On the morning of the sixth day, Leox made his way out toward the academy entrance gate, dressed in his uniform and with his sword strapped to his back. Since it was now the weekend, there were hundreds of other students leaving the academy grounds with family, or heading out into the city to meet them. For most, weekends were a time of solace and reunion. For Leox, most weekends would be spent training. Though tomorrow, he did plan on paying Ivy a visit.

  As he stood by the entrance, Collector Meruvio was impossible to miss. Like before, the man was standing dressed in a black and gold suit that didn't seem fit for combat, and a red cape draped over his back, giving him a royal look. His face was slightly wrinkled, and his slicked-back hair had streaks of grey running through it. What stood out most though, was the burn wound in the man's cheek, claiming a chunk of his face, giving him the look of a ghoul.

  When he spotted Leox from across the field, the man waved a hand. Many of the students and their families had their eyes on the man, clearly aware of who he was. When they saw Leox make his way over, they wondered what the connection was between the pair.

  After making his way over, Meruvio looked Leox up and down with a faint smile twitching at his lip.

  "Breaker told me you looked different now. Perhaps I should have believed him." Meruvio said with a faint smile.

  He was rightly surprised. The last time he had seen Leox, he was a completely different person. Not only was he now stage two, but he also had white hair, and a more defined face. Meruvio outstretched his hand, and Leox took it with respect.

  "A lot has happened in the last six months sir." He responded.

  "I can tell. I see you have your sword with you then? Good. Let's not waste too much time. I do not want to take up the entirety of your weekend."

  Meruvio gestured towards the chariot. At the head guiding two horses were three Knights in black armour, with lion helmets over their faces. Each of them was third-rank. Leox wondered if they were the same men from before... One nodded his head towards the boy, which made him assume they were.

  Afterwards, the pair stepped into the lavish chariot and sank into the comfort of their seats. With a command, the horses started to carry them down the cobblestone road, and through the bustling Undying City. There were many chariots alike, travelling to and from the academy.

  Leox looked at Meruvio, who was glaring out of the window. "What are the plans for today, sir?" He asked, trying to hide his excitement.

  Meruvio looked over at him.

  "We ride to Hedgerton Village, and we seek out the youth. In a way, you have been dragged into the world of the awakened because of me. I can't help but think it is somewhat my duty to show you what the greater world is like. What other options may you have, if you so wish to ever join the Collectors?"

  After this, Meruvio laughed. However, Leox found it forced, and full of nerves. When he looked at Meruvio, he noticed that the man struggled to meet his eyes, despite being much older than him. Is it because he knows about what happened to me in the sewers, and finds himself guilty for it?

  Leox didn't say anything, nor did he blame the man for what had happened to him. He was simply doing his job, and he looked forward to spending the day with the collectors.

  An hour passed as they rode through the paved paths leading from city to towns, and towns to villages. Varadna was one of the hotter counties, and since they were travelling further east, the temperature only got hotter. During their travels, they passed many lakes and rivers, which were heavily guarded by tens of men in white armour. When Leox asked about it, Meruvio explained.

  Since Grade-Two demons had started to appear in holy churches, Emperor Alom assumed that the apocalypse was well into the early stages. According to historical accounts, once Grade-Two demons started to appear in churches, there was a large increase in Grade-One demons emerging from the waters.

  However, Meruvio also let Leox in on a secret that wasn't well known by many who weren't official knights of the empire. In Varadna, there had been many fewer Grade-One demon sightings compared to the other four countries, especially close to the Undying City. Meanwhile, some other civilisations across the world had already faced attacks as large as ten demons at once.

  This made sense to Leox, as he hadn't heard of many civilians being attacked by demons. When he asked Meruvio for the reason behind this demon shortage in their country, the man humbly admitted that he had no answer. They could only be grateful for the time being and hope that their luck would last.

  ...

  Eventually, they arrived at Hedgerton. It was a small village located at the top of a hill, but it was bigger and certainly had a larger population than Everhurst. As their chariot was pulled up the hill, they eventually arrived at the main entrance to the village. The stone path continued down a street surrounded by triangular-roofed houses on either side. It was a well put-together village.

  If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  However, as Leox looked out of the window whilst their chariot was pulled towards the centre of the village, he noticed something strange. Although it was still midday, the streets were practically empty. Only twice did he see people of the village, and it was only through the windows of their houses.

  That meant that the village wasn't abandoned, but they all decided to stay indoors.

  "Why is it so quiet?" Leox asked Meruvio. "When the collectors arrived in our city, we knew to come and greet you respectfully."

  Their chariot came to a stop at the centre of the village, where empty market stands surrounded a water well. Meruvio placed his hands on his hips and glanced around. There was no one there to greet them at all.

  "They are scared. Hedgerton has received the least amount of holy protection from the empire. It's said that their belief in the Allfather is faltering because of this."

  I don't blame them.

  Leox looked around a bit more, and soon it became clear that none of the villagers would come out to meet them. It was hard to believe.

