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Description
The Empire had been shattered for over a decade. Many people across the five kingdoms suffered a lot of grief from the loss, and some still sustained that pain today. That's why Cerven considered himself one of the lucky ones. He was one of the few people who didn't remember what life was like before the empire fell. Then again, he didn't remember much of anything before waking up in an alleyway twelve years ago.
But either way, the loss of the empire didn't considerably affect Cerven Acciai. He'd lived the last decade in the suburbs of the kingdom of Majinchi. The suburbs were a decent place to live, with a variety of people. There were orcs, dwarves, and the occasional elf or two. But most of the citizens were halflings. It made perfect sense; Majinchi was founded by halflings after all. The most scarce of the populous were the humans, Cerven being one of them. It would typically be difficult for a human to find work in a city built for people half their size, but once again, Cerven was one of the lucky few who had a special connection.
On a Friday morning in the month of Piscenoch, Cerven arrived at work at Genn & Eric's Pizzeria, the family establishment. It was a quaint little pizzeria that sat on the corner of Basil Street and Baker Avenue. A cartoonish logo hung over the door, with an elf and dwarf smiling over their respective names. A bell jingled as Cerven walked inside. His nostrils were immediately greeted by the scent of baking dough and tomato sauce. Cerven had spent ten years in that pizzeria; nearly half of his entire life. It was the half he remembered and remembered fondly. A dwarf with an apron was standing behind the wooden counter, wiping it down with a wet rag.
“Hi, Dad." Cerven waved as he walked in.
The dwarf looked up and smiled. "Ahh. Good morning, my boy."
Most dwarves were stout and muscular, and Eric Acciai was no exception. His hair was greased back, while his beard was tied in braids. He trudged back and forth behind the counter, usually muttering to himself in dwarfish as he cleaned off his beloved countertop.
"It's good that you're here, lad," Eric said as he put his rag down. "We'll need all the help we can get to set up for the party."
"Got it, Dad," Cerven said as he walked away. "Let me just clock in, and I'll be right back."
When Cerven arrived at the back room of the pizzeria, he saw his mother Genn sitting at a table. The elf woman spoke to someone over the phone, her idle hand fidgeting with her pointed ear. She wore an apron over a thick blouse. Her face was young, but her gray hair betrayed her age. Cerven decided to sneak up on Genn while she chatted on the phone. But right as he was about to surprise her, Genn turned around and gave him a flat stare.
"Nice try." She said with a raised eyebrow.
"How'd you know?" Cerven asked, feigning amazement.
Genn tapped her ear. "I heard you walk in the front door, you goof."
Cerven couldn't keep himself from chuckling. He wrapped his arms around Genn's shoulders in a light hug. "Morning, Mom."
"Oh, get to work, Cerven." Genn waved a hand in the air, though Cerven could see her smile. He nodded yes and clocked in.
Anyone with half a brain could guess that Cerven was adopted. He'd been a member of the Acciai household for over a decade. It never bothered him that much; he was surrounded by all kinds of fantastical people for years. As for his actual parents? Well, Cerven didn't know anything about them. He'd tried to find out anything he could about their identities in the past. But after years and years of trying and failing, he eventually just gave up on that chapter of his life to focus on the here and now.
On any other day, Cerven would be helping to serve customers as they hustled and bustled in and out of the pizzeria. But on this particular Friday, the primary operations were put on hold so they could host a significant party for the Muirin household.
The Muirins, consisting of Milana Muirin and her two sons Enzo and Dardarax, had bonded with the Acciais when they moved to Majinchi. Milana was a human who married the famed halfling wizard, Dylan Muirin. Sadly, Mr. Muirin had died before Cerven got to meet him. Luckily Cerven had become good friends with Milana's quartling sons (quartling being the term for someone who was only part halfling). Both of them were just two years younger than him, so they made fast friends.
It had taken Cerven and his parents until noon to prepare the pizzeria for the party. Red and gold balloons floated about above every table. Streamers were strung up from wall to wall. Eric worked double-time to prepare plenty of pizza, while Genn ordered in a cake. And above the door, in bright, bold letters, were the words "CONGRATULATIONS, FUTURE WIZARD."
Cerven stared up at the sign as he helped Eric string it up. He voiced no outside opinions, but Cerven couldn't help but feel a bit of regret.
