Kou sighed, frustrated as he reached the end of the torn page. It was always like this; he would come to the ruins, finally manage to find a piece of writing that was still legible, and the part that could tell him something new, that could give him answers, would be missing. He tossed the fragile paper back onto the floor, staring up at the faint light as it reached him through the crack in the stone. 

The faint light illuminated the space just enough to allow Kou to move around without using a spell. The fragments of colored glass on the ground and the torn, burned books that stubbornly held their shape against the march of time. Kou had a feeling this place had once been something called a “church”, but that was only based on a partial image he had found of one. After all, the Second World had no churches.

To the rest of town, it was merely a First World ruin. A remnant of a time before angels and demons, when Itris hadn’t abandoned humanity to Corruption. At least, that's what the town seemed to believe; Kou met with enough merchants and travellers to know not every town or city felt the same way about Itris or even Corruption. Everyone was just guessing, and Kou, 

Well, he needed to know. 

“I need to head to town,” Kou whispered to himself, finally leaning down to collect some of the colored glass to place in his bag. Knowledge on how to make such glass was rare, and while Kou had managed to teach himself, it was always easier to just collect scraps from the ruin and clean them up to trade. After all, the different metals and ores he needed to make the glass were not cheap to trade for, and it was easier to trade full sheets for more important needs. He almost had enough cloth and food, and Kou was certain he only needed to trade a few more sheets to have everything he needed. 

As soon as he decided he had gathered enough, Kou made his way toward the arched window, or a least, what he thought was a window, that would allow him to crawl his way back to the surface. The dirt was soft and loose from his constant travels to and from the ruin, but Kou didn’t mind as he scrambled back to the surface. He merely brushed the dirt from his clothes as he walked among the trees, enjoying the morning air and quiet as he followed the path he had worn through the underbrush. 

It didn’t take long for him to reach his home, and Kou allowed himself a soft sigh as the familiar shape of the weathered structure came into view. It wasn’t much, just wood and careful repairs, but it was his and Kou paused to check on his garden as he stepped amongst the plants. 

“Well, at least the potatoes will be tradeable before I leave,” he shrugged, shouldering the door open as he removed his bag and sat down at his polish wheel. He removed the first shard, an almost otherworldly purple, and Kou grinned as he stared at it. “I wonder. Magnesium, maybe? Perhaps some…”

Kou mumbled to himself as he worked, polishing the glass and carefully making sure each shard was free from scratches and nicks. He sometimes shaped the glass shards, in order to trade them for more materials, but considering that the town’s flower festival was approaching, Kou didn’t really want to feel responsible for making all the trinkets. Better to just present the pretty shards, and let the girls and boys take them to the local jeweller to shape. If he was lucky, the jeweller would take all of them first, pre-shaping them in order to trade them for a higher value.

As Kou worked, he lost track of time. The hum of the wheel, the rhythm of his hands, the soft clink of glass being set aside; it all lulled him into a trance, his mind wandering as his hands repeated motions born from habit. It wasn’t until Kou shifted and felt his back hurt, that he realized he had been sitting for too long. 

“Ugh, damn thing,” Kou cursed, slowly standing as the ache in his chest and back increased. “I was hoping to get away without having to use magic today.”

Kou carefully removed his shirt, stretching as he turned to the large glass mirror he had made. The bandages around his chest were dirty from his climb to and from the ruin and from the ache in his shoulder, Kou knew he couldn’t risk keeping it wrapped. With a heavy sigh, Kou began to unwrap his chest, cursing and kicking the dirt on the floor as he searched for a bucket and rag. Finding the pair and filling the former with clean water, Kou sat back down in front of the mirror, staring at his revealed chest. 

“If I knew how, I would have gotten rid of both of you long ago,” Kou scowled into the mirror, as if the mounds on his chest had personally offended him as he cleaned away the sweat and dirt. He brushed the white strands from his face, cursing and angrily cleaning as his back continued to ache. Once he was done with the offensive anatomy, he spun, drawing a small circle in the air so he could still see the mirror and inspect his scar. 

