《Distant Leaps to Circinus [Obsolete]》 Prologue
Chapter Song: Memory Distorted
The small monitor turns on, illuminating the dark room with its bright blue light. The screen is damaged and occasionally the words and images get scrambled together. It gives off the low hum of electricity and flickers intermittently. A finger presses the button on the desk labeled record and a REC sign above lights up red. The room walls are colored in a dirty sky blue and it has only one door. It only held a white table with a chair, a computer and recording equipment. A man with shaggy facial hair scratches the side of his head and sighs. The sound of feedback comes from the headphones on the desk. A man takes a seat in the worn-out chair and tilts the microphone close to his lips. The man sits in silence staring at the flickering screen. He clears his thirsty throat and coughs. Sighing once more he says, [???: I''m sure you all have been waiting, but... I admit it... I... Ah hell why do I even do this.] He stood up but soon changes his mind and plops back into the chair. A loud metal bang reverberates through the room as he slams the table with his fist,Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. [???: I did want to end my life! Just like the others did! There I fucking said it! I''m no hero. Not even the slightest! I''m weak! But the voice... That sweet melodic voice keeps whispering into my head. Telling me things. Constantly leading me around this damned metal bucket. Always telling me that They need me... The voice doesn''t stop there. It shows me visions, faint signs of what''s going on below. Those images kept me going, I thought I could be useful this way. Someone needed me. Even while I drift out here endlessly. I can''t see them, but they can''t see me either. Still... We can connect somehow.] He touches his temples, feeling a slight migraine, he tries to rub the pain away. [???: The voice though. I''m not sure if it has some kind of gender or sex or some weird alien hocuspocus. that makes it sound like that. What I am sure of is that this is some kind of game for them or, some kind of--] The sound of a low alarm rings above his head. and an orange sign flashes with the words Low Power. The man presses the save button on the screen and turns the monitor power off. [???: I could have sworn I fixed those damn solar chargers... I guess I''ve got another pain in the ass to deal with.] The man puts on a dirty white coat and grabs the cold handle of the door. He peers back at the monitor, looking at his reflection, his brown hair had traces of gray strands. [???: I''m getting too old for this... When will it end?]
[Author: Enjoy the journey.] Music Announcement I originally intended to make a Kinetic novel, and thus music was produced for this story. I wanted to make a visual representation and have people enjoy music, art, and interaction with the story. That plan is a ways off, so just the story is produced and posted at the moment. One day I hope to make a full-fledged kinetic novel for people to enjoy. Below in the Post-Chapter notes are a few songs produced. Feel free to listen to them while reading for a bit more atmosphere. You can check this chapter or the soundcloud link every few months for more music. Enjoy!
Main Theme: Distant Leaps to CircinusIf you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Whole Playlist: The Unlighted | Playlist
Inspirational: Children of Circinus
Ambient: Memory Distorted
Sad: The Unlighted | Time gone through loops
Believing: The Unlighted | Beleive in the Colors
Action: The Unlighted | Trapped
[1] Mundane Colors
Chapter Song: Distant leaps to Circinus | Happenings (Foley Constant)
A Test?¡­. Is this what a test is?¡­ ¡°Who knows.¡± We didn¡¯t do anything yet ¡°Exactly.¡± Unable to speak, it was immobilized yet shaking in fear. It could only bare its thoughts and respond to the strange being before it. Falling into an endless void, a poor soul, somewhere, has lost its life to the unknown.
The place the new humanity calls home, is very daunting. Only 112 years and the people who inhabit the earth are still just the same, despite their mutations and changed ecosystems. Living their lives and trying to survive, society has rebuilt itself quite easily due to the mass amounts of equipment and technology still available, but this is only true for the deeper layer of the planet. The laws of physics that had existed before world were swept away and were now different. Space and time around the planet no longer worked as they once knew. Many years and a century after the planet was changed there was a sole man. The man who had persevered through thirty years of solitude, Grand, was the forthcoming hope of humanity. Grand had worked on the station for a little over 2 years before the Earth was changed into an unimaginable world of layers. On July 4th of 2041, the station assigned to research the False light had luck on its side. In the right place at the right time, the researchers aboard the station were the first and only participants in seeing Earth''s destruction from afar. Witnessing this, Grand and the crew aboard were at a loss for what to do. Hopeless due to lack of communication from the homeland and surrounding stations. Aftertwo months of silence, the majority of the crew decided to try and take the escape pods down to the decimated Earth. No word came back from them, others decided there was nothing else to gain from sitting in the station or even on Earth. With their family possibly gone and no real reason to continue surviving, they took their own lives. Self-ejection into space, starvation, asphyxiation, all methods to end a meaningless existence. Except for Grand, the only one to witness the faint traces of light coming from the planet. Just before he was to end his life, these faint lights gave him hope, that maybe just waiting a bit longer could turn things around for him. This gave rise to him watching the new planet form, morph and become what is known as Circinus today. All he could do was continue research and witness the birth of a new world. Along with some of his research, he put a drawn out map of what the world looked like from the station, inside of a blast resistant capsule, and sent it hurtling toward the earth, hoping it proved useful to whoever may stumble across it. The planet, in just a short time of 34 years, had changed drastically. Taking on the shape of a sphere that''s been cut in the middle multiple times by a ring, shaped almost like a gyroscope.
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Zeais. Born into a changed world with Achromatic vision, he lived life with only slight knowledge as to what colors there are. He could only see color for very specific situations, thanks to the false light hidden far above the planet. Because of his also, horrid eyesight, the adults had a hard time taking care of him as he grew up. Along with having difficulty judging pereception, he sometimes stumbled, but it wasn''t as if he couldn''t function normally. Taking advantage of his other senses and bringing the most out of himself, he does not suffer from his impairments. At the moment, all he feels is the hard crevasses of cold, damp stone. It¡¯s much darker than normal in the late afternoon and histired body feels heavy. Wishing that he had prepared a bit more before leaving his hometown, he sighs. Dawn is approaching for the youth and to make matters worse he''s in what looks to be a hole with bricks lining the wall. He thinks that maybe he is inside of a well or some kind of drainage or unfinished well. He loses interest, too fatigued to keep his eyes open. Sleep is all he wants. Only 9 years old, Zeais, succumbs to the plight of exhaustion. Moments like this would cause an uproar in the old age of civilization, but such is the world that humans and animals have become accustomed to, survival and revival are what they seek. The sound of thunder cracks through the air and sends vibrations to all the land underneath. The large overgrown trees groan and shake against high wind. Dust and dirt mix with the air, blinding anyone who would go against its path. The paved road is empty for miles. No people, no animals, no vehicles. Just a long sole strip of land, being accosted by a singularity storm. Large pellets of rain hitting his face, Zeais had been unconscious for quite a while. Laying on his back and head turned to the side as if used to such an uncomfortable rock bed, while the storm relentlessly assaults the plains around him. He doesn''t wake up, not even as the water begins to build up inside the hollowed-out hole. His small body, underwater from the chin down, laid still. His gray cotton shirt and worn shorts weigh heavy on him. His brown skin is now cold enough that anyone touching him would think he¡¯s passed on. Murky water touches his lips and begins to fill his mouth and, soon, entered his throat. Suddenly, as if waking from a nightmare, choking, he sits up and coughs out the brown muddied water. ¡°....¡°. Looking around him, he puts together where he is in his mind, he then puts his hand into the foggy substance to confirm that he''s just in water. Looking up, his sharp dark gray eyes shaped like almonds, sees only a blob of gray and dust. With the roar of thunder and heavy rain above he ponderswaiting out the storm somewhere safe. Coughing into his hand, he stands. The water from wet clothing is blown a bit by the wind tunneling through the hole, it sends chills down his body. He doesn¡¯t make a movement from the sensation, instead, he says, [Zeais: I¡¯ve been through worse. I need to keep moving.] As he steps toward the wall in front him to reach out, he feels a sharp pain shoot through his side. He puts his hand on his hip and feels his skin. Even though he¡¯s wet, he can feel the warmth of fresh blood oozing out. [Zeais: I need to get back to the shelter.] Reaching out to start climbing, he grabs hold of rock with just enough surface to fit his fingers. Feet wet and chilled he steps onto a loose rock on the ground and pulls himself up the small hole. Being only four feet tall, scaling a six-foot hole was no big deal. He was used to climbing for all types of foods and vegetation throughout the deeper forests and mountains. For a year and a half, the child had ventured out into the various biomes in search of food for the others. Not uncommon around this age in the upper rings of the planet, as childrenhave to fend for themselves at times due to the lack of adults but highnumbers of children. Now facing into the rain and high winds, Zeais tries to look for the road he was traveling. Thankfully it''s not that far from the hole he just awoke from, only a couple yards. [Zeais: ¡°I must have been pretty tired to not notice a hole like that near the road.¡± ] He proceeds to walk toward the road when a large gust of wind pushes him over. The storm picks up more intensity and shakes the trees and grass throughout the plains wildly. On his knees, he clicks his tongue, [Zeais: I¡¯d rather be in stupid weather than drown in some hole.] Picking himself back up, he sees the flickering of orange light. All too well did he know what seeing color for him meant. [Zeais: There¡¯s someone here... I doubt it''s one of the adults - one of the children? ] Wary of the colors approaching him, he prepares to guard against whoever would walk around in a storm like this. [2] Encounter with a distant star
Asterisks around a characters name, means that they are using a special form of communication in the story
An orange hue. Bright like an orange Cosmos flower and movement burdened by heavy wind, the eyes approach at a slow pace toward him. Zeais loosens his guard toward the slow approaching figure. He ponders over the possibility of it being an ''abnormal'', but they would have attacked already if they were. He raises his right hand into the air and motions them to stop. The eyes stop their movements and dim a bit, almost as if this person were squinting. [Zeais: I guess they didn''t even notice me out here? I know my eyes aren''t all that bright, the wind and rain don''t help either. If they''re around my age they should know what this means though.] Bringing his hand down to his right eye he makes a tube-like sign as if it were a telescope, and points his hand and thumb outward. There is a slow blink from their eyes and a quick flash ofbright orange lightemanates from the figure. Zeais looks directlyat the lights and as if there was a person speaking inside his skull, he clearly hears the words of a girl, [*Girl*: I didn''t even notice you.....] Wincing at the blunt response, he continues maintaining eye contact. The voice that wouldn''t normally reach this far in the heavy rain continues. [*Girl*: Are you abnormal?] Zeais imposes the will of his words into form through his eyes and conveys his words. [*Zeais*: No, they''re gray, I don''t have any cracks in them] [*Girl*: Is that so... I suppose you just came from Don''te then if you''re on this road."] [*Zeais*: No, I only came from the forest near there.]Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. She blinks,from Zeais''s perspective, herbright orange pupils tilt asif she thought about that statement. [*Zeais*: I don''t want to stay out here too long, I''m getting cold. Sorry for the sudden question though but do you have any herb wrap? I have a cut that could be infected.] [*Girl*: Of course, I have enough to spare for someone with an injury. Anyone would carry some for a trip though, did you lose yours?] [*Zeais*: I was out looking for herb and food butlostmy roll in Don''te, I had to hurry and leave because the storm clouds were far away.] [*Girl*: I see. I''ll bring it to you then if you don''t mind] [*Zeais*: Of course not.] She starts moving forward. Only around 100 meters away it wouldn''t take any time at allfor her to reach him. The bright coloring and light in the eyes of thesecond andthird generation, is clearly visible no matter the distance. As long as eye contact is met, the distinct shine is indistinguishable from any other glint or glare to them. For Zeais to have seen her so clearly, she''d have to keep a direct line of sight on what''s in front of her. Although the shine from children''s eyesisa sign of eye contact, if one of the eyes is a closer shade of black, less light will be obvious to the person looking at them. The child Zeais is color blind and is nearsighted, even so, he can clearly see the eyes of others. Due to the nature of his special achromatic vision, with no other color to see, it''s is easy for him to spot people or even animals with a false lights eye.
She begins to come into view for Zeais, not enough to make out a face but enough to seeher figure. As she approaches, the silhouette of what looks like bulky clothing flaps in the wind, and her details fade in. Closer and closer, her eyes shine fiercely, focusing on moving through the intense winds. As if she walked through a bubble of fog, she comes into view. Her vivid orange pupil looked deep and radiant to Zeais,he thinks they almost look like they''re a reflection of the sun. Her dark hair cut short into a low wild bob, the ends of her hair a deep orange, appear to Zeaisas a much lighter shade of black. Wearing an all-weather parka fleeced with fur on the hood and light wool pants with boots, she stops in front of him. Her hood wildly dancing in the wind, shespeaks not with her mouth, but through will of word. [*Girl*: Here.] She holds the wrap out in front of her, its white cotton laced with healing herbs and bathed in light. Zeais accepts it from her gloved hand and looks into her eyes. [*Zeais*: Thank you, this helps a lot.] The girl furrows her brows as if he said something strange and slightly shakes her head. [*Girl*: We take care of each other, only adults and the abnormal are not to be trusted.] Starting a stride, she walks past Zeais and turns into a blurry silhouette from his near field of view, disappearing into the storm. Zeaisstares into the direction of the gray abyss that she walked into. [3] Journey to shelter (pt.1) Turning away from the traveling girl''s direction, the boy jogs over a nearby tree for cover. He lifts his shirt to put the herb wrap around the cut on his hip. After wrapping the injury, he feels the heat from the small light crystals embedded in the cloth react to the blood oozing out. While herb wraps are made of plants they still have traces of matter that have absorbed false light to a small degree, this produces a variety of colors when used. To him, he only sees a faint black shadow. He thinks about how to proceed with the next ten miles of walking he has left. Due to the rain, he gave up on the possibility of finding shelter. After all, he could end up sick or even sicker, if he isn¡¯t already. Maybe I should just sit here and let the storm pass? he thinks. No, I would be too vulnerable then... with all the crazy animals that roam at night. It would be even worse if I need to fight them and end up even more tired than I am now... While pondering about whatthe next steps to take, he hears the loud yet intentional sounding scream of a man rings out from the distance. Snapping his head toward the scream, Zeais only sees the short blades of gray grass in front of him and the near-sighted wall of blurriness. Quickly looking left and right into the distant fields for signs of eyes, he tries to gauge where the man might be. The sound of rapid footsteps grabs his attention. Swiveling his head to the new sudden sound, the steps continue to rush toward him. He sees quick pulses of orange flashing, she¡¯s running back toward the scream, but where is he? he thinks. Breathing raggedly and rushing toward the source of the scream, the girl quickly passes outside his vision range, her silhouette speeding by. How does she know where to go? That scream had to at least be 1000 or more meters out. Being able to see farther would really help at times like this, but whatever. I''ll just go off the sound of her footsteps. Do I really want to help though? Zeais thinks. Another scream from the man echoes distantly from the open plains. [Zeais: Ahh! Fine!] Tugging down his shirt he quickly starts running from his shelter and into the rain after the sound of the girl. Zeais, a fast runner and a bit more athletic than his impairments would lead on, quickly gains onto her. Closing in he sees her outline and just like before she fades into his vision. As clear as day he sees her running from behind with her hood flown off, blowing in the wind. He gains speed to catch up and runs by her right side. She doesn''t seem to be too surprised that I joined her, he thinks. She looks him in the eyes, her hair soaked and water dripping down her face.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. [*Girl*: ¡°I¡¯m sure you heard the scream too, there¡¯s also a marker in the distance. Did you not see it¡±] Kicking himself for not thinking to look in the sky for even the slightest sign of an emergency marker, he furrows his brows. [Zeais: No, I didn¡¯t see it. How far is it?] [*Girl*: Not far, just a little over 1000 meters] The boy smirks at his correct guess. At least I got that right. But why doesn''t she talk with her mouth? It would be awful to run with my head twisted for so long, he questions her behavior. Yet another scream is let out, but not containing a man''s voice. It is instead, the voice of a younger boy. The children pick up their pace, running toward to what they think might be a very bad situation that might be life-threatening. Zeais unable to run at full speed due to the nature of his vision trots at what is her full speed pace. Just as he thinks how slow she is compared to him, he tosses his useless thought as she stops abruptly. Seeing her do this so suddenly, he quickly comes to a stop too. She hastily gets into a low crouch and signals him to follow suit. The sound of metal hitting thick wood rings out. Swinging an axe with the intent to kill, a pale skinny man with a ripped shirt and large burn on his leg, tries to eliminate what caused him his large burn wound. A silver sheep, notorious for being aggressive when around other animals than their kind. Being migratory animals, they often use their wool to set fire to the territory they claim, when it is violated by other creatures. Very intelligent, able to smell from very far distances and predict quick wind changes. Silver sheep prove to be dangerous for any village and town if they decide to settle there. The young boy screams again, surrounded by the light of a single rough crystal, it emits a large purple and green circle. He has a slight burn on his neck and his clothes are tattered and dirty. The boy notices the two older children hidden from the sheep. His eyes widen at the thought of rescue and he breathes in to yell for help. The orange-eyed youth raises her pinky finger to the boy and he buries his yell inside and nods. The girl slowly takes out a knife that was hidden under her coat. The man unaware of the two hiding to assist continues swinging at the sheep wildly. Aggravated, it shakes its hide and lots of light wool depart from its coat to blow in the wind. The infuriated animal grunts loudly and sets its body ablaze. The flame spreads to some of the wool floating around in the wind and rain. The man only sees a flash of white, before a fire erupts in front of his eyes, setting him on fire. [4] Journey to shelter (pt.2) The explosion of fire from the silver sheep lit the sky with a blinding light. The man made a quick yelp as his body was taking on more burns from the inferno. The blast knocked him back, hurling him into a nearby tree. A brief thud is heard as his back and head smash into the hard bark. His unconscious body slumps over and falls to the side. The once bright fire that tinged the air with hot flames, is no more than just smoke now that gets washed away by the heavy rain. The silver sheep does not stop its rampage with just his once fearful opponent. It looks toward the child quivering inside the shining circle of light. The boy makes an almost inaudible whimper, when his eyes meet with the anger filled mammals green slit eyes. The silver sheep take steps toward the scared child. Blowing air from its nostrils to display its hostility, it ever so slowly approaches him. The sheep stops abruptly, there is a change in the wind. The sheep alerted to the smell of sudden nearby creatures, jerks its elongated head to the scent, trying to find out what would dare try and take it by surprise. The two discovered children slightly stagger back in surprise to the sheep''s fast reaction. With their presence suddenly known to the ferocious animal and their bodies open for an attack they both take no chances and take a stance to fight back. The agitated sheep, even more, enraged that someone would try and intimidate it widens its eyes and snorts. The sheep let out deep baa, which would sound demonic to someone a century and a half ago. It starts fiercely stomping and sliding its hooves on the ground making its anger known. To the exposed children, this is what they have always sounded like and did. It would make no difference to them even if it was much lighter in tone, there is an enemy is in front of them and they must kill to survive. Presenting the blade to the sheep and taking a more defensive stance, the girl prepares for the sheep to charge. The silver animal stops its intimidation and instead paces side to side, watching the two for any movements. [Girl: It''s alone, the rest of his flock probably abandoned him.] [Zeais: ¡­] Hearing her voice for the first time, Zeais almost looks away from the sheep to see who was speaking to him but keeps his eyes on the enemy ahead of him instead. Finally hearing her speak for once, he thinks that she has a nice voice and puts his useless thought aside. [Zeais: It was probably kicked out. Maybe it''s trying to make a name for itself or something.] The sheep intently watching the two stops its pacing and turns away from them. It assures itself with a quick glance back at two, to make sure they won''t attack it from behind. The children reaffirm their guard just in case it changes its mind. The silver sheep makes another deep baa and runs off toward the plains. Standing up, the girl makes sure the sheep doesn¡¯t try anythingor attack the small boy out of anger. [Girl: Decided it''s not worth the trouble huh. Good decision. Zeais watches her put the dark blade back into the pocket of her coat. That looks like a really uncomfortable place to carry such a large knife, especially near the stomach, he thinks.Hestands as well, listening for the sound of trotting. [Zeais: As long as he doesn¡¯t try anything sneak we should be fine, I don¡¯t think he will though. Not against three people on its own.] The little boy drops a small pocket knife hidden behind the crystal marker and runs up to the wounded man. Dropping the crystal marker, which breaks on impact, he begins to sob when he sees the unconscious mans face twisted in pain. Zeais and the orange-eyed youth run toward the burned man and sobbing boy. The child''s small eyes look up as two approach him, the young child looks to the girl. His hair and were clothes soaking wet. His dark hair matted down from the rain and messy. His bright yellow eyes look to the girl, filled with sadness.