The Prince and Alaric arrived at Solarin.
Known across the empire as the Oasis, Solarin—or Solakrin, in the old tongue—was a city of contradictions. Filled with Low-rise building,the place was clustered around wells and marketplaces that pulsed with life. The city was full of merchants and mercenaries. With minimal taxes, Solarin attracted everyone—from noble traders to exiled criminals.
They said the Lord of Solarin ruled with benevolence.
But Lucas, Prince of the Empire, was not here for benevolence. He wasn't drawn to the mirage of prosperity. He came for the shadows—the places untouched by light.
After hours of walking, the scenery shifted. The roads narrowed. The air grew foul.
They had reached the slums.
A place abandoned by law, forgotten by the Emperor's kindness. Dark. Smothering. Crawling with desperation. Even rats seemed hesitant to scurry here.
Lucas walked through it all with calm eyes. Alaric, ever watchful, followed closely. For a prince to walk these streets was madness, but Lucas welcomed the risk.
"Only by walking through the filth," he once said, "can you learn what needs cleansing."
The stench of decay hung in the air. Filthy children played in puddles of stagnant water. Hollow-eyed beggars leaned against crumbling walls. Some reached out for coins. Most didn't bother. Hope was an ancient myth here.
They passed a man lying motionless in the gutter. No one looked twice.
Eventually, they found a tavern nestled in the heart of the slums. Oddly clean. Too clean. Its windows glowed faintly, and laughter spilled from inside.
Inside, the warmth clashed violently with the world outside. The bartender stood tall and well-groomed, his eyes unnervingly sharp. Some of the men there drink like crazy,talking like they own the world.
Lucas and Alaric took a corner seat, blending into the chaos.
"That one-eyed bastard tried to quote the law to me!" said a burly man, slamming his mug down.
His two lackeys cackled beside him. All three bore swords. No one here feared consequences.
In this place, law was a punchline.
Death meant nothing. Justice was a ghost.
The government had abandoned this place long ago. There were no mines to protect, no dungeons to exploit. Only rot and violence.
Yet even this pit of despair had a king.
Rayleigh.
Once a royal knight—now the tyrant of the slums. Banished for executing his own men in a drunken frenzy. Knowing that he was gonna get executed,he escaped the prison and ran away far from the empire.Multiple knight was tasked to chase after him,only to be found dead later on.So the Prince himself was tasked to take this matter.
After finishing their drinks, Lucas and Alaric rose without a word.The day was already late,but for them it's only just started.