Sometime after the preparations were done, the guests started flooding in. Some were friends of the Acciais, while others were friends or family of the Muirins. It was a mixture of humans and halflings as they filled out the pizzeria and were abuzz with delight. At least a dozen children chatted and played excitedly as they waited for the party to begin really. Cerven was in charge of personally keeping the kiddies away from the table of presents that had been arranged for the guest of honor.

"Hey, keep your hands off," Cerven said to a four-year-old halfling child. Cerven had to take a yellow box tied with ribbon out of the kid's hands. "That's for your cousin."
The toddler just looked up at Cerven with doe-eyes. He reached for the present, but when Cerven put it back on the table, the toddler started crying.
"Oh, Geez." Cerven grimaced as he looked over at the toddler's mother. "Mrs. Robin, could I get some help here?"
"Sure, sure." The halfling lady came over and took her toddler by the hand. "Come along, Poppy."
Cerven sighed as he watched the sniffling toddler walk off with his mother. Cerven never claimed to be good at handling children. But as the youngest adult in the entire pizzeria, it inevitably fell on his shoulders to act as a babysitter. And children were always easily distracted, no matter what their race was.
Things finally took an exciting turn when the front bell jingled. Everyone looked at the front of the restaurant as the Muirins arrived. And all at once, everyone cried out "HAPPY GRADUATION, DARDARAX!"
Dardarax stepped into the pizzeria with a surprised expression. He had floppy yellow hair, just like his brother and mother. Dardarax was a few inches shorter than Cerven, but by contrast was noticeably chubbier. He wore blue scholarly robes and walked with a wooden staff studded with gems.
Dardarax came to a stop as all of the children came running to see him. He adjusted his spectacles and looked around at the bouncing kiddies while Enzo and Milana walked around him.
"Dardarax, Dardarax!" The children cheered.
"Hey, kids," Dardarax said sheepishly. He carefully stepped around them to approach the adults crowding around the pizzeria. Cerven took his chance to leave the present table behind and talk to Dardarax himself.
"Good to see you, Mr. Wizard," Cerven smirked. He offered a fist-bump to the scholar, who shrugged and gave one back.
"I'm not a wizard YET," Dardarax said. "I'm just moving from the penultimate year of studies to the final year."
"No need to sell yourself short." Cerven laughed.
With the Muirins in the pizzeria, the party finally got underway. Halflings always loved a good excuse to throw a great party. There was plenty of singing and dancing. Dardarax's relatives congratulated him for following in the footsteps of his father. Games were provided to keep the children from running amok. And most importantly, there was plenty of delicious foods and drinks to go around; some of the halfling mothers had brought halfling-style desserts. There was bread pudding, chocolate flapjacks, coffee cake, gooseberry tarts, mince pies... more than enough for everyone to leave with swollen bellies. Well, the humans would go like that, maybe; halflings were notoriously big eaters.
While Cerven was contemplating what to have for his dessert, he saw one of Dardarax's younger cousins run up and tug on the scholar's sleeve.
"Show us your magic, Dardy!" The toddler said sweetly. And a few of his siblings joined in with feverish joy.
"Uh, I don't know about that." Dardarax scratched behind his head. "Magic isn't something to be taken lightly."
"Pleeeease?" The toddlers asked sweetly.
Dardarax shook his head and put his plate on the side. "Alright, I'll perform one little trick..."
The toddlers eagerly sat down while Dardarax stood up from the table. The scholar quickly clasped his hands together, creating a tiny spark of blue light. He rubbed his chubby fingers around each other like he was forming something into a ball. When he lifted one hand, he revealed a swirling orb of water in the palm of the other side. Dardarax tossed the watery sphere onto his index finger, where he spun it around for a bit. The scholar effortlessly moved the orb from finger to finger, making the toddlers giggle with joy. For a finale, Dardarax tossed the ball high into the air, where it promptly exploded into a cloud of snow. The toddlers cheered as the cloud broke apart into snowflakes and quickly melted away.
"You're the best, Dardy!" The first toddler exclaimed before hugging Dardarax's leg.
Dardarax smiled as he patted his cousin on the head. "Thanks, Ricky."