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! The girl approaches him with a worried look. She looks down at him and pinches his cheek, he winces at the unexpected pain. Taking out her bond of herb wrap, she begins wrapping his small burned neck as she looks into his eyes. She does a short check over to make sure it doesn''t fall off. [Girl: It''s okay, he''s still breathing.] She squats down to his level and soothingly rubs his head, being as compassionate as possible,. she tries to comfort the boy, she smiles at him. [Small boy: Please..] Interrupting him with her finger to his nose, [Girl: Don''t worry, of course, we will help. As long as you help us take him to safety, he will be fine. We have to be strong, right?] The small boy wipes his tears away and nods his head. Not quite smiling but he puts on his most courageous face. [Small boy: mm, you''re right, I want to be useful too!] Watching her cheer the younger boy up, Zeais can''t help but think she might make a good mentor if she were a bit older. The role previously given to adults was now a widespread ideology. Everyone should try to teach someone younger than them. Life skills, hunting, goods trading, anything useful for the benefit of someone''s survival was needed. So that the human race may someday, revive its glory days. This is what is taught to keep the human race alive on the outer most rings of Circinus. Teaching children to be strong, courageous and brave early on lets them have some sort of confidence to build skills and have a chance at surviving out in the rabid world. Zeais examined the man''s wounds, looks onto his half-burned torso and bright red streaks of burn along with his right arm, which had an even worse, appearance. Thinking that he may have used it to shield his face, the boy makes a pained expression. Upon closer inspection, he sees his neck was also damaged, which would make talking after awakening a pain. [Zeais: We don''t have the medical supplies for this... And regular herb wrap can''t do much but make the burns hurt a bit less.] [Girl: The rain should help with that though. It should soothe it a bit. It''s not raining as hard as it was before unfortunately.] The young child looks at his burned companion, [Small boy: Will we have to carry him?] [Girl: He looks really heavy, we might have to drag him. Maybe there''s something around to carry him with?] Glancing around, the girl and little boy look for useful objects, close by, but only manage to see plains and sparse trees. [Zeais: There''s not much around that we could use in this area.] [Girl: Well we have to find something before it gets dark or else...] The girl stopped talking as she put her hand in her coat pockets. Her eyebrows rais and she begins to disrobe, with no coat on, it leaves her with no outer layer and only a black sweater. After removing her coat, she takes out a light thin blanket folded inside one of the large pockets. Zeais, seeing her suddenly take off her coat, makes a look of confusion and soon realizes what she has in mind. The girl holds up the coat and blanket. Her dry black sweater exposed to the elements now taking on water. [Girl: We can use these...] [Zeais: Clothing, makes sense, we''ll need to keep him steady on it.] Taking three tightly bonded herb wraps out from the man''s pants pockets, [Small boy: We can tie all these around em!] Seeing him present the wraps, the girl smiles. Embracing his idea she begins to praise the young boy again. [Girl: Great! His back isn''t burned so we can wrap those around his chest and around my coat with some sticks as reinforcement!] The young boy gives a real smile now. [Zeais: It''s getting darker now, we should hurry before its too dark to see. The grounds getting really muddy] The three children take off articles of clothing they don''t need and take out whatever cloth they have on their person. Grabbing as many branches from nearby trees, they find all that they can to brace the man.Tying two undershirts to the blanket and the blanket to the girl''s coat, they make a rope to pull on. The coat now with a base made of bundles of small sticks inside, can support the man. The man makes a pain filled groan and his face twists in pain as Zeais wraps his burned torso with herb wrap. Tying the large adult body takes a bit of work for the youth due to his size. Seeing his adult partner in such a state the youngest of the three looks on at him with a sad expression, but soon turns it into determination when his eyes meet with the girls. With just the right amount of cloth for the rope, there is enough room for the three of them to comfortably pull the dead weight of the man. Realizing this may work, they eagerly get ready to start moving. [Girl: We should go to the closest place, Rigas. It¡¯s a lot closer than Brights, and we just have to go over the south plains for about 6 miles.] [Zeais: Sounds good, let''s go then, its getting cold out.] [5] Journey to shelter (pt.3) Now weakened, the storm that was once loudly roaring and flooding the plains, is now nothing more than a mild steady rainfall. The three children, with their sled, finished, begin to start their trip to take the injured man laying on the wet ground to a safe place. Peering around or listening out to the plains around them, they scout their destination before leaving, making sure nothing else is out to attack them. Brisk winds roll over the plains and embrace them in a bone-chilling cold. With their clothing soaked through, their bodies shaking from the cold water touching their skin. They wrap their arms together to keep some of their body warmth. The heavy payload makes their minds wander with uncertainty. Zeais looks over to the girl, who is still looking off into the distance. She feels his gaze. Her head turns in his direction, an eyebrow raised as if questioning why he''s staring at her. [Zeais: Do you think he''ll flip over?] [Girl: He should be fine, I think. The bottom side is pretty sturdy.] [Zeais: Okay, good. Who should pull in the back... Um, little one, what''s your name?] The small child staring at the wet and lightly wrapped man turns his head to look up at Zeais, he loudly proclaims, [Small Child: I¡¯m Nova!] The girl smiles at his enthusiasm. [Girl: Nice to meet you, Nova!] [Zeais: Alright Nova, You should take the back. You''re close to this man right?] [Nova: Mhm, he''s my uncle] [Zeais: You should be in the back then, just let us know if you see him in really bad pain, okay? We don''t want him to hurting too much.] [Nova: Got it! I can do that!] [Girl: Good let''s go then, I''ll---] A distant deep rumble far away grabs their attention. The feeling of vibrations throughout the ground and howling winds make them freeze in place. Alerted to the sound they stare off into the distance where the rumble originated from. The girl turns her gaze away from the distant echoes and rushes to pick up the end of the rope. [Girl: Let''s go! We don''t want to deal with that right now] Zeais wriggles at the thought of the creature and says, [Zeais: Stupid worms.] Zeais and Nova take their place at the rope. Nova in the back closest to his uncle and Zeais in the middle. The three look at each other, with a nod of agreement, they start dragging the man through the slick grass. Already they can feel just how heavy he is. They haven''t even moved a couple yards and it becomes apparent that the task at hand may be tiring. Gaining distance little by little, it begins to get easier to pull his weight with every step. The three groaned at the force needed to start but finally gaining momentum, it became easy enough for them to walk at a constant pace. Looking into the distance and around them, they cautiously and steadily push forward. Through long stretches of field and the constant rain, it would take a while to reach Rigas. Their short bodies and makeshift sled don¡¯t make for an easy trip, but it¡¯s all they can do. The shirts and blanket tied together were wet and soaking, wrinkling their hands as they walked. The cold wind and cloth chilled their fingers and watered their eyes. The hard work was giving their bodies needed warmth as they trudge through the wet plains. The three try to preoccupy their minds, thinking about food, a nice bath, what they want to do once back they¡¯re back home. All distant thoughts to get their minds off the cold. Their walking speed had improved and an hour and a half had gone by. The children weren''t having much difficulty, taking short breaks from time to time let them catch their breath. The only real problem for them is the odd silence, not even their thoughts could take them from the awkward silence. The rain was still pouring, sounds of insects croaked and clattered throughout the plains. Still feeling their wet clothes cling to their skin, their shoes and boots filled with water, they push on. Taking steps across acres of short grass and through hidden muddied puddles. Pulling an adult body behind them through for so such a long time was tiring but was not awful after they became accustomed to it. Only concentrating on the goal of reaching the closest town, not much was said amongst them. Nova worrying for his uncle''s safety, occasionally glanced back to make sure he was still breathing and not in too much pain. Zeais with his mind focused on the environment around him listens for any threats that might be hidden in the darkness. The Girl lets out an almost inaudible eek sound. Feeling the rope suddenly pull downward, Zeais stumbles but quickly catches himself. He looks quickly at the ground in front of him, he sees that the girl had tripped slightly on a small rock hidden in the grass. She stands up and looks behind her in embarrassment. [Girl: Sorry. It¡¯s pretty dark now Hehe] [Zeais: Its fine, I can¡¯t see anything at all anyways. Everything good?] [Girl: Yes, It really is dark now, and the moon isn¡¯t out because of the rain.] [Zeais: If only we had a night light or flare, that would be great.] Nova feels for his pockets but nothing is there. [Nova: Sorry. If we had my marker, we could of¡­ I had hoped someone would help us] [Girl: You did right to use it because we came to help right?] Hearing the girl from the front, he looks to his unconscious uncle. Watching the rise and fall of his chest, he smiles briefly. [Zeais: How did you notice it?] [Nova: Notice what?] [Zeais: The marker. Oh, sorry Nova, that was meant for her. Actually.. what is your name, Ma''am?] She turns around, her wet hair spins and splashes water onto his face. He doesn''t react with his skin already so cold. [Girl: Ma''am? I don¡¯t think either of us has introduced ourselves yet.] [Zeais: Now that you mention it¡­ Well then, my name is Zeais. I¡¯m from Brights.] [Girl: Nice to meet you. Eris is my name, I¡¯m from¡­ Don¡¯te.] As soon as she says her origin, she looks in the direction of her town. Her face makes a brief look of sadness. Zeais doesn''t notice her quick expression. [Zeais: I thought so, I had a feeling you knew about the forest that I said I was walking from.] [Eris: There are a few shops there that I frequently visit there, but I¡¯ve never seen you before.] [Zeais: It was my first time visiting there. I needed to get something fixed that helps me out during travels.] [Eris: Is it a bag or something? It doesn¡¯t seem like you carry much. You were from walking all the way from Brights.] [Zeais: No, I didn¡¯t want to bring it. Stupid reason but I did bring a bit of food with me. I ate it all before I got there and didn¡¯t have anything to trade for more on the way back.] [Nova: I have a jerky left if you want it!] Rummaging through his pocket, he attempts to pull out the jerky he spoke of with his free hand. Zeais shakes his hand behind him toward Nova. [Zeais: No no, keep it. I¡¯ll be fine, I got some decent sleep instead. And you should be the one to eat with how small you are, this is pretty tiring.] Nova looked saddened at the decline of his offer, he ceases looking for his ration. Zeais looks back at him and sighs that he cut the boys determination to help. [Zeais: If worse comes to worst and I¡¯m really hungry, I¡¯ll gladly take it.] Nova gives him a smile. [Nova: You got it!] Zeais turns back to his front, he looks at the back of her black sweater and remembers her coat is being used as a dragging mat. [Zeais: You didn¡¯t wear a pack either?] [Eris: No, I actually forgot it back at a school in Brights.] [Zeais: A school? There''s no¡­ aah. You must mean, the big round metal building right? That''s not a school.] [Eris: Yes, no wonder I didn¡¯t see any adults there, but there was an automaton that looked like a dog and lots of children around. I was only the there to play with the younger kids but why would such a building be used as a place for children to stay?]This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. [Zeais: That building, is Mr. Wave.] [Eris: The automata dog?] [Zeais: No, the building. Well both.] Eris looks behind her at confused, as if she heard an alien language. [Zeais: Mr. Wave is a big automata that''s¡­ stuck in the ground. At least that is what the adults tell us. I think its true though because he glows whenever he uses the automata dog to speak. He speaks just like a real person too, but he just sits there watching over the children all the time through BYTE, that''s what we call the automata dog.] Eris takes in the outrageous words spoken to her. Having never heard of such a story before, her bright eyes light up at the thought of its existence. Realizing that she looks a bit too excited, she simmers down and puts on her usual poker face. Nova was listening to their conversation and was wide-eyed in astonishment. He waited for more details and tried to focus more on the conversation taking place in front of him. [Eris: Why haven¡¯t I heard of such a tale before? Is it a secret?] [Zeais: No, not really. We just don¡¯t know much about it. The chief says he has been there even before his time and it only started speaking half a year ago. The village just didn''t fell a need to let the world know and it would be suspicious if we tried to hide something so big. So we just accept it and let it be. So it''s not really a secret, automata are really old anyways and most don''t work.] Nova takes in the story and imagines all sorts of possibilities. Eris only looks to the west toward Brights, hoping she could see some sign of the automaton. [Eirs: Hmmmm, how strange, I¡¯d love to go back to see it and play with the smaller children again.] [Zeais: Did You only go to Brights to play with the little ones? That''s a far trip just to play around.] She shakes her head and looks back toward Nova with a smile. Nova looks at her with a confused look. [Eris: I really like playing with the younger children, they¡¯re so cute and eager to do everything. Plus they love to learn! I got distracted and ended up playing with them when they ran by me, they were trying to catch each other so I jumped in too.] Taking her gaze away from the little boy she looks at Zeais. [Eris: That''s not why I went there though. I was looking for someone who sells weapons.] [Zeais: What are you trying to hunt that you can¡¯t kill with a knife?] There is a silence. Eris¡¯s eyes darken a bit as she looks at Zeais. He looks into her cold stare, feeling an eerie sensation go down his spine. The sound of wind blows lightly but as clear as day he hears her words, [Eris: A murderer¡­] Zeais stares intensely, about to ask the question anyone would ask when presented with such a statement. [Zeais: A pers¡­] Interrupted mid-sentence, there is a large shake in the ground. Not too far off behind them, off in the distance, is a high pitched screech. Sounding like an out of tune stringed instrument, the screech pierced the children''s ears. The storm clouds in the far away from where the screech was let out from part ways. Letting moonlight enter, the rays of soft light touch the ground, coloring the distant plains and trees in white light. Eris sees them, the giant grotesque three-legged creatures that roam the plains. Only appearing when there is a heavy abundance of wet soil around, they appear. Creatures made of hundreds of thousands or even tens of millions of slithering creatures like as worms and centipedes. It gives no regard to what it hunts. No consciousness or thoughts through its mind, they feed on anything it can find. Almost as if born from rain, the thirty meters high mass of wriggly, squirming matter, takes its form in countless places on the outer most ring on Circinus. Having no eyes or sense of smell, just like any dirt bound animal uses the ground and vibrations to sense where prey are. Unlike animals, humans cannot pick up on bad omens or natural disasters. Just like a nightmare for the children, animals hidden throughout the darkness had already taken their leave, not lying in wait to be devoured. The loud rumbling is slightly closer, Eris sees the large legs move in their direction. She is sure that it¡¯s coming after them. Thud¡­.Thud¡­..Thud¡­. Taking more than four seconds per for just one of its legs to move forward, it''s an enormous monstrosity. [Nova: Noo, no, no, nono nononono, is it coming after us?] [Eris: Calm down, we can make it, we only have a little more than a mile to go. See, right in front of us. You can see some of the light! Just above this hill.] [Zeais: Just up this little hill, just a little bit further and we can rest easy Nova.] Nova looks back and sees its heavy large legs slowly lift into the air and slam back down, creating another huge shake in the earth. Turning back wide-eyed, scared, he looks back at the two older children. Zeais looks into the boys scared green eyes, then looks at the man being dragged. He ponders over why exactly he put himself in this situation. [Nova: Please, let''s hurry!] [Eris: Were going pick up the pace!] Eris begins to pull strongly as they start to ascend the hill. Felling a much different amount of strength needed to pull, they struggle. Pulling as hard as they can and pressing their footwear into the ground, they try and gain leverage, the children turn around to pull backward. The grass slick and wet from the constant rain makes it hard for Eris to pull back farther. Trying to put more back into he pulls, she feels her feet slip and gives underneath her. She falls onto her rear and the rope slips from her hands. Feeling the heavier load Zeais struggles to keep the man from sliding down the hill, wanting not to lose the small progress they had gained. [Zeais: Urrrgh! Way too heavy!] [Eris: Sorry! Don¡¯t slip and try not to pull back too far.] She gets up quickly and grabs the rope. Giving her strength back to the struggling Zeais and Nova. The girl glances up to see how far the creature is but sees the worst thing for it to do... [Eris: It¡¯s picking up speed¡­] Thud¡­Thud¡­Thud¡­Thud. What was once four seconds for one leg, was now two quick second per step. Hearing this, the children begin to hurriedly pull the man up the hill. With no shorter alternative to reach the village around, it becomes a heart-racing struggle for them to keep cool and get up the incline without dropping the man. The hill, only a mere 150 meters high to the flattest part, the children had managed to get up a third of it. Raggedly breathing and shortness of breath they, continue to slowly gain more progress. [Zeais: This was much easier - when it was flat...] [Eris: If this was a - deer or something - no one would ever - go up the hill - willingly.] Out of breath along with the older two, small tears fall down the little boy''s cheeks. [Nova: I¡¯m - Sorry - We wouldn¡¯t be doing this - If I never said - I wanted to try and - hunt for the first time.] [Zeais: No one - can predict the - Future! - We only just - try and do our - BEST!] Thud¡­Thud¡­Thud¡­Thud¡­Thud¡­Thud. Hearing another increase in speed, the children begin to get nervous about the thought of such a monstrosity charging at them. Zeais feels bits of adrenaline and puts even more force into his pulls. [Eris: It''s not like - it''s your fault - it¡¯s much better - then being dead. That would - make me sad - that I couldn¡¯t - Save someone - who was so close by!] Also feeling motivated, Eris gives more power to her pulls. Nova, sobbing at the thoughts of his two rescuers, tries his best to pull more weight on his own. With the three of them doing their best, they managed to get even closer to the flat of the hill. Eris looks behind her and sees light from the village''s homes and street lamps. Her head peaks over the hill. Turning around to pull with her hands behind her back, she gains more forward momentum. She can see Rigas, the village made ¡°in a bowl of soup¡±. [Eris: JUST - A BIT - FARTHER!!!] Eris takes her final steps, just over the last few degrees of incline, she tries to run forward. Zeais sees the slight difference in color of light behind him and gives the final ounces of his strength. Nova sobbing puts his best effort into getting his uncle to safety. Eris was now fully on top of the hill. Not a second later Zeais and Nova make it to the top as well. Giving their last few tugs to pull Nova¡¯s uncle over the hills finish line. The man''s head, laying in the ends of the coat lifts off the ground into the air and falls down with a quick release of the rope. Thud¡­Thud¡­Thud¡­Thud¡­Thud¡­Thud¡­Thud¡­Thud. Sounding as if there was a heavy person running through a house at full speed, the creature was moving at such intense speed that it wouldn¡¯t take even 10 minutes to reach them. Not even time to celebrate their small victory, they breathe heavily and try and catch their breath. A bit rested, they were ready to keep going, their battle set downhill. [Zeais: If we push him down - Ugh - He might flip over and just fall down the hill. [Eris: We just need to keep him leveled - Phew - With the rope on our shoulders. Let''s just go we don¡¯t - have time.] Pulling the rope over their shoulders they start to journey downward. If they keep a nice pace, it wouldn¡¯t take long before they make it to Rigas. Trying not to fall over, they make slow steps and keep the head of the sled off the ground to keep the man from shooting down. The grass slippery though, Nova beings to pick up speed and slips. His small body falls onto Zeais¡¯s legs. Tripped up by the small boy''s weight, Zeais falls over to the side so he doesn¡¯t cause Eris to fall with them. But this only makes him turn over and with a hard kick, he accidentally strikes Nova in the head. With a tight grip on the rope, Eris feels the quick release of losing two people and falls forward. The thuds get closer and closer. Louder and louder, the intense weight of the legs slam into the ground, it wasn''t far from them. Eris catches herself but soon see the two boys and a large man''s body, sliding and tumbling by. The sled base still attached to him but no one on the ends, he tumbles downward at high speed. Watching them roll quickly down toward the bottom of the hill, she thinks that the plan has failed. Feeling that there was no way they could possibly get the man to the village easy along with Nova looking hurt. She peered into the village for anything, anything that might help them at all. She sees it. The bright eyes of a boy and the silhouette of a man on guard in a tower. Gathering all the breath she could muster, with a loud and powerful voice she yells. [Eris: HHHHHHEEEEEEELLLLPPPP!!!!!] The two in the tower look out to the source of the sudden cry. The boy notices bright orange eyes and three rolling bodies speeding down the hill. Eris waves her arms, her eyes frantic with panic. They make eye contact and Eris gives her through will of word. [*Eris*: There¡¯s an earth walker after us, please, please help us!] She sees the child relay her message to the man. The man runs to the railing of the tower and yells down to someone on the ground below. Two large hidden doors open near the side of the tower. What looked to her like a mob of fifteen people, run out from the gate. Men and women all of the various ages, rush out the gate and sprint toward the children. Hitting the bottom of the hill, the man wrapped like a mummy in Eris¡¯s coat had stopped rolling. Nova slowly came to a stop, he laid flat on his face, unmoving. Zeais stopped himself with his hands and come to a stop on his own, a few feet away from the unconscious Nova. Eris starts to run down the hill and feels the large pulses on the ground behind her. She looks back and sees the top of the large monster''s body peering over the hill. Frantically running the men and women reach the two children and the wounded man on the ground. Three of the largest men pick up the injured man and two others separately pick up Nova and Zeais. The women all go past the men and hold crystals in their hands, pulsing bright red. They throw past and over Eris¡¯s head, scattered around the hill as she runs down. Eris running at full speed, the tilt of the hill gives her enough speed to run past the women. They all begin to run toward the opened gate of the village. The crystals thrown by the women give off a loud whistling sound and erupt into several fiery explosions. The explosions were not only loud and bright but they made a deafening high pitched screech. Everyone covering their ears, reach the inside of the village and throw the children and man to the ground, The monster felt the intensity of the heat and the vibration of the ground wobbled its legs. Almost as if arguing with the artificial screech, the monster lets out a screech of its own in return. Backing off instinctively, it turns with loud steps and begins to storm off. Its slow thunderous legs pound the ground, moving opposite of the direction of the village. Inside the village, their hearts beating fast and short bursts of adrenaline fading, they all let out breaths of relief. [???: It was a good thing we put out a watch today for the rain, they don¡¯t usually come all the way to the village. Lucky you.] Eris out of breath from her sprint. [Eris: Thank - you.] Zeais released from the men sits on the ground rubbing his shoulder. [Zeais: Finally - shelter.] [6] From long night to new morning Feeling a refreshing breeze brush over his body, Zeais awakens slowly from his deep sleep. Bit by bit his blurry vision pieces together into one solid scene, darkly shaded gray wood walls and a small unfamiliar nightstand lay next to him. His eyes focus on a wooden cup filled with water, placed on top of a small circular disk. Laying on his left side, he tries to sit up straight for a drink but immediately slams his body back down and lets out a small grunt. Experiencing the tightness of his lower back and the aching of his legs, he doesn¡¯t attempt another try. Turning his head to the right and feeling a slightly painful tightness in his neck he sees the messy sheets of someone who¡¯d gotten straight out of bed and left. Constantly feeling soreness he doesn¡¯t attempt to look around anymore, he instead slowly closes his eyes and brings to mind the reasoning of why he¡¯s resting in this place. The previous night was filled with many questions from the villagers chief. Such questions about why they were dragging a man around, why one of the children was unconscious, who they were, where they were from, like an interrogation they gave their reasons to the village chief. Feeling their reasoning was just, he offered them to stay the night in an inn and treat the wounds of Nova¡¯s uncle. The village chief would, however, be contacting them soon to task them as a form of payment. Zeais thinking about the amount of small but largely explosive crystals used for their rescue would cost a large sum. Not so expensive that it would take years of work to pay but a few months of work should be enough. Zeais thinking it must take a while for the ¡°second sun¡± to make those crystals that saved them, of course, a couple months work is a right sum. Nova and his uncle were taken to one of the town''s doctors for treatment, carried off by a standby Gnorse and cart. The large land mammal always gives Zeais a strange feeling, having horns and a face like a goat but the body of a horse with other parts scattered here and it is strange to him. Given that the original counterparts of a Gnorse still roam around abundantly, they almost just look like a mutation of the two that developed amongst none of its own new kind. Both Zeais and Eris were escorted around the town and taken to the inn where they would sleep in. Assigned the same room, Zeais was well aware that his bright orange eyed roommate was an early riser. Before they succumbed to the harmonious feelings of sleep, Eris told him that he shouldn¡¯t try and be so eager to pay off their ¡°debt¡±. Hearing this he took note of her words and remembered her earlier statement about not trusting adults, feeling it might reveal some type of bad memories for he didn¡¯t ask about it. Only keeping it in mind, he places her words in the back of his mind and thinks she is incredibly capable of surviving. Still having questions for her that may just be simple misunderstandings, he follows what he was taught, all possibilities exist and that there is always a reason for something, even if there is nothing. He dozes off from his tiring thoughts. For the children and other inhabitants of Circinus, the crystals used to save them and the enormous monster that would have no qualms devouring them are just like any other form of matter, bathed in light from the elusive False light or ¡°second Sun¡±, they gain different properties and change due to its otherworldly warped physics. Taking on different wavelengths of light and reacting with the different particles inside of countless objects gives them different properties that could not be normally achieved. Animals, man-made objects, humans, are all affected by the bright light hidden in the sky. Depending on the weather conditions and atmospheric pressure, some days and nights the bright light can be seen, still changing the world even now. