Chapter 104: Do you know this place?

There was something different about Veyra after dark. During the day, the city’s oddities could be mistaken for mere architectural quirks.

A floating house, a street that seemed to change direction, or a fountain whose water rose toward the sky might seem strange, but as long as people were walking, merchants were shouting, and children were running through the streets, it all felt less unsettling.

Now, with most of the windows closed and the streets nearly empty, those same things seemed to belong to a completely different place.

Noir shook his head slightly. His Draconic Senses were constantly at work.

He could hear Arlene’s footsteps behind him, the little princess shuffling along, and Uki’s calm breathing. He could also make out sounds much farther away: a door slamming several blocks away, a window rattling against its frame, and something like a murmur drifting over the rooftops.

But he couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. He had already parted ways with a strange older man who claimed to know him but never said a word, so at least he had served as a sort of guide... a rather unique one.

Noir looked up.

The golden sphere floated above him, spinning slowly.

"Can you hear it, too?" he asked in a low voice.

The sphere didn’t answer as usual. It simply emitted a tiny golden particle that spun around him before disappearing.

Noir narrowed his eyes.

"Sure. As always, very talkative."

The little princess, who was walking a few steps ahead, turned around.

"Who are you talking to?"

"No one."

"You were talking."

"I was thinking out loud."

"That’s talking."

Noir looked at her for a few seconds.

"I’m starting to understand why adults get so tired."

Arlene chuckled behind them.

"You’re not exactly the best person to complain about someone who asks too many questions."

Noir turned his head toward her.

"I ask important questions."

"A few days ago, you asked about a deer that wasn’t afraid of you."

"That was an important question."

"You also asked if you could eat it."

"That was important, too."

The princess burst out laughing.

Uki raised his head slightly, but resumed walking without showing much interest.

For a moment, the tension vanished.

Noir was grateful for that brief respite.

Veyra was strange, yes, but as long as Arlene kept talking and the princess kept teasing him, he could pretend everything was fine.

They entered the inn.

The interior was much larger than it appeared from the outside. A main room held several wooden tables, an unlit fireplace, and a bar behind which a middle-aged woman organized bottles. Unlike outside, a few people remained inside.

There weren’t many—just four customers sitting at the farthest tables, though none of them were talking.

Noir watched them for a few seconds.

One was a man wearing old armor. Another appeared to belong to a race Noir didn’t recognize, with grayish skin and two small horns on his forehead; he wasn’t a demon. The other two were sitting together, completely covered in dark cloaks.

No one looked directly at Noir.

That was strange.

In any other city, a creature like him would attract attention, whether out of curiosity or for some other reason. Here, no one seemed particularly surprised.

The woman behind the bar looked up. Her eyes swept over Arlene, the princess, and Uki before settling on Noir.

For a moment, her expression changed.

It was barely a flicker.

A slight tension around her eyes.

Then she disappeared.

"Rooms?" she asked.

Arlene nodded.

"Yes. We need one."

The woman began searching under the counter for keys.

"I have just one available."

"Perfect."

Noir looked around.

The inn was simple. Nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be happening there. Stone walls, oil lamps hung in various places, and an old wooden floor.

It was probably the most ordinary place they’d seen since arriving in Veyra.

That made Noir even more suspicious.

The woman set the keys on the counter.

"One thing."

Arlene looked up.

"Yes?"

"After the third bell, don’t go out."

The little princess opened her mouth.

"Why?"

The woman looked at her.

"Because it’s better that way."

Arlene sighed.

"Is that all the explanation we’re going to get in this town?"

The woman smiled faintly.

"If they’re lucky."

Noir let out a small snort.

"This city definitely needs to learn how to answer questions."

The woman looked at him for a few seconds.

And then something happened that Noir didn’t expect.

She smiled. It wasn’t a friendly smile, nor was it a fearful smile. It looked more like the expression of someone who had just heard something they’d heard before.

"That’s what everyone says."

Noir stood motionless.

The woman took one of the keys and turned away.

"Your room is upstairs."

Noir watched her go.

Arlene looked at him.

"Don’t say anything."

"I wasn’t going to say anything."

"Your face says otherwise."

Noir started up the stairs.

"My face always says a lot."

"You’re a dragon."

"Exactly. We have very expressive faces."

The princess laughed again.

The night went on for a while without incident.

The room was simple. A bed that was too small for him, a window, a table, and an empty closet.

Noir looked at the bed, but ended up sleeping on the floor, using part of a blanket as a pillow so Arlene and the demon princess could sleep in the bed. But he wasn’t sleepy. That was the strange part.

After everything that had happened that day, he expected to feel exhausted, but his body remained wide awake. Maybe it was his senses. Maybe it was the feeling he’d had ever since they entered Veyra. Or maybe he was just too curious.

Noir stood up.

The golden sphere was still floating near the window. It had been there for several minutes.

"What are you looking at?"

The sphere turned. Then it slowly drifted toward the glass.

Noir stepped closer.

Outside, the city looked completely different. Hardly anyone was on the streets, and the houses were shut tight. The lights that had floated above some buildings during the day had disappeared.

However, something had appeared. Small lights—not in the houses, but above the streets. They looked like tiny white dots suspended in the air.

Noir activated his Draconic Senses; he detected neither mana nor life—only the lights.

The lights began to move slowly along the empty streets.

Noir frowned.

The golden sphere flew through the window.

Noir opened his eyes.

"What?"

The sphere continued to drift away.

Noir looked at the window.

Then he looked at the door.

Then he looked back at the sphere.

"No."

The sphere kept moving away.

"Don’t even think about it."

A small golden particle appeared beside him.

"I’m not going out."

Another particle.

"People said we shouldn’t go out."

The sphere stopped.

Noir narrowed his eyes.

"That doesn’t mean you have to listen to me."

The sphere continued moving forward.

Noir sighed.

"You’re a terrible influence."

He opened the window; clearly, this was all an act. He was eager to explore this strange city, full of inconsistencies—why stay cooped up? He just needed an excuse, and the golden sphere was the perfect one.

The night air flowed into the room.

Noir stepped carefully onto the roof.

The sphere was waiting for him a few meters ahead.

"I’m just going to take a look," he muttered.

The sphere began to move forward.

Noir followed it.

The rooftops of Veyra were strange. Some were tilted at impossible angles, and others seemed to connect buildings that, from below, were separated by several streets.

Noir moved forward slowly, keeping its wings close to its body so it wouldn’t draw too much attention.

The white lights kept moving below.

Now he could see them better.

They weren’t lights.

They were small figures. They looked like shadows of white mist, walking slowly through the streets.

One of them passed beneath him. It had no face, just a humanoid silhouette.

Noir sharpened his senses again; he still sensed nothing. It was quite strange, but the figure raised its head.

Noir felt a chill run down his spine.

The creature had no eyes.

Even so, he knew it was staring at him.

Noir stood still until the figure kept walking and, a moment later, disappeared around a corner.

’How mysterious. I should devour one to see what I’ll get.’

The sphere kept moving forward.

Noir followed it. He didn’t know how long they’d been moving across the rooftops when they reached a part of the city he hadn’t seen during the day.

The houses disappeared. In their place was a vast stone area surrounded by ancient buildings. In the center stood a circular structure. It looked more like a well, but it had no water.

Noir climbed down to the edge and looked down.

Darkness. A darkness so deep that not even her night vision could fully penetrate it. That was almost impossible. Her night vision had allowed her to see inside caves without any light.

Noir felt the scales on her back bristle.

The golden sphere approached the edge.

For the first time since they had entered Veyra, it began to emit a much brighter light.

Noir watched it.

"Do you know this place?"