Though Cerven didn't bring it up, he'd enjoyed the show as well. Of all of the things that were mundane about living in Majinchi, nothing came close to the spectacle of magic. The ability to assert one's will onto the laws of the world and bend them to their desires. It was something Cerven secretly wished he had the talent for. It was supposed to be something that came naturally to just about everyone, even if they weren't very good at it. And yet Cerven couldn't manage so much as a spark. Well, at least his friends and family didn't harp on his magical deficiency.
As the day passed in the afternoon, the party finally died down. The Muirins' friends and family gradually said their goodbyes and left the pizzeria. Cerven got to work helping his parents clean up shop. The Muirins were nice enough to pitch in to help, making the work go by faster. It also gave Genn and Eric some time to talk with Milana without the distractions of everyone else. Enzo sat down with his mother during their chat, while Dardarax sat beside Cerven at the other end of the pizzeria.
"Congrats once again, man," Cerven said as he gave the scholar another fist-bump. "Good luck with your training."
"Thanks, Cerven." Dardarax turned his eyes to a wall-clock. It was a quarter past three. "Is that the time?" He turned towards Eric. "Mr. Acciai, do you mind if I turn on the news?"
"Sure, go ahead." Eric picked up a long wooden stick and tossed it over to the scholar. Dardarax caught it and held it up. It was a magic wand, designed for activating the picture-box that sat in the far corner of the pizzeria above the patrons' heads. The picture-box was a black box made of metal. It was magically attuned to supernatural forces that mortal eyes couldn't see. With a bit of magic, images that took place in real time in other areas in the world could be shown on the picture-box on a smaller scale. But there usually wasn't anything exciting to watch. Cerven blamed that on a lack of quality control. Even so, it was still an impressive bit of magic and technology.
"Activate!" Dardarax exclaimed. Cerven moved to the other side of the table as the picture-box roared to life.
"So, what's so interesting about the news today?" Cerven asked.
"There's supposed to be a report about the delegations between Majinchi and Tajirid," Dardarax said. The two watched as flashing lights and music played on the box. A human man and halfling woman were sitting at a long desk before a mural of the city. Both wore fancy suits and had slicked-up hair, as is typical for any news show.
"It's the Midday Chronicles, with Sir Arden Fisc and Nissti Highbelly!" The announcer exclaimed.
The news anchors talked about the exploits of a Majinchi ambassador named Karae Terren. Over the last few weeks, Sir Terren had attempted to negotiate a truce between the kingdoms of Majinchi and Tajirid. These peaceful terms would allow both kingdoms to unite on The Sovereign Isle later in the year. There was also something about how Tajirid's ruler, King Durante, hadn't changed on his stance, but Cerven wasn't sure. Honestly, Cerven was never as invested in the news program as Dardarax was.
"I think I've heard about that ambassador guy," Cerven said with a shrug. "Something about fighting in a few wars back in the empire's heyday."
"Sir Terren hasn't gotten the dwarf king to relent at all." Dardarax sighed. "His next trip later this month could be his last chance."
"He's barking up the wrong tree if you ask me." Cerven shook his head. "Dwarves aren't known for giving in very easily. Just ask Dad."
"Oh, not that again..." Eric grunted. The dwarf had walked back to the oven while Cerven wasn't looking. Eric muttered to himself as he pulled a pizza out of the oven and transferred it into a box.
Dardarax sighed unhappily as he shut off the picture-box. He put his head in his hands and groaned. "Darn it all."
"Hey, relax man," Cerven said. "It's not that big of a deal, is it?"
Cerven grimaced when Dardarax gave him a funny look. But before the scholar could say anything in response, the newscasters continued, drawing Dardarax's attention.
The news went on to describe the recent sightings of a figure called the Scarlet Bandit. The character had been seen several times throughout the first quarter of the year, always lurking in rural areas. The news anchors went on to speculate that the bandit may have ties to the rise in criminal activity during the said quarter. The news cut to commercials just after asking the viewers to contact the local Riders of Majinchi if they have any info on the bandit.
Dardarax turned off the picture-box and sat back. "Well, that was about as interesting as it could've been."
"It's the news," Cerven said. "What did you expect, a riot to break out in the office?"
"No, but it would've been nice to get some GOOD news for a change." Dardarax shrugged. "I'm getting tired of hearing about the doom and gloom all the time."
"Then why bother watching the news at all?" Cerven asked.
