Just before the explosions, a boy runs across a wn towards a house.

  He emerges from a nearby forest. In his hand, he carries an overflowing basket of hazelnuts and walnuts, some of which fall to the ground due to his speed.He wears an olive-green T-shirt, dark pants, and a red-and-bck patterned bandana on his head.The house he's running toward is located on the outskirts of the Whitepool District, at the edge of Rilgohin.It is dark red, with white windows and doors, and has a gabled roof covered with tiles, simir to the other houses in the neighborhood.When the boy reaches the front, he quickly runs up the three narrow steps and opens the front door."Mother, I'm back!" he calls loudly.He carelessly pces the basket of nuts on a round table in the entryway and rushes back to the door."I'm off again," he shouts."Emmod, wait a moment," he hears a woman's voice from the kitchen.Emmod Brymbach stops in the doorway.He wipes the sweat from his bushy eyebrows with his arm, which rest above his brown eyes, broad nose, and full lips.He then looks out onto the street, where two children are running towards the city center.

  Impatiently, he gnces back into the house, where a medium-height, slender woman with dark, sparkling eyes stands before him. Her hair is long and tied into a braid on the left side.She wears a cream-colored short-sleeved blouse with ruffles and a high colr, a long skirt, and brown boots.This is his mother—Emina Brymbach."Please bring back two watermelons from Mr. Hershay on your way home," she says, drying her hands on a kitchen towel."What about Novel?" Emmod asks, annoyed. "Where is he, anyway?""He snuck out before sunrise today," Emina replies."Typical.""And be back on time for dinner tonight."Emmod sighs.

  "If I find him," he replies, and heads off towards the Royal District to see the royal family.

  'I hope they don't get into trouble,' Emina worries to herself as she watches her son run off.He still had tasks to finish for his mother, which is why he is te and in a hurry.The two children Emmod had just seen are already overtaken by him a few moments ter.

  The farther he follows the street towards the city center, the more two-story brick buildings appear on either side, and the busier the street becomes. He constantly has to dodge people, only to immediately slow down for the next group.So Emmod decides to take a shortcut through the Park of Rilgohin to reach the Royal District.However, before the arched bridge leading into the park, a small crowd of citizens is gathered, loudly arguing.Emmod is forced to stop.He notices that the citizens are agitated, but their anger is not directed at each other. Instead, it is aimed at the soldiers, who are blocking their access to the park.

  "We have the most beautiful day of the year," says a middle-aged woman to the soldiers."Exactly, how can you deny my pregnant wife and me a walk in the park on a day like this?!" her husband adds, his voice booming."We're sorry ourselves...," says one of the younger soldiers.He is the only one trying to calm the agitated citizens, unlike his comrades, who are passing the time with a dice game and alcohol.This makes the citizens' anger boil over."You can't be serious!" the man now shouts, puffing up, "I haven't seen anything like this in years!"Many of them are frustrated and feel unfairly treated, especially since they are being denied access to the park on such a beautiful day."You will calm down now!" bellows one of the older soldiers after taking a few gulps from his bottle."Either you wait patiently or leave," he says. "Almost ruined my win with all your shouting," he mutters before crouching down and shaking the dice in his hand."What are we supposed to wait for, and how long? Until you finish your game??""We can't say, because we don't know ourselves," the young soldier replies on behalf of the older one. "But you'll surely be able to take your walk ter in the day.""Later in the day? As if we have nothing better to do... How dare you – what an outrage..."But the soldiers remain unmoved."Perhaps today is my st day," a woman speaks up, stepping forward from the crowd.Being the smallest of the group, she has to crane her neck to look her opponents in the eye."Can you really deny me this gift, to fully enjoy what could be my st day on this fine earth?" she says in a thin voice.'She's just pying them,' the others think with raised eyebrows. 'Her voice is stronger than mine.'Only Emmod has a slightly different thought.'This is pointless. These guys are stubborn.'"Now listen here...," the older soldier begins, unwilling to be fooled, as he's been unable to quietly py his dice due to the constant interruptions.Even though some of them feel sympathy for the citizens and are uncomfortable turning them away, the soldiers still have their orders to follow.Emmod sees no end to the situation and internally fumes about having to take the long way around."What about those cheeky brats over there?!" the man beside him suddenly yells.Like everyone else, Emmod turns in the direction the man is pointing.On a small patch of grass, four children are pying carefree with a ball.And, unsurprisingly to Emmod, one of them is his younger brother—Novel Brymbach.Novel is wearing a torn gray-brown T-shirt and dark pants, both of which have seen better days. He's a skinny boy with rge brown eyes and slightly protruding ears. He's also half a head shorter than Emmod. But he makes up for the height difference with his long, curly hair.Sweat begins to form on the soldiers' foreheads, and it's certainly not from the hot weather."Get those kids off the wn before anyone sees them!" the old soldier commands.Three soldiers quickly rush off.