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. A light knock on the door to his room jolts him out of his sleep. Opening his eyes sleepily he looks at the door past Eris¡¯s bed. Feeling the effect of having his sleep interrupted he groggily says-- [Zeais: It¡¯s openn..] Opening the door slowly a young girl with brightly shaded gray hair in a short ponytail and yellow pupils comes into Zeais¡¯s view, bringing in with her a large tray with many breakfast foods and fruits. Her hair was of course gray to him, she wore dark coffee-coloredcotton pants and small leather shoes with a blue buttoned shirt, a simple working outfit befitting of an Inn. [???: Good Morning! Oh¡­ Sorry to wake you.] [Zeais: It¡¯s fine, I was already awake.] Looking at the sleepy-eyed boy half covered by blankets she seems to let out a small snicker. Zeais feels that she is about the same age as him or maybe a bit older, thinking that she might be slightly taller than him. [???: My name is Anya, I work this Inn with my father and I¡¯ve brought you a free breakfast!] [Zeais: A free breakfast? Is that what all Inns do?] A confused look, she walks around Eris¡¯s bed with the tray, Zeais look at the tray thinking that it¡¯s quite a large tray for such a child to carry around so easily, she has done this for quite a while. Setting the tray down on a table in the front of the beds near a window, she walks over to Zeais¡¯s bed. [Anya: Not all Inns do this, but my father believes in treating guests like they were family.] [Zeais: That sounds like it costs a lot.] [Anya: It is sometimes, but not many people come to the town as much or maybe it¡¯s just our Inn? Anyways, it doesn¡¯t cost a lot so please enjoy it! I made it, by the way, so please tell me how it tastes later!] Anya gives a big smile and turns to leave the room. Getting close to the already open door she almost walks into Eris as she enters into the room. [Eris: Ah... Sorry, I didn¡¯t know you were there Anya.] [Anya: No, my bad, I¡¯m going to go make more food for other guests I¡¯ll see you later. See you Eris! You too Zeais!] Anya who is a bit taller than Eris gives her farewell and walks out of the room, closing the door behind her. Eris turning her attention from the door to her bed, clumsily walking into it and falling face-down into her sheets, she sighs. Zeais looking onto the outstretched Eris he ponders why she looks so tired early in the morning. [Zeais: I don¡¯t remember saying my name to her.] Lifting her face slightly from the sheets she looks at Zeais with a groggy expression. [Eris: She loves her job, we also talked for a long time¡­ She took an interest in you from our talk and wanted to see what you were like.] [Zeais: ¡­I¡¯m quite the ladies man.] [Eris: Apparently. I just wanted to use the bathroom.] [Zeais: What are those clothes?] [Eris: One of the owners Aunts visiting brought clothes for Anya but they were a bit small¡­] Eris sighs once more into the sheets. Zeais studys her new black button down shirt and older looking gray pants. [Zeais: I can see where that went. Could you please do me a favor?] Eris give a muffled ¡°what is it?¡± into the sheets. [Zeais: I¡¯m a bit sore and my neck hurts a lot, could I get a warm wet towel?] Eris looks up with an irritated look [Eris: You could have just asked the girl who brought food for you.] [Zeais: Oh¡­.Right¡­] [7] Wind-like movement The large Inn looked like it was built just yesterday but it had been 10 years since it was finished. With around 50 rooms, it was prepared to be a bustling hub for people traveling between the few towns and villages in the surrounding areas. With its heavy durable wood walls and struts from some of the hardest breed of trees, it could stand for decades without too much wear or weather damage. The dark red roof tiles that were handcrafted from clay, letting anyone who would truly take in all of its beauty know that they truly loved building this place. The building took on a proud stance of European and Asian aesthetics. Peering out of a large bedroom window a large statured man rest with his head on top of his arms, he stares out of the windows with a solemn look. His rugged brown hair slowly dancing in the wind, he watches as his daughter sits over the pond feeding the various fish in front of the Inn. After feeding the fish she stands and looks down at them gobbling the food with a bright smile. He closes the window suddenly and disappears into the Inn. Still recuperating from their previous night, Eris and Zeais took the time to get to know the Inn based off Anya''s suggestion. Within the various rooms, we''re many complimentary snack rooms, break rooms, nap rooms, game rooms and many more that would have guests feeling like they could stay forever and not be bored. Eris and Anya, all though having only talked that morning, we''re like best friends who had known each other for years, but more so because all children in this day and age have a large affinity with one another due to their eyes and uncommon special traits. Eris was looking around the Inn for things to do and Anya, back to work, tries to find something else to do while they wait for the chef to be free. Exploring outside the Inn, she wanders into the small yard despite the Inns size. Looking at the one large tree in the back she finds a shelter with homeless cats. Meowing for attention and purring at her, she stares at them. Thinking that Anya must be taking care of them behind the Inn since the box they are in has soft white sheets and even food and water. Not fond of cats though, she leaves and ignores them. Walking away she suddenly gets a headache, as if she had a sack over her head, a violent flashback of her childhood memories come to her mind. Pools of blood, and scattered animal parts lying all over the ground. Children crying and reaching toward their parents, shrieks and non-human pained yells echo out into the fire night. Coming to her senses and trying to put away a tormenting memory, she looks back at the kittens. Their dark eyes and white fur calling out to her for affection. She walks over to them and pets one of the now excited kittens. Her hand lightly rubbing its short white coat of fur. [Eris: Hi there little one...look out for the evil ones okay?] --------------- ----------------- Inside of the Inn, Zeais had taken the time to nap more inside of a rec room. Supposed to be used more as a place to relax with groups of people and chat while playing board games. Zeais he was using the sofa as his napping place, even though the napping room was right next door. Getting comfortable he could feel himself drift into sleep. Feeling warm and at peace with the room so quiet, he dozes off for a while. Suddenly feeling his head sink into the couch more than it should he was snapped away from what could have been a pleasant sleep. Getting up to see why his comfortable couch would suddenly deny him rest, he sees her yellow pupils stare at him with a slight smile. Anya has stolen a place on the couch next to him without him even noticing. [Anya: You know, you could stay here forever right? ] With a tired irritated look, he stares at her as she smiles brightly right back at him. [Zeais: I don''t think that''s something a guest would want to hear while they were trying to sleep..] [Anya: Hehe, not a problem. This is a business after all and we can''t just have people sleeping anywhere!] Zeais Groggily gets up and slowly shuffles over toward the hallway. [Zeais: Okay, Okay. I''ll just go to the "Nap room"] [Anya: Wait, please, would you mind if we had a talk?] Stopping, he looks back to her and lets out a short sigh. [Zeais: You wouldn''t come to me for no reason and just let me leave so easily right?] Smiling and giving a smug crossed arm pose she says... [Anya: Of course not, I have something really important I want to ask you.]If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. [Zeais: Are you going to ask me out or something?] [Anya: Of course not! I barely know you and I have someone I like] Anya pouts and turns her head the other way. Zeais puts a hand to his chest, having someone say that so boldly even though he was joking still gave him a punch to the heart. [Zeais: Oof, that hurts a lot you know.] Once again smiling she stops her pout and laughs [Anya: Haha I''m only joking, I''m not so rude that I would say something like that! That''s for the girls who like to stir things up.] Zeais sighs again and walks over to the couch to sit. [Zeais: Okay now that you''ve almost gotten my attention, what do you want?] With him focused on her, she looks into his gray eyes with a determined look and takes a deep breath. [Anya: Will you help me look for someone?] Surprised to hear her a request for looking for another person, he makes a confused face. [Zeais: Wouldn''t your friends be of more help than me?] Anya looks toward the windows out in the hallway. With a small tinge of sadness in her voice, she sighs. [Anya: There are a lot of children in Rigas.¡­ but I''m more busy taking care of the Inn than being outside playing. A lot of the other children think I''m weird because I would rather work than go out and explore.] [Zeais: That is a bit weird.] Anya has a hurt look in her face and lightly clutches her pants. [Zeais: But it''s not as weird as them thinking it''s weird in the first place... So you have absolutely no one you could call a friend?] [Anya: I do have one friend who sometimes visits me, but it''s really rare when she comes. We''ve only been together twice but I enjoyed the weeks we spent together and I was hoping that you would know her¡­ I really want to see her again] [Zeais: And I would know her? I think Eris would know more girls than I would.] [Anya: No, I asked her already, but you''re from Brights right? My friend was also from there too!] [Zeais: Hmmm, there aren''t really many children in Brights so we all know each other, what''s her name?] Hearing that Zeais might know her elusive friend, she gets excited and gives the girl''s name. [Anya: Memori. Do you know her!?] Zeais raises his eyebrows at the name spoken. [Zeais: Memori huh. She is one of the few other children that go out to get food. We usually talk about good picking areas and routes.] Sparkly eye''d to the news that someone knows of her friend she grabs Zeais''s shoulders and begins to interrogate him. [Anya: YES! Is she Okay!? Does she have a messenger bird?! Why hasn''t she come to Rigas in so long!? Does she talk about me there!? Do you know about how she...] Interrupting her Zeais steps back and puts his hands out. [Zeais: Jeez, Calm down. I don''t want to take all your excitement away but I haven''t seen her in over a year. We were put on different schedules so I''m not sure how she is right now.] Hearing him say this she lost her excitement, her face made a saddened look and just as she about to speak again... [Zeais: But I do hear the others talk about her sometimes when I return from my hunts. Last I heard was that she was just fine and brought a large load of foods and supplies. This was last week though, which is why I''m able to be out here for my self right now..] [Anya: *Pheeww* I''m sooo glad to hear that she''s fine, you could have just said that from the beginning!] Chopping him in the side with gleeful excitement, her hand gives Zeais a whritering painful jolt that makes him fall to the floor. Trying not to let her know that her chop was pretty effective, he gets up and slyly rubs his side and acts like he was putting his hands into his pockets. Eris had walked in at the perfect time to see his unfortunate development unfold, turning her face away she tries not to let out her giggle. Zieas seeing her bright orange pupils stare at him briefly then quickly turn away, he became aware that his struggle was seen by someone else then embarrassingly looks away from her to Anya. [Zieas: Ahem...You may be in luck this week though, she is also on a break too and our work free tomorrows tomorrow, so she should be back too.] Eris looking on silently and right as she was about to leave them to her conversation, she suddenly feels two soft hands grab both of hers. [Anya: Did you hear that Eris! I might be able to see her! It''s been so long!] Suprised and wide eyed at the quick approach Anya made to her she almost lets out a squeak but keeps it in and gives her a soft smile. [Eris: Mmm, I could hear from the hallway... I''m glad to hear that though, now you can finally tell her.] Zeais surprised to see her move so quickly too, he also gives a wide-eyed look. Seeing that Eris was not expecting it either and almost gave her look of surprise away, he looks at Eris with a smug look. Eris now being hugged by the happy Anya, sees Zeais giving her an unappreciated loo. She gets an arm free from Anya and makes a chopping motion. Feeling that her threat was fair, he smiles at their short exchange. With her head squished up into Anya''s chest, she taps her shoulders as if giving up. [Eris: You move too fast... [Anya: Oh my.. I''m Sorry! I got so excited that as soon as I saw your cute face I just wanted to hug you!] Anya let go of Eris but still held her hand, turning to Zeais she let out a sigh. [Anya: Still... If she''s back tomorrow, it would be too soon to ask my father to let me go visit her.] [Eris: I''m sure he would let you go, from what you told me... I don''t see why he wouldn''t mind working the Inn while you are gone.] Anya wrinkling her small nose from an inch listens to Eris''s suggestion and with a sudden determined look, she clutches her hands. [Anya: I''m going to go ask him! I don''t want to let the chance slip by. But I also..¡­] Aware of what she might say next Eris chimes in. [Eris: I''m sure he will be fine.] Anya takes in a brief breath of uncertainty and lets it go [Anya: I want to meet her again.] Anya feeling her new found friends encouragement, turns to meet with her father. [8] His wish, Her Needs Zeais stands alongside Eris, watching the brown haired girl Anya approach her father''s heavy bedroom door. On the handmade placard, the words "Inn Keeper" were inscribed. Zeais ponders over the fact that he''s met so many people in such a short amount of time, and now he might be taking one of them to meet someone he knows by coincidence. His thoughts swirling with the odd turn of events, he can''t help but think that the world is often too mysterious and precarious to predict. Though they have only known each other since the early morning, Zeais sees no reason that he cannot help the girl, being that he is acquainted with the child she wants to meet with, it poses no problems to him. The only problem he has with any of this is the odd tension coming from Anya. The only dark and slightly cold due to the lights being out and the window curtains closed, Eris and Zeais get an eerie feeling. Only able to see her from behind as she stands in front of the door, her shoulders perked up and seemingly holding her hands to her chest, he questions just what kind of man her father is, to have her feel so timid to ask a simple question. Finally, after what feels like minutes to them, Anya breathes out and knocks onto the door. Hearing the loud sound of a foot that just stepped onto the lightly wooded floor, they feel the heavy vibrations of a large man walking toward the door. Having only heard his voice the night before, Zeais and Eris had not been able to see the Innkeeper. They had only heard him talking to the village chief inside and he only unlocked the rooms for them. The Innkeeper did not stay to greet them, he only disappeared into his bedroom and went back to rest for the night. For the two young guests, this would their first meeting. [Anya: It''s Anya, can I come in Pops?] Having never heard of such a name, Zeais and Eris look at each other with the same look of confusion and interest. Loud heavy footsteps bang on the hardwood floor as he approaches the door and his deep raspy voice speaks, muffled behind the door. [???: How many times do I have to tell you that that phrase is older than the wood that makes this Inn. Only old people say that...] The door makes a heavy click sound as its unlocked, upon opening the door and presenting himself, his shoulders almost touching both sides of the door frame. Large in stature and quite muscular he gave the impression of someone who had been a definite handy worker or even a very skilled hunter that took care of his body as if the world might end. Zeais marveled at the beast of a man, to him, not even his teacher could win a fight with him. Feeling that he just might eat bears, Zeais takes a step back. Looking at Eris to see her reaction, he sees her staring at him with a strangely harsh look. His tan buttoned shirt had fitted just right and his professionally tailored gray working pants gave him the appearance of a high-class establishment owner. His dark brown eyes gave a cold expression, his rough white skin knew of hard labor, short hair brown hair atop his head and scruffy facial hair added to the weight of terror he could inflict on someone if he had suddenly appeared. He narrowed his eyes down toward his daughter then took notice of the two other small bodies standing behind her. [Yale: Ah, you must be the children who I let stay the night so suddenly, I am Yale, quite obvious but I am the keeper of this Inn. I''m sorry for not meeting with you earlier. I''m not a nice person when my sleep is interrupted so suddenly...] Zeais felt his statement on a personal level and knew exactly where he was coming from, looking at Anya. [Zeais: My name is Zeais,...Nice to meet you Sir..] Wanting to reach out to give a courteous hand grab, Zeais thought he might have his hand crushed instead of getting a polite handshake. Still, he walked up to the man and reached out for the common courtesy. Reciprocating the request, although a little perplexed on such a young boy with old-time manners Yale also puts a handout, At least three times as large as the young boy¡¯s hand, he engulfs the boy''s hand in a firm and cold grip. Firm yet gentle, the boy found it strange that his hand was not on fire with pain. Finished with their pleasantries, the man goes on to look at Eris. Eris did not say any words and only nodded her head to him, still looking fierce. Unaware still of what she might be thinking whenever she comes into contact with adults, Zeais reflects on what she had previously said about a "Murderer". He has only known her for less than a day and feels no need to pry too much into her life. Still curious as to why he keeps the thought in the back of his mind for a later time. Yale did not push her further for introduction, she didn¡¯t seem like she would like to introduce herself further than a nod. [Yale: Anya. What did you need? Did you come just for me to greet the guests?] [Anya: No... I wanted to ask something important...] [Yale: If you want to come in and talk we can talk in private--] Stopping mid-sentence, Yale starts coughing roughly into his hand. It was a thick and whooping cough. Anya put out her hands toward him looking worriedly with a wide-eyed expression. He kept coughing and began to use the edge of the door frame to hold himself up. [Anya: Pops!] Stopping her with a free hand, he stops her with a gesture saying he doesn¡¯t need help. [Anya: Nevermind mind my talk! Please get more rest. I can''t leave you like this, with how--] [Yale: Leave?--- You were going to ask--- me if you could-- leave?] [Anya: Don''t worry about that, I''m not going to--] [Yale: Not worry!? My daughter wants to get out of the house---- Why would I not worry...] Yael had slowly seized his coughing and stood up straight, wiping his coughed into hand along his pants. He looked over to his two small guests watching the two talk. [Yale: Would you two be the reason she wants to go outside these cramped walls?] Before either Eris or Zeais could even attempt to answer his question, Anya had already spoken up loudly. Frustrated that her father continues to ignore her plea to disregard [Anya: Forget it! Forget it! Forget it! I don''t want to leave you, what if something were to happen if I left!] Almost on the verge of tears his daughter so obviously distressed, he makes a tightly gripped fist behind his back. Not out of anger but because his daughter is more concerned about him than her own needs. [Yale: Anya, I''m not so weak that I can''t take care of the Inn that I built. ] [Anya: But you don''t have--The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. [Yael: You want to go somewhere right?] [Anya: But!--] Yale grabs her by the shoulders and brings her in for a close hug. [Yale: My only wish is for my only daughter to be happy. Staying in this Inn..... Doing so much work that you don''t even live your childhood... I can''t keep watching.] Anya still had more words to say but her cries were muffled as she was pulled to close to speak. Eris watched their family feud and upon hearing his words, her glare had disappeared. As if hearing something to confirm her suspicions she attempted to walk away. Zeais feeling awkward watching the two get sentimental tries to also leave, but this is thwarted by the man''s abrupt question. [Yale: Hey you two, hold on. Are you friends of hers? I''ve never heard her speak of anyone else except those kittens in the back.] After staying silent for so long, Eris finally speaks. [Eris: I guess you could say so, we''ve only known her since this morning though.] [Zeais: Friend huh, even though she''s taken me from some good sleep, she is a child just like us, any child who is friendly is a friend to me. Yale looks at Anya with a face of disbelief. [Yale: OH! I''m so proud!] Hugging her tighter now he makes a cry of joy. [Yale: You''ve even made new friends too. I know back in my childhood days even wandering children from far away were easy to befriend. I guess nowadays that still holds true! I told you all you needed to do was have a bit more gut! HAHAHAHA] Laughing dep and boisterously he ruffles her hair. Although the huge man is happy, Anya''s face does not seem to happy about the situation. Furious that she''s been interrupted so many times and now forced into an overly aggressive bear hug she makes a tight fist. Zeais and Eris can quite obviously see that she is not like what''s happening, they look at each other''s eyes. [*Zeais*: I feel like we shouldn''t be caught up in this.] [*Eris*: We shouldn''t be caught up in a lot of things but they still happen.] [*Zeais*: We still have the meeting with the Chief too... [*Eris*: We still have time, plenty really, but if he asks to talk to us I don''t know...] [*Zeais: I''d rather not hear any of their family business..] Due to the effects of using will of word, children can communicate at faster speeds than speaking normally. What would take tens of seconds to complete a short conversation could quite easily be shortened to just seconds. This is more dependant on how often their ability is used with that specific person. To use their strange gift, times for conversation can vary if they are not used to either parties light frequency. Children who converse more, consequentially gain more control. Stopping his laugh, Yale looks at the two other children and sees them stare at each other. Taking note of the faint light he makes an audible Oh [Yale: Those eyes...] Zeais and Eris stop their inaudible conversation to look at Yale. [Yale: You two must be around her age too... You have that ability which means..] THinking to himself his face twists into an angry look. Also angry but for different reasons, Anya finally has enough. She puts her hands to his stomach and pushes with great strength away from her father. [Anya: Enough! Why won''t you listen to me!] [Yale: Because I''m your father and only want you to do what you want to be happy] [Anya: I''ll be happy as long as you''re still here!!] [Yale: .....] Screaming her rebuttal. the two stare at each other intensely. One with a sad look because of a statement and the other furious due to being ignored. Both of them wanting two different things but the same goal, they both fuel the others wants. Back at arguing once again, Zeais speaks up this time. [Zeais: Um, I''ll leave you two to talk.] [Yale: Could you please...] Getting a chance to leave them to talk alone, Zeais turn away from them and walks away. Eris also joins him, not wanting to be apart of their personal affair. They walk down the hallway and disappear around the corner to the lobby. Hearing the sound of the Innkeepers door close they are assured that the feud will continue for a while. ----------------------------- ----------------------------------- Sitting on a couch in the lounge for no other reason than wanting Anya not to worry where her new guest companions ran off to, they converse about events past. [Zeais: It''s just one thing after another, and here I just wanted to get back home.] [Eris: It''s not like you had to help out, its kind of your own fault.] [Zeais: I know but I would never just leave someone to die if I can help them.] [Eris: I would say the same but I only often help other children.] [Zeais: But you heard that scream too right? Or did you see the marker in the sky, you never did say how you noticed.] [Eris: I didn''t hear a scream or see the marker.] Confused as to what she said, he responds with a loud What? [Eris: Like I said I didn''t hear anything or see anything. I felt it..] [Zeais: Felt what?] [Eris: The weird sensation in my eyes. Did you not think I was strange with the halo in my eyes? I can feel the reflections of certain types of light bouncing off things. ] [Zeais: What? That''s really something! But what Halo?] Confused as to why he questioned something he could quite clearly see she points to her eyes with her hand. [Eris: Do you not see this, it''s as bright as the sun outside? Are you blind??] [Zeais: Ah, I can;t see color] [Eis: .....] Feeling like she had just heard an alien language she makes the gesture of a hand to her ear. [Eris: Come again?] [Zeais: Your eyes only look grayish to me. Except for the most middle part, that part is Orange I believe.] [Eris: And the rest of it?] [Zeais: Nothing but a rainbow of gray.] Staring at his eyes, she sees no reason for him to lie. She had always thought it was strange that his eyes didn''t give off too much light when speaking through will of word. [Eris: Hmmm, there''s all types of gifts out there huh.] [Zeais: Even though all gifts can be good or bad, its sort of helpful and not really at the same time. Does it hurt when you feel that in your eyes though?] [Eris: No, not really but it depends on what I''m seeing, I''ve seen some