The three suns began to set over Kalidorra Town, sinking slowly beneath the distant hills. The sky shifted from warm orange to a deeper, enchanted twilight, shimmering with the faint glow of drifting Might particles. As expected, the day-races retreated into their homes, while the night-folk, nocturnal beings of every shape and nature, started emerging one by one.
Among them were Kael and his friends.
"Alright, it's finally night. Can we go now?" Kael asked impatiently, tapping his foot.
"Of course," Liraen replied with her usual refined elven poise. "But even if it is night… the NoctaMarket only opens when all fifteen moons can be seen with the naked eye, Kael."
"Lucky for us, this is the month where the fifteen moons are guaranteed to appear," he added, folding his arms gracefully.
Kael tilted his head up, scanning the sky. Each moon glowed with its own hue—
red, yellow, pink, blue, green, and many more.
"...Twelve… thirteen… fourteen… and… fifteen."
Kael nodded. "You're right, Ren. Now that all the moons are out, the market's open, right?"
A gruff snort burst from behind him.
"Not that easy, human."
Nibsken glared up with his jagged goblin grin. "Market's still far from here, y'know."
"And," Liraen added, "the path to it is extremely dark. You can only see by following the fireflies."
"Dark?" Kael smirked. "Don't worry, guys, technology is here to make things easier."
He unwrapped the bandage from his right hand, checking the half-healed wound. Then he pulled something from his toolbox: a metal handle with a bulb attached.
Reyvik's wolf ears twitched.
"Ehh… Kael… wh-what's that?" he asked, muzzle scrunched in confusion.
"This?" Kael lifted it proudly. "This is called a torchlight."
They all stared at him blankly, especially Nibsken, who blinked rapidly, and Nylum, whose watery body rippled like someone had tossed a pebble into it.
Kael sighed.
"You guys really didn't notice what was all around my house?"
Liraen glanced around and finally noticed the light Bulb flickering around Kael's house.
"Wait… isn't that the same as this part?"
he pointed at the bulb in Kael's hand.
"Exactly." Kael smirked, then pressed the button.
Click!
The torchlight flickered to life.
"Awoooo!!"
All his friends and especially Reyvik, howled excitedly.
"That's cool, human!" Nibsken clapped with his jagged grin.
"Hah! It's like you controlling the light!" Grak'Mar rumbled in his deep, brutal voice.
"Amazing… it's really a light in his hand…" Liraen murmured, stunned. "It's like this human is controlling light… without using Might…"
Kael grinned. "Here, take one, Ren!"
He handed a torchlight to her.
"Wait… I can use this?" Liraen asked uncertainly.
"Yeah, why not? I've got three more."
Liraen held the torchlight, stared at it for a few seconds, and finally switched it on.
"Whoa… I can't feel any of my Might energy draining from this…"
"Hahaha! Of course not, Ren. This torchlight uses a battery. No need to worry about losing your energy."
Kael laughed, handing the bigger torchlight to Grak'Mar.
Liraen nodded and began shining the light around his surroundings.
Grak'Mar did the same.
"Ha! What a fascinating invention!" he praised.
"Where's mine, human?!" Nibsken bounced.
"I want that light thing too!"
"Yeah, goblin, but you need to share with Nylum and Reyv," Kael reminded him.
"Alright, alright, whatever. It's not like forest dog needs it…"
"Huh?" Kael blinked and turned to Reyvik. "You don't need it, Reyv?
How are you going to see in this dark night?"
"Awooo! Kael… I have my own invention in this body."
Reyvik's amber eyes glinted in the moonlight. "I'm a wolf, Kael… I can see perfectly in the dark."
He gave a confident grin.
Kael nodded, realizing there was perhaps a better inventor than him.
With that, all the torchlights were ready, and gold was already tucked safely in Kael's bag.
Time to buy some explosive ingredients…
They left the front of the house and headed left, taking the path opposite from Kalidorra Forgehold.
Kael told them not to switch on the torchlights yet to save the batteries, the streets were still illuminated by the flame-crystal Might streetlights.
"So… you know the way there, Ren?" Kael asked.
"Yup! I know the way. My moon-elf friend is actually one of the sellers there," Liraen replied gracefully.
"Oh, that's good then!" Kael said, relieved.
"How do you even know about this night market if you haven't been there, human?" Nibsken piped up, bouncing on his feet.
"Hmm… if I'm not mistaken, the boss told me," Kael explained. "I asked him where he got the crystal bracelet, and he said it was from the NoctaMarket."
Nibsken nodded eagerly.
They continued their walk. The night vibe in Kalidorra was very different,
not as busy as morning, yet not empty either.
Night-races usually only spoke with their own kind or a few close friends from other races.
They were quieter, more reserved, more solitary than the day races.
The Lich, Vampire, and undead from the Elemarit line tended to stay in their own territories, often traveling alone. But they were never hostile; in fact, if one of them became a Realm Protector, they became even more protective of the zones they guarded.
They were like the quiet but caring kids in class, silent, but always watching.
However, not all night-races were loners.