  "NOVEL!!!" Emmod shouts, making himself noticed."EMMOD!!" Novel calls back excitedly, waving wildly.The children Novel is pying with are startled.They are thin, with short bck hair and broad noses."Are you crazy?" hisses the oldest one, Ginrin Cotte."If you keep shouting like that, the soldiers will notice us, and we'll be in a heap of...," trembles the youngest, Geoff Cotte.But it's already too te. The three soldiers are almost upon them."Great."Novel doesn't seem to care."WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" he shouts even louder."I WAS HEADED TO THE ROYAL DISTRICT. WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Emmod yells back just as loudly."Stop shouting, kid!" the old soldier tries to pull Emmod away from the railing."GINRIN AND THE OTHERS NEEDED A FOURTH PLAYER!""Don't say my name, you idiot!" Ginrin scolds.Quickly and without resistance, the children are led out of the park until only the arched bridge separates Emma and Novel.

  "You're pretty bold..." Emmod acknowledges the three and Novel, and they puff up with pride.

  "...or just pin naive," he adds, which makes them look bewildered. "It was obvious this wouldn't end well.""And what do you want in the Royal District?" Novel replies. "The royal family already left," he says cheerfully."How do you know that?" Emmod asks, suspicious."From the crowd back there," Novel answers.Suddenly, everyone turns in the direction Novel is pointing."They're probably nearby. Somewhere in the park," he says casually, almost uninterested."Well then," Emmod dashes off, "Whoever gets there first!""I gotta go," says Novel. "Sorry, and thanks for the game, Ginrin!"Before Ginrin and his brothers can even react, Novel is running after his big brother, leaving behind nothing but a cloud of dust.The soldiers have no time to respond, which Ginrin and his younger brothers take advantage of by sneaking away—though not without taking something with them.Suddenly, the man next to his wife starts frantically patting himself down."Where... where's my wallet?!" he asks in distress.But the soldiers can do nothing more, as they have to stay at their posts.

  "THAT'S NOT FAIR! YOU HAD A HEAD START!" Novel shouts to Emmod as they run along the railing of the park and dive into the crowd in the Whitepool District.The streets are now overflowing. Everyone has the same destination in mind—the marketpce.The marketpce is particurly attractive for residents of the Whitepool District and the Shinemore District, as you can get almost anything there for a low price.The fact that the royal family will be there today is the cherry on top.Meanwhile, Novel tries to keep up with Emmod. For his age, he's one of the fastest, but in a race against Emmod, he always comes up short.But that doesn't mean it's going to happen again today.Novel takes a shortcut through a narrow alley that branches off from the main street.Here, he only needs to be careful not to step in any trash. Other than that, he's got a clear path.The stench is unbearable until he makes a sharp left turn at the end of the alley.But he's actually managed to overtake his brother.Emmod, slowed down by the crowd, only reaches the spot where Novel rejoined the main street a few seconds ter.But instead of taking advantage of the lead he worked so hard for, Novel starts fooling around.He keeps turning back to look at Emmod, gesturing wildly or throwing cheeky looks. Not paying attention to what's in front of him, he's forced to dodge an elderly couple at the st moment.Had he been more careful, he wouldn't have crashed right into old Mr. Hershay's fruit stand.A few watermelons roll off the table, but Novel catches them just in time before they hit the ground.Even though this is the first stand, they're not quite at the marketpce yet. Instead, this spot marks the transition from the Whitepool District to the Merchant District.Across from the stand is a bakery.'You'd think he was in the circus, the way he's bancing those,' Emmod thinks amused, watching his little brother."Not again," mutters the old man, who had been peacefully reading his newspaper moments ago.But he's not surprised.This happens at least once a week—always when Emmod and Novel are supposed to be running errands for their mother at the marketpce.Now, the frail-looking man stands before the young Brymbachs.But appearances can be deceiving, as Mr. Hershay always saves his strength for giving the boys a smack on the head after their mishaps."Sorry, Mr. Hershay," Novel says glumly, pcing the watermelons back on the table.Emmod stands beside him. Instead of helping, he lectures him."You never learn," he says smugly. "Celebrate after you cross the finish line.""He's right," says Mr. Hershay, grabbing Novel by the colr. "And don't celebrate until you've passed my stand."Out of nowhere, two more people come barreling through with a cart, pushing it ahead of them. They have cloths covering the lower halves of their faces.Recklessly, they plow through the crowd toward the marketpce, leaving stunned people in their wake."They're in even more of a hurry than we are," Novel notes before noticing that his brother is already several meters ahead of him again."EMMOD, THAT'S NOT FAIR!" Novel yells and quickly takes off after him.They take advantage of Mr. Hershay's distraction."HOOLIGANS! What about my stand?!" Mr. Hershay shouts angrily after them."Sorry, Mr. Hershay! We'll help you ter!" Emmod calls back.