things that hurt to look at, but usually the pain goes away after some time. More importantly, though, how did you see in the dark last night? Doesn''t that make it hard to travel if it gets really dark?] [Zeais: I couldn''t see a thing at all, I can make out some objects ahead of me but without my glasses, I can''t see far anyways.] [Eris: Glasses too? You really may as well be blind ya know, why didn''t you wear them? You don''t have them with you?] [Zeais: Well I did but my glasses are what I meant was getting fixed in Don''te.] Eris scratches her head as to how he''s survived so far. For a child with such a disadvantage, he should have died or gotten taken away by some crazy abnormal long ago... [Eris: So strange..] [Zeais: Me!?] [Eris: No.. Life I guess.] [Zeais: Ahh, mm. There''s a lot of coincidence and chance. I wonder what it was like before. Large lakes of water that you can''t see past and Large buildings that could reach the moon.] [Eris: I heard there were man-made sky birds too, they flew people to far away places instantly. I once heard there were remains of one far in the southern forests.]] The children had only heard of past stories of Circinus''s previous life when it was once called earth from various stories passed down from the few generations that lived. The world the children live in now, much different than it was only a little over a century ago, is much more dangerous and treacherous than before. Wondering about a world they had never seen and never will always capture their minds. They sat in silence for half an hour, still waiting for Anya to finish with her father. Eris had started to drift in and out of sleep in this time. The boy had her accidentally headbutting him in the shoulder and occasionally pushed her head away. Zeais thought about Anya''s request to go to Brights with him. Even if she did change her mind about going to Brights and meeting Memori, Zeais didn''t have a problem if she didn''t come at all. He did, however, want to get the business with the village chief over with. The chief was to finish his meetings late afternoon, it was almost approaching that time. As if on que, Zeais could hear the door of the Innkeeper creak open. Hearing light slow footseps, he hears another door open and then close. A louder set of footsteps begin to come from the direction, not hearing another door open the footsteps continue. Thinking she probably stepped into her room the Innkeeper must be coming to tell them something. Nudging Eris to wake up, she opens her eyes slowly and yawns. Yale walks around the corner into the lobby . Stopping in front of the children his buttoned shirt is wrinkly and wet with what looks like tears. [Yale: I''m sorry for the wait, please give the girl some time. She''s coming with you to Brights if you don''t mind, she''s a bit stubborn but take care of her okay?] [Zeais: I don''t want to know too muh about whats going on but I''ll be sure to get her to meet her friend.] [Eris: *YAwN* We should head over to the Chiefwhile we wait then.] [Yale: I''ll take you kids to his residence, I''ve got a carraige we can use.] [9] The Town made in a Bowl of Soup [Pt. 1] It was a mild cloudy day outside but the weather was warm. The nice weather was no match for the colossal Gnorse that appeared before her. Much more massive than the average of its breed, it stood above even Yale, a man who is well over six feet tall. It''s brazen legs decorated with thick brown hair that came up to the giant man''s abdomens as he reigned it in. The enormous body that rested on top of its huge legs were wrapped with a jet black coat and could easily support the weight of three heavy-set men. Bright yellow side-slanted pupils surveyed the unfamiliar faces of the children standing in its presence. Despite its proud look, sturdy body and glamours entrance; The payload towed behind was the complete opposite when she took her sights upon it. The carriage was made of weak wood and rusted nails. Its wide wheels had were battered and scratched, the pinewood struts that held the frame were barely hanging on, but it somehow remained upright. Eris was unimpressed and thought it looked more like a wagon with a cover than a "carriage". She couldn''t bare more than her poker-face at the old contraption, and her vision promptly swiveled back to the Gnorse. She thought the majestic beast was much more captivating and exciting to gaze at. [Eris: That thing really is huge! But that carriage is... creative?] Yale furrowed his brows and stomped the ground. [Yale: Hey! This thing has put in more work in its six years than you have in your lifetime. Rigas is a decent sized place, if you''d rather walk be my guest.] Spitting out his retort he turned to mount the giant Gnorse. With swift and fluent movement he wrapped his arms around the body of the animal and threw himself on top. The girl heard Zeais let out a confused Wha? and turned to see a look of stupid shock on his face. [Zeais: It doesn''t even have a saddle!? How is that even possible!] Grabbing the leather reigns and obviously proud of trusty steed he gives a hearty laugh. [Yale: "It" has a name, and "he" is called Charrette. You have to get used to your partner soon. If you can''t trust yourself to mount them with ease than a Gnorse will just buck ya off. Doing it quick and easy takes the strain off them, but Charrette her doesn''t have a problem no matter how I mount him.] Yale rubbed the broad neck of the mammal, and it responded with a happy neigh, reciprocating his proud master. [Zeais: Ooo, I see. I wish there were any that roamed my area. I might just try and catch one.] Eris took no time to give the boy a disapproving scowl. [Eris: Are you crazy? They don''t just let anyone hop on their back. I''m sure they would be much more pleased by a great person like me!] She gave the boy a sideswiped smile and leaned in, to pet the animal''s side. Before her hand could even reach the smooth black hair, the proud Charrette moved over to the side away from her hand. The animal gave a deep grunt and swiveled its long neck and head to look at the girl. She peered into its eyes flared but not the look of surprise a normal horse would give off. [Eris: Don''t touch? Got it.] Clutching her hands to one another and puffing her cheeks, she mumbled, [Eris: How cheeky, I just wanted a quick pet.] A hearty laugh is let out above her, Yale pats the animal gain. [Yale: That won''t do young one! He''s not the type to just love anyone, he''s only been my partner for years! HAHAHA] Yale pointed with his neck quickly to behind him. [Yale: Alright let''s go, hop in the back.] Zeais took the lead to jump in ahead of her, she thought that riding in the back of such a broken down heap of wood would be the last thing she would be excited about. Unenthusiastic, she lifted her self onto the wooden carriages frame and sat on the bench opposite of Zeais...If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. [Yale: Comfortable back there?] [Zeais: Is this part of the floor suppose to wiggle like this?] [Yale: Guess we''re good then, off we go!] Obviously ignoring the boy''s question, Yale whips the reigns and gives the command for Charrette. The horse gave yet another low grunt and began moving at a walking pace; At least this is what it seemed like to her. For the Gnorse to make such little movement, it bewildered Eris that his speed was almost as fast as a simple trot. She could see nothing better than charging through forests and taking down big game on such a gallant animal in her head. The towns scenery was strange to her. Much different than the cramped atmosphere of Don''te, she didn''t see nearly as many people, even with the buildings looking decently built she expected the place to be filled with people coming on to rest from journeys and traveling. What seemed to only be the occasional traveler scattered about, there seemed to be no abundant bunch of visitors. The rows of shops and houses were well kept, the owners doing what appeared to be their daily routine and the precinct they were passing by was filled with active guards. Eris stood up to see more but the wobbliness of the carriage gave her a second thought. [Eris: Mister, why are there so few people here? Isn''t this a resting town?] His blonde hair flowing in the wind and his body lazily bobbing from the Gnorse movement, he calmly turns to the girl, [Yale: Who knows, I gave up on this place years ago, though, It''s been like this for a good while now.] Silently listening to his statement, Eris furrowed her brows and a small migraine ensued. [Yale: I don''t take much time to get involved in what goes on anymore, that''s more of a Chief question when you meet him.] Brief images popped into her head, painting what was supposed to be a town before her eyes into a crimson red nightmare. Taking a deep breath in and pushing the newly reserved air out gave her a clear mind. She felt a gaze and saw that Zeais was staring at her. [Eris: Something wrong?] [Zeais: No, I should be asking that though.] She knew she had to hide the painful memories deep inside but they always seemed to slip out no matter how hard she tried. She assumed her default expression and carried on, [Eris: Hm, don''t mind me.] [Zeais: If you say - SO!] Zeais''s last word didn''t come out like the rest of his sentence. Feeling the same reason why he let out a loud whimper, her body slid into the side of the carriage and her neck got a slight whiplash. Charrette had abruptly come to a stop. [Eris: Ow, you could be a little more gentle.] Yale didn''t respond, his back was turned but even from behind she could tell his face was angry if anything else infuriated. She stood up quickly and as she was about to repeat her complaint until she followed the gaze of the man. Wrapped in all types of bandages and old useless herb wrap, a man of unknown but definitely of old age was standing in front of their path. She analyzed the man but soon regretted it, she felt a chill run down her back. The man''s eyes were stone cold as if death himself would not come for the man. His head and body were very much so on the thin side of the health spectrum. He wore clothes, but they were such of a hospitals medical gown. His lips were dry and his ears unkempt. A guard clad in chain mail came ran up to the unknown man and carriage out of breath. Eris could see that the guard was also not happy and was, in fact, fuming with anger. Out of breath and sweating the young guard whipped out his weapon, not even uttering the slightest indication of his action, cracked the man in the head with his metal stick. The old man fell to the ground lifelessly, a slow but constant red began to stain some of the bandages on his head. The guard looked up to the man high above him, [Guard: Get the hell out of here NOW! --- This area is now -- restricted! --- LEAVE!] Still, out of breath, the guard let his demands be known. Yale whipped the reigns and didn''t speak a word. Charrette casually walked around the body and moved onward taking no mind to the situation. Eris did not know what to say, she only stared back to see a group of guards running up to their sweaty companion and surround the old man''s body. They formed a circle around it and faced outward to keep citizens out. Two of them quickly patted down the man then picked him up. The whole group ran in a formation, disappearing with the body into a guard station. Eris didn''t even realize she was still standing till a wobble from the carriage knocked her back into her seat. Snapping out of her tunnel vision, she looked ahead to see Zeais, also looking back towards where the guards were. His expression didn''t give any indication of surprise or shock, but to her seemed more like deep thought. She wanted to know what exactly he was questioning, but Charrette had come to a stop, much more controlled this time and let out a loud neigh. [Yale: Alright, we''re here. You kids can jump out, the lounge is just through the doors. Wait there while I hitch Charrette.] Yale''s face still looked visibly upset, she was curious but only followed his instructions. Eris proceeded to get up and lift herself down from the carriage. Zeais followed suit, and the two of them watched Yale ride off to the end of the street. [Zeais: Guess we should go wait inside then...] [Eris: I guess so...] [10] The Town made in a Bowl of Soup [Pt. 2] As the children walked up the steps, Eris studied the building that the Chief was supposed to be working in. The building looked more like a homestead than a Town Hall. Eris thought that using a home was probably a good idea when the town was started, but the odd atmosphere of the town now raised flags in her mind. As Zeais reached for the door to open it, the door instead had come for him. A woman with light vanilla blond hair and dark red eyes had poked her head out before he could even touch the knob. [???: Why hello there young ones!] Eris examined the woman as she brought the rest of her body outside. She wore what looked similar to Anya¡¯s worker uniform, except for her button shirt being pure white, and the light brown knee-length skirt that freely flowed. Her face, she thought was lovely. The beauty mark below her right eye and her small lips gave her a youthful look. In fact, Eris believed couldn¡¯t possibly be older than twenty years of age with how refreshing her warm beige skin was. Eris was puzzled as to why the young woman didn¡¯t seem to be leaving. The woman looked down and covered her mouth lightly with a hand, adoringly she softly said, [???: How cute!] Eris¡¯s eyes met with hers and tilted her head in confusion. [Eris: Um, this is the Ch¡ª] The woman had suddenly grabbed the young girl and gave her a loving surprise hug. Eris thought to herself at the moment that this was the third time today, she was pulled around like some sort of doll. She hadn¡¯t known that people outside of Don¡¯te could be so accepting of others. ¡°It¡¯s okay. This woman doesn¡¯t seem to be like them¡±, She told herself, reminding her hands not to grab the knife hidden beneath her sweater. The young woman continued to squeeze the girl close with her arms around her shoulders. Eris didn¡¯t squirm or push away from the woman but had her eyes closed and seemingly embraced the hug in return. Softly touching the young woman''s hands, images of a warm campfire pleasantly heated her mind. The darkness of the forest, the distant sound of monstrosities roaming and the brisk breeze were all blown away from the softness of that woman''s embrace. The dark metal of the blade stuck in the ground reflected light casting split shadows across the ground. She missed her, missed the tenderness in her voice, missed the way she would throw her into the air, the way should tap her nose if she made a mistake, she wanted all of it to come back. Everything about that woman dissipated as the unknown voice of a young lady came from above her. The girls flushed cheeks disappeared, her eyes no longer held the pasts memory of happiness, and her face slowly faded into the stoic look she always had since the day she was born. [???: You have to be the children Chief Reg wanted to see! After all, you two look just like what he mentioned this morning.] Eris looked up to see the woman give a benevolent smile. [Eris: Mm, we''re here just like he asked.] The young woman let go of Eris and backed away. Delicately gripping the lower part of her skirt and moving a leg back behind the other, she bowed with a curtsy. [???: Welcome Children. I hope you enjoyed your stay.] She stood up straight and with a triumphant look and put her arms on her hips. [???: I do have to look the part at least sometimes! My name is Celty, and I work here as the Chief¡¯s assistant''s assistant.] Eris looked to Zeais for confirmation on if she had heard right. He nodded to her and held the same expression of confusion. [Zeais: Assistant¡¯s assistant? ] [Celty: Yes! I¡¯m basically just here because to fool around!] She proclaimed her position with a confident tone, but the children''s faces scrunched up into an untrusting glare. [Celty: Now now, don¡¯t make such faces. I still kind of work here! Come, I will take you to the Chief upstairs.] Celty turned around and motioned for the children to come inside. The inside of the house looked much more official. There were desks for people to work and couches for visitors to relax. Hung along the wall were all types of documents and pictures. The most attention-grabbing detail that caught Eris¡¯s eyes was the large glass mounted on the wall, holding a copy of ¡°Grand¡¯s Map.¡± She had seen the map that was posted in her town, but it had only displayed the regions around Don¡¯te. This version, however, held the entire land mass and was long enough that a lot of it was rolled up. The long rectangular glass case that held the map was closer to the ceiling though she couldn¡¯t make out any landmarks that would show Rigas. Eris let out a delighted, [Eris: Ooooo amazing. ] [Celty: Ah you must be looking at the Grand Map. It really is amazing even though its a copy.] Zeais had walked past her to get a closer look. [Zeais: It looks just like the one in Brights, although ours looks a bit older and beat up.] [Eris: There''s one there too huh. Hmmm] Eris thought copying a portion of the map might help her out in the long run when she decides to leave and explore. She kicked herself for not bringing her supplies, she pondered over asking if she could borrow ink and paper to draw a copy. [Celty: As unbelievable as it is, I should get you two upstairs the Chief got a letter not too long ago to head to another meeting.] The girl felt a hand suddenly envelop her shoulder, the young woman put a hand on each of them and steered them toward the stairs. [Celty: Now now, let''s go.] As the three ascended the stairs, she noticed the extreme care taken in the wooden steps and the walls were painted in all types of pictures from what she thought to be children¡¯s drawings. At the top of the staircase, oil lamps lit up the windowless hallway, which gave the girl an eerie feeling. It was a long hallway, but the first door was the most eye-catching. If nothing else, she knew it had to be the Chief''s office, the large bold letters inscribed into the door saying they arrived at their stop hadn¡¯t been needed. They stood in front of the door, which boasted excellent details of animals mixed with other abstract designs in its casing. The metal knockers in place, Eris thought, were quite normal aside from the small markings of facial expressions littering the handles. Celty reached out and grabbed the knockers and gave it three light taps to the dark wood. [Celty: The two children you mentioned this morning have arrived Chief, are you ready for them?] A muffled mans reverberated through the door, [???: Ah, you¡¯re still out there playing assistant little girl¡­ No matter, bring them in.] Celty opened the doors revealing the room hidden behind. Eris thought that the house had to be full of more unique furniture or colorings, but the room that appeared was actually, very ordinary. One large desk for the man of action to sit at and four chairs in front of it to speak with guests. An extensive library of books lined the shelves on one wall and a burning fireplace was on the other. A giant glass window behind the desk brought forth plenty of natural light through the curtains, the sun was still high in the sky but Eris concluded it must be near evening from the color of the light shining through the curtains. The sole person in the room was the same Chief they saw last night. His gray hair was still as shaggy as the night before and his emerald eyes told of his old age. He wore the same black vest but instead of the blue one he had previously, it was now a scarlet red. He sat behind his desk putting away documents and items. With a quick hand gesture, he beckoned the children to enter. [Chief: Yes, these two are indeed the children who arrived last night.] He gave Celty an annoyed look. [Chief: Go find the old lady and stop playing around up here!] Eris looked to the young woman, she gave the nod to the Chief and looked down to the children. [Celty: As you wish!] She smiled to Eris and quickly left the room. Her steps could be heard as she hurriedly ran down the stairs. [Chief: Come, sit children, take a seat.] He gestured to the chairs in front of them. Eris didn¡¯t particularly like formal establishments but she had no choice but to take his offer and sit. Zeais sat down next to her but his attention seemed to wander around the room. [Chief: Alright children. Let''s get started. I never game my name since this town only ever calls me Chief, but I am Reginald. Sorry you had to wait so long, I had other matters that needed me. I hope the Inn treated you right.] Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. [Zeais: Not problems at all, Sir.] The old man stroked his beard. [Chief Reginald: Such mannerisms.] Eris could see him eye the boy, his dark green eyes didn¡¯t sit right with her and she felt a chill run down her spine. [Chief Reginald: Your caretakers must have instilled the seeds to help you grow, am I correct?] [Zeais: Um, yes. Someone taught me to be polite during travels.] He turned removed his eyes from the boy and turned to look at Eris. Once again his eyes seemed cold and off-putting. Maybe it¡¯s his old age? She thought. She did not speak or respond to his gaze. [Chief Reginald: A quiet one hm. Manners are nice but silence is good too, it can be calming at times¡­] The old man¡¯s eyes softened and almost showed some sort of warmth but this brief look disappeared as quickly as it had come. Delving in his moment he quickly snapped to. [Chief Reginald: Ahem, about the compensation you children will be doing. Right. Since that man and his nephew have both been in the doctors ward and the use of the volatile crystals were used. All I ask of you, children, is that you fetch supplies from the Lucent forest closest to here.] [Zeais: A lucent forest? I refuse.] The chief raised a brow to the boys sudden deny. [Chief Reginald: I do believe you children are the ones who brought that monstrosity to the village. Its only right that you pay an equal fee for a rescue using such rare materials. I even provided you with a bed to stay the night.] [Zeais: Even so, sending a child into that kind of place is no small task. I¡¯ve been once before and know its no place to go unless you¡¯re well equipped or have a few people at your side.] [Chief Reginald: Children these days really have grown quite bravely I say. Well how about thi¡ª] A knock from outside the door too the attention away from his attention. The Chief sighed in disappointment, and raised his voice to the door, [Chief Reginald: Yes, Who is it?] [???: It¡¯s Summers. The children are inside already are they not?] Eris felt the voice sounded familiar. [Chief Reginald: What is it you need?] [???: I told them to wait in the lounge but it seems they went ahead and started already.] Zeais looked to Eris and they both looked one another wide-eyed [Eris: I completely forgot.] [Zieas: Me too...] The Chief overheard the children and asked the voice, [Chief: I¡¯m guessing you planned on joining in with them Mr. Summers?] [???: Yes.] Once again the Chief sighed. Eris couldn¡¯t quite figure out what the old man was thinking or why he seemed so disappointed. [Chief Reginald: Fine, come in.] The door slowly opened and the behemoth of a man, Yale, walked inside. [Yale: If you¡¯ll excuse me.] Yale took a seat next to Eris. He eyed Zeais and had to have seen the look on the boys face because his own turned into the same grimace expression. [Yale: Please continue.] The Chief adjusted his vest and continued his statement. [Chief Reginald: As I was saying, how about you two instead help bring in a some precious metal.] [Eris: Precious metal?] [Chief Reginald: Yes. There are deposits of ore in a mine close to here. The miners who worked there had triggered a collapse on accident and the cave had its only entrance closed. The only way in now is through a crack the size of small child. We haven¡¯t had enough volatile crystal to blow the entrance open, which is why going to a lucent forest would quickly help us.] Eris furrowed her brows and gritted her teeth. She couldn¡¯t shake the ominous feeling she got when speaking to the old man. [Eris: Why not just send some of your guards or ask the miners who messed up to do it?] The Chief gave an understanding head nod and crossed his arms. [Chief Reginald: Good question. Unfortunately all the guards are busy and the miners are being charged with purposeful negligence on charges of blowing the mine on purpose to get out of work.] [Zeais: Fine.] The old man raised an eyebrow in surprise. [Zeais: I¡¯ll go visit a Lucent forest.] Eris wasn¡¯t expecting his answer to be the one he so quickly refused. [Eris: But you just SA¡ª!] She received a quick nudge to her side. She looked to Zeais who looked into her eyes intently, she understood the message. [*Zeais*: I¡¯m not getting good a good feeling from him.] [*Eris*: Me neither. Why accept the forest though, you said no so quickly before.] [*Zeais*: There''s no telling what the miners blew the mine for. I was taught not to believe everything so quickly and man-made places could have quickly fallen prey to dangerous animals.] [*Eris*: And why does visiting the forest sound any better? There are plenty of dangerous creatures there.] [*Zeais*: I will trust nature before I trust another man. Besides I have a couple people who can join me, I won¡¯t go alone like I did the first time.] [*Eris: You¡¯re saying this as if I wasn¡¯t coming along.] [*Zeais*: It¡¯s not like we¡¯ve known each other for a long time and I do trust you. But. I can tell you haven¡¯t been out farther than Don¡¯te.] Eris stared at the boy, feeling like he saw straight through her faced. [*Eris*: Still. I want to come along. I¡¯m not so useless to have never been hunting.] Eris stared at the boy fiercely but she sincerely wanted him to accept her. She could use another reason to get away from that town, and the family couldn¡¯t possibly punish her for being tasked to do something she wasn¡¯t expecting. Zeais stared at her for a quick second then finally answered, [*Zeais*: Alright. Only because there will be others with me.] Eris was elated in her mind but her face said otherwise. [*Eris*: Great. Thank You.] Their conversation was no more than seven seconds of silence. The Chief was staring at the two of them. [Chief Reginald: Always such an amazing thing to see. Even though I am not taking part, the abilities of your generation are really a sight to behold. Hahaha, get it! Sight!] The unexpected joke earned no laughs from Eris or anyone else in the room. An awkward silence fell down upon them for a moment. [Chief Reginald: Haha, Ahem¡­ If you accept, good. I really wish I didn¡¯t have to depend on the help of children but even at your young ages the ability to fight against nature is astonishing.] [Yale: It¡¯s not like children are powerful Chief, they have their limits.] Yale looked to the children for a second and quickly turned back to the Chief. [Yale: And they are still young. It is their choice though.] [Zeais: We will go, thank you for the worry but we have our methods. So Chief, how many crystals and