Entering Norvondire always made the two feel like a little adventure was just about to begin. Bryce and Naylene took a quick glance at some of the many castle themed structures near the entrance of the medieval like city. Cobblestone streets covered the majority of Norvondire as the two made their way through said bustling streets. Dreamkeepers of many different species big and small went about their daily lives around them.

Upon strolling towards the center of town to see what was to be offered for their visit, Bryce spotted a few street vendors selling some food and drink items to make some quick money. Some sold bander meat, while others sold fermentae. Bryce also noticed one selling toy replicas of springer rifles and trooper helmets. No doubt a ploy to get younger Dreamkeepers inspired to become one in the future by making them unconsciously buy them due to their cool designs meant entirely to catch the eye of jaunty youngsters.

Next to one of the food vendors, there was a large bulletin board nailed up to one of the outer walls of a building. There were quite a large number of posters featuring a slew of different things from Viscount Calah to a new board game soon to be released. Viscount Calah's poster had at least forty percent of it being covered up by another featuring the upcoming festivities such as street performances, late night fireworks and even chances to ride a trained knossus. The Viscount's poster was most likely being so casually overshadowed by another due to him being in office for a while now.

The next Harvest Festival was still a few months away, but it was never too late for some spontaneous fun for the citizens to get in on. Just like the thought of an adventure about to begin, Bryce swore that every time they entered Norvondire, something new would definitely catch his eye and pique his interest. He even considered maybe buying and trying out that upcoming new game with his mom back at home. Another part of him felt like asking to stay late to watch the fireworks. Unfortunately, he knew that wouldn't happen. Not because his mom would say no, but because it would be dangerous to head back home in the dark. Even if they bought a glow-orb they didn't want to risk the possible nighttime dangers. They were, after all, a rather cautious mother and son duo than they were risk takers.

He scoffed at his adventurous thought but kept it at a low enough volume that his mother wouldn't hear and ask what was the matter. Still, the idea that he would've wanted to have a fun little night time venture felt good, and wished for the day he could do such a thing. Merely pushing the thought out of his mind for now, he simply just continued his fun little stroll with his mother.

Unfortunately, said stroll got a little shaky for them at the intersection ahead as they were extremely cautious of a groundcar being pulled by a knossus. A few smaller groundcars were being pulled by manekales as the knossus one in front of them was seen coming up the street. Everyone instinctively and naturally got out of the way of the massive cart puller, but Naylene and Bryce were practically the only ones to brace their backs up against a building to be as far away from the street as they could. They had some mixed and mildly fearful emotions about these creatures.

No incident with one of these cart hauling beasts has befallen them since Bryce first awakened his power, but they were still cautious nonetheless. Once the knossus groundcar had rounded the corner, Naylene and Bryce felt much more relaxed and safer despite the odds of an incident happening at that very moment being incredibly slim. “Man,” said Bryce as he placed his hand over his heart and exhaled. “I still feel scarred around those things.”

“Me too kiddo.” Said Naylene as she placed her hand over her mildly fast beating heart as well. Wanting to forget about this experience so it wouldn't ruin their day, she promptly thought of an idea to help take their minds off of unwanted memories.“Why don't we go get something to eat huh? Lets go ahead and see if that diner we like to eat at is busy or not. I could use a nice hot meal to calm my nerves.”

“Yeah,” said Bryce with relief in his voice. “That would be awesome.” Bryce grabbed hold of his mother's hand when she gestured it outward as a sign to stay next to her from then on.

The streets were less crowded after the groundcars had left the area, making the walk through them feel more comfortable with a suffuse of Dreamkeepers on both sides. As they continued to head down the street however, Naylene seemed to notice one particular thing standing out among the people. A good number of them seemed to be looking at their data scrolls. Some simply looked to be apathetic, while most looked to be a little uneasy. At first she was just a little curious as to what it was that they could be looking at, and if it was the same thing being viewed on all the other scrolls. She saw a few people gathered around one single scroll user up ahead.

As she and Bryce casually walked past the same group, she caught a quick glance at what it was. It was the three missing persons story that Boore was talking about earlier this morning on his scrollcast. Apparently the three who went missing have still yet to reappear anywhere in Anduruna, and no clues to their whereabouts have yet to be found.

Naylene was the only one to hear anything as her son walked next to her on her left side. “I bet they got caught using their powers.” One of the female individuals said in the small group as Naylene and Bryce continued their way down the street. She was able to make out one last sentence before they got too far away to hear anything else. “They're either dead or possibly out there in the Dioney Deserts somewhere trying not to be dead.”