  Mr. Hershay can only shake his head as he begins to clean up.A round woman in a white baker's hat and a red-and-white dress steps out of the bakery across the street and greets him."The Brymbach brothers," she says in a raspy voice. "Don't be too hard on them, Hershy.""Stop calling me Hershy, Roswilda," Mr. Hershay snaps. "Either call me Phil or don't call me at all," he says, grumpily."My nephews ran off too, to see the royal family," she says."But they don't knock over my stand every time," Mr. Hershay grumbles. "If they'd only put their talent to good use, they could go far," he says, lost in thought."My nephews?" Roswilda asks brightly.Mr. Hershay sighs."Them too," he says.

  Deeper into the Merchant District, Emmod slows down to let his little brother catch up."We're close," says Emmod."How do you know?" asks Novel."By the loud shouting and yelling," Emmod replies.They are now in a narrow alley that leads straight to the main street.Just past a turn leading to a dead end, and they're almost there.As they pass the dead-end alley, everything suddenly moves in slow motion for Emmod.He recognizes the two masked individuals who had behaved recklessly earlier at Mr. Hershay's stand.They are now with three men, helping them carry crates into a house.On each crate are two words: 'Caution Explosive.'Even though it seems suspicious to him, Emmod decides not to get involved for now.Instead, he and his brother reach the main street.Countless people are gathered in front of the entrance to the marketpce.The excitement is high, as word has spread that the royal family is now at the marketpce.At the same time, however, the soldiers are blocking access, as only a limited number of citizens are allowed in.Emmod and Novel's chance of seeing the royal family has just gotten much worse."What do we do now?" asks Novel.It seems like he's talking to himself because Emmod has disappeared again.Confused, Novel looks around until he spots his brother at the corner of the alley.Emmod waves to him, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible."What is it?" asks Novel when he reaches him. "Did you figure out how we can get onto the marketpce without being seen?""No," Emmod replies. "I figured out how we can get into that house over there without being seen."He points to a house located at the corner near the dead-end alley they had passed earlier."Some shady figures just went in there. I think they're up to something," Emmod continues."That's not our problem," Novel dismisses with a wave."When we walked by, the crates said 'Caution Explosive,' and those guys with the cart were in quite a hurry, weren't they? Plus, they were hiding their faces with those cloths. This could become our problem!" Emmod expins."Nothing seemed suspicious to me," Novel shrugs."Because your eyes are only useful at night," Emmod replies. "Now come on. We can get in through that window."

  Easier said than done, Emmod helps Novel up by giving him a boost, and Novel tumbles headfirst through a half-open window.Silently, like a master thief, his big brother follows him in just seconds ter.Inside the room, there are several people, but they can't tell how many as they keep their heads down to avoid being seen.The many crates and barrels scattered throughout the room give them more than enough cover."There, that's the st one," they hear someone grunt."Finally," says another person. "You're te.""They're not the only ones who need this merchandise, mister," one of them expins."Then you'd better hurry. Your other customers won't be so patient," says a sharp voice, cpping their hands.The door sms shut."In this town, you can't tell friend from foe," someone says, right near where they're hiding.B-O-O-M.