how fast do you need them?] The Chief stroked his beard and said, [Chief Reginald: Around eight unstable cored crystals and if you can bring a bit of Angustic Dust. If you can bring a bit of dust back I will give you goods in return. If you are able, within the next week will work.] [Zeais: Good deal. I¡¯ll see what we can do.] [Chief Reginald: Great! It¡¯s settled then.] Eris didn¡¯t like that they owed so much in the first place but going against a towns Chief could easily disrupt good relations provided a good reason. Bring an Earth Walker to a town of people was no laughing matter either, even if they were prepared. The Chief stood up and reached out for a handshake over the desk. A glint from a golden circle hanging from the pocket of his dark trousers shined into Eris¡¯s eye. She squinted her eyes and looked to the side a bit. When she looked into the corner of the wall, there was a crack and for an instant she saw something that almost made her heart stop. Was that. Someones eye? She thought. [Chief Reginald: You too young lady.] The Chief was holding his hand out to her, she must of missed initial handshakes. She reached her small hand out and gave the old man a firm shake. She looked into his eyes once more, unlike the chills she felt before, she got a specific feeling when she peered into his pupils this time. She had seen it many times before but it was well hidden through his speech and actions. The look of greed in his dark green eyes angered her. [11] Cold dreams The children were sitting on the lavish furniture in the lounge, studying the various antiques, objects, and paintings, waiting for Yale to bring the Gnorse upfront. The sounds of wind howled outside the building''s walls and there were complaints from the wood of the building. From the corner of her eyes, Eris could see the slight hints of condensation building up on the windows and her mind brought small tinges of cold to her spine, she didn¡¯t want to think about how cold it was outside. There wasn''t much light outside anymore, she could tell that sunset was nearly complete and that the darkness was going to soon envelop everything outside. She continued to peer around the room until her eyes stopped at Zeais, who was staring curiously at a nearby abstract painting. Her thoughts turned from the cold and began to churn about the boy in front of her eyes. Thinking back to his statement about his own impairment, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder how he got this far in life. The child before her had possibly been through countless days struggling, to become strong enough to be able to overcome his weaknesses. She was curious and took the time to inspect him. His light brown skin had numerous small nicks and cuts that had healed over. The clothing he wore was in no way shape or form meant for hunts or procurement. He must really have been enjoying a break then, what did he usually wear though? She thought. He also said he was colorblind, huh. I never thought about it before, but the world he sees is probably much different. If it were me I¡¯m not sure how I could live out here, even now I can¡¯t do much. I want to learn more¡­ Maybe if I travel with him¡­ I could¡­ Absorbed in her thoughts, she rubbed her thumb and index finger together. I should ask him before anything starts, she thought. [Eris: Zeais.] The boy slowly pulled his attention away from the painting to look at her. [Zeais: Yes?] When their eyes met, she averted his look quickly but tried to keep some form of manner and instead looked near his neck. She was not embarrassed, but she felt that she had no choice but to lie, after all, she couldn''t just up and leave to go on an adventure so suddenly. [Eris: I¡¯m going to head back to Don¡¯te after tonight.] She looked up a bit more to see that Zeais didn¡¯t give much of a reaction at first but soon gave her a nod. [Zeais: Do what you have to do.] She gave him a nod in return and looked up to meet his eyes. [Eris: If we¡¯re going to go to a Lument forest we will need to pick a day and time right? It will take me a while to get there, and I want to bring some things with me that might be useful.] She didn¡¯t quite understand why, but she felt an odd sense of nervousness trying to explain her reasoning. [Zeais: Understood¡­ We have a lot of things that might be useful. Do you have to go back to get them? It is a long walk after all.] Eris¡¯s gaze slowly slipped away from him down to her hands. She didn¡¯t want to go back to her town, but if she didn¡¯t the repercussions wouldn¡¯t be fun. It will be tiring to go there and back, she thought, but it would be better than being around that woman and her servants. She sighed. [Eris: ...Mmm, yes. I have a few things I made, I think they might help us. I will be quick though, we can meet the day after tomorrow.] After her reply, she quickly glanced at the walls of the lounge for a second then brought her eyes back to the boy. Zeais¡¯s dark gray eyes were fixated on hers. Again he didn¡¯t say any words while looking at her. His eyes didn¡¯t give any signs that he was all there and after a few seconds, she began to feel awkward. Before she could ask what was wrong, his voice suddenly cut her words short. [Zeais: In two days then.] Once he acknowledged her, he suddenly stood up and stretched. He let out a moan of relaxation as he put his arms down and said, [Zeais: That''s enough thinking today for me, I want to sleep.] Eris watches him do a few more quick stretches and asks, [Eris: Thinking about what?] He snaps his head to meet her eyes and with a grin says, [Zeais: The hunt of course!] The conversation was cut upon hearing the front door to the lounge suddenly open, both Eris and Zaeis quickly l to the entrance. Yale the Innkeeper, so large that he has to duck through the door, strolls into the room. His breath could be seen from where Eris was sitting, she felt chills fall down her spine as the cold air from outside brushes against her skin. [Yale: Come on you two, our ride is ready.] Eris hopped up from the couch and walked over to the door along with Zeais. Yale looked down to the children and seemed to be inspecting them. [Yale: You two should invest in more cold weather clothing, the fall season is closing in.] Eris didn¡¯t say anything about his statement. She touched the clothing she received from the Inn Keepers aunt, it wasn¡¯t long sleeved but too thin for being outside at this time. She wished her coat wasn¡¯t in such a disastrous state when she got it back but things happen and it wasn¡¯t a big deal to her. Yale escorted the two of them out the door and closed it behind him. The brisk winds nipped at Eris¡¯s face, sitting inside a warm building got the better of her. She immediately tried to stuff her hands in her pockets, but there were none to be found on the long skirt. She smacked her lips and let out a sigh, her breath could be seen and was carried off by the wind. She wanted to run back inside to the warmth of the lounge. Upon seeing the magnificent beast she adored shaking its head and letting out a huff, it¡¯s warm breath creating vapors that blow off into the wind. She was tempted to run straight to it, but knowing better than to quickly run up to large animals, she slowly walked instead. Taking careful steps down the stairs and trying to approach Charette calmly, she said with a soothing voice, [Eris: Theerre theerre boy¡­] Reaching her hands out to its dark hair, she still wasn¡¯t close enough to give Charrette a pet, but a few more steps and she could dwell in its soft looking hide. The Gnorse was apparently aware of her intentions as it twisted its head slowly to her, it¡¯s equine eyes looked at her with the whites showing prominently. The Gnorse¡¯s expression gave Eris the feeling that he wasn¡¯t pleased with her trying to sneakily approach him. Eris wasn¡¯t surprised that she was caught, all she wanted was a little touch, but she knew it wouldn¡¯t come so quickly. She depressedly dropped her arms and sulked over to the back entrance of the carriage and climbed aboard. Eris took a seat in the same spot as when they arrived. She tried to keep her face stoic, but the sigh that she let out by her gave the facade away. A man on the ground gave out a deep loud laugh that quickly turned into a hacking cough before words could even be spoken. She snapped her head to the direction of the coughs to see Yale let out harsh rapping sounds, as coughs escaped his throat. Eris noticed that he didn¡¯t stumble over this time though, even as he walked down the stairs he was able to get himself under control quickly. Zeais was also staring up at him, looking at the man with an unsure expression that Eris could relate to. If something happened to the man, she would have no idea what to do without knowing what his condition was. She continued to watch the man as he regained himself. He seemed to have finished and approached his large size partner, whose long slit eyes were staring at him as well. As if his sudden outburst was nothing of importance, he continued with his interrupted sentence, [Yale: Ahem, nice try little one. Charrette has never let just anyone feel him up. He almost killed a stable worker once for brushing him, kicked him square in the chest. A few inches higher above the stomach and the man would be dead with a crushed heart.] Yale hopped on top of his stead just as effortlessly as before and looked back to Eris sitting in the back. Her face still held a lost expression, Yale looked like he tried to keep a smile on his face but didn''t make any comments when their eyes met. Yale let out a sigh, his eyes gazed downward for a second and his lips curled into a wry smile. He turned away from her to face Zeais. Eris didn¡¯t really know how to respond to his aversion, but she thought it would be best if she didn¡¯t pry into the business of others. [Yale: Come boy. If you want to eat some warm food you should hop aboard quickly so I can prepare it.] Once Yale addressed the boy, he turned to his front and gazed into the dark roads ahead of them. Eris looked out into the dark as well, the streets were clear, and the only signs of life were housing candles. Zeais stood blankly for a second, staring at the man. He snapped from his trance and hurriedly walked down the steps to join Eris in the back of the carriage. Gusts of bone-chilling wind blew through the wagon causing Eris to quickly cross her arms in an attempt to keep some warmth. She thought she had been safe near the back of the carriage where a short wall could protect her from the wind, it turned out to be useless, and the cold winds still assaulted her exposed flesh. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. The shake of the carriage from the young boy hopping aboard gave her the idea to look for something to take her mind off the cold. Eris looked ahead to see Zeias sit down in front of her, she quickly turned her head to the front, the look his eyes had reminded her that their driver could have something very wrong and she was powerless to help. Those thoughts drove her to look at Yale, with his back turned she couldn¡¯t tell what face he was making, but she still got a vibe that he¡¯d rather not talk. Eris had the overwhelming urge to look at something else, other than the two males near her. The current awkward atmosphere she felt suggested that they were all in their own thoughts and the quietness mixing with the blowing winds didn¡¯t make for good conversation. She instead peered up to the lights of the Chiefs office window, which were still on. Eris wondered where the strange assistant woman had gone to and she could swear that the Chief had to leave for some other type of duty. It didn¡¯t matter much to her, their business was their own, and a nice fresh meal sounded much more entertaining than filling her mind with the company of others. Despite the silence and her previous feelings of worry, she was quite excited about Yale¡¯s mention of warm food. She hadn¡¯t eaten since the early morning, and her stomach gave complaints about its empty contents. While occupied musing over food, her body was suddenly carried by the momentum of the carriage moving. She thought she was doing a good job at distracting her self if she didn¡¯t hear the reigns whip. The feeling of success was quickly destroyed as the carriage headed upwind. More than ever did she wish she had a travel blanket, she wanted to hide and use any means to shield herself from the bitter cold. They hadn¡¯t gone very far from the Chief¡¯s office, but her teeth began to chatter, her fingers and face were starting to hurt from the chills as well. It was clear that fall was upon them. She wanted to know if she was the only one suffering and slowly moved her sights to Zeias. He was similarly, holding his knees close to his chest and making himself small with his head tucked in, his body was still shaking slightly, but he used his breath to warm the area where his head was tucked in. She couldn¡¯t tell if that was an actual technique to stay warm or if its just what he usually did. Her knees weren¡¯t really cold because of the longish skirt, but her face and fingers felt like they would fall off. This is why Fall was never a season she liked, she closed her eyes and laid close to the carriage walls with her arms crossed. She always hated how finicky the weather was, with beautiful looking skies but cold air, or days where it seemed extraordinarily cloudy but decently warm. It didn¡¯t make much sense to her how the weather couldn¡¯t stay consistent at all times, it made growing plants a hassle outside and changes in temperature meant she would always have to find different clothing. Besides the clothing she earned for herself by growing unique plants and herbs, she didn¡¯t receive much seasonal clothing from the family. Her thoughts drifted, and her mind wandered to other places than where she felt waves of sleep fall upon her. The cold seemed to fade away as she curled herself up on the bench. The family, the same three people who she has lived with for since the young age of five, didn¡¯t give her nearly as much attention as she would have been given if she were born into their family. The mother was the worst of them, she would scream at her when she was younger if asked to go out and play or completely lose it if she was caught playing with their only son. Her room was the only free place in the home, the attic, it was a newly constructed home, so it wasn¡¯t deplorable, but from outside that single window, she could see the bustle of the village and the sights far away. Her thirst for more freedom caused Eris to continually ask for something to do. Even if the woman yelled at her, she steeled herself to continue trying her luck. At one point in her first year with them, fed up with the mundane life of staying inside with nothing to entertain her, every day for a month she asked for things to do. Dishes, laundry, cooking, knitting, toys, instruments, playtime, outside time, clothing, shopping, food, water, warmth, affection, love, hugs, a real family, anything and everything she wanted to do or have, she protested for. Her tactic came to a sudden halt when a hand suddenly struck her face one day. Her vision was blurred and crowded by a clear liquid, the distorted sight in front of her was a woman standing with shock on her face and a trembling hand. That same woman who had struck her also had tears in her eyes, Eris couldn¡¯t understand why the woman was the one crying when her face didn¡¯t feel like it was set on fire. Her foster mother''s face was twisted in horror over her action, but the words she spat out didn¡¯t match her expression. ¡°It was already hard enough without you here!¡± she screamed to the girl. Eris wanted to know her reasons for her treatment, but the adults who should be taking care of her didn¡¯t care to give her the time of day. The woman no longer kept her inside the house and Eris had finally gained some freedom, but only at the expense of interacting with the family. She was told she could play outside and enjoy her time as a child as long as she behaved. Eris thought that she was very well behaved but the treatment she received when out in town suggested otherwise. The shopkeepers, the librarians, the doctors, even farmers knew of the Halo eyed girl. Not because of who she was as a child, but for the actions of her Godmother. The reason she had to endure so much was merely that of social rejection. Going outside the city limits was still forbidden for her because no teachers wanted to train her because she had ¡°little chance of surviving.¡± This didn¡¯t stop the little girl from trying, she played and collected inside the surrounding forests, bribed other children with her forest findings into giving her books and even got the traveling merchants to provide her with tips and support with items and hunts. She studied quietly on her own when she could, children throughout Brights knew her well and would secretly come to play. Eris adored the smaller children for having the courage to approach her, despite them being told not to. Older children who came to visit her did so out of curiosity but knew better than to get acquainted. Eris didn¡¯t mind though, she wanted more out of life than hidden behind the towns mask. At the age of seven, as much as she tried to tell herself that she was strong, she was powerless to the harbingers of her mind. The massacre of animals that her Godmother tried to stop kept flooding her mind. Since the day she was given to her new family, she could see nothing but hell itself, and the selfishness of the adults who wanted to gain from the misery of thousands of animals gave her nothing but heartache. Before she was given to her foster family, Eris had a furry friend called Cat. Cat was not a regular cat or even a cat at all. It was a Fenscher, a small fox-like creature with long legs similar to a dog. She gave the animal the name Cat when she was five, because of its large cat-like ears. Eris loved her companion, and her godmother let her keep it because she also adored the small creature. No longer could she hold it¡¯s soft white fur. The sight of a man beating her furry friend to death because his knife was covered in blood and slippery, and its pretty white hairs falling off its body lazily dancing in the wind drove her mad. The small girl had never felt such pain or fear before, she was furious, her little body quivered with anger. Eris was not the only one, children all throughout the town were bawling, begging for their pets return. The village was lit by dozens of bright hot mounds of fire, all filled with hundreds of bodies from all animals alike. Her first thought was to bite the man, but a quick fist to the face knocked her to the ground. Her eyes were dyed red, and the sight of her godmother kicking the man in his face gave her a bit of salvation before she went unconscious. The day before her godmother was put to death for ¡°civil disobedience,¡± she learned that the town had done this because the adult families were promised to receive large sums of currency and goods if they participated in a ritual. Their greed was nothing short of selfishness to Eris, and the group of travelers that started it all were the highest evil in the world to her. Images of the past four years always flooded her mind, but this was the worst she had in a while. A sudden floating sensation awoke Eris, she jumped up from her sleep to sit up and look around. Zeias was napping in front of her, unshaken by the sudden bump in the road. The carriage was pulling up to the Inn, just in time. The feel of tears running down her face was quickly wiped away when she felt her face. She didn¡¯t know why she was reliving her nightmares so often recently. What she did know was that it didn¡¯t matter at the moment, she had to remain strong and become stronger. The only way to achieve that was to eat the warm food that made her stomach groan with anticipation. [12] A meeting for another day (Pt. 1) Zeias was deep In thought, his mind churning with views of the future, plans that would come to fruition in a mere week. He slowly opened his eyes after he heard the crushing sound of gravel stop. Bright orange pupil eyes were staring into his, a small hand was close to his shoulder but quickly pulled away. [Zeias: I¡¯m not sleeping.] [Eris: You sure looked like you were.] Zeais could see an odd expression on her face, almost as if she was sad, but he couldn¡¯t tell. He decided that it was probably nothing and sat himself up. As he was about to stretch, a cold breeze blew over his exposed arms, making him recoil them to his chest for warmth. [Zeias: Brrr. Ugh - I¡¯ve had enough of being cold.] He rubbed his biceps with his folded arms for more heat and quickly stood up. He hurriedly walked to the edge of the carriage and jumped off. When he landed, he could feel the cold had definitely worked its way into making his legs feel like jelly. He heard another set of legs jump down behind him, he assumed it was Eris and didn¡¯t look back, he just wanted to go inside the Inn. [Yale: You kids head on inside, I¡¯ll get you two later so you can eat.] Before he could concur, Yale had already commanded the Gnorse to get moving and didn¡¯t wait for either of them to respond. Well don¡¯t mind if I do then, Zeais thought. He couldn¡¯t even take a step forward before he felt Eris suddenly brush past him, with hurried footsteps, she rushed past the front gate, almost running to the front door. [Zeias: Wha-] He felt an overwhelming urge not to let her reach the door first and soon found himself running after her. She had apparently heard him because she seemed to pick up her pace without looking back at him. Nope, not going to happen, he thought brazenly. He picked up his own pace even more, still holding his arms. Eris followed suit and started to run as well, her skirt blowing wildly from the wind. Zeias unwrapped his arms and burst out at full sprint, Eris unraveled her arms as well but kept the same slow pace. [Zeias: I¡¯m going to pass you up!] He could see her silhouette coming into view. She yelled back to him, [Eris: Hoo, what makes you think that!?] He thought that was a dumb question when he was nearly about to pass her. He didn¡¯t get what she meant until she suddenly stopped in front of him and gestured to throw something at his face. He closed his eyes and guarded with his hands in front of him, he slid to a stop waiting for the impending object to strike him. However, nothing came, when he opened his eyes, Eris had disappeared. He heard the sound of her hard soled shoes running ahead of him. [Zeais: WOW! What a cheat!] How could I let her do that!? She doesn¡¯t even have pockets... He kicked himself. Alright then he decided, I¡¯m still not going to lose. Zeais took off at full speed to try and beat her once again. He could see the faint outline of the door ahead, along with the blurry shadow running in front of him. He quickly caught up to her and could clearly see her hair bouncing around. She turned around to see him, surprised that he caught up quickly, she tried her hardest to stay ahead. The goal of reaching the door first was soon to be settled. Almost neck and neck, the two ran as fast as they could. The stairs almost appeared to pop out of nowhere for Zeias, and he quickly jumped in surprise to try and avoid them. Eris had to have known they were there already, as she casually took a short leap up the three small steps. Zeais¡¯s foot almost got caught on the last step, but he quickly adjusted mid-trip and caught himself before he could fall. A useful reflex he caught onto after all those years of being out and about in the wild, but alas, his quick change in momentum did nothing to help him. Eris had already reached the door once he looked up, short of breath and hands on hips, she triumphantly stood next to the door, a happy cheesing smile upon her face. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. So you can smile for your self huh? He mused. [Eris: Nice try-- It was a good effort young one.] She proudly puffed up her chest, mimicking a proud champion. Zeias couldn¡¯t help but smile at her enjoyment. [Zeias: Okay Okay! Haha, it¡¯s your win.] Zeais liked competitions, even if it some weren¡¯t possible for him to win, he still enjoyed the spirit of them and enjoyed the people around him. Zeias walked up to Eris and put a hand on her shoulder. [Zeias: Next time though, I¡¯ll win of course.] He gave her a big smile, she gave a mischievous smirk. [Eris: We will see¡­] The two of the exchanged their talk of the future and headed inside the inn. The Inn presented them with warm air, it embraced his body and warmed him. [Zeias: Ooooh, that feels nice.] [Eris: I agree] [Zeias: I¡¯d love to wrap up in some blankets and go to sleep!] [Eris: You sleep way too much, I¡¯ve seen you sleep at least four times today.] [Zeais: Sleep is the most important fuel for the body, something my teacher used to say and now I can feel the naps come on.] [Eris: Jeez, what lazy teachings.] Zeais rubbed his hands together and walked in the direction of their room. He entered the lobby and remembered that Anya had to be here as well, he didn¡¯t see her though. He wondered if she was still in her room. He was curious, he needed to talk to her about going with him tomorrow back to brights, but he took the better of his reasoning and figured he should leave her alone. The Inn gave off an empty vibe, it was no wonder since the Inn was empty and void of any other traveling guests. Zeais thought he would at least see a few travelers in a town like Rigas, but everywhere he saw seemed so bleak, it was a wonder how people even managed to gain money if they had no customers. What exactly did this town do other than welcome guests? He thought, and why was there so much commotion with guards even without travelers. He couldn¡¯t help but let his mind drift. He snapped out of his daydream when he realized he was almost in front of his room. How did I even get here? Surprised, I swear humans are strange, it''s like my body has a mind of its own sometimes. Does everyone do that? Zeais¡¯s mind was starved and demanded entertainment. The random thoughts that kept appearing were nothing but a distraction, he wanted to put his mind to good use before he ate and slept. He prefers to read books but he didn¡¯t have his glasses nor did he see any books around the Inn. He looked to the girl who hadn¡¯t said anything the entire time they walked. [Zeais: Hey Eris, do you like cards or any other types of brain games?] Eris turned to him as they walked, a confused expression on her face. [Eris: Hmm, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve played too many before. Really I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve played any.] Zeais furrowed his brows, did she ever do anything for passing the time? He thought. [Zeais: Well, if you ever want to lose at something that requires ¡°real¡± talent. Let me know.] Eris scoffed at his remark, [Eris: If you insist, don¡¯t bite your tongue later.] [13] A meeting for another day (Pt. 2) Zeais and Eris were sprawled out on their respective beds inside their room, waiting for Yale to finish cooking food in the kitchen. The thought of such a large man cooking was odd to Zeais, not because he was cooking, but because his large body huddled over a small pot with cooking utensils almost half the size of his hand, looked downright strange. It wasn¡¯t uncommon though, everyone should at least be able to cook something in his opinion. Being stuck out in the middle of forests and bountiful fields with no knowledge of how to bring out the potential of your produce spelled doom for inept people. As far as his teacher taught him. [Zeais: Hey Eris, do you know how to cook?] Zeais couldn¡¯t see her but he heard the rustle of sheets as she moved. [Eris: No.] Well, there goes one, he thought. [Eris: But I do know how to do spices and seasonings. Handling food is a bit different though.] How can she season but not know how to cook? He questioned. Three light raps on the door thrust him from his thoughts. He turned his head to see Eris get up and turn into a blurry blob of gray. He could tell she opened the door, but not all the way. Zeais squinted his eyes to try and make out what was going across the room, but to no avail, he couldn¡¯t make out any refining details. [???: Evening Eris. Can I, come in?] The familiar voice of a girl softly asked from behind the door. Eris pulled the door open to reveal a gray silhouette. Zeais couldn¡¯t mistake her bright yellow pupils, Anya, it had to be her. [Eris: Of course, it¡¯s not like we own the place.] [Anya: Thank you.] Anya¡¯s figure slowly drifted into the room, her footsteps were light and she didn¡¯t seem to be wearing her Inn uniform, the color darkness of the colors didn¡¯t match. In fact, the hue of her clothing seemed a bit lighter, as she walked closer to Eris¡¯s bed he could make out the slight outlines of some type of dress. He sat up and scooted to the edge of his bed so he could address her, [Zeais: Evening, Anya.] He felt a bit odd responding to her, family matters were rare for Zeais to hear about. Do I just avoid talks about what went on this morning? He mulled. [Anya: I can see the awkwardness on your face Zeais.] He felt his face flush a bit. And here I thought I was hiding it¡­ He cursed silently. [Anya: Hehe.] He could hear the wryness in her laugh, she didn¡¯t sound nearly as energetic as she did in the morning. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. [Anya: You don¡¯t need to be all reserved with me, and don¡¯t worry about this morning either. It was just¡­ I was a little upset.] A ¡°little¡± upset? I beg to differ. He mused. [Anya: You too Eris, please don¡¯t look at me with those eyes.] [Eris: Hmm, I don¡¯t know what you mean.] He could hear the sarcasm in her voice, she obviously meant well. It felt a bit rude to him to sit so far away while conversing, Zeais stood up and walked around the beds to get closer to them. As he approached the two, he noticed Anya definitely looked different. She was standing next to Eris, clutching her hands together. He hair was no longer in a ponytail, it instead let its long streaks and light curls rest along her back. Along with her hair change, she no longer wore her Inn uniform, the dress she wore flowed down to her knees and seemed to sleep ware. The dress was very light in contrast and had to be of bright color, a slight gray would equal something akin to white or yellow if he had to put a finger to it. He leaned against the nightstand as the two girls sat down on Eris¡¯s bed. A short bit of silence went by, he couldn¡¯t help but stare at Anya, who was fiddling with her fingers silently. He could tell she wanted to speak but something inside prevented her from doing so. He looked at Eris who was occupied looking at her feet swing link a pendulum. Anya stopped her playing with her fingers suddenly and cleared her throat. [Anya: Did he¡­ tell you two?] Mmm, of course, this is what she came for. [Zeais: No, he didn¡¯t tell us anything at all.] Anya¡¯s face held an expression of surprise that slowly twisted into one of a grimace. [Anya: I really do wish I could take back my outburst and act like things never happened. But that would never happen and I don¡¯t want things to be awkward.] She took a deep breath and let it out quickly. [Anya: Which is why! I wanted to tell you guys about this before we went anywhere.] Her wry smile burned off the happiness she tried to give off. [Anya: My father has been sick since the day my mother died. I don¡¯t remember her since I was so young, but he told me after I was old enough to work in the Inn that she mauled to death. Right underneath this Inn no less.] Zeais couldn¡¯t see any change in her face from such statements. He could tell this would be a ride, he would rather not hear. [14] A meeting for another day (Pt. 3) Before the town of Rigas sprouted, the once empty divot of land that it would sit upon was found by nine men and women. All of them were looking to escape the oppressive lives they held in their hometowns towns, hundreds of miles away. Within their journey to new lands, love had bloomed and visions of new lives filled their heads. They had conquered rough terrain, long stretches of valleys, and held off beasts who seek prey in the world. Their luck had proved its successful, giving them the opportunity to live long enough to begin what they had been longing for, a new home. Among these nine young adults, was a man with shoulder-length maple hair and dark brown eyes that sent chilling messages to anyone looking at them. The very same man who would be the owner of the oldest Inn in town, Yale. The only things Yale knew of was construction and architecture, he took pride in this of course, but the difference from what he did as a younger child and teenager was much different. In the time before the present he loathed heeding his fathers'' words to become a businessman, it left a feeling of loss in his heart. His flee from a divided community was an attempt to instill in himself the courage he held as a young boy. Using the craft that he was so laboriously taught, he found partners who had similar ideas and disdain to their current place. This new impromptu group included who would be known 20 years later as Chief Reginald, along with his wife. While traveling with the group, that same young man had found his heart throbbing for who he thought was the greatest woman alive. A woman who was extraordinarily headstrong and prone to giving off an I can handle myself aura. He found himself captivated with her, the confidence and courage she displayed during their travels was nothing short of exemplary. With what she lacked in short height, she made up with knowledge of tools, crafting skills and handy survival techniques. The hair upon her head was a ruby red and stopped to the back of her neck. The bangs covering her eyes were cut with an amateurish straight line, they eyes shielded by her hair were a florescent Asiatic Lily Yellow. Along the months of travel, the smile and laugh she showed him were endearing. The way she got angry if he caught something wrong, or for cooking the wrong parts of an animal carcass, made him feel happy she cared so much to teach him. There were so many things he found in her, that he couldn¡¯t even see within himself. What he wanted though, was not the missing pieces, but the whole dish. He loved interacting with her, the way she spoke, the way she walked, how she held herself with a fierceness when it came to expeditions and forestry activities. She was just that great of a woman that he wanted to enact his selfishness for once. Yale had finally bucked up and decided to profess his love for her. Nervously and awkwardly he told her what he felt, and to his surprise, she was waiting for him to say something the entire time. Thus, they spent 10 years together, along with their partners they explored various areas, traveled to different towns and built the beginnings for what would be the first actual buildings in Rigas, besides their smaller shelters. In that this, hundreds of people who had heard of a new town sprouting up and jumped on the idea of starting a new shop or home in the middle of a trade route. Things progressed well, it was finally beginning to look like an actual town, albeit small but no less a town. It was at this time though, that hearings of cultist activities began to sprout. Kidnappings, human and animal experimentation, promise of goods and valuable trades if a new member joined. From all directions of the continent Celcilin these rumors grew. The claims began came in more droves as time passed, strange sightings of animals with brightly lit eyes and children who had been taken from their mothers or given up willingly had the same defects in their eyes. Yale had something to protect, a life that would soon be born, he couldn¡¯t afford to lose something so precious. His will had been tested though, months had gone by and his most precious gift had been delivered to him, Anya. His wife Anina had done well, even through Rigas was constantly being attacked by groups of rabid glowing-eyed animals. Weeks had gone by after her birth and large stocks of wood had come in to be used as a fortifying gate. The town could have possibly been rid of the constant attacks and the Inn was had enough progress where some sections could be used for resting. Unfortunately, for Yale and his family, their peace couldn¡¯t be reached. An animal similar to the wolf family slipped through an unfinished section of the gate and had entered the unfinished Inn. It was not large but it was also not a small animal. While still reeling from the after-birth effects, Anina had gotten up to wash her self and grab more blankets for her daughter. While coming out of a usable restroom the sight of the feral, she thought it had been some kind of dream. The smell it let off though was pungent, the eyes it had were a brightly lit green and senses alerted her that it was no dream. She let out a heightened scream for Yale¡¯s name, to which he immediately ran in a frantic panic too. Seeing it canine-like teeth trying to sink its way deeper into the hip of his wife, he swiftly tried to strike its head with a blade he kept on him for protection. He got a good hit in and gashed it¡¯s forehead cleanly. It yelped in pain and hurriedly scurried away from danger. It didn¡¯t end though, it was in need of some sort of nourishment. It stayed in the Inn looking for something to take back before leaving. Seeing an open door, it invited itself in. A delicate looking pile of meat was defenselessly staring at the ceiling, the animal took its chances and hopped on top of the bed it was laid on. The animals head had been dripping blood along the floors and then sheets of the family''s bed. It put a paw to the moving meat and flipped it over to examine it. With a sharp claw, it cut a line on it¡¯s back to see if it was real meat. The scream it let out and the blood that dripped from its back assured it. Hearing the awful sound of her child left in the room, Anina sprang to her feet, ignoring her husband''s warnings for him to go first. She ran out of the bathroom and down the hall to the bedroom. Yale wanted to stop her but blood on the floor had made him fallen and hit his head on the wall edgings. Anina was greeted with the sight of her daughter crying and a large animal with a paw to her back, it sent her heart into overdrive. She couldn¡¯t quite keep up with the reality she was seeing. Her body moved on its own accord and lunged at the animal. With fast reflexes, it bit down on her arm. With all the strength she could muster she threw it into a wall. It yelped once more and tried to regain its balance. The small woman jumped for it again, wrestling with the wild animal. She saw the unfinished closet with the deep hole inside to be used as a path for more piping. She tried to grab its legs and tried to throw it inside but she couldn¡¯t gain footage on the floor slick with blood and began to slip. She fell and lost balance into to the closet herself, seeing an open opportunity, the animal jumped into the closet to gain superiority over her. It furiously bit down on her neck, crushing down hard but she was still able to let out some form of loud wordage. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Yale regained himself, still seeing the world slosh and slide, he slowly heard the sound of his name being screamed. Wide-eyed he felt his heart would explode, he sprinted to the bedroom, cautious not to slip again. He was presented with the sight of blood covering his sheet and floor, his only child screaming in pain also covered in blood and his wife screaming from somewhere in the room. He looked to the open closet door, hurriedly he went to grab it and see inside. His wife had her neck crushed and parts of her body were almost gnawed off. Her hand reached out for him, but he didn¡¯t take it. Instead, he jumped inside and aggressively grabbed the neck of the animal. Yale at the time was not a huge man, he was tall and lean but not muscular. With the adrenaline he had and oxygen flowing through his body at rates what would cause heart attacks, he forced the animal into a headlock. Slowly but surely trying to twist the animals head, it eventually gave and sounds of bone cracking were the last thing heard before silence. This silence was the most heartbreaking thing to Yale. His wife was still breathing but unmoving and the sounds of his child stopped. Anina¡¯s eyes had no light to them, they only held tears that ran down her face mixing with blood. She started to utter words, it was Yales name. Over and over. Tears streamed down her face until her lips stopped moving, along with her breathing. Yale couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing, he got up to check for his daughter. Her tiny body, covered in blood. A small gash on her back. Yale began to cry. He didn¡¯t understand, he didn¡¯t want to. While looking at his child, he picked her up and held her in his arms. To his dismay, he could feel her faint breathing. He didn¡¯t know if she was seriously injured but he didn¡¯t want to lose anything more. He ran with his child outside the Inn and was met with the faces of people who had heard the screams. He didn¡¯t care, he only kept running to the closest doctor he could find. Yale let go of the ladle of the pot he stirred. He sighed, slowly clutching his chest. His eyes low and attention away from the food he was cooking. Past memories faded into the air. [Yale: This pain never seems to stop Anina. I wish you could see how much we have both grown¡­] Anya pulled down her shirt from showing them the scar on her back. Zeais had seen many scars in injuries, but for an infant, it was probably too deep to completely with herb wrap. He knew it could heal generally bad wounds, but he thought that maybe wraps weren''t as potent 10 years ago. [Anya: That basically sums up what my father told me. Along with the scar, the animal that gave dripped blood into the wound. For this reason, I also have eyes that faintly resemble those of children like you two. That isn¡¯t the important part though. My muscles gained other properties and strange things occurred to my body. I gained a type of fast muscular expansion and contraction, which gives me a speed not normal for humans.] She rubbed her legs, her eyes filled with a sort of wonder. [Anya: Not only am I tall, but I¡¯m also strange. She sat back down on the bed, her grip tightening around her dress. [Anya: Like my father taught me though. ¡°Trust those who would do the same for you.¡± He said this is what my mother first said to him when she met him.] Anya looked at both Zeais and Eris, with believing eyes, [Anya: Honestly, I¡¯m very afraid of being outside this town. I¡¯ve only once tried to go out and play with other children but¡­ Those enormous monsters were pointing in my direction. No eyes, no mouth, the strange creepy sounds of incests slithering over each other¡­. It terrified me.] As Anya said this, she brought her arms together and embraced herself, as if no one else would. A face of subtle terror, remembering her past horrors. [Anya: There were tons of them. I knew better than to go out while it rained, but that might have been my only chance to gain real friends you know. I couldn¡¯t just pass that up just because of a little sky water. I was stubborn though and my father knew it. Luckily he knew what I was up to and soon ran up to me with Charrette.] She sighed. [Anya: I¡¯m not just afraid of those things though. Sometimes I think ¡°What if I¡¯m torn apart just like my mother?¡±. ¡°Is it worth it to go outside, only to struggle?¡±. Those thoughts run through my mind sometimes, and it only reassured me that working in the Inn and helping my Father were much better.] [Eris: So, you¡¯re basically saying you might be troublesome.] Anya reluctantly shook her head. [Anya: Yes.] Sighing once more, she put her hands on her lap and stood up confidently. [Anya: This is why I have you two! I don¡¯t need to fear anything after hearing what you two did last night!] [Eris: Don¡¯t worry Anya. You aren¡¯t a burden and I¡¯m sure you will be fine outside these walls.] A flicker of hope lighted inside of Anya¡¯s eyes. Zeias almost felt bad to tell her when she gained such hope but, [Zeias: Sorry Anya, but Eris won¡¯t be joining us to brights.] Anya¡¯s face turned into one of shock. She looked to Eris and said, [Anya: You won¡¯t be coming? Is it because of me?] Eris waved her hand denying her questions. [Eris: No, of course not. I just have to take care of¡ª Grab somethings first.] Anya¡¯s face saddened. [Anya: I see. Then¡­ Just Zeais?] She turned slowly to Zeais, her eyes quivering. [Zeais: Just me. Hope you aren¡¯t disappointed.] Anya nodded her head. [Anya: No... It¡¯s just that, it feels like I¡¯m losing someone another potential friend¡­] Her downcast eyes gave Zeais a sharp pain in his chest. Something about what she said stirred something in him. I¡¯ve never seen a child without others to be around. Is this what they¡¯re like? I don¡¯t know how I would feel being afraid of the forests and not having my group. [Anya: When will you be coming back?] [Eris: About two days from now or sooner.] [Anya: I see.] She breathed a sigh of relief. [Anya: That''s not long at all. Wait. Eris you are from Don¡¯te right? Why are you going to Brights as well.] Together in unison, they both remembered what they forgot to tell her. [Zeais: Oh.] [Eris: Ah] [Zeais: We have to pay debts to the chief so we¡¯re going on an expedition to a Lument forest within the next week.] Taken aback once again, she went silent. A long pause for what felt like a whole minute, she finally stammered, [Anya: ¡ªI-I see. So, you will be leaving soon after this¡­ And going to where those beasts live.] Zeais gave a confirming nod. [Zeais: Unfortunately yes.] Anya looked as if she were on the verge of tears. [Zeais: Don¡¯t worry though, I have a group of others who will help us. And you can rest easy that we will come back just fine so that we can meet another day.] [15] The morning before the beginning Last night had concluded with Zeais surprised at how skillful Yale was at cooking and the children had planned out general ideas for their travel. With Yale¡¯s approval, they had also gotten approval for Anya to stay for a few days in Brights instead of one. Zeais thought it would be too much to travel back and forth with Anya for two days and there were plenty of places for her to sleep, free from danger. For the morning, the children planned to visit Nova and his Uncle. It only felt right that the children inform them of their situation with the Chief. If at all possible, Zeais wanted to see if they had anyone who could be free to help them. Eris didn¡¯t seem to be interested in visiting for the talks but instead wanted to visit Nova and check up on him.
Another morning is what Zeais would have awakened to if it weren¡¯t for Celcilin transitioning to its new axis. It was still dark outside the window of the room, and the sun wouldn¡¯t come up for another hour more if he had to guess. Zeais tiredly turned his head to his right, to see Eris facing away from him on her bed. [Zeais: Up already?] She didn¡¯t turn around but simply answered with an agreeing hum. [Zeais: I see.] With what they conversed last night, Eris should leave in the next few hours after their visit and breakfast. He couldn¡¯t help but remember his painful walk back to Brights after looking for shops all day. It wouldn¡¯t take any more than two hours to walk to Don¡¯te from Rigas and he couldn¡¯t imagine going on a trip anymore without money for food. It was a lot more stressing than he thought and his stomach had made it worse. Eris should be more prepared than me, she should be fine. Still though, that''s a lot of work just to come along in a week. I¡¯d be fine with just my group too. Maybe there''s something else she''s after? Hm, whatever, everyone has their reasons. Zeais let out a long-winded yawn and slowly sat up. He dangled his legs off the bed and let gravity slide him to the floor. The hardwood was cold to the touch and for a brief moment, he wanted to hide underneath the blankets and go back to sleep. He could hear Eris yawning as she stretched as well. [Eris: Ready to go soon?] Her back was still turned as she spoke. Weird. [Zeais: Just give me a bit.] Zeais gave in and embraced the floor. Ridding himself of his sleepiness, he stretched again and yawned until he was awake enough. Alright then, another day it is.¡± he told himself. Within a couple minutes, he dressed in the same worn wardrobe he had the past two days. When he turned to look at Eris, she had already laid back down onto her bed facing away from him. He couldn¡¯t tell if she was waiting on him or asleep. [Zeais: Alright, ready.] Once she heard his response, she rose up slowly like a reanimated corpse. Her head turned to him and he was presented with the face of what looked like an overworked construction worker. Her eyes were shriveled, her skin had the imprint of sheets on it and he could almost barely make out the slightly white signs of dried drool on her face. A muddled groan escaped her closed mouth. I want to laugh, but I shouldn¡¯t. He felt like he was awake now, thanks to the humor which was Eris¡¯s face. If anything, Zeais thought he was an occasional morning person and didn¡¯t look that bad when waking. [Zeais: Alright first things first. Let''s visit the old man and Nova.] Zeais walked around the beds toward the door, he opened the door to feel the lightly cold air of the Inn brush his face. He beckoned Eris to come along. She sighed and took her time to stand up. She slowly shuffled in front of him out of the door, her head hanging low and tiredly. [Zeais: Not enough sleep?] [Eris: mmm, something like that.]Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. I¡¯m just going to leave that alone. Not interested in her nighttime worries. Even though she sometimes talks in her sleep... The steps of the children were loud compared to the quiet of the Inn. As they walked down the hallway, the wooden floor didn¡¯t creak when stepped on but it did give the rough sound as Eris dragged her feet across it. If there were guests she would have woken them by now. She was walking too slowly for him, so he decided to just pass her up. He heard her behind him say, [Eris: I¡¯ll meet with you in a few minutes.] Zeais turned around as he heard her steps stop behind him. [Zeais: Okay?] He saw Eris groggily walk into a room with a whitish sign that had the dark letterings of the word ¡°Ladies¡±. Zeais let out a sigh of disappointment. [Zeais: I see. Alright.] I guess some people just aren¡¯t made for the morning, he jokingly thought to himself as he crossed his arms in an attempt to hold warmth. [Zeais: Oh well!] He happily walked down the hall to the lobby. He could hear the sound of others walking around in the Inn. Yale and Anya must be awake. Too bad breakfast won¡¯t be served till later though. He ventured into the lobby, the open space felt cold on his skin even with the warmness of the eternal candles. The looked bright and colorful and could burn for what seemed like forever, but they produced almost no warmth. At least that''s why he thought people keep in their homes, as to not burn their houses down with more volatile flames. He walked straight toward the main entrance and wrapped his hand around the doorknob. The instant he touched it, he could instantly feel he wouldn¡¯t be comfortable going outside again with what he was wearing. Yeah, this isn¡¯t going to work. He thought. Yale probably wouldn¡¯t have anything that might fit me either. I should have just checked the meteor sheet before I left. He let out a sorrowful sigh and opened the door. The dark sky that seemed to haunt Celcilin was still just as dark as before. The darkness didn¡¯t bother him, but not being able to tell what the time was, did. Zeais pulled out a small thin crystal that looked like a flattened rock. He held it at waist level with the shiniest side facing as straight as he could toward the sky. He moved it in several directions an brought it up to his eyes to look at. The thin crystal revealed the night skies he pointed it to and revealed the sky on its surface as if it were an exact replica made by an artist. According to the what stars he could see on the crystal, it was only ten hours ago that he slept. Is it ten hours or nine? The big dipper is much farther than usual so maybe¡­ He contemplated his thought for a bit and became uninterested. Whatever, I may as well get used to this cold, I should probably draw out my routes later today too. He shoved the crystal back into his pocket and carried on. Zeais followed the stone carved path that led to the arched gate entrance of the yard. He reached the smoothly cut stone arch and leaned against it. As much as he wished he could peer around at the surroundings, it would be too much work to make out what he was looking at. He rested instead, holding his arms together, trying to clear his mind to pass the time. It wasn¡¯t as windy as he thought it would be, but it was still cold enough to where he could just barely see his breath. [Zeais: This was a mistake.] He could feel his nose anxiously want to let out its slippery secretion which he quickly sniffed back up. [Zeais: What''s taking her so long¡­] What had been five minutes, felt like an eternity to him and he still didn¡¯t feel like the cold was going to wear off anytime soon. He knew he had to be tired still to think that it was a good idea to wait outside. Suddenly the sound of the door opening promptly brought up his spirits. He swiftly stood up to take a gander at the door and just as he wanted, a pair of bright orange lights were popped into existence as the door closed. He tried speaking to her via will of word but her eyes quickly turned elsewhere, back at in his direction and elsewhere again. Is she looking for me? He coated his lips till they were wet from his tongue and he gave a short loud whistle. This time instead of disappearing again her gaze became fixated on his. [*Eris*: Oh, there you are.] [*Zeais: I¡¯m dying out here, let''s hurry up.] [*Eris*: Hmph, that''s your own fault for going ahead of me.] [*Zeais*: But you said-] [*Eris*: Now now, I¡¯m just kidding. Shall we go?] Zeais didn¡¯t retort back at her playful words, instead, he turned around and started to walk toward their destination, the doctor''s office.
