The Day After Magic

The city of Bahzar was glowing.

From its towering sandstone minarets to the narrow alleys overflowing with spice-laced air, everything shimmered under the late morning sun. Crimson banners fluttered from the palace walls, and golden bells chimed from every archway. It was the kind of day when even the breeze carried laughter, when the city forgot its wounds and remembered its dreams.

Today was no ordinary day. Word had spread like wildfire across every street, shop, and shanty—the street thief had married the princess.

Children ran barefoot through the dust, shouting stories they barely understood. “He was poor!” one cried. “He had a flying carpet!” said another. “No, he was a sorcerer in disguise!” yelled a third, and the group burst into laughter, inventing wilder tales with every corner they turned.

In the heart of this celebration, lost in the noise and wonder, a boy leaned against the wall of a crumbling tea stall, chewing on a stolen piece of flatbread. His name was Zahid, and unlike the rest of the city, his eyes were not filled with joy—but with curiosity.

Sixteen years old, sunburnt, sharp-eyed, and faster than most guards could blink, Zahid had no home, no family, and no real reason to stay in one place. He wasn’t a bad thief—he was a playful one. He stole not because he was desperate, but because the world had forgotten to give him anything else to do. His heart wasn’t bitter—it was hungry for something more.

And this day, this joy, this wedding of a former thief who had somehow become a prince—it lit something inside him. Not envy. Not disbelief. Something else.

Hope.

Still chewing, Zahid wandered through the market, where even the poorest stall owners had hung scraps of silk in honor of the occasion. A potter with cracked hands sold chipped cups for half their price. A blind storyteller sat on a rug, spinning tales of magic lamps and golden caves for a single copper coin. No one questioned whether the stories were true—they needed them to be.

Not far from there, just past the crowd and into the quieter edges of the city, Zahid slipped into his favorite hiding place—an abandoned building behind the old library. Its roof was half-collapsed, and the floor was littered with scrolls, dust, and silence. He liked it here. It was the only place where the world felt still.

He sat on a stone step and looked out at the city.

Bahzar was beautiful, but it was also broken. Behind the joy, there were mothers selling jewelry to buy rice. There were barefoot children chasing stories instead of school. There were boys like Zahid who had never even dreamed of a palace. And yet today, every single one of them smiled.

“Imagine that,” Zahid murmured to himself. “A thief with a magic lamp. Married to a princess. Who writes these stories?”

He laughed softly.

He didn’t know that soon, he wouldn’t just be reading stories.

He’d be walking into one.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***