Beneath a moonless starry sky, the wheels rattle as it rolls on the ground filled with rocks and earth. Her buttocks bounce and rub on the wooden seat inside the coach. As uncomfortable, the ride is as comfortable the cold breeze is caressing her skin and clothes.

“The Empire is already at the distance, folks!” the coachman announces.

Along with the two passengers sitting across her, she leans to see a couple of towers standing beside the vast gates of the sky-high walls before them.

The fatigue she felt in the entire day of sitting in the same seat, except during meals, is gradually alleviating.

Before the gates were five other coaches forming an entrance line.

Every individual coming in and out of the Empire go through an extensive investigation. To enter, you need to have the original Approved Application For Entry while to exit you need the original Approved Application For Exit. Obtaining both of these documents takes half a year if you are an Aldean and a year or two for those who are not.

This makes the Empire the safest place to live in and establish businesses.

As they arrived before the gates, they were the sixth coach to be in the line. The three men step out from the coach to ease their sore buttocks and legs.

“Oh, finally!” Says the man who steps out last.

“We're still a long way for entrance, though.” She could hear them talking outside.

Three women ease up on their seats with a more relaxed complexion. The exhaustion from the travel is evident on their faces.

“Hey, Rein,” the young woman sitting beside the woman across her calls. “What do you think of this?” she shows her sketch of Rein.

The ragged parchment displays the hasty works of the charcoal. However, it represents the concise depiction of Rein looking out from the coach. The intricate lines that are drawn express the eloquence of the sketch while the realistic values present show the dexterity of the young woman with her hands.

Rein smiles. “I don't know which of them is really better.” The sketch was the tenth piece the young woman did throughout their travel. Her works never cease to amaze Rein however she was not an artist. To distinguish which of her sketches is better is not her forte.

“Come on. You always say that.” The young woman scans her sketch trying to spot her mistakes and their differences from the previous pieces. “Isn't it much better than the other ones?” With such gleaming eyes, she shows her sketch to Rein again.

“Maxine, no matter how I look at it, every sketch you do is always wonderful.” This is not the peak of Maxine's persistence though, but Rein is still annoyed.

Maxine makes a long face and puts down the parchment.

“Aren't they all beautiful?” Rein asks.

Disappointed for not hearing what she wants, Maxine sighs looking at her sketch. She picks up her charcoal stick and continues to enhance her piece whatever she sees fit.

Maxine had been Rein's friend for as long as she can remember. They have always been together since they were children. While Maxine is into painting, she is into food. Such difference never separated them, though. However, they do not consider themselves as best of friends, they are more like the closest of friends.

Now, as they enter the Empire, they will part ways to lead where life brings them.

The coach suddenly moves closer to the gates. As Rein glances outside, she sees another coach before them and a carriage behind. The walls of the Empire cover up half of the skies in her vision.

“The Entry Guard is here, folks! You'd better get your butts out here.” The coachman announces.

Rein steps out, followed by the other seven passengers, to see a couple of Entry Guards standing beside the coach. The other Entry Guard finished talking with the coachman and enters the coach for examination. At the same time, Rein and the others fall in line before the Entry Guard. On his left arm, he is holding a magic tool having a magic orb above a tablet. It is supposed to verify the legitimacy of the contents on every entry and exit of approval.

That looks heavy, she thought.

When her turn came, she hands her entry of approval. While the Entry Guard slips the parchment on the tablet, a couple of rays of light appears from the orb scanning. As soon as the rays disappeared, the Entry Guard gives the parchment back to her and she walks back to the coach.

Maxine is already inside the coach as she sits. “Their job looked tiring,” Rein says.

“Yeah. Imagine bringing that stuff half of the day.” Two women walk inside and sit back in their seats. “But, that orb was interesting.”

“That was my first time seeing magic on the act.”

“The Empire is filled with magi, girls. You'll get tired of seeing them in the streets almost every day.” The woman across Rein responds in their conversation.

The men get back in the coach. “All of them are wearing their military uniforms, though. And you can't see them doing magic unless there's trouble.”

“Oh, I see.” Maxine looks mesmerized upon hearing them.

As the last woman came in and sits beside Rein, the coachman propels the horses into the gates.

To even enhance the security of the Empire, magi built wide cage magic around the walls to disapprove of anyone who is considered a threat to the Empire. They will be pushed away from the cage magic even with their verified entry of approval.

People said passing the cage feels like being warped into the Empire. However, for Rein, she feels a strange painless excoriation on her skin. Afterward, she grows pale and feels vomiting but suppresses it to avoid disturbance.

The coachman maneuvers the coach into the coach parkade near the gates. Rein gets her suitcase and leaves the coach while the other passengers walk in their ways.

“Rein, are you alright?” Maxine asks. She had noticed her face paling on the entrance.

“Oh, yes, yes. I am.” She was still out of her senses upon entering. “Maybe I'm just sleepy.”

“Tell me if there's something wrong.” Maxine hands all of the sketches she did to Rein. “We'll write letters. I'll definitely write back no matter what.”

“Okay, thanks. I'm fine.” She slips the parchments into her suitcase.

With a worried look, Maxine steps back. Her flaxen curls shine underneath a streetlamp. The rouge corset on the peach frock shows her delicate curves. “I'll be off, then.”

“Bye.” As Maxine walks further into the street, Rein turns right into the main street.

This was Prayne, the main street of Suden which was the southern district of the Empire, where businesses from smaller to bigger arise. As it is getting late, there are hardly any people walking in the street. Few windows on her way are lit while most of the windows are dark.

Rein hears a nearing clamor. Cheers and laughs flood in the street as she arrives before the ajar door of a tavern. Some men are dining and some men are drinking brews while women are serving food and beverages to the tables.

“Would you like an order, young girl?” a woman bringing a tray full of leftover dishes suddenly invites her in.

“Oh, no, thank you.” The energy in the place overwhelms Rein making her walk away. She is too exhausted to be enthusiastic. A cozy bed is what her body asks at the moment.

She turns left into the next block. Rein had never been in the Empire. Knowing where to go was all thanks to the owner of the place she bought. They were kind enough to give her directions.

Rein is the sixth person to walk in Trayl, the street next to Prayne. As she looks at the young lady walking on her way, she is enthralled by her emerald eyes and fine chin-length silver hair.

When the young lady passes beside Rein, her purple frock moves in harmony with her steps. To think such a gorgeous face exists, she thought.

Rein finds the building and arrives before its doors. She feels anxious and excited as she imagines the opening of her restaurant in the next two days.