FIRST ARC
Uldard
-— The Prelude arc —-

( 1 )
C H E L L

By the time the sun was at its midday point, her destination was already in sight.

The grand kingdom of Uldard, crown gem of the southeast, spread out before her. Located beside the ocean of Tyy, it held the advantage of trade relations from places both on land and beyond its foreign seas, making it well-known throughout the continent of Terrall for its prosperous economical state. Hundreds of people often went there in hopes of seeking brighter opportunities and grand beginnings; be it merchants who wished to expand their trade, scholars who desired to further their thirst for knowledge, and families hoping for a new start. It didn't matter what language someone spoke in, what color of skin they had, or which culture they descended from. Uldard seemed to welcome them all with opened gates that beckoned them inside.

However, there was still an exception.

Beneath its grand welcoming facade, Uldard was also famed for its abhorrence towards the witchfolk.

Much of the original reason has been forgotten, but within the rumors that float between those who dared to talk about it,  Uldard's royalty harbored an intense hatred toward their kind because of a conflict that happened before the peace treaty one hundred years in the past. Though Uldard was respected for its military power, it offered little to no protection for the witches and wizards who dared to visit its domain.

As a result, it was an unspoken rule for those from the witchfolk to keep their identities a secret in order to remain safe. If they were ever found out, witch hunters had the freedom to arrest them, innocent or guilty.

To the mortalfolk, Uldard was a place of hope, of light, of possible fortune. To the Witchfolk, it was a place of danger. Once they stepped inside, no one would be able to guarantee their lives.

Chell had no idea why the dead had led her to that place, of all others.

As the towering front gates came nearer and nearer before her, the girl stared intently at the multicolored roofs and palace towers peeking from the high walls. She could clearly hear the loud bustle of life even from their distance.

"It's a big place, ain'nit?" the old man beside her suddenly spoke, snapping her out of her reverie. He was steering the horses in front of the hay wagon they were riding on. Noticing that Chell had turned to look at him, he continued speaking in the same rough accent, tugging his frayed straw hat.

"Y'know, ya've been quite the quiet thing the whole journey through, girl. Bu'that's fine by me. To be honest, old men like me 'ave too much to talk about when we start blabbering ourselves—think it's the old age 'ffecting me, maybe—and I'm assuming ya wouldn't want me to start going now, would ya?"

Chell stared at the old man, then shook her head silently.

"Err, is that a no for 'not want'in to talk to me', or a no for 'it's a'right to'? Ah, never mind, don't bother child," he grunted, shaking his head. "Can't honestly figure ya out. I've never seen someone as quiet as ya... or as pretty, for that matter. Ah, but before we do part ways, though, I'll 'ave to warn ya: there's a checkpoint at the main gates. If ya don't have the proper papers, I can't do anything to let ya in."

She shook her head once again. After a slight pause, Chell decided to speak.

"It's... okay. I have the papers. And... thank you," she mumbled.

The old man's eyes widened and his face flashed a toothless grin. "So ya do talk! Was wonder'n for a minute if ya were mute or something!"

She blinked. "I... don't say much."

"O' course ya don't," he agreed immediately.

The wagon continued down the pathway. After a few moments of listening to the rustle of the grass and the monotonous creak of the wagon, the old man spoke again.

"Girl, if ya wouldn't mind—and it's been really botherin' me a lot since ages ago—but could I ask ya something 'bit personal?"

Chell almost nodded in reply, but realized that the old man wasn't looking in her direction anymore. Hoping her voice was loud enough, she replied.

"You may."

"Then..." He glanced at her through the brim of his hat. "Are ya... perhaps a witch?"

Chell almost jolted. She blinked the slight expression of surprise away from her face, not expecting his sudden and straightforward question. Witchfolk, after all, were rare to come across and often scorned by most people. Even after the peace treaty was signed, the fear and wariness continued to be rooted at the hearts of people. The mere fact that they were heading for a place where the word seemed like a curse made Chell have the belief that people avoided this topic as much as they could. Apparently, she was wrong.