  Emmod and Novel flinch nervously.Dust falls from the ceiling, and the overhead lights flicker briefly.Did lightning strike?"That's the signal," they hear someone say. "Now, quickly!""What was that?!" Novel whispers anxiously.Emmod thinks, while carefully observing the stacked crates scattered around the room.His eyes accidentally fall on some barrels pced between the crates.The slow realization of what's happening here and where they are begins to dawn in his eyes.'Caution Explosive' 'Highly Fmmable.'A cold shiver runs down his spine."When I say go, we're getting out of here," Emmod says to his brother."Why? What's happening?"They hear another explosion, this time much closer than before."What are you waiting for?" one of the people in the room asks excitedly."Not yet," another replies.For a few seconds, complete silence falls."Five – four – three – two, one. Go."Suddenly, Emmod and Novel hear a loud hissing noise, and the three men bolt out of the house."Out! Go!" Emmod urges his brother.They dive through the same window they entered from and crash painfully onto the ground. After helping each other to their feet, they see the three men running toward the main street and the marketpce.They chase after them."Great idea," Novel remarks sarcastically.But there's no time for teasing.One explosion after another shakes the Merchant District, and they're getting closer to the marketpce.People are fleeing.They have to escape through the marketpce to reach the Royal District or the Park of Rilgohin, as all the routes back to Whitepool District are cut off by the explosions. But this pn seems doomed at the entrance to the marketpce, where soldiers are still holding their ground despite the explosions. Things are getting dangerous for Emmod and Novel.

  "What do we do?" Novel asks desperately. "How do we get past all these people?"Emmod tries to stay calm, so as not to unsettle his brother further.He spots a nearly two-meter-high pavilion behind the line of soldiers, with a sturdy roof. Next to the line of soldiers, some crates are stacked, but Emmod sees more than just crates. He sees a staircase that could get him and his brother onto the pavilion."Improvise!" he answers Novel's question.Emmod runs toward the crates and climbs up. Novel is right behind him.But Emmod moves too hastily, and as he jumps off the st crate, he slips.The crate falls onto the soldiers, and Emmod bruises his ribs.Luckily, he nds on the roof of the pavilion and not on the cobblestones.But what about Novel?

  The fall of the crate triggers a chain reaction. Novel loses his bance and slips. He reaches out his hand to grab onto the pavilion, but instead, he moves further away from it.However, he doesn't hit the ground because Emmod grabs Novel's outstretched hand and, with a powerful yank, pulls him towards himself.At the same time, the falling crates have caused the line of soldiers to break, allowing the crowd to storm onto the marketpce.The two catch their breath briefly before they begin to swing from the roof of the pavilion to the nearest balcony above them.Cautiously but swiftly, they move along the balconies and outer window ledges until they are positioned over a stand selling spices.For now, they are safe, and the explosions have stopped.But who can assure them these were the st?They observe the situation and notice many fights breaking out between citizens and soldiers in the chaos.Emmod and Novel were born shortly after the end of the Four-Crown War.

  They know stories from tales and books.But they have never seen a fight nor felt what it's like to be in one.They only know one thing."We have to do something," Novel says.Emmod begins to ugh."What do you think you can do?" he asks. "Just stay out of the way.""We can't just watch and do nothing," Novel says passionately."Don't get involved in things you can't control!" Emmod replies firmly.Novel pauses for a moment."If I don't get involved, I'll never be able to control those things," he murmurs.From the balcony railing, where he's holding on, Novel jumps down to the next outer window ledge beneath him. From there, he climbs further down and, in no time, reaches the ground."Novel, wait," Emmod tries to stop him.But words aren't enough. Novel has already nded on the cobblestones.'B-O-O-M' 'B-O-O-M' 'B-O-O-M'Frozen, Emmod clings to the balcony railing as explosions erupt in the Royal District.He can't see what's happening there, so he listens carefully and focuses on the entrance to the marketpce, which leads to the district.The people who had just been seeking refuge in the Royal District now surge back onto the marketpce.The chaos is complete.And what about Novel?Emmod looks toward the spot where he had just seen Novel, but he's no longer there.Panicked, he scans the marketpce, but finding him in this confusion would be a miracle.Emmod can only hope that Novel has found safety or will return to him.'That would be the smartest thing,' Emmod thinks. 'Waiting here. I don't know where Novel is, but Novel knows where I am. If I can't find him, he'll find me.'

