Chapter 1The Old Man’s Toll
The village of Oakhaven was a graveyard of ambition, and its only exit was a narrow gate guarded by Old Man Silas. Silas was a withered figure, his eyes clouded with decades of greed, sitting on a stool that seemed to have grown into the earth itself. He demanded a fortune from anyone who dared to leave, and so far, no one had dared to pay.
Thono stood a few paces away, his hands buried deep in his empty pockets. He didn't look at the gate; he watched Silas. He noticed how the old man’s eyes flickered toward the setting sun every few minutes.
"It’s a beautiful evening to be a gatekeeper, Silas," Thono said, his voice bright and mocking.
Silas didn't blink. "The toll is ten thousand gold coins, boy. Do you have them, or are you just here to waste my twilight?"
Thono chuckled, stepping closer. "Ten thousand? That’s steep. But I noticed something. Every time the sun hits that specific crack in the wall behind you, your left hand twitches. You’re not just guarding a gate; you’re holding a mechanism that resets only at sunset, aren't you?"
Silas’s grip on his staff tightened, his eyes narrowing. "You have an overactive imagination, Thono."
"Maybe," Thono grinned, his eyes sparkling with delight. "But if I reach for that lever right now, will you have the energy to stop me before the mechanism resets and the gate locks itself for the night?"
Before the old man could react, Thono darted forward—not toward the lever, but toward the coins Silas had collected from previous travelers. The old man lunged to protect his hoard, leaving the lever unattended. In that split second of distraction, Thono kicked the mechanism, triggering the heavy iron doors to groan open.
"Too slow, old man!" Thono laughed, sliding through the gap before the heavy doors could shut.
He stepped into the vast, open world, leaving the stunned Silas behind. "The toll was paid, Silas—with your own arrogance!