Shame was expressed first on her face followed by moderate worry. She knew that anyone caught illegally using their powers would face harsh punishment and or banishment from Anduruna. Power usage was forbidden in order to keep the peace and maintain order after all, yet some Dreamkeepers didn't care about or simply hated the law. Such things were even happening before the previous Viscount enacted the legislation of banishment.

She felt as if she was breaking that very law in some way by having her son use his own power once every day. But she reminded herself that she only did this so that it would never be able to stockpile its power, and be accidentally unleashed after having said stockpiled power increased. She feared of the numerous outcomes of such a thing which would be the harming, or worse, killing of innocent people. The very thought that her son would know that he was the cause of it scared her even more. Not to mention the obvious banishment that they would both face, or even worse; execution. She only wanted her son to have a good life and would go to such shamefully risky yet, what she believed to be, necessary lengths to do so.

Bryce looked up at her to see the adverse emotions flooding her face. “Mom?” He pulled at her hand and expressed his own apprehensive emotions. She looked down at her son and oddly the first thoughts to come to her mind were of her parents. The way her son looked at her from her own perspective was like looking in a mirror. She remembered that look all to well as her parents had caused the very same one to appear on her own face multiple times to make it impossible for her to forget. A single tear formed in her right eye and she quickly came to her senses as she wiped it away. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she said regaining her composure and forcing a smile. “Everything's fine kiddo. Just got a little lost in thought for a moment there.” Bryce wanted to ask her what it was she was thinking about, but didn't want to bother her for fear of it upsetting her again. “Come on, that diner is just a short ferry ride away.” She playfully tugged at her son's arm. “Lets see if we can get our favorite seats in the back again.” Bryce chuckled playfully as they continued to head down the bustling streets.

They came up to the dock where the ferry was waiting, and a line of at least five other people was already started. Once they boarded the ferry they found their seats in the very back of the boat. Not a lot of people liked sitting in the back because it made it harder to get out of the ferry once their destination was reached. The two of them didn't really care if it took longer or made it harder to exit, they just enjoyed being able to sit in the back and have it all to themselves.

Once they sat down, Naylene noticed that Bryce was a little too close to the edge as he was looking down into the aqueduct. She pulled him closer to her so he wouldn't get any closer to the edge as he's done in the past. “Oh come on mom,” he whispered embarrassingly to her. “It's not like I'm going to jump into the water and go for a swim or anything.” He was just a randomly curious young fox who just liked to look at things people don't normally care about.

“Sorry,” she said with a smug grin. “But I still don't trust you to be mischievously adventurous in the city just yet.” He playfully pushed himself away from her but still kept close enough to show he wasn't going to misbehave. The ferryman spoke up from behind the wall separating him from the passengers.

“Hold on to your seats folks,” said the red male cat manning the ferry. They began to move through the aqueduct and away from the dock towards the many destinations the ten person boat would take its seven passengers.

***

About six minutes past before the first destination was reached. The two up front got off and made their way down the dock steps. They waved the ferry and the rest of the passengers goodbye politely. The ferry continued on its way and those left talked among themselves while a couple of them meekly looked at their data scrolls to pass the time. Bryce kept looking out towards the city and up at the Sabbaton Towers. He would never get used to how massive and beautiful the divine structures were.

Naylene enjoyed seeing the look of amazement on her son's face. It made her feel serenity in the way most mothers should when it came to their own child's peace and happiness. She chuckled quietly to herself due to such joy flooding her senses. Sadly though, this moment ended abruptly as the unwanted memories from earlier emerged in her mind again. The memories of her parents. Which someone would normally enjoy remembering. But not Naylene. Her mind wondered off to these thoughts as Bryce continued to look out at the view.

It wasn't difficult for her to forget these vexatious and tenacious thoughts whenever they entered her mind, but she would sometimes let them loom whenever the atmosphere around her was peaceful. Doing so allowed her to better accept them so they wouldn't affect her as negatively in the future and be able to move past them. It was her own therapeutic method without having to see an actual therapist.

The memories she mostly had of her mother and father were ones of pure sorrow and pain. Ones of them cutting ties with and completely disowning her. She did have happy memories of the people who brought her into this world and raised her, but these days the negative memories makes her see them as just that; not parents, just two people who decided to have a child.

They were a wealthy couple with plans to live in the Sabbaton Towers. Something that could either be difficult or simple depending on who it was that wished to achieve this goal. Such a goal for her parents was ruined when she got pregnant with Bryce at the age of eighteen. It wasn't that uncommon for a woman to have a child at this young of an age. However, when it makes their parents look like irresponsible enablers to their own child, it can have a negative impact of their public face. All Naylene wanted was to share her love with the man she loved and in turn loved her the same if not more. These thoughts would affect her in a wistful and or aggravating way but she'd almost immediately repress such feelings as she learned to accept the memories little by little.

