The renowned city of Astral had not only been my place of residence for practically the current duration of my lifespan, but also my seemingly eternal cage. It was by far considered one of the most diverse and stunning cities in the region, home to thousands of different species and persons of different societal ranks and occupations. Anyone you meet could potentially be a kindhearted, eldery wizard or the precise opposite- a cruel, malicious thief that is constantly on the hunt for the weakest of links. Poverty was, however, a gradually prevalent crisis within Astral`s walls, but my father did not pay such things too much attention; he blamed them for their lack of.. skill. From my perspective, it was the lack of opportunities and freedom in this damned city that was the cause of such effects.

I had always endeavored my utmost best to alter the way things ran within Astral, but I did not have as much power as my father did. This was precisely why I had eventually formed an underground operation that had been slowly altering and bettering Astral behind the scenes. There had been plenty of setbacks and disappointments, yet nothing had truly stopped us yet. Those lacking education and proper nutrition could now visit our secret encampments on the outskirts of town, learning what they needed to know and figuring out how to survive in such a world by themselves. Of course, I had a lot of quesitonable connections and business partners that made such things possible; a few of them were very.. villanous, to say the least. At the moment, our current plans was to make a new encampment near the Northern Gate that led into the city since it was currently suffering the most. This was why I was currently hunched over my desk, silently reading over reports from the people I trusted to order people around at the encampments themselves. I nearly suffered a god-damn heart attack when my mother suddenly barged into my room as if it were her own, however.

``Ari, you`re father is complaining about your sulking,`` my mother, her name none other than Gloria Astria, chided me as she approached me. It took all of my willpower to slowly cover the reports that were laid across my desk with a unfinished painting, making it look as if I was indulging with my favorite hobby instead. ``You keep lingering in your room like some kind of exile.``

``Maybe because father makes me feel like one,`` I stated calmly, earning myself a light swat on the shoulder. I cursed beneath my breath as I met my mother`s gaze and noticed the seriousness plastered across her face. Even though the last thing I wanted was to leave the confines of my room at the moment, I also refused to deal with my father and his anger issues; I swear, nearly every father I knew was a pain in the ass and perhaps that was why I was able to sympahize with most children that had been abandoned on the streets. ``I promise that I`ll go outside tomorrow, mother. I believe it is my turn to care for the animals, yes?``

``It is,`` my mother visibly relaxed at my words once she heard them and replied quietly. It would seem both of us did not want to deal with a pissed-off father. I watched as she headed towards the doors that concealed me from the rest of those in the Astria Manor, pausing to glance back at me before continuing on her way after closing my door. ``Thank you, Ari.``