In a simple room, a young man was sleeping peacefully. His appearance was typical of someone from Zephyros, with black hair and skin darkened by long hours of exposure to the sun, although his skin would be equally dark if that weren't the case. On the floor of the room were the clothes he had previously removed, consisting of black pants, a brown shirt, and some boots lying around.

  "Hey, wake up, they need you."

  The young man's sleep was interrupted by a girl who suddenly entered his room. Getting up slightly to see who was interrupting his sleep, he saw a female version of himself, or rather, a female and much more irritating version than him: his sister.

  "Don't bother me, I had a bad night." With that simple response, he went back to bed, fully intending to sleep until he was satisfied.

  "Are you sure?" "The girl asked disinterestedly, taking the opportunity to look around her brother's room, which was messy. There was a bed on the far left where her brother was, a desk on the right side of the room where he had various things on top, books, a map of the desert, wind goggles, among other things, and finally a closet at the end of the room where he kept the rest of his clothes. "Bored."

  "Yeah, now go away, I want to rest." His eyes were already closed in an attempt to fall asleep.

  "Okay, I guess I'll tell your uncle you don't want to go, too bad." With every intention of leaving, the young woman walked through the door.

  "Wait! What do you mean my uncle needs me?" Upon hearing that it was his uncle who wanted him, he jumped out of bed to try to reach his sister and find out why.

  The girl stopped and turned to look at her brother. "First, uncle says they've found the person responsible for the disappearance of the camels and goats, and he wants you at the city gate in 10 minutes to help him take care of the problem. Second, put on some pants." With that said, the young woman left the room and headed to the living room where her family was having breakfast.

  When the boy heard that, he looked down and realized he'd been listening to his sister in his underwear the whole time. "You could have said that first," he muttered to himself as he bent down to pick up the clothes from the floor and put them back.

  Now fully dressed and equipped with his glasses, a scarf to cover himself, and a sword on his left side, he headed to the living room where his family was.

  "Good morning, everyone."

  In the living room, his parents and siblings were having breakfast with some servants around, waiting for orders. On the table were scrambled eggs, various types of bread, from a stale bread his father liked to a sweet bread his sister liked, and some fruit scattered here and there.

  "It's about time you got up, take a seat."

  The person who said it was his mother, who physically looked like an older version of what her sister might look like, with long hair that reached the middle of her back and hazel eyes, although several gray hairs were already appearing along her hair and a few wrinkles were visible on her face.

  "I don't have time. My uncle asked me to meet with him." Although he felt sorry for not being able to enjoy that breakfast, there was no time to waste. He simply approached the table to grab some bread and continue.

  "Take care and follow his instructions."

  That was his father, a man of few words, who didn't look up from his breakfast to look at him. He was a somewhat older man with a beard that covered the entire lower part of his face and a lot of gray hair.

  "Yes, yes... thanks for the encouragement. See you later," he said goodbye, halfway out of the room, his hand full of bread.

  The city of Zephyros was built next to the Great Nimrath River, making it a port city with great wealth due to all the trade conducted there. Large nations like the Iron Kingdom and the nation of Zathia come to sell their wares in exchange for high-quality fabrics and other resources that are much more common in Zephyros than elsewhere.

  Although the Iron Kingdom has a great diversity of fruits and plants, they lack certain precious stones, which are frequently used in celebrations and in their clothing. On the other hand, the nation of Zathia exports precious minerals that are used in a wide variety of rituals. In return, they get something. They keep their profits quite secret but are fair with their dealings, so people don't usually worry, but I can't help but feel curious.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Stupid Mages and Their Secrets - The kingdom of Zathia is ruled primarily by mages, and because they feel different, they always keep secrets and discriminate against people. Although he hadn't met many mages in his life, the few he did know were insufferable.

  Lost in his thoughts, the boy walked quickly through the city to meet his uncle as quickly as possible on the outskirts of town. Meanwhile, he couldn't help but overhear snatches of conversations among the people he passed.

  "There was another attack last night, this time it was a girl, and the worst part is that it was one of the daughters of the baker Fausto."

  "Poor man, may the Sun watch over his soul and give that girl rest." - That person, saying that, made a gesture with his hand, as if drawing a circle on his chest, and then placed his palms together in a quick prayer for the young woman's soul.