"I don't know. I guess I'm hoping for a change..." Dardarax picked up his staff and stretched out his arm. "Say, that reminds me: are you going to show up at the service this Sunday?"
"Eh, I suppose I could muster up the will to drive out there," Cerven said.
"Well, that's good," Dardarax replied. "This upcoming service is pretty important. Mom's been hounding after Enzo to cancel his appointment all week to make it."
"I get the picture, dude." Cerven waved his hands in the air. "Big important temple-get-together. Be there on time. I'll be sure to remember as I'm driving back home. But before I do..." Cerven pulled out his wallet and turned towards Eric." Hey Dad, I'll take a few pizza slices for the road."
"Alright, coming up," Eric said before standing up from his table. He went behind the counter to get a personal-sized box from the shelves. Cerven placed a few orichalcum coins on the counter. Orichalcum was the most common metal for the currency of the kingdoms.
Cerven paid for the pizza and picked up the box. "Thanks, Dad. I'm going to head home now. I'll see you on Sunday."
"You're welcome, lad." Eric nodded. "Drive safely, alright?"
"Got it." Cerven nodded. He turned and waved to everyone in the pizzeria. "Bye, everyone. See you this weekend!"
~~...~~
After an uneventful car ride, Cerven parked at his apartment building. He wiped off a bit of water from the center headlight and walked inside.
"Thank the forefathers; it's Friday!" Cerven exclaimed as he entered his apartment. He set the pizza box on the coffee table and tossed his hat to the side. He then went to his room to change into a t-shirt and shorts.
Cerven's apartment wasn't the biggest or most extravagant. He lived on the tenth floor of 6011 93rd street. He had few material possessions; mostly just books kept on a single shelf in the corner of the living room. But for the most part, Cerven was satisfied with what little currency he had.
Cerven returned to the living room and approached the bookshelf. After scanning the almost barren book selection, he settled on a green-tinted book. It was one of his personal favorites. He ran his hand delicately across the cover as he sat on his couch and propped his feet on the coffee table.
Cerven carefully ate his pizza with one hand, while holding the book up with the other one. He paid no attention to the time as he read the stories within. Cerven didn't have much in the way of personal property for entertainment. He couldn't afford a picture-box, nor did he want one. There weren't many decent wavelengths other than the news. Most of his money went towards keeping his car in top condition. All he had... all he needed... were his books.
Eventually, Cerven glanced at his watch: 9pm. He stood up to put the remaining pizza in the fridge. After washing his hands, Cerven walked up to his living room window and stared out at the skyline. The landscape glowed with many lights, illuminating Majinchi as far as the eye could see. Conversely, the night sky was devoid of any stars, something all citizens of the kingdom were used to. The dark silhouettes of dragons flying in front of buildings were visible far in the distance, flying towards the center of Majinchi. After staring at the skyline for a few minutes, Cerven sighed and stepped back. "I should call it a night."
Cerven returned to the couch and stretched out on it. He tried to go to sleep, only to find himself staring at the ceiling.
Get up. Eat. Go to work. Eat. Go home. Eat. Go to sleep. Cerven felt something in his chest. How long had this been his daily routine? The weekend was the only time where he broke up his monotony, and even then it wasn't by much. He didn't have the money to afford significant changes to his life. And he wasn't about to mooch off of Genn and Eric.
I should consider myself lucky, I guess. I have a stable job and a decent home... Cerven frowned. I shouldn't be dreaming of anything ridiculous or childish. He shifted to look at his green book. And yet...
Eventually, Cerven finally slipped out of conscious thought and into slumber. He saw neither the dragon nor rider peeking through his window to watch him.
~~...~~
Ah, Majinchi, the kingdom of the halflings. Three-hundred square miles of beautiful rural architecture. Majinchi is the southernmost island in all the empire and the most prominent hotspot for tourists of all kinds. You haven't lived until you've been to Wonderburst beach, or enjoyed the various pastries provided by halfling bakeries. Certainly beats eating nothing but fancy bread in Malkias. A long-standing topic of debate is whether Majinchi's 13 districts are segregated to keep humans and halflings away from the other species of the empire. While no such policies are genuinely in effect (to my knowledge), it's hard to prove otherwise when halfling nobles all flock to the center of the kingdom just to rub noses with their king. Just something to keep in mind if you feel like moving out there.
-John S. Mojagson.

