The transfer over from Lune to Loura went about as smooth as it could’ve. Upon stating their intentions to Luan, their new divine essence pretty much gave them mandate over what they could get in this city. It was nice, Ed never had this privilege before.

  Obviously, they didn’t ask for much. Just some funding, a way to travel, and some food. Lune food was great, and Ed snuck in some moon cakes along with the order. Auranna floated behind him, pondering inside the carriage. This carriage had a lot more space than the previous ones they rode in before, which means Ed could actually talk to Auranna in here without looking weird. So, they stood in a corner, making conversation.

  “I wonder, does divine blood get us anything anywhere else?” Ed asked.

  “I doubt it’d get you into the capital. They seem ridiculously strict, for no apparent reason. Back in my day, a divine mandate was all you needed,” Auranna explained.

  “Well, it’s probably good to have those safeguards in check. Just so divine people can’t go around claiming that they’re above everyone else.”

  “I suppose. But God blessed them for a reason. Would you disagree with his judgment?”

  “Dunno. Maybe we should’ve asked what he wanted when we talked to him. Honestly, I’m thinking we had a few missed opportunities back then…”

  “Well, what’s done is done,” Auranna said. “We’ve got divinity, it’s a huge step forward. The next is going to the capital. Which starts with Loura.”

  “Cozy said she knows the place, right?” Ed crossed his arms. “I’d assume so, considering her non-godly magic is love magic.”

  “May as well ask her. I’m always telling you it’s better to know than not know.”

  “Yeah, you tell me that all the time.”

  With a sigh, Ed walked towards Cozy who seemed to be enjoying the comforts of the carriage, lying down on a couch. “Yo.”

  “Hello. Did you wanna talk?” Cozy said. Ed remembered seeing a bit more of Cozy’s vulnerable side back on the moon. But since then, it felt like Cozy was back to her usual, slightly annoying, cheerful self. Ed was a bit relieved, though her voice was a bit softer as well.

  “Yeah, mostly about the place we’re going to,” Ed said. It seemed like Adelyn and Teddie overheard him too, so the two of them walked over.

  “I’m curious too,” Adelyn said. “It sounds like a really nice place, but I’d love to hear about it from someone with experience.”

  “Love is one of the most defining things about all living beings,” Teddie said. “It must be really nice.”

  “All of your views of love are so innocent. It brings me back,” Auranna said wistfully. “When you grow up, I think you’ll understand it much better.”

  “I’d love to dispute you all, but I’d agree. It’s very pleasant. The governor seemed really nice, and they essentially all talk about friendship and your future,” Cozy said. “One of them said they could see my soulmate.”

  “Really? Who was it?” Adelyn asked.

  “I dunno, I was ten. I didn’t put much stock into it. It’s been a while so I don’t really remember. I hope it was a rich guy, at least,” Cozy shrugged.

  “What if it was us?” Teddie suggested. “I mean, we already worked with your soul on the moon, so it could correlate.”

  “You know, that doesn’t sound half-bad either,” Cozy said. “It’s no immediate path to power, but it’s something.”

  Everyone had a small little laugh at that. It felt nice, talking to the four of them like this. However, Ed knew that they probably should get back on business, especially with Auranna watching over him.

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  “So, you did mention the governor. Do you know how to get us their approval?” Ed asked.

  “No. We met briefly at an event but she only said a few words to me. If I had to guess, this would probably be a city that does reward helpfulness though,” Cozy explained. “They put the strength of bonds above all else.”

  “Ohhh,” Adelyn’s eyes lit up. “We should be perfect, then! Maybe we can just go there and follow our hearts to the governor’s approval!”

  “That seems optimistic, but then again it is the City of Love. That title just kind of rewards optimism,” Ed said. “Plus, your entire journey is built on a bond, isn’t it?”

  “I guess you could look at it that way,” Adelyn responded.

