9:15 PM, 23rd of December, 1728.

  The inn closed early, much to the dismay of the customers who just wanted to relax after their long shifts at work. Alexander had gone up to his room after Raymond left, feeling it safe to do so now.

  Lying on his unreasonably soft bed, the white comforter below him outlining the shape of his body, Alexander gazed up at the ceiling, trying to dissociate so that sleep would come for him. He was reckless today, though he felt no regret.

  As he began to drift off to sleep, three loud knocks at the door startled him, making him jump up from his bed and completely ridding his mind of the fog that had drifted in.

  A deep and familiar voice resonated through the door, meeting his perked-up ears.

  “I wanted to thank you, Alex, for helping out Anissa.”

  Intending to open it, he made way to the door, but stopped as Leonard continued.

  “I’m sure you don’t know this, but that man, Raymond, could cause some serious trouble for you outside of the City of Truth.”

  He opened the door, looking slightly down at Leonard, throwing up a reassuring smile.

  “I don’t plan to leave any time soon, so that shouldn’t be a problem, really.”

  “Oh, you’re awake,” he paused, before putting his hand onto Alexander’s shoulder, “But seriously, thank you. I should’ve been here, but I’m glad you were instead.”

  “Any one of the people there would’ve stepped forward if I didn’t. You really don’t need to thank me.”

  “But they didn’t. You did. If you’d like, I can forge you something, anything you’d want on the house.”

  Shifting his gaze upwards, he thought of something. If the crowd hadn’t stopped Raymond then and there, he likely would have died, with no weapon to defend himself.

  He had decided, “Could you make me a sword?”

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  His hand withdrew, clasping the other. “Absolutely! It may take a few weeks, but I’ll make you something grand. What kind of sword would you like?”

  “I don’t have even an ounce of experience with a sword, I don’t know if I could say.”

  “Maybe something light, one-handed, does that sound good to you?”

  “Go for it.”

  Leonard reached into his pocket as he responded, pulling out a pouch of coins, “Perfect, and here, take this too. It’s a week's pay, I thought it might help you get some new clothes, and maybe some food.”

  Extending his arm, Alexander grabbed the pouch from Leonard's hand, weighing it in his own. It was rather heavy, apparently containing fourteen coppers, though he had no semblance of how much money that actually was, or what it could buy other than a week of boarding.

  He wasn’t going to turn down free money. “Thank you, I’ll make sure to be more presentable for work tomorrow.”

  “Actually, about that, I’ll be taking tomorrow off. I'm going to hang around here to make sure Raymond doesn’t come back. Don’t worry, though, I’ll still pay you as if we worked.”

  With that, the two parted ways, Leonard heading back to the ground floor and Alexander back inside his room. There were indeed fourteen coins in the leather pouch, each with a simple design of seven stars stamped on one face, the other face bearing only a single line indented across it.

  Thinking over the fight that took place only a few hours before, Alexander wondered if it would be better to lose the blindfold entirely, giving him double the visual feedback to respond to rather than only the vision of the future.

  He slid the torn piece of cloth down his face, his eyes taking in the sight in front of him for the first time in three days. Everything was unreasonably bright, his eyes unable to quickly adjust to what they believed was new information.

  Squinting, he looked around the room, only dimly lit by a single gas lamp sitting on the desk to his left.

  As his eyes adjusted, the clarity was joined by nausea. Almost instantly, vertigo took over his mind, and he felt as if he were seeing for the first time.

  Everything blurred together, the present and the future seeming to have no real meaning.

  He quickly raised the blindfold back to his eyes, finding relief the moment the veil of darkness returned.

  This was going to be a continuous struggle.

  Lying back in his bed, Alexander slowly drifted back off to sleep.

  -

  Dawn broke through the window, casting light through the room, stirring Alexander awake. He slept in only his undergarments, the rest of his clothes already undoubtedly stinking. New clothes were a necessity.

  Donning his old clothes, save for the torn overcoat, Alexander made his way out of the building. The air was cold, but manageable, still raising goosebumps on his skin, and he brought his hands up to them, rubbing his arms for heat. The streets were rather empty, save for a few people rushing to work.

  Stopping one of them, Alexander asked, “Sorry, but do you know where the nearest clothing store is?”

  The man stopped, looking a little confused, “It’s only three streets that way. Or, uh.” He stopped, taking hold of Alexander’s hand, holding it out in the direction he meant. “That way, just on the corner.” Without another word, he continued on his way.

  The walk was short, and just like he was told, a clothing store sat on the corner. Opening the door, Alexander called out, “Are you open?” It was still early morning, and there was a good chance they weren’t yet.

  A blond man rounded the corner, nearly running face-first into Alexander, his clothing obviously expensive. “Not yet, but please, do come in, I’d be happy to help you find anything you need.”

  The store was large, with each wall covered in hanging attire, and dozens of aisles spread throughout.

  “I just need a couple of changes of basic everyday wear, as well as some clothes for work. How much do you think that would cost, if you were to guess?”

  “Hmm.” He brought his hands out in front of him, counting as he raised each finger, “I’d say about twelve coppers?”