  "May the sun protect her," he made the same sign as the woman he was talking to. "That would be the seventh murder, which is what awaits us if we continue like this."

  That's seven, how annoying. Although the city of Zephyros wasn't crime-free, it wasn't common for ordinary civilians to be caught up in the criminals lurking in the city's shadows. It was probably some madman who arrived on the ships, since there's no way a person from Zephyros could be so cruel to ordinary people.

  This maniac's way of killing is based on using a kind of curved sword that horrendously destroys people's bodies. The first two victims were two city police officers who were found completely disfigured. They said the crime scene made nosy journalists vomit.

  The first officer, according to reports, appeared to have been attacked from behind. His heart was pierced in the first attack. The attacker then must have brought the blade down along the man's body, piercing him from left to right, almost splitting him in half and exposing his insides.

  The other man didn't fare much better. The attacker must have stabbed him from the front, piercing him below the ribs, and performing some sort of triangle, or some other strange attack, to be able to expose the man's intestines. After gutting him like a crowbar, he ripped out his heart.

  Those were the first two victims, followed by two more men, but this time they were simply drunks gutted like pigs. The last two, now three victims, were young women no older than 22. The first was a housemaid in her 20s, the next a waitress in some bar in her 20s, and now some daughter of Mr. Fausto, though he's not sure which one, since the oldest was the same age as him and the youngest was 12.

  Just thinking that there was some bastard killing people, especially women, in the city made him furious. "A person who's capable of doing something like that and not feel disgusted must be a beast! And if he's not, he'll only be able to pray for mercy when we catch him."

  As one of the city guards felt especially committed to protecting the city, and although they've done everything possible to catch the killer, he seems to have the power to commit these atrocities and escape right under the authorities' noses, as if he were blaming them for their actions. Incompetence. Although he felt guilty for not catching him before his journey, he was sure the others would be able to catch that criminal.

  Without realizing it, he had already reached the entrance to the city, and nearby were several fellow guardsmen. Sergeant Edmund was also giving orders to the people around him.

  He decided to walk a little slowly to finish the last loaf of bread in his hand and took the opportunity to wipe his face and clothes in case there were any crumbs left. The last thing he needed was to be scolded by a superior officer for being poorly dressed. When he finished, he approached the sergeant, who had already finished giving orders.

  "Sir! Corporal Lucius reporting for duty." Lucius stood at attention in front of the sergeant and saluted. The man was a full head taller than him and had a bald head that would have reflected the sun if it weren't for the scarf covering his head.

  "Rest easy, boy. You're no longer one of us." It's true. He had resigned from the city guard about two days ago, but that didn't mean he could disrespect the person who had guided him. "Go to the speeders. The captain requested your presence."

  "Sir, yes, sir." Lucius broke the greeting and headed in the direction his former superior had indicated. As he walked, he was thinking about the different things that could be responsible for the disappearance of the animals.

  The creatures that could feed on camels and goats, and who left no trace of them, weren't many, but those capable of doing so are dangerous to the city and the well-being of its people, so they must be dealt with as quickly as possible.

  After passing three speeders, he saw the captain looking into the distance, and his figure made him seem imposing. He was the very image of a warrior. With his great height, he was an imposing figure. Although his muscles weren't gigantic, he was sure he would be capable of sending a grown man tumbling.

  His face bore some scars and wrinkles, the result of age and the experience of serving as the city's protector for several decades. His face bears a certain resemblance to my father's, but the lack of a beard and muscles made it difficult to see the resemblance.

  "Sir!" "Corporal Lucius reporting for duty" - repeating the salute he had given Sergeant Edmund - he presented himself before Captain Saeamus.

  Taking his eyes off the horizon, he turned to the person who spoke to him. "Rest easy, soldier." Recognizing his nephew, he made him rest. "You know why I summoned you."

  Relaxing slightly, Lucius paused for a few seconds to think of a satisfactory response. The captain waited patiently until Lucius had an answer. "It was to assist the guard one last time, sir." That was the best answer he could come up with given the circumstances.

  The captain didn't respond for a moment, simply staring at Lucius intently, then began to speak.

  "Somewhat for that reason, though it could also be seen as a whim of mine." He paused for a moment to look at Lucius directly and make sure he was paying attention. "Since it's an opportunity like no other in a lifetime, and I want you to present it before you leave...we're going to hunt a sandworm, or rather a hatchling."