Description
The Empire had been shattered for over a decade. Many people across the five kingdoms suffered a lot of grief from the loss, and some still sustained that pain today. That's why Cerven considered himself one of the lucky ones. He was one of the few people who didn't remember what life was like before the empire fell. Then again, he didn't remember much of anything before waking up in an alleyway twelve years ago.
But either way, the loss of the empire didn't considerably affect Cerven Acciai. He'd lived the last decade in the suburbs of the kingdom of Majinchi. The suburbs were a decent place to live, with a variety of people. There were orcs, dwarves, and the occasional elf or two. But most of the citizens were halflings. It made perfect sense; Majinchi was founded by halflings after all. The most scarce of the populous were the humans, Cerven being one of them. It would typically be difficult for a human to find work in a city built for people half their size, but once again, Cerven was one of the lucky few who had a special connection.
On a Friday morning in the month of Piscenoch, Cerven arrived at work at Genn & Eric's Pizzeria, the family establishment. It was a quaint little pizzeria that sat on the corner of Basil Street and Baker Avenue. A cartoonish logo hung over the door, with an elf and dwarf smiling over their respective names. A bell jingled as Cerven walked inside. His nostrils were immediately greeted by the scent of baking dough and tomato sauce. Cerven had spent ten years in that pizzeria; nearly half of his entire life. It was the half he remembered and remembered fondly. A dwarf with an apron was standing behind the wooden counter, wiping it down with a wet rag.
“Hi, Dad." Cerven waved as he walked in.
The dwarf looked up and smiled. "Ahh. Good morning, my boy."
Most dwarves were stout and muscular, and Eric Acciai was no exception. His hair was greased back, while his beard was tied in braids. He trudged back and forth behind the counter, usually muttering to himself in dwarfish as he cleaned off his beloved countertop.
"It's good that you're here, lad," Eric said as he put his rag down. "We'll need all the help we can get to set up for the party."
"Got it, Dad," Cerven said as he walked away. "Let me just clock in, and I'll be right back."
When Cerven arrived at the back room of the pizzeria, he saw his mother Genn sitting at a table. The elf woman spoke to someone over the phone, her idle hand fidgeting with her pointed ear. She wore an apron over a thick blouse. Her face was young, but her gray hair betrayed her age. Cerven decided to sneak up on Genn while she chatted on the phone. But right as he was about to surprise her, Genn turned around and gave him a flat stare.
"Nice try." She said with a raised eyebrow.
"How'd you know?" Cerven asked, feigning amazement.
Genn tapped her ear. "I heard you walk in the front door, you goof."
Cerven couldn't keep himself from chuckling. He wrapped his arms around Genn's shoulders in a light hug. "Morning, Mom."
"Oh, get to work, Cerven." Genn waved a hand in the air, though Cerven could see her smile. He nodded yes and clocked in.
Anyone with half a brain could guess that Cerven was adopted. He'd been a member of the Acciai household for over a decade. It never bothered him that much; he was surrounded by all kinds of fantastical people for years. As for his actual parents? Well, Cerven didn't know anything about them. He'd tried to find out anything he could about their identities in the past. But after years and years of trying and failing, he eventually just gave up on that chapter of his life to focus on the here and now.
On any other day, Cerven would be helping to serve customers as they hustled and bustled in and out of the pizzeria. But on this particular Friday, the primary operations were put on hold so they could host a significant party for the Muirin household.
The Muirins, consisting of Milana Muirin and her two sons Enzo and Dardarax, had bonded with the Acciais when they moved to Majinchi. Milana was a human who married the famed halfling wizard, Dylan Muirin. Sadly, Mr. Muirin had died before Cerven got to meet him. Luckily Cerven had become good friends with Milana's quartling sons (quartling being the term for someone who was only part halfling). Both of them were just two years younger than him, so they made fast friends.
It had taken Cerven and his parents until noon to prepare the pizzeria for the party. Red and gold balloons floated about above every table. Streamers were strung up from wall to wall. Eric worked double-time to prepare plenty of pizza, while Genn ordered in a cake. And above the door, in bright, bold letters, were the words "CONGRATULATIONS, FUTURE WIZARD."
Cerven stared up at the sign as he helped Eric string it up. He voiced no outside opinions, but Cerven couldn't help but feel a bit of regret.
