Tale of The Broken Sword

Chapter Twenty One : Migrath Alsea

16th July, AD 1656

Migrath Alsea, Capital of Aurelia

The circular doors of the train carriage pulls open and crowds of people pour out, rushing to the exit queues. Everent walked out of the train carriage, feeling tired and yawning the entire time. The two-hour journey from Jyona had taken a toll on him and he would want to quickly go back to his family home and hopefully, his dad would be there, smiling and waiting for him with open arms.

Times had been rough these days and Everent could not even have the time to see his father. Being sent in and out of the battlefield seemed to be entirely normal for the sergeant but deep down in his heart, he hears the prayers of his dad wishing to see his only son again.

Everent would take this opportunity to see his father again before being sent to the front lines again. Krom is here as well, but in the different part of the city. He once lived in the slums just beyond the canal that separates the slum dwellers to the middle class people before joining the army. Over the years, he rose through the ranks and finally got himself enough chromarks to get a small house on the other side of the canal. A dream that his family have fantasized a long time ago had now being a reality.

Being an enormous city that extends all the way into the open sea along the mighty River Auris, Migrath Alsea is indeed a city with uncountable width. But, its buildings were relatively small and short. The only districts that house the modern skyscrapers are the Federal District and the Central Business District, with both adjacent to each other.

From a distance, Everent could see the towering skyscrapers at the centre of Migrath Alsea and he noticed that there’s another tall building at the other end of the city, isolated from its counterparts. Regulations for the construction of tall buildings are rather strict these days and Everent never knew why.

So, the maximum height for any building to be permitted is only at six levels. And the people wouldn’t question why it was forced into regulations. For Everent, they have seemed to understand the motive behind it but what it is remains unknown to the sergeant.

Like the rest of the cities, Migrath Alsea boasts a number of local markets at most parts of the capital city. The bus station is just on the other side of the market so he had to cross over it. Everent though he might be able to find some hot, delicious kebabs again on the way down. His stomach had been growling since morning and he didn’t have the time for breakfast back in Jyona.

“Gotta find something to eat.” He said to himself.

Everent wove though a crowd of people flooding into the market streets, with each and every one of them glaring at the items on sale at every stall. Some of them were bargaining with the trader for discounted goods. The exchange rates in the city markets are extremely profitable, with some 500 Chromarks for just high-end electronic equipment where in other countries, it could’ve worth thousands.

The situation in the market is lively and the people had respected each other. A value that should be endowed by their enemies, not rejected. It’s a shame that the Empire possesses a deep hatred to the Aurelian people. Since the inception of the War, the Ansteigens are often depicted as ruthless people who will stop at nothing until it decimates the entire Aurelian nation. Everent felt otherwise, though.

Finally crossing through the packed market, Everent quickly headed for the bus station. But, by the time he arrived there, a glossy black limousine stopped beside him. Wondering who it might be, Everent stopped at the roadside pavement staring blankly at the limousine.

Within moments, the windows whirled down revealing a middle-aged driver looking directly at Everent. Before Everent had realised who it was, the man had called out:

“Sir, your father had asked me to pick you up.”

Everent had forgotten. He belongs to a royal family. The Griswall Royal Family was one of the twelve reigning families that once controlled Aurelia before the nation’s upholding of the democratic-monarch system. Now, the Griswall Family’s leader, Everent’s father serves as the chief advisor to the Grand Master of the nation.

Sighing heavily, he entered into the limousine. “I said that I wouldn’t want a driver to fetch me back home.”

“But Sir, your father has ordered me to fetch you back no matter what the reason you might incur to me.” The driver replied.

Everent cursed silently but he was somewhat grateful that his father knew that he would be coming back. Now that he can relax and get himself some shuteye, exploring further into the city would come later.

“So, how’s Pa?” Everent asked the driver.

“The Master? Well, he’s doing just fine and he’s very excited to finally see you after a while being alone in the mansion.” He glared at the rearview mirror.

Everent kept silent after that and he leans his head towards the tinted windows of the limousine. Staring the rapidly passing scenery of the city’s main expressway, Everent could catch a glimpse of life in the Capital. Always busy and never seems to enjoy life to the fullest. That’s what was ingrained into the minds of citizens living in Migrath Alsea.

The skyscrapers blur into a tapestry of fuzzy lights until they had passed through the city’s outskirts. Then, the rows of buildings had stopped, leaving only visible large grassy plains surrounding the city.

His family lives in an estate not far away from the capital city, near the meadows of the stream that flows into the Auris River. Everent slumped back onto the seat, finally knowing to see his father once more. But soon, he will have to depart again from the Griswall Family’s house in search of the Grand Passage that will lead him to know more of the events surrounding his brother’s death. It won’t take very long, Everent knew.