The Emperor's Heir

THREE

Vin went back to his room with the food, and consoled himself. The food was indeed delicious, and Vin didn't restrain himself; in the end, he had little left.

He slept like a log and when he woke up the next morning, he felt very lazy. Now he had a simple slice of bread to eat for breakfast before going job hunting.

Vin wouldn't have gotten out if bed, if not for the knowledge that he no longer had money to buy delicious food anymore. A slice of bread was an insult to his pit of a stomach.

Searching far in the city, Vin couldn't find any job that he could do. He thought back to his world where he was a comic writer. It hadn't paid a fortune but, it had made Vin financially stable. These thoughts made him, once again, remember his death. New York was everything the rumors said, a world of its own.

That day, he'd received some shocking news which had led him to the curb in a daze. Before he knew what was happening, a car had flung him high.

Vin thoughtfully rubbed his hands together. He could clean but no one was hiring cleaners. With slumped shoulders, Vin returned to the Inn. His stay would expire the next day, and he had no way to pay again.

The next day came faster than Vin would have liked. He left the Inn with his black cloak. As stupid as it sounded now, Vin had before thought that he would find a job quickly, get some money, and buy necessities. He hadn't bothered to carry anything except the cloak from the palace.

Vin walked for a long time, without any particular direction in mind. He walked till he was drained. He found a store that was unopened, and he sat on the steps. Incredibly tired. He lay down there to rest. He fell asleep, and woke up when it was dark.

He looked about, and as he moved, he heard clinking. Gazing at his side, Vin found three copper coins. He suddenly realised how he must have cut such a sorry figure as he lay there, in his black cloak. He thanked his good fortune, and grabbed the coins. He started walking again, motivated at the thought of finally getting something to eat. He walked a long way before finding the market.

With his eyes roaming his surroundings, Vin noticed that where he was had none of the was very different from the busy Larea. It was more a village. He asked a stranger walking by, where he was, and he got the name of the place, Fugah village. He looked about the market for a long time, deciding what to buy with his three coppers. Vin got a cake, and a magic manual. He reasoned that if he could have the magic on hand, he wouldn't be so vulnerable. This made him think of Jardius' fireballs, he thought those were cool. The manual didn't contain much, just some basic foundation knowledge. Vin knew he couldn't count on Havan's memories coming to him so, he had to start from scratch.

As he ate the cake, he read the manual. It seemed like pretty understandable stuff. His cake finished, and Vin was unhappy. He occupied his time, reading the manual. The next day, Vin had a few change left from the copper coins, so, he bought bread, and ate it. He stayed on the steps of another locked shop, reading the manual until he fell asleep. Later, he woke up, and found another five coins by his side. With overflowing happiness, Vin blessed the people of the village who were so generous. Vin saved the five coins, letting himself go hungry till evening.

He started practicing what he'd read in the manual. He meditated, despite the constant noise around him. He tried to feel Havan's power, his power, flowing through him. It wasn't hard, Vin chalked it up to the fact that Havan had already been using magic before he'd died so it was much easier to summon the power.

There were some spells in the manual but, they were mostly useless to Vin. There was only one defensive spell inside it, it was a shield spell. Vin tried to conjure it but, it didn't work. He tried a different spell, the spell to move an object, and that one worked after a while. Given some confidence, Vin tried to conjure the shield again. Nothing happened for a while, until it finally did. The shield started out small above the palm of his hand, and then grew until it was as big as a mini satellite dish. Vin thought he could make it into two shields, one for each fist. He tried, and succeeded.

While Vin did all these things, he hid his actions from view. His black cloak served as a good cover. When he had experimented enough, Vin was exhausted. He lay down on the steps to sleep again.

He woke up, but this time it wasn't to copper coins. Instead, it was the the bright blue gaze of a fair, young man, with delicate features. He wore a simple long white robe, with black, straight hair cascading down his shoulders. His brows were furrowed as he regarded Vin. He suddenly spoke in a light voice, "I have seen you three times, and each time you are sleeping on stone steps" he sighed, "It seems you have no home. But, these streets are dangerous, I left coins so you could find an Inn."

Vin still in a daze, stared at the person in front of him. He had half his face covered, so, his mouth that was wide open in awe, didn't catch flies. He heard the man's words, and realised the reason he kept getting coins was because of this person. He noticed a basket in his hand, covered with a green cloth but, Vin still saw several vials which contained powders of different colours.

Seeing that Vin wasn't saying anything, the other man asked, "what is your name?"

Vin collected himself, and answered, "My name is Vin" he knew if he said Havan, he would probably be recognised immediately. So, he quickly used his name from his previous life. The other man seemed confused , but then nodded. Vin continued, "Thank you for the coins. They really helped me. I just can't find a good inn around, so, I stay on the steps." Vin felt slightly guilty for lying but, he couldn't tell the man in front of him that he was saving the money, so he could buy lots of food to eat.

The man nodded in understanding of Vin's reason, and Vin sitting up straight, took off the hood of his cloak. The other man was slightly surprised to find that it was a very good looking man, who didn't look like he should be on the streets. He introduced himself with a pleasant smile, "I am Jem, nice to meet you." Jem contemplated and in a split second decision, he said, "I am not sure what your circumstances are, but if you can stay in my small room with me, I wouldn't mind having you."

Vin, seeing a light at the end of his dark tunnel, quickly agreed. Jem led the way to his place, and Vin followed. On the way there, as people walked past, they would cover their noses when they got near Vin, and he noticed. He didn't feel self-conscious or insecure at all. Vin couldn't bathe during these days he was homeless, so, he was well aware that he probably reeked. But, he wondered why the kind man in front of him didn't seem to notice.

They got to Jem's home. It was indeed quite small, with barely any furnishings. Vin thought of how a person who lived in such a small place could still have enough copper coins to give to a stranger. Jem's actions really made him feel touched.

He asked Jem where he could bathe, and Jem pointed outside. When Vin was finished, he came back, and smelled food burning. He ran straight to the large stove in the tiny kitchen, quickly putting it off. The food was nearly all black. Vin couldn't tell what it was supposed to be at all. And, the most surprising thing was that Jem was sitting right outside the kitchen.

Vin in a state of shock, asked, "why didn't you turn it off? The smell is everywhere now."

Jem, who was being scolded by his new guest, blushed before replying, "I can't smell anything right now. I make potions, and the last one I made this morning was very strong" he sighed, not meeting Vin's eyes, "I won't be able to smell anything for at least a day."

Finally understanding why Jem didn't flinch at his horrible smell, Vin was secretly glad.