It was the morning of the last day of our voyage to Parthia’s Last Light, the capital of the kingdom of Parthia; and just over the horizon we could see the grand city in all its glory, sitting atop a huge plateau.

“It’s huge!” Iferos would exclaim in excitement, pointing at the plateau. It was a beautiful sight, and as we sailed closer and closer towards the harbor, the sun crept up and slowly rose above the beautiful white walled city, and now I could see why it was called Parthia’s Last Light. “How much longer until we get there, Mr. Hawthorne!” Iferos was eager to explore the large city, bustling with people.

“We’ll reach the docks at the bottom of the plateau in around thirty minutes,” Hawthorne would say, as he starting pointing towards the natural road and manmade pathways that headed upwards, to the gates of the city. “But if you want to get into the city, it’s going to take a while.”

“How long is the wait to get into the city anyways?” I’d ask before Hawthorne would hand me a spyglass. I took them, and gasped at how long the line was- it was long enough that it spanned the entire way going up the plateau. “Holy shit…”

The other three would quickly take turns at using the spyglass, and they would all have the reactions as I had. We all immediately went to our living quarters to eat and pack our things. The ship sailed closer and closer towards the harbor, and after thirty or so minutes, we were finally able to dock at the harbor.

“Bye-bye Mr. Hawthorne!” Iferos would yell as we left the ship and started making our way to the long line entering the capital city. “See you soon!”

He wouldn’t say anything, only leaving us with a bittersweet smile, before waving us goodbye and heading to the captain’s quarters. We left in hopes to find Yani and Ethanael, and hopefully Damian too. I still hadn’t told them about the news that Damian was alive and decided to just keep it as a surprise until I actually confirmed that he was in the Last Light.

“For those WITH valid Parthian Identification, please line up on the right!” A guard would yell at everyone that was about to line up, “For those WITHOUT valid Parthian Identification, please follow the path and continue on the line from there!” The guard would yell out again, staring at us.

We’d look up at the long sloped path going up the plateau and realized that our specific line didn’t have that many people! We were lucky that the line was segregated, if it wasn’t… Then it looked like we’d have to wait hours just to get anywhere near the damn gate. “Well, let’s get going then.” Reanne would say, as we all slowly walked upwards.

“Huff… Huff… Talis… Can you carry me…” Iferos would say, buckets of sweat dripping down his face from the exhaustion of walking uphill.

“Yeah, don’t worry buddy.” I’d softly say, crouching down so he could climb on my back and hold on. It was a long walk, but I could see that we were nearly there. In all honesty, I was tired too, but I felt the need to help him- it was something Damian would’ve done. “We’re almost there anyways, so just rest up ‘till we get there.”

After a few more minutes of dreadful walking, we finally made it. The view from up here made the docks look relatively smaller than it actually was, and that’s how high up we were. The line on the left side was really short, with only a handful of people queued up talking to the guards that were stationed there.

“Excuse me,” I’d lightly tap on the shoulder of a Dwarf that was in front of us in the line. “What exactly do we do here, in this line?”

“You don’t know? You country bumpkins must’ve been living under a rock, then!” He’d say, laughing hysterically. “You just get interviewed by the guard sitting over there, and he’ll stamp out a letter for you to officially get your Parthian Identification.”

“Ah! Thank you!” I’d say, as the Dwarf faced back towards the gate, and slowly but surely, the line would move up.

After a few minutes of waiting, the four of us finally made it to the front of the line. “Next!” The guard sitting by a table would yell out. “Are the four of you together?” He’d ask me who was the one in front of all of them.

“Yes, we are.” I’d nervously glance at everyone, and they were all equally as tense as I was.

“Where are you from and what is your business here?” He’d ask us, glaring at me.

“Ah, we’re from Khasia, and we just wanted to relocate here since we could feel that the war between Trazia and Laurei was going to rile up a storm sooner or later.” I blatantly lied to the guard, and he’d suspiciously stare at us one by one.

“If that’s the case…” He’d suddenly pause, and we all tensed up. “Then welcome to Parthia!” He’d enthusiastically say, stamping four letters all stating the approval of our arrival into the city. “Once you get inside, please follow the guard and he’ll take you to the city hall, where you can get your official identification from one of the administrators!”

