CHAPTER 55: CH 55: THE CHOSEN ONES - PART 2

Since Anna was busy cleaning, Nova decided to take a look around the town.

He slipped through the narrow alley outside the shelter, hands in his coat pockets, and headed toward the market district.

The street was crowded, but there was no life in the crowd. Most people wore torn, thin layers, their shoulders hunched low, faces gaunt from hunger.

Children sat barefoot on the corners, listlessly watching as adults moved with slow, mechanical steps between makeshift stalls.

There was no shouting, no bartering, no color—just the low hum of survival.

Nova passed a fruit vendor whose stall had exactly four apples, each of them bruised and small. The vendor looked up hopefully, then backed off when he caught sight of Nova’s well-kept uniform.

Others did the same. As Nova walked deeper into the market, more eyes followed him—some cautious, others envious.

A few vendors tried to call out to him, offering bowls of stale grains or dried roots, clearly assuming he was someone with coin to spare.

He ignored them all.

This place... was rotting. Not from disease or war, but from abandonment. Nova could feel it. Like something had drained the hope from these streets and left only the husk behind.

He turned a corner and spotted a tall wall ahead—pure white stone, reinforced and smooth. On the other side, a training field.

Dozens of soldiers sparred within it, their equipment polished, their uniforms flawless. Tables along the wall brimmed with food, drinks, and aether packs.

A few soldiers leaned on the tables, laughing as they ate—full and relaxed.

Outside the gate, several people huddled close to the wall, staring longingly through the barred slits in the stone. Their faces were thin, pale.

But the moment they noticed Nova approaching, they dispersed like rats, vanishing into the alleys.

Nova slowed. He looked at the massive gate ahead, then took a step toward it.

That was when someone stepped in front of him.

A man in flowing white robes, adorned with an amulet of glowing crystal. He stood tall, his face calm—but his eyes were cold.

"You there. Stop where you are."

The man said.

Nova halted.

"Something wrong?"

"This is sacred ground. Only those who carry the divine blessing are permitted past this point."

The priest said.

Nova gave the man a flat look.

"I wasn’t trying to join your camp. I was walking."

"That alone is enough to desecrate this ground. You’re not one of us. You don’t have the Queen’s mark. You don’t carry the approval of the gods."

The priest replied.

Nova tilted his head slightly.

"You feed your ’chosen’ soldiers like kings while the rest of the people starve just outside your walls. That doesn’t seem very divine."

"The gods do not reward weakness. If the people outside cannot rise above their squalor, they were never meant to enter the sacred circle."

The priest said sharply.

Nova didn’t answer right away. His eyes drifted toward the courtyard again. The soldiers, the food, the clean water... And then, outside the wall—children who hadn’t eaten in days.

"I’ve seen a lot of rotten systems. But this one stinks the most."

Nova said finally.

The priest’s lips thinned.

"Leave. Now."

Just beyond, a few guards began to watch the exchange. They hadn’t drawn weapons yet, but their hands rested on hilts. Nova didn’t need Nyx to tell him this could escalate fast.

Nova took a breath and turned away from the training field.

He’d already caused enough of a scene. This wasn’t the time or place to stir trouble. Not yet.

Just as he started walking, something shifted in the corner of his vision. His gaze lifted—and met a familiar one.

Malrik.

The man stood inside the training yard, leaning casually against one of the pillars near the entrance.

The moment their eyes locked, Malrik’s face lit up and he straightened, waving his hand with a grin. Then, without hesitation, he made his way toward the gate.

The priest beside Nova tensed.

"Commander, there was no need for you to come out—"

But Malrik raised a hand and gave the priest a smile that was both friendly and final.

"I’m here to welcome my guest. He’s with me."

He said lightly.

The priest’s expression twisted.

"With all due respect, sir, a person like him—someone from outside the blessed zone—should not be granted entry. The sanctity of this place—"

Malrik cut him off, still smiling.

"If the divine barrier deems him unworthy, it’ll stop him. Isn’t that how it works? Let the gods decide."

The priest opened his mouth to protest, then froze.

Malrik turned to Nova.

"Come."

Nova raised an eyebrow, but didn’t speak. He stepped forward, approaching the shimmering line that marked the entrance to the sacred ground.

The air shimmered with dense aether, humming like a taut string.

He could feel it. A complex barrier, woven from countless years of belief and divine ritual—meant to keep out the unworthy.

But as he approached, it didn’t resist him.

Instead, it parted. The energy pulsed once and then folded away, allowing Nova to step through like mist.

The priest’s eyes widened, his jaw slack.

Nova stepped inside. The aether here was richer, steadier. And it was welcoming. Familiar.

Behind him, the priest looked stricken, trying to rationalize what he had just seen.

Malrik clapped a hand on Nova’s back once he was inside.

"See? Nothing to worry about. The gods clearly see something in you."

Nova glanced back at the priest. His silence said more than words could.

"Is it always like this?"

Nova asked.

"Not even close. You’re the first outsider I’ve seen welcomed like that without years of training and trials. Most can’t even get near the gate."

Malrik chuckled.

They began walking deeper into the training yard. Soldiers glanced their way but offered no questions. Malrik’s presence gave Nova an air of legitimacy.

"People in this city live by rules, rituals, and the belief that blessings define their worth. But sometimes the divine acts in ways that remind us we’re not in control. We don’t always get to decide who is chosen."

Malrik said as they walked.

Nova let the words settle.

He didn’t like this place—but he could sense there was more going on under the surface. The so-called divine will wasn’t arbitrary.

Something deeper was watching and guiding, and it had accepted him.

"You said you were helping people because a calamity was coming. What did you mean?"

Nova said as they passed the courtyard.

Malrik’s smile faded slightly.

"There are cracks forming. In the land. In the people. In the heavens. You can feel it, can’t you?"

Nova nodded once.

"I don’t know why you’re here, my friend. But I have a feeling we’re here for similar reasons."

Malrik said.

There was weight behind his voice—quiet and deliberate. Not a challenge. Not an accusation. Just a truth he saw unfolding.

Nova didn’t answer. Not yet.

They reached the main building, and Malrik held the door open.

"Come. You’ve passed the first test. Let’s see where the rest of this path leads."

He said.

Behind them, the priest remained at the gate, his authority quietly crumbling in the wake of what he’d seen.