Sometime after the preparations were done, the guests started flooding in. Some were friends of the Acciais, while others were friends or family of the Muirins. It was a mixture of humans and halflings as they filled out the pizzeria and were abuzz with delight. At least a dozen children chatted and played excitedly as they waited for the party to begin really. Cerven was in charge of personally keeping the kiddies away from the table of presents that had been arranged for the guest of honor.

"Hey, keep your hands off," Cerven said to a four-year-old halfling child. Cerven had to take a yellow box tied with ribbon out of the kid's hands. "That's for your cousin."
The toddler just looked up at Cerven with doe-eyes. He reached for the present, but when Cerven put it back on the table, the toddler started crying.
"Oh, Geez." Cerven grimaced as he looked over at the toddler's mother. "Mrs. Robin, could I get some help here?"
"Sure, sure." The halfling lady came over and took her toddler by the hand. "Come along, Poppy."
Cerven sighed as he watched the sniffling toddler walk off with his mother. Cerven never claimed to be good at handling children. But as the youngest adult in the entire pizzeria, it inevitably fell on his shoulders to act as a babysitter. And children were always easily distracted, no matter what their race was.
Things finally took an exciting turn when the front bell jingled. Everyone looked at the front of the restaurant as the Muirins arrived. And all at once, everyone cried out "HAPPY GRADUATION, DARDARAX!"
Dardarax stepped into the pizzeria with a surprised expression. He had floppy yellow hair, just like his brother and mother. Dardarax was a few inches shorter than Cerven, but by contrast was noticeably chubbier. He wore blue scholarly robes and walked with a wooden staff studded with gems.
Dardarax came to a stop as all of the children came running to see him. He adjusted his spectacles and looked around at the bouncing kiddies while Enzo and Milana walked around him.
"Dardarax, Dardarax!" The children cheered.
"Hey, kids," Dardarax said sheepishly. He carefully stepped around them to approach the adults crowding around the pizzeria. Cerven took his chance to leave the present table behind and talk to Dardarax himself.
"Good to see you, Mr. Wizard," Cerven smirked. He offered a fist-bump to the scholar, who shrugged and gave one back.
"I'm not a wizard YET," Dardarax said. "I'm just moving from the penultimate year of studies to the final year."
"No need to sell yourself short." Cerven laughed.
With the Muirins in the pizzeria, the party finally got underway. Halflings always loved a good excuse to throw a great party. There was plenty of singing and dancing. Dardarax's relatives congratulated him for following in the footsteps of his father. Games were provided to keep the children from running amok. And most importantly, there was plenty of delicious foods and drinks to go around; some of the halfling mothers had brought halfling-style desserts. There was bread pudding, chocolate flapjacks, coffee cake, gooseberry tarts, mince pies... more than enough for everyone to leave with swollen bellies. Well, the humans would go like that, maybe; halflings were notoriously big eaters.
While Cerven was contemplating what to have for his dessert, he saw one of Dardarax's younger cousins run up and tug on the scholar's sleeve.
"Show us your magic, Dardy!" The toddler said sweetly. And a few of his siblings joined in with feverish joy.
"Uh, I don't know about that." Dardarax scratched behind his head. "Magic isn't something to be taken lightly."
"Pleeeease?" The toddlers asked sweetly.
Dardarax shook his head and put his plate on the side. "Alright, I'll perform one little trick..."
The toddlers eagerly sat down while Dardarax stood up from the table. The scholar quickly clasped his hands together, creating a tiny spark of blue light. He rubbed his chubby fingers around each other like he was forming something into a ball. When he lifted one hand, he revealed a swirling orb of water in the palm of the other side. Dardarax tossed the watery sphere onto his index finger, where he spun it around for a bit. The scholar effortlessly moved the orb from finger to finger, making the toddlers giggle with joy. For a finale, Dardarax tossed the ball high into the air, where it promptly exploded into a cloud of snow. The toddlers cheered as the cloud broke apart into snowflakes and quickly melted away.
"You're the best, Dardy!" The first toddler exclaimed before hugging Dardarax's leg.
Dardarax smiled as he patted his cousin on the head. "Thanks, Ricky."
