4. Arcady: Loc & Key

Summary

• The protagonist reminisces about her desire to gain a position at court and at university by presenting a barrel filled with coins acquired from a noble family, making them part of the Lochian power in the heart of the city.
• The protagonist notes her resentment towards those who buried her taie (beloved one) and her plans to make them pay once she has enough proof of their misdeeds. She also reflects on her parents' aspirations for her and her longing for a respectable life.
• On her way home, the protagonist passes a Struck beggar. Struck people are survivors of a plague who are marked by the disease and often ostracized from society. They are often seen as having a higher chance of becoming Starveling, a tragic condition where magic comes at the cost of siphoning one's energy and life.
• The protagonist ends up at the Loc & Key, a locksmith shop that's also her hideout. It's cluttered but she considers it her home. She recalls amassing loot from stealing and how she's running out of time to gather enough funds to apply and attend university before the age limit of 22.
• Despite facing the hardship of needing a significant amount of coin to achieve her dream, the protagonist also notes her love for books and knowledge, seeing it as power and a means to transform and escape her circumstances.
• She ends her day pondering about an unexplained magical storm and a dragonstone artifact she found in her grandparent's burial site. She falls asleep on her chaise longue, dreaming of dragons.