At a young age, Melissa had already accumulated a number of suitors. As she grew older, she became even more beautiful, catching the eyes of others wherever she walked by. She married a man he had met while trading for goods with her father. After she accepted his hand in marriage, her man went off to be a well known trader from across the sea. She supported him in all their time together. They were earning enough that even having two children one after another did not take a toll on their financial stability.
One morning, Melissa decided to take her children to visit her parents. They lived in a town not far away from the Trading District, where they currently reside. The son was overjoyed by being able to ride a wagon and visiting new places, while his little sister felt nauseous from the ride. Her mother cared for her all the way, making sure she felt safe and calm.
The trip went smoothly and Melissa introduced her children to their grandparents. It was not the first time they'd met, but it was for the kids, who had just reached the age of being able to retain memories.
Melissa likes to take a walk at night, a habit she got from when she used to help her husband pack the goods he brought from overseas. Now that her children had been put to sleep, she remembered the past when she first met her husband. When her father called out to her and decided to bring her with him for a change. It was a pleasant night, she thought while staring at the moon.
She had been so deep in thoughts that she only noticed the man standing in front of her when he had gotten close to her face. She was taken aback and almost slapped him before realizing who it was.
"Long time no see, big sister!"
She knew he looked familiar, but she couldn't exactly remember who.
"It's me, Lahson."
"Ooh!, you've grown so much I didn't recognize you. How old are you now?"
"I'm 16 now."
They weren't related by blood, but they used to play with each other when they were little. Though with almost a decade difference in age, it wasn't a lot of times. Either way, Melissa was glad to see a childhood friend of hers is doing well.
"Big sis- no, Melissa. How are you?"
"First name? You're a real man now huh?" She playfully patted his head like she used to. "I'm okay, I have two children now. Can you believe that?"
The boy lowered his head upon hearing the news. It was obvious he was hiding it from her, but she didn't think much of it. Maybe he was laughing, she thought. After all, his words after that were.
"Dirty!, impure!"
And ran off.
She thought of it simply as her bringing up a topic that is too much for a kid like him.
She went back to her parent's home after that. Staying there for another day before going back home. Timing their return with her husband's.
Sitting at home, preparing herself for an enjoyable night with her husband. She couldn't help but think back to her friend's words. She thought she didn't care much about it, but it still echoed in her mind. "Dirty!, impure!" Still, she forced herself to forget about it and focus on her time with her husband for now.
She sat beside the bed, waiting for her husband to come out of the shower. She felt nervous, after all, it's been almost a month since they last had a time together. She started to breathe heavily, she was sweating profusely and her hands were trembling. What she thought was just a normal reaction quickly spiraled into something out of control. She dropped on the ground as her hair slowly turned white, trembling, with the last words she heard were her name being called by her husband repeatedly.
OOO
I sent a letter to my mother, informing her of my father's death. It would take a week or two before she could receive it and another week for her message to reach me.
In the span of three weeks after my father's burial. I've done nothing but lock myself inside my room. Barely going out to eat and sanitize, and never went outside of the house. My uncle had stayed with me the whole time, preparing the food for me. He doesn't live in the village anymore but he comes back now and then to hang out with us.
He was also the one who received my mother's letter and delivered it to me, since I refused to go out.
My mother was as devastated to learn about his death, but she had apparently expected that this would happen sooner or later..
Her letter adds, "Eurus, I'm sorry I won't be able to come home until next year. I wrote a separate letter for your uncle, asking if he'd take care of you. So please behave well, okay? And about your father's illness. He told me not to tell you, but I can't just leave you in the dark. He already had that illness before you were even born. It had laid dormant for a long time and, honestly, I was hoping it never matured. I tried to find the cure for your father's illness, but he begged me not to."
There was more in the letter. But just that had me thinking that the reason Father trained me so early and took me to adventures was because he knew he didn't have enough time. I wanted to curse him for not telling me. But then if I knew, I probably would have refused to go. I would have forced him to stay at home so he wouldn't have to struggle.
I still couldn't accept his death, but I have to move on. It took a few weeks, but I finally mustered up the strength to continue. I decided to embark on my own adventure. As I've always told my father I was going to do.
My father, despite being an experienced man in almost any challenge, never learned to drive a wagon. So we always had my uncle to take us wherever my father planned to go. I have no particular place in mind for my first adventure, so I just went with my uncle to his home. I guess that would be my quest for now.
Quest: Get to Uncle's Home
First destination: Robson District, also known as the Trading District.
Uncle currently lives in a place called Academy City with his family, but since we needed to pass through the Trading Route, we had to get permission from the Market Reeve which takes a day or two. We stopped by a nearby village and rented an inn.