  Meanwhile, Novel feels as if he's trapped in a carousel.He's being tossed back and forth uncontrolbly, crushed and pushed away.His ride comes to a stop against a strong, hairy leg.When Novel looks up, he sees the outline of a triangur-shaped face.He recognizes a man with light brown hair streaked with gray.His unkempt beard half-covers a war scar that runs across the right side of his face."Uncle Ko," Novel says, relieved.Ko hadn't noticed the young Brymbach at all."Novel," he replies, surprised, helping him to his feet.It seems like his uncle has an invisible shield that keeps the crowd away from them."Where's your brother?" he asks tensely.His face is like stone, with only his blue eyes showing some sign of life."Hanging over the spice stand," Novel answers in his casual way."Good," Ko says and pushes Novel forward until he finally deposits him at the fish and meat stand."Wait here," he instructs, "I'll get your brother."Without arguing, Novel nods obediently.The spice stand, where Emmod continues to search for his brother, is only a few meters away from the fish and meat stand. But he doesn't have to search much longer, as something pulls on his pants and tickles his leg. Reflexively, he shakes it off without paying attention to who or what it is."Novel?" he hopes.It wasn't. It was the next best thing."Get down from there," his uncle hisses."I lost Novel," Emmod shouts back twice as loudly, "He's somewhere...""I have your brother. He's with me," Ko reassures him. "Now come."After Emmod climbs down, he immediately gets a smack on the head."How could you lose your brother?""He just ran off," Emmod expins. "No idea what got into him.""You need to be more careful before the wrong people notice you," Ko warns, just before he notices a royal guard only a few meters away.Instinctively, he turns away, ducks down toward Emmod, and brushes the dust off his clothes.Meanwhile, his eyes track every movement of the royal guard as they hurry away."What's that about?" Emmod asks, annoyed."There was... dust," his uncle replies ftly, still half-lost in thought."Should be gone now," Emmod says, pushing his hands away."Let's go," his uncle orders.Emmod doesn't know what annoys him more—his uncle treating him like a child or using him as a personal anti-anger outlet.Ko then grabs Novel and leads his nephews away from the marketpce, back into the Whitepool District.

  They turn into an alley away from the chaos, where, aside from a few people walking by, there's no one else.They lean against the walls, breathing heavily."What just happened?" asks Emmod, still in shock."I don't know," Ko replies, still trying to process the events himself. "Are you both alright?" he asks.Emmod and Novel nod."I need to show you something," says Novel, rummaging through his pocket and pulling out a silver, shimmering forehead chain.As much as the chain sparkles, so do the boys' eyes."It's probably worth a fortune," Novel remarks. "We could get a lot of money for it.""Definitely. Where did you get it?" Emmod asks, curious."I found it on the ground. But what's this symbol here?" Novel responds."That's the symbol of the Elmharts," their uncle expins, visibly shaken. "Novel, where the hell did you find that?""I bumped into a girl. I think it belongs to her," Novel replies.Ko grabs him by the colr. Many thoughts cross his mind about what he'd like to do to someone acting so recklessly—but it's his nephew, whose innocent eyes reveal that he didn't know any better.Ko loosens his grip."What's going on?!" Novel asks, armed."A girl, you say," Ko replies. "How old was she?" he asks."I don't know. Maybe a year or two older than me," Novel responds.Ko wants to scream, a scream that would drown out the explosions, but he bites his tongue."Novel. Emmod," he finally says, "This is no ordinary chain. It belongs to the royal family.More specifically, to the king's daughter. I'm sure that when you bumped into her, the girl lost it," he expins, pulling his nephews even closer."You must keep this to yourselves. It is of utmost importance that no one else finds out about the chain. Do you understand?"Emmod and Novel nod."Did anyone else see you with it?" Ko asks, carefully inspecting the chain."Not that I know of," Novel replies, thinking hard.Ko hopes that's true, though the answer doesn't bring much relief."She probably got dizzy from running into your thick skull," ughs Emmod, pyfully knocking on Novel's head.Again, a few people pass by the alley."Put the forehead chain in here," Ko orders, holding out his satchel halfway open, but a loud noise suddenly echoes through the alley.Ko jumps in front of Emmod and Novel, ready to face his worst enemy. Instead, he sees a trash can slowly rolling from one wall to the other."It was probably just the wind," Emmod says aloud.Neither his brother nor his uncle can argue with that.Then Novel remembers something."Damn," he groans. "Didn't you mention something about watermelons?"Now Emmod remembers too."I almost forgot," he says, rubbing his head. "We've got to go, Ko. Mom wanted us to bring her two watermelons.""Give her my regards," their uncle calls after them, but in the commotion, he didn't pay enough attention to see if Novel had actually put the forehead chain in his bag or not.By the time he realizes, it's too te—the brothers are already gone.