  “Bam. That’s our pitch. What kind of governor of Love wouldn’t respect a journey to save a lost friend? This might actually be the easiest city by far,” Ed said.

  “Did I rub off on you?” Cozy said, getting up. “Cause that was a pretty cool idea you came up with.”

  “I guess I’m impressionable,” Ed said. Cozy seemed to put on a satisfied expression, as the carriage began to slow to a halt. It didn’t move for a while, which caused all of the kids to feel a little bit confused.

  “Is there something wrong?” Auranna asked. The intangible spirit peeked out of the carriage to look out. “Huh? Hey, hey, hey!”

  “What is it?” Ed turned to where Auranna was. Everyone else did too, though they couldn’t see the spirit, and were just looking at a wall. As they did so, they felt the entire carriage tip over to the side, throwing them all off balance.

  “What?” Cozy manifested her wings out of instinct and began to float.

  Auranna turned back to Ed as the remaining three tried to maintain their balance. “Someone took our wheels!”

  “Excuse me?” Ed said. “Guys, outside, now. Something is attacking us!”

  With little hesitation, all four of them ran outside.

  They ran outside of their carriage, and the first thing they were greeted with were warm red lights. Buildings towered high around them, as per usual with these cities. The dark sky was in of itself, glowing with this warmth around it.

  “Is this… Loura?” Adelyn asked.

  “Should be, I remember this feeling. It’s quite quaint, but also fairly upgraded as far as the cities go,” Cozy said.

  The buildings stood tall to the sky made out of a glowing brass, but with nature walks standing around all of them. Pink and red flowers were scattered across the road as far as the eyes could see, producing their own lights that guided the paths in front of them.

  But they didn’t have time to focus on that, they had a threat to deal with.

  “Over there,” Auranna said. Ed immediately turned and saw a man running away with their carriage’s wheels. He wasn’t even sure what the thief wanted them for, but he wouldn’t tolerate this.

  “He’s that way! Help me catch him!” Ed shouted, grabbing the girls and Teddie’s attention. With that shout, he put on his mask, let Auranna into his body, and dashed at the culprit.

  He was moving faster than him, but the guy had a massive headstart already. If Ed didn’t catch up in time, there was a chance he might lose him in this unfamiliar city. So, he put his top speed into this.

  In frankly no time, Ed ran through the ground, past a few trees, and jumped on the man holding the wheel. The crash caused the both of them to tumble over onto the ground, with the man letting go of the wheel as Edward stood on top of him. With a conjuring of golden light, two ropes wrapped around the man. Ed took a step back, and crystals erupted out of the ground to trap the man in place.

  Cozy and Adelyn ran behind them, with Cozy’s hands glowing with magic. Teddie was out of breath at last.

  “Who are you? Why the hell are you taking people’s wheels in broad daylight?” Ed complained.

  “I thought I could sell it. That carriage you four are in is super fancy,” the man muttered, coughing at the crystals encasing him up to his throat.

  “Really now?” Cozy said. The girl eyed him up suspiciously. “You did it in the middle of the street. I’m sure the city guard would have a field day with you.”

  “If you needed help, you only needed to ask us,” Adelyn added. “There wasn’t a reason to attack our carriage like that.”

  The four of them looked strongly at the man they had captured. He seemed to scoff under all of their stares.

  “Really? You’re trying to pull that on me now?” the man said, unimpressed. “The city guard isn’t going to do anything to me.”

  “Wow, such confidence,” Cozy sarcastically said. “I had a few run-ins with them and the governor doesn’t mess around when it comes to the guard.”

  “If you’ve had a few run-ins with them, then you should know that this is prime time for people like us,” the man sneered. “The guard has been dysfunctional for a long time now. No governor, the guard can’t sustain itself.”

  “Wait what?” Cozy paused. So did the rest of them.

  “Say that again…?” Teddie asked, nervously.

  “What? You all didn’t know? There ain’t a damn governor in this city, so this place has been a dumpster fire ever since.”

  That wasn’t good.