Though Cerven didn't bring it up, he'd enjoyed the show as well. Of all of the things that were mundane about living in Majinchi, nothing came close to the spectacle of magic. The ability to assert one's will onto the laws of the world and bend them to their desires. It was something Cerven secretly wished he had the talent for. It was supposed to be something that came naturally to just about everyone, even if they weren't very good at it. And yet Cerven couldn't manage so much as a spark. Well, at least his friends and family didn't harp on his magical deficiency.
As the day passed in the afternoon, the party finally died down. The Muirins' friends and family gradually said their goodbyes and left the pizzeria. Cerven got to work helping his parents clean up shop. The Muirins were nice enough to pitch in to help, making the work go by faster. It also gave Genn and Eric some time to talk with Milana without the distractions of everyone else. Enzo sat down with his mother during their chat, while Dardarax sat beside Cerven at the other end of the pizzeria.
"Congrats once again, man," Cerven said as he gave the scholar another fist-bump. "Good luck with your training."
"Thanks, Cerven." Dardarax turned his eyes to a wall-clock. It was a quarter past three. "Is that the time?" He turned towards Eric. "Mr. Acciai, do you mind if I turn on the news?"
"Sure, go ahead." Eric picked up a long wooden stick and tossed it over to the scholar. Dardarax caught it and held it up. It was a magic wand, designed for activating the picture-box that sat in the far corner of the pizzeria above the patrons' heads. The picture-box was a black box made of metal. It was magically attuned to supernatural forces that mortal eyes couldn't see. With a bit of magic, images that took place in real time in other areas in the world could be shown on the picture-box on a smaller scale. But there usually wasn't anything exciting to watch. Cerven blamed that on a lack of quality control. Even so, it was still an impressive bit of magic and technology.
"Activate!" Dardarax exclaimed. Cerven moved to the other side of the table as the picture-box roared to life.
"So, what's so interesting about the news today?" Cerven asked.
"There's supposed to be a report about the delegations between Majinchi and Tajirid," Dardarax said. The two watched as flashing lights and music played on the box. A human man and halfling woman were sitting at a long desk before a mural of the city. Both wore fancy suits and had slicked-up hair, as is typical for any news show.
"It's the Midday Chronicles, with Sir Arden Fisc and Nissti Highbelly!" The announcer exclaimed.
The news anchors talked about the exploits of a Majinchi ambassador named Karae Terren. Over the last few weeks, Sir Terren had attempted to negotiate a truce between the kingdoms of Majinchi and Tajirid. These peaceful terms would allow both kingdoms to unite on The Sovereign Isle later in the year. There was also something about how Tajirid's ruler, King Durante, hadn't changed on his stance, but Cerven wasn't sure. Honestly, Cerven was never as invested in the news program as Dardarax was.
"I think I've heard about that ambassador guy," Cerven said with a shrug. "Something about fighting in a few wars back in the empire's heyday."
"Sir Terren hasn't gotten the dwarf king to relent at all." Dardarax sighed. "His next trip later this month could be his last chance."
"He's barking up the wrong tree if you ask me." Cerven shook his head. "Dwarves aren't known for giving in very easily. Just ask Dad."
"Oh, not that again..." Eric grunted. The dwarf had walked back to the oven while Cerven wasn't looking. Eric muttered to himself as he pulled a pizza out of the oven and transferred it into a box.
Dardarax sighed unhappily as he shut off the picture-box. He put his head in his hands and groaned. "Darn it all."
"Hey, relax man," Cerven said. "It's not that big of a deal, is it?"
Cerven grimaced when Dardarax gave him a funny look. But before the scholar could say anything in response, the newscasters continued, drawing Dardarax's attention.
The news went on to describe the recent sightings of a figure called the Scarlet Bandit. The character had been seen several times throughout the first quarter of the year, always lurking in rural areas. The news anchors went on to speculate that the bandit may have ties to the rise in criminal activity during the said quarter. The news cut to commercials just after asking the viewers to contact the local Riders of Majinchi if they have any info on the bandit.
Dardarax turned off the picture-box and sat back. "Well, that was about as interesting as it could've been."
"It's the news," Cerven said. "What did you expect, a riot to break out in the office?"
"No, but it would've been nice to get some GOOD news for a change." Dardarax shrugged. "I'm getting tired of hearing about the doom and gloom all the time."
"Then why bother watching the news at all?" Cerven asked.