She did not blame nor will she ever hate her son for her misfortune or ever think of him as a mistake. She did not even hate the man who gave her her son. She merely hated her parents for kicking her out of their lives instead of helping her through such a tough and important time in her own life.

The next memories of her parents that entered her mind were ones that affected her in the most severe way. The ones where she heard that they had both passed away when Bryce was just two years old. Apparently her mother died of cancer and her father, out of tremendous grief, killed himself not long after. They never wrote Naylene out of their will however, and their fortune was given to her upon their death. She didn't want to live in the city due to the bad memories at first. Selling the house her parents owned as well as the money she had received from the will, she simply decided to live more out in the country in the place her parents spent most summers to have time to themselves. Only she knew about this little home away from home and decided to keep it that way. All so her son could have a quiet and peaceful life with her. No fancy mansion, no maids or butlers, just a small house with enough money to last until Bryce would start a family of his won one day.

Bryce was indeed told about his grandparents but only when he turned ten years old. He hated the fact that they didn't care for his own mother and was glad that he didn't know them when they were like that. Though he still wished to have gotten to know them in some way that would have and could have been happy.

As her mind continued to wander through her memories of the past, the ones that came next were those of her lover. A kind man who loved the thought of being a father almost as much as he loved her. She lived with him for two years after Bryce was born and felt happy again, like she had been given a second chance at the family she had wanted. Until one day, he just disappeared out of her life when Bryce was close to turning three years old, and has not been seen since. Such events made Naylene feel like an outcast in a world that just seemed to keep pushing a happy life away from her. The only light she had in this world was her son, and she'd never let it go out for as long as she lived. Almost instinctively, as her mind cleared and she came back to her senses, she then reached over and gently pulled her son closer to her again and hugged him. At first he didn't know why she suddenly did this, but feeling a tear drop from her face onto his snout made him not question it further and just let her continue. Naylene may have continued to accept and move past these memories little by little, but it was still hard nonetheless to deal with them once they were remembered.

As they got closer to their stop, the two passengers in front of them, a couple of cyan colored male wolves, started to talk a little louder from the conversation they had started among themselves after the first stop the ferry had made. They were seemingly so caught up in this that they had unconditionally forgotten that there were two other passengers behind them.“I AM being serious. Ever since he got elected, Viscount Calah has seriously cracked down harder on the forbidden usage of powers more than the previous Viscount.”

“And I said you're being paranoid.” The other spoke with a direct tone. “Which you obviously can't seem to take the hint for.”

“Trust me.” The other said with a more serious tone while gesturing his index finger towards the other. “More people are going to start disappearing because they just can't help but want to use their powers. You can't just expect an entire species who are all born with these things not to use them at some point, and I'm not talking about the crime families or drug dealers out there.” Naylene gripped her son a little tighter, almost as if she believed every word he was saying. Bryce also felt a little uneasy from the words that were being said and didn't refuse his mother's instincts. “I don't know about you, but I'm going to go get me the proper permits to a springer and try to see if I can move as close to the Sabbaton Towers as possible where to most protection is. One of these days someone out there is going to crack from the pressure these laws put on them and try to destroy them.” Naylene, without a doubt, could tell that the news stories were still affecting other Dreamkeepers around the city in adverse ways.

“Come on man.” The other took a quick glance back at Naylene and Bryce once he instantly remembered that they were behind them, and knew they could undoubtedly hear their conversation. “You're acting crazy and are gonna start scaring people. Plus I don't think such permits even exist.”

“Well I'm gonna go find out either way. Oh, and I'm not being crazy.” The other wolf placed his right hand on the other one's shoulder. “I'm being realistic.” Their conversation ended after that and the back of the ferry went uncomfortably silent.

Once the ferry stopped at the next dock it was finally Naylene and Bryce's turn to get off. They stepped their way through the gaps the others were making in the middle of their seats so they could reach the extended platforms used to go from the ferry to the dock. They were glad to be off the ferry and back on the streets. A sensation that wouldn't have happened had the earlier conversation been kept to the two who started it. Naylene stood there for a moment and acted frustrated. “I swear.” She gripped the bridge of her nose and rubbed it with her thumb and index finger as if to relieve pressure. “The paranoia some people feel these days.”

“Hey,” said Bryce yanking on his mother's hand. “Let's just forget about those guys and go have the fun we came here for.” She felt better after seeing his carefree smile and took a calming breath and let it out quickly but softly.

“You're right kiddo. Let's go get something good to eat and enjoy the rest of our day.” They continued on their way to their destination while still holding each others hands. They weren't about to let the stubborn paranoia of cliché hate towards laws get in the way of their own lives.