“Oh! Thank you so much!” I’d respond back just as enthusiastically, matching his energy. We’d all grab the papers handed out to us and enter the city.

Our first steps into the city was awe inspiring. The buildings were all made in a similar fashion to what we saw in Altria, but much more grandiose. There were more people here than any other town or city I’ve ever been to combined! People of different races all in one place, living in harmony with each other, it was truly a symbol of unity in this war-torn time of ours.

Virion Siegfried is the current king and founder of Parthia, and the one who has been at the forefront of ending the discrimination between races. Looking at the bright and vibrant city, it really seems like he was doing a fucking excellent job.

Iferos was completely shocked. To the point where his jaw was just dropped the entire time, staring at the bustling streets and vibrant rooftops of each building. “Excuse me, sir!” A guard would approach us, “Please follow me to obtain your official Parthian Identification papers.” He was rather serious, and now I could see how strict they were with this.

We’d follow him, and we looked like tourists the entire time. We made our way through the streets filled with people and food stalls and countless merchants from all across Eden and made our way to the front of the city hall.

Stood there in the middle, was a large circular area with a large fountain. A couple of steps behind the fountain was a statue of… Yani, who looked just as chubby sculpted in stone as he did in reality, holding his signature fishing rod. Next to him was a statue of a man brandishing dual blades, wearing a cloak and the attire of an adventurer clad in armor, with rather short yet lush, curly hair. It was a statue of Ethanael.

We followed the guard just to the outside of the building, before he’d tell us to go inside to get our identification, and leaving to go back to his post. “Next! Next please!” A woman sitting by a desk behind a layer of glass would say, and the noise of all the people inside would drown out the others’ voices.

“What? What did you say?” I’d yell at Reanne; she was saying something but I couldn’t clearly hear her.

“Line! Line!” She’d yell back, pointing at the line we all had to individually queue at. We all lined up accordingly, with me at the front once again, and eventually it was my turn to get my identification papers.

“Good day!” I’d tell the woman behind the glass, handing her the stamped letters we got earlier through a hole big enough to fit our hands in. She’d carefully inspect the paper, before questioning me.

“Name?” She’d coldly say, her eyebags were so dark it was like she barely got any sleep.

“Talis.”

“Age?”

“Nineteen.” She was asking questions at a rapid pace, as if wanting to get off her shift the moment she was done with us.

“Nation of origin?”

“Khasia.” It was a small, independent magocracy filled with mages and scholars, and the nation that I mentioned we were from back at the gate.

“Occupation?” My mind would suddenly go blank, I had to think of something fast, I didn’t want her to be suspicious of me and possibly kick me out of the city.

“Er… Mercenary.” I really couldn’t think of anything else, and with the attire I had on right now, it made the most sense.

“Race…” She’d stare at me blankly, “Human.” She’d then write down all my information in a small sheet of paper, before handing it to me through the hole. “Welcome to Parthia, Talis.”

I’d inspect the paper and see all the information I provided her written down, as well as my physical traits and characteristics that I had, which would be used to properly identify who I was. Reanne was next, and she quickly came up to the woman as soon as I went to the side to wait for everyone to finish getting their papers.

After a few minutes of awkwardly waiting on the sides, we all managed to get it. “Talis! Talis! Look!” Iferos would say, jumping in glee as he held out his paper towards me for him to read. “I’m Iferos Caelum now!” It seems that their somewhat false identities were as siblings, Iferos and Viella Caelum. It had a nice ring to it, and it really sounded believable since the pair looked like brother and sister.

“Did you hear the news!” A man would yell to a group of people, “Kaspian Felk, the Tonebreaker, cleared out the bandits terrorizing the Arrantar Desert all on his own!” That was a name more familiar to me, he was a famed mercenary that did chivalrous acts all across the continent, and someone I had looked up to when I was in the academy hearing about his exploits.

The whole room would roar in awe and excitement, amazed that a single person could clear out more than a thousand bandits scattered across the vast desert, lurking around the area of Su’Mahdi.

We’d quickly head out of the building, confused as to what we were going to do next. “We should find Yani, but where?” We all looked at each other, and decided to ask around some strangers where we could potentially meet him.

