Arran looked at the town ahead of them with some excitement. It had been months since they had last visited anything bigger than a village, and he missed the feeling of being around people other than Master Zhao.

"I almost forgot," Master Zhao said. He tapped two fingers against Arran's head, and the seal that covered Arran's forbidden Realm disappeared.

"Why did you remove it?" Arran asked anxiously. With the seal gone, he immediately worried about being discovered by the Academy.

"There should be no Academy mages nearby," Master Zhao said. "And we're about to visit someone who could help you hide."

The words did little to reassure Arran, but he had no choice but to accept them.

When they entered the town, Arran was reminded of Riverbend. It held a few thousand people at most, and the houses looked old and cozy, with smoke wafting from stone chimneys.

They followed the main street for a time, passing by houses and stores, with the townsfolk