The Trading District has a variety of goods and items coming in and out everyday, you can pretty much buy anything from here, and so I decided to stock up on what I might need. I had expected that there would be a lot of stores in the area, but it still surprised me when I saw the mountain range-like stores that endlessly stood shoulder to shoulder in the streets. Liveliness filled the air. Clerks and butchers calling from every corner like a rhythmic opera, far from the chaotic expectation I had in mind.
It's getting cloudy today, so I planned to just buy what I need and immediately go back to the inn. But it didn't take long for me to get distracted. A vendor called out to me right after entering the district. "Hello there mister, are you looking for high quality but affordable fruits from overseas?" He had a welcoming smile, so I didn't hesitate to come.
"Overseas?" The land my mother works at is I think called- "Do you have one from the land of the rising sun?"
"The rising sun huh, I got the perfect fruit for you." He spoke with joy as he searched through the crates full of different fruits behind him. "Here, have a taste of this one." He handed me a bright red strawberry.
A large strawberry? I was expecting something unique. I didn't dare to say that though.
"It looks fresh."
He was delighted by that comment. "Of course! My products are all fresh."
Trusting the man's words, I ate the whole thing in one go. "Delicious!!! It's sweet, and sour." I was taken aback by the difference in taste from the regular strawberries I usually eat. It was undoubtedly more rich in flavor. "Can I get more of this, please?"
He burst out in laughter as he filled a bag full of strawberries.
"That'll be three Pilons." He said politely as he handed me the bag.
Pilon is short for Piloncitos. One Pilon can get you a meal or a night at an inn, ten could get you a small land or a livestock. Three seems excessive for just a bag of imported goods.
"Three?! You're not serious, are you?." I exclaimed, unsure if it was a simple joke or not.
He let out an awkward chuckle. "Yeh, I know, but we have to pay a tariff for those." He reasoned.
"Tariff? But we're not a unitary state."
Our nation or rather, the mass of land we live in does not have an official name. It has been called with many names but the most commonly used is Weavepines. It is not ruled by a single government, but is made up of multiple kingdoms.
"The Aculon Empire, it started over a month ago." Sorrow filled his face.
The strongest knights, the most powerful of the elites, the one who rules the most land, The Aculon Empire.
I dare not to blame him for the expensive fruit. I took it upon myself to understand his situation and not complain. I took the bag with a smile to ease him and paid the amount.
"Are you traveling?" He asked after receiving the payment.
"Excuse me?"
"I just noticed your outfit seems appropriate for, you know, a traveler."
"Uh, yeh." I'm wearing a brown cloak on top of my plain black tunic. I didn't expect that it would be obvious. "Just yesterday, so I wouldn't exactly call myself a traveler."
He looked at me intensely then smiled. "Well, here's a piece of advice for you." He leaned forward and whispered. "Try to avoid the Asuras as much as possible."
"Who are they?"
He looked around, carefully surveying if there's someone else around us. There wasn't one near enough who could overhear our whispers. "Do you know the kingdom whose king got assassinated recently?" His voice got even quieter.
"I heard about it."
"They're the group that is hunting the one who killed their king."
I looked confused. Not because it would be weird to get revenge on the one who killed your king, but for a different reason. In our adventures, father always made sure to avoid the territories of two distinct kingdoms. The first is the Aculon Empire, and the second is the Salthar Kingdom. The kingdom which was dissolved because of their king's assasination. The Salthar Kingdom is an authoritarian kingdom that is infamous in treating their people like slaves.
"Wasn't their kingdom immediately dissolved because the former king was a tyrant-"
He quickly shushed me. "Don't say that!." He snapped his neck from left to right checking if someone overheard us. A sigh of relief came out as no one else happened to be nearby.
I lowered my voice to put him at ease. "So why do I need to avoid them if I'm not the one they're looking for."
Finally realizing that it's pointless to try to be quiet about it. He took a deep breath and crossed his arms. "They're a ruthless group and if they knew you know even a tiny bit of information, they'd torture you to get it out even if you're innocent. So it's best if you also avoid a man named Albedsar"
My expression turned sour.
Why would anyone want to avenge someone like that even going so far as to involve the innocent.
"I'll watch out for them."
I said my thanks and he gave me "Good luck." when I left.
I tried not to think much about things that don't matter right now.
I spent a hefty price on my first purchase. "Tariffs huh, I thought only the nations from up north do that.." I grumbled as I snacked on the strawberries.