Gray building after gray building appeared before Zeais, each one slowly fading into view and soon disappearing behind him, swallowed by a blurry gray mist. He could at most tell that some of the homes and shops had lights on, but no one in front of them. Neither pedestrians nor shopkeepers were there. Even if it was dark, it was still around the time people had awoken to start the day. They had been walking for at least 15 minutes now and still, only a few people had shown themselves. [Zeais: What do you think?] Eris¡¯s face didn¡¯t suggest any confusion to his vague question. [Eris: It doesn¡¯t feel like people are hiding. It¡¯s more like... they just don¡¯t bother to come out.] [Zeais: I¡¯m sure you have the same idea as me but, this place is definitely strange.] Eris gave a nod of the head and turned away to look out into the distance. [Eris: It might be...cult related.] [Zeais: I wouldn¡¯t go that far, but, it¡¯s not impossible.] He could hear the annoyance in the sigh she gave. [Eris: It''s not impossible... after what they¡¯ve done to ¡°us¡±, and countless families across cecilin, I wouldn¡¯t put it past them.] She cleared her throat. [Eris: I haven¡¯t heard much and it might not be true, but I heard The Healers left Leone and went southwest.] [Zeais: They could have gone anywhere.] [Eris: That''s true, but I will never rule them out. They are an evil that shouldn¡¯t be allowed to roam this world.] Zeais could her a flame beginning to envelop in her voice when he turned to her, he felt as if he would be set ablaze with the fierceness of her pupils and the expression of anger across her face. [Zeais: I see. I get it now. You want to go after The Hea-] [Eris: No.] [Zeais: No?] [Eris: No.] Zeais found himself scratching his head in confusion. [Zeais: Then about this murderer you were talking about?] She narrowed her eyes in front of her. [Eris: He¡¯s apart of The Healers I believe, and he sort of looks like that guy in front of us.] Ahead of them, in front of the only place with the clear markings and signs of a medical insignia, was a tall man in a lab coat. [A1] Holidays gone and Enemies come
Preview of next song: It is the short out of date version Children of Circinus
A fire trapped around several small rocks let out its warmth to the many bodies surrounding it. The cart and horses that protected their back shield them from any sneaky creatures. The forest was pitch black and they could see nothing but each other. It was quiet in the depths of the hidden forest behind them, they could only hear the slight sounds of trees rustling in the distance. The small open field they sat in was open enough to give them a chance at running or fighting If they needed to. With a decent feeling of safeness, they indulged in each others company with laughter. [Reginald: Hahaha, that''s not what I heard from my pops back in the day! He said they used to have all sorts of dumb days where they ate cookies, cakes, and the meat from chickens just for fun. Sounds ridiculous!] Reginald took a small sip from the flask in his hand, being mindful not to drink too much. The pale man next to him with a fine jawline, Osmond, had raised his hand for a second to get some attention for what he was going to say. [Osmond: I¡¯m sure we¡¯ve all heard about how there used to be days when people would celebrate. Days where people would take their significant other on dates and days where their mothers would be praised with gifts. I personally think that''s strange to choose one day to do that.] Reginald handed the flask to Osmond, who also took a small swig. A short young woman named Mei sat next to Osmond, she beckoned for him to hurry and pass the flask. She hurriedly snatched the flask and took a drink. Everyone looked on cringed expressions as she waived it around carelessly, already slightly intoxicated. [Mei: I don¡¯t think its that strange, but days where celebrations are done sound very interesting. I specifically like the one where you go on dates!] Mei looked to Osmond with a leery look. In return, he acted as if he saw nothing. Mei angrily shoved the flask in the direction of Anina, who was next in the circle of people. Anina declined, for the 6th time, and passed it to Yale. [Anina: My grandmother told me there used to be this day they called Christmas. She used to love telling us about how her parents would bring her presents and toys. It¡¯s a shame she died a few years ago, I sort of miss her long dumb stories¡­] Yale made a face of disgust as he took the flask and passed it to the next person. A man with a rag covering his mouth took the flask. [Yale: My father used to be a big fan of the stars. He doesn¡¯t pay attention to them as much anymore, but he says lots of religions died out after Circinus was born. Apparently day and night was different before, and seasons didn¡¯t last as long. So maybe all those past religions couldn''t match everything up and just went away?] [Osmond: I could see that. The old world was probably full of idle times if there was time for people to celebrate days of hunting for eggs.] A woman with black hair and fair skin gave a chuckle to Osmond''s statement. [Mirella: Even though you''re always idle whenever we want to keep traveling a bit more?] Osmonds brought on a smug face, spitting out, [Osmond: Yeah okay Ms. I want to sleep with the Horses.] His sister stood up, with a defiant look. [Mirella: Don¡¯t say it like that! They¡¯re just really warm!] An older woman with glasses crossed her arms jokingly and said, [Silph: You would want to do such things to a poor horse! My, you¡¯ll make me faint! Hahaha] Mirella¡¯s face went as red as a tomato, she stomped the ground and was about to make a retort until the ragged face man interrupted her. [No Name: Ms. Fox you seem to be taking after your husband with that laugh and humor of yours.] [Silph: Oh please! The only thing I would take after him on is the pure love for sweets he has.] Reginald clapped with a bold laugh. [Reginald: Damn straight, we used to make all the right kinds of sweets, anything could find recipes for.] [Anina: Blah, sweets. My grandmother loved them and would try and make us eat all the leftovers because its close to Christmas season. You couldn¡¯t see me eating those tooth numbing apple-pies.] Another woman of young age joined in with them. [Nia: What about that sweet alcohol I gave you two weeks ago? You drank it so excitedly.] [Anina: Hmph, that''s different. Sweet alcohol has its place in my heart, the cake does not.] The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. They all begin to laugh at Anina¡¯s wry joke. As they indulged in their conversations, the wind began to blow more briskly. Mei with her nose to the air and slightly slurred words said, [Mei: Eugh, do zhu guys smell that?] Everyone''s laughter started to die down. They all began to sniff the air due to her statement. The wind picked up even more and soon plunged their noses into hell. [Osmond: I know this sme- Shit! Everybody cover your noses and mouth with something!] A sense of fear began to envelop them. It was too dark to see around them and the moon was nowhere to be found. They all began to scramble for something to breathe through. Muffled by her sleeve, Anina cursed while looking for something. [Anina: Dammit where is it!] Her eyes met with what she was looking for, her satchel. She hurriedly unzipped it and began digging through it. [Anina: Found it!] She yelled as she held what she was looking for, an imperfectly spherical shaped crystal. While it was a light purplish color, it was also opaque and almost see through. She quickly tossed it into the fire. It didn¡¯t do anything at first, but then an audible pop sound could be heard. Slowly, a purplish light began to spread around them. Filling the dark forest with a spherical light, everyone at the camp could see the short distance that the light had given them. [Noname: This is why I said passing by that lake would be stupid.] [Reginald: Oh hush, they¡¯re just a bunch of frogs.] [Noname: Before I was taken by that crazy woman, those things used to roam the lands around my town! They aren¡¯t just some frogs!] [Osmond; He¡¯s right Mr. Fox, I¡¯m from around the same place and I could never mistake that smell.] The camp members formed a defensive circle, Yale moved the drunken Mei to the center of it. The ground began to shake slightly and everyone got ready to face the enemy that was coming toward them. A large brown webbed foot took its place inside the lit sphere of light. Hairs protruded its legs and secreted a thick gooey liquid. [Noname: If it¡¯s just as disgusting as I remember¡­] Another large webbed foot entered the area and with it, a loud deep bellow erupted from the forest. A large round face came into view with large dark hairs sticking out from below its mouth like a beard. Slowly it waddled closer and was fully in view to the camp. [Nia: Ew, what the hell! It¡¯s got hairs and stuff.] [Anina: It looks like the Santa guy grandmother used to tell me about¡­] [Mirella: That¡¯s not even the wort of it¡­] As if on cue, the enormous from made a large croak. From the edges of its fingers and the backs of its legs, razor-sharp blades of bone suddenly shot out. Several other giant frogs hopped into view, mimicking the first frog. Silph gagged at the sight of juices spilling out from where their bone came from. [Anina: That''s gross! There like four of them too!] [Nia: Those things lived near you Mirella!?] Mirella gave her an agreeing grunt. [Osmond: I know their disgusting but focus. They could easily poison us or cut you to pieces. Hurry and grab some weapons from the cart.] Osmond always carried is machete on him. Yale backed away cautiously and reached for the nearby spear. Mei threw up. Anina took out her knife and several labeled crystals of various colors. Noname grabbed the fold-able crossbow from the side of the cart. Silph grabbed her prized glaive, the metal blade had several holes with thin pieces of red crystal embedded inside. Nia also began to gag at the smell, but still took the time to grab a generic sword she found on a corpse. Mirella similarly took out a long bladed weapon like Osmond. Amidst everyone taking arms, there was a man who couldn¡¯t help but laugh. [Reginald: It¡¯s been a while since a large monster came. I like it when they''re big.] A smug smile appeared on his face as he grabbed his weapon. Wrapped in cloth and smells of oil, filled his nose. He picked it up and unwrapped the cloth. The sphered edge at the bottom of the shaft smashed into the ground and a small flash of light quickly passed through the crystalline shaft. [Yale: Calm down with that thing Reginald. It¡¯s annoying!] [Reginald: Frogs are sensitive to light right? I have no choice.] [Osmond: The smile on your face doesn¡¯t say you''re doing it for the advantage. At least wait for us to go with you!] Ignoring other moans and complains, he charged forward towards the large frogs that entered the area. [Reginald: CLOSE YOUR EYES!] Upon his request, the camp members shielded their eyes. With a powerful yell, he tossed the halberd forward, gripping it hard not to let it escape his grasp.The crystal moved inside the shaft from back to front, ending at the head, where it created a blinding flash of light. The bright light flashed from the entire shaft and blinded anything looking in his direction. With a loud boisterous yell as if he were having fun, he charged toward the stunned bearded frogs. [16] The start to ones courage
Chapter song Children of Circinus
The man donning his pristine medical coat stood in front of the entrance. He seemed to be staring at the medical insignia placed above the door. Eris could definitely see how tall he was even from where she stood. Due to the darkness, she couldn¡¯t quite make out all the details of his face, but his skin was more on the younger spectrum of age. She felt a tap on her shoulder and knew exactly what would happen next. She turned and looked Zeais right in his eyes. [*Zeais*: Is it him?] His tall stature definitely didn¡¯t match what she saw before and he also seemed to be of different origins than the man she saw years ago. The only similarity was that The Healers shared a similar garment, based on what she found out from the traders near Don¡¯te, the cult''s version was more extravagant. [*Eris*: No, I wish it were that easy.] She looked back to the unaware man and called out to him. [Eris: Mister?] The man turned to look at her. [Doctor: Ohh, yes? How may I help you little one?] As she approached the man, his height seems to only tower higher the closer she got. [Eris: Um, we¡¯re looking to visit the young boy named Nova and his uncle. We were told this is the doctors they were brought to.] The man gave her a short look of hesitation. [Doctor: Ah. Fallas family. The child told a story about you.] Eris couldn¡¯t help but notice his broken English. She couldn¡¯t put a finger on what kind of heritage he might have. The doctor took a quick glance at the sign once more and back to the children. [Doctor: I can fix sign later. I can take you two to upstairs to visit. I am Doctor Dubey] [Zeais: Nice to meet you Sir.] [Dr. Dubey: Follow me.] Dr. Dubey kindly opened the door for the children to head inside first. Eris had her doubts about having an adult man be behind them, she carefully felt for her knife just in case. The lack of people around truly made it feel like early morning to her. She swiveled her head taking in the details of what should be a medical clinic, but to her surprise, it looked nothing like she thought. There were only five doors on the back wall, each numbered from one to five. There were no stairs for an upstairs level or a large front office for clerks. The main room only held a few couches and a coffee table. Along with a small desk near the rear doors, piled with various books, writing utensils and papers. It¡¯s just like the Chiefs town hall. Is this a style? [Eris: Are you the only one that works here Dr?] [Dr. Dubey: No no, two doctors for each room.] [Eris: I see.] [Dr. Dubey: You can find Fallas family in first room.] [Zeais: Thank you Sir.] She found it odd how he didn¡¯t react to the clinic''s decor or even the chiefs place for that matter, now that she thought about it. Ah, right, his eyes. I should keep that in mind. She started to walk to the door and Zeais started to follow behind. At that moment, a sudden thought came to her as she walked through the room. He never moves first until someone else leads him. Come to think of it, he only walks to places he visited before. She wanted to take a good look at his eyes, but that would require putting up with what might be an awkward stare down. It did amaze her that he still did everything so naturally. Before she could reach the door all the way, the doctor walked ahead of her. [Dr. Dubey: Please wait.] He silently slipped inside and closed the door behind him. Eris could hear his voice faintly behind the door speaking to the occupants inside. A few moments went by and the doctor opened the door widely, he motioned for them to come inside. Upon entering the room, the first thing she saw was the young boy Nova, sitting upon a large bed rubbing his eyes. Once again the room looked much more like a house. Half of the room was taken up by what looked like an Inns room with facilities such as a small kitchen and bathroom. The other half was separated by a large curtain, she couldn''t see through it or tell what was on the other side. There was also a flight of stairs, that seemed to go to a second floor. She thought it was strange that there weren''t any stairs in the front. Disregarding the room, her attention turned to the sleepy-eyed boy in front of her. Her heart felt warm watching him wipe the tiredness away from his small body. When his eyes finally met with hers he slid off the bed and softly said with a yawn, [Nova: Good Morning Eris, Zeais] She had a hard urge to go and hug him, but she could see his face held more than just sleepiness. The young boys face held hints of sadness. She felt a slight sting in her heart and a feeling of unease. [Eris: G-Good Morning Nova. How are you?] The boy didn¡¯t answer her question, instead, he silently walked up to her. She could see his face slowly scrunch up as if he were going to cry as he got closer. When he reached her, she was awestruck. His small arms were wrapped around her and his face was buried in her stomach. She could feel him lightly shaking, her heart went silent for a second. [Eris: N-Nova?] His face lifted up to meet her eyes. The sight of tears beginning to stream from his eyes made her feel choked up in her throat. His voice was crackly and near the verge of letting out sobs, yet he asked her, [Nova: How do I- How do I stay strong, when he won¡¯t wake up?] The tears that the boy looked so desperately to hold back began running down his face. Her heart couldn¡¯t take any more, this isn¡¯t what she came to see. She wanted to see the boy happily laughing and being near his uncle''s side. So why? Why was this the welcoming? Eris wanted answers, she quickly looked to the doctor who was watching them. He seemed to know exactly what she wanted, he solemnly explained. [Dr. Dubey: The man has head injury. With the burns and neck sprain, he has not awaken yet. He is still alive.] [Eris: Neck trauma?] She didn¡¯t remember seeing him take a blow to his neck. [Dr. Dubey: I believe the neck sprain is due to falling down.] Eris went blank, she felt her unease explode inside her chest. Falling down? Was it the hill? It had to be. But how? He slid, didn¡¯t he? Is it my fault? Did I do something wrong? It¡¯s probably thanks to me that he won¡¯t wake. I shouldn¡¯t have meddled. Maybe this wouldn¡¯t have happened if I just stayed home. I might have taken this boys uncle away. What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? Seresa. Seresa. What would you do? I¡ª Void of her own volition she held the boy closer to her, taking in his warmth. Her mind mulled and sent her diving into her mind, reminding of the warmth she felt such a long time ago. Answers. She wanted them. The images of her dear caregiver always came to mind. An embracing hug from a time long ago. The words the woman soother her with calmed her, letting her know that she would do everything in her power to keep her safe, telling her what to do in case she ever left her. Why do I play the hero? Every time I do, it goes wrong. I can¡¯t be like this. I need to be better. I need to be stronger. Be strong, right Eris? A bad outcome is still better than the worst. It will be okay, things will change and you will grow. She was slowly dragged back to reality. When she looked up, her eyes met with herself. A mirror had shown her exactly what she looked like, and it terrified her. Her eyes were no longer bright, they were dead inside. Is this what she looked like right now. Is this what happens when she traveled her mind. She saw her vision blur quickly, she knew why. No, not going to happen. I won¡¯t give in to something like this. This is the start, this will happen a lot. Tears are only meant to be shed when you¡¯ve truly lost. The voice in the room faded back into existence for her, she could no longer stay in thought. [Zeais: I see, the hill¡­] Before she turned to look at Zeais she made sure to wipe her eyes. Rubbing quickly to remove any traces of tears. [Eris: That''s what I thought as well.] She looked down to Nova, still wrapped around her waist. [Eris: Is it okay if we take a look at him?] She looked to the doctor for approval. [Dr. Dubey: That is up to the boy.] She looked back down at Nova, who was now looking up to her once more. [Nova: Its, okay.] [Eris: Are you sure? ] [Nova: Mhm, I¡¯ve watched him all this time anyway.] Dr. Dubey walked to the curtains and gestured for the children to come to look. As she walked toward the other side of the room, Nova had stopped holding on to her waist and had grabbed hold of part of her dress. The doctor brought back the curtains, revealing a wooden bed and then the body of the man. The moment she laid eyes on his exposed skin, it made her skin crawl and her stomach recoil. Stretches of burnt flesh covered his torso. Some of his skin was an only second degree, while others were third. Below his neck down to his lower rib cage were hundreds of blisters of varying sizes, all covered in treatment oils to soothe them, giving them a slimy look. His arms were definitely the most severe in her eyes. His entire right arm looked like leather and tissues inside his arm could be seen. The redness around his larger wounds heightened the skin crawling feeling she felt throughout her body. [Zeais: Much worse than I thought. Will he have surgery soon?] [Dr. Dubey: The surgeons will be here later today.] Eris felt a sigh of relief when she heard his statement. The only problem was Nova. Surely a surgery would be costly. How would they handle payments? With what the chief tasked them with just for leading the creature to town was outrageous. Not entirely outrageous for the deed, but it still angered her that having to go to the forest was the task at hand. There''s no telling what might happen, but the next thing she thought she should do was comfort the child. [Eris: Hear that Nova? He should be fine when the other doctors arrive.] [Nova: Mmm¡­] Nova¡¯s face always seemed to hold small tinges of fear, but he never showed it fully. He should be a strong one when he gets older. Nova¡¯s uncle looked like he was only sleeping. Eris couldn¡¯t make out if the twitching in his arm was of his own will or due to the severely burned nerves. [Dr. Dubey: Hmm, his skin looks irritated. Children, can you wait outside?] Eris could feel Nova clutch her skirt. He must not want to leave, she thought. It¡¯s better that he leaves though. [Eris: Come on Nova. The doctor has to work, your Uncle will be fine. Okay?] [Nova: okay¡­] The children took their leave, starting with Zeais, then Eris holding Nova''s hand. The little boy''s eyes silently watched as the Doctor moved the curtains back to the side and the door closed behind him.
Her wish to leave her home had finally started, but it¡¯s beginning felt far from ideal for her. Meeting new people outside and being out on her own felt bizarre in a way, yet she still felt that this was the best path to being a better person. The terrors of man''s heart were far more dangerous than what the world could throw at her. As she laid on the couch, staring at the ceiling with the young child sleeping next to her, she wonders what else her future could possibly hold, even after these long but short two days. A whisper from next to her ended the deep thoughts she was going to slip into. [Zeais: Hey. We don¡¯t have much more time left to stay.] [Eris: Its been that long already?] Eris couldn¡¯t bring herself to leave the little boy alone, he had no one else with him after all. While she thought, Nova began to move and awaken. [Eris: Nova?] He gave a low grumble acknowledging her question. [Eris: Did you stay here all of yesterday?] The boy shook his head in agreement. [Eris: Which room were you in while the Doctors worked?] He pointed to the room right next to his Uncles. [Eris: Okay. Well, we have to go do a few things alright? I¡¯ll be back in a couple hours before I leave town.] Nova nodded again. Eris knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to just leave him hanging here, she could use a bit of her travel time to see him. The family could be put on hold just a little longer. [Eris: Alright, let''s go to your room.] She stood up and slowly brought the endlessly tired boy to his room. When they entered it was dark except for the lit eternal candle on the nightstand. She could barely make out that it was of the exact same layout as the other room, even the stairs. Why? Do they all have stairs like that? I¡¯m curious now. I¡¯ll have to ask the doctor later. Nova let go of her hand and climbed on top of the bed. He didn¡¯t use any of the sheets but instead just laid on his back with his eyes closed. [Eris: I¡¯ll be back soon.] Nova¡¯s eyes opened slightly, emerald green pupils stared at the ceiling for a moment, he softly whispered. [Nova: See ya.] She slowly closed the door behind her. When she returned to the lobby Zeais was already waiting for her near the front door of the clinic. [Eris: Done.] [Zeais: So its eat and then were off right, and you¡¯ll be coming back here?] [Eris: Right.] Zeais put his hand on the door know and opened it wide. [Zeais: Well let''s hurry up so you can come back quickly.] Eris internally held a smile, here she thought he was only interested in leaving. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. [Eris: let''s go.] The children exited the clinic and thrust themselves out into the chilliness of the morning. The sky was brighter than previously and the fog that always seemed to be around was in full abundance. Despite the towns usually somber feel, there were actually more people than any of the previous times they were out and about. Most of the shops were fully open and some of them even had customers. [Eris: Do you see what I¡¯m¡ª There are more people than usual.] [Zeais: Is there? It does sound more lively. I wonder if they have holidays or something or maybe they were just cautious of the walkers? [Eris: Who knows. This place is strange enough.] Observing the towns view was much easier than half an hour ago. The walk back to the Inn would at least be a bit more enjoyable than it was in the dark. Once again thinking inside her head, she took back her previous thoughts on the results of her trip. After all its one of her first encounters helping anyone outside of her town. Everything she had practiced and learned really helped her in the long run. No one would teach her how to treat wounds, so she got books. People wouldn¡¯t let her go on hunts, so she went on her own with the advice of the traders. No children would take the time to socialize with her, so she practiced with the animals and few children who weren''t scared. She knew there could have been better outcomes, but some things are just unavoidable and you have to roll with the punches. Exploring her mind while simultaneously looking at the buildings her eyes wandered to Zeais. She didn¡¯t mean to but she happened to stare long enough for him to notice. [Zeais: What is it?] [Eris: Ah- Um. What do you do when things don¡¯t go your way. During hunts and stuff of course.] Zeais took his gaze away from her and looked forward. [Zeais: I don¡¯t do anything. There''s nothing I can do. It already happened.] His face was blank but she could feel he meant more than what he said. [Eris: What about when you don¡¯t know what to do?] [Zeais: Hmm, I ask myself what would the others do. My teacher and all the other children all have different experiences. Somewhere in the time we spent has to be something right?] That advice was far from what she was looking for, of course, if she had others to band with, she too might be more capable than she was now. He wouldn¡¯t know that of course, he isn¡¯t psychic of course. [Zeais: Do you ask that because you¡¯re less experienced?] [Eris: Mmm, a bit like that.] She scratched at her head, accidentally ruffling it, making it look like she had just woken up. [Eris: There''s just a lot to think about.] [Zeais: I¡¯m sure. Well! Maybe you¡¯ll gain a lot more knowledge when you visit Brights huh. [Eris: I hope so. Things need to be done and for that to happen I want to get stronger.] Eris pumped her arms in an attempt to show her muscle or lack thereof with a smile. [Eris: Strong!] [Zeais: Haha, your hair makes you look like one of those crazy peddlers trying to sell their last boxes!] Eris quickly matted down her hair in embarrassment. [Eris: Hmph, I haven¡¯t said anything but you¡¯ve had eye crust this entire time.] Zeais¡¯s face showed obvious signs of embarrassment as he vigorously rubbed his eyes. [Zeais: I don¡¯t feel anything. Is it still there?] [Eris: Who knows?] She couldn¡¯t help but smile at his gullibleness, it was quite adorable if she had to put a finger on it. The rest of their walk to the Inn was traveled in quiet pranks like pointing at something to make the other look or trying to trip one another. Time passed much more quickly this time and they arrived at the Inn in what felt like 5 minutes to her. When they entered the Inn¡¯s gate, Yale was sitting in front of the entrance in a chair, the entrance to the Inn wide open. What caught Eris¡¯s eyes was the fact that he was wearing glasses and reading a book. [Eris: You read Mister?] Yale looked up from his book, stood up and closed it. He set it down on the railing of the porch. [Yale: I read sometimes after I finish cooking, to take my mind off things if you will¡­] Yale picked up the chair he was sitting on and grabbed the book. [Yale: Breakfast is ready so you can start your day.] He walked inside the Inn and disappeared around the corner. The children followed suit and went inside. The smell of a fresh breakfast filled her nose and made her stomach rumble with anticipation. This is what I live for, she thought. [Zeais: Is it the same dining room we ate in before?] [Eris: Probably.] She could feel her mouth beginning to water over the smells filling her nostrils. Meat? She sniffed the air to get a lock on the food. That''s bird! Emu? Goose? I smell vegetables too! Her legs seemed to have a mind of their own and she found herself quickly walking to the scent of delicacies. When she finally reached the dining room, the table full of many different vegetables and bread enamored her. This is heaven! She tried to keep her face stoic but she knew very well that her eyes said otherwise.
