There was a barrier surrounding the entire city of Solis Keep. It encompassed the massive city that easily spanned 200 square miles under a perfectly spherical, symmetrical and otherwise transparent veil. While it may seem overly cautious at first glance, the purpose of this barrier wasn't to restrict entrance or exit to the mythic city, nor was it there to hide it either. In fact, just about anyone could pass through this barrier without even noticing It was there in the first place.
The Asura were a rather prideful and dominant race, because of the absurd strength most of them possessed, they felt no need to heighten their defenses to such a degree. And following that logic, the barrier was built to serve an entirely different purpose. It was there to maintain the equilibrium of arcanum present inside the city's walls. While arcanum was a natural element of the world much like mana, the two systems operated in entirely different ways.
Mana was much more akin to something like a free-flowing energy that passed through the environment and could be siphoned by almost anything with life force. It could be harnessed by a majority of the population, though some races were exceptions to this rule but in most cases, mana seeped into the bodies of living creatures the moment their life force was strong enough for it to lock onto like a signal.
Arcanum on the other hand was different, it was like the concentrated essence of the planet's energy and circulated it through a series of imaginary Ley Lines beneath the Earth known as the "Ryumyaku" (Dragon's Vein). Unlike mana, this power tended to stay underground and although it did circulate the planet in something of a predetermined path, it didn't flourish in the environment in the same way mana tended to.
Arcanum did share a similar trait with mana however, and that was its tendency to be drawn to life force. But in the case of Arcanum, one had to possess a substantially potent and strong enough life force for it to be attracted to the surface and because of that it wasn't a power suited for everyone.
For beings without the sufficient life energy, only an excruciating death awaited them should they attempt to use it.
The overwhelming essence of arcanum would simply contaminate their very life force in a corrosive manner and eventually result in the destruction of their organs. This was what made the Asura the perfect vessels for this power. They were beings with life energy potent enough for them to potentially live for hundreds of years, and because of this strong life force, at some point they became aware of the power flowing beneath them and became relatively indifferent to the mana around them.
Harnessing arcanum and using it was a completely different issue, however. The raw essence of the entire planet's energy would put a considerable strain on the body of any living thing that wielded it even in small amounts. And although the Asura preferred not to use mana, the energy was still attracted to them because of their strong life force, and so, two different kinds of power were constantly clashing in order to enter the bodies of these noble beings.
The solar plexus was where these mystic energies would be housed, but having both at the same time would result in something akin to a deadly poison that would only lead to a slow and painful death. This was why a barrier was in place, it was to prevent the raw forms of these two energies from directly interfering with each other and disrupt the equilibrium that was already in place.
Having ignored the use of mana for an indefinite period, the bodies of the Asura were far better suited to accommodate arcanum, as even using mana in small amounts would contaminate their "core", the central point of arcanum located in the solar plexus. This was why they had to constantly circulate the Arcanum they assimilated in their bodies, it acted as a sort of deterrent and allowed them to repel the mana lurking around their bodies to a degree while also significantly reducing the strain this power put on the body, to the point where it was almost negligible.
This was something of a skill that was taught to them since the days of youth, which was why it became something of a subconscious process for most as early as in their teenage years. It was a common trait that everyone in Solis Keep should have mastered by now. Almost everyone anyway.
The Wujin domain was one of the four quarters of Solis Keep that surrounded the circular space in the middle of the city that was prone to royalty. While all the prominent four quarters lining the city were equal in size, the Wujin domain had a few unique quirks apart from its size that made it stand out from the city's other noble sections.
The first was the massive Chinese style mansion; fit for a dynasty, that was decked in a black, gold and red color scheme and was firmly rooted in the domain's center, easily towering over all the structures in and around the area as if to show that they were all insignificant. The domain was in fact reminiscent of a Chinese dynasty from ages past. While the scenery was rather uniform, it did have a certain aesthetic to it that gave rise to an orderly contrasting view that stood out among the other sections of the city.
Given that the other quarters were usually something of a combination between two or more distinct architectural styles, the monotone element here was in itself a unique touch. This particular domain was essentially split into three core parts:
The residential district "Blue Orchid", the shopping district "Galleria" and a battle-oriented subsection known as "Kairos." The brick road remained unchanged in this part of the city, but the buildings here were what really gave this domain a niche feel to it, especially in the residential district.
In said district, the buildings were predominantly decked in a mixture of three-color schemes taking the form of black, red, or gold. Gold was often used to indicate buildings either owned by nobles, or of some other significance, with the trademark insignia being a golden dragon spiraling around the pillars that supported the massive structures.
The houses here were made with a variety of materials ranging from sun-dried bricks to timber frames.
It was easy to note that they were sturdy enough to withstand the extremes of nature, but even more impressive than that was the craftsmanship at play that somehow managed to make all the houses look similar and create a synchronous atmosphere despite the variation in the materials used in their construction.
They were often of the same height and width, boasting triangular styled roofs laden with tiles.
The entrance to some homes also bore vibrant decorations in the form of two orange glowing lanterns with a draconic symbol embedded on them, hinting at some sort of celebration that was fast approaching.
As for the shopping district of Galleria, it was a fairly lively place that contributed to most of the traffic that often frequented the residential areas, seeing as the two were only a few city blocks apart.