"I don't know. I guess I'm hoping for a change..." Dardarax picked up his staff and stretched out his arm. "Say, that reminds me: are you going to show up at the service this Sunday?"
"Eh, I suppose I could muster up the will to drive out there," Cerven said.
"Well, that's good," Dardarax replied. "This upcoming service is pretty important. Mom's been hounding after Enzo to cancel his appointment all week to make it."
"I get the picture, dude." Cerven waved his hands in the air. "Big important temple-get-together. Be there on time. I'll be sure to remember as I'm driving back home. But before I do..." Cerven pulled out his wallet and turned towards Eric." Hey Dad, I'll take a few pizza slices for the road."
"Alright, coming up," Eric said before standing up from his table. He went behind the counter to get a personal-sized box from the shelves. Cerven placed a few orichalcum coins on the counter. Orichalcum was the most common metal for the currency of the kingdoms.
Cerven paid for the pizza and picked up the box. "Thanks, Dad. I'm going to head home now. I'll see you on Sunday."
"You're welcome, lad." Eric nodded. "Drive safely, alright?"
"Got it." Cerven nodded. He turned and waved to everyone in the pizzeria. "Bye, everyone. See you this weekend!"
~~...~~
After an uneventful car ride, Cerven parked at his apartment building. He wiped off a bit of water from the center headlight and walked inside.
"Thank the forefathers; it's Friday!" Cerven exclaimed as he entered his apartment. He set the pizza box on the coffee table and tossed his hat to the side. He then went to his room to change into a t-shirt and shorts.
Cerven's apartment wasn't the biggest or most extravagant. He lived on the tenth floor of 6011 93rd street. He had few material possessions; mostly just books kept on a single shelf in the corner of the living room. But for the most part, Cerven was satisfied with what little currency he had.
Cerven returned to the living room and approached the bookshelf. After scanning the almost barren book selection, he settled on a green-tinted book. It was one of his personal favorites. He ran his hand delicately across the cover as he sat on his couch and propped his feet on the coffee table.
Cerven carefully ate his pizza with one hand, while holding the book up with the other one. He paid no attention to the time as he read the stories within. Cerven didn't have much in the way of personal property for entertainment. He couldn't afford a picture-box, nor did he want one. There weren't many decent wavelengths other than the news. Most of his money went towards keeping his car in top condition. All he had... all he needed... were his books.
Eventually, Cerven glanced at his watch: 9pm. He stood up to put the remaining pizza in the fridge. After washing his hands, Cerven walked up to his living room window and stared out at the skyline. The landscape glowed with many lights, illuminating Majinchi as far as the eye could see. Conversely, the night sky was devoid of any stars, something all citizens of the kingdom were used to. The dark silhouettes of dragons flying in front of buildings were visible far in the distance, flying towards the center of Majinchi. After staring at the skyline for a few minutes, Cerven sighed and stepped back. "I should call it a night."
Cerven returned to the couch and stretched out on it. He tried to go to sleep, only to find himself staring at the ceiling.
Get up. Eat. Go to work. Eat. Go home. Eat. Go to sleep. Cerven felt something in his chest. How long had this been his daily routine? The weekend was the only time where he broke up his monotony, and even then it wasn't by much. He didn't have the money to afford significant changes to his life. And he wasn't about to mooch off of Genn and Eric.
I should consider myself lucky, I guess. I have a stable job and a decent home... Cerven frowned. I shouldn't be dreaming of anything ridiculous or childish. He shifted to look at his green book. And yet...
Eventually, Cerven finally slipped out of conscious thought and into slumber. He saw neither the dragon nor rider peeking through his window to watch him.
~~...~~
Ah, Majinchi, the kingdom of the halflings. Three-hundred square miles of beautiful rural architecture. Majinchi is the southernmost island in all the empire and the most prominent hotspot for tourists of all kinds. You haven't lived until you've been to Wonderburst beach, or enjoyed the various pastries provided by halfling bakeries. Certainly beats eating nothing but fancy bread in Malkias. A long-standing topic of debate is whether Majinchi's 13 districts are segregated to keep humans and halflings away from the other species of the empire. While no such policies are genuinely in effect (to my knowledge), it's hard to prove otherwise when halfling nobles all flock to the center of the kingdom just to rub noses with their king. Just something to keep in mind if you feel like moving out there.
-John S. Mojagson.