True Trancendance

The sun had only just begun to rise when the cart rolled across the uneven stone path. Pale golden light streaked through the fog, outlining the silhouette of the forest in the distance. Each step Kiki took made the earth shudder faintly beneath her massive paws, carrying the caravan through the outer edge of the western district part of town.

Arah sat silently beside Kren, his head resting on his hand. Despite the early hour, he was already fully awake, unlike Kren, whose head would droop forward, then jolt up sharply each time sleep tried to claim him.

The streets were quieter out here, but not dead. A few early risers passed by, some who were hauling gear and others just out for air. Arah watched them with detached curiosity.

It didn’t take them long to reach their destination.

The building in front of them loomed over them. It looked like a relic of an older age. It was huge, nearly rivaling the Titan Bank in scale, but without its polish or opulence. Instead of marble and gold, it was built from dark stone worn smooth by time. Ivy coiled around its upper walls, and its heavy wooden doors looked as though they hadn’t been replaced in decades.

Kren jumped down from the cart and dismissed Kiki with a quick motion.

Arah frowned as he jumped down too, his eyes flicking back to the cart.

"Are you not worried someone might take it?"

Kren waved a lazy hand without even turning. "If someone has the skills to steal it, they won’t bother with something as humble as my cart."

That didn’t exactly clarify anything. Arah narrowed his eyes.

"What does that mean?"