The crowd became more and more packed as I walked further. Not just people, but also stores. The meat section on one side and fruits on the other side, while the equipment and furniture can be seen from a distance. The crowd was loud, but I couldn't help but overhear a conversation from the clerks who didn't have as many customers.
The bigger guy groaned as he sat down on his chair. "Did you see? There was an unusual amount of cargo coming from The Land of the Free"
"Yeah, but hasn't it been like that since they made an alliance with the Aculon empire?"
"Well, It just seems pretty weird. The amount they're sending each week would for sure cause a surplus."
I had walked by far enough that I could no longer hear them. It was just something about the Aculon Empire and the Land from the far east. It's probably just a problem for them, I'm just a buyer after all.
I continued to walk and happened to notice a girl following his big brother while pinching the hem of his ragged shirt, like a duckling to its mother. It reminded me of how I used to be with my father when I was little, though I was a bit younger than her.
They stopped by a local fruit store. "Can we get a handful of these apples?" The brother asked.
But before the clerk even started filling up the bag, the girl tugged on her brother's shirt briskly. "Not that." she murmured.
Her brother looked back in confusion, not hearing what she whispered. "What now? You said you wanted the red fruit, didn't you?"
"Not that." She exclaimed.
The brother looked upset but too tired to even sound like it. "What is it that you really want?" Ignoring her persistent tugging. He took the bag of red apples and paid a fair amount and walked away hastily. Completely ignoring his sister who kept hold on his shirt and had been yanked, almost tipping over but she quickly regained her footing.
"That's not what mother likes." I heard the girl whisper as they walked past me.
Again, I tried not to bother myself with businesses that aren't mine. I continued on my way, but I was stopped before I even took a step, feeling a tug on my cloak. I turned to see the same girl staring back at me.
"Uhm, yes?" I awkwardly asked.
She was unresponsive and turned her gaze towards my hand, in fact, she was staring at the bag of strawberries I was holding.
Her brother immediately noticed her absence and rushed to pull her back away from me.
I'm unsure if it was because he was afraid I might hurt her, or he was embarrassed by her actions. Either way. I decided to drop to one knee to not scare them. "Did your mother want these?" I raised the bag in front of her.
Her eyes sparkled with joy and nodded vigorously. The brother looked confused hearing me mention their mother.
I turned to him. "Can I borrow your bag for a bit?"
He hesitated before handing me the bag of red apples.
I took a handful from my bag and added them to theirs, then gave it to the little girl who smiled in delight.
"Were you asking for mother, not for yourself?" The brother finally realized her actions.
She let out a soft "hm," while peeking inside the bag with visible joy.
Her brother reminded her what she should do when receiving something. They both gave their thanks and I said my farewells after refusing the brother's offer to pay for the strawberries.
"It's a gift."
After having a moment to act cool. I finally got to buy silver wares. The ones we had at home were buried along with my father because of a tradition. While I wasn't bound by any tradition, my father believed in them. Though I doubt he really followed them truthfully with how reckless he was.
After buying the last thing on my shopping list. I heard a shouting from the direction I was heading.
"Where did you steal these from?!"
It was a gruff voice of a guy followed by a snapping reply from a familiar voice.
"We didn't steal it!"
It sounded similar to the boy from earlier so I hurried to where the shouting was coming from. I don't like getting involved in other people's businesses, but I had a gist of what might be happening. I excused myself through the crowd that had already gathered around. Hearing comments from different people as I pass through.
"It's that guy again."
"But isn't he right?"
"I don't know."
When I finally reached the front, someone else had already intervened. A man wearing a black hooded robe that covered his entire body and head.
"Why are you stopping me? They're the ones who did something wrong!" The loud guy retorted as he wrenched his arm away from the hooded man's grip, but found it impossible to do so as the hooded man tightened his grip causing the loud guy to groan in pain.
The little girl tugged at the man's robe and looked at him with tears in her eyes.
Noticing the girl's pity despite her fear, the man lets go of the loud guy's arm.
"There's no way they could have bought those strawberries! They're poor!" He cried out and shot a finger toward the bag of red apples and strawberries the boy was holding.
I figured he was talking about the strawberries I gave them. There's no denying they were expensive, but the way he focused on their lack of money made a vein bulge on my temple.
The hooded man probably didn't know how the kids got them so he couldn't deny the guy's accusation, and the kids were too afraid to speak up.
"I gave it to them." I proclaimed. Catching the attention of everyone around me.
I knew I'm the only one who could fix this misunderstanding, so I didn't hesitate to interfere.
The look of surprise and distress filled the guy's face after being caught off guard.
"Wha- you're not involved here!" He rebuked.
