragged him straight toward her rundown house hidden behind the stall.
That day...
Byeol died a little inside.