It still stood long and dark against his skin, a mark that ran diagonally across his back from shoulder to hip. The scar that almost took his life and the one that had led him on this search for answers. Kou moved slowly and carefully as he cleaned it, wincing slightly as he reached where the bandages had irritated the skin. As soon as the task was done, he stood, donning the new shirt and gathering the shards he judged good enough for trade. He grabbed the mirror spell, lifting it to his face as he checked himself.

“Good enough,” Kou decided, flinging the magic at his chest as it became flat once more. Satisfied, he stepped back out into his garden, walking to the back of his home as he started along the other well-worn path that led to town. The sun was higher now, and Kou could already feel the slight chill that meant autumn was coming. Soon everyone would finish packing their food stores for winter, and Kou grinned as he walked. It’s why no one found it strange he had begun trading for food earlier in the summer than normal, and only accepted rations that were easy to store. 

No one suspected a thing. 

As Kou stepped out of the forest, his eyes were drawn, as always, to the only other home that sat outside of town. A small little hut, even more homely than his own, housing the town’s angel. Kou had seen the angel a few times, but never to have his stats read like the other folk. It was more in passing, just a moment of greeting between two beings that lived outside of the town’s rules. 

Today however, it seemed the Angel had a visitor, and Kou slowed down as he noticed a man leaving the Angel’s home, looking furious and upset. It was a common enough sight, and Kou couldn’t help as he glanced to make sure the angel was unharmed. 

The angel, small and serene, glanced toward him with its empty eye sockets, their brown hair tucked neatly under their horns. “Hello Kou.”

“Hey.”

“Would you like to know your Stats?”

“Same answer as always,” Kou chuckled, never slowing in his pace as he continued into town. After all, there were only two reasons to check on one’s stats and knowing wouldn’t soothe his fear. The Angel never pushed, never chased, but always remained in its hut right out of town, waiting for those who came to know their Stats. Kou wondered how it took care of itself, and he sometimes dropped off his extra food in front of its door. Maybe other people did the same. 

Town, as expected, was filled with younger men and women, all bustling around to get gifts for the upcoming flower festival. For this town, it was a yearly holiday, where unmarried people could flirt and get together, exchanging gifts as tokens of interest. Kou chuckled as he was approached by a few girls, eager to know what glass he had brought to trade. He was more than willing to show off what he had, and even traded a few pieces for more wire and powder as he made his way to the jeweller.

“Oh, Kou,” Emery greeted Kou as soon as he walked in, leaning on his case as the door closed. “Wondered when you were gonna stop by.”

“Well, the glass ain’t easy to make,” Kou shrugged, carefully laying out the piece he brought. “Hopefully you got more metal so I can get some sheets made before winter.”

“You’re in luck. Had a traveller from Asomouth come through here a few days ago. Traded me some metals for the last few sheets I had of your glass,” Kou watched as Emery hobbled off, heading to the back to get what he had to trade. While he waited, Kou glanced at the wares; bracelets, rings and necklaces that any man or woman would be happy to receive and Kou nodded as he heard the girls talking outside the shop, debating on whether or not their trinkets would be enough of a trade. 

“Did ya hear? Truth’s Corruption is now 72,” Kou glanced up as he heard a new voice, and realized it was coming from the back of Emery’s shop. He didn’t know the jeweler had taken an apprentice. “With an Ability Stat like his, you would think following the rules would be easy.”

“Eh, rule following ain’t easy from some people, no matter how easy they got it,” Emery brushed off the other person and Kou shook his head, staring back down at the case.Ability this, Corruption that; everyone was so obsessed with everyone else’s Stats, but no one understood them. Kou had left because he couldn’t stand it, and times like now made him want to go back to his home and leave tonight. 

But he wasn’t ready and Kou sighed heavily, closing his eyes as he listened to Emery shuffle around. Just a little longer, a little more supplies. 

Just a little more.