Myra - Fiction & Art Poll

Myra and her friends pushed their cart down the winding mountain path of the Outer City. Deep blue clouds framed the faint glow in the distance, casting a mysterious hue. The villages residing at the bottom of the city were beginning to light their lanterns, like stars scattered across the ground, radiating the warmth of everyday life.

The evening was always Myra’s favorite time of day. When she and other orphans weren’t at school, they were expected to help the headmistress sell goods to earn money. The fading light of horizons marked that she could finally go home to rest and play. She counted the coins in her hand — some earned through selling mushrooms and a few silver pieces “borrowed” from those spoiled rich kids from the Inner City.

Myra didn’t have a strong sense of morality, but she didn’t think she was a bad person. She was simply redistributing resources more fairly. After all, rich kids wouldn’t notice this petty little loss — and those few coins could cover an entire week’s expenses for someone like her.

The bell in the Middle City rang, marking the arrival of night. The students of the Temple would now be returning to their homes in the Middle City. Meanwhile, life in the Outer City of New Celexi remained calm — so calm that it felt stagnant, as if she might spend her entire life here.

Ascension Day was always exciting, mainly because it was only once in a lifetime. In just one week, the festival would begin, celebrating the start of a brand new century, a closer step into the future. Although Myra had no idea what she wanted to become, she dreamed of growing up quickly to travel further and begin her adventures.

The Outer City always welcomed everyone—soldiers and merchants came in and out, students from the temple passed through, and sometimes even bounty hunters or fugitives appeared. Maybe one day, she could become a soldier or a wandering ranger. The world is big, and she longed for that kind of life, often finding herself getting lost in fantasies.

Looking out toward the scattered lights and faint smoke in the distance, Myra couldn’t help but smile, gazing into the horizon.