I just realized now that he wasn't actually trying to lecture the kids because he thought they stole something, he was simply bullying them.
He had a face of someone who you'd forget even if he talks to you everyday and a hair that desperately tries to fit in with his face, but fails in every possibility. It's pretty obvious what he was trying to do.
I raised the bag of strawberries with only a little left from me eating them and giving the kids a handful. "Oh, really?"
His expression turned sour, and sweat started to drip from his brow. "That's-"
The crowd started giving the guy a withering look.
"I- I see. S- so I guess they didn't- they didn't steal it." Trying to play it cool, but it was obvious he never expected that. Even stuttering with every word, and nervousness leaked out from his voice. Immediately turning around to leave.
After confirming their innocence. The hooded man didn't dare to let the rude guy go. Grabbing his arms even tighter than before. "Hey, you forgot to say sorry."
The rude guy cried in pain. "Y- yes, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
"Not to me, to them!" He pulls the guy to face the kids. Forceful but gentle enough as to not scare the children with the violence. Then he let go of him.
The rude guy got on his knees and bowed. "I'm sorry."
That's all he could say? He insulted them and scared them, even embarrassing them in front of a crowd! I tried to keep my cool.
Calmly approaching the kids to ask if they were okay. Fortunately, they seemed to not be hurt anywhere. Only after the girl hugged me when I realized how scared she really was, her hands were still trembling and her shirt had been soaked in tears. The brother was also trembling, trying to hold back his tears, but it was pretty obvious he was about to cry.
The rude guy had already left and we paid no attention to his muttering as he went.
"That was pretty scary wasn't it? But you guys are okay now." I tried to calm them down. "I'm glad this kind man was here to protect you two." I looked over to the hooded man with a smile.
"No, I'm glad you were here. I couldn't have dealt with him properly if you didn't intervene." His voice sounded gentle, completely different from his grim tone earlier.
Dealt with him properly? Is he implying that he would have used force if I didn't intervene? I tried not to think too much about it.
"It's nothing. Oh!" I wanted to introduce myself. One of my goals in this adventure is to make some friends after all. "My name is Eurus, nice to meet you."
He seemed taken aback when I introduced myself.
It was vague, but he sounded hesitant. Still, he said his name. "Mine is Jheric, the same here."
I'm not well known, so I'm guessing he didn't want to say his name. I also suspected he gave me a false name, but I had no proof of that so I just accepted what the name he gave me.
I said my farewell to the kids once again, to Jheric as well. I managed to be home before the rain poured down and finally got to rest on my bed after packing the utensils and clothing I bought. I enjoyed the strawberries on my bed after dinner. I have to wake up early tomorrow.
The rain had stopped so I wanted to open my windows to peek outside. It just so happens that I heard the wet footsteps of someone, followed by a heavy breathing and a distinct muffling sound of a girl. I noticed a silhouette of a guy running in a weird way on the empty streets, but something looked off. Squinting my eyes for a clearer view, I noticed that he was carrying a kid. The kid struggles to get out of the guy's grasp and screams for help, but the guy's hand covers the sound of her voice, leaving only a faint muffling sound.
The guy stopped at a corner trying to catch his breath. That gave the girl a chance to shake the guy's hand off and bite his hands. He screamed in pain and immediately lowered his voice down.
"You little-"
The girl tried to scream for help but the guy was quick to grab her jaw down causing pain to the girl, but that still left her mouth open and she immediately let out a screech that rang the guy's ear off. He tried to cover his ears but then realized that her scream would attract attention and immediately raised his hands to hit the girl.
In that second. A strong current of wind engulfed the man entirely and then blew him through the wall beside him.
"I understand getting mad when hearing something so loud, especially when you can hear twice the sound of normal people on a regular basis." I boasted as I slowly descended from above, landing in front of the girl. "Ah, he's already passed out." I said while looking at the unconscious guy embedded into the wall and slowly dripping down the ground.
Making a thump as he landed.
All the while the girl was crying in fear, she was shocked from what happened and shaking uncontrollably.
"Are you oka-" I asked her when I realized that it was the same little girl from this morning. I quieted down and immediately got on my knees to hold her in my arms, trying to calm her relentless sniffling and tears.
I looked back at the unconscious guy, realizing who it was, my blood started to boil. I've come across these types of adults before. Those adults whose ego outweighs their ability to comprehend basic common sense. When put in a position where they felt absolutely powerless, they try to assert superiority to those they know will not be able to fight back. And since Jheric and I spoiled his attempt to do just that earlier, he believes that the only choice he has now is to use excessive force.