  "So, what do we do now?" Leox asked.

  "I, will head to the village church to make sure everything is right with the village, before they draw the wrong type of attention from the theocracy... In the meantime, take Grandis and Pheelio with you. Knock on the village doors and ask for news on any awakened, or children with potential. It's what we collectors do in situations like this, even if we all hate door-to-door work."

  Leox's eyes went wide as he pointed at himself. "Me? You want me to do the role of a collector by myself."

  Meruvio laughed. His wounded cheeks squirming with the gesture.

  "Technically, you won't be by yourself. You'll have my two best men with you. But yes, there's no harm in it. Sometimes young collectors are better at encouraging the youth to join us."

  Still sceptical, Leox turned towards the two knights who had stepped forward towards him. He was unable to differentiate who was who, as they never spoke and looked identical in their armour, but this didn't seem important to them.

  Before he could say anything else, Meruvio took his remaining knight and headed towards the building in the village that was taller than all others. "Come find me in the church once you've checked five houses." He called, before fading out of distance.

  "..."

  Leox stood there, glancing awkwardly at the two knights. The men simply stood there, hands resting on the weapons at their sides, as if waiting for his orders.

  "Okay. I guess we should start." He eventually said.

  The two knights nodded their heads but remained still and silent.

  I guess I'll lead the way then...

  To no surprise, Leox found no success at the first four houses. In fact, each interaction went exactly the same. The owners of the house would open the door to find a young white-haired boy flanked by two knights wearing armour that was as dark as the sky. Immediately, they would become hesitant.

  Afterwards, Leox did as he remembered Meruvio doing when he arrived at Everhurst. He asked if the owners knew of anyone with physical potential, or had somehow awakened by their own methods. They would either close the door in his face and lock it behind them, or say that there was no one in the village for them to take, and that they should leave.

  By the time he knocked on the fifth and final door, he was completely demoralised. He just wanted to get it over and done with. However, when the door was answered by a grizzled old man with a hunched back, and a cane to aid him in his step, that seemed to change.

  "Ohh, the Collectors." The old man's voice rasped. "It's been a while since we people of Hedgerton have seen men wielding weapons. That's what men ought to do, fight, rather than cowering in their homes!"

  As the man spoke, he shook his fist as if angry at the world. Leox glanced at the two silent knights, wondering if they were going to step in to help him deal with the strange old man.

  Of course not.

  Leox tipped his head towards the man respectfully. "Good afternoon sir, do you know of any young men or women with potential by any chance? As you probably know, the apocalypse has arrived, and we're looking for people to help fight against it."

  "Pfftt, of course I know. The whole town does, that's why they've all locked themselves in their houses like cowards. I swear, if I still had the strength to swing my sword, I'd travel to the black sea myself, and—"

  "So, I guess you don't know anybody?" Leox cut the man off, worried that he might have a heart attack from the passion.

  The old man took a few deep breaths in and let them out. He seemed to have calmed himself down, for now.

  "Eh, my son used to be someone. Last year he hid from the collectors out of fear. This year... I don't even know anymore. The coward's been shut in his room for god knows how long. I can't even bring myself to look at him anymore... Waste of potential, he is."

  Leox's eyebrows perked up, and for the first time, one of the knights spoke from beneath their mask.

  "Would it be all right for us to come in and speak to him? If he's still young, the potential may not be wasted yet."

  "Be my guest." The old man shrugged, before using his cane to waddle back into the house.

  Leox and the two knights, Grandis and Pheelio, made their way inside. The house was dark and gloomy, with not many signs that someone was living inside. The old man was now sitting on a rocking chair with his eyes shut.

  The trio navigated their way through the house and found the only door that was shut. Guessing it was the son's room, he knocked. After receiving no response, he knocked again. Once he faced no success with that, one of the knights suddenly stepped forwards, gently pushing the door open. A peculiar stench came from inside and the knight stepped into the room.

  Leox couldn't see what was inside, as the man's bulk blocked the entrance. But before he could step in, the knight paused. For a moment he simply stood there, before eventually removing his helmet, revealing a young handsome face.

  He turned to Leox and spoke in a quiet voice. "This world truly is harsh."

  The knight pushed open the door wider and stepped out of the way so that Leox could see indoors. It was a standard bedroom, similar to his own back in Everhurst. However he saw that there was a figure slumped on the floor, with his tongue hanging from his mouth.

  Blood had dried on the sides of his face, as well as his chin and eyelids, from where blood had poured from all of his orifices, seemingly hours prior. There was a blue plant in his hand, with a large piece missing, as well as a few stray leaves around his mouth.

  Leox didn't gasp, or react to the corpse of the young boy. His first thought was simple, and calm.

  "Why?" He said, almost to himself.

  One of the knights stepped into the room and crouched by the body, examining the plant carefully.

  "Suicide. Some people can't handle the fear of the apocalypse and choose the easy way out... Poor kid."