Jeez shes fast, is she that hungry? Zeais thought. Zeais arrived at the dining room soon enough to see Eris take a seat, slightly bobbing her head side to side. He could see another silhouette moving around the table, he knew by now that it was Anya. He couldn¡¯t mistake her hair for anyone else in the Inn, if there was even anyone else present. [Anya: Ah, Zeais too! Good morning! Have a seat anywhere.] The smell of brazed meat filled him with warmth. It had been a while since he had meat from a bird, they were too hard to catch with just spears. Maybe I should ask a teacher for more archer lessons? Zeais found walked around the table, various food items fading into existence, it was a bit difficult to discern what was what. For the most part he could see there were plenty of vegetables and bread. The meat was the most obvious, the carcass looked plump and if he had better vision it might even be of high grade. He chose the seat across from Eris and promptly sat down. Of the six chairs, they were all populated with utensils, it struck a chord somewhere that they still prepared the table for visiting guests. The only other person he could assume would come was Yale¡¯s ¡°Aunt¡±, she was really just an old neighbor who took a liking to the Inn and family, according to Anya. The sound of footsteps came from down the hallway and through the door entered Yale¡¯s large figure. [Yale: All finished preparing?] [Anya: Yes, I¡¯m all finished, the tables all done too.] Yale walked around the table and grabbed a seat next to him. [Yale: If you¡¯ll excuse me.] Zeais gave a welcoming gesture and Yale promptly sat down. Anya also took a seat, right next to Eris. Customary to group dining, the oldest of the group gave the usual saying before eating. [Yale: May this meal fuel us for the future.] Zeais wasn¡¯t religious nor did he believe the custom was an attempt at it. He thought of it more as a reminder that anything could happen and that eating beforehand might be the last thing you ate. In his eyes, it was a sort of hope. Immediately after Yale gave the custom saying, Eris was, of course, the first to start eating. He could tell the moment they walked inside the Inn when she disappeared that her hunger was serious. Zeais took a bite of the strangest food on the plate first, it was always fun to be surprised he thought. Oh, salted cabbage. Next a piece of bread and a drink of what smelled like fruit juice. It tasted like a mix of apple and pomegranate. Now on to the best part! He took hold of the leg that already resided on his plate. Its warmth and aroma invited him to take a bite. He opened his mouth and took a large bite of the meatiest portion of the leg. Its tenderness and juiciness started a wave of tingles in his mouth. It had been such a long time since he had such a nice meal. Maybe a year or so? He thought. After swallowing down his first bite, he looked around. Aside from everyone eating, of course, the meal seemed a bit extravagant to him. [Zeais: I guess this is like a celebration.] Yale took a drink out of his cup and placed it down. [Yale: Of course, my daughter will finally be doing something shes longed to do.] He could hear Anya cough a bit. [Anya: Ahem, it¡¯s not like I won¡¯t be back! It¡¯s only three days!] [Yale: Maybe so, but you know the world isn¡¯t always so nice.] [Anya: O-Of course I know that. I will come back just fine though of course.] Anya gave a confident pose by resting her hands on her side. [Anya: I¡¯ll also have Memori with me, so no cause for worry.] [Yale: I know, I know. It¡¯s just concern. I know you¡¯ll have a good time though.] [Zeais: Brights is small but we all are in the forest at some point in our lives. I¡¯ll be sure to get her there safely.] Yale looked him right in the eyes, a face of happiness that he had never seen before was presented to him. [Yale: I¡¯m sure you will, you almost remind me of my younger self.] Yale put a hand on top of Zeais¡¯s head and rubbed it. Zeais was in shock that he could actually do such a thing. Getting to know new people is always strange, he thought. The rest of the breakfast concluded with plenty of leftovers that Yale and Anya packaged for everyone to take. As a precaution to the bird being entirely eaten he had a smaller one already cut and prepped for them to take along with them. Zeais felt like it was overkill to make two, but he appreciated it. The four of them cleaned the dining room and gathered in the lounge once they finished. Anya left to change from her uniform into something more travel ready. While waiting in the lounge with on the couch, he could hear the sound of wheels rolling across the hardwood floor. The sound of footsteps coming down the hallway prompted him to look. He could see Anya''s hair still in a ponytail, and her general silhouette still the same. He got up to see if she needed any assistance and stopped in his tracks when he saw her with a rolling luggage case. Her clothing definitely fit the bill, long sleeves and pants, even boots as well, but the luggage did not. [Zeais: Hey. That''s uhh, not going to work out.] Anya tilted her head in confusion. [Zeais: You don¡¯t really think we can walk with all that do you?] Anya looked at her luggage and back to Zeais. [Anya: Well I did pack light just like Father told me to. I just made some smaalll adjustments.] A loud laugh was let out. [Yale: Hahaha, I knew you would do that. Here. I packed my travel bag just for you.] [Anya: That''s why I couldn¡¯t find my¡ª That bag isn¡¯t nice at all!] The bag in question was a large cylinder like back made out of black leather. [Yale: It might not be pretty but it¡¯s durable and easy to carry. I also packed it with the food.] Without so much as letting her get a word in, he walked up to her and picked up the case she packed. [Yale: If you want you can switch some of the clothing around. You only need four outfits.] Anya¡¯s face was red, her eyes sharpened and she grabbed the case she packed quickly. [Anya: Hmph! I only packed a couple things just in case!] She laid down the case and opened it. From first glance, Zeais knew it was good to stop her. [Zeais: What is that? Is that a mallet? WHAT!? Are those-Are those logs of firewood?] [Anya: You have to be prepared right?] Eris walked up to Anya who was looking even more confused and put a hand on her shoulder. Eris shook her head side to side, in a look of disappointment. [Anya: Not you too¡­ Fine! I¡¯m going to at least take this.] She pulled out a item the size of her forearm that was tightly bound by cloth. [Anya: Is there enough room for this at least Father?] Yale looked at the item then opened the traveling bag. [Yale: Yes, here take it and change what you like.] After changing the contents to her liking she zipped the bag and stood up. [Anya: Okay, I guess I¡¯m¡ª] Her father had kneeled down and embraced her in a hug. [Yale: Be sure to eat if you get tired, and don¡¯t forget to pay attention to what goes around you. If you can¡¯t walk any longer take a short break and take drinks of the water I¡ª] Anya put a finger to his lips and he stopped talking. She gave him a smile that Zeais thought any father would probably draw tears over. It was one of fear of the unknown and one of hope of what was to come. [Anya: Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got it.] She gave him a hug in return and stroked his hair. [Anya: I¡¯ll be fine.] Yale gave her a kiss on the forehead, something he also did not think he was capable of, but given how prepared he was to help her leave it wasn¡¯t totally out of the question to him. Zeais could feel that they were sharing a moment and decided to act like he was doing something else. Conversely he decided to awkwardly check his clothing. Once he thought their moment was over he looked up to see Yale standing. [Yale: So you''re ready?] Anya gave a nod. [Yale: Alright then, go show those other children you aren¡¯t just an Inn worker.] Yale gave a light cough as he looked at his daughter. Anya¡¯s eyes widened for a second and few tears began to stream down her cheeks. She didn¡¯t tell him to rest like she did before instead she said, [Anya: I will! I¡¯ll show them that I can be strong too!] Yale¡¯s face couldn¡¯t contain the large smile that went from end to end. [Zeais: Well then I guess we¡¯re already then huh.] Both Anya and Eris gave a nod of agreeance, the children walked outside to the porch with gear in hand. Anya turned to her father and whispered in his ear, her face read. [Yale: See you in three days, traveler.] [Anya: See you in three days, Inn worker.] [Yale: Take care of here you two!] With their farewell completed the children waved goodbye and began to walk down the stairs. He knew very well it must be hard for Yale to let his daughter go knowing shes never gone out at all. He felt a slight bit of pressure but brushed it off. Be strong, huh. [Zeais: Here we go then.] Chapter 17
Chapter Songs Along with them
One building after another passed the children. As they walked to their first stop, the Clinic, they could see the sun in full force. Zeias, felt like it had been a much longer break from the usual hunts than it needed to be. After everything that had happened so far, he was more exhausted than he led on. Eris was to stay at the Clinic so she could be with Noah. Due to time, she wouldn''t stay long, but nonetheless, he and Anya had to keep going and make the goodbye short. To Zeais''s surprise, Anya looked a lot more chipper than he thought she would be. He expected her to be a bit more scared and nervous, but the smile on her face was almost blinding. He found himself staring at her for too long, of course, she caught on and looked at him as well. "Hm? What''s the matter?" Anya asked, with a slight tilt to her head. Zeais turned his head back in front of him. "Oh, uh, nothing. Just daydreaming..." From the corner of his eye, he could see she looked confused. He could it in her actions though, even if she did want to hide her fear. Her eyes were looking straight ahead but her walk was as stiff as a board. He didn''t want to press her any more than he needed, it would mess up the confidence she built up. "Is something wrong with your leg Anya?" - Eris blurted out - "Your walking kind of funny." Get a clue you idiot! Zeais turned back to glare at Eris who was walking behind them. The look on her face told tales of how oblivious she was. "No, no, I''m fine. Just a sliiiight bit nervous, but I''m fine." Anya said. She looked to both of them with a wry smile. She reminds me of Tanya when she first started hunting, just a little bit taller. I should visit her when I get back. While mulling around in his thoughts, his attention dissipated when he suddenly tripped. He managed to catch himself by jumping on one foot. He looked down to see, part a dark shaded object stuck in the dirt. "Phew, that''s dangerous, jeez." This is why I let people in front, so they can do the tripping for me. He heard a snicker from his side, along with a quiet snort from behind. Zeais let out a sigh, feeling a slight heat to his cheeks. "Well sorry, all the ground looks the same." More giggles burst out. He held his arms together, trying to walk with more confidence. The laughter had worn off when Eris spoke out, "We''re here". The same sign that the doctor was looking at only a few hours ago looked Zeias. At the bottom of the sign, he could see the slight flicker constant. Is that an eternal candle? That''s what he meant by fix, huh. His thoughts didn''t stay too long when Eris walked straight to the door. Anya made an audible gasp behind him. She cried out "Ohhh it''s Dr. Dubey, I once cut my finger with a knife while cooking and--" A strange thunk sound swiped Zeais''s attention along with Anya''s gasp. Before he could look at Anya to find out why she gasped, he saw from the corner of his eye why she had done so. Eris''s head smashing into the opened door was all he could see when he turned. Now I see why. Eris put her hands to her forehead and made a hard grimace, cinching her teeth in pain. He could feel the pain from her expression. Anya ran up to her and asked her questions of concern. As for the one responsible, he opened the door and peeked out to see what he had hit. "OH MY GOODNESS." A cry of surprise in broken English yelled out. Dr. Dubey looked down to the child he''d struck. "I am sorry, so sorry Miss! Are you okay? Do you feel light headed?" Eris made a prolonged whimper before painstakingly saying "No. I''m fine, thank you, Mister." In a way, Zeais felt bad, but in another way, he felt like it was the Karma thing that he heard people talk about. He watched the doctor frantically apologizing to Eris. Anya tried to soothe Eris''s forehead by helping her rub it. Watching the people in front of him had somehow brought a smile to his face. It wasn''t brought by someone else''s pain though, he felt a sort of odd warmth watching them. It was different from him seeing other children suffering due to hunger. The times where he had to see some of his best friends taken away for medical treatments. It felt different for him yet good. "Hey, Eris." While she rubbed her head, she turned to look at who had called her. When Zeais looked into her eyes, he could see her irritation, but he carried on with his words. "See you in a bit"This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Eris had resorted to lightly scratching her head. "See you in a bit" she let out with a half frown. Anya gave a short gasp, "We''re leaving so soon? Right now?". "Not exactly the ideal goodbye but we do have to get there quickly. Remember?" Anya sighed, her dark gray hair drifting a bit from small gusts of wind. "Right. Well, see you soon Eris." A wry smile sat upon her face. Anya spread her arms open to give Eris a hug. A surprised look flashed on Eris''s face. She looked straight to Zeais with eyes that he wanted to think were uncertain. Pointing both hands toward the open-armed Anya, he gestured for her to go ahead. With awkward and stiff movements like a broom, she reciprocated the hug. He couldn''t help but let out a loud laugh, he kept his hands on his mouth to hold back his snicker. Once their hug had ended, Eris had stepped backward and he could tell right away that hugs weren''t her forte. Or maybe she does like them but is shy? The look of unease on her face was clear though, but behind it was a hint of gratitude. At least that''s what he wanted to believe. Zeais started to walk away from the two, ¡°Alright Anya, off we go.¡± Surprised by his sudden leave she chased behind him. He didn¡¯t leave Eris with nothing though, he gave her a quick wave followed by a thumbs up. She did the same, not as enthusiastic as him but she had a slight smile nonetheless. Goodbyes tend to get Zeais in a bad place, keeping them short he thought, was better. Even if Eris never came back to meet with him and the worst of the worst happened. He at least wanted them to be on the same page when they left. I¡¯m sort of selfish huh. To top off his thoughts of being selfish, he was excited about something that awaited him in Brights. I hope she¡¯s on duty today, I want to see her. His cheeks tingled a bit while lost in thought. ¡°What are you all red for? You miss Eris all ready?¡± A clearly questioning Anya said, as she closely stared at him. ¡°Not at all. What I¡¯m thinking of is much better than Eris.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but smirk. ¡°Hmm, really?¡± Anya¡¯s eyes lowered suspiciously. ¡°What¡¯s better then?¡± Zeais felt an odd pressure coming from her words. What? I feel like I shouldn¡¯t answer for some reason. He tried to muster an impatient voice, trying to sound convincing, he put his hands in his pockets. ¡°Let''s go, the more we stick around, the more animals that walk around.¡± ¡°Hmm, Okay. Let''s go¡± Anya¡¯s suspicious gaze wore off when she gave Eris one last wave as she disappeared into the clinic. In truth this is was what would happen and would be a problem since she couldn¡¯t fight. Zeais had to think about the safety of someone who couldn¡¯t hold their own, which wasn¡¯t rare. If she¡¯s like the younger children she will run and hide. If that''s the case she¡¯d die if I don¡¯t teach her what to do. ¡°Do you mind taking the lead? I don¡¯t know where the nearest gate is.¡± Zeais said. Anya skipped ahead of him, taking the lead. ¡°Sure!¡± She said proudly. ¡°Follow me!¡± Her hair bounced behind her as she hummed a song that wasn¡¯t familiar to him. This girl was going to go out into the world, knowing what can happen to people. He wanted to know. He wanted to see the real face she made. Was this how others were? Was this how others were? She is afraid. Isn¡¯t she? That happy tone and confidence. Is kind of. Scary¡­ The two walked for had to be at least 15 minutes for Zeais. During that time he had only made small talk with the girl in front of him, rarely making whole sentences and pointing at things. Awkward! This is definitely different than having the other kids around. Actually, how did I talk to Eris and Nova? I can¡¯t remember at all. Is it because three people are better than two? I don¡¯t even know Anya that much. She¡¯s more of Eris¡¯s friend and¡ª ¡°Hey.¡± The familiar voice of Anya interrupted his thoughts. When he looked in the direction of her voice, she was already behind him. He was confused about why she was suddenly behind him when he bumped into something solid in front of him. When he looked up, the face of a disgruntled looking guard peered down to him. ¡°Whoops, sorry mister.¡± The guard lifted up his helmets cover and look right into Zeais¡¯s eyes. ¡°Where do you two think you¡¯re going? Where are your guardians?¡± The guard¡¯s eyes looked taught on keeping the two of them here. ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m not from here. Just traveling back to my town after I got some rest.¡± ¡°And the girl next to you?¡± ¡°Same place.¡± His dark brown eyes looked skeptical of the children. After looking them over one more time, he waived his hand to the tower above. ¡°Let them pass! Just traveling Children!¡± The tower guard gave an affirmative hand signal and moved toward the front of the tower. He disappeared, but someone else soon replaced him. A young child looked over the edge of the tower. Zeais noticed the child¡¯s eyes, seeing as it was the only color out of everything around him. The helmet on top of the child¡¯s head was a little too large and slipped down a bit when they looked down further. The armor-clad child gave Zeais a wave then promptly began to do a hand signal. A tube-like hole made by the hand for an eye to look through, and a twist of the hand with the thumb pointing outward. Zeais couldn¡¯t make out what the child was doing, but he had an idea. Without any hesitation, he imposed his words of will of words first. His eyes shined dimly to the child above, who¡¯s eyes presented a mellow blue light. With a questioning face, Zeais asked *Yes?* The voice of a girl resonated in his head. *Be careful out there little one. There have been some reports lately about people being attacked.* Zeais thought that the child sounded a bit older than him. *By what exactly?* *Abnormals.* Zeais gave a deep heart filled sigh as he heard the word he didn¡¯t want to hear the most. He rubbed his forehead and let it fall lazily off his face in disappointment. The young guard continued, *Not just children either, there are packs of animals with them as well.* Are you serious!? What is this? A joke? Zeais could feel his irritation rise, it wasn¡¯t the nice carefree week off that he thought he would get. *Do you know how many there are?* *About four children. Um, and I think the merchants who came back said about two foxes with three wild dogs...* *Why now of all days¡­ Whoops, sorry ignore that. I-Is there at least a route that''s safe to take?* *Another group of people after the merchants said they saw a group go by. It looked like they were putting out flaring crystals. They were going the opposite way against the riverbed. It might be safer to travel near the water.* *Great. Thank you, umm-* *Jaleh* *Well, Thank you, Jaleh. We¡¯ll be going now.* *Alright, remember little one, be strong.* The guard, Jaleh, gave a quick wave as she disappointed into the tower. Anya looked at Zeais, a face of what looked like curiosity rested on her face. She leaned closer to Zeais, he could feel the warmth from her head. ¡°What?¡± Zeais asked as he took a step away from her. ¡°Do you guys just stare at each other when you talk?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah.¡± She leaned closer to him, staring into his eyes. Zeais thought it would be worth a try, word of will wasn¡¯t exactly hard to do. Anya seemed like she caught on and stared into his gray pupils. When he peered back into her eyes, he tried focusing on her deep yellow irises. I don¡¯t feel much of anything when I look at them. It just doesn¡¯t feel like were the same. Strange. Even though I feel, something. ¡°Did you hear what I said?¡± ¡°No, nothing.¡± ¡°Hmmm, okay.¡± Anya turned around, Zeais thought he could see a little disappointment appear briefly, but it was gone as quickly as it came. The large wooden gates began to make a loud grinding sound as the guards on the ground activate the gate''s mechanism. A sort of awe washed over Zeais, he could only see a small portion of the gate, but he knew it had to be heavy. I wonder how they get it to move, something like that would be useful in Brights. ¡°Come on let''s go¡±, she said with a smile. ¡°After you, wise guide.¡± Zeais walked ahead of her. He knew nothing of the area, he pretty much only knew about the river. Wise was a bit too tall of responsibility, he thought. ¡°Sure thing. I''ve got it.¡± He kept walking forward until he noticed that there were no steps behind him. When he turned around Anya only stood there, smiling. Zeais felt a very uncomfortable vibe from her. The smile she showed was as empty as a glass cup with no water. It was void of any action or intent, she stood there frozen. Maps DO NOT CLICK SHOW UNLESS YOU WISH TO BE SPOILED ON CHARACTER PROGRESSION: Feel free to check on this chapter for Map updates and character progress. Below is a map of the current region. There are other villages, towns and cities around the shown are. They will be revealed as the characters explore the world.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Not that these numbers mean anything, the map is just for reference for me really. Every inch of the map will not be explored and there is no possible way for the characters to do such a thing. What parts of the map will be used for though are side stories.Characters who have nothing to do with the main cast. Special chapters like these will be posted elsewhere. The current percentage explored of Celcilin is 0.7% The current percentage explored of Circinus is 0.0000000063% Art Core Spoiler: DO NOT CLICK SHOW IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED!!
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Rewrite Today is the day, that this fiction moves to new heights. With a more normal style, I have begun rewriting the fiction and it is now posted under Distant Leaps to Circinus. This fiction now boasts the [Obsoloete] tag and will no longer be updated. I''m keeping the story posted a remembrance to my first time writing. I''ve had a ton of fun with this hobby and commit much more time to it than I thought I would have.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. It''s been great know there are a few people who are interested in the DLTC story and I hope the support continues as we dive further into its mysteries. - <3 Khailz