Some were extremely active after sunset, Moon Elves, Night Gremlins, and even a few Light Spirits and nocturnal Faundrakin darted along the rooftops.
Kael and his friends kept walking.
The white brick path slowly shifted into a cracked black-brick street, and the flame-crystal streetlights began to fade, their glow weakening with every step.
"Okay, guys… you can use the torchlights now," Kael instructed.
Liraen, Grak'Mar, and Nibsken shared the lights and switched them on.
Instantly, the cracked black bricks lit up beneath their feet.
As expected, there were countless fireflies drifting around them, each glowing a different color. Thick trees and overgrown bushes lined both sides of the path, and here and there stood abandoned, half-destroyed brick houses… sometimes even large mansions, left empty and forgotten.
Kael stared at one of the massive, broken estates.
"What's with all those huge mansions, Ren?" he asked curiously.
"That? If I'm not mistaken, that's where the night-races live," Liraen replied.
Kael nodded.
As they walked deeper, the air around them grew colder and heavier.
A thin mist began to creep in, swirling around their legs.
Kael didn't mind the chill, this was simply how nights felt in Kalidorra.
But the path seemed too isolated… too silent… yet it felt like many beings were surrounding them.
And then Kael realized that the feeling was real.
He couldn't see them clearly at first, but as the torchlight flickered through the mist, he spotted numerous semi-transparent figures drifting, walking, and even flying around them.
Night spirits.
They didn't seem disturbed by the torchlight, but Kael could tell they were watching.
Grak'Mar, the largest among the group, suddenly found himself surrounded by several spirits. They circled him once before drifting away. Spirits couldn't speak, and their bodies passed through anything they touched.
Grak'Mar didn't even flinch. He knew spirits couldn't harm anyone.
Nibsken, Nylum, and Reyvik all burst out laughing at the sight.
As they went deeper, more night-races began to appear, this time tangible ones.
Night Gremlins chattered and cackled nearby.
Nocturnal Faundrakin moved in packs.
Owls FaunDrakin perched on branches, foxes Race slinked between bushes, bats humanoid fluttered overhead, and a few elementals, slimes, golems wandered slowly in the same direction.
Some narrowed their eyes at the torchlight, and others scurried away from it.
But because of the trust and tolerance built over hundreds of years with the day races…
They simply let Kael's group pass without trouble.
As they continued walking, the cracked brick path gradually changed, becoming more arranged, smoother, and surprisingly well-kept.
"Hm… we're close, Kael," Liraen said.
"Oh, that's good—"
Suddenly Kael's torchlight flickered and malfunctioned.
"Ehh? Why now…?" Kael frowned, lifting the torchlight and shaking it. He stepped a little away from his friends, focused entirely on the device.
He smacked it a few times.
Click—flash.
"Ha! That's how you deal with techn—"
THUD!
Kael slammed straight into something hard and tall, falling backward onto the ground.
"Huh…?"
The figure he stumbled into slowly turned around to face him.
Before Kael could react, a hand clamped around his head, firm, merciless, and unbudging. Kael froze and looked up.
Staring down at him were a pair of furious, irritated, female eyes.
She was towering—
wearing jagged black crystallized armor, with heavy chains wrapped around her torso like trophies.
Her voice came out low, brutal, and sharp:
"Watch where ya walk, ya weird little dwarf—
or ya got a problem with me, huh?!"
Kael's voice cracked immediately.
"N-no, no, no! I don't have any problem, ma'am! I just… stumbled into you—hehehe…"
He forced a nervous laugh as her grip tightened on his head
Meanwhile, Reyvik, Liraen, Nibsken, Nylum, and Grak'Mar were busy looking around for Kael.
"Kael! …Sigh… this human," Liraen muttered. "Where would he wander off to? We're so close, the path is getting more crowded."
"Ren! There he is!" Reyvik's ears twitched sharply.
He spotted Kael standing in front of something tall.
They rushed toward him, torchlights in hand.
"Kael! What are you doing here? We're almost—"
Liraen stopped mid-sentence.
A cold pressure washed over him as they approached.
It was coming from the towering figure in front of Kael.
The tall figure finally noticed the group.
"Oi! These are your friends?"
She grabbed Kael by the collar like he weighed nothing and hauled him toward them.
As she stepped into the moonlight, her features became clear—
A tall female Moon Elf, pale-skinned, short black hair, and shimmering silver eyes that looked like sharpened moons.
Kael's friends could only watch as she dragged him closer.
"Next time, watch where you walk," she snapped. "I don't got time to deal with lost children!"
"Alright, ma'am, I'm sorry!" Kael apologized quickly.
"It's not like I did it on purpose—"
"What did you say?"
Her eyebrow twitched, her irritation sharpening.
She raised her hand, clearly about to slap him.
"Enough, Ar'vel."
A voice cut through the tension—calm, steady, and filled with quiet wisdom.
"He had no intention of doing that in the first place, did he?"
"C–CC Yeill?!"
The tall moon-elf woman stiffened, immediately releasing Kael as if burned.
To be continued