“You looking for Yani?” A man wearing a cloak that hid his face would say as he approached me. “I know where you can find him, come! Follow me!” He’d say, we all looked at each other in confusion before following him as he lead us… Somewhere.

We’d walk around, and it felt like we weren’t getting anywhere at all. “Do you really know where he is?” I’d ask him, skeptical that he actually knew where Yani was.

“Why of course! Just trust me!” He’d say, giving us a thumbs up, and we’d all look at each other again, not sure if we could trust this mysterious man. “Phew! It’s getting hot, isn’t it!” He suddenly took off the hood of his cloak, revealing long and lush curly hair. We kept walking, eventually reaching a place where there wasn’t that much people walking around the streets.

“This place looks really sketchy, mister!” Iferos would say, holding onto my arm tightly. “Are you sure we’re going to the right place?”

“Oh, don’t worry! I remember a time I got lost and I couldn’t find my way back home, it was quite fun, really!” The man kept yapping about his experiences and other things that was similar to the situation we were in.

The entire time we walked across the relatively peaceful streets, he just kept yapping, which kept us entertained for the most part, especially with Iferos, who seemed to enjoy him yap about the most random of things.

“We’re here!” The man would stop his yapping and with both his hands on his hips, he proudly walked in. We looked at the run down looking building, and read the sign saying it was a… Fucking bar? Are you serious? Of all the damn places he could’ve taken us to, he took us to a bar?!

We’d enter the run down looking bar, and immediately we’re greeted by fancy dim lights, and a surprisingly clean and polished place, with only one other person aside from the bartender, which was Yani, who was busy downing a whole jug of beer in one go.

“You fumbled another woman, I’m guessing?” The man would stand next to Yani, and Yani would immediately place the beer on the table and look him dead in the eye.

“And you cheated on another one?” Yani would reply to him with the same enthusiasm as the man did, before suddenly getting up and hugging the man tightly.

“It’s been too long, Yani.”

“It has, Ethanael.” We were all shocked, the man we were so skeptical of was the Ethanael?! It seems like we were worried over nothing, as the two quickly sat down together on the barstools, “Oh, come on now, take a shot!” Yani would immediately grab a shot glass and a bottle of rum, pouring him a tall shot of the drink.

“You know exactly what I love!” Ethanael would immediate take the shot glass and down the drink in just a second, “So you know these guys?” He’d say, looking at us and pouring himself another shot of rum.

“Yeah! I met them around a forest on the way to Altria.” Yani would suddenly stop drinking, and the mood would get tense. We were just standing around awkwardly, so we sat down by some chairs behind them. “They’re starting to make their move, Ethan.”

“Already? I thought they weren’t supposed to do that until they got the sacrifices they needed?” Ethanael would drop his shot glass and things would get serious.

“Trazia’s failed siege on the port city of Sakaris got them more than half of what they need.” Yani would say, pouring himself a shot for himself and drinking it before continuing, “Thirty-thousand. That’s approximately how many more they need.” Me and Reanne knew what they were talking about, since we were the ones who found the notebook detailing everything left that they needed to complete the descent.

The both of them would turn around and look at us, and it seemed like they already knew who we really were. “We’re planning to depart to Trazia in a week, are y’all in or not?” Ethanael would say to us, awaiting our replies.

“I’m in.” Without any hesitation, I’d hastily agree. I couldn’t care less if it was a suicide mission or not, all I wanted to do was save my damn country.

“And what about the rest of you?” Ethanael would ask the other three, who seemed hesitant.

“I think… I speak for the three of us here, but… I’d like to stay here.” Reanne would say, and the rest of them would silently agree with her, “I like this life… Not a life on the run or filled with bloodshed, but a life of peace.” As much as I wanted to agree with her, I couldn’t. Not after seeing the things the empire has done. I respected their choice all the same, but it felt bittersweet.

“So, it’s just you then?” Ethanael would ask me, and I nodded. “Alrighty then! The four of us depart in seven days, make your preparations until then and we’ll meet back here on the seventh day.”

“Four of us? Who’s the fourth?” I’d ask if I didn’t have a single clue as to who it could possibly be.

Thud! Bang! The door to the bar would suddenly open, and we’d all be greeted by a familiar face. “Huff… Huff… Am I late?!” Damians voice was enough to bring Iferos to tears, and we were finally reunited with him, at long last.