For a slight moment, she felt a sense of dread. Perhaps there was a dark scheme hidden underneath this old man's kindly facade. Maybe he would offer her to the witch hunters in exchange for gold, or rob her once they reached the kingdom. The more Chell thought of such scenarios, however, the more she began to doubt them. 

There was simply no way, she decided, that this old man was capable of doing something that vile. She still owed him a lot as well. After all, he had been the one who offered a free ride when he heard that she was also heading for Udlard. If he hadn't, Chell would have still been walking the side of the dirt road miles behind them, a long way from her current location.

After a second of contemplation, she decided to answer truthfully. Hesitantly, Chell murmured her answer and braced herself for his reaction.

"... Yes. I am."

Much to her surprise, however, the old man smiled widely instead.

"Ahhh, amazin' people, ya folk are, ya know? My mum was also a witch, though she lived in secret and didn't 'ave a Title. Wasn't my real mum, bu' I'd have been dead if she did'n pick me up in tha' alley. I still remember the days when she used to show me magic— Ah, I'm prattling on, sorry. Bu' the important thing, though, is that ya need to keep ya'r identity an absolute secret, a'right? Ul'rd ain't welcoming to ya'r people. You could die."

The last words he mentioned sent a deep chill down her spine. She was aware of the consequences of visiting this place, but there was a reason why she needed to go despite this. A reason... that even she herself wasn't that sure of.

She made a firm nod. "Thank you... I will."

"That's good!"

They continued on their way in comfortable silence, slowly getting closer to the gates. Narrowing her eyes, she could see a line of carts and outsiders waiting to be let in at the inspection point. Once they were close enough, the old man obediently lined up his own wagon behind another one. He seemed to have lost all interest in talking. 

A couple of minutes passed. He suddenly started whistling a tune that Chell found somehow familiar.

"... 'Bones of the Sky'?" she asked quietly after a moment, referring to the song's title.

The old man stopped his whistling, looking at her with a surprised wrinkled face. "Eh? Ya know that song? Kinda shocked. It's a real old one that my mum taught me before, years 'an years ago. Glad to see that that song's still alive to youngsters like ya!"

Unsure of how to reply, Chell simply nodded. The old man smiled again. Then, he continued to whistle in earnest, the melody rolling off his tongue. Chell stayed quiet, listening to the nostalgic tune as they waited.

When it was finally their turn, three sentries approached them, armor-clad and spears tips glinting. Though they seemed impressively armed, all had strained expressions on their sweaty faces. Chell imagined how exhausting it must have been to wear such heavy garments under the scorching sun. The middle one, however, looked impressively stoic and ordered Chell and the old man to get off the wagon. Both of them obliged and the other two sentries proceeded to check the wagon. As he examined both of them for anything suspicious, Chell noticed his gaze remained longer on her. She felt that same unsettling dread rise up.

"Show me your paperwork," he commanded. The old man took out a fold of cracked paper from his pocket and showed it to him. Chell did the same, reaching into her satchel slung across her shoulders and handing it over to him. She noticed the guard raise an eyebrow the moment he saw Chell's tightly bandaged hands, but didn't press on as he took the papers from her grasp. 

After a quiet moment of inspection, he nodded to both of them. He gave a wary look at Chell, as if he somehow had an inkling of what she was but didn't bother warning her of the danger. Surely, she knew that.

"Clear to enter."

Chell gratefully took the important paperwork as he gave it back to her. The old man thanked the sentry and mounted back on the wagon. Chell followed him silently, taking the seat by his side this time.

 "That went well didn' it?" the old man gave another grin as he ushered his horses through the gates.

Chell turned to him, relieved that she had crossed inside with no problem. However, this was only the beginning. Once she stepped inside, danger lurked in every corner. There were no familiar companions to guide her this time, no whispers to give advice. She was on her own.

Acknowledging this truth, Chell silently nodded back.

    ---> thank you for reading!