The clanking of hoof like sounds and the turning of cartwheels could always be heard on the street that literally paved the way to the market. There were some mana beasts being put to good use here, one such creature bearing a reptilian resemblance. It appeared to be something like a crocodile, but without a hard external shell covering and the fact that it was around 5ft tall when walking on all fours.
The texture of the creature's skin appeared quite soft in contrast to what one might usually think. Strolling along the brick road with a variety of goods bonded with ropes and hanging over its back, it made a hissing sound as it waned off the other bird like mana beast strolling beside it.
The silver haired man riding atop it paid no heed to the sight unfolding before him. It was nothing uncommon in these parts of the domain, and more often than not they would typically escalate into a beastly brawl.
The second standout feature here was the scarce number of pale blue orbs that were floating around at about 150 meters in the air. They resembled something like the crystal balls shady fortune tellers would often use to captivate those passing by, only save for the fact that they were more than three times larger.
These were specialized versions of lux crystals known as "Signalites" and their purpose was to apparently provide illumination that could be used as a guiding system for those entering the city via airborne means such as trained wyverns.
During the night, at specific intervals, these pale blue spheres would periodically emanate their natural glow, illuminating the respective paths for oncoming travelers. These Signalites held a much larger amount of mana compared to their common household counterparts, making their light visible even from considerable distances and amidst the city's other sources of illumination.
The Asura themselves didn't need such a thing, as 20/20 vision was commonplace among them. Those with the Goetia even surpassed that, with them being able to maintain complete visual acuity for at least 200 meters. So the signalites were nothing more that a precautionary measure put in place for the wyverns in question.
While the Signalites weren't abundantly placed in the air space above the cityscape, they were arranged in an orderly enough manner that could vaguely signal a path to incoming traffic.
These floating orbs would remain relatively inactive for now. The antique-ish clock gently swaying around a young boy's neck currently indicated that it was only eleven O'clock."
"HAHH HAHH....."
"These things aren't... getting any lighter....hah.....damn that old hag." Ragged breaths escaped him with almost every word he spoke. Walking along the crowded streets of Galleria, the hustle and bustle all but avoided him, like he was merely a pebble by the wayside.
The bags under his eyes were definite proof of his physical condition right now. The only attention he got from those in the crowd was in the form of quick side-eyed glances that were no doubt directed at his conspicuous jet-black hair.
Although he was somewhat despised here, most of the time he was only met with complete indifference, an attitude he had grown all too familiar with. Even though he was dressed lightly, wearing a sleeveless white shirt and soft cotton pants of the same color in the form of "Gi", the boy was still sweating profusely as he trudged along the brick laden path towards his destination; still too far off in the distance to be clearly visible.
There was a white piece of paper stuck to his forehead with inked markings all over it. It seemed like a toddler's scribbling at first glance but this was in fact a talisman, one that had the effect of ensuring he carried out the task at hand. Strapped across his back were two wooden buckets that were being supported by a metal pole instead of the typical wooden yoke. His arms were hunched over the meta pole, and it rested heavily on his shoulder blades.
The buckets were filled to the brim, and only shifted slightly with each step he took, producing small ripples in the water they hosted. The task was far more difficult than it initially appeared. The pole on his back easily weighed close to 300 kilograms, and the buckets were only there to help him coordinate his balance.
With even the slightest shift in that balance, one of the unfastened buckets could easily slide off and spill its contents, in which case the boy would have to start all over again.
Given how he was handling his current task, it seemed like he was quite accustomed to such forms of labor. It was simply an incentive, but the talisman ensured that he would have to complete this journey he was currently on seventy times before he would be able to lift the literal burden off his shoulders.
Despite his strange attire, it was amazing how he didn't stand out in the least in this part of town. He was heading towards the outskirts of the domain and the crowd only got thinner the more he advanced towards his goal.
The chatter of pedestrians, clanking of cartwheels, and even the squealing of mana beasts came together in the crowded shopping district to produce a symphony of sounds that were totally out of sync with each other. He paid no heed to it though, gulping at the sight of the glistening ripe fruits displayed on the stalls that littered about the area. His almost contagious sense of thirst was clearly getting the better of him.
(I have to hurry up and get this over with.)
After exiting the shopping district, he entered what resembled a town square, a crystal wall that was about waist height was the first thing to catch his eye. Dead in the center of it, there was a fountain sprouting water like a geyser. A few birds and mana beasts were perched on the circular wall, but it wasn't a particularly special sight.
The water sprouting from the fountain was perfectly clear and could easily be used as a mirror. The sight before him seemed like a complete hallucination, but he could only gulp and continue the arduous task he had set out on. This town square branched off into six different paths that extended from points along its circumference and surrounding the circular space were three buildings that were notably larger than the others here.
Positioned in the directions of north, east and west, they were in full view from the position where Kanon stood. They held the same majestic styled Chinese architecture, but they were clearly above average establishments. The one that held the most splendor was of course the building lined with golden dragons on its front pillars, it was positioned to the north and so it was the one he was directly facing. A metal plate that served as something as a signpost on the front end of the building read "Fenrir." Only giving it a brief glance, the boy abruptly turned away from the inconspicuous structure.
"Oh! Kanon."
That voice stopped him in his tracks. Turning around he faintly smiled at the girl who had called out to him. Mustering what little strength he had left, he gave her a typical response:
"Yo."