It was disgusting to watch them reason to my father that it was my fault for being a spoiled brat, and calling me other names. He let them go, but if it was me.
I could. Right now, I could easily-
The thoughts going through my head were so intense that I was unable to keep it down.
Then.
"Brother."
The girl's voice snapped me back to my senses.
Right now, I could "I'll take you back to your brother." Yes, I could.
She clung tightly to my back the whole time. Carrying her in my arms, even when my shirt had been soaked in tears. I don't know where they lived and the only word she gave me was "Near the old fountain." When I asked.
I don't know where exactly this old fountain is. I only knew about the old houses at the southern side of the village so I headed that way. I knew I went to the right place when pieces of rubble that make up a dried up fountain were in sight.
Looking around the area while slowly approaching the old fountain. I quickly noticed the lack of weight coming from the girl, followed by the slow elevation of my entire body along with the girl as I took another step.
"Ah! We're floating." I tried to play it cool so as to not scare the girl, even making a child-like sound. "Weeeeh."
"Let go of that girl if you don't want me to drop you down from that height!" A loud assertive voice came from behind an old run down house. A man with tall stature came out, fully covered in dark clothing.
Hearing the familiar grim tone of that man made me feel at ease.
"Oh, hey Jheric. How's it going down there?" I continued my playful act.
"Eurus?" He sounded confused when he realized it was me carrying the girl.
"Is this your doing? Could you uhm, let us down? Please?" I smiled awkwardly.
My guess was right. Jheric was the one that caused us to levitate off the ground. He probably thought I was the one who took her.
He frantically apologized. "I didn't know it was you."
"No, it's fine. Also, where's the boy? I brought him something." I presented the girl like a gift, still in tears and covered in mucus.
"Ella!"
The boy immediately came out of hiding the moment he saw his sister. He hurtled towards her— almost tripping, and hugged her tightly. She began to cry once more, but this time, in his beloved brother's arms.
Jheric was finally able to let out a sigh of relief.
"It was the guy from the afternoon." I whispered to him.
Jheric gripped his fist so tightly that blood dripped down from his hands.
"Don't worry, I already called the guards to detain him." I tried to calm him down, but it was for naught. "I even slammed him so hard that his face was embedded into it." The face part was an obvious lie. It was a desperate attempt to make him feel at ease.
"Thank you." He finally muttered. "Thank you." He repeated himself, but louder.
"Don't mention it." I casually replied.
We let the moment pass. Allowing the two kids to calm down before we escorted them back to their home. It was an old house, barely livable and infested with insects. In the sole clean room lies an unresponsive woman. Her skin was pale, her limbs were so skinny that it's right to assume that she's unable to even sit upright, she had long white hair that indicates her old age, but apparently she's only in her thirties.
It's a haunting sight, one painfully familiar. To see your parents hopelessly lie on their bed, unable to even take care of themselves while you can't do anything about it.
"Is this?" I hesitantly asked the obvious answer.
"Their mother. She's the only parent they have left."
Although she had not moved an inch or shown any sign that she's alive since Jheric and I entered the room. She immediately responded to the cry of her children who kneed down beside her bed.
"Are you two okay?" Her faint voice barely reached their ears.
"We're okay mom, we have these strawberries for you." The boy reassures their mother.
"It's your favorite!" Ella smiled, hiding her pain to ease her mother.
"Thank you two." She barely even ate three before she already ran out of energy. "I'll just rest for a bit. Edward, take care of your sister for me." Her voice sounded even weaker.
"Yes mother."
The two held their cry until we left the room. They're strong. Stronger than even me.
Her care for her children despite her illness reminded me of my father. It felt like my chest was burning the whole time.
"You know what happened to her?"
Jheric and I sat down by the old fountain after the kids had fallen asleep.
He kept his head down, his face hidden in the shadows. He gripped his fist so tight that his veins were bulging. "I don't know, but." He hesitated. "I might know a way to cure her." His tone filled with constraint.
I'm convinced that he's hiding something. There may be an animal or beast out there that could cause something like that, an illness from overseas is a possibility too, but I doubt it's any of those. There's no dangerous beasts nearby the Trading District, and if she was infected by a virus from overseas then she wouldn't be the only one.
There is a possibility that what happened to their mother was an effect of a Talon. It gives me a sense of guilt as a Raptor myself.
Talon… I held onto that thought.
"Then let's get to it." I told Jheric.
"It'll be a long walk if we travel by foot."
I want to help them, but I don't know if I could involve him in this case. But… I believe he'll understand.
I raised my eyebrows, tightened my lips, and tilted my head while